Democrats: You Created Your Own Destructor

President Trump will sign an Executive Order that will keep biological males out of women's sports in schools and colleges.

Trump will sign an order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” Wednesday afternoon, said people familiar with the matter, including a White House official and a member of Congress...

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly what the contents of the order would entail, but one option is for the president to direct the Education Department to interpret federal Title IX rules as barring the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports categories. People on different sides of the issue have anticipated that the department would then base its policies and future regulations around this interpretation, issuing guidance to schools to act accordingly—and investigating alleged violations.

The scope of the order stands to instantly affect any educational institution that receives federal funding—which includes almost every college in the U.S., as well as the majority of K-12 schools. The Title IX provision in the Education Amendments Act of 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational activities, though the meaning of that has been hotly contested for decades, mostly recently focusing on its application to transgender students.

In the face of such an order likely affecting all but a handful of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s 1,100 member schools, the NCAA has indicated that it will move rapidly to change its rules.

“We’re a national governing body and we follow federal law,” NCAA President Charlie Baker told Republican senators in a series of contentious exchanges over the issue during a hearing in December. “Clarity on this issue at the federal level would be very helpful.”

...There are 27 states that have sweeping restrictions on the participation of transgender girls and women in school sports. There are policies mandating their inclusion in another 14 states, which are estimated by transgender-rights advocates to have a larger population of transgender students.

The point of this post is not to debate the rightness or wrongness of President Trump's men-in-women's-sports Executive Order but to point out the dangers of allowing the Federal Government to have financial sway over society's institutions. Perhaps, if you are a liberal, you quietly cheered when the Federal Government threatened to withhold payments to Catholic hospitals that refused to provide abortions.*

How does it feel now that the Trump Administration is using the power of the purse to bend society to its will? You created your own Destructor.

*Question, answered by Grok: did the Federal government threaten Catholic hospitals if they did not provide abortions?

The situation regarding the federal government and Catholic hospitals providing abortions is complex and has evolved over time. Here's a detailed overview based on the available information:

Legal Background:
Federal law, specifically the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), mandates that hospitals provide necessary stabilizing treatment in emergency situations, which can include abortion if a woman's life or health is at risk. However, this conflicts with the religious directives of Catholic hospitals, which generally prohibit abortion.

Legal Cases:
In 2016, a federal court dismissed an attempt by the ACLU to force a Catholic hospital system to provide abortions, calling the challenge "dubious" and stating that the ACLU lacked standing to sue (Washington Times, 2016).

In 2022, a federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. government could not require Christian medical groups, including Catholic hospitals, to perform abortions or gender transition surgeries under the Affordable Care Act, affirming their religious freedom (Reuters, 2022).

Investigations and Warnings:
In 2023, the federal government conducted an investigation where it was found that two hospitals, which included a Catholic facility, violated federal law by refusing to provide an emergency abortion, putting a woman's life in jeopardy (PBS News, 2023). This was a warning to hospitals about the necessity to comply with EMTALA over state abortion laws.

Policies and Practices:
Catholic hospitals operate under the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which prohibit abortions except in very specific circumstances where the life of the mother is at immediate risk. This often leads to conflicts with federal mandates like EMTALA, where emergency care might necessitate an abortion.

Public and Legal Discourse:
There have been instances where women reported being denied emergency abortions at Catholic hospitals, leading to severe health risks or the need to seek care elsewhere. This has sparked legal battles and discussions about the balance between religious freedom and patient rights to emergency care (ACLU reports, various dates).

In summary, while there have been instances where federal agencies have highlighted that Catholic hospitals must comply with federal emergency care laws, these are not typically framed as direct "threats" but as enforcement of existing laws like EMTALA. The tension arises from the intersection of religious directives and legal obligations, leading to legal disputes rather than explicit threats. However, enforcement actions or investigations by federal agencies can be perceived as pressures or threats to change practices to comply with federal law.