A Christian school in Vermont is set to receive more than half a million dollars in damages and attorneys&#8217; fees from the Vermont Principals&#8217; Association, partially settling a lawsuit after the school was punished when its girls&#8217; basketball team refused to play against a team with a transgender-identifying boy.
Mid Vermont Christian School will receive $566,000 under the agreement, more than three years after it was removed from the state athletic association for forfeiting the game.
The settlement follows a federal appeals court ruling that the school must be allowed to compete in games as the case proceeds.
“The government cannot punish religious schools — and the families they serve — by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs,” said David Cortman, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the Christian school.
“For more than two years, state officials denied Mid Vermont Christian School a public benefit available to all other schools in Vermont just because it stood by the widely held, biblical belief that boys and girls are different,&#8221; he added. &#8220;There’s a price to pay for violating constitutional rights for Christian schools and students.”
In February of 2023, the Mid Vermont Christian School girls&#8217; basketball team forfeited their state tournament game against a team that allowed a boy who identified as a girl to play on the team, saying that playing against a male &#8220;jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.&#8221;
Following the forfeiture, the Vermont Principals’ Association retaliated against the Christian school by banning it from athletic tournaments, CBS News affiliate WCAX <a href="https://www.wcax.com/2026/04/29/vermont-principals-association-pay-566000-christian-school-transgender-athlete-dispute/">reported</a>.
Chris Goodwin, the team&#8217;s coach, said he will &#8220;always&#8221; fight for his players to compete in &#8220;fair and safe competitions.&#8221;
“I never thought I would be in court for simply adhering to my Christian and commonsense belief that boys and girls are different,” Goodwin said. “At Mid Vermont Christian School, we strive to exemplify biblical truth in and through everything we do.&#8221;
Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom continue to litigate the case, which also seeks to hold Vermont officials accountable for denying students at Christian schools access to the state&#8217;s tuition programs.
Multiple transgender-identifying male high school athletes have injured opposing female players in recent years. In 2022, North Carolina high schooler Payton McNabb was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-was-injured-by-a-trans-athlete-state-legislatures-need-to-do-more-to-protect-womens-sports">injured</a> when a trans-identifying boy spiked a volleyball in her face. McNabb suffered a concussion and a neck injury, which she said left her partially paralyzed on the right side of her body.
In 2024, a boy who identified as a girl <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/high-school-sports/2024/03/01/injuries-involving-trans-basketball-player-at-mass-school-spark-controversy/">injured</a> two girls&#8217; basketball players on the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell&#8217;s team during a game in Massachusetts. <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-13105605/Trans-basketball-high-school-game-injury-forfeit-Massachusetts.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">Video</a> of one of the injuries shows the boy hurling a girl to the floor as they fight for the ball. The Collegiate Charter School of Lowell forfeited the game after the injuries.

Basketball

Christian School Scores Big Legal Win After Forfeiting Game Over Trans-Identifying Boy

Christians

High School

Vermont

An illegal immigrant from Mexico is still on the run after ramming his vehicle last week into federal law enforcement attempting to take him into custody, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire. 
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempted to arrest 24-year-old Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez during a targeted traffic stop in Burlington, Vermont, last Wednesday, he drove his vehicle into the officers’ vehicle and fled on foot, according to DHS. Corona-Sanchez was removed from the United States in 2022 after facing charges for criminal trespassing and driving under the influence. 
“On March 11, 2026, ICE conducted a targeted vehicle stop to arrest Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico,” Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told The Daily Wire. “During the attempted arrest, Corona-Sanchez weaponized his vehicle and rammed our ICE law enforcement officers. He fled on foot into a nearby residence and remains at-large.”
Bis added that the public should immediately call ICE if they spot him in public. 
“This is just the latest in a disturbing trend of vehicle attacks,” she said. “We are calling on the public to report any sightings of this criminal illegal alien to ICE at (866) 347-2423.” 
<div id="attachment_1060475" style="width: 490px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1060475" class="size-full wp-image-1060475" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/image001-2.png" alt="" width="480" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/image001-2.png 480w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/image001-2-300x225.png 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" />Car ramming in Vermont.</div>
Corona-Sanchez was convicted in 2021 after being charged with a DUI and criminal trespassing, DHS said. He was deported in 2022. 
After ICE attempted to detain Corona-Sanchez last week, anti-ICE protests <a href="https://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/community-protests-ice-in-burlington-calls-for-release-of-three-detainees/">broke out</a> because of a raid at a home where federal law enforcement believed he was hiding. At the same time, local police put out a statement saying they were not to blame for the attempted arrest of Corona-Sanchez. 
“The Middlebury Police Department did not investigate Corona-Sanchez’s citizenship or immigration status, as doing so is prohibited by Vermont’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy,” said the Middlebury Police Department. 
Vermont is a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-publishes-list-sanctuary-jurisdictions">sanctuary state</a> and has implemented several laws to prohibit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents. 
The Department of Homeland Security has said there has been a surge in car rammings targeting ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents since President Donald Trump took office. Since Trump’s inauguration, there have been at least 182 car rammings, according to DHS.

MixCollage-16-Mar-2026-12-36-PM-9459

An Illegal Immigrant ‘Rammed’ His Car Into ICE Agents. Now He’s On The Run.

Illegal Alien On The Run After 'Weaponizing' Car Against ICE Agents

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The Trump administration on Tuesday took action against six blue states that it says have failed to comply with requests to produce their voter rolls. 
The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-six-additional-states-failure-provide-voter-registration-rolls">announced</a> suits against Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington for not producing statewide registration lists. Without these lists, the Justice Department said that they cannot certify that the states are maintaining an accurate count of eligible voters. 
&#8220;Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,&#8221; said Attorney General Pam Bondi. &#8220;The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.&#8221;
The suits come amid a push from Republicans nationwide to crack down on non-citizen voting and maintain clean voter registration lists.
The lawsuits say that the states are not acting in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, which compel states to maintain accurate voter lists. The attorney general is empowered to enforce those laws and has a right to access the lists under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the suits say.
&#8220;States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1419811/dl?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">lawsuit</a> against Rhode Island says that on September 16 Rhode Island sent a letter to the Justice Department refusing a September 8 request for voter roll information. The letter said that the states “objects to providing” the requested information, according to the suit. This requested information includes driver license information and the last four digits of Social Security numbers used to register for voting. 
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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha claimed the suit was an example of Trump weaponizing the Justice Department. 
“We stand with and will defend the secretary, and win, because lawsuits concerning lawful conduct are largely unsuccessful,” he said. “But I’m not surprised that this administration is confused about what it means to behave lawfully.”
In September, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/justice-dept-sues-six-states-for-refusing-to-hand-over-key-voter-data">announced</a> suits against Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and New York over the same issue.

Justice Department Announces Federal Enforcement Action Against International Criminal Organization

Justice Department Moves To Safeguard Elections In Blue States

Delaware

Department of Justice

Election Fraud

Harmeet Dhillon

Maryland

New Mexico

Pam Bondi

Rhode Island

Trump Administration

Voting

Washington

Gender ideology’s war on America’s children has turned its guns on a particularly vulnerable group: children in foster care. Despite a court ruling <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/25/paxton-biden-lgbtq-foster-youth/">blocking</a> a Biden-era rule that imposed gender ideology as a condition of serving children who identify as LGBTQ, several states now <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/child-welfare-map/">demand</a> that prospective foster parents affirm the &#8220;gender identity&#8221; of hypothetical children they might foster one day. Vermont has taken this egregious stance even further, telling one Christian family that they presented too much of a risk, that they would raise children sharing their beliefs.
Decenda and Frank Cram were “blindsided” when Vermont state officials denied their application to become foster parents because of their “belief system.” State officials added that “if children in their home are raised with the same beliefs it could perpetuate further discrimination of the LGBTQ community.”
Two other Christian families – the Wuotis and the Gannts – also failed Vermont’s ideological litmus test and so were denied the chance to foster. Represented by <a href="https://adflegal.org/">Alliance Defending Freedom</a>, they are <a href="https://adflegal.org/article/vermont-imposes-gender-ideology-litmus-test-foster-parents/">pushing back</a>. Their case is currently under review by a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit court of appeals. The Crams <a href="https://conscience-project.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CP-Amicus-Brief-06.06-.pdf">shared their experience</a> as friends of the court in support of the families.
Decenda Cram, like many foster parents, was a foster child herself, entering care when she was only six years old. Her first foster parents were devout Christians and eventually adopted her. “I think ever since then,” she says, “I just thought someday I wanted to give back &#8230; I definitely wanted to return the favor in some way.”
Frank credits Christian neighbors for helping him turn around his own life. “If it wasn&#8217;t for a Christian family back when I was out in Arizona, I probably would&#8217;ve been getting in more and more trouble,” he explains.
The Crams, both devout Christians, hoped, in Frank’s words, to offer needy children “a home, unconditional love, understanding – the whole nine yards.” In October 2020 the couple applied to be foster parents. Decenda recalls that “we made it clear that we were Christians, and we asked if that was going to pose a problem with foster parenting. And we were reassured by a higher up in the state’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCF): ‘We don&#8217;t discriminate against anyone for any reason.’”
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Although they had not completed the licensing process, Decenda and Frank were called to take in a pair of sibling girls, ages nine and fourteen, in December 2020. The girls stayed with the Crams for a month and a half before one of the girls’ relatives assumed custody. We “worked out very well as a team in taking care of them,” says Frank. Decenda agrees, adding that “Frank and I worked beautifully as a parenting team.” Their initial DCF worker and the relative that the girls moved in with when they left us “all commended us for doing such a good job with the girls.”
<div id="attachment_931921" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-931921" class="size-large wp-image-931921" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-1488646082-1024x576.jpg" alt="Nicholas Klein. Getty Images." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-1488646082-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-1488646082-300x168.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-1488646082-768x431.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-1488646082-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-1488646082-2048x1150.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Nicholas Klein. Getty Images.</div>
Given their success caring for the two sisters, the Crams thought they would be licensed as foster parents. They were surprised when the licensing process turned hostile.
Decenda recalls a different official telling her during a phone interview that “Vermont has recently taken a stance.” This “stance” is that no foster families can be considered unless they are willing to fully embrace the LGBTQ community. Despite the clear desire and ability to provide a safe, loving home for children in need, the Crams were denied a license to foster.
According to the denial letter sent to the Crams in June 2021, the Cram’s “fundamental belief&#8221; about &#8220;God&#8217;s plan for all of us,” would “not meet the emotional or developmental needs of children.”
“It felt like I&#8217;d lost a child,” laments Decenda. Frank says that “It really broke my heart. It&#8217;s like, here we are. We&#8217;re willing to give our home and our time and effort to help these children.”
Vermont’s behavior is inexcusable: its exclusion of prospective foster and adoptive parents based on their sincerely held religious beliefs is blatant religious discrimination and adds to the injury already suffered by children in need.
The Crams are hopeful that the Second Circuit will order Vermont to stop its discriminatory policy so they can open up their home to children in need. As Frank says, “all things can work out by God&#8217;s grace.”
* * *
Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is Director of <a href="https://conscience-project.org/">The Conscience Project</a> 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Paper foster care family

Christians Need Not Apply To Foster In This State

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Children

Foster Care

gender ideology

LGBTQ

Opinion

Vermont Democrat Congresswoman Becca Balint, the state’s first female and openly gay member of Congress, slammed the Trump administration’s actions toward immigrants while declaring that if immigration is decreased, “We’re not gonna have anybody around to wipe our a**es.”
Speaking at a town hall in Newport, Vermont, Balint launched into a diatribe in which she posited that there weren’t enough people in America &#8220;to fill the jobs we have right now.&#8221;
“We all know our AG system in Vermont would collapse without migrant labor; that’s just a reality. That’s the reality,” she began. “We know our economy is completely bound up in immigration and migrant labor, and of course, we have to come to a place in Congress where it is no longer a political issue but we see it as an existential issue for the country. If we don’t have avenues for people to come here legally to work or to build a home here — I’m gonna be really crude right now, we’re not gonna have anybody around to wipe our a**es, because we don’t have enough people in our country now to fill the jobs that we have right now.”
“But we have to make sure those folks are getting a decent wage and making sure that their rights are protected,” she continued, then offering a bone to those who want secure borders, saying, “And we also have to make sure that we have an adult conversation in Congress about the give and take and how this works, because it is not a xenophobic or racist thing for people to say they want to know our borders are secure. That alone is not.”
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Then she segued to attacking the Trump administration: “What falls apart is how policies are enacted, and right now, we have a fair amount of lawlessness that is happening among ICE and Homeland Security that was not anything, I think, that most voters wanted. What they wanted was to know there was a secure border, that there would be pathways to citizenship, and rules would be the same for everybody. The problem is right now people are following the rules, and every step of the way and they are still being carted off and kidnapped and not being allowed to have access to their attorneys.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JfinXYviw5w?si=7vfnvzpl57bgMxkz&amp;start=2934" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Balint told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-lambasted-saying-were-not-going-have-anyone-around-wipe-more-immigration">Fox News</a> of President Trump: “He has made immigrants, regardless of status, feel unsafe and targeted all around the country. As Vermonters, we’re so proud that we are seen as a safe place to land. I’m unwavering in my position that immigrants and refugees are welcome in Vermont and that every worker in every job deserves dignity and fair wages — from doctors and scientists to carpenters and farmworkers. &#8230; I’ve relentlessly condemned the Trump administration’s cruel practices targeting and separating immigrant families, and I will continue to stand up for the rights of every person in this country.”

Rally To Stop Elon Musk’s Closing Of The CFPB

‘We’re Not Gonna Have Anybody Around To Wipe Our A**es’: Vermont Dem Slams Limiting Immigration

Congress

Immigrants

Migrants

Politics

An illegal alien in Vermont allegedly murdered a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a traffic stop on Monday.
&#8220;Today, January 20, a Border Patrol agent assigned to the US Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector was fatally shot in the line of duty,&#8221; said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman.
Huffman added, &#8220;This incident is being swiftly investigated and DHS will release additional information as soon as it becomes available.&#8221;
NewsNation&#8217;s Ali Bradley reported that the Border Patrol agent was &#8220;shot in the neck by an illegal immigrant who sources say was a &#8216;visa overstay.'&#8221;
&#8220;Sources say the agent was conducting a traffic stop when he was shot,&#8221; Bradley wrote on X. &#8220;The shooter is also dead. A woman was injured in the altercation, her status and condition are not known at this time.&#8221;
Bradley said that Border Patrol officials believe that some criminal illegal aliens will try to flee the U.S. now that President Donald Trump is back in office.
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Huffman said America&#8217;s Border Patrol agents &#8220;put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure.&#8221;
&#8220;My prayers and deepest condolences are with our Department, the Agent’s family, loved ones, and colleagues,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> A Border Patrol agent in Vermont is dead after being shot in the neck by an illegal immigrant who sources say was a “visa overstay.”
Sources say the agent was conducting a traffic stop when he was shot.
The shooter is also dead. A woman was injured in the… <a href="https://t.co/oiHrHFDugO">pic.twitter.com/oiHrHFDugO</a>
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/AliBradleyTV/status/1881453715179118645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2025</a></blockquote>

Border Patrol

Border Patrol Agent Allegedly Murdered By Illegal Alien In Vermont

Crime

illegal alien

Murder

U.S.

She swallowed the pill on a Thursday night. She immediately regretted it.
Mackenna was five weeks pregnant when she took mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in a chemical abortion. By the next day, rather than Googling “abortion pill” as she had done earlier, she was searching for information on whether she could reverse the effects of the drug.
Fortunately, Mackenna found the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which connected her with Chelsea, a nurse practitioner who runs a medical clinic in Castle Rock, Colorado. Chelsea contacted Mackenna that evening and saw her the next morning.
Chelsea told Mackenna about a progesterone treatment called “abortion pill reversal.” Progesterone is a natural hormone that has been safely used for decades to <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a623013.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support pregnancies</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3604830/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prevent miscarriage</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934502/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forestall pre-term labor</a>. If taken within 72 hours after mifepristone, supplemental progesterone can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30831017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">halt the chemical abortion process</a>.
Many women like Mackenna <a href="https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/we-celebrate-each-of-these-children-aprn-marks-5k-lives-saved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">change their minds</a> after taking the first abortion drug. For these women, abortion pill reversal offers a second chance to save their babies’ lives.
Mackenna opted for the treatment, and it worked. “My beautiful daughter was born this summer,” Mackenna said. “I can’t imagine life without her.”
Yet, across the country, government officials are trying to deprive mothers of that choice. APR and the stories of women who regret their abortions threaten those officials’ pro-abortion agenda. So they are suppressing information and pushing laws that compel women to finish their abortions, even when the mother changes her mind.
In many states, the government is trying to make it illegal for pro-life healthcare providers and pregnancy care centers to offer or even speak about this life-saving progesterone treatment, simply because of the personal and political views of politicians.
It should go without saying that medical professionals seek to save lives. But when healthcare providers like Chelsea seek to save an unborn life, that’s enough to draw scrutiny from pro-abortion officials.
Enter Alliance Defending Freedom, where I serve as legal counsel. We are on the frontlines defending <a href="https://adflegal.org/campaign/pregnancy-resource-centers?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many of these pro-life clinics and pregnancy centers</a> — working with their incredible staff and volunteers to keep them open to vulnerable women facing difficult circumstances.
In <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/bella-health-and-wellness-v-weiserhttps:/adflegal.org/campaign/pregnancy-resource-centers?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a> where Chelsea runs her clinic, Castle Rock Women’s Health, a 2023 law prohibits doctors and nurses from providing abortion pill reversal. This law wrongly denies women the freedom to choose to save their babies’ lives. ADF attorneys represent Chelsea in a lawsuit against state officials as she defends APR. The state can’t force women to follow through with an abortion when a safe and effective alternative is available — one that Chelsea can skillfully provide.
Something similar is happening in <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/california-pro-life-pregnancy-centers-sue-ag-censoring-their-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> and <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/national-institute-family-and-life-advocates-v-jameshttps:/adflegal.org/campaign/pregnancy-resource-centers?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a>. Both states’ attorneys general have filed lawsuits against pregnancy centers for simply educating the public about the option of abortion pill reversal. The officials are abusing their power by censoring pregnancy centers’ speech about this life-saving treatment.
In <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/national-institute-family-and-life-advocates-v-clarkhttps:/adflegal.org/campaign/pregnancy-resource-centers?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vermont</a>, a law hinders the ability of pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise their services and robs women of options. And in <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/platkin-v-first-choice-womens-resource-centershttps:/adflegal.org/campaign/pregnancy-resource-centers?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey</a>, the attorney general has targeted a Christian pregnancy center network for its pro-life views and demanded that it identify its donors and produce up to 10 years of its confidential internal documents.
Government officials are actively seeking to undermine pregnancy centers and impede their efforts to serve their communities. It is baffling how anyone—regardless of one’s opinion on abortion—could oppose centers that do so much good.
Pregnancy centers provide material and emotional support to women facing unexpected pregnancies. For mothers who choose life, the centers provide items like diapers, car seats, and baby and maternity clothing—free of charge. Many centers also offer free pregnancy testing, counseling, parenting classes, and adoption referrals. Some have licensed medical staff and provide free medical services, including ultrasounds, STD testing and treatment, and abortion pill reversal.
These government officials say they’re “pro-choice.” But their actions force every regretful woman to follow the same path: to go through with her abortion. They’re robbing from women the freedom to change their minds and choose life for their unborn babies. ADF is standing up to their politically motivated attacks.
Women like Mackenna deserve to be empowered with information, options, and support, and that’s what pregnancy centers provide. These centers save lives and families, and they give vulnerable women the confidence to look toward the future with hope.
When Chelsea treated Mackenna in her clinic, she wrote the word “HOPE” on the ultrasound image of Mackenna’s unborn baby. By choosing abortion pill reversal under Chelsea’s loving and expert care, Mackenna saved her daughter’s life. Every woman, and child, deserves this same chance. And every healthcare professional and pregnancy center deserves the chance to fully support women and families without fear of government censorship, bullying, or harassment.
* * *
Allison Pope serves as legal counsel at <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/ADFLegal">@ADFLegal</a>).
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Photo of newborn baby fingers

States Clamp Down On Pregnancy Centers Over Abortion Pill Reversal

Abortion

California

Colorado

Drugs

New York

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Several Christian families say that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vermont" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vermont</a> has kicked them out of the state’s foster care system because of their views on gender and sexuality, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
The <a href="https://first-heritage-foundation.s3.amazonaws.com/live_files/2024/06/FILED-complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, filed by Brian and Kaitlyn Wuoti and Michael and Rebecca Gantt, accused the Vermont Department for Children and Families of revoking their foster care licenses because of their Christian beliefs. The suit, <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/06/04/exclusive-vermont-blocked-two-christian-families-fostering-gender-ideology-lawsuit-alleges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported</a> on by The Daily Signal, was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont Windham Division.
“Vermont’s foster-care system faces a crisis,” the lawsuit says. “But, with this emergent need, the Department recently decided to exclude all families with traditional religious beliefs about human sexuality from fostering or adopting any child. This ideological campaign puts politics above people and gender ideology over children’s best interests. It is harmful, unnecessary, and unconstitutional.”
The suit says that Vermont has violated the families&#8217; First Amendment rights to free speech, free association, and exercise of religion, as well as their Fourteenth Amendment right to due process and equal protection. It asks that the state&#8217;s guidance on sexual and gender identity be deemed unconstitutional.
“Although the Wuotis and Gantts have adopted five children between them, the Department has determined they are unfit to foster or adopt any child solely due to their religiously inspired and widely held belief that girls cannot become boys or vice versa,” the suit says.
The department told the families that they must adhere to the state’s position on gender issues “even if the foster parents hold divergent personal opinions or beliefs,” according to the suit. The state asked them whether they would take a child to a Pride parade or use pronouns not aligning with a child’s sex. Both families said no and that their licenses had not been renewed.
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“We were surprised, because they are typically always trying to match children with families as best they can, and so we assumed maybe they would say, ‘Ok, maybe we won’t place an LGBT child with this family,’” Brian Wuoti told The Daily Signal.
According to the suit, caseworkers had previously reported good experiences working with the families. For example, one caseworker referred to the Wuotis in 2022 as “AMAZING” and said she “probably could not hand pick a more wonderful foster family,” according to the suit.
The battle in Vermont comes as the Biden administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-sen-marshall-challenges-proposed-hhs-rule-that-would-force-foster-parents-to-accept-extreme-gender-ideology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put forth</a> a foster care placement rule that critics say would force foster parents to accept gender ideology and harm religious liberty. The rule has been challenged by congressional Republicans and state attorneys general.

US-TRANSGENDER-DAY-OF-VISIBILITY-GENDER

Christian Parents Say Vermont Blocked Them From Foster Care System Because Of Their Beliefs On Gender

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A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the arson attack on Friday that damaged an office in Burlington, Vermont, belonging to Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bernie-sanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bernie Sanders</a> (I-VT), according to authorities.
Shant Soghomonian, who is also known as Michael Soghomonian and is previously of Northridge, California, was arrested on Sunday pursuant to a federal criminal complaint, the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the District of Vermont <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/suspect-arrested-arson-burlington-office-senator-sanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a press release.
The complaint charged Soghomonian with using fire to damage the building at One Church Street in Burlington – a building used in interstate commerce and as a place of activity affecting interstate commerce, the release added.
On Friday morning, Soghomonian entered the building, proceeded to the third floor, where Sanders&#8217;s office is located, and was &#8220;recorded on a security video spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter,&#8221; the release said, citing court documents.
&#8220;A blaze quickly began while Soghomonian departed via a staircase&#8221; and it &#8220;damaged the outside of the office door and surrounding areas, and the building sprinklers discharged on multiple floors,&#8221; the release continued.
&#8220;The Senator’s office was occupied by multiple employees who were not physically injured during the incident,&#8221; the release said. &#8220;It is not known how many other occupants were in the building, but no injuries were reported.&#8221;
The U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the District of Vermont said that Soghomonian faces a maximum penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
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An initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge had not yet been scheduled, and a counsel for the suspect had not yet been identified, the release noted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Seen this man around Burlington, Vermont? Police are asking for assistance in identifying this suspect in connection to a fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders&#39; office. A motive is unclear. <a href="https://t.co/RALcX8TpjQ">pic.twitter.com/RALcX8TpjQ</a>
&mdash; Madeleine Hubbard (@MadeleineHubb) <a href="https://twitter.com/MadeleineHubb/status/1776976283764961710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Police had previously <a href="https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Press/arsonseeking-suspect#:~:text=Attached%20Press%20Release%3A-,Download%20arson.pdf,-(997.07%20KB)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a photo of the suspect that showed him wearing a hat, dark jacket, and long pants to track down the man.
Sanders <a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2024/04/05/senator-bernie-sanders-joins-striking-workers-at-hotel-figueroa-in-downtown-l-a/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had been</a> in Los Angeles on Friday to join a picket line where hotel workers were on strike to demand improved pay and working conditions.
&nbsp;

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Arrest Made In Arson Attack On Bernie Sanders’ Office

Arrest Made In Arson Attack On Bernie Sanders' Office

Arson

Bernie Sanders

Fire

U.S. Senate

A Vermont high school girls basketball coach on Monday slammed a decision to ban his team from competition after he forfeited a game last year over another team’s transgender player.
Mid-Vermont Christian School coach Chris Goodwin defended his decision to forfeit a playoff game in February 2023 against Long Trail School. Goodwin said the participation of a biological male on the other team was too dangerous to his own girls to allow the game to go forward.
“I’ve got four daughters. I&#8217;ve coached them all at one point in their careers playing high school basketball. I&#8217;ve also filled in for the boy&#8217;s coach when he can&#8217;t make a practice, and I run those practices, and boys just play at a different speed, a different force … than the girls play,” Goodwin told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/vermont-girls-basketball-team-banned-play-forfeiting-game-team-transgender-player">Fox News</a>.
“After discussions with the administration and our players and parents, we decided that instead of going against our religious beliefs that … there are differences between male and female, we are created differently, we decided to forfeit that game and withdraw from the tournament,” he continued. “And at that point, the state of Vermont governing body kicked us out of all athletic competitions in the state.”
Goodwin sat alongside Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Ryan Tucker, who is representing Mid-Vermont Christian School in a lawsuit against the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA)
“The state is basically attempting to purge individuals like Chris and other family members in the state, from public discourse, from the ability … to speak out … on issues of significant, public concern,” Tucker said, according to Fox News.
The VPA sent a letter to the school in March that said Goodwin’s decision to forfeit the game did “not meet the expectations” of VPA policies on inclusivity and “gender identity.”
The head of school at Mid-Vermont Christian, Vicky Fogg, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/us/mid-vermont-christian-school-transgender-athlete-ineligible-future-activities/index.html">defended</a> the school’s decision in a statement.
“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” Fogg said. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
Last week, the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell girls basketball team <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13105605/Trans-basketball-high-school-game-injury-forfeit-Massachusetts.html">forfeited</a> a game mid-way through after three of its players were reportedly injured by a transgender player on the other team. Video of the game showed one injury that a girl sustained after she and the transgender player wrestled for the ball on the court.
“The bench was already depleted going into the game with the 12-player roster having four players unable to play,” a school representative said in a statement explaining the decision to forfeit the game. “When the coach saw three more go down in the first half leaving him with five players, he made the call to end the game early. The upcoming Charter School playoffs were looming, and he needed a healthy and robust bench in four days.”

Vermont Girls’ Coach Defends Decision To Forfeit Game Over Transgender Player: ‘Boys Just Play At A Different Speed’

Transgender Athletes

A Connecticut woman will become Vermont’s first nonresident to die by medically assisted suicide on Thursday.
76-year-old Lynda Bluestein traveled from Connecticut to Vermont on Wednesday to prepare for her scheduled death. Bluestein’s son, Jake Shannon, <a href="https://connecticut.news12.com/exclusive-bridgeport-woman-heading-to-vermont-to-die" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> News 12 Connecticut that Bluestein will take a lethal injection on Thursday morning. 
&#8220;I&#8217;d like to be remembered as someone who never thought that second best was even in the realm of possibility; who always believed that you can make everything better,&#8221; said Bluestein.
Bluestein said the state of Connecticut was “cruel” for not allowing medically assisted suicide. Supporters of assisted suicide also commonly refer to the practice as medical aid in dying (MAID), physician-assisted death, and aid in dying.
“Our state has failed my family and many others. Who can take a calendar and say that&#8217;s the day I&#8217;m going to die?” <a href="https://connecticut.news12.com/bridgeport-womans-journey-to-death-begins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Bluestein. “I was astonished on how cruel that felt.”
In anticipation of her death last month, Bluestein <a href="https://westportlibrary.org/westport-library-to-welcome-wind-phones-a-gift-to-the-community-and-a-lasting-tribute-to-the-remarkable-lynda-bluestein/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> two “wind phones” to her local library, one of which resides in the children’s section. The phones aren’t connected to anything. Rather, the user carries on a one-way conversation to their deceased loved one as a means of processing grief. The concept originated with an unconnected telephone booth in Japan established in 2010 by a man grieving his cousin’s death. 
Since its legalization in 2013, <a href="https://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Legislative-Reports/Patient-Choice-Legislative-Report-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">200 individuals</a> have died using Vermont’s medically assisted suicide, according to a report from the Vermont Department of Health to the state legislature. Over 150 of those cases sought suicide due to cancer, including Bluestein, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Only those with a terminal illness given six months or less to live qualify for medically assisted suicide, and the individual must self-administer the medication. 
The state classifies the manner of these deaths as natural, with the cause listed as the underlying disease that prompted them to seek medically assisted suicide.  
In addition to Vermont, nine other states and Washington, D.C., allow medically assisted suicide: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and the state of Washington. However, only Vermont and Oregon allow nonresidents to obtain it. 
Bluestein <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/nyregion/connecticut-vermont-medical-assisted-death.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> Vermont in 2022 over its original restriction of the practice to residents only. Last May, the state legislature removed that requirement.
Over the years, Bluestein and groups like the Death With Dignity organization have advocated to legalize medically assisted suicide in Connecticut, but to no avail. Proposed legislation on the matter dating back to the late 1990s initially made it no further than introduction. Legalization gained slight momentum with committee assignments beginning in 2020; however, the bills haven’t advanced out of any committee over the last three legislative sessions. 
In Bluestein’s last testimony <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023SB-01076-R000227-Bluestein,%20Lynda,%20Ms-Supports-TMY.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advocating</a> for legalization of medically assisted suicide, she insisted that the majority of Connecticut residents support it. 
“When I, like so many before me, have just wanted ‘to wake up dead,’ I want it to be at home and at peace,” said Bluestein. 
Over 5,000 patients in eight states died from medically assisted suicide from 1998 to 2020, <a href="https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgs.17925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to data published in 2022 by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to <a href="http://speakingofsuicide.com/resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources</a> for a list of additional resources.

Fog settles between hills at daybreak as

Connecticut Woman To Become Vermont’s First Nonresident To Get Medically Assisted Suicide In State

Connecticut Woman Becomes Vermont's First Nonresident To Get Medically Assisted Suicide In State

Connecticut

A Vermont Christian school that pulled out of a basketball game over a trans-identifying male player is suing the state for barring it from state tournaments as well as a state tuition program.
Mid Vermont Christian School in Hartford <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/vermont-expels-christian-school-tuition-program-sports-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a federal lawsuit against the state in Burlington on Tuesday, alleging that the Vermont Agency of Education committed religious discrimination when it refused to designate the school as an approved independent school.
&#8220;Mid Vermont Christian and its students are being irreparably harmed by being denied participation in the Town Tuitioning and Dual Enrollment Programs and middle school and high school athletics,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://adflegal-live-drupal-files-delivery.s3.amazonaws.com/2023-11/Mid-Vermont-Christian-School-v-Bouchey-2023-11-21-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>.
&#8220;This civil rights action seeks to protect a Christian school and its students and parents from unconstitutional religious discrimination and hostility,&#8221; the complaint <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/christian-school-suing-officials-barred-events-forfeiting-game-trans-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reads</a>.
Back in February, Mid Vermont Christian forfeited a girls basketball playoff game, saying a trans-identifying male player on the opposing team jeopardized “the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.”
The opposing team from Long Trail High School automatically <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/christian-school-suing-officials-barred-events-forfeiting-game-trans-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the game.
The next month, the body that governs school sports, the executive council of the Vermont Principals’ Association, <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/11/christian-school-that-objected-to-transgender-athletes-sues-vt-after-its-banned-from-competition.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> the Christian school from future tournaments. The council ruled the school had violated the council’s policies on race, gender and disability awareness.
Meanwhile, the Vermont State Board of Education <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/11/christian-school-that-objected-to-transgender-athletes-sues-vt-after-its-banned-from-competition.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requires</a> independent schools to provide the board with a nondiscrimination statement and post the statement on their websites. If the board does not approve a school, that school may not participate in the state&#8217;s town tuition program, which funds private school tuition for students in areas without a public school.
&#8220;The State is entitled to its own views, but it is not entitled, nor is it constitutional, to force private, religious schools across the state to follow that orthodoxy as a condition to participating in Vermont&#8217;s tuitioning program and the State&#8217;s athletic association,&#8221; the school&#8217;s lawsuit says.
The school&#8217;s girls basketball coach, who has coached the team for the last 10 years, said he could not have imagined telling his daughter she could not play sports due to her religious views.
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&#8220;No one, including our student athletes, should have opportunities taken away from them because of their religious beliefs,&#8221; coach Chris Goodwin <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/christian-school-suing-officials-barred-events-forfeiting-game-trans-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News.
The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
&#8220;Vermont has repeatedly discriminated against Christian schools and their families for following their religious beliefs,&#8221; ADF senior counsel Ryan Tucker said.
&#8220;Put simply, Mid Vermont Christian School believes that boys are boys and girls are girls. They have been punished for this belief. No school or parent should have to change their beliefs to participate in athletics or a state tuitioning program,&#8221; Tucker said.

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