SCOTUS Weighs Strict Abortion Ban Against Emergency Care Law

Jason Millman at Axios reports that the Supreme Court will hear arguments today on whether EMTALA, a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care,supersedes Idaho’s strict abortion ban. The case is central to the Biden administration’s efforts to preserve abortion access and calls attention to instances where pregnant patients have been denied abortions despite health risks. Idaho and anti-abortion allies contend that EMTALA extends protections for both a mother and an “unborn child.” PRRI research finds that just 9% of Americans say abortion should be illegal in all cases.

President Biden Signs Bill That Could Ban TikTok

At WIRED, Vittoria Elliott and Makena Kelly report that President Joe Biden has signed a bill that could ban TikTok from operating within the United States as early as next year. Majorities in both the House and the Senate passed the bill as part of a larger foreign aid package providing assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. A spokesperson for TikTok said, “This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court.” PRRI’s Gen Z survey finds that Gen Z adults (52%) are more significantly likely than Americans overall (32%) to say that social media are important for making meaningful connections.

Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Teachers to Be Armed

At the Associated Press, Jonathan Mattise reports that, in a 68-28 vote, Tennessee House Republicans passed a bill that allows some staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds. If the bill is signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, it would be the biggest expansion of gun access in the state since last year’s deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville. According to the Giffords Law Center, about half of U.S. states allow employees with concealed carry permits to carry guns on school property in some form. PRRI findsthat four in ten Americans (39%) say that they would only vote for a candidate who shares their views regarding access to guns.

The Eclectic Spiritual References in Taylor Swift’s New Album

At Religious News Service, Kathryn Post and Madeline Macrae describeTaylor Swift’s references to religion in her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department” as more spiritually eclectic than her past work, with an assortment of allusions to Christianity, witchcraft, and paganism. PRRI data find that religiously unaffiliated Americans tend to be younger than all Americans (23% of unaffiliated Americans are between the ages of 18 and 29 vs. 19% of all Americans). Through exploring the fluidity of belief systems and diverse religious imagery, Swift’s album reflects and resonates with the spiritual exploration of her millennial and Gen Z audiences.