Objectifying Olympic Athletes, Religious Freedom at the Courts, and Understanding Demisexuality - BreakPoint This Week

John and Shane discuss the place of the Olympics in framing our national identity and how we often objectify athletes as patriotic symbols akin to soldiers. This in the light of a recent situation where star gymnast Simone Biles took a mental health break from the Olympics, giving up her spot to other teammates to compete. Shane also asks John to expand upon recent BreakPoint commentaries, specifically one piece about a new sexual identity called "Demisexual." John then considers another that looked at a call to strip parental rights from moms and dads who challenge their children's desires regarding transgender chemical and surgical procedures.. To close, Shane asks John about recent court judgments that seem outlandish. In reply, John suggests that the religious freedom court cases are likely to land in the Supreme Court, and points out that many conservative lawyers and scholars are rallying with strong and surprising legal opinions against these threats to core freedoms. -- Story References -- Simone Biles Withdraws from Olympics Citing Mental Health When Simone Biles scratched most of the Olympic team final, she said it was not because of a physical injury, but her mental health. This doesn't mean she felt sad, or didn't have her heart in it to compete. It means that her psychological state put her at significant physical risk. If her brain wouldn't play along with what her body knows how to do, she could be seriously injured. CNN>> All I want to say about Simone Biles is this. She is a young woman. She is truly a remarkable young woman. Her achievements are extraordinary. What's more, she's endured some dreadful things. If she were my daughter, I would be extremely proud of her. Right now, I wouldn't be giving her a lecture or even advice. I'd be giving her a hug. She's a young woman--still a girl, really. And an amazing one. And what she needs right now is simply support and encouragement--not evaluation, or assessment, or disapproval, or (for that matter) even approval of choices or decisions she's made. Just support. Just a hug, really. ~ Dr. Robert George -- What Does "Demisexual" Say about Christian Hope? Earlier this month, Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, daughter of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, announced that she now identifies as "demisexual." As she described in the interview, her journey has gone from identifying as straight to identifying as bisexual to identifying as pansexual to now, finally, demisexual. This latest identification refers to someone who is sexually attracted only to people with whom one has formed an emotional attachment. BreakPoint>> Journal of Medical Ethics Says Parents Should Lose Rights Over Children The Journal of Medical Ethics recently released a formal paper in which they argued that parents should lose their rights to care for their children. The paper referenced an article by Dr. Lauren Notini showing a supposed benefit in treating minors with so-called gender-affirming surgeries. BreakPoint>> -- Mississippi Challenges Roe at the Supreme Court Last Thursday, two months after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear what could be the most significant challenge to Roe v. Wade to date, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch submitted a brief clarifying how this case could impact the abortion debate. "Under the Constitution," she wrote, "may a State prohibit elective abortions before viability? Yes. Why? Because nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion." BreakPoint>> -- In Show Mentions -- When Will It Stop? 10th Circuit Rules Colorado Can Compel and Censor This Web Designer Alliance Defending Freedom 10th District Written Decision on 303 Creative Decision -- Recommendations -- Upstream Podcast>> 10 More Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson>>