Religion & Law

UNFPA Pushes Reproductive Rights in United Nations Treaties to Promote Abortion

Posted on May 06, 2010
LifeNews: "This week, abortion advocates the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and Amnesty International (AI) are teaming up with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to host the 'first-ever' briefings on 'reproductive rights' for the committees responsible for monitoring compliance with the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) ...

State Wants to Close Philadelphia Center Where Woman Died in Botched Abortion

Posted on May 06, 2010
LifeNews: "State officials in Pennsylvania want to close the abortion center run by abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell, who is under investigation following the death of a woman in a botched abortion . . . "

Steve Aiden on Freedom?s Ring: Healthcare Rights of Conscience

Posted on May 06, 2010
ADF attorney Steve Aiden appeared on Freedom's Ring with Alan J. Reinach to discuss healthcare rights of conscience. | MP3 audio - 13:22 mins

Religion not just personal affair in Russia, Moscow official says

Posted on May 06, 2010
Eurasia Review: "Poll results released last week showing that 53 percent of Russians believe religion to be a personal matter' . . . have prompted some unusual reactions in Moscow. Aleksandr Zhuravsky, the head of the department of the inter-ethnic relations of the Regional Development Ministry, told Nezavisimaya gazeta that these results reflect 'a certain social paradigm which has been preserved in the consciousness of Russians from Soviet times...

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Russian Orthodox: Europe allows freedom to criticise religions, but censors their voice in society

Posted on May 06, 2010
Asia News: "Europe applies double standards in dealing with measures of freedom of expression in society. This is the charge launched by the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, concerned that this fundamental right is not fully applied to religious communities...

Iraq?s Shiites nearly form religious-based majority

Posted on May 06, 2010
St. Petersburg Times: "Iraq's two main Shiite parties brought the country a step closer to a new religious-based government by forming an alliance just four seats short of a parliamentary majority. The agreement raised fears that Sunnis could again be cut out of power, sparking a return to sectarian violence...

US lawmakers publish internet privacy bill

Posted on May 06, 2010
The Register: "A new law has been proposed that mandates information to be given to website visitors to improve privacy protections in the US. It also lists types of data that can be used until people opt out, and others that can be used only with their consent...

FL: Pasco Republicans call for inclusion of prayer at PHCC graduation

Posted on May 06, 2010
The Tampa Tribune: "Pasco County Republicans are calling on Pasco-Hernando Community College to include a prayer at its graduation ceremonies. The party approved a resolution this week and mailed a copy to PHCC, which held a graduation ceremony at 10:30 and plans another for 4 p...

UC Irvine to open new stem-cell research center

Posted on May 06, 2010
The Orange County Register: "But soon after the formal dedication of the center May 14, researchers will begin moving into the four-story structure ? one shaped as much by the politics of stem-cell science as the needs of the scientists themselves. It is one of several such centers being built around the state, and the first to be completed in Southern California...

Reversing Christian disappearance from the Middle East: Three legal proposals to consider

Posted on May 06, 2010
The Daily Star: "In Iraq, Syria and Egypt, significant Christian communities are dwindling toward extinction under intolerant practices, while they are completely marginalized politically by the prevailing brutality and their increasingly small numbers ...

Hawaii governor ?up in the air? on civil unions

Posted on May 06, 2010
"Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle says 'it's up in the air' whether she will veto or allow same-sex civil unions to become law. Lingle said Wednesday she will take her time before she decides."

Sunni-backed party in Iraq warns of sectarianism

Posted on May 06, 2010
AP: "The Sunni-backed alliance that got the most votes in Iraq's election warned Thursday against the rise of sectarian politics after two religious Shiite blocs joined together to try to form a government."

Triple-X domain being considered ? why it?s a bad idea

Posted on May 06, 2010
AFA: "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, (the governing board that controls the Internet) is ONCE AGAIN considering establishing an .XXX domain for pornography. This matter has been considered twice before but stopped because of overwhelming opposition in this country and abroad...

New Gilbert code allows religious gatherings in private homes

Posted on May 06, 2010
Arizona Republic: "Swift action by the Gilbert Town Council to correct a 'bad ordinance' has restored the town's reputation among faith-based groups, according to the Alliance Defense Fund . . . On Tuesday night, the Town Council gave final approval to an amendment that protects such groups' religious freedom...

Chuck Colson: Punishing religious beliefs

Posted on May 06, 2010
Christian Post: "The Alliance Defense Fund is representing Cenzon-DeCarlo, arguing that forcing her to assist in taking the life of a 22-week pre-born child is, 'illegal, unethical, and a violation of Cathy?s rights of conscience as a devout Catholic...

WA Supreme Court: Libraries can block internet porn

Posted on May 06, 2010
"In a six to three decision, the justices ruled in favor of the North Central Regional Library, which is an intercounty rural library district with 28 branches in Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, and Okanogan counties."

Suspended Tory candidate loses teaching job over comments on homosexual behavior

Posted on May 06, 2010
Paisley Daily Express: "An election candidate who labelled gay people not normal has been suspended from his job as a teacher at a Renfrewshire primary school. Philp Lardner was due to stand as the Conservative candidate in North Ayrshire and Arran but was dumped by party chiefs after making controversial comments on his website...

PA: Burlco school board bans book on homosexuality

Posted on May 05, 2010
Philly.com: "Burlington County school board voted Tuesday night to pull a book depicting teenage homosexuality from its high school library shelves after protests from a local conservative group."

Buddhist extremists drive Christians from village in Bangladesh

Posted on May 05, 2010
Christian Today: "Compass Direct News is reporting that four Christian families in southeastern Bangladesh left their village on Sunday, under mounting pressure by Buddhist extremists to give up their faith in Christ."

N.Y. High Court Ruling Affirms Narrow Reading of ?Parent? in Same-Sex Case

Posted on May 05, 2010
National Law Journal: "Declining to overrule a 19-year-old precedent, the New York Court of Appeals narrowly held Tuesday that a same-sex partner who has not adopted her partner's biological child cannot assert visitation rights under New York law. That conclusion came in Debra H...

Charles Murray: Why charter schools ?fail? the test

Posted on May 05, 2010
Charles Murray writing in the New York Times: "As an advocate of school choice, all I can say is thank heavens for the Milwaukee results. Here?s why: If my fellow supporters of charter schools and vouchers can finally be pushed off their obsession with test scores, maybe we can focus on the real reason that school choice is a good idea...

David Obey Will Announce He?s Not Seeking Re-election

Posted on May 05, 2010
FoxNews: "The powerful Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey, D-Wis., is expected to announce on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2010 . . . "

Egypt Christians want action on ?insulting? novel

Posted on May 05, 2010
Reuters: "Egyptian Christians have called for government action against the author of a widely read novel they say insults Christianity, in an unusual case that puts freedom of expression in Muslim-majority Egypt under fresh scrutiny."

Senate Republican defies his leader to endorse Rand Paul

Posted on May 05, 2010
USA Today: "Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican who may have national ambitions, is endorsing Rand Paul for Senate in Kentucky. DeMint announced today that his political action committee, the Senate Conservatives Fund, will be backing Paul in the May 18 primary...

Greg Baylor: Changes in religious organizations and the government

Posted on May 05, 2010
ADF Attorney Gregory S. Baylor writing at speakupmovement.org/university: "The Associated Press reports that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has reinstated two homosexual men in a relationship with one another to its clergy roster . ...

National Day of Prayer may be largest ever

Posted on May 05, 2010
Charisma: "The NDOP Task Force has partnered with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) for a Save the National Day of Prayer campaign, which has more than 250,000 supporters on its Facebook page . . . 'The tradition of our nation has been to allow different official prayer proclamations ...

New Zealand: Low divorce rate not a sign of happy marriages

Posted on May 05, 2010
New Zealand Herald: "The lowest divorce rate in 29 years is not a sign couples had a smooth ride in 2009 - rather, it shows Kiwis now avoid marriage unless they're truly committed, says a relationship counsellor at New Zealand's biggest provider."

European Commission closes two cases against Czech Republic on equality legislation

Posted on May 05, 2010
Europa Press Release: "The European Commission has today closed legal proceedings against the Czech Republic on two directives prohibiting discrimination . . . The main points of the infringement case for the Employment Equality Directive (see also (IP/08/155) were: ...

Sex and tech: Results from a survey of teens and young adults

Posted on May 05, 2010
In Character: "A new study from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com finds that more than 22% of girls ages 13-19 say they have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude images of themselves. And, the study finds, these racy images are also getting passed around: One-third of teen boys and one-quarter of teen girls say they have had nude/semi-nude images -- originally meant to be private -- shared with them...

In porn industry, many balk at condom proposal

Posted on May 05, 2010
NPR: "Male porn stars have been known to don all sorts of interesting attire ? but one thing you'll seldom see them wear is a condom. For years, a group called the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been lobbying to make condom use mandatory. The companies that make erotic films have long resisted that step, but now there are signs that change is coming...

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