Religion & Law

Oklahoma House Passes Pro-Life Bills by Massive Margin

Posted on April 01, 2010
". . . SB1891 . . . creates the Freedom of Conscience Act . . . SB1890 . . . forbids sex selective abortions . . . SB1902 . . . regulates the use of the abortion drug RU-486 . . . "

Conservatives wonder how N.J. Attorney General Paula Dow sided against the Christians

Posted on April 01, 2010
"Paula Dow took the oath of office on Feb. 23. On March 15, she filed a brief adopting the position of some of the looniest left-wingers on both coasts against a group of conservative Christians . . . "

Tens of Thousands March Against Abortifacient ?Morning After Pill? in Peru

Posted on April 01, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "About 55,000 people in the cities of Lima, Arequipa el Corso, and Piura marched to express their opposition to the distribution of the abortion-inducing 'morning after pill' in Peru last week."

Sex virus blamed for rise in head and neck cancers

Posted on April 01, 2010
Reuters: "The number of head and neck cancers linked to a virus spread by oral sex is rising rapidly and suggests boys as well as girls should be offered protection through vaccination, doctors said Friday."

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VA: Subsidized Housing Project Attacked on Establishment Clause Grounds

Posted on April 01, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "To find space for housing near the suburban D.C Metro station, the county will pay subsidies to a developer who will build apartments over the First Baptist Church of Clarendon. A non-profit group bought air rights over the church last year...

Marriage issue affects Cal. GOP Senate race

Posted on April 01, 2010
"Our goal is not to necessarily elect Republicans," [Brian Brown of The National Organization for Marriage] said. "Our goal is to elect candidates who will stand up and protect marriage."

Heritage Foundation: Don?t Fall For Obama?s Energy Shell Game

Posted on April 01, 2010
Heritage Foundation, The Foundry: "In fact, if anything, the policies announced by President Obama yesterday will actually decrease and delay future U.S. oil production. The President actually canceled four lease sales off the Alaska coast that were planned to begin producing oil within the next two years, delayed a planned lease off Virginia until at least 2012, and placed some areas off limits for at least seven years...

GA: Members of assisted suicide group face arraignment

Posted on April 01, 2010
AP: "Four members of an assisted suicide group face arraignment Thursday in north Georgia on charges they helped a man with cancer kill himself."

Malaysian ruler commutes caning sentence for woman

Posted on April 01, 2010
AP: "A Muslim woman's caning sentence for drinking beer has been commuted unexpectedly, ending a high-profile case that raised questions about Islamic laws intruding into personal matters in Malaysia."

About That Playboy in My Drawer . . .

Posted on April 01, 2010
Brett Stephens write at the Wall Street Journal: "If America wants to tilt the balance of Muslim sentiment in its favor, it needs to stand up for its principles, its liberties and its friends?Israel, Playboy and Lady Gaga included . . . "

ABC fires Catholic actor for refusing to do sex scenes

Posted on April 01, 2010
Deadline.com: "Neal McDonough is a marvelous actor who elevates every role he plays, whether it's in Band of Brothers or Desperate Housewives. So when he was suddenly replaced with David James Elliott 3 days into the filming on ABC's new series Scoundrels earlier this week, there had to be a story behind the story ...

Egypt sex selection clinics engender controversy

Posted on April 01, 2010
Breitbart (AFP): "Some consider it medical progress, but baby gender selection in conservative Egypt has caused a stir among traditionalists who see it as an affront to ethics and have lashed out at clinics offering the service."

Belgium moves to become first European country to ban the burka

Posted on April 01, 2010
Daily Mail: "A parliamentary committee agreed yesterday to outlaw the wearing of face-covering veils in public. The full Parliament will vote later this month . . . The MP said Belgium did not wish to follow the ?bad examples? of Britain and the Netherlands, where he said many Muslims lived in separate communities...

Army Secretary backtracks; Army will enforce ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell?

Posted on April 01, 2010
Washington Post: "McHugh said in a statement released Thursday that he was 'incorrect' when he had said there would be a moratorium on dismissals while the Pentagon conducts a yearlong review on its 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."

Obama?s Secretary of the Army won?t enforce ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell?

Posted on April 01, 2010
Family Research Council: "President Obama's Secretary of the Army John McHugh, a former Republican Congressman from New York, indicated yesterday that he would no longer be enforcing the 1993 law which bars homosexuals from the military. McHugh told reporters that it would be 'counterproductive' to 'take disciplinary action against someone who spoke with me openly and honestly...

Pakistani Muslim prohibits burial in Christian graveyard

Posted on April 01, 2010
Compass Direct: "A Muslim land owner who effectively seized a Christian graveyard here refused to allow the burial of a young Christian at the site on Sunday."

ADF Alliance Alert Publication Schedule for Good Friday

Posted on April 01, 2010
The ADF Alliance Alert Daily Email Digest will not be published on Good Friday, April 2nd.  New posts may appear on the website in the event of significant news developments, but the regular schedule will not be followed. Many thanks to all our readers...

Europe, a mosaic of Christianity

Posted on April 01, 2010
la Croix: "Europeans recognize a privileged place [for Christianity], in its Catholic, Protestant or even orthodox [forms]. In the five main countries concerned by the Ifop poll conducted for La Croix (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain), two thirds of respondents consider that the message and values of Christianity are still valid...

Germany: Bavaria seeks to ban Scientology

Posted on April 01, 2010
FOCUS Magazine: "The state of Bavaria sees the controversial Scientology organization [as a] danger [and] Interior Minister Joachim Herrman announced a push for a ban. Scientology responded promptly and speaks of 'cheap populism'. 'I am personally very clear for a ban on Scientology,' said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) on Thursday...

Advocates fight to get birth certificates for stillborn babies in Pennsylvania

Posted on April 01, 2010
The Morning Call: "For many parents of stillborns, a birth certificate is a purely symbolic but nonetheless precious document. Almost 30 states, including neighboring New Jersey, have laws that direct health departments to issue birth certificates for births resulting in stillbirth if a parent requests one...

Idaho gov allows conscience rights for pro-life medical staff to become law

Posted on April 01, 2010
LifeNews: "Idaho Governor Butch Otter allowed a bill to become law that will create statutory protections for health care professionals in specific areas of medical practice. The measure makes it so pro-life health care workers don't have to fear for their jobs if they decide they don't want to dispense drugs that could be used to cause abortions or kill patients at the end of their life...

OR: Governor signs repeal on teachers? religious dress

Posted on April 01, 2010
The Oregonian: "With supporters of religious freedom looking on, Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a bill this morning that will end Oregon's ban on teachers wearing head scarves and other religious attire. The ban won't lift until after the 2010-11 school year...

Lawyers for U.S. militia members seek their release

Posted on April 01, 2010
Reuters: "The extremist militia group members accused of plotting to kill police and wage war on the U.S. government should be freed pending trial because the case against them centers on political, not criminal issues, defense lawyers argued on Thursday ...

Lesbians? divorce stands, Travis County judge says

Posted on April 01, 2010
"A judge in Travis County declined Wednesday to consider Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's request to intervene in the county's first same-sex divorce case, letting stand the judge's February decision to grant a divorce to two women who had been married in another state...

NY governor asks unions to forego pay rise during crisis

Posted on April 01, 2010
Reuters: "New York state's Governor on Thursday asked public sector unions to forego pay raises to help the state close a $9 billion budget deficit but the unions rejected the request."

ADF encourages mayors to resist activists, observe National Day of Prayer

Posted on April 01, 2010
The Alliance Defense Fund sent letters to mayors across the U.S. Thursday urging them to observe and participate in the 59th Annual National Day of Prayer on May 6 and resist the unfounded demands of activist groups that claim the tradition is unlawful.

Philadelphia seeks $80K bond from Scouts for opposing homosexual behavior

Posted on April 01, 2010
Philadelphia Gay News: "City attorneys urged a federal judge this week to require the Boy Scouts to post an $80,000 bond while the city attempts to evict them from a city-owned building . . . The Scouts refuse to pay fair-market rent, and won?t permit openly gay participants, while the building continues to deteriorate, said David Smith, an attorney for the city ...

A Federal Judge Enjoins Wisconsin Campaign Finance Laws

Posted on April 01, 2010
Yesterday, a federal judge enjoined enforcement of two Wisconsin campaign finance laws. The laws would have required Charles G. Hatchett of Whitewater, Wisconsin to register with the state and include a disclaimer on post cards and flyers urging his fellow residents to vote against a local referendum that will be voted on April 6.

Group Considers ?Dot-XXX? Domain

Posted on April 01, 2010
Citizen Link: "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is considering establishing a "dot-xxx" domain for pornography . . . Patrick Trueman, formerly chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, said the domain would only increase the amount of porn on the Internet and make it more available...

AR: County eyes sexually oriented shops

Posted on April 01, 2010
Courier News: "Pope County officials will consider an ordinance regulating sexually-oriented businesses in the county after a club catering to homosexuals advertised on its Web site it would open Friday on private property near Atkins."

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