Religion & Law

Oregon: Bishop Vasa Severs Church?s Ties with Hospital over Sterilizations

Posted on February 17, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The Catholic Diocese of Baker, Oregon announced yesterday that it has severed ties with St. Charles Medical Center, in Bend, because the hospital has adopted practices that violate Catholic teaching and will not back down on them . . . the hospital has insisted on ...

Bayh: Congress Has Created No Jobs

Posted on February 17, 2010
Breitbart Big Government quoting Bayh: ?If I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months.?

Head of Pontifical Academy for Life Should be Removed: Academy Members

Posted on February 17, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "Five prominent members of the Vatican?s Pontifical Academy for Life are calling on the pope to remove Archbishop Rino Fisichella as the Academy?s president following their plenary meeting in Rome last week. According to these key PAV members, Fisichella has manipulated both the media and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in order to deflect blame for damage to the Church caused by an article he wrote last year in which he appeared to condone the abortion of twins in Brazil...

Catch 22 in the EU

Posted on February 17, 2010
Paul Belien writing at Hudson New York: "With the euro in crisis, the British are currently counting their blessings while the Germans are trying to cut their losses. The near bankruptcy of Greece is dragging the euro down, but bailing out the Greeks is probably illegal under the EU Treaties, while ejecting Greece from the eurozone is illegal as well ...

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?Politicians who support gay marriage are not Catholic, says cardinal?

Posted on February 17, 2010
The Catholic Review: "Public officials who openly support same-sex marriage cannot consider themselves to be Catholic, said an Italian cardinal. 'It?s impossible to consider oneself a Catholic if that person in one way or another recognizes same-sex marriage as a right,' said Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna ...

Indiana: Sexting bill headed for study

Posted on February 17, 2010
Post-Tribune: "Lawmakers plan to research the issue of teen 'sexting' this summer before they pass a bill making it a delinquent act for minors. The announcement was made in a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Led by Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, the committee is expected to amend a Senate sexting bill next week...

Obama elusive on about-face on same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on February 17, 2010
San Francisco Chronicle: "President Obama says he opposes same-sex marriage for religious reasons. Fourteen years ago, however, while a churchgoing Christian and a state legislative candidate, he endorsed the right of gays and lesbians to marry . . . What has received much less attention is Obama's unexplained reversal of the position he once held backing same-sex marriage - the position still held by the church he attended for most of his adult life...

Democrats May Lack Reconciliation Votes to Push Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill

Posted on February 17, 2010
LifeNews: "Congressional Democrats are looking at the reconciliation process as a means of railroading the pro-abortion health care bill through Congress. However, a look at the members of the party who may not support reconciliation finds Democrats can't lose any more than two of 11 lawmakers who are on the fence...

Filibusters slow U.S. Senate in approving jurists, including Vanaskie of Clarks Green.

Posted on February 17, 2010
TimesLeader.com: "In December, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 16-3 in support of the nomination of U.S. District Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Clarks Green resident?s nomination was sent to the full Senate awaiting a confirmation vote...

Contempt Charged As Father Violaes TRO On Daughter?s Religious Training

Posted on February 17, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: ". . . after Joseph sent Rebecca a picture of their daughter being baptized at a local Catholic church, Rebecca obtained a temporary restraining order from the court ordering Joseph not to expose their daughter to any religion other than Judaism...

Districts refusing reforms could hurt California?s chances for grant money

Posted on February 17, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "A large number of California school districts and teachers unions have refused to accept education reforms being pushed by the Obama administration, and that could hamper the state's chances of winning hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants, some officials fear...

Fresno City College case tests academic freedom

Posted on February 17, 2010
Fresno Bee: "Critics allege that Fresno City College instructor Bradley Lopez crossed the line by presenting religious-based and anti-gay views as fact in an introductory health class . . . Charles Magill, a Fresno attorney hired by the Pacific Justice Institute to represent Lopez, said instructors shouldn't have to keep their personal feelings and religious philosophy out of the classroom...

Colorado Senate Committee Rejects Proposal For Religious Bill of Rights In Schools

Posted on February 17, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "The Colorado Independent reports that on Monday, a committee of the Colorado State Senate defeated by a vote of 4-3 the controversial proposed "Religious Bill of Rights for Individuals Connected to Public Schools Act" (SB 10-089) ...

Virginia Legislature Approves Pro-Choice License Plates, But With Disagreement On Use of Fees

Posted on February 17, 2010
". . . the House bill sends the fees to the Virginia Pregnant Women Support Fund administered by the state Board of Health to support women with unplanned pregnancies. . . The Senate version, (SB 704), passed yesterday by a vote of 26-8, retains the original language directing fees to Planned Parenthood ...

?Mount Vernon Statement? ? A Warning

Posted on February 17, 2010
". . . reminding economic conservatives that morality is essential to limited government, social conservatives that unlimited government is a threat to moral self-government, and national security conservatives that energetic but responsible government is the key to America?s safety and leadership in the world ...

Fed Reserve Bank President warns of debt threat to Fed

Posted on February 17, 2010
"Mr Hoenig said that rising debt was infringing on the central bank?s ability to fulfil its goals of maintaining price stability and long-term economic growth . . "

C-Span: Hudson Institute Discussion on Nonprofits and Citizens United

Posted on February 17, 2010
C-Span (includes video): "On January 21st, in a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission that corporate funding could not be limited in political campaigns. The Hudson Institute, the Alliance for Justice, the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, and OMB Watch hosted this discussion on how that ruling will affect nonprofit organizations...

Pakistani government backs down in judge dispute

Posted on February 17, 2010
AP: "Pakistan's prime minister says the government will not be appointing two judges to new posts after the move was opposed by the country's Supreme Court. The clash over the appointments had added to existing tensions between the government and the judiciary ...

Billboards Educate on Abortion in the Black Community

Posted on February 17, 2010
Citizen Link: "The Radiance Foundation and Georgia?s Operation Outrage have teamed up to launch the Too Many Aborted campaign. The effort is aimed at educating African Americans about the millions of black children who have been aborted since 1973."

Biden on capital: ?Washington right now is broken?

Posted on February 17, 2010
"Vice President Joe Biden says 'Washington right now is broken' and the country is in 'deep trouble' unless it attacks ballooning federal deficits . . . 'I've never seen it this dysfunctional.'"

Republicans furious about timing of Bayh?s retirement announcement

Posted on February 17, 2010
The Hill: "Indiana required nominating petitions to be filed by noon Tuesday. Bayh announced Monday he would not seek reelection, giving would-be candidates less than 24 hours to get on the ballot."

Why is Bayh quitting the Senate? The domino effect

Posted on February 17, 2010
John Fund writes at the Wall Street Journal (paid subscription only): "Before Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh suddenly announced he will not seek re-election in November he had issued several warnings to fellow Democrats. Last month, for example, he told Gerald Seib of this newspaper that his party's liberals were "tone deaf" to the fact that they'd 'overreached' in their agenda...

Illinois: Federal judge blocks big hike in state lobbyist fee

Posted on February 17, 2010
Chicago Tribune: "A major increase in the price to register as a state lobbyist has been halted by a federal judge who deemed the $1,000 annual fee too high."

Murder is Never a Loving Act

Posted on February 17, 2010
FRC Blog: "There is no such thing as a ?mercy? killing, in that removing His creature from His superintending care is an act of pretense. Such an act defies human dignity . . . For more on this issue, see FRC?s InFocus Paper: 'Should We Legalize Voluntary Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide?'"

Pornography Harms Website Launched

Posted on February 17, 2010
Pornography Harms, is a one-stop location for sound research, news articles and opinion pieces demonstrating the harm from pornography,' said Patrick Trueman, creator of the site.

?Don?t close the door on gays, the Tories tell America?

Posted on February 17, 2010
Politics.co.uk: "Speaking at the Cato Institute in Washington beside Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organisation for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, Nick Herbert, Britain's openly-gay shadow environment secretary, urged right wingers to bring gay groups into the fold...

NH House rejects marriage amendment

Posted on February 17, 2010
The House voted 201-135 to kill the amendment. Supporters needed 60 percent of the House to place it on the November ballot."

Haiti judge says 8 of 10 missionaries to be freed

Posted on February 17, 2010
Breitbart (AP): "A Haitian attorney says eight of 10 U.S. missionaries charged with child kidnapping will be released."

?Leaked Document: No Opt-Out for Children from Pro-Gay Classes in Ontario Schools?

Posted on February 17, 2010
"At the same time, according to a leaked document obtained by a local journalist, teachers are being instructed to tell parents who object to the curriculum that 'this is not about parent rights."

Lambda Legal files brief in defense of Cleveland domestic partner registry

Posted on February 17, 2010
San Diego Gay and Lesbian News: "Lambda Legal filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of the city of Cleveland in a lawsuit brought by an anti-gay group attempting to strip away the newly enacted domestic partnership registry for same-sex couples and their families ...

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