Religion & Law

Europe wants to divide Jerusalem

Posted on December 23, 2009
"The European Union on December 8 adopted a resolution that for the first time explicitly calls for Jerusalem to become the future capital of both a Palestinian state and Israel. Backing away only slightly from a more controversial Swedish proposal . ...

Abortion compromise language gets support from some Christian leaders

Posted on December 23, 2009
CBN News, David Brody: "More than three dozen pro-life Christian pastors, leaders and theologians released the following statement Friday morning, December 18, 2009, to applaud Sen. Robert Casey? proposed alternative language on abortion to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act...

Merry Christmas: Obamacare Slaps $15,000 Annual Fee on Middle Class Families

Posted on December 23, 2009
Terence P. Jeffrey writes at CNSNews: "The Congressional Budget Office?s analysis of the final Senate health care bill indicates it would slap a mandatory annual fee of about $15,000 on middle-class families that earn an annual income greater than 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($88,200 for a family of four) and are not provided with health insurance by their employer...

DeMint: Dems Illegally Sneaking Senate Rule Alterations Prohibiting Changes to Health Bill

Posted on December 23, 2009
Legislation that includes Senate rule changes require a 2/3 majority of Senators for passage. Yet Democrat leadership maintains that only 60 votes will be needed to pass the bill, not 66.

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UK: Faith academies fuel rise in school chaplains

Posted on December 22, 2009
The Guardian: "Church treating pupils as 'captive audience', say critics after 25% rise in number of school chaplains in five years."

ADF attorneys help secure free speech for NC pro-life student

Posted on December 22, 2009
fficials at Randelman High School have responded positively to a letter sent by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of a student whose pro-life message had been censored. The student, Brianna Cardwell, was participating in the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity sponsored by Stand True Ministries.

Rep. Stupak: White House Pressuring Me to Keep Quiet on Abortion Language in Senate Health Bill

Posted on December 22, 2009
"There?s 10 or 12 of us, and they only passed the bill by 3 votes, so they?re going to be short 8 to 9, maybe 6 to 8 votes. So they [Democrats] do not have the votes to pass it in the House.?

Study: ?Teens understand emergency-contraception labels?

Posted on December 22, 2009
Reuters: "Teenagers do just as well as adults when it comes to understanding the information on emergency-contraception labels, a new study suggests. The findings, say researchers, argue for making emergency contraception available to minors over-the-counter, as it already is for adults...

UK: Marriage is becoming preserve of middle-classes, Tories claim

Posted on December 22, 2009
"Marriage in Britain is in danger of becoming an exclusive middle-class institution unless action is taken to bolster it . . . "

Senate Agrees to Morning Vote on Dec. 24th

Posted on December 22, 2009
NY Times: "They will hold the final vote on major health care legislation at 8 a.m. on Thursday ? Christmas Eve ? followed by a vote on raising the nation?s debt limit."

Cuba lets cardinal give Christmas message on state TV

Posted on December 22, 2009
Associated Press: "Cuba's Roman Catholic cardinal will read a Christmas message on state television for the second straight year, another small sign the once officially atheist communist government is warming to religion."

Minnesota: Survey weighs opinions on abortion issues

Posted on December 22, 2009
Echo Press: "Only about 1 percent of Minnesotans think that abortion is the single most important problem facing the state year after year, according to a statewide St. Cloud State University Survey released Friday."

Brownback: Abortion deal is a radical change

Posted on December 22, 2009
Senator Sam Brownback writing in Politico: "Despite the promises of the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership that the health care bill would maintain the status quo on the issue of abortion, the legislative language revealed by Majority Leader Harry Reid late last week radically changes that status quo and sets the tragic precedent of providing federal funding for abortion...

Franken, Snowe teaming up on bill for emergency contraception for military

Posted on December 22, 2009
MinnPost: "Military health-care facilities around the world would be required to stock emergency contraception under legislation introduced by Sens. Al Franken and Olympia Snowe Thursday."

Ireland: Contraception proposal for teens sparks controversy

Posted on December 22, 2009
Independent: "The sweeping reforms would, if passed into law, allow young people below the legal age of consent of 17 to make their own medical and family planning decisions without the consent of their parents or guardians."

Americans United for Life Files Brief Detailing Abortion?s Suicide Risk

Posted on December 22, 2009
PRNewswire: "Today, Americans United for Life (AUL) filed an amicus brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, detailing the links between abortion and the increased risk of depression and suicide. The brief seeks to overturn a lower court's decision that abortion providers in South Dakota are not required to inform women of these risks ...

ACLU: Pregnant Servicewomen: The Canaries in the Mine

Posted on December 22, 2009
ACLU: "The pregnant servicewoman is really the canary in the mine here: Inevitably her pregnancy will be revealed and she will be punished. However, the man who impregnated her will only be punished if she turns him in. Already, according to news reports, one woman who has been punished and sent home under the policy has refused to reveal who her partner was...

General Backs Off on Court Martials for Pregnant Soldiers

Posted on December 22, 2009
ABC: "How dare any government say we're going to impose any kind of punishment on women for getting pregnant," NOW President Terry O'Neill said. "This is not the 1800s."

India: Hindus attack Christmas fair

Posted on December 22, 2009
UCANNews.com: "An attack on a Christmas fair in Madhya Pradesh has spread panic among Christians in the state, says an organizer of the event. Thugs chanting Hindu slogans torched representations of biblical scenes at the fair in the town of Gwalior on Dec...

Federal Judge Declines to Dismiss Obscenity Case

Posted on December 22, 2009
Blog of the Legal Times: "However, at a hearing today the judge said he would consider allowing defense lawyers to file an immediate appeal of his decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit . . . In a motion to dismiss the case, Stagliano's lawyers argued that the standards set by federal obscenity laws -- such as the use of "contemporary community standards" to determine what was obscene -- were too vague to govern Internet speech...

Ghana Planned Parenthood to establish abortion centres next year

Posted on December 22, 2009
Ghana News Agency: "The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) will from next year establish abortion centres in selected districts of the country to provide comprehensive services and care for women."

Russia: Medvedev signs law restricting promotion of abortions

Posted on December 22, 2009
Interfax: "The introduced amendments will establish additional restrictions on advertising medical services of artificial termination of pregnancy, the presidential press service reported."

Swedish family persecuted for homeschooling

Posted on December 22, 2009
Christian Newswire: "'Parents have the right and authority to make decisions regarding their children's education without government interference,' said ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska. 'This is about a socialist government trying to create a cookie-cutter child in its own image...

North Carolina high school had denied pro-life student free speech, backs down

Posted on December 22, 2009
LifeNews: "'Pro-life students shouldn't be punished for expressing their beliefs,' [David Cortman] said. 'Brianna was simply exercising her constitutionally protected right to free speech but was censored by school officials fearful of urban legends regarding the so-called "separation of church and state...

North Carolina school rethinks action against pro-life student

Posted on December 22, 2009
CitizenLink: "David Cortman, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), said the administration went too far. 'There may be a lot of speech that's offensive to some and in fact, religious speech may be offensive to people who don't believe,' Cortman said, 'yet it's still protected under the Constitution...

Federal court to tackle religious credits at school

Posted on December 22, 2009
GoUpState.com: "The plaintiffs argue that a religious education course offered to Spartanburg High students is unconstitutional, not because of the course itself, but because of credit offered."

Court Upholds State-Sponsored ?Kidnapping? of Homeschooled Boy

Posted on December 22, 2009
HSLDA: "Roger Kiska, an Alliance Defense Fund attorney based in Europe, noted that this kind of behavior was shocking but sadly not without precedent. Kiska has been following the case and has sent several letters expressing concern over the incident...

Has the Second Circuit?s reluctance to rehear cases en banc gone too far?

Posted on December 21, 2009
How Appealing links to this NY Law Journal report that asks: "Has the Second Circuit?s reluctance to rehear cases en banc gone too far?"

Islamic mosque built at 9/11 Ground Zero

Posted on December 21, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "A new Islamic mosque will open its doors just steps from Ground Zero where Muslim terrorists murdered 2,751 people in the name of Allah on Sept. 11, 2001 ? and its leading imam, who conducts sensitivity training sessions for the FBI, has reportedly blamed Christians for starting mass attacks on civilians...

China warns Obama deficit spending must stop

Posted on December 21, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "One day after the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao snubbed President Obama at the United Nation's Copenhagen Climate Summit, the Chinese warned the United States that China's ability to continue buying U.S. Treasury debt was limited."

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