Religion & Law

NY: ?Shift in Senate improves prospect for gay marriage?

Posted on November 07, 2008
Newsday reports: Even as voters in California banned same-sex marriage in a tight referendum, Tuesday’s election opened the door for the same debate in New York. The pending shift in state Senate control away from Republicans removes one clear obstacle to legalizing gay marriage in New York, though opponents aren’t conceding anything yet and advocates say they [...

?An answer to Proposition 8: Repealing DOMA?

Posted on November 07, 2008
"With their newly minted control over the White House and Congress, Democrats can easily provide a vital (if not complete) antidote to Proposition 8: repeal of the so-called 'Defense of Marriage Act' (.pdf) . . . "

Jindal appoints ADF attoney to La. marriage and family commission

Posted on November 07, 2008
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson to the Louisiana Marriage and Family Commission. Jindal chose Johnson as an individual with expertise in the legal field, as required by state statute.

Conception and abortion: Much closer than you think

Posted on November 07, 2008
The Catholic Globe reports: In 2005 alone, 1.21 million abortions were performed. That?s 3,315 abortions a day, 138 abortions an hour, 2.3 abortions every minute. Reasons women give for choosing an abortion include not having the resources to care for a child, difficulties with the father, interference with work or school and having other children to care [...

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First Trial against an US Surgeon for Killing a Patient to Harvest Organs Begins

Posted on November 07, 2008
LifeSiteNews.com reports: “A San Francisco surgeon is undergoing trial for allegedly hastening the death of a terminally ill patient to harvest his vital organs. The case against Hootan Roozrokh is believed to be the first of its kind brought against an American transplant surgeon...

7th Circuit rules against Illinois ?Choose Life? license plates

Posted on November 07, 2008
. . . we conclude specialty plates are a nonpublic forum. Illinois may not discriminate on the basis of viewpoint, but it may control access to the forum based on the content of a proposed message . . .

ACLU threatens La. town over festival with Christian participants

Posted on November 07, 2008
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have sent a letter of support to the city of Thibodaux after it was threatened by the American Civil Liberties Union over an annual fall festival held in the city that includes Christian artists and performers.

W.V. Convention of Southern Baptists call for marriage amendment

Posted on November 07, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2008 CONTACT: Jeremiah G. Dys, Esq. Phone: (304) 881-5196 E-mail: jeremydys@familypolicywv.com W.V. Convention of Southern Baptists call for marriage amendment PARKERSBURG, W.V. ? The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists passed a resolution Friday calling on their membership to support a marriage protection amendment to the West Virginia Constitution...

?Most of California?s Black Voters Backed Gay Marriage Ban?

Posted on November 07, 2008
The Washington Post reports: Any notion that Tuesday’s election represented a liberal juggernaut must overcome a detail from the voting booths of California: The same voters who turned out strongest for Barack Obama also drove a stake through the heart of same-sex marriage...

?Gays see rights growing despite election losses?

Posted on November 07, 2008
Reuters: . . . While laws allowing nationwide domestic partnerships are unlikely, American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Matt Coles said changes could be made to the national Defense of Marriage Act so that same-sex couples would get federal benefits and recognition in states that do allow marriage...

Many Obama supporters also backed Prop. 8

Posted on November 07, 2008
The San Francisco Chronicle reports: “Californians voted their religion, not their political party, when they pushed Proposition 8 to victory and banned same-sex marriage in the state, campaign officials and political experts said Wednesday.” Visit Site » Share This

National Review Editors: Marriage Endures

Posted on November 07, 2008
National Review reports: On Tuesday, by a margin of 52 to 48 percent, voters in California amended their state constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, as did voters in Florida (62 to 38 percent) and Arizona (56 to 44 percent)...

?Both Sides Gear Up For Gay Marriage Debate In Maine?

Posted on November 07, 2008
WCSH6.com reports: “Though gay marriage was not on the ballot in Maine, Mainers did get asked about it at the polls. The gay rights group, Equality Maine, asked voters at close to 100 polling places to sign postcards to their lawmakers saying they support gay marriage...

Hold on Kozinski Probe Raises Questions

Posted on November 07, 2008
Legal Blog Watch reports: An ethics panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco issued an order this week staying the investigation of a lawyer’s complaint against Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, Cynthia Cotts is reporting at Bloomberg...

Priest Targeted by Al Qaeda

Posted on November 07, 2008
The National Catholic Register reports: Muslim extremists have reportedly placed a $60-million bounty on the life of Egyptian Coptic Christina priest Father Zakaria Boutros. Father Boutros?s ?crime?: People across the Middle East are hearing his critiques of Islam?s flaws by listening to his daily TV broadcasts or by visiting his website ...

Irish health minister shelves HPV vaccination program

Posted on November 07, 2008
Catholic Culture reports: “Ireland’s health minister, Mary Harney, has temporarily set aside plans to vaccinate 12-year-old girls against the human papilloma virus (HPV) virus that is linked to cervical cancer. Haney explained that government budget problems forced the change in plans, and promised to re-introduce the vaccination program as soon as funding was available...

American Family Summoned to Defend Parental Rights for Homeschooling

Posted on November 07, 2008
HSLDA reports: The Berlin Wall may have been come down in 1989, but the chill on liberty that existed for decades in Soviet-influenced East Germany seems to have penetrated further into, rather than receded from, the reunified capital of the Federal Republic of Germany...

WSJ interviews Law Prof. David Cruz concerning Prop. 8 challenge

Posted on November 07, 2008
The Wall Street Journal: While the wording is simple, the situation quickly became complicated. For example, what happens to those same-sex couples who married before the ruling? Legal challenges filed Wednesday raised other questions: Was the referendum process itself lawful? Does the new language conflict with other parts of the state constitution? Separately, should Proposition 8 [...

Jill Stanek: The Church must take responsibility for the abortion holocaust

Posted on November 07, 2008
Jill Stanek writing on WorldNetDaily: . . . Altogether, this means we are fooling ourselves if we think the United States is still a Christian nation. Its people just elected a barbarian as president, authorized the killing of both its youngest and sickest, rejected scientific fact that human life begins at conception, blocked parental intervention of [...

Birth Control the New Attack Strategy for Abortion Advocates Against Pro-Lifers

Posted on November 07, 2008
LifeNews.com reports: “In a new editorial published on a popular pro-abortion web site, activist Cristina Page admits the pro-abortion movement is increasingly turning to birth control to attack pro-life candidates rather than mentioning abortion...

United Nations Expected to Promote Worldwide Abortion Right With Obama

Posted on November 07, 2008
LifeNews.com reports: “The United Nations is expected to aggressively promote abortions worldwide with Barack Obama as the new president of the United States. One of the top pro-life lobbyists at the United Nations says he worries the floodgates will come open to perhaps make abortion an international right...

Dale Carpenter: Not so fast: Is Prop 8 an ?amendment? or a ?revision??

Posted on November 07, 2008
Law Professor Dale Carpenter has this lengthy post on the Volokh Conspiracy discussing the legal challenges that have been filed to overturn Proposition 8. He writes: . . . However, the issue presented by Prop 8 is different in important respects from any that the state courts have previously confronted...

DC Case Seeks To End Life Support Over Family?s Religious Objections

Posted on November 07, 2008
The Religion Clause Blog links to this Washington Post report and summarizes a case involving efforts to a DC hospital to remove life support from a 12 year old boy over the objections of his Jewish parents. The Hospital indicates that the boy’s brain activity has ceased, but the parents argue that this alone should [...

Media Reports On Role of Religious Voters In Obama?s Victory

Posted on November 07, 2008
The Religion Clause Blog offers this round up of media reports discussing the breakdown and role of religious voters in the election. It indicates that 54% of Catholics and 75% of Evangelicals supported McCain, but that support for Obama increased among young Evangelicals...

ADF prepared to fight looming leftist agenda

Posted on November 07, 2008
?ADF is ready to go to court to fight a vast number of leftist policies promised by the new administration and Congress,? said ADF Chief Counsel Benjamin Bull.

Dems now have 57 Senate seats as Oregon?s Smith falls

Posted on November 07, 2008
McClatchy: Democrats added another Senate seat Thursday when they squeaked out a victory in Oregon, leaving only three contests undecided . . . ?We thought 56 votes was enough to pass real, meaningful legislation,? said Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee...

Washington: Medical providers say they won?t assist with suicides

Posted on November 07, 2008
While Washington voters made it legal for doctors to help terminally ill residents end their lives, opponents of the assisted suicide measure indicated Wednesday they will continue to resist the practice.

?Barack Obama asked gay bishop Gene Robinson what it was like to be first?

Posted on November 07, 2008
Barack Obama sought out controversial gay bishop Gene Robinson not just once but three times during his campaign to become President of the United States, The Times can reveal.

Pro same-sex ?marriage? law professors on CA Proposition 8

Posted on November 07, 2008
Ethan Leib, professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law: I have to confess that the seeming passage of Prop 8 dampered the election for me. I’m very happy about Obama’s victory but it really is counterbalanced by a fair bit of depression about the fate of Prop 8...

?Mormon leaders urge respect for foes in gay-marriage debate?

Posted on November 07, 2008
"We hope that every one would treat each that way no matter which side of this issue they were on," said Elder L. Whitney Clayton, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Presidency of the Seventy.

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