Religion & Law

Australia Greens Senator makes Parliament debate bill OKing euthanasia

Posted on November 03, 2010
LifeNews: "[Bob Brown] received a debate on his measure which would overturn the federal 1997 Euthanasia Laws Act which effectively ceased the operation of Northern Territory?s own Rights of the Terminally Ill Act. The bill would allow Australian states to make their own laws pertaining to assisted suicide...

Pro-life women win, 23 abortion opponents win key Senate, House races

Posted on November 03, 2010
LifeNews: "Proving that women candidates don?t have the be abortion supporters to win in states both red or blue, pro-life women won 23 victories in contests for key Senate and House seats and in gubernatorial races."

WSJ: High rollers at the Fed

Posted on November 03, 2010
Wall Street Journal Editorial [full text via Google News]: "The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee seems poised today to make a historic decision to expand its balance sheet by as much as $1 trillion or more to boost inflation and reduce unemployment...

Washington the biggest loser as wave sweeps through Congress

Posted on November 03, 2010
National Journal: "The wave of disappointment and disillusionment with Washington that swept Obama into office two years ago never went away. With the unemployment rate hovering near double digits, the president was unable to deliver the change that most Americans could believe in, so voters delivered a message of their own to the incumbent party: Get out...

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Would Republicans, Jason Chaffetz end same-sex ?marriage? in D.C.?

Posted on November 03, 2010
TBD.com / Amanda Hess: "Among the many nightmare scenarios under discussion this Election Day morning: If Republicans gain control of Congress, will they exert their influence to end gay marriage in the District of Columbia?"

Battle under way to define cap-and-trade?s role in Dems? beating

Posted on November 03, 2010
The Hill: "Environmentalists, GOP strategists and others are offering sharply ?different views about whether votes for cap-and-trade legislation played a big role in the demise of the Democrats? House majority."

Nonprofit Quarterly election debrief: The impact of the Republican wave on nonprofits

Posted on November 03, 2010
Rick Cohen writing at The Nonprofit Quarterly: "[F]inding ways for government to indirectly support religious groups, for example, tax credits and vouchers for private religious institutions, is likely in the cards for the freshman class. Promoting the mixture of their faith and their politics, these electees will probably also favor scrapping the prohibition against church electioneering...

Bernanke faces greater scrutiny after Republican election gains

Posted on November 03, 2010
Bloomberg: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke may have to renew his battle to preserve the central bank?s independence after Republican victories in yesterday?s congressional elections."

Pawlenty says outgoing Iowa governor shouldn?t appoint justices

Posted on November 03, 2010
Des Moines Register: "A governor leaving office should refrain from appointing new Iowa Supreme Court justices between the November elections and the end of the term, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Sunday."

ACLU can?t stick it to veterans memorial in Tarheel State

Posted on November 03, 2010
"The city of King will adopt a policy crafted by the Alliance Defense Fund that will preserve its citizens? right to honor U.S. veterans through a display consisting of 11 flagpoles, which was attacked by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)."

Al-Qaida in Iraq threatens attacks on Christians

Posted on November 03, 2010
Associated Press: "Al-Qaida's front group in Iraq has threatened more attacks on Christians after a siege on a Baghdad church that left 58 people dead, linking the warning to claims that Egypt's Coptic Church is holding women captive for converting to Islam...

David French: If same-sex ?marriage? is allegedly inevitable . . .

Posted on November 03, 2010
ADF Attorney David French writing at Speak Up Movement / University: "Why does it keep getting hammered at the ballot box? . . . Yesterday, three of the seven Iowa justices were up for retention, and all three lost."

Kevin Theriot: The anti-Christmas clause

Posted on November 03, 2010
ADF Attorney Kevin Theriot writing at Speak Up Movement / Church: "Unfortunately, there are some groups that view Christmas time as the right time to attack religion by misusing the First Amendment to restrict religious speech. They use the Establishment Clause ? originally meant to protect the Church from control by the State ? as an Anti-Christmas Clause...

NC: Whiteheart tops Kaplan for Forsyth board

Posted on November 03, 2010
"Whiteheart?s addition to the board may create a solid majority in favor of future appeals involving sectarian prayer. That?s because the board voted 4-3 to have the conservative Alliance Defense Fund fight the case for the county, when Kaplan and Whiteheart were on the board...

Ethical lines drawn in Discovery Institute cloning debate

Posted on November 03, 2010
LifeNews: "The Discovery Institute played host to a discussion of what it means to be human as a prelude to the 79th annual educational conference in Seattle for the Catholic Medical Association." Event site.

Abortion survivor featured in ?controversial? Pro-life Victoria video

Posted on November 03, 2010
ChristianNewsWire: "Mainstream media coverage of pro-life activities is often hard to come by, and coverage not slanted in a negative light is even more difficult to come by, particularly in Australia. However, the Herald Sun has taken notice of the video that Pro-Life Victoria has produced in their hopes to raise awareness of the changes in law in Victoria in 2008...

Arizona?s marijuana measure too close to call

Posted on November 03, 2010
AZ Daily Sun: "A proposal to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Arizona was too close to call late Tuesday night.  Proposition 203 was failing by about 7,200 votes out of more than 1.2 million cast." AZ Secretary of State Results: Prop...

ADF attorney summarizes case and stakes in AZ school choice litigation

Posted on November 03, 2010
ADF attorney David Cortman is featured in one of the podcasts. He provides an excellent overview of the litigation and its stakes.

India: Nun raped in pogroms identifies chief assailant

Posted on November 03, 2010
Asia News: "This morning, Sister Meena, the nun beaten and raped during the violence, recognized another of her 10 assailants. The man, Santosh Patnaik, has been defined by the religious sister as the main author of the rape. The identification was made just hours before the sixth session of the trial against the authors of the violence in the District Court in Cuttack...

New Republican House leaders likely uniformly pro-life

Posted on November 03, 2010
LifeNews: "In the day after a banner election year for pro-life advocates and the Republican Party, which took over the House from pro-abortion Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies, GOP lawmakers appear likely to select pro-life advocates as their leaders...

Down Syndrome babies targeted for extinction, Spanish bishops warn

Posted on November 03, 2010
Herald Sun (AFP): "Many children with Down Syndrome are being eliminated because of abortion, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in Madrid said ahead of a weekend visit by Pope Benedict XVI."

Saskatchewan gov?t set to dissolve Human Rights Tribunal

Posted on November 03, 2010
The Star Phoenix: "The provincial government plans to introduce human rights legislation that will dissolve the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal in favour of having a court hear the complaints."

Psychology Today: Sex, polyamory, and the wisdom of the body

Posted on November 03, 2010
Deborah Anapol, Ph.D., writing at Psychology Today: "It doesn't matter what we call it, the fact is that my body can tell me if a lover is making love with someone else. My body can detect the blood type of a man I'm making love with and select a compatible match for conception...

Female topless ballot question fails in Mass. city

Posted on November 03, 2010
Associated Press: "Voters in a western Massachusetts city have decided not to lose their shirts over at least one ballot question. Pittsfield voters soundly rejected on Tuesday a measure pushing for women to be allowed to walk around town topless."

Election shakes up Senate Judiciary Committee

Posted on November 03, 2010
Blog of LegalTimes: "Tuesday's election results, as well as retirements and other circumstances, mean there are likely to be a few openings soon on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee weighs in on nominations and on a diverse array of legislative topics, including national security, immigration and antitrust law...

Voters can tell the difference between judging and legislating from the bench

Posted on November 03, 2010
Bruce Hausknecht writing at CitizenLink: "The common denominator for both the Iowa and California situations seems to be this: judges are usually given a lot of leeway by citizens to perform their duties, but voters can tell the difference between 'doing your job' and legislating from the bench on issues that the people have reserved for themselves...

Fed to print/spend $600 billion more . . .

Posted on November 03, 2010
CNBC: "The Federal Reserve launched a controversial new policy on Wednesday, committing to buy $600 billion more in government bonds by the middle of next year in an attempt to breathe new life into a struggling U.S. economy."

ACLU sues for ensign seeking to leave Navy

Posted on November 03, 2010
Mercury News (AP): "Civil libertarians are suing the Navy on behalf of a junior officer at a Connecticut submarine base who's seeking an honorable discharge as a conscientious objector."

Why are most Mormons Republicans?

Posted on November 03, 2010
Mark Paredes writing at Jewish Journal / Jews and Mormons blog: "There has always been a libertarian streak in LDS culture (perhaps owing to government persecution in the Church?s first few decades), and Mormons today preach and teach self-reliance." At The Liberty Musings Blog, David Hall responds: "I think you missed the biggest part of the reason, and that is a fundamental belief that the overwhelming majority of Latter-day Saints have in individual liberty as opposed to the use of government force to promote the good of society...

Brazil?s Evangelicals make voting bloc debut

Posted on November 03, 2010
Christianity Today: "[W]hat drew the most attention about evangelical voters came in an earlier round of voting, as nearly 20 million Brazilians cast votes for Marina Silva, a former environment minister and committed Assemblies of God member from a small party with little money...

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