Religion & Law

UN committee attacks motherhood, demands new ?rights? for women

Posted on July 29, 2010
C-FAM: "A United Nations (UN) treaty committee notorious for its promotion of abortion and ideological positions not supported by UN treaties, concludes its session this week after launching attacks on motherhood and traditional gender roles, while calling for an ever-expanded array of new sexual and reproductive 'rights...

Latin American economic summit promotes abortion, condemns ?lesbophobia?

Posted on July 29, 2010
C-FAM: "A recent gathering of Latin America?s top economic commission issued a document praising secularism, condemning 'lesbophobia,' calling for redistributive social systems, and liberally promoting sexual and reproductive rights."

House bill would ban federal abortion funding

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Hill: "Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) will introduce legislation Thursday placing a permanent ban on the federal funding of abortion . . . The Smith/Lipinski bill would permanently solidify the funding ban across all federal agencies...

Obama administration restricts abortion coverage in high-risk insurance pools

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Hill: "A new regulation issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday clearly prohibits state high-risk pools from covering elective abortions."

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National Review Online: Detaining Arizona

Posted on July 29, 2010
National Review Online Editorial: "The judge twists facts and logic to support the Justice Department?s claim that the state law preempts the federal immigration scheme. To do so, she accepts Justice?s implicit argument that it?s not the letter of the federal law that matters, but what parts of the law the executive decides to enforce...

U.S. Orthodox rabbis urge community to ?welcome? gays and lesbians, upholds ?heterosexual marriage? as ideal

Posted on July 29, 2010
Haaretz: "'Jews with homosexual orientations or same sex-attractions should be welcomed as full members of the synagogue and school community,' reads the statement, which goes on to say that Jewish law 'sees heterosexual marriage as the ideal model and sole legitimate outlet for human sexual expression...

The Amish population boom

Posted on July 29, 2010
WSJ Blogs / Real Time Economics: "A new report from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania lays out a stark picture of an Amish population boom. The Amish population ? a religious group that limits its member?s access to conveniences like telephones and electric lights ? is growing at an estimated 5% a year and now stands at 249,500...

Lambda Legal, ACLU sue Hawaii over civil unions

Posted on July 29, 2010
"'We're seeking to secure equal legal protections and legal responsibilities for same-sex couples under the civil law,' said Jennifer Pizer, an attorney for Lambda Legal, one of three co-counsels filing the complaint."

Switzerland: Muslim parents fined for keeping kids from swim class

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Sydney Morning Herald (AFP): "Officials in the Swiss city of Basel have fined five Muslim families for refusing to allow their daughters to attend compulsory swimming classes in school, Swiss news agency ATS reports."

Oxford University lecturer ?discriminated against? after converting from Judaism to Christianity

Posted on July 29, 2010
Telegraph: "Dr Tali Argov says she was overlooked for promotion, stripped of her privileges and cold-shouldered at social gatherings . . . Eventually she claims she was made redundant from her post at the prestigious Oxford Centre for Hebrew & Jewish Studies, despite offering to take on new roles ...

Atheist school proposal welcome under Britain?s new education policy

Posted on July 29, 2010
Telegraph: "The Education Secretary said he would be 'interested' to look at proposals for non-religious schools from figures such Professor Richard Dawkins. Prof Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, said last month that he approved of the idea of setting up a 'free-thinking' school...

New Zealand Jewish community preparing to sue over ban on kosher slaughter

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Jewish Chronicle: "New Zealand's small Jewish community has begun mounting a legal case against the nation's centre-right government in a bid to overturn a ban on the kosher slaughter of meat." | Via Religion Clause

Settlement reached in high schooler?s suit against science teacher who taught religion in class

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Columbus Dispatch: "The family of a boy who said his eighth-grade science teacher burned a cross on his arm with an electric lab instrument and taught Christian doctrine in the Mount Vernon classroom has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit against the teacher...

Bangladesh court restores constitutional provision on secularism

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Financial Express: "The verdict also restored in the 2nd paragraph of the Preamble of the original Constitution the words 'Pledging that the high ideals of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism' which inspired our heroic people to dedicate themselves to, and our brave martyrs to sacrifice their lives in, the national liberation struggle, shall be the fundamental principles of the Constitution...

House Financial Services Committee approves legislation to legalize internet gaming

Posted on July 29, 2010
Committee on Financial Services Press Release: "Today, the House Financial Services Committee passed legislation to enable Americans to bet online and put an end to an inappropriate interference with their personal freedom. H.R. 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009 would establish a federal regulatory and enforcement framework under which Internet gambling operators could obtain licenses authorizing them to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the United States...

Rick Garnett: On religious liberty, what would Kagan do?

Posted on July 29, 2010
"What, in Kagan's view, is the role of the court in this experiment? When it comes to questions of religious liberty and church-state relations, does she think a justice should show vigilance or deference?"

Federal court says Christian grad student must comply with sexual orientation anti-discrimination policy

Posted on July 29, 2010
Leonard Link: "The Alliance Defense Fund, which brought the case as part of its new anti-gay offensive seeking to create exceptions to sexual orientation discrimination policies for religious objectors, will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit...

?Judge tosses lawsuit by student who wouldn?t counsel gays?

Posted on July 29, 2010
First Amendment Center (AP): "[ADF Attorney David French] said, 'Christian students shouldn?t be penalized for holding to their beliefs. When a public university has a prerequisite of affirming homosexual behavior as morally good in order to obtain a degree, the school is stepping over the legal line...

Court upholds expulsion of student from public university for Christian beliefs

Posted on July 29, 2010
Washington Examiner / Beltway Confidential: "Now a court has upheld the expulsion of a Christian student at a public university in Michigan over her personal beliefs on homosexuality: . . . 'It?s a very dangerous precedent,' Jeremy Tedesco, legal counsel for the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, told FOX News Radio...

Former PCUSA minister fired for teaching Catholic stance on homosexuality

Posted on July 29, 2010
The Layman Online: "An attorney from the Alliance Defense Fund, which is helping defend Howell, has said that the university could be sued for violating the professor?s First Amendment rights."

Erik Stanley: Indonesian police tear down house church

Posted on July 29, 2010
ADF Attorney Erik Stanley writing at Speak Up Movement / Church: "A story from Asia News relates that the Indonesian Police recently demolished a house for no other reason than that it contained a home church that met regularly. The Narogong Pentecostal Church in the village of Limusnunggal, Cileungsi sub-district, regularly met in the house for worship...

PC wins again: EMU student expelled for opposing homosexuality

Posted on July 29, 2010
Beliefnet: "Monday's ruling could result in Christian students across the country being expelled from public university for similar views. 'It's a very dangerous precedent,' said [Jeremy Tedesco], attorney for the conservative Alliance Defense Fund. 'The ruling doesn't say that explicitly, but that's what is going to happen...

Court sides with university, ADF to appeal

Posted on July 29, 2010
OneNewsNow: "[David French], senior counsel for ADF, argued last month before the U.S. District Court that 'Christian students shouldn't be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs.'"

Turkey gets boost for EU bid as it turns east

Posted on July 29, 2010
Washington Times: "German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle appeared on Wednesday to offer support for Turkey's stalling bid to join the European Union, saying in Istanbul that the country's 'direction is toward Europe.'"

Washington Times: Kagan?s abortive ethics

Posted on July 29, 2010
Washington Times: "The U.S. Senate is derelict in its duty if it votes to confirm Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court without further investigating her legal ethics. Ms. Kagan, the U.S. solicitor general, was directly responsible for altering a key medical report in a way that stacked the deck in favor of keeping the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion legal...

The Manhattan Declaration and Christian principles

Posted on July 29, 2010
Michael Liccione writing at First Things / First Thoughts: "At the magazine?s blog Mere Comments, Hutchens criticizes [the Manhattan Declaration] for making what he sees as [a mistaken conflation of the principles of Christianity and 'modern democracy'] ...

Texas legislator seeks AG opinion on de-funding Planned Parenthood

Posted on July 29, 2010
LifeNews: "A Texas state legislator is continuing his battle to ensure no tax dollars go to the Planned Parenthood abortion business, whether to pay for abortions or for other purposes. Sen. Bob Deuell, a Republican, is seeking an opinion from the attorney general in order to clamp down on the funding it receives...

Homicide added to complaint against abortion doc

Posted on July 29, 2010
Orange County Register: "The Medical Board of California has expanded its list of accusations against an Anaheim Hills doctor to include homicide in the death of an abortion patient last summer. The board is seeking to revoke the medical license of Dr...

Britain to focus on abortion, contraception in development programs

Posted on July 29, 2010
U.S. Catholic (CNS): "The British government has announced proposals to 'hard-wire' abortion and contraceptive services into its overseas development programs. Andrew Mitchell, secretary of state for international development, told a conference in London July 27 that the government was preparing an 'unprecedented focus' on family planning in the poorest countries of the world...

Catholic University names new head of Communications Law Institute

Posted on July 29, 2010
Blog of LegalTimes: "Donna Coleman Gregg has been named director of the Institute for Communications Law Studies at Catholic University of America?s Columbus School of Law. Gregg, a former senior policy adviser at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and former chief of the Federal Communications Commission?s Media Bureau during the Bush administration, starts on Aug...

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