Religion & Law

Kagan: Foreign law can be useful in deciding cases

Posted on June 29, 2010
Associated Press: "Kagan says that international law can be used as a guide, but it should not ordinarily be considered binding when deciding Supreme Court cases because the Constitution is a unique document."

Kagan reaffirms extreme pro-abortion position

Posted on June 29, 2010
ChristianNewsWire: "Moments ago, responding to a line of questions from Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Kagan confirmed her belief that 'Roe (v. Wade) and Doe (v. Bolton) require' that any state 'regulation' of abortion protect the 'health' of women seeking abortion...

Christians calls for more rights in Iraq

Posted on June 29, 2010
UPI: "Delegates at a Christian conference near the Iraqi city of Mosul called on the government to strengthen the rights of the minority religious community. The religious rights group Christian Solidarity International organized a conference for church and civil leaders in Iraq...

Indonesia Muslims threaten war against Christians

Posted on June 29, 2010
Dallas Blog: "In a maneuver that could add to already boiling religious tensions in Bekasi, a new organization calling itself the Bekasi Islamic Presidium is planning a road show targeted at convincing every mosque in the city to prepare for the potential of 'war' against 'Christianization...

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Sanskrit mantras to open Vacaville City Council in California

Posted on June 29, 2010
24 Masti: "City Council of Vacaville (California, USA), one of the fastest growing areas of the nation, will reverberate with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures on July 27. Acclaimed Hindu leader Rajan Zed will deliver invocation from Shttp://www...

European Ombudsman registers Hindus? complaint on religious equality in Malta

Posted on June 29, 2010
24 Masti: "European Ombudsman has registered Hindus? complaint about equality of religions in Malta and has assigned a registration number to it."

?Sectarian prayer at DE school board meetings violates church-state separation?

Posted on June 29, 2010
Americans United for Separation of Church and State: "A friend-of-the-court brief filed with the 3rd U.S. Circuit of Appeals yesterday says a federal district judge got it wrong when he ruled in favor of sectarian invocations before meetings of the Indian River School District?s board...

Argentina: Upper House continues debate on same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on June 29, 2010
Buenos Aires Herald: "The General Legislation Committee in the Senate, led by Liliana Negre de Alonso, continues debating the same-sex marriage bill. Former Justice Ministry officials, lawyers and religious representatives are today's main speakers at the debate...

Republican donors sue Crist over campaign contributions

Posted on June 29, 2010
The Hill: "A pair of Republicans who contributed to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's (I) campaign for Senate have filed a lawsuit demanding that those donations be returned. The class action suit seeks refunds for all of Crist's GOP donors, arguing that not reimbursing Republican donors now that the governor has left the party and is running against a Republican actually violates state law...

UK: Doc escapes trial over assisted suicide death

Posted on June 29, 2010
The Christian Institute: "A retired GP who helped a cancer stricken man kill himself will not face trial, despite there being enough evidence to 'provide a realistic' prospect of conviction."

UK: Row over appointment of Commons chaplain

Posted on June 29, 2010
The Christian Institute: "The House of Commons is set to receive its first female chaplain after John Bercow, the Commons speaker, snubbed the Church of England's choice for the role. ... The 49-year-old Jamaican born vicar, whose views have been described as 'left of centre', has been ministering in a deprived inner city parish, and supports the homosexual 'rights' movement within the church...

Cameron remains defiant over upper abortion limit

Posted on June 29, 2010
The Christian Institute: "David Cameron continues to support lowering the abortion time limit from 24 weeks of pregnancy. The declaration follows a report last week by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) which concluded that unborn babies up to 24 weeks old can?t feel pain...

How Elena Kagan helped ?queer? Harvard Law School

Posted on June 29, 2010
MassResistance: Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is committed to the radical campaign pushing acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism as 'civil rights.' Her unprecedented activism supporting that view as Dean of Harvard Law School (2003-2009) calls into question her ability to judge fairly and impartially on same-sex 'marriage' and other homosexuality- or transgender-related issues that may come before the nation?s highest court...

Thousands protest over Scottish end-of-life Bill

Posted on June 29, 2010
The Christian Institute: "Over 14,000 people have signed a petition against a Bill which would legalise assisted suicide in Scotland. The End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill, proposed by independent MSP Margo MacDonald, would allow the terminally ill and people who are ?permanently physically incapacitated? to seek assistance in ending their lives...

Kagan?s abortion distortion

Posted on June 29, 2010
Shannen W. Coffin writing at National Review Online: "The documents involved date from the Clinton White House. They show Miss Kagan?s willingness to manipulate medical science to fit the Democratic party?s political agenda on the hot-button issue of abortion...

Sen. Sessions: Kagan defied law on military recruiting

Posted on June 29, 2010
Law.com: "The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee followed through today on plans to press Elena Kagan about her handling of military recruiting while dean of Harvard Law School. ... Kagan repeatedly replied that the recruiters, even without the assistance, had full access to students and that recruiting actually increased after she issued the rule, which was based on a long-standing anti-discrimination policy...

Virginia AG: Sexual orientation not protected by 14th Amend. Equal Protection Clause

Posted on June 29, 2010
News & Advance: "'I'm sure you are aware of a letter that was sent to state universities regarding discrimination policies based on sexual orientation,' a student said to Cuccinelli. 'How is that not a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment?' the student asked...

?Coptic Solidarity? founding conference

Posted on June 29, 2010
ChristianNewsWire: "Founding members of 'Coptic Solidarity,' coming from the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe, held their conference on June 19-20, at Virginia, USA., to launch the activities of the new organization. ... A large number of presentations and discussions, focused on concrete future actions, took place during the first day of the conference...

Birth defects caused by IVF twice as common, study finds

Posted on June 29, 2010
Irish Examiner: "Birth defects caused by in-vitro fertilisation are up to twice as common as previously thought, a large-scale study has found. ... Scientists carried out a survey of 33 French centres collecting data on more than 15,000 births from 2003 to 2007...

The battle over Kenya?s new constitution

Posted on June 29, 2010
Time: "Much of the debate has focused on church groups' opposition to two things. One is the Muslim courts that rule in matters of marriage, divorce and inheritance for believers. They are also enshrined in both the current constitution and the new draft, leading to opposition from Christian church groups playing on the fears of greater Muslim dominance in Kenya...

Freezing eggs to delay starting a family?

Posted on June 29, 2010
From Time's Wellness section: "New research from Belgium and the U.K. suggests that women may increasingly be considering freezing their eggs as a way to prolong fertility as they pursue a career ? or find the right romantic partner. A survey of nearly 200 female students found that half of those pursuing degrees in sports or education would consider freezing their eggs to give them the option to delay starting a family, while more than 8 out of 10 women pursuing a medical degree said that they would do so...

Saudi textbooks: Still teaching hatred

Posted on June 29, 2010
Nina Shea & Bonnie Alldredge writing at National Review Online: "Saudi textbooks teach, along with many other noxious lessons, that Jews and Christians are 'enemies,' and they dogmatically instruct that various groups of 'unbelievers' ? apostates (which includes Muslim moderates who reject Saudi Wahhabi doctrine), polytheists (which includes Shiites), and Jews ? should be killed...

Ireland: A third of parents want right to smack children

Posted on June 29, 2010
Irish Examiner: "One-in-three parents believe they should have the right to smack their children, a state-funded study has revealed. While 42% of parents said smacking should be outlawed, a majority are unsure about imposing a total ban."

Texas schools can?t stop teachers from giving zeros

Posted on June 29, 2010
Houston Chronicle: "A Travis County judge ruled today that Texas public schools are required to give students truthful grades on class assignments and on their report cards under a 2009 state law that 11 school districts were challenging in court."

Archaeologists find oldest paintings of Apostles in Roman catacombs

Posted on June 29, 2010
FOX News: "The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under an eight-story modern office building in a working-class neighborhood of Rome, Vatican officials said Tuesday."

The potentially far-reaching implications of the Supreme Court?s ruling that 2nd Amendment binds the states

Posted on June 29, 2010
FindLaw: "If incorporation were automatic, in the eyes of the majority, then most of the majority's McDonald opinion would have been unnecessary. Rather than simply saying that the Second Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights and therefore incorporated, the Court extensively analyzed the historical record in an effort to 'decide whether the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental to' the American 'scheme of ordered liberty' or, in what the Court took to be an alternative formulation of the same question, whether the right is 'deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition...

?Pope to create new office to fight secularization?

Posted on June 29, 2010
Associated Press: "Pope Benedict XVI is creating a new Vatican office to fight secularization and 're-evangelize' the West - a tacit acknowledgment that his attempts to reinvigorate Christianity in Europe haven't succeeded and need a new boost."

Kagan embraces notion of living Constitution

Posted on June 29, 2010
Associated Press: "Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is calling the Constitution a living document, saying it's framers wrote it to last through ever-changing circumstances."

Mass. official aims to shame library porn viewers

Posted on June 29, 2010
Associated Press: "Quincy Councilor Daniel Raymondi has asked Mayor Thomas Koch to make public a list of people who have viewed pornography on library computers within the past year. The council unanimously approved a resolution on the idea last week...

Kagan on guns: Court precedents are ?settled law?

Posted on June 29, 2010
Associated Press: "Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan says she considers recent high court decisions expanding gun rights to be 'settled law.'"

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