Daily Archives: May 24, 2011

Daily Mail: A gang of four Muslim men launched a horrific attack on an RE teacher because they did not approve of him teaching religious studies to Muslim girls, a court heard yesterday.

Europe News: This year’s election for the U.N. Human Rights Council has, once again, produced a body that has fewer “free” countries – 21 of a total of 47 – and has more than one-third of the seats held by members of the Islamic bloc.

Sen. Brad Zan at the Des Moines Register: Last week the Senate majority party passed Senate File 534, a bill drafted specifically to keep a late-term abortion provider from establishing an office in Council Bluffs. This bill, as drafted, very specifically allows new late-term abortion providers to locate in only four communities throughout the state.

Daily Mail: Kathy Witterick, 38, and husband David Stocker, 39, are keeping Storm’s gender hidden from the world – a world they claim is ruled by stereotypes – in an effort to protect the child’s right to choose.

Life News: The Alabama state Senate voted today for a bill that would have it join several other states in opting out of funding abortions under the Obamacare health care law the president and his Democratic allies approved.

Yahoo News: Spain’s ability to meet deficit reduction targets was thrown into doubt on Monday after voters angry about austerity and the EU’s highest unemployment rate gave the ruling Socialists a fierce drubbing in local elections.

The Local: A long commute to work might further job prospects and put more money in the bank but it could also increase the risk for divorce by 40 percent, a new study from Umeå University in northern Sweden shows.

Bearsden Herald: A West Midlands MP has called on the Government to consider making forced marriages a criminal offence.

Joe Solmonese at CNN: Slowly, as those in and around professional sports come out of their closet and embrace simple equality, the axis shifts just a bit more. It’s a forward movement that even our staunchest opponents know marks a new beginning and a new conversation.

Boston Globe: The Senate is voting this week whether New Hampshire should reinstate a requirement that girls first tell their parents or a judge before getting an abortion.

2theadvocate.com: A state House panel advanced legislation Tuesday morning that would ban abortions in Louisiana except in cases where the life of the mother is at stake. The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 10-2 . . . .

The Republic: The Catholic bishop in Fargo has commissioned the diocese to open a chapel near North Dakota’s only abortion clinic in Fargo.

JournalStar.com: Nebraska lawmakers gave second-round approval late Monday on a bill that would require parental consent for a minor’s abortion. The bill (LB690) . . .

EducationNews.org: Critics argue that UK private schools aren’t fulfilling the commitment to the “public good” that gives them charity status.

EducationNews.org: England’s Department for Children, Education and Schools has issued new guidelines that specifically prohibit the teaching of creationism or intelligent design at any government-funded schools, the Daily Telegraph reports.

LifeSiteNews: The exchange between Christie and New Jersey Senator Loretta Weinberg took place during the NJ101.5 program “Ask the Governor,” hosted by Eric Scott, and was picked up by MyCentralJersey.com. Weinberg called in and was introduced as “Loretta in Teaneck.”

LifeNews.com: The New Jersey Senate passed the measure to restore the $7.5 million in funding 26-13 with all of the Senate Democrats voting to restore the Planned Parenthood funds along with Republicans Diane Allen and Jennifer Beck.

ADF attorney Jordan Lorence at Speak Movement University Blog: Young America’s Foundation has issued its annual survey of the commencement speakers at the top 100 U.S. universities, and, once again, liberal speakers predominate (surprise!). Although the schools could invite conservatives politicians, actors, journalists, etc., to speak, they invariably tilt towards liberals in those areas. The YAF summary gives some examples . . .

Engage Family Blog of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia: For pastors, there is an ongoing tension when it comes to addressing moral issues that crossover into the political world. There is a balance to be struck. While there are Constitutional guarantees that permit pastors to speak freely and uninhibited while in the pulpit, pastorally, theologically, it may not always be wise (or even always Biblical) to seize that freedom to its absolute end. Yet, there are issues of such great importance – culturally and morally – that pastors must address them from the perspective of a pastor . . .

LifeNews.com: Two abortion businesses operating the Midwest have agreed to merge as Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Iowa have signed a letter of intent to merge into one affiliate by June 30.

LifeNews.com: Troubled abortion practitioner Nicola Riley, who has been prohibited from gaining a medical license to do abortions in other states, has been banned from doing them in Utah after pro-life advocates exposed her record.

LifeNews.com: A new report from the British health department shows abortions on the rise again in the United Kingdom and the number of repeat abortions is still high.

Press-Citizen.com: “The fear I have, and that is growing in this state, is if we have another election where judges are removed because a decision is unpopular at the time it was made, then we’ll have a politicized court system,” Cady told members of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce. “Judges will have to go out and raise millions and millions of dollars.

Christianity Today : Legal scholars say a recent Supreme Court decision upholding Arizona’s tax credits for scholarship donations could contain the seeds of defeat for a pending California challenge to the housing allowance enjoyed by pastors.

Religion Clause Blog: The posts look at three related issues: free exercise issues (under state and federal law), parental rights issues, and the so-called “hybrid rights” doctrine (free exercise claims reinforced by a parental rights claim). Here are links to some of the more thoughtful analyses . . .

Indianapolis Star: An Indiana Supreme Court ruling that a police officer was justified in searching a man’s home over his protests has prompted threatening emails and phone calls, and state officials are pleading with the court to reconsider. | Related post

Religion Clause: Nigerian Compass reported yesterday that a lawsuit is planned to challenge the new Guidelines as unconstitutionally excluding non-Muslims from the non-interest banking business.

Indianapolis Star: An Indiana Supreme Court ruling that a police officer was justified in searching a man’s home over his protests has prompted threatening emails and phone calls, and state officials are pleading with the court to reconsider. | Related post

AP: Human Rights Watch urged Saudi authorities on Tuesday to release a female activist who led an online campaign against the country’s driving ban and posted a video clip showing herself behind the wheel.

Religion Clause: Nigerian Compass reported yesterday that a lawsuit is planned to challenge the new Guidelines as unconstitutionally excluding non-Muslims from the non-interest banking business.

News from The Associated Press: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he will not defy Tuesday’s state Supreme Court ruling to increase aid to low-income school districts, but called the decision legally faulty and bad education policy. | Abbot v. Burke, No. (M-1293-0)

AP: More and more Indian families with one girl are aborting subsequent pregnancies when prenatal tests show another female is on the way, according to a new study published Tuesday.

Christian Science Monitor: Samia fled to a women’s shelter rather than be forced by her male relatives to marry a less educated cousin. Her case illustrates women’s growing fight against Saudi Arabia’s guardianship system.

The Daily Sentinel: Her 85-year-old husband needed immediate surgery but doctors told her to find blood for the operation herself. So Slavka Petrova swallowed her anguish and went to haggle on the black market outside the national blood clinic.

Debra J. Saunders at Rasmussen Reports: The U.S. Supreme Court effectively ordered California on Monday to release 33,000 inmates over two years from an in-state prison population that numbers about 143,000.

ADF President and General Counsel Alan E. Sears writes at Townhall: These examples notwithstanding, perhaps intolerance is never more visible than when we look at the vocal advocates of homosexual behavior. If you disagree, I invite you to ask Peter Vidmar what his experience has been.

AP: More and more Indian families with one girl are aborting subsequent pregnancies when prenatal tests show another female is on the way, according to a new study published Tuesday.

Wall Street Journal (via Google): Yesterday the Supreme Court ordered California to release 46,000 convicted criminals—people who society has decided, through a fair and impartial judicial system, are dangerous or deserve to be punished. Justice Antonin Scalia, in a powerful dissent, calls it “perhaps the most radical injunction issued by a court in our Nation’s history.” In Brown v. Plata, a 5-4 Court majority . . . | How Appealing links to more reports

John Piper at Desiring God Ministries: The question submitted to the voters will be: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?” Here are some thoughts rooted in my Christian, biblical convictions that may help you think through this issue. I hope they help.

MO Family Policy Council: Viable preborn children in Missouri would be protected from the brutality of late-term abortion under bills now on the desk of Governor Jay Nixon.

Historically, American voters have been blunt in evaluating the wisdom of social change. When a bad idea, which was originally considered to be good, slips through and into law, the American people haven’t been shy about fighting for its repeal and holding corresponding leaders to account. With the benefit of the new media and widespread access to endless streams of data, voters are now able to even more quickly discern fact from fiction and evidence from mere promise.

AP on Taiwan News: The joint letter was sent Monday to the chaplain chiefs of the Navy, Army, and Air Force. The Alliance Defense Fund _ a Christian legal defense group in Scottsdale, Arizona _ provided a copy of the letter to The Associated Press. | This report also appears on Forbes, Press Enterprise and other outlets

One News Now: ”We really want to establish the principle that universities or the government can’t impose excessive fees, unconstitutional fees simply as a condition to exercise First Amendment rights,” explains Jonathan Scruggs of the Alliance Defense Fund, the firm defending Deferio.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the city of Fredericksburg for its refusal to allow a church to begin a school program for mentally and emotionally challenged children despite a recommendation of approval by city planning officials.

LifeNews: However, the report presents news that should spark a drive to help more women below the poverty level find pregnancy resources and support because it indicates poor women are having abortions at a higher rate than before.

Citizen Link: “All students deserve to be protected from bullying, not just certain ones favored by certain political activist groups,” said ADF Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt. “The policy is designed for local school boards where it can be effective, instead of involving the federal government, and guards student rights protected by the First Amendment.”

Baptist Press: The North American Mission Board’s head of chaplaincy ministry is one of 21 denominational chaplain-endorsing officials to sign a May 23 letter to the Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs of chaplains voicing concerns over recent policy changes involving homosexuals in the military.

Family News in Focus Audio (5:25 mins, broadcast on 5/24/2011) covers several ADF related stories. ADF attorney Daniel Blomberg discusses the threat to chaplains in the military from the repeal of DADT (related ADF press release). ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt discusses this: ADF: All students deserve to be protected from bullying. And, ADF attorney Nate Kellum discusses this: ADF tackles SUNY policies stifling free speech at Albany campus.

Dakota Voice: Alliance Defense Fund attorneys helped draft and propose religious liberty protections for the Pentagon’s working group on the matter, but the law designed to dismantle the so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy still lacks any such protections. ADF has provided free legal support to many concerned chaplains and service members.

Official providers of chaplains to U.S. military voice strong concerns over long-neglected conscience protections if DADT is torn down

Catholic Culture: An Indian man beat his wife to death in the southern Andhra Pradesh state, after learning that she was pregnant with a female baby . . .

Sacramento Bee: “The school officials are asking the court to change the law to actually allow religious discrimination for the first time in American law; the judges were very attentive and active today, and we are hopeful they will reject this radical request from the school officials,” said Kelly Shackelford, Esq., president/CEO for Liberty Institute, which represents several students and their parents in the case.

Catholic Culture: An Iranian judge has acquitted 11 Iranian Protestants who were arrested on charges of alcohol use after drinking wine at a communion service.

FRC: – Family Research Council (FRC) filed an amicus brief today in the U.S. Supreme Court case between Utah governmental officials and American Atheists, Inc. The case will determine whether 14 crosses bearing the names of fallen Utah state troopers that have been placed at the roadside locations where the troopers perished is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

LifeNews: “The precious tax dollars of the people of Indiana should not be funneled to abortionists, especially during tough economic times,” said ADF Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “The Indiana Legislature has worded a bill that allows them to be good stewards of the people’s money in this regard without fear of jeopardizing other funding that is clearly not at issue in this bill. In fact, if the governor signs the bill and it is ever attacked in court, ADF would offer to assist in mounting a legal defense of the law free of charge.”

KVOA.com: The lawsuit filed Monday with the Arizona Supreme Court by opponents contends that the bulk of the plan reduction to reduce enrollment by at least 130,000 people violates a state constitutional protection for a voter-approved law that broadened eligibility for the program.

NJ.com: “Nobody has any problem trying to have no affiliation with nefarious organizations such as the Nazis or apartheid regimes,” said Doherty. “But somehow, we’re asked to use our tax dollars to support these type of organizations.”

The Guardian: Scotland’s largest protestant church has swept away centuries of tradition and voted to allow gay men and lesbians to become ministers, opening up the prospect of the church allowing civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

Washington Post: Oregon lawmakers have given approval to a bill that would drop faith healing as a legal defense in murder or manslaughter cases.

LifeNews: Tim Pawlenty, the former Republican governor of Minnesota and a pro-life advocate, made his presidential campaign official today with an announcement speech an rally in Iowa, the site of the first votes in the GOP campaign.

SCOTUS Blog: In two identical orders (here and here), the three-judge panel indicated it wanted to explore further how to treat the financial penalty that individuals would have to pay to the federal government if they did not obtain health coverage by 2014.

LifeSiteNews: A detailed legal opinion was delivered Thursday to the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario and trustees of the Toronto Catholic school board regarding the controversial government equity program. The opinion shows, with legal documentation and precedents, that the bishops and other leaders in Catholic education have the legal capability and right to reject the Ontario Government’s imposition of homosexual clubs in Catholic schools.

LifeSiteNews: The Nebraska legislature has passed a bill that would make it a felony for abortionists to perform medical abortions via webcam, also known as “telemed” abortions. The bill, LB 521 . . .

ADF Attorney David Cortman appeared on the Janet Mefferd Show. | MP3 audio 13:18 mins

Perdue Exponent: Gov. Mitch Daniels’ supporters could not push him into a national race for the presidency. At about 1 a.m. Sunday morning, Daniels emailed his supporters with the news none of them wanted to hear: He’s sitting this one out.

GLAD: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives filed a motion to intervene in Gill v. Office of Personnel Management the multi-plaintiff challenge to Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), filed by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) with co-counsel Foley Hoag LLP, Sullivan & Worcester and Jenner & Block in March 2009.

Eugene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy: In the earlier post, I discussed whether the proposed San Francisco ban on circumcising boys would violate parental rights, even when the parents don’t raise a religious objection to the ban. (As I mentioned in the post, likely about 95% of male circumcisions in the U.S. are not done by Jews or Muslims, the two groups that generally circumcise for religious reasons.) But what about parents who do raise such a religious objection? Would they be entitled to an exemption from the ban, even if courts say the ban can be constitutionally applied — notwithstanding parents’ constitutional rights to direct the medical care of their children — in the absence of a religious objection?

James Taranto at the Wall Street Journal: The judicial filibuster is back, and it’s better than ever! Yesterday the U.S. Senate effectively killed the nomination of hard-left University of California law professor Goodwin Liu to serve on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by rejecting a “cloture” motion that would have cleared the way for an actual confirmation vote.

LifeNews: Businessman Herman Cain made his bid for the Republican nomination for president official today with an announcement and campaign rally at Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, his home state.

Archibishop Timothy P. Broglio has issued this statement in connection with the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” legislation.

National Right to Life News: The [Minneapolis] Star Tribune Wednesday editorialized against the MCCL-backed Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the MCCL-backed bill banning taxpayer funding of abortion, both of which have passed the state House and Senate but face a possible veto from Gov. Mark Dayton. The editorial offers nothing very substantial. It does provide some misleading rhetoric.

The Army has reprimanded three colonels who performed a skit that mocked homosexuals and parodied new rules meant to protect gays in the military, a top Army official told Army Times.

y a 24 percent margin, 61-37 percent, Americans take the pro-life view that abortions should either be legal under no circumstances or legal only under a few circumstances.

George Williams at the Sydney Morning Herald: The national school chaplaincy program will soon come under a new line of attack. Despite the Gillard government’s $222 million expansion of the program in the budget, the scheme may yet be struck down as unconstitutional by the High Court, which this month gave the go-ahead for a challenge to be heard in August.

Telegraph: The General Medical Council is the body responsible for upholding medical standards in the UK; without its licence, no British doctor can practise here. As we report today, the GMC has given one GP, Dr Richard Scott, an official reprimand because he discussed his faith – Christianity – with his patients.