Daily Archives: November 14, 2011

The Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide whether children conceived through in vitro fertilization after the death of their parent were entitled to survivor benefits under the Social Security law.

NYTimes.com: The health care brief was just an example of a larger problem, Professor Fallon wrote, one of role confusion between scholarship and advocacy. “Many scholars’ briefs are actually not very scholarly,” he wrote.

BioNews: IVF using donated eggs or sperm other than from a spouse will remain banned in Austria. This was the final decision made by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) on 3 November in the closing of the case SH and others v Austria.

LifeNews.com: As the Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments in March on the lawsuit Florida and more than two dozen states filed against the Obamacare law, more than 100 members of Congress are expected to support the lawsuit. The American Center for Law and Justice, a pro-life legal group which has been involved in the legal challenge of ObamaCare since the beginning . . .

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County supervisors approved an emergency ordinance Wednesday prohibiting any new adult-related businesses in the county’s unincorporated areas.

Assyrian International News Agency: To that end, over 200 Boko Haram insurgents recently descended on the northeastern Nigerian city of Damaturu and engaged in a raging four hour gun and bombing attack with Nigerian police, a battle that resulted in nearly 150 deaths and the destruction of churches, mosques and police stations.

The Guardian: Breakaway church possible with up to 150 ministers ready to quit over ordination of gay clergy

The Christian Institute: Liverpool has become the first city in the UK to carry a homosexual rainbow emblem on some of its street signs, despite other councils banning Christian symbols.

Sydney Morning Herald: JULIA Gillard will back a conscience vote for Labor MPs on gay marriage, as the Age/Nielsen poll shows a growing majority of Australians favour legalising marriage equality

The Washington Post: Brazil’s government for the first time has granted a foreign citizen the right to live permanently in the country based on a same-sex relationship with a Brazilian citizen, according to a notice published Monday in the country’s Federal Register.

The Washington Post: Brazil’s government for the first time has granted a foreign citizen the right to live permanently in the country based on a same-sex relationship with a Brazilian citizen, according to a notice published Monday in the country’s Federal Register.

EWTN News: Twenty-seven U.S. senators requested information on how the Department of Health and Human Services graded applicants for anti-trafficking grants and asked why the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services was denied one.

Catholic Culture: Anthony Picarello, general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has joined Bishop David Choby of Nashville and Vanderbilt University chaplain Father John Sims Baker in opposing Vanderbilt University’s proposal to apply its nondiscrimination policy to student religious organizations.

Life News: Pope Benedict XVI gave an excellent speech to attendees of a bioethics conference in Rome last week and one doesn’t have to be Catholic to appreciate his sentiment that researchers shouldn’t take one human life (human embryos) to potentially save the lives of patients.

USA Today: The U.S. Catholic bishops Monday blasted “aggressive secularism” and the Obama administration for attacking the Church — and all believers — on religious liberty by curtailing the voices of faith in the public square.

USCCB: atholics seeking reliable information on what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage will now be able to visit www.marriageuniqueforareason.org. . . , a website featuring resources such as an extensive FAQ section on the meaning of marriage, a compilation of Catholic teaching on marriage, a blog, and videos, “Made for Each Other” and “Made for Life.”

SeattlePI.com: Calling itself Washington United for Marriage, the coalition is also comprised of Equal Rights Washington, Human Rights Campaign, Legal Voice, and Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest. It includes unions and such major faith groups as the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

Public Policy Polling: Newt Gingrich has taken the lead in PPP’s national polling. He’s at 28% to 25% for Herman Cain and 18% for Mitt Romney.

Fox News: A Massachusetts law professor has created a campus firestorm with an email to colleagues that declares it would be “shameful” to send care packages to U.S. troops “who have gone overseas to kill other human beings.” Michael Avery, a professor at Suffolk University Law School . . .

The New York Observer: An abortion doula is a new concept, pioneered by the Doula Project, of which Ms. Mitchell is a cofounder. In essence, it’s the same as a birth doula—in fact, most practitioners do both—except that she provides support to women getting abortions who’ve chosen not to take their pregnancies to term, offering counseling, back rubs and reassurance.

Taiwan News Online: Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe told the judge he had no choice but to ask that 49 of 107 charges against the clinic be dismissed because documents central to the case were destroyed.

The Washington Independent: The influential lobby for the environment said Friday that it was jumping into the same-sex marriage debate because of its commitment to social justice.

Washington Times: he Supreme Court’s announcement Monday that it will hear challenges to President Obama’s health care law have put the spotlight on Justice Elena Kagan, who worked in the administration while the law was being written and, conservatives argue, helped craft its legal defense.

A.W.R. Hawkins at Human Events: The culture of death is not static. Rather, it constantly permeates those who partake in it, and especially those who promote it. Because of this, the lucid observer can see a continual degradation of human value and a shameless promotion of death-for-hire by abortionists who openly practice in the light what past generations would have done only in the dark of night (if they did it at all).

The Atlantic: Two months ago, I posed the question, Who’s Had the Worst Recession: Millennials, Gen-Xers, or Boomers? A Pew analysis of Census data released yesterday makes a strong case that it’s the youngest generation that faced the worst of the economy — and that’s even before the recession started. To review the litany of shocks visited on Generation Y, or the Millennial Generation, I’ll break it down into employment, income, and wealth. You could argue that the youngest generation has had it worst in all three categories.

Columbus Dispatch: The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, now representing the youth and his mother, announced today it is giving the school district an opportunity to discuss changes to prevent bullying of students before it goes to court.

PressTV (includes video): During noon at Seoul’s Central Mosque, Muslims gather to pray for one of the daily prayer sessions. There are around 200,000 Muslims now in South Korea and many of them are converted Koreans.

Manawatu-Wanganui News: A Wanganui District Councillor has threatened to resign or appeal to the United Nations if the council does not stop its “archaic and insulting practice” of saying a prayer before council meetings.

Asia News: Activists of the Bajrang Dal (Hindu ultra-nationalist movement) have attacked members of two different Christian communities, engaged in a prayer service, accusing them of practicing forced conversions.

Human Events: Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said Wednesday that the “long and noble legal precedent for the personhood of unborn children did not suffer harm by the defeat of the ballot initiative in Mississippi. This measure would not have led to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, but had a symbolic appeal for pro-life Americans. It was not drafted in such a way that it would conflict with Roe.”

Education Week: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear appeals concerning mandated vaccines in public schools and a school district’s refusal to allow a religious group’s fliers to be sent home with students.

CNN Poll: According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Monday, 24% of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say Romney is their most likely choice for their party’s presidential nominee with Gingrich at 22%. Romney’s two-point advantage is well within the survey’s sampling error.

Religion Clause: North Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Campus Police Power On Religiously Affiliated Campus: In State v. Yencer, (NC Sup. Ct., Nov. 10, 2011), the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld North Carolina’s Campus Police Act against an Establishment Clause challenge. At issue was the power of the campus police at Davidson College, a Presbyterian Church-affiliated liberal arts college.

The Vancouver Observer: “Sue Rodgriguez, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, is arguing for her right to an assisted suicide. It’s a debate that divides the country.”

The Chillicothe Gazette: The American Civil Liberties Union announced Monday it would seek legal action against Union-Scioto Local Schools if district officials choose not to meet with the ACLU in the wake of an alleged attack Oct. 17 on an openly gay student.

ADF Attorney Matt Bowman at National Review Online: As we all know from politics, and from our childhood, real trouble comes not so much from breaking the rules but from lying to cover it up. Yet that’s exactly what the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is doing to cover up its illegal insistence that nurses assist in abortions, in violation of their religious and moral beliefs.

Patrick Krey at The New American: The national Christian legal defense organization Alliance Defense Fund is also standing by to handle her case when necessary. Meanwhile, other supporters have put together an informative website to tell her side of the story.

Democrat and Chronicle: Jeffrey Shafer, an attorney with the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, contended the foundation has a strong case in New York. The Alliance Defense Fund, a pro-life group, is representing the foundation. “I think if (the state) were to make the decision to take it on appeal, I think we would still prevail,” Shafer said. “I think the facts of this case are clearly demonstrative of a First Amendment violation.”

AuBurnPub.com: Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, said Friday if a lawsuit is filed against Belforti, she will have support. “We do have people we work with like the Alliance Defense Fund that are more than willing to represent (Belforti) and even the municipality at no cost,” he said. “ADF and Liberty Counsel tend to get involved in these matters. We don’t want there to be any cost to the town of Ledyard or the town clerk.” The Courage Fund was created by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms to help clerks who oppose the state’s marriage law. McGuire said the Courage Fund doesn’t exist to provide clerks with legal advice, but does help them by connecting clerks to groups like ADF and assists with media requests.

Christianity Today: Family Research Council recently elevated the criticism of President Obama, saying the President disrespects Christianity and is creating an environment “hostile” to Christianity . . . Alliance Defense Fund president Alan Sears and American Values president Gary Bauer joined Perkins on Dobson’s show.

NRL News Today: Three pro-life organizations– the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the Texas Center for the Defense of Life (TCDL), and Jubilee Campaign’s Law of Life Project (JC-LOLP)—went to bat for Austin LifeCare, challenging the ordinance on First Amendment grounds, the basis on which similar harassment ordinances have been struck down.

Christian Post: The county was represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization that frequently takes up the case of Decalogue displays on public property.
Nathan Kellum, the ADF legal counsel who took the Johnson County case, did not return phone calls by press time.

LifeSiteNews.com: Following that victory, attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund secured an initial injunction against a sign ordinance in Montgomery County, Maryland, and recently won an injunction that suspends a similar ordinance in New York City. Sam Casey, the General Counsel for Jubilee Campaign’s Law of Life Project, Austin LifeCare’s lead trial counsel in the case, said that he and his organization “applaud” Austin for backing down on the sign law, at least temporarily.

Baptist Press: “The government shouldn’t abduct and imprison children simply because it doesn’t like homeschooling,” ADF legal counsel Roger Kiska said. “That’s bad enough. But now the state is going even further by attempting to get the parents out of the way altogether. This simply cannot stand.”

LifeSiteNews.com: “Pro-adoption organizations have the right to a specialty license plate on the same terms as any other organization, and the court’s decision affirms that,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Jeff Shafer. “The state is not authorized to censor The Children First Foundation for its life-affirming viewpoint, but it has gotten away with doing so for 10 years now since the application was first submitted.”

Florida Baptist Witness: Noting he has pursued the activity for more than a decade in obscurity until recently, Baker said, “It’s been a real flop, if I’m doing it for show.” In addition to the opinion of the School Board attorney, two other organizations – Liberty Counsel and the Alliance Defense Fund – have issued their judgments on the matter.

The Baptist Standard (Religion News Service): The conservative Alliance Defense Fund, which asked the Supreme Court to consider the case, was disappointed. “Justice is not well served when unhappy atheists can use the law to mow down memorial crosses and renew the suffering for the survivors,” Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Byron Babione said.

Austin pro-life centers can refrain from posting signs declaring that they do not provide abortions and other services while the city takes a closer look at its problematic law that requires the signs.

OneNewsNow.com: “Pro-adoption organizations have the right to a specialty license plate on the same terms as any other organization, and the court’s decision affirms that,” Shafer shares. “The state’s not authorized to censor The Children First Foundation for its life-affirming viewpoint, but it’s gotten away with doing so for ten years now since the application was first submitted.”

Christian Newswire: Austin LifeCare, through its attorneys from the Texas Center for the Defense of Life (TCDL), the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), and the Jubilee Campaign’s Law of Life Project (JC-LOLP) expressed thanks Thursday to the City of Austin for temporarily agreeing in Court today, through their legal counsel, that Austin LifeCare may take down the sign the City required them to post while the City takes a closer look at the constitutionality of the City’s law that singles out Austin’s pregnancy resource centers

LifeSiteNews.com: Speakers included HLI President Fr. Shenan Bouquet, Brazilian pro-life activists Fr. Paulo Ricardo de Azevedo and Fr. Lodi da Cruz, Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Piero Tozzi, Ecuador’s Fr. Juan Carlos Chavez, and LifeSiteNews’ Latin America Correspondent Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, among many others. It was organized by Felipe Nery, director of the St. Benedict School at the same monastery.

NRL News Today: The Alliance Defense Fund first took the case in 2004 and its lawsuit prompted then-Governor George Pataki to impose a moratorium on all requests for custom license plates. Shafer says about the state has denied about another 100 requests because of the moratorium.

ABA Journal: The Alliance Defense Fund represented the group, according to a press release. ADF lawyer Jeffrey Shafer told AP that 28 other states offer Choose Life plates and the Illinois case was “kind of an odd turn, an anomalous result.”

NewYorkFamilies.org : A lawsuit challenging the legality of the process that brought gay “marriage” legislation to the floor of the New York State Senate was filed in the Livingston County Supreme Court on Monday, July 25, 2011.

The Hill: Advocates of the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules celebrated a major victory on Thursday as the Senate rejected a Republican bid to repeal the rules.

Law.com: The number of interested parties in the same-sex marriage benefits dispute involving a deceased Cozen O’Connor partner continues to grow as a congressional committee seeks to defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

News from The Associated Press: Fed up with a decade of police spying on the innocuous details of the daily lives of Muslims, activists in New York are discouraging people from going directly to the police with their concerns about terrorism, a campaign that is certain to further strain relations between the two groups.

Patrick Trueman at the Knights of Columbus: Catholics have a duty to fight against pornography and its devastating spiritual and societal consequences.

DC50TV.com: Greg Quinlan is the president of PFOX–Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX). It’s a national non-profit organization that supports families, advocates for the ex-gay community, and educates. Quinlan argues that ex-gays should be considered a ‘protected’ class against hate crimes. He also says that persons who are gay can be rehabilitated to become straight–which is derived in large part from his own experience in doing just that.

Jamaica Gleaner: Although it is fashionable to frame the discussion about the reform of buggery laws in terms of human rights, a more serious look at the issue from a public policy perspective indicates that it is essentially a public-health matter.

Rasmussen Reports™: Americans nationwide overwhelmingly agree that it’s more common for grown children to live with their parents these days, and they don’t think that’s a good thing.

Here.

SCOTUSblog has this post on the certiorari grants.

ven though no pending legislation exists and, earlier this year, the legislature rejected “anti-bullying” legislation, the state board of education is in the process of implementing an “anti-bullying” policy that has prompted serious concerns from groups concerned with First Amendment-protected freedoms.

Becket Fund: Today, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Belmont Abbey College over the “Affordable Care Act” (aka “Obamacare”), that forces the College to violate its deeply-held religious beliefs or pay a severe fine.

Breitbart: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday that he was looking at exporting more oil to China after the United States delayed a decision on a controversial pipeline.

Several of the 12 nurses who recently filed suit to stop a New Jersey hospital from forcing them to help with abortions will participate in a press conference Monday at 1 p.m. EST. Joining the nurses will be U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) . . .