Religion & Law

Calvin Klein billboard in New York ?too sexy,? ?too young?

Posted on June 15, 2009
Sarah A. Armaghan reports in the New York Daily News: "A steamy Calvin Klein billboard that seems to show a teenage girl in a threesome - with suggestions of a foursome - is raising eyebrows and ire. 'It's borderline pornographic,' said neighborhood resident Lisa Marchese, 36, a marketing specialist who was disturbed by the youthfulness of the models...

?Gay pride event in Des Moines draws 15,000?

Posted on June 15, 2009
"Organizers say this year's Capital City Pride event in Des Moines drew a record crowd of of some 15,000 participants from throughout the Midwest."

?Thousands join gay pride parades in Europe?

Posted on June 15, 2009
AFP: "Thousands of people across Europe on Saturday took part in colourful gay pride parades to protest against anti-gay prejudice."

Obama?s ?Safe Schools? Czar Dreamed of ?Promoting Homosexuality? to Schoolchildren

Posted on June 15, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "Kevin Jennings, who was appointed by Obama to be the assistant deputy secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools inside the Department of Education. . . cofounder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), told attendees at a GLSEN conference over a decade ago that he looked forward to the day when promoting homosexuality in schools will be seen in a positive light...

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UK: Christians concerned ?transgender discrimination? bill endangers liberties

Posted on June 15, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "Christians have expressed fears that the bill in its current form will severely hamper the ability of churches to continue to provide social services to the general public. Wording in the bill requires that religious organisations must consider anyone, regardless of their beliefs or values, including active homosexuals and 'gender reassigned' people, for any post that does not directly involve religious instruction or the leading of worship services...

?Calls for Red Cross symbol to be axed over Crusade links?

Posted on June 15, 2009
"A Labour minister has sparked controversy by claiming that an alternative symbol is needed for the Red Cross because of the logo's supposed links to the Crusades."

UK gov?t deems another mother ?too stupid? to raise her own children

Posted on June 15, 2009
Ian Johnston reports in the Telegraph: "The unnamed 24 year-old Nottingham woman, was prevented from objecting to her daughters' adoption because of her low IQ."

A Growing Trend: Lesbians travelling to Spain for insemination

Posted on June 15, 2009
Giles Tremlett reports in The Guardian: "The offer comes from a fertility clinic and a gay and lesbian travel agency, which have launched joint package tours to what has now become one of the most socially tolerant countries in Europe. Together they have spotted a growing trend among British lesbians, who increasingly travel to clinics in liberal Spain for insemination treatment, which has become more difficult in Britain since sperm donors lost the right to remain anonymous in 2005...

Las Vegas rally targets child prostitution

Posted on June 15, 2009
Richard Lake and Lynnette Curtis report in the Review-Journal: "Shared Hope International, a Virginia-based nonprofit working to prevent sex trafficking and provide support for boys and girls in the industry, organized the rally and march as part of its launch of a national campaign to draw attention to the issue...

?The Church and gay marriage: Are Mormons misunderstood??

Posted on June 15, 2009
David Van Biema writing in Time Magazine: "Even as Mormons have become more prominent, they have struggled to overcome lingering prejudices and misrepresentations about the sources of their beliefs. Polls suggest that up to half of Americans would be uncomfortable with a Mormon President...

Wariness in Rhode Island as same-sex ?marriage? tide rises

Posted on June 15, 2009
Eric Moskowitz reports in the Boston Globe: "'When I look at a real map of the United States, we're actually not alone here,' said Plante, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex unions...

Same-sex ?marriage? up for debate in Pennsylvania

Posted on June 15, 2009
Jason Scott reports in The Sentinel: "State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, last week introduced Senate Bill 935 that would offer ?full and equal marriage rights? to same-sex couples in the state and legally recognize those marriages performed in other states...

Foreclosed churches: finding a place to pray

Posted on June 15, 2009
ABC News (Christian Science Monitor) reports: "Since the economic downturn began, six financially stressed churches in various states have sought advice from The Well in California's Orange County."

?Gay marriage? law?s impact on Iowans subtle, yet powerful

Posted on June 15, 2009
Jennifer Jacobs reports in the Des Moines Register: "Social and Christian conservatives say they, too, are studying Iowa law in light of the same-sex marriage ruling. 'People are upset with the concept of civic government tinkering with an institution that cannot be fundamentally redefined,' said Bryan English, a spokesman for the Iowa Family Policy Center...

?Hawaii bill gives patients a voice?

Posted on June 15, 2009
Christie Wilson reports in the Honolulu Advertiser: "The recently passed legislation, House Bill 1379, establishes procedures for obtaining and using "physician orders for life-sustaining treatment," or POLST, documents that clearly state the patient's treatment directives in emergencies and other treatment situations...

Mass. rally protests transgender ?bathroom bill?

Posted on June 15, 2009
OneNewsNow: "Activists want to add transgender to the Bay State's existing 'hate crimes' bill. Evelyn Reilly, director of public policy for the Massachusetts Family Institute, tells OneNewsNow that lawmakers who support the measure are bowing to a fraction of the population -- and in that process, are endangering women and children...

NY families urge Bloomberg to save after-school vouchers

Posted on June 15, 2009
Julie Bosman reports in the New York Times: "As part of citywide budget cuts beginning next fiscal year, the Bloomberg administration has threatened to eliminate the 12-year-old, $16 million program, which is open to many needy families for use at schools and day care centers but which has overwhelmingly benefited Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Borough Park and Williamsburg...

Is there an American mind?

Posted on June 15, 2009
Allen C. Guelzo, writing at National Review Online: "The America of Tom Paine 'was a country of diversity and vastness,' but also of 'vagueness.' This 'vagueness' Goetzmann assumes to be a virtue in its own right, since it permitted Americans 'to constantly redefine themselves' for a century after Paine 'in search of an ideal ? freedom...

ACLU in Ohio decries Pledge of Allegiance plan

Posted on June 15, 2009
NBC 3 reports: "A state senator in Ohio wants to strip school districts of the authority to decide whether students should say the Pledge of Allegiance."

?Conservatives? Are Single-Largest Ideological Group

Posted on June 15, 2009
Gallup: "Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004...

Pro-Life Democrat Saves Abortion Funding Limits Obama Suggested Overturning

Posted on June 15, 2009
Life News: "The Obama budget recommendation changed the language governing funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and loosened it to allow LSC grantees to conduct abortion litigation . . . However, Rep. Alan Mollohan, a pro-life Democrat from West Virginia who is the subcommittee chairman, came to the rescue...

Senate Republican Leader Says Filibuster Still on Table Over Sonia Sotomayor

Posted on June 15, 2009
LifeNews: "The number one Republican lawmaker in the Senate says a filibuster possibility is still on the table with regard to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor."

Planned Parenthood Hires New Staffer to Promote Abortion on a Global Scale

Posted on June 15, 2009
LifeNews: ". . . Planned Parenthood has hired Jeff Meer to join the abortion business' staff as the new director of international advocacy."

Pro-Life Advocates Rally Outside Barack Obama Speech, Abortion Not Health Care

Posted on June 15, 2009
LifeNews: "As President Barack Obama outlines his plans for health care overhaul in a major speech today, pro-life advocates are present outside with a clear message that abortion is not health care. They want Obama to know that his health reform plan must not cover abortions or pay for them with tax dollars...

Ohio Miami University revises speech policy, agrees to settle lawsuit

Posted on June 15, 2009
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund obtained a settlement Monday in Gilles v. Hodge, bringing to end a five-year legal battle over Miami University?s speech policy that prohibited a Christian man from exercising his First Amendment rights on campus ...

Vets fight ACLU to keep war memorial

Posted on June 15, 2009
One News Now: "Lawyers are providing written arguments in a case in which a cross has been banned at a veteran memorial in the Mojave Desert. The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, filed suit because the cross, which honors soldiers who gave their lives for their country, was on federal property...

Sotomayor impresses in interviews, senators say

Posted on June 15, 2009
AP: "Slogging through dozens of personal, one-on-one meetings with senators that amount to a high-stakes job interview, she has impressed her questioners with an engaging personality and life story - even those lawmakers with big reservations about her views on the law...

The More You Examine the New Haven Affirmative-Acion Case, the More Indefensible It Looks

Posted on June 15, 2009
Stuart Taylor, Jr. writes at the National Journal: "I admire many things about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, especially her deep compassion for underprivileged people. I may well support her confirmation to the Supreme Court if her testimony next month dispels my concern that her decisions may be biased by the grievance-focused mind-set and the "wise Latina woman" superiority complex displayed in some of her speeches...

Ginsburg Clears Up Mystery About ?Fleeting Expletives? Case

Posted on June 15, 2009
The Blog of the Legal Times: "During her speech Friday Ginsburg reviewed the Fox case and said, 'the words, I'm told, were spoken' at the 2nd Circuit argument. Then came the disclosure. Matter-of-factly she added, "the lawyers were alerted that some of the justices might find that unseemly, so only the letters 'f' and 's' were used in our court...

Is America Losing Its Innovative Edge?

Posted on June 15, 2009
EducationNews.org carries this report by Peter Wood: "Is America is falling behind other nations in the kind of innovations that drive economic prosperity? If so, is higher education part of the problem? An important new report offers some surprising answers...

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