News
| 07/25/11 | Most states likely to spurn gay-marriage bandwagon As hundreds of jubilant gay couples became newlyweds in New York over the weekend, their well-wishers included many far-flung gays wistfully aware that their own states may never willingly allow same-sex marriage. "The victories in other states are always a little bittersweet," said Jeff Graham, executive director of the gay-rights group Equality Georgia. His state is one of 30 that have adopted constitutional amendments aimed at limiting marriage to one-man, one-woman unions. |
| 07/22/11 | Pro-marriage New Yorkers to rally New Yorkers who want the chance to vote on protecting traditional marriage are planning a march for their cause on Sunday, the same day local clerks will begin issuing licenses for same-gender "marriage," which will be legal in New York. Traditional marriage supporters will be demonstrating in four cities for the right to vote on the issue. Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage says some Senate Republicans lied about their support for traditional marriage. |
| 07/22/11 | Maryland Governor Suggests New Push for Gay Marriage Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) suggested that he will make a statement about a renewed push for gay marriage in Maryland, saying the announcement will come either Friday or Monday. Speaking to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, O’Malley, a Catholic, said he supports homosexual marriage and added that the recent bill passed in New York showed that the govern |
| 07/21/11 | 'Right to die' can become a 'duty to die' OPINION: Vulnerable people can be bullied into assisted suicide, believes Wesley Smith. |
| 07/21/11 | ACLU Sues ‘Family-Friendly’ Inn for Refusing to Host Lesbian Wedding Reception The American Civil Liberties Union is suing a small, family-owned Vermont inn for allegedly refusing to host a lesbian couple’s wedding reception. The Wildflower Inn is owned by a "devout, practicing Catholic family who believes in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman," its Facebook page says. "We have never refused rooms or dining or employment to gays and lesbians." |
| 07/20/11 | Health law may include birth control - ‘Morning-after’ pill among panel’s recommendations Free birth control, including the controversial “morning-after” pill, could soon be added to a list of services insurers must fully cover under President Obama’s health care law. A nonpartisan Institute of Medicine panel recommended Tuesday that contraception and a handful of other services related to women’s health be considered preventative and must be covered by insurance companies without charging co-payments. Screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer and diabetes tests during pregnancy were among the non-binding suggestions sent to the Department of Health and Human Services. |
| 07/20/11 | Obama Backs Repeal of ‘So-Called Defense of Marriage Act’ President Barack Obama is in favor of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), his press secretary announced at a briefing with reporters on Tuesday. “I can tell you that the president has long called for a legislative repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which continues to have a real impact on the lives of real people, our families, friends and neighbors,” spokesman Jay Carney said. “He is proud to support the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Sen. Feinstein and Congressman Nadler, which would take DOMA off the books once and for all.” |
| 07/19/11 | Video: Govt Official Sends Sex Traffickers to Planned Parenthood In a new video expose’ uncovering fraud in the Medicaid system, a conservative activists shows an Ohio state official referring people claiming to sexually traffic a young woman to the Planned Parenthood abortion business. James O’Keefe, founder of Project Veritas today released his latest undercover investigation. O’Keefe is formerly associated with the pro-life group Live Action and was one of the original activists uncovering abuses at Planned Parenthood before forming a new organization focused on conservative expose’ videos. |
| 07/19/11 | Bill bypasses parents, puts youth at risk A pro-life activist says a piece of legislation circulating in the California legislature is a dangerous assault on parental rights and children's health. Assembly Bill 499 -- authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Toni Atkins -- would give the government permission to administer sexual health treatments and to vaccinate children 12 years of age and up without parental consent. Current law permits minors to consent to some types of medical or dental treatment. The bill would allow the child to specifically consent to "medical care related to the prevention of a sexually transmitted disease." |
| 07/18/11 | 'Gay marriage' already affecting NY Christians A New York town clerk is refusing to turn her back on her faith and comply with the state's new homosexual "marriage" law. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF), tells OneNewsNow that Laura Fotusky feels she would be "compromising her moral conscience by licensing same-sex couples." |
| 07/18/11 | Protestors Point to Massive Health Problems at Penn Abortion Biz Pro-life protestors turned up Saturday morning at the abortion business in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that recently came under scrutiny from state health officials after an inspection revealed significant problems. State inspectors found Allentown Medical Services had multiple health and safety problems that could endanger women’s health and it continues to operate amid the complaints. Officials indicated the abortion facility received citations concerning using unsterilized instruments on women, having drugs and reproductive devices on hand that were past their expiration date. Abortion clinic inspectors also found blood splattered on the walls and floor of a freezer, according to a report the Pennsylvania Health Department made public. |
| 07/15/11 | Ohio Legislators Introduce Bills To Fund Health Clinics, Not Abortion Providers Ohio state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would redirect federal and state funds to state, county and local health centers caring for women and their children, born and unborn, rather than funding abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood. Similar policies have been implemented in Texas, Kansas, and Tennessee. |
| 07/15/11 | California Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Law Requiring Public Schools to Teach 'Gay History' Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a landmark bill adding lessons about gay history to social studies classes in California's public schools. Brown, a Democrat, signed the bill Thursday, making California the first state in the nation to require public schools to include the contributions of gays and lesbians in social studies curriculum. The Democratic-majority Legislature passed the bill last week on a largely party-line vote. |
| 07/14/11 | Single-sex dorms = racial segregation? A George Washington University law professor is threatening to sue the Catholic University of America for planning to transition back to separate dorms for men and women as a way to discourage casual sexual encounters. John Banzhaf argues that single-sex dorms violate the District of Columbia's Human Rights Act. But Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Senior Counsel Gregory Baylor says that is "ridiculous." |
| 07/14/11 | Lawsuit: Prayer rally promotes 'rabid Christian agenda' An atheist organization is suing Texas Governor Rick Perry, a possible presidential candidate, for initiating a private prayer event scheduled for August 6 in Houston. The Freedom from Religion Foundation is suing in federal court over Perry's upcoming prayer event that is sponsored and promoted by the American Family Association (AFA). The press release states that the pro-family group "promotes a rabid evangelical Christian agenda that is hostile to nonbelievers, non-Christians and other protected groups, such as gays and lesbians." |
| 07/13/11 | Gov't abstaining from teaching abstinence? While the Obama administration has decided to prohibit teaching abstinence from marriage preparation programs for young people, a congressional bipartisan group wants that to change. The Department of Health and Human Services recently authorized new grants for its Healthy Marriage Initiative and for "education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationship skills and budgeting." But one of the "unallowable activities" is teaching abstinence. |
| 07/13/11 | Should Parents Lose Custody of Super Obese Kids? Should parents of extremely obese children lose custody for not controlling their kids' weight? A provocative commentary in one of the nation's most distinguished medical journals argues yes, and its authors are joining a quiet chorus of advocates who say the government should be allowed to intervene in extreme cases. It has happened a few times in the U.S., and the opinion piece in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association says putting children temporarily in foster care is in some cases more ethical than obesity surgery. |
| 07/12/11 | Homosexual pastors now welcome in PCUSA pulpits Homosexual rights advocates in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) plan to celebrate today as changes to their church constitution take effect. Gone will be the requirement that clergy live "in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." Elimination of that language clears the way for ordination of clergy in same-sex relationships. |
| 07/12/11 | Attorney: 'Substandard' care unacceptable Planned Parenthood has sued to kill the bills recently passed in Arizona that deal with abortion clinics. Deborah Sheasby, legal counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy, says the lawsuit proves that Planned Parenthood is "more concerned about selling abortions" than protecting women with crisis pregnancies. |
| 07/11/11 | You wanna a beer with that burger? Some fast-food chains are now offering options beyond burgers, salads, and soft drinks. In some locations, customers will soon be able to get an adult beverage with their meals. Burger King recently opened "Whopper Bars" in Miami, Las Vegas, and Kansas City. Beginning this summer, Sonic will offer beer and wine at new locations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. |
| 07/11/11 | Calls from NM abortuary under scrutiny Operation Rescue has filed complaints against two late-term abortionists in New Mexico. Operation Rescue has obtained recordings of a series of 9-1-1 phone calls placed from Albuquerque's Southwestern Women's Options over a recent 15-month period. Those calls, according to the pro-life organization, "reveal a disturbing pattern of life-threatening abortion complications that routinely endanger the lives and health of women." |
| 07/07/11 | 'Signs of Hope' bill signed into law Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has signed the "Signs of Hope" bill. The measure requires that abortion clinics across the state post signs in waiting and examination rooms informing patients that they cannot be forced to have abortions and providing a web address for a state-run website that gives them resources for alternatives. |
| 07/07/11 | U.S. Voices Dismay Over Report That Iranian Christian Faces ‘Convert or Die’ Choice The United States government voiced concern Wednesday about the plight of an Iranian Christian pastor sentenced to death for apostasy. Reports say his appeal to a higher court resulted in a stark choice – disavow the Christian faith or die. “While Iran’s leaders hypocritically claim to promote tolerance, they continue to detain, imprison, harass, and abuse those who simply wish to worship the faith of their choosing,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. |
| 07/06/11 | Vegas Officials Consider Marketing Gay Honeymoons Same-sex couples can't get married in Nevada, but Las Vegas tourism officials are still looking for a way to cash in on the growing gay wedding industry. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is considering marketing southern Nevada as a honeymoon destination for same-sex couples. |
| 07/06/11 | Medical marijuana proceeds in D.C. as feds reconsider enforcement The District passed its first milestone in selecting who gets coveted licenses for the city’s burgeoning medical marijuana program — even as the federal government takes a second look at its hands-off approach to those who grow and sell the drug for patient use. More than 80 people or businesses applied to cultivate or dispense medical marijuana through letters of intent submitted to the Department of Health. The applicants range from entrepreneurial lawyers and “green thumbs” in the District to medical marijuana business veterans from states as far away as Colorado and Montana. |
| 07/05/11 | Shock: Thousands of UK Abortions on Disabled, Down Syndrome Babies Shocking new statistics have been produced in England after a pro-life organization won its bid to make some abortion numbers public that the government had failed to disclose concerning abortions on disabled babies. The numbers reveal, thousands of babies victimized by abortion merely because they were mentally or physically disabled — including 500 abortions done on unborn children who have Down syndrome. In total, 2,290 abortions were done on disabled babies with 147 done after 24 weeks of pregnancy. |
| 07/05/11 | Senator Says Defense of Marriage Act ‘On Wrong Side of History,’ Joins LGBT Video Thirteen U.S. senators who oppose the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) participated in a video for the pro-homosexual “It Gets Better” project, in which they encourage lesbian and gay youth to persevere and be optimistic about the future. In discussing the release of the video on Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said, “DOMA, folks, is on the wrong side of history.” The Defense of Marriage Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It basically says that for any federal purposes, marriage is defined as the legal union between one man and one woman, and that states do not have to legally recognize same-sex marriages from another state. |
| 07/01/11 | Court: Students free from school officials' 'long arm' The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reached two landmark decisions that protect the free-speech rights of students when they are off campus. The full 14-judge court ruled in two separate cases that school officials "cannot reach into a child's home to control his or her actions." Will Creeley, director of legal and public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), says: "It's good to see a court speak with real clarity and to affirm that students retain First Amendment rights outside of the classroom -- that they are not always subject to the long arm of school administrators." |
| 07/01/11 | Texas yanks Planned Parenthood funding Texas has passed a bill defunding Planned Parenthood, making it the seventh state to do so. The bill sends $47 million in tax funds to other organizations that provide medical services to poor women. Jonathan Saenz of Liberty Institute calls Monday's vote in Austin a "defining moment" in Texas for the pro-life movement. |
| 06/30/11 | Kentucky Court: Who Leaked Decision OKing Secret Teen Abortions? The Kentucky Court of Appeals is not happy that a decision it issued earlier this year — allowing teens from another state to obtain abortions in the Bluegrass State without abortion practitioners notifying their parents — became public. The much-maligned 2-1 decision was supposed to stay private, but it became public and it saw the court say it felt obligated to make the decision despite “significant reservations” about allowing Kentucky judges to essentially keep parents from 49 other states in the dark about whether or not their teenage daughter can travel to Kentucky for a secret abortion. |