This term, the Supreme Court will be revisiting the issue of whether states must fund religious schools, whether clergy members can say prayers during executions of inmates, and whether a state can ban abortion before viability. The following is a brief summary and analysis of the cases.
Category: Human Life
Satanic Temple claims abortion is a religious ritual protected by the Free Exercise clause
The Satanic Temple is asserting a free exercise right to abortion as a religious ritual in lawsuits against the state of Missouri and against a Louisiana advertising agency.
Supreme Court considers standing and medical necessity of admitting privileges in Louisiana abortion case
esterday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments (link to transcript) in the Louisiana abortion case, Russo v. June Medical Services. This case is a challenge to a new Louisiana state law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital within 30 miles. Because the admitting privileges requirements can be…
Vatican calls for religious freedom amidst competing strains of secularism and fundamentalism
The Vatican has released a document, “Religious Liberty for the Good of All,” calling for an expansion of religious liberty in the face of competing strains of religious fundamentalism and secular intolerance. While not addressing each and every conflict, the document is intended to express the relationship between civil law and religious law in the context of theology, anthropology, and political science.
California lawmaker withdraws bill that would criminalize religion-based “gay conversion therapy”
Earlier today, California Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) withdrew a bill that would have outlaws the sale of any service, including certain forms of advertising, that were intended to change an individual’s sexuality or gender identity. Assembly Bill 2943 had already passed the Assembly and Senate and was one vote away from the governor’s desk.
Pregnancy center case is Supreme Court’s third forced-speech case this term
In its third case on the issue of state-required speech this term, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a California case involving whether the state can compel pro-life pregnancy counseling centers to post notices about the existence of publicly-funded abortion and contraceptive services, and requires disclosures if the centers or personnel are unlicensed.
Rwandan pastor models extreme forgiveness by serving those who killed his family
Perhaps the strongest story of the power of forgiveness is found in the story, reported today by the Adventist Review, of Isaac Ndwaniye, the President of the East Central Rwandan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists who lost his entire family to mass genocide that was perpetrated by some of the people he has been called back to serve. If anybody ever had an excuse to abandon his calling, it is Pastor Ndwaniye.
Abortion doctor testifies to Senate – “The difference was whether the baby was wanted or unwanted”
Doctor to U.S. Senate – “The only time I experienced any qualms about what I was doing was when I had my neonatal care rotation and I realized that I was trying to save babies in the NICU that were the same age as babies I was aborting, but I rationalized it, and was able to push the feelings to the back of my mind.”
Adventist Pro-Life Advocates Complete Filming 13-Part Series on Abortion
Steve Wohlberg, director and speaker of White Horse Media, has announced the completion of a 13-part series entitled, The Abortion Controversy, featuring Dianne Wagner and Antoinette Duck of Mafgia ministry.
Unsettled and Inconsistent Law: Fetal Rights and Personhood
The legal status of the unborn child is not as clear as most people think. There are glaring inconsistencies in the way that the law is practiced, even in states with liberal abortion policies. For instance, if a person kills a fetus in California without the consent of the pregnant woman or for medical necessity it is considered murder under Penal Code section 187. This is why Scott Peterson was convicted for double-homicide when he killed his pregnant wife, Laci, in 2002. This January in Florida, John Andrew Weldon was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison when he tricked his pregnant girlfriend into taking abortion-causing drugs, leading to the miscarriage of her 6-week-old fetus.