California Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) and Assembly member Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) have introduced a bill that would directly ban local bans on circumcision. In a press conference held in Los Angeles yesterday, July 21, 2011, Ma and Gatto said that the bill would render the San Francisco ballot measure moot.
Category: Legislation
Count the Cost – The Hidden Dangers of School Vouchers
This year 42 state legislatures are considering creating or expanding school voucher programs. Private parochial educators face serious pitfalls with some of these programs that could eliminate the effectiveness of their religious mission. In an ancient story of twin brothers, Esau, next in line for the patriarchal blessing, returns famished from a hunting trip. When…
Thailand Calls for Ban on Religious Tattoos for Tourists (CNN)
EXCERPT: Thailand’s Culture Ministry wants to ban tourists from getting religious tattoos after noticing an alarmingly high number of foreigners sporting deities that were inked in parlors in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. As the Phuket Gazette reports, Culture Minister Niphit Intharasombat told reporters this week that Phuket’s Culture Office had noticed many tourists are getting inked…
Religious Liberty on North Dakota Ballot (Devils Lake Journal)
EXCERPT: A North Dakota constitutional amendment about religious freedom will be on the state ballot next year. Secretary of State Al Jaeger says Wednesday that the initiative’s supporters got enough signatures to put the issue to a vote. It will be Measure 3 on the June primary election ballot. The proposed amendment says lawmakers may…
Proposal to Ban Circumcision Draws Strong Criticism (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
EXCERPT: At Religion Clause, Howard Friedman notes that Santa Monica could become the second California city to place on the 2012 ballot a ban on circumcision. A similar measure will be up for public referendum in San Francisco, prompting fierce opposition by many religious liberty advocates and others. Here’s a sample: The SF Chronicle’s editorial…
San Francisco Mulls Circumcision Ban (CBS News)
EXCERPT: Has the time come to cut out circumcision? Pro-foreskin forces say so, and some in San Francisco say they’ve collected enough signatures to put a proposal to ban circumcision before voters. The proposal would make it a misdemeanor to perform circumcision on a male under the age of 18 within the city. Anyone who…
National : Church/State concerns kill House “Bible Bill”; Seventh-day Adventists respond
http://m.examiner.com/examiner/pm_60915/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=nQD8Kjnh