Pro-Life

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Could Profit From War Funding Bill-"The Senate Appropriations Committee has added an amendment to the 2008 War Supplemental Bill (H.R. 2642) that pro-life advocates say would benefit the nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood..."Planned Parenthood already has a massive markup on its drugs," Wright told Cybercast News Service. "They get them at a severely reduced price as it is, and then they turn around and sell them for a rather high price to their clients."...Four Democrats -- Senators Patty Murray (Wash.), Herb Kohl (Wis.), Tom Harkin (Iowa), and Ben Nelson (Neb.) -- requested that the amendment be added to the Iraq war funding bill. Of the four, only Nelson has a pro-life record. Both Murray and Harkin have received 100 percent approval ratings from Planned Parenthood, and in 2007 Kohl was given a 100 percent favorability rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America, formerly the National Abortion Rights Action League."

Salvador

Salvadoran lawmakers unanimous against abortion-“All 84 members of the Congress of El Salvador have signed a petition condemning abortion as an ‘abominable crime.’”

Religious Freedom

Radio Broadcasting

Conservatives Say 'Fairness Doctrine' Is Unfair-""Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine would amount to government control over political views expressed on the public airwaves. It is dangerous to suggest that the government should be in the business of rationing free speech," said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who introduced the Broadcaster Freedom Act a year ago. The bill is bottled up in committee. Pence has gathered 194 signatures (out of a required 218) on a discharge petition, a maneuver that would force the bill to bypass committee and go straight to the House floor for a vote. On Wednesday, Pence challenged House Democrats to "declare their independence, stand for freedom and sign the Discharge Petition for Broadcast Freedom before the 4th of July..."With talk radio flourishing, and conservatives finally having their voices heard, liberals desire to shut them up and shut them down by reinstitution the Fairness Doctrine,"...Right now, there is no pending legislation to restore the Fairness Doctrine, but a number of liberal lawmakers have raised the possibility, including Senate Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)."

Unmasking the Myths Behind the Fairness Doctrine-"Three principal arguments support resurrecting the Fairness Doctrine....Are these arguments valid?"-Full report available here.

Oklahoma

Okla. Gov. vetoes ‘Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act’-"Henry vetoed House Bill 2633, called the “Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act,” by Sen. James A. Williamson, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City."

Illinois

Mayor reneges on church agreement-"An Illinois city is on its way back to federal court after backing out of the settlement of a zoning dispute involving alleged discrimination against a local church. The city of Carlinville, Illinois, had reached a settlement with the Carlinville Southern Baptist Church after city officials were sued for illegally using zoning ordinances to keep the church from moving into an abandoned Wal-Mart store. But Joseph Infranco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), says the mayor unexpectedly vetoed the settlement."

Massachusette

AMA: Launching Yet Another Attack on Freedom of Conscience?-"A pharmacist’s deliberate refusal to dispense a drug on religious, moral, or ethical grounds, i.e., pharmacist conscientious objection, has been most often associated with Plan B"

Ohio

ADF Sues Ohio Library after Bible-Based Group is Excluded-"“The library said, 'Well, we can’t allow a meeting that will quote the Bible,' " said Tim Chandler, legal counsel with ADF. "That is blatant viewpoint discrimination. “The Supreme Court said over 25 years ago that if you’re going to open up meeting space, you can’t exclude groups just because they’re religious.”

Academic Freedom

Louisiana

Academic Freedom Bill Advances in Louisiana-"The Louisiana House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would protect those who teach both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory. The vote was 94-3....This year, six states have considered academic freedom legislation, the Discovery Institute said. And at least nine states now have state or local policies that protect, encourage, and sometimes even require teachers to discuss the scientific evidence for and against Darwinian evolution."