Tag Archives: Religious Liberty
Hobby Lobby Case Goes to Supreme Court
This week the U.S. Supreme Court hears a critically important religious freedom case. The Court will determine whether Hobby Lobby must provide contraceptive coverage to its employees, which would entail violating the religious beliefs of the company’s owners on a matter of no small import: the killing of the unborn.
Judy Waxman, a vice president of the National Women’s Law Center, asserts that “The key question is whether a corporation can have a religion.”
That strikes me as a dishonest framing of the question in that the “corporation” consists of individuals for whom their faith is central.
I would …
An Absolute Right to Refuse Service
Albert Einstein once said, “Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.”
He was right.
In the aftermath of the Arizona religious freedom skirmish, I have a few questions for those who would presume to compel religious business owners, under penalty of law, to “provide goods and services” to homosexuals in a way that violates that business owner’s conscience.
To wit:
- Should a homosexual baker be forced to make a “God Hates Fags” cake for Westboro Baptist Church, simply because its members claim to be Christian?
- Should a black printer be forced to develop and print thousands
Persecution, Repression, and Religious Liberty
Two Federal Courts of Appeal Deal Setback to ObamaCare HHS Mandate
Pro-Life Nurses Win Court Battle Over Forced Abortions
Nurses in a New Jersey hospital who refused to participate in abortions will be able to keep their jobs under an agreement reached in federal court. The twelve nurses had been threatened with termination from their jobs by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey if they failed to assist in abortion procedures. TheAlliance Defense Fund (ADF) had filed suit on behalf of the pro-life nurses in defense of their conscience rights under federal law.
Under the agreement reached with hospital administrators, the nurses will no longer be required to undergo abortion training or assist in any …
Macy’s Fires Employee for Protecting Women’s Dressing Rooms from Cross-dresser
A young woman was fired from the Macy’s San Antonio Rivercenter department store for refusing to violate her religious beliefs by permitting a young man dressed as a woman from entering the women’s dressing room. Natalie Johnson claims she saw the young man walk out of the women’s fitting room and politely told him that he could not go back in because it was for women only. The cross-dressing young man claimed that he is a “female.” Johnson said that he was wearing make-up and girl’s clothing, but clearly he was a male. The cross-dresser was accompanied by five other …
Urgent Catholic Charities Appeal
By Bob Kellogg
The Thomas More Society is appealing a decision that allows Illinois to discontinue its contract with Catholic Charities’ foster and adoption care services.
Tom Ciesielka, spokesman for the legal society, says action in this appeal is urgently needed. “Basically, Catholic Charities wants to put a hold on any possible transition of moving the children out of Catholic Charities into other foster-care providers,” he explains.
At issue is the new Illinois law that recognizes same-sex civil unions. Since Catholic Charities does not license same-sex or unmarried couples for adoption or foster care, referring them instead to other …
Defunding Planned Parenthood is Constitutional
This week, the Thomas More Society filed a “friend of the court” brief available here in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on behalf of more than 60 members of the Indiana General Assembly, in opposition to Planned Parenthood’s assertion that defunding abortion providers imposes an “unconstitutional condition” on physicians’ alleged right to perform abortions.
The brief states that “abortion providers have no constitutionally recognized Fourteenth Amendment right to perform abortions” and that funding restrictions would not “interfere with the ability of pregnant women to obtain abortions. Accordingly, because the constitutional rights of women seeking abortions …
Catholic Charities & Religious Liberty Win Temporary Reprieve
Yesterday, IFI wrote about the decision by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to terminate all contracts with Catholic Charities in four Illinois dioceses. There is some good news to report: Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt has issued a preliminary injunction that will temporarily permit Catholic Charities to continue to serve children and families as per existing contracts. DCFS will not be permitted to terminate contracts between Catholic Charities in these four Illinois dioceses as it sought to do last Friday.
Also yesterday, IFI learned that State Senator David Koehler’s office sent out the following email …
DCFS’ Assault on Religious Liberty
On July 8, 2011, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) director, Erwin McEwen, sent a letter to a Catholic Charities director in which he said that DCFS is denying Catholic Charities foster care and adoption contracts because Catholic Charities “does not intend to comply with the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection Act and Civil Union law” which McEwen asserts “applies to foster care and adoption services.”
That seems a peculiar statement in light of the exchange below between State Senator William Haine (D-Alton) and the bill’s sponsor, State Senator David Koehler(D-Peoria), during a floor debate on this …
Christian Apologist Frank Turek Fired for Beliefs
Many Christians are familiar with the apologetic work of Dr. Frank Turek. Many, however, are unaware that he was recently fired by Cisco Systems because of his religious and political beliefs about homosexuality — beliefs that Dr. Turek did not bring to the workplace.
A homosexual manager of Cisco Systems discovered that Dr. Turek has written on same-sex “marriage” and reported his discovery to Cisco management, requesting that Dr. Turek be fired. Dr. Turek was summarily fired in violation of Cisco Systems own diversity policies and in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that …
Churches Call for Chaplain Conscience Protections
A group of religious denominations that provide chaplains to the U.S. military are calling for the establishment of new conscience protections for members of the chaplain corps.
Twenty-two chaplaincy endorsers have sent a joint letter to the chief chaplains of the Army, Navy, and Air Force calling for “broad, clear, and strong protections for conscience” for chaplains who believe in traditional sexual morality.
The letter comes on the heels of the action by the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to open the ranks of the Armed Forces to those who self-identify homosexuals. The religious groups state that this “protected …
Catholic Leaders Take Legal Action Over Risk of Losing Foster Care Services
Catholic Charities in Illinois Seek Remedy for Best Interests of Children, Families
(SPRINGFIELD, IL) Leaders of three Catholic dioceses – the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, Peoria and Joliet – took legal action today as their charities fight to continue their work in serving the best interests of thousands of needy children and families throughout the state.
In March of this year, the Attorney General’s office issued a letter stating that the office “received notice that Catholic Charities … discriminates against Illinois citizens based on race, marital status and sexual orientation” in the provision of …
Catholic Citizens of Illinois Commends Action Taken by Rockford Diocese
Because of the Illinois legislature’s failure to enact an explicit amendment to the new Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, Catholic Citizens of Illinois commends the action taken by the Diocese of Rockford to discontinue offering state-funded adoption and foster care services. See:http://www.rockforddiocese.org/
Frank Vonch, director of the Rockford Catholic Charities stated, “The agency is being forced to opt out of contracting with the State of Illinois for these services because of the Illinois legislature’s failure to enact an explicit amendment to the new Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act. The failed Amendment would …
