A federal judge has rejected an ACLU demand that he order Catholic hospitals to perform abortions in violation of church teaching.
The victory for religious rights was announced by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which intervened on behalf of the Catholic Medical Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
“No American should be forced to commit an abortion – least of all faith-based medical workers who went into the profession to follow their faith and save lives, not take them,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot.
“No law requires religious hospitals and medical personnel to commit abortions against their faith and conscience, and, in fact, federal law directly prohibits the government from engaging in any such coercion. As we argued in our brief to the court, the ACLU had no standing to bring this suit and demand this kind of government coercion.” Source
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam vetoed a bill that would have made the Bible the official book of the state, saying the measure actually downplayed the significance of the Good Book and turned it into a historical, rather than spiritual, text.
Norway is a progressive country. It has already adopted policies and legislation to support minority rights, women’s rights, and LGBT rights. It was the first country to pass an anti-discrimination law to protect the rights for same-sex couples.
The European Parliament has backed a re-authorization of a pesticide believed to be carcinogenic for another 7 years, despite a widespread protest campaign calling for a full ban instead of a downsized “compromise” deal.
On Wednesday the Bishop Of Rome addressed 11,000 ticketed guests on the South Lawn of the White House, during which he pontificated on the dire importance of exhibiting religious tolerance. During his hour-long speech, a smiling Pope Francis was quoted telling the White House guests that the Koran, and the spiritual teachings contained therein, are just as valid as the Holy Bible, and should therefore be respected as such.
Apple has quietly bought and leased a bunch of buildings and named them after Greek deities, according to a report today in the Silicon Valley Business Journal based on documents filed with city governments. A lot of the buildings seemingly relate to Apple’s reported plans to build an electric, possibly self-driving, car. 
Bob Iger, Rupert Murdock, Michael Bloomberg and Bill Marriott are just a few of the corporate execs working to help cities become sanctuaries for migrants – legal and illegal – while offering money to propagate a rosy view of immigrants’ impact on the economy. 
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There’s a change machine in my local supermarket. Drop in a pound’s worth of coppers – the irritating one and two pence pieces that just weigh your pocket down and that you hardly ever spend – and you get a shiny £1 coin back. It’s a great idea, and one that seems to have been ripped off by Perry Noble’s NewSpring church in South Carolina. The megachurch pastor has a reputation for controversy, and it’ll be interesting to see how many eyebrows his current project raises. Because the church is encouraging its members to tithe – give 10 per cent of their income – by offering a 90-day money back guarantee.