• “Commentary: States should decide on gay marriage,” Jared Polis, CNN (September 24, 2009)
• “Tight schedule on move to block Ariz. abortion law,” Paul Davenport, Associated Press (September 23, 2009)
• “Study confirms most Americans want health care change but not abortion funding,” Catholic News Agency (September 23, 2009)
• “Britain To Clarify Policy on Euthanasia,” Karla Adam, The Washington Post (September 23, 2009)
• “Christian Leaders Urge Sanctions Against Iran,” Angela Abbamonte, Religion News Service (September 23, 2009)
• “‘Our Time has Come’ Or Has It?,” Ken Blackwell, American Thinker (September 24, 2009)
• “Group aims to reverse S.D. ban on embryonic stem cell research,” Katy Urban, KOTA News (September 23, 2009)
• “High-schoolers get stem cell lesson,” Carolyn Johnson, KGO-San Francisco (September 23, 2009)
• Fox News (September 24, 2009)
• “Both Sides On Defensive In Maine Marriage Debate,” WMTW (September 24, 2009)
• “No excuses,” Alisa Harris, WORLD Magazine (September 26, 2009)

Here’s some articles of interest for your morning:

• “New Method For Safer Bone Marrow Transplants For Sick Children,” Medical News Today
• “Wuerl Ups Opposition To Gay Marriage,” Tim Craig, The Washington Post
• “I Told Me So: Self Deception and the Christian Life,” Matthew Lee Anderson, The Evangelical Outpost
• “Abortion laws ’still won’t protect doctors’,” Brigid Andersen, ABC News (Australia)
• “End-of-life fears,” Emily Bregel, Chattanooga Times Free Press
• “Adult Stem Cells May Help Avoid Hip Replacements,” Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke
• “Normalizing transgenderism in schools,” Pete Chagnon, OneNewsNow
• “The issue of social justice is far bigger than the abortion debate,” Kathryn Jean Lopez, New York Daily News
• “Group Asks Court to Reconsider Removing Girl from Home School,” Joshua Rhett Miller, Fox News
• “Individual Catholic Bishops Speak Out Against Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills,” Christine, A Catholic View
• “How then shall we educate?,” Amy Henry, WORLD Magazine
• “A Stem-Cell Discovery Could Help Diabetics,” Alice Park, Time
• “Idaho school sues state over Bible plan,” Associated Press

• “Dallas leads nation in repeat teen births, study finds,” Robert T. Garrett, Dallas Morning News (September 1, 2009)
• “A push for abstinence over abortion availability,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (September 1, 2009)
• “‘Condom Olympics’ producer says abstinence not ‘right message’ for trafficked or drugged women,” Catholic News Agency (August 30, 2009)
• “Same-sex marriages begin in Vermont,” John Curran, Associated Press (September 1, 2009)
• “Ballot Initiative Requested on Same-Sex Marriage,” Tim Craig, The Washington Post (September 1, 2009)
• “Montana Supreme Court Will Take Up Case Wednesday to Allow Assisted Suicide,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (September 1, 2009)
• “Iowa School District Plans to Revise Religious Liberty Policy,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post (August 28, 2009)

• “Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa,” Michael J. Crumb, Associated Press (August 27, 2009)

“The National Organization for Marriage has launched the Reclaim Iowa Project, targeting legislative races in the state in an effort to elect candidates who support putting the issue of gay marriage before voters.

“Iowa is important because the Supreme Court decision was so against the will of the people of Iowa and the Legislature and Gov. (Chet) Culver showed absolutely no backbone in giving the people the right to have their voices heard,” said Brian Brown, the organization’s executive director.”

• “NJ Catholic bishops campaign against gay marriage,” Associated Press (August 26, 2009)

“Roman Catholic bishops in New Jersey have begun a new campaign opposing same-sex marriage.

The push comes in anticipation of a possible vote on the issue by state lawmakers after the November election.”

• “Kansas abortion fight spills into Nebraska,” Associated Press (August 26, 2009)
• “Debate continues over Utah sex ed changes,” Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune (August 26, 2009)

” Educators, students and parents continued to debate Wednesday whether youth should learn more about contraception in school, at the latest meeting exploring a proposed change to Utah’s sex education law.

Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Salt Lake City, presented a draft of his bill, which would require school districts to offer two tracks of sex education: one that would teach abstinence only and another where teachers would still promote abstinence but also include information on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and contraceptives. Parental permission would be required for students to take the second track.”

• “‘Condom Olympics’ at Miss Universe Pageant Blasted by Women’s Groups,” Adam Brickley, CNSNews.com (August 27, 2009)

“The Miss Universe pageant and an AIDS prevention group are under fire for staging a “Condom Olympics” for contestants just three days prior to last Sunday’s competition in the Bahamas.”

• “Christian Doctors Raise Flags Over New Pro-Suicide Bias in U.S. Law, Policy,” Aaron J. Leichman, The Christian Post (August 27, 2009)

“As physicians, we recognize the value of advance planning and counseling and appointing a personal healthcare proxy,” commented Dr. Gene Rudd, senior vice president of the 16,000-member CMA. “The VA manual goes a step further, however, subtly raising with vulnerable patients the possibility that physical impairments might make their lives, in the words of the manual, ‘not worth living.’

The 52-page manual, entitled, “Your Life, Your Choices: Planning for Future Medical Decisions,” lists scenarios such as being in a wheelchair, needing kidney dialysis, or requiring a feeding tube and then asks the patient to consider whether those situations might make his or her life “not worth living.”

• “Human Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Stopped Due to Animal Problems,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (August 27, 2009)

“When used in animal research, injections of embryonic stem cells formed tumors afterwards and also prompted the immune system of the intended recipients to reject the cells.

The FDA delayed the trials to review studies of the therapy, called GRNOPC1, in its use with animals.

Now, new reports indicate problems associated with the animals in Geron’s studies prompted the FDA to halt the human trials. Specifically, the animals developed cysts at the injury sites after the injections.”

• “New Hampshire Court orders Christian homeschooled girl to attend public school,” Pete Chagnon, OneNewsNow (August 26, 2009)

“A Christian homeschool girl in New Hampshire has been ordered into government-run public school for having “sincerely held” religious beliefs — and the Alliance Defense Fund is troubled by the ruling.”

• The Obama Administration has been fairly silent about the provisions for abortion in the health care bill. The Baptist Press has a great article about the Administration’s silence on the provisions.
• Kansas is back in the news again. This time, The Wichita Eagle reports that the Governor and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has stripped funding from a program that gives state money to groups who provide alternatives to abortion.
• This morning, I came across an interesting article by Eric Gorski of the Associated Press that discussed the conflict of young Evangelical Christians torn between premarital sex and waiting for marriage. Continue reading…
• The controversial health care bill that will be debated in Congress will provide doctors incentive to push euthanasia. Read more about this on LifeNews.com.
• The Christian Post reports that homeschoolers are scoring well above those attending public schools in reading, math, social studies, and language.
• If you haven’t already done so, read Nonie Darwish’s article in FrontPage Magazine about Islam.

Fox News aired a series called “America’s Future,” which is looking at the challenges we face in the 21^st Century. One series featured a man from Oregon, who was denied chemotherapy treatment and was offered physician assisted suicide instead.

“Oregon doesn’t cover life-prolonging treatment unless there is better than a 5 percent chance it will help the patients live for five more years — but it covers doctor-assisted suicide, defining it as a means of providing comfort, no different from hospice care or pain medication.

“It’s chilling when you think about it,” said Dr. William Toffler, a professor of family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. “It absolutely conveys to the patient that continued living isn’t worthwhile.”

According to KATU, another cancer patient from Oregon shares a similar story, as she was being denied coverage for Tarceva, a powerful chemotherapy drug. Oregon’s health care plan offered her physician assisted suicide as well.

Since Oregon’s health care plan was created 15 years ago, this was prior to the advent of new life saving medicines. Instead of prolonging the life of a terminally ill cancer patient, Oregon is now sentencing them to death by denying coverage. If President Obama’s health care plan is passed, this will be the same message that millions across the country could be hearing.

• “Pro-gay marriage group spent big in Vermont,” John Curran, Chicago Tribune (July 27, 2009)

“The leading proponent of Vermont’s gay marriage bill spent about $294,000 on lobbying and advertising in advance of the Legislature’s vote — more than seven times as much as opponents did, according to disclosure forms filed Monday.

Through its task force and an action committee, Vermont Freedom to Marry spent $65,866 of that in the week before the April 7 vote by the Democrat-controlled Vermont house, which passed the bill in a 100-49 vote to override the veto of Republican Gov. Jim Douglas.”

• “Will proposal promote euthanasia?,” Carrie Budoff Brown, The Politico (July 28, 2009)
• “Backers of Gay Marriage Rethink California Push,” Jesse McKinley, The New York Times (July 27, 2009)

“Discouraged by stubborn poll numbers and pessimistic political consultants, major financial backers of same-sex marriage are cautioning gay rights groups to delay a campaign to overturn California’s ban on such unions until at least 2012.”

• “Clash of worldviews – coming to a wedding near you,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 29, 2009)

“That’s why this, I believe, is going to be the biggest threat to our religious liberty in our near future,” the Christian attorney remarks. “We are facing a clash of worldviews; a collision between the same-sex agenda and a moral and religious worldview. Those two are incompatible in these kinds of conflicts. If we go down this road of same-sex unions, [it] will continue to escalate.”

• “Obama’s Science Czar: Babies Aren’t Human Until They’ve Been Socialized,” Van Helsing, Right Wing News (July 29, 2009)

“A large part of the horror of abortion lies in the monstrous presumption of liberals declaring that human life begins not at conception, but whenever they say it does. Maybe that’s six weeks, maybe six months. Maybe it’s years. Obama’s Science Czar John Holdren (the guy who wanted to put a sterilizing agent in our drinking water) gives us an idea of how slippery this slope can get. From his book Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions, via Patterico’s Pontifications:

The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being.”

• “States with more Catholics more favor gay rights,” Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today (July 29, 2009)

“The bishops have campaigned long, loudly and clearly against same-sex marriage but the Catholic Church also offers a pervasive message of social justice, an umbrella many liberal Catholics stand under when they argue for marriage equality or life issues such as abortion, contraception and end-of-life decisions.”

• “Episcopal Bishops Give Ground on Gay Marriage,” Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times (July 16, 2009)

“The bishops of the Episcopal Church agreed Wednesday to a compromise measure that stops short of developing an official rite for same-sex unions, but gives latitude to bishops who wish to go ahead and bless such unions, particularly in states that have legalized such marriages.”

• “Abortion protester denies stepping over the line,” Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times (July 16, 2009)
• “Quebec docs endorse controlled euthanasia,” United Press International (July 16, 2009)

“The Quebec College of Physicians is proposing Canada’s Criminal Code be revised to permit medical euthanasia in strictly controlled circumstances.

• “Religious expression limits challenged in Santa Rosa County schools,” Florida Baptist Witness (July 15, 2009)

“The Christian Educators Association International (CEAI), represented by Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, has filed a motion to intervene in a religious liberty case brought by the ACLU against the Santa Rosa County School District. The case stems from allegations made by two Pace High School students that the district and specific school employees were promoting prayer and religion in school.”

• “The Dirty Secret of Embryonic Stem Cell Research,” Michael Fumento, Forbes (July 15, 2009)

“”The routine utilization of human embryonic stem cells for medicine is 20 to 30 years hence,” embryonic stem cell research advocate William Haseltine and then-chief executive officer of Human Genome Sciences ( HGSI – news – people ) told Agence France Presse in 2001. “The timeline to commercialization is so long that I simply would not invest,” he added.”

• “New stem cell rules slowing current research,” David A. Wise, WisBusiness.com (July 14, 2009)

“The Obama administration’s lifting of Bush-era restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research will result in a “massive step forward” in the long term, a Milwaukee-based researcher said today. But the rollout of the new guidelines has harmed research in the short term, he said.”

• “NIH received varied responses, some poignant, on stem-cell draft,” Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Catholic News Service (July 10, 2009)

“Although many of the more than 49,000 comments received by the National Institutes of Health on their draft guidelines for embryonic stem-cell research are repetitive, some offer a poignant glimpse into the lives of Americans who don’t want to see embryos destroyed in an effort to cure diseases.

• “Clarence Thomas: The courage of his convictions,” Michael Barone, The Washington Examiner (July 12, 2009)
• “Spain liberalizing, but teen abortion hits a nerve,” Daniel Woolls, Associated Press (July 12, 2009)

“Spain’s Socialist prime minister has irked his natural enemies on the right and in the Catholic church by legalizing gay marriage and instituting fast-track divorce. Now he has hit a raw nerve even among his supporters with a proposal to let 16-year-olds get abortions without parental consent.

The debate is harsh and emotional, showing that for all the changes Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has introduced with his trailblazing social agenda since taking power in 2004, abortion remains sensitive in a country where most people call themselves Catholic, even if few churches are full on Sundays.

• “One child rule,” Alisa Harris, WORLD Magazine (July 13, 2009)

“The Chinese government’s population policy requires delayed marriages and delayed births, meaning citizens have to wait for government permission to reproduce. It also advocates “fewer births”—one child in most cases, but two if the first is a girl. The final plank—”healthier” births—covers a policy that Mosher said leads to sterilization and killing visibly disabled babies at birth.

• “House Strips Funding for Abstinence Education,” Christian News Wire (July 12, 2009)

“Federal funding for abstinence until marriage education was stripped from the budget today in the House subcommittee, led by Rep. David Obey (D-WI). The budget now goes to the full committee and to the full House of Representatives.”

• “Korean bishops reject measure that would allow euthanasia,” Catholic News Agency (July 13, 2009)

“The Bishops of South Korea have rejected a measure that would legalize euthanasia in the country. Supporters of the measure are euphemistically labeling the proposal “death with dignity.”

• “Religion and spirituality: Can faith help you heal?,” Eve Glicksman, KTNV (July 13, 2009)

“Research suggests there is a link between religion and better mental health and well-being. Some spiritual practices may reduce stress. This may also ease symptoms and help offset the harmful effects of stress on the immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. Some studies have shown that people of faith recover faster from depression, grief and anxiety disorders.”

• “Oak Park man has own stem cells implanted in heart,” Kim Lamb Gregory, Ventura County Star (July 13, 2009)

• “Family Says Doctors Tried to ‘Euthanize’ Stroke Victim,” Fox News (June 23, 2009)
• “Sex education goes full circle,” Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times (June 23, 2009)
• “La. Senate OKs bill to allow health care refusal,” Associated Press (June 23, 2009)
• “SKorea hospital enforces ‘right to die’ ruling,” Agence France Presse (June 23, 2009)
• “Atheist group blasts ‘prayer station’ in city building,” Doug Stanglin, USA Today (June 22, 2009)
• “Worship legal if library OKs religious meeting,” Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle (June 22, 2009)
• “Can Science and Religion Co-Exist in Harmony?,” Pew Research Center (June 22, 2009)
• “Destroying life for science,” Margaret Somerville, The Ottawa Citizen (June 22, 2009)