Here’s something for your news cravings today.

• “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)

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Here’s some news buzz to keep you informed on all of the happenings both here in D.C. and around the country.

• “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.”

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Here’s some news articles of interest for you to ponder this morning.

• “Clinical Trials Are Testing Stem Cells as Heart Failure Treatment,” Sarah Baldauf, U.S. News & World Report (August 18, 2009)

“Researchers’ significant interest in using stem cells to treat heart failure arises, in part, because the disease is so prevalent. The American Heart Association estimates 5.7 million Americans live with the disease and 670,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. “When you put [stem cells] into a heart, some can differentiate to become blood vessel and others to become heart muscle cells,” explains James Willerson, president of the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and a principal investigator of a separate, National Institutes of Health-sponsored stem cell trial for heart failure. It is important, he says, that stem cells also “have substances that recruit other cells and promote life.” This combination holds incredibly powerful potential for not only rejuvenating but rebuilding organs and tissue and turning back the clock for ailing patients. Willerson is optimistic about the therapeutic future of stem cells, which can be extracted from fat cells, hair cells, and other diverse cell types. “I believe we will be able to regenerate the whole heart of a human being with stem cells,” he says.”

• “Medical Groups Promoted HPV Vaccine Using Drug Company Money,” Rob Stein, The Washington Post (August 18, 2009)
• “DART Driver Refused Bus With Atheist Sign,” KCCI-8 Des Moines (August 18, 2009)

“Des Moines Area Regional Transit confirms a driver refused to drive a bus with an atheist advertisement Monday.”

• “Poll: Majority of Americans Understand Health Care Bills Mean Abortion Funding,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (August 19, 2009)

“The pro-life movement has been working overtime to educate Americans about the fact that the health care bills in Congress would result in massive abortion funding. Despite a slew of mainstream media stories to the contrary, the public appears to have received the message.

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released yesterday shows a majority of Americans agreed that the health care bills “will likely use taxpayer dollars to pay for women to have abortions.”

The poll found 50 percent agreed that is true while 37 percent of Americans don’t believe that is likely.”

• “Law Requiring Ultrasounds for Abortions Is Struck Down,” Kari Lydersen, The Washington Post (August 18, 2009)

“An Oklahoma judge decided Tuesday that doctors do not need to perform ultrasounds and offer women detailed information about the tests before performing abortions, striking down the strictest such law in the country.”

• “Study Using Embryonic Stem Cells Is Delayed,” Bloomberg News (August 19, 2009)

“The Geron Corporation said on Tuesday that regulators had held up its study of a therapy for injured spinal cords before even one patient could be enrolled, delaying the first human trial using embryonic stem cells.”

• “Christian Law Firm Fights ‘Ridiculous’ Criminal Charges Against School Officials,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post (August 18, 2009)

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Here’s some news articles of particular interest.

• According to the New York Times, former President Bill Clinton defends end-of-life counseling that is included in the health care reform plan.
• Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com has a great article about a CDC study that shows teen abortion rates are lower in states that accept abstinence funding.
• Cleveland is becoming a leader in adult stem cell research. Continue reading the article from The Plain Dealer.
• David French of Phi Beta Cons reported Tuesday that the EEOC went after Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina for refusing to cover oral contraceptives in its employer provided health insurance.
• Prisoners in the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia will now be allowed to receive religious mail, after the ACLU sent a letter to officials demanding that these letters containing biblical passages be distributed, as The Christian Post reports.

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After a long hiatus, the Daily Buzz is back. Here are some news articles that I found particularly interesting today.

• 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.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “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.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Councilmen waver on new state gay marriage bill,” Jenna Chandler, The Porterville Recorder (July 22, 2009)
• “Abortion Opponents Criticize Health Reform Bills,” Dan Eggen and Rob Stein, The Washington Post (July 22, 2009)

“President Obama, who has vowed to find common ground on culture-war issues, finds himself in the middle of a classic Washington dispute over abortion that is further undermining support among conservative Democrats for his ambitious health-care reform efforts.”

• “Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Is Not Health-Care Reform,” John Boehner, National Review (July 23, 2009)

“The Obama administration contends the urgent deadline is necessitated by the suffering of American families who have waited too long for Congress to act to address the high cost of health care. But according to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill the president supports won’t lower health-care costs; it will increase them. And as the veteran political operatives in the Obama White House well know, the frantic timetable conveniently leaves precious little time for the American people to know what’s actually in the bill.”

• “Obama Staffer Speaks at Planned Parenthood Event, Urges Pro-Abortion Lobbying,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (July 23, 2009)

“A top official with the administration of pro-abortion President Barack Obama spoke to gathering of Planned Parenthood activists last week. There, she promised leaders of the abortion business that Obama is a pro-abortion president and urged them to continue their pro-abortion lobbying efforts.”

• “Taliban cracking down on Christians,” Allie Martin, OneNewsNow (July 23, 2009)

“According to Open Doors USA, raids against Christians, carried out by the Taliban, have increased throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA, says the Taliban does not tolerate anyone who thinks or believes differently than they do. Christians are being evicted from their homes, he says, and some are being forced to convert to Islam or pay special taxes in exchange for protection.”

• “Non-embryonic stem cells pass major hurdle in mice,” Seth Borenstein, Associated Press (July 23, 2009)

“Two teams of Chinese scientists have made a major advance in mice in the development of a new kind of stem cell that doesn’t involve destroying embryos.

Those cells are derived from ordinary skin cells, and when they were created two years ago from human skin and genetically reprogrammed, it was hailed as a breakthrough. But questions remained whether they could act as chameleon-like as embryonic stem cells and morph into any cell type in the body.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Students Embed Stem Cells in Sutures to Enhance Healing,” PhysOrg.com (July 20, 2009)

“Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering students have demonstrated a practical way to embed a patient’s own adult stem cells in the surgical thread that doctors use to repair serious orthopedic injuries such as ruptured tendons. The goal, the students said, is to enhance healing and reduce the likelihood of re-injury without changing the surgical procedure itself.”

• “Mayo Clinic calls House plan bad medicine,” Christina Bellantoni and Jennifer Haberkorn, The Washington Times (July 21, 2009)

“A world-renowned clinic that President Obama held up as an example of good medicine said Monday that the American people would be “losers” under the House’s health care proposal, joining the growing chorus of critics the Obama administration is trying to fend off as the debate intensifies from Capitol Hill to Main Street.”

• “Neural stem cells offer potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease,” PhysOrg.com (July 20, 2009)

“If you look at Alzheimer’s, it’s not the plaques and tangles that correlate best with dementia; it’s the loss of synapses – connections between neurons,” Blurton-Jones said. “The neural stem cells were helping the brain form new synapses and nursing the injured neurons back to health.”

• “Health Bill Might Direct Tax Money to Abortion,” Robert Pear and Adam Liptak, The New York Times (July 19, 2009)

“Peter R. Orszag, the White House budget director, asked whether he was prepared to say that “no taxpayer money will go to pay for abortions,” answered: “I am not prepared to say explicitly that right now. It’s obviously a controversial issue, and it’s one of the questions that is playing out in this debate.”

• “Mail policy questioned at jail,” Tracy Bell, Stafford County Sun (July 21, 2009)

“The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia in conjunction with several other ally groups, late last week demanded that officials at the Rappahannock Regional Jail immediately cease censoring religious material sent to prisoners.”

• “Young Americans plan to be married,” Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times (July 19, 2009)

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “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.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Coalition of LGBT groups: Next year too soon for gay marriage vote in CA,” Joe Garofali, San Francisco Chronicle (July 14, 2009)

“Several California ACLU chapters backed up the Prevailing wisdom by saying: “If we were to enter a campaign in either 2010 or 2012 with the people of California where they are now on marriage for same-sex couples, we’d have a tougher time winning than we did in 2008.”

• “Leaders’ views on gay marriage proposal at odds,” Michelle Saxton, Charleston Daily Mail (July 15, 2009)

“Lawmakers, legal experts and advocates from both sides met Tuesday to discuss a proposal that would allow West Virginians to vote for a statewide constitutional amendment banning the recognition of same-sex marriages.”

• “Support for gay marriage lukewarm,” Deborah McDermott, Seacoast Online (July 15, 2009)

“About 70,000 Mainers are expected to sign a petition calling for a statewide vote to repeal the state’s gay marriage law, and the fight to protect it isn’t exactly raging in the southern and more liberal tip of the state.”

• “Illinois: Court Upholds Abortion Notification Law,” Associated Press (July 15, 2009)

“A federal appeals court breathed new life into an Illinois law that requires teenage girls to notify their parents before having abortions. Lawyers said the law could take effect within weeks.

• “Obama Health Care Plan Will Provide Taxpayer-Funded Abortion on Demand, Congressmen Say,” Penny Starr, CNSNews.com (July 15, 2009)
• “Wisconsin: Group Seeks to Bar Religious Inscriptions,” Associated Press (July 15, 2009)
• “Experts dispute doctor’s stem cell breakthrough claim,” David Fitzpatrick and Drew Griffin, CNN (July 14, 2009)

” Grekos said he and his associates draw blood from a patient in Florida and then send it to a laboratory in Israel that produces what his company calls “regenocytes.” The company defines regenocyte as “a stem cell that has been activated to become a target organ.”

“These procedures work,” he told CNN, standing inside a hospital room at the Clinica Union Medica del Norte in Santiago. “And it’s substantiated by objective data that we are collecting.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Go! New York: Adult Stem Cells Help Ease Arthritis,” Dr. Max Gomez, WCBS (July 14, 2009)

“As the arthritis epidemic grips hold onto the baby boomer generation, new stem cell research is becoming the cutting edge way to treat osteo-arthritis of the knee, hip, ankle, and even back pain.

But this research doesn’t include the same embryonic stem cells that couldn’t be used for research during the Bush administration. Instead, the developments use adult stem cells to help treat baby boomers like Robert Wilson.”

• “WVa lawmakers to get both sides on gay marriage,” Associated Press (July 14, 2009)

“Evangelical Christian groups hope to convince West Virginia lawmakers to put a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage on the state ballot.

The state Family Policy Council and the national Alliance Defense Fund both plan to weigh in Tuesday at a meeting of a joint legislative committee studying the issue.”

• “Will Episcopal Church move draw in — or drive out– believers?,” Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today (July 14, 2009)

“The Episcopal Church is opening the role of bishops to gays and lesbians — and maybe widening the gap between the U.S. church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.”

• “FEATURE-Generational shift for U.S. Hispanics on abortion,” Reuters (July 13, 2009)

“A 2007 joint survey by the respected Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Hispanic Center shows that 65 percent of first-generation U.S. Hispanics believe abortion should be illegal. But among second-generation U.S. Hispanics like Ana, that percentage drops to 43 percent.”

• “Arizona governor approves abortion constraints,” Paul Davenport, Associated Press (July 13, 2009)

“Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday set a new course from her Democratic predecessor on the issue of abortion, signing a measure imposing new mandates and restrictions.

One of the bill’s provisions is a requirement that those who visit an abortion provider wait 24 hours before getting an abortion. The visit would have to include disclosures by doctors in person about the procedure, risks and alternatives, and the fetus’ probable characteristics.”

• “Christians Remain Tense Amid Honduras Coup Crisis,” Michelle A. Vu, The Christian Post (July 13, 2009)
• “Pushing for ‘personhood’ in the South,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 14, 2009)

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “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)

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Federal Law excluding Gay Marriage is under siege,” Michael B. Farrell, Christian Science Monitor (July 9, 2009)

Five years after it became the first state to marry same-sex couples, Massachusetts is taking on the federal government’s definition of marriage.

While other lawsuits have challenged the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was passed in 1996 and defined marriage as between a man and woman, Massachusetts is the first to argue that Congress overstepped its bounds and violated a state’s right to determine what constitutes marriage.

• “Survey: Science Just One Ingredient of Opinion Cocktail,” Emily Badger, Miller-McCune (July 9, 2009)

“Although people like science, they are not bound by what science shows,” said Alan I. Leshner, the AAAS’s CEO and executive publisher of the journal Science. “Advances in science over the course of last decade are coming into conflict with some core human values issues, whether it’s when life begins or what you believe about evolution. Only scientists are stuck with what science is showing. The public at large and policy-makers are free to deny, disagree or just disregard what the science is showing. Scientists don’t have that luxury.”

• “Group asks Tracy to drop religion from invocations,” Mike Martinez, San Joaquin Herald (July 9, 2009)

“In a six-page letter to the city, the attorney for the Madison, Wisc.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote demanding an end to the practice.

“The City Council of Tracy cannot, under current federal and state law, permit any prayers that contain references to an explicit deity,” wrote attorney Rebecca Kratz.  “The prayers currently given during council meetings impermissibly advance Christianity and lead a reasonable observer to believe that the council is endorsing not only religion over non religion, but also Christianity over other faiths.”

• “Marriage showdown imminent in Maine,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 10, 2009)

Although the legislature passed it and Governor John Baldacci approved the same-sex marriage bill in May, the law is on hold. Maine considers the people to be a branch of the government, and they can exercise a People’s Veto. Mary Conroy of Stand for Marriage tells OneNewsNow that means gathering enough signatures to put the issue before voters.

• “White House Says Obama, Pope Benedict XVI Will Have “Frank” Talk on Abortion,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (July 8, 2009)

The relationship between Obama and Catholics has been tenuous. The pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church and Obama’s pro-abortion views have been at odds since the beginning of his presidency.

Before Obama took over the White House, the nation’s Catholic bishops warned him not to aggressively promote abortion and not to include abortion in his health care restructuring proposal.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Mass. challenges federal Defense of Marriage Act,” Martin Finucane, The Boston Globe (July 8, 2009)

“Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, has become the first to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, saying Congress intruded into a matter that should be left to individual states.

• “Scientists claim sperm ‘first’,” Fergus Walsh, BBC News (July 7, 2009)

“This research also raises ethical issues. Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Corethics) said: “This is an example of immoral madness. Perfectly viable human embryos have been destroyed in order to create sperm over which there will be huge questions of their healthiness and viability.

“It’s taking one life in order to perhaps create another. I’m very much in favour of curing infertility but I don’t think you can do whatever you like.”

• “Could Abortion Coverage Sink Health-Care Reform?,” Karen Tumulty, Time (July 8, 2009)
• “Gay marriage foes reach signature goal in Maine,” Associated Press (July 8, 2009)

“Mark Mutty from the Stand for Marriage Maine coalition says it took only four weeks to gather the more than 55,087 signatures necessary to put gay marriage to a vote. But he says signature gathering will continue to ensure there’s more than enough petitions.”

• “School district shapes religious policy,” Associated Press (July 8, 2009)

“Spencer public school officials are proposing a policy that will allow students to study the Bible and pray during graduation ceremonies.

The proposal, if adopted, will have schools offer elective classes that permit arguments against evolution and discussions on the Bible in history and literature. School officials say they want to set clear rules for religious expression.”

• “Cerebral Palsy Improves After Bone Marrow Stem Cell Procedure,” PR Newswire (July 8, 2009)

“Dr. David Steenblock of Mission Viejo, California, a pioneer in clinical applications of stem cells, is pleased to report the results of a 16 year old girl who suffered from cerebral palsy. The patient had right side paralysis and spasticity since birth. The procedure consisted of removing 300 milliliters of bone marrow from her hip and giving it back to her intravenously.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Final rules out for government stem cell research,” Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press (July 6, 2009)

“The Bush administration had limited taxpayer-funded research to a small number of stem cell batches, or lines, already in existence as of August 2001. This spring, Obama lifted that restriction, potentially widening the field — there now may be as many as 700 stem cell lines around the world — but letting NIH set its boundaries.

• “WVa lawmakers to study gay marriage ban,” Associated Press (July 7, 2009)
• “O’Malley open to recognizing gay marriage in Md.,” Mark Segraves, WTOP (July 6, 2009)
• “Religious liberty demands constant vigilance, congressman reminds Baptists,” Ken Camp, The Baptist Standard (July 6, 2009)

“The “patient and persistent revolutionaries” who would “chisel away at the wall of church-state separation” present a continuing threat in part because many Americans don’t understand what separation of church and state means, and politicians find it too easy to try to use legal power to influence or regulate religion, he said.

• “Outreach campaign: Porn = ‘virtual adultery’,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 7, 2009)

“The American Family Association of Indiana has begun a billboard campaign in four cities to draw attention to the negatives of pornography. Micah Clark, the group’s executive director, describes the billboard.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Same-sex unions a challenge for Census,” Haya El Nasser, USA Today (July 5, 2009)

If the Census uses current methods, it would “unmarry people who checked off ‘married couples,’ ” — even in states where same-sex marriage is legal…

• “Minister sues city over right to protest abortion,” Lee Tant, The Times and Democrat (July 5, 2009)
• “Asking God for peace, and help in job search,” Associated Press (July 5, 2009)

“Castro’s group is one of several church-related unemployment support groups that have formed around the country as the jobless rate reaches heights not seen for decades. On Thursday, the government reported a 9.5 percent unemployment rate for June, the worst in 26 years.

Job seekers can’t use God as a reference, and studying Scripture might seem unrelated to grabbing a prospective employer’s attention. But church support group members say the meetings aren’t just about helping people find the next job; they’re also about refining and strengthening their faith along the way.”

• “Embryonic Stem Cells—and Other Stem Cells—Promise to Advance Treatments,” Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report (July 2, 2009)

“The earliest therapeutic breakthroughs are likely to arise from adult stem cells, which exist in everybody in many subtypes—blood-producing stem cells in the bone marrow, for example, and stem cells in the brain that can become neurons and other brain cells. “In the short term—say, the next five years—most of the therapeutic applications from stem cells will be from adult stem cells,” says Steven Stice, director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia. Their most likely uses: disorders of the blood and blood vessels, bone, and immune systems, he says.

• “No glib utterances,” Andree Seu, WORLD Magazine (July 18, 2009)

“God’s commands turn out to be doorways to intimacy with Him. And the best kept secret about obedience in the face of a hard temptation is that there is a blessing waiting on the other side. Satan doesn’t want us to know that. He would prefer the usual succumb-and-repent routine.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Judge favors trial soon on Calif. gay marriage ban,” Lisa Leff, Associated Press (July 1, 2009)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown, defendants in the lawsuit, had argued against lifting the ban. They said allowing same-sex marriages to resume would create confusion for couples and for the state.

• “D.C. Judge Rejects Efforts to Block Gay Marriage Bill,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post (July 1, 2009)
• “Coalition submits proposals to ban abortion,” Charles S. Johnson, The Missoulian (July 2, 2009)

“The language of the personhood amendment proclaims what most people already know, which is that human life begins at conception and that all human beings are persons,” Dr. Annie Bukacek, a Kalispell internist, told a rally of about 50 people on the Capitol steps.

• “Parents denied abortion clinic records,” United Press International (July 1, 2009)
• “ACLU targets Gideons in Texas school case,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 2, 2009)
• “N.Y. to Pay for Eggs for Stem Cell Research,” Rob Stein, The Washington Post (June 26, 2009)

New York has become the first state to allow taxpayer-funded researchers to pay women for giving their eggs for embryonic stem cell research, a move welcomed by many scientists but condemned by critics who fear it will lead to the exploitation of vulnerable women.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Abortions down slightly in Minnesota,” Bob Von Sternberg, The Star Tribune (July 1, 2009)

According to the annual report by the Minnesota Department of Health, 12,948 abortions were performed last year, 895 fewer than in 2007.

• “Report: Abortions drop for fifth straight year in Wisconsin,” Associated Press (June 30, 2009)

A state report released Tuesday found 8,229 abortions were performed in the state last year, down from 8,267 in 2007. The number of abortions in the state has fallen for five straight years now.

• “Liberty’s champion,” Marvin Olasky, WORLD Magazine (July 4, 2009)

Calvin was a fallen sinner, as all of us are, but was he especially mean-spirited? He taught that God created the world out of love and loved the world so much that Christ came down from the glorious kingdom of heaven and plunged into this world’s muck.

• “Conservative Christian groups form new federation,” Jody Brown, OneNewsNow (July 1, 2009)
• “Ouch! Planned Parenthood stung again…,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 1, 2009)

“We want the attorney general of the state of Alabama to take this seriously and do his own investigation to find out what further is happening and convict Planned Parenthood where appropriate,” she says. “And we also hope the legislators pay attention so that if there is any state or local funding going to Planned Parenthood, that they can immediately cut the funding.”

• “Fixing The Heart With Stem Cells,” Bill Whitaker, CBS News (June 29, 2009)

This week doctors in Los Angeles have given a heart attack patient an infusion of stem cells grown from his own heart muscle.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Gay Marriage Lost in Shuffle of Divided Senate,” Jeremy W. Peters, The New York Times (June 29, 2009)
• “Gay marriage stalls as RI lawmakers wrap up,” Associated Press (June 28, 2009)
• “Claims heard over abortion guide,” BBC News (June 29, 2009)
• “Schuller’s daughter seeks to heal a house of God,” Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press (June 29, 2009)
• “Senior legal figures join in opposition to ‘euthanasia law’ proposals,” Martin Beckford, London Daily Telegraph (June 29, 2009)
• “World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty Is Vital to American National Security,” William McKenzie, The Christian Century (June 30, 2009)
• “ACLU defends Muslim prison prayer,” Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper, OneNewsNow (June 29, 2009)
• “Researchers Discover New Source of Stem Cells,” Jessica Berman, VOA News (June 25, 2009)

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “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)

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