SUPREME COURT-BIRTH CONTROL
Health law birth control coverage before justices
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court hears arguments today on whether Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties must provide insurance coverage for contraceptives that the owners say violates their religious beliefs.
Lower courts have split on whether the Christian-owned companies should be exempt from the health care law’s birth control mandate. The Obama administration says individual business owners have religious rights, but their companies do not.
Lawyers for the family-owned companies respond that Americans don’t lose their religious rights when they go into business.
The Obama administration says it has a compelling interest in guaranteeing women’s access to all approved contraceptives. But the companies’ lawyers say that could be done without forcing employers to violate their faith or pay huge fines.
Sound: (3:06 a.m. audio feed)
353-v-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–The Supreme Court hears arguments today on whether Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties must provide insurance coverage for contraceptives that violate the religious beliefs of the companies’ owners. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (24 Mar 2014)
< 354-c-23-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)-“and not corporations”-AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports that Hobby Lobby and Consestoga Wood Specialities say the health care law’s birth control mandate violates their religious rights under the First Amendment and a 1993 federal law. (24 Mar 2014) < SUPREME COURT-BIRTH CONTROL Hobby Lobby customers hope chain wins Supreme Court case ROSWELL, Ga. (AP) — Some Hobby Lobby customers are denouncing the Obama administration’s effort to force the arts and crafts chain to provide insurance for contraceptives that Hobby Lobby’s owners say violate their religious beliefs. Outside a store in Roswell, Ga., Brandie Bennett said, “I support Hobby Lobby 100 percent because they’re a Christian organization and the government should not be able to tell them what to do.” Hobby Lobby shopper Patricia Scanlon agreed, saying decisions about coverage should be made by “the people that are going to provide the insurance.” The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the case today. Lawyers for Hobby Lobby and Mennonite-owned Conestoga Wood Specialties want the justices to rule that the owners’ religious rights take precedence over enforcement of the health care law’s birth control mandate. The Obama administration says individuals have religious rights, but the family-owned corporations do not. Sound: (3:06 a.m. audio feed) 273-a-08-(Brandie Bennett, Hobby Lobby shopper, in AP interview)-“what to do”-Hobby Lobby shopper Brandie Bennett says she hopes the arts and crafts chain wins its case before the Supreme Court. (24 Mar 2014) < 274-a-13-(Patricia Scanlon, Hobby Lobby shopper, in AP interview)-“spend your money”-Hobby Lobby shopper Patricia Scanlon says companies should be able to make their own decisions about insurance coverage. (24 Mar 2014) < WORLD VISION-GAY MARRIAGE Evangelical charity to hire married gay Christians NEW YORK (AP) — One of the most prominent evangelical charities in the country will start hiring Christians in same-sex marriages. The president of World Vision announced the new policy for the U.S. in a letter to staff Monday. President Richard Stearns says the board of the Christian group prayed about the issue for years as Christian denominations took different stands on recognizing same-sex relationships. They made the change hoping to avoid a divisive fight that would distract from service to the poor. World Vision has an operating budget of nearly $1 billion and has humanitarian relief and economic development projects around the world. Almost one-fifth of its funding comes from the federal government. Stearns stresses that World Vision has not endorsed same-sex marriage, but has “chosen to defer to the authority of local churches” on the issue. He says all employees must still sign a statement of faith and remain abstinent outside of marriage. Sound: (3:06 a.m. audio feed) 302-v-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–World Vision, one of the nation’s most prominent evangelical charities, will start hiring Christians in same-sex marriages. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (24 Mar 2014) < CARTER-RELIGIOUS SEXISM Former president: male-dominated religions oppress women ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter says male-dominated religions contribute to the oppression and abuse of women by twisting sacred texts to portray females as inferior to men “in the eyes of God.” The 89-year-old Carter makes that argument in his new book, “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power.” In an interview broadcast on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the former president faulted his former denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Roman Catholic church for denying women the same opportunities as men to serve as pastors and priests. Carter said some married men who belong to those churches conclude that their wives are inferior and treat them accordingly. The Catholic Catechism and the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message declare that men and women have different roles but are equal in the eyes of God. Sound: (3:06 a.m. audio feed) 352-w-58-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with former President Jimmy Carter)–A Closer Look: Former President Jimmy Carter links male-dominated religions to the abuse of women. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (24 Mar 2014) < 355-a-10-(Former President Jimmy Carter, in interview)-“the holy scriptures”-Former President Jimmy Carter says some male-dominated religions contribute to the abuse of women. COURTESY: NBC’s “Meet the Press” ((mandatory on-air credit)) (24 Mar 2014) < 356-a-11-(Former President Jimmy Carter, in interview)-“inferior to me”-Former President Jimmy Carter says male-dominated religions may lead husbands to oppress and abuse their wives. COURTESY: NBC’s “Meet the Press” ((mandatory on-air credit)) (24 Mar 2014) < CREATIONISM REPEAL Senators refuse to repeal La. creationism law BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Teaching creationism in Louisiana science classes is unconstitutional, but senators refuse to repeal a law that mandates it. The Senate voted 32-5 Monday against a bill by Republican Sen. Dan Claitor that would remove a law requiring public schools to give balanced treatment in science classes and textbooks to evolution and creationism. The law also prohibits teaching evolution as proven scientific fact. The law, passed in 1981, was found unconstitutional in 1987 by the Louisiana Supreme Court, so it can’t be enforced. But lawmakers have refused to strip it from the books. No one spoke against Claitor’s bill before it was rejected. The senator can try to revive the measure, but with so few votes, it would be unlikely to pass. RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINT Senate OKs religious expression measure NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A proposal that would give students in Tennessee free religious expression is headed to the governor for his consideration. The state Senate approved the measure 32-0 on Monday. It overwhelmingly passed the House 90-2 earlier this month. Under the proposal, a student could express beliefs about religion in homework, artwork and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content. Sponsors say the legislation was proposed after a 10-year-old student was given an assignment to write about the person she most admires and she chose God. The teacher asked her to choose another subject. The legislation would also allow a student to organize student prayer groups and other religious gatherings to the same degree that students are permitted to organize non-curricular activities and groups. MARRIED PRIEST-DAVENPORT Married Davenport man will become Catholic priest DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man will remain married when he’s ordained this summer as a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. Chris Young, who has been married 29 years, will join the Catholic clergy thanks to a 1980 dispensation from Pope John Paul II, according to the Quad-City Times. The pastoral provision, applies to former clergy of the Episcopal Church. The 53-year-old Young will be one of about 100 men in the U.S. who became Catholic priests through such a process. Young was a lifelong Episcopalian until eight years ago and had served as priest at Christ Episcopal Church in Moline, Ill., but says he was drawn to “unequivocally belong to the church that our Lord himself had founded.” Young said he’ll practice celibacy upon becoming a Catholic priest. His wife, Jody Young, said it’s an unusual change but one she accepts. MASS MOB ‘Mass Mob’ brings extra visitors to Ohio church CLEVELAND (AP) — Building on the idea of flash mobs, people are using social media to organize “Mass Mobs” to get people to visit historic inner-city Roman Catholic churches in Cleveland. The first one brought nearly 500 more visitors than usual to Cleveland’s St. Casimir Church on Sunday, and another is planned for a different church next month. Cleveland Mass Mob organizer, Stanislav Zadnik, told WEWS-TV that it’s “a broad invite to ask people to experience or re-experience Mass.” The “Mass Mob” idea originated in Buffalo, N.Y., and has spread to other cities across the country. St. Casimir was one of the Cleveland Catholic churches that reopened in 2012. Many parishioners who grew up going to St. Casimir returned Sunday after many years. PASTORAL RESTRICTIONS-PRISON Appeals court to hear case over prison visits EDDYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal appeals court is set to hear a case brought by Kentucky death row inmates challenging the rules governing how and when pastors may visit them at the Kentucky State Penitentiary. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has scheduled oral arguments in the case for May 9 in Cincinnati. Five death row inmates sued the Department of Corrections in 2011 accusing the Corrections Department and prison of violating their First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion. The prison system changed its policy in 2010 requiring inmates to place pastors on one of three slots on an inmate’s visitation list to meet with them one-on-one. U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell dismissed the inmate’s lawsuit a year ago. VATICAN-AUSTRALIA Vatican No. 3 finds blame within in abuse scandal VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s new No. 3 has accused Holy See officials of downplaying the clerical sex abuse scandal in the 1990s, saying they were generally skeptical of victims and often considered them “enemies of the church.” Cardinal George Pell made the comments Monday while testifying before Australia’s federal inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse in state and religious institutions. Next week he takes up his new job as prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat of the Economy, Pope Francis’ new finance ministry. Pell said the Australian church by 1995 was far ahead of the Vatican in dealing with abuse: “The attitude of some people in the Vatican was that if accusations were being made against priests, they were made exclusively or at least predominantly by enemies of the church to make trouble.”
