January 23, 2008

ABORTION
Abortion Protesters March on DC
Sarah Karush/Associated Press (01/23/2008: time.com)
(WASHINGTON) — Thousands of abortion opponents marched from the National Mall to the Supreme Court on Tuesday in their annual remembrance of the court's Roe v. Wade decision. A smaller crowd of several dozen abortion-rights supporters held their own rally later, marking the 35th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that established the nationwide right to abortion.

A Youthful Throng Marches Against Abortion
Sue Anne Pressley Montes/Washington Post (01/23/2008)
Tens of thousands of abortion opponents took to the cold, gray streets of Washington yesterday, buoyed by a recent report that the number of abortions in the United States had hit the lowest level in years and vowing to continue the fight.

How candidates stand on abortion rights
Bob Egelko/San Francisco Chronicle (01/23/2008)
On the 35th anniversary Tuesday of the Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion, Republican presidential candidates agreed that Roe vs. Wade must be overturned - all except Rudy Giuliani, a longtime defender of abortion rights. At least that's the way the former New York mayor is usually described. But when the subject was raised in a May 2007 debate, Giuliani said he believed in a woman's right to choose abortion - but that it would be 'OK to repeal' Roe vs. Wade, the judicial guarantee of that right.

COURTS
Missouri inmates can obtain elective abortions, appeals court rules
Mark Morris/Kansas City Star (01/23/2008)
Missouri inmates have the right to obtain elective abortions, a federal appeals court said Tuesday. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came on the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It throws out a policy by Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration and the Missouri Department of Corrections that restricted an inmate’s access to abortion.

Supreme Court Rules Against Muslim Inmate
Daniel Burke/Religion News Service (01/23/2008: pewforum.org)
An inmate claiming widespread harassment of Muslims in U.S. prisons cannot sue prison guards who he says took his Qurans and prayer rug, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday (Jan. 22). Abdus-Shahid M.S. Ali, a convicted murderer serving a sentence of 20 years to life, said the alleged confiscation of his religious items is part of a campaign waged against Muslim inmates since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

FAITH LEADERS
Episcopal bishop tested in first year
Daniel Burke/Religion News Service (01/21/2008: usatoday.com)
For a woman sitting on a very warm seat, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, seems remarkably cool. Even those who disagree with her progressive leadership agree that the 53-year- old remains unflappable under duress.

Fort Worth-raised pastor likely to be Baptist group's next leader
Sam Hodges/Dallas Morning News (01/23/2008)
A Virginia pastor with Texas roots will probably be the next executive director of the Dallas-based Baptist General Convention of Texas. The Rev. Randel Everett, pastor of First Baptist Church in Newport News, Va., and former president of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Arlington, Va., is the choice of a search committee that has been evaluating candidates for months.

ARTS AND MEDIA
Church-movie partnership: A leap of faith
Jim Roberts/KTBS-TV (01/23/2008)
Religion and Hollywood normally don't sound like mix well -- but a Baptist church in Shreveport hopes it will be a good fit. And Summer Grove Baptist -- which built its sanctuary out of an old shopping mall -- doesn't always go by the book. The church is thinking about selling part of its property to a new film institute and studio. They would exist side-by-side -- with the film studio making 'family friendly' films with a Christian message.