Religious News
The Daily Signal reports on faith and religion in America, covering Christian, Jewish, and other faith communities, with analysis and commentary on cultural trends, religious liberty, and moral issues that influence public life.
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- News
This Pro-Life Group Targets Planned Parenthood’s Corporate Funding
A pro-life group say it has convinced more than 300 companies to stop donating to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The organization, Life Decisions International, tracks corporate sponsors of Planned Parenthood in an effort to encourage them to stop donating. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Doug Scott, president of Life Decisions International, said his…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
Attacks on Religious Freedom: Coming Soon to a Church Near You
Assaults on religious freedom are becoming ever more common. Barely a day goes by without news of a baker punished for not catering a same-sex wedding, a Catholic adoption service banned from limiting its services to married couples, or companies that are run in accordance Christian values being forced to provide health insurance policies that…David Bernstein -
- News
Will Pro-Life Coalition Close Ranks for Second Effort to Defund Planned Parenthood?
If a House plan fails in the Senate, lawmakers seeking to defund Planned Parenthood see another opportunity in the upcoming budget battle. But it’s not clear whether a pro-life coalition would regroup to back such a second effort. A total of 33 state and national pro-life groups pledged their support for halting taxpayer funding of…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Why This Judge’s Ruling Against Pro-Life Protests Riles Free-Speech Advocates
Forbidding free speech on a public sidewalk may sound to many Americans like the mandate of some foreign despot in a faraway country. Such a law exists, however, in Pittsburgh. Oral arguments concluded Friday in the case of Bruni v. City of Pittsburgh, where attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom appealed a federal judge’s decision to deny the pleas…Joshua Gill -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Will Hear Obamacare Abortion-Inducing Drugs Case. Why That’s Important for Religious Freedom.
Today, the Supreme Court announced it will take up seven cases challenging the Obamacare requirement that non-profit employers offer their employees health care coverage that includes Plan B, ella, and other potentially life-ending drugs and devices, contraception, and sterilization. Plaintiffs in the cases the Court will decide include Little Sisters of the Poor; Priests for…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
What’s Religious Liberty Got to Do With the Common Good?
Few Americans oppose religious liberty in the abstract. But what should happen when a general law or policy aimed at advancing the common good unintentionally burdens people of faith? Historically, Democrats and Republicans alike have supported accommodating or protecting religious citizens. Alas, this one-time consensus seems to be collapsing. Over the past year, owners of…Mark David Hall -
- News
Pro-Life Nonprofit Says They Have Saved 3,500 Babies in America
Every day, 3,500 abortions take place in America. That’s approximately one abortion per every 25 seconds. The pro-life nonprofit Online for Life wants that statistic to change, and just celebrated a milestone of their own: 3,500 babies saved. It didn’t come easily. Brian Fisher, co-founder and president of Online for Life (OFL), has spent the past…Leah Jessen -
- News
Ralph Reed: Religious Freedom Needs to Be a ‘Priority’
Ralph Reed, the influential CEO of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, believes the issue of religious liberty will be front and center throughout the 2016 presidential campaign. “I think it’s important because of what are likely to be the consequences of the Obergefell decision,” Reed tells The Daily Signal. “I think the redefinition of marriage begins…David Brody -
- Opinion
The Murder of Mohammad Akhlaq: Concerns on Religious Freedom in India
The ordeal did not take long. The quiet of the evening in Bisara, India, was replaced by the clamor of a vicious mob and the screams of a terrified family. The mob came through the door into the home of Mohammad Akhlaq, a Muslim man rumored to have killed a cow and eaten the beef….Thomas Whittaker -
- News
After Principal Censors Pro-Life Posters, Student Seeks Legal Action
A Kentucky high school pro-life student organization has been denied the right to hang posters. Patrick Edwards, president of the club “Students for Life,” is ready to take legal action against his principal at Larry A. Ryle High School in Northern Kentucky. Edwards, 18, and his fellow Students for Life club displayed posters during…Leah Jessen -
- News
Group Challenges California Law Forcing Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers to Comply With ‘Pro-Abortion Agenda’
Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization that works to defend religious liberty, has filed a complaint in federal court against a California law that forces pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to promote abortion providers. The Reproductive FACT Act, recently approved by the California Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., requires pregnancy centers to…Kate Scanlon -
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Tony Perkins on Religious Liberty: ‘We Have Just Begun to Fight’
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, says the fight over religious liberty is just beginning, and he’s ready to fight. “To borrow a phrase from history, ‘we have just begun to fight,” Perkins tells The Daily Signal. “We will not shrink back, we will not be silent on our most fundamental freedom….David Brody -
- Opinion
Obama’s Worrisome Interpretation of the Constitution Regarding Religious Liberty
Speaking at a Democratic National Committee LGBT fundraiser on Sunday, President Obama observed that “religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights.” Coming from a former constitutional law professor who is now chief executive of the United States, these remarks are a cause for concern. The sort of…Mark David Hall -
- News
Over 140 Pro-Life Leaders Pledge to Oppose Any Bill That Funds Planned Parenthood
A group of pro-life leaders have pledged to oppose any bill that funds Planned Parenthood. The Conservative Action Project has released a “Memo for the Movement” on its opposition to any bill that grants taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The project was founded by former Attorney General Edwin Meese and…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
Pope Francis Gives Strong Support to Religious Liberty in America
Yesterday on his flight back to Rome, Pope Francis was asked if he supported government officials who cannot in good conscience issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. His answer: “Conscientious objection must enter into every juridical structure because it is a right.” Although it is unclear if Francis had in mind the recent imprisonment and…Roger Severino -
- Opinion
Appeals Court Rules in Favor of National Abortion Federation Over Pro-Life Group That Created Planned Parenthood Videos
This week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) in a discovery dispute with the National Abortion Federation. CMP is the group of citizen journalists responsible for producing the undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s practice of selling baby parts. This decision may end up being a costly one…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Victims of China’s Religious Liberty ‘Crackdown’ Appeal to Obama. But Will He Help?
Earlier this week, as devout American Catholics took to the streets of Washington to celebrate the arrival of Pope Francis, four Chinese human rights activists sat in a small, plain congressional office room on Capitol Hill. There were neither barricades nor the glaring lights of news camera crews at the press conference hosted by China…Madaline Donnelly -
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What Pope Francis Told Obama About Religious Liberty
Pope Francis, with allegiance to Catholic doctrine, spoke out in support of religious liberty to the 11,000 ticketed guests on the South Lawn of the White House Wednesday. In his speech, the pope made clear that religious liberty is an important freedom in the United States. “With countless other people of goodwill, [American Catholics] are likewise…Leah Jessen -
- News
Viral #ShoutYourAbortion Hashtag Met With Pro-Life Response
A pro-abortion hashtag was met with a pro-life response when it trended on Twitter Monday. The hashtag #shoutyourabortion was created by writers Lindy West and Amelia Bonow. The campaign to defund PP “relies on the assumption that abortion is to be whispered about.” #ShoutYourAbortion pic.twitter.com/r1ilpCVr30 — Lindy West (@thelindywest) September 19, 2015 Bonow told Buzzfeed…Kate Scanlon -
- News
This Pro-Life Group Wants You to Try to Schedule a Mammogram at Planned Parenthood
A pro-life organization has planned “Schedule Your Mammogram Day” on Sept. 21, a national campaign to have participants call Planned Parenthood to schedule a mammogram, a service it does not provide. FactCheck.org has verified that “Planned Parenthood health centers do not offer mammography,” but supporters of the organization often claim that women will lose access…Kate Scanlon