Conscience Rights Under Attack

1. Pharmacists in Illinois continue their fight to have their conscience rights protected. Kind of reminds you of the Book of Maccabees -- the little people, fighting against the powerful, who hold that you must sacrifice at the altar of their gods, or you will be persecuted.

2. Good interview with evangelical pastor Rick Warren, who is at the center of controversy because he supported Prop 8 and will be offering the invocation at the upcoming inauguration. He seems to have no trouble telling powerful pro-abortion political figures the truth (full transcript of the interview is here).

3. George Weigel comments generally on the new bioethics document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I'm surprised at the relative lack of detailed reaction so far from Catholic theologians (confession -- I don't count anything published in Commonweal or the National Catholic Reporter in this category). Perhaps they're all out Christmas shopping. Interestingly, here's an article in Slate, of all places, that doesn't mention the document but supports its teaching against cryopreservation of IVF embryos, in stronger language than anything the Vatican has ever said.

4. The struggle for rationality regarding homosexuality continues at the home of the bizarre, the United Nations. Please support C-Fam, which is carrying on this difficult struggle at the Tower of Babel.

5. Charles Krauthammer thoroughly scorns and demolishes the idea of Princess Caroline becoming the newest member of the House of Lords, er, I mean the US Senate. It is worth noting that our accidental Governor's political career got its start only because he happened to be the son of a powerful Harlem Democratic mover and shaker. I realize that our next Senator will be bad no matter who is anointed, but does she -- and the entire process -- have to be such a joke as well?

6. I'm going to blog later today at my official ArchNY blog on the CDF document's section on "emergency contraception", which has important implications for the conscience rights of Catholic hospitals.