Pennsylvania Town Prays, Ignores Atheists' Threats

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) put the Newberry Township Board of Supervisors on notice for having prayer at their meetings. After consultation with legal counsel, the Board continued to allow citizens to pray during the public comment section of their meetings, and no legal action has been taken by the FFRF.

“I see something wrong with one person stopping everyone from what they’re doing because they want freedom from religion. It’s irritating. I’m willing to be tolerant. [but . . .] If it’s only one person, then they don’t have to participate. They can stay seated.”
-- Supervisor Maxine Kauffman

For background, read Atheists Threaten to Sue Every School in Tennessee and in Mississippi but admit they're Short on Lawyers to Sue ALL Christians

UPDATE 5/13/14: U.S. Supreme Court rules prayers to Jesus Christ OK at government meetings

-- From "God and government: Does prayer belong at public meetings?" by Ivey DeJesus, Central Pennsylvania Patriot-News 10/29/13

No sooner did the public comment period of last week’s meeting of the Newberry Township Board of Supervisors get underway than a member of the audience stepped up to the microphone and offered to say a prayer.

Those present, including the township supervisors, rose to their feet, bowed their heads and joined in the unison recital of the Lord’s Prayer.

Township officials have long held that no laws prohibit local governments from dedicating time to prayer at meetings. Indeed, they point out, the state Legislative chambers and their federal counterparts open sessions with some type of prayer.

The legal benchmark for legislative prayer remains the 1983 Supreme Court decision, Marsh v. Chambers, which ruled that the Nebraska Legislature does not violate the Constitution with its tradition of opening session with a prayer by a paid chaplain.

For now, anyone in attendance at the Newberry meetings would be hard pressed to find objections to the moment of prayer. For the past six months, someone from the public invariably takes the floor and leads the gathering in prayer.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Controversy brews in Newberry Township over prayer at public meetings" by Jeffrey A. Johnson, Central Pennsylvania Patriot-News 4/25/13

Board Chairman Carl Hughes said supervisors were advised by their attorney that it was legal for a member of the audience to do this. A supervisor for 12 years, Hughes said he sees the argument against prayer at public meetings, but said it’s long been a practice in this township of about 15,000.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation on March 21 sent Hughes and the other supervisors a letter that said a resident of Etters contacted the group with concerns about the Lord’s Prayer being recited at township meetings.

FFRF said it has more than 19,000 members across the country, including 650 in Pennsylvania. It sued the IRS for allowing tax-exempt churches and religious organizations to become involved in political campaigns.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

In addition, read Texas Law Tells Schools to Ignore Atheist Threats 

The root issue is American Religious Liberty vs. Anti-Christian Totalitarianism

To read the latest attacks on Christian prayer by atheists, click label "PRAYER" below:

Homosexual Teacher Jailed: Paying Boys to Sext Him

Mark Kandel of Peckville (Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania) who was a school administrator in Archbald, and previously a Scranton School Board member, was sentenced to over 14 years in prison for offering money to male students (no females) to send naked pictures of themselves to him.

Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo told Kandel his actions were "depraved."

For background, read Gay Teacher Sexting Boy Resigns, Media Silent and also read Arizona School OKs Teacher: Pedophilia, Bestiality as well as Gay Pedophile Teacher Defended by Michigan School

In addition, read Pedophilia is Sexual Orientation, Like 'Being Gay' and also read Normalization of Pedophilia Urged by Psychiatrists

UPDATE 8/29/14: Illinois Homosexual Teacher Arrested on Child Porn Charges



-- From "Pa. school administrator gets 14 years for sexting students" by UPI 10/29/13

Prosecutors said Kandel sent as many as 13,000 text messages, most of them sexual in nature, to 17 juveniles during a short period in 2012. One of the victims came forward after Kandel sent him a nude photo of himself and was ridiculed at the school by fellow students. The victim told Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo he attempted suicide during the ordeal.

"I am a victim of Mark Kandel," the teenager proclaimed.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



From "Ex-educator sentenced for soliciting sex from boy" by Edward Lewis, Wilkes Barre Times-Leader 10/28/13

The boy, now a student at a college in Lackawanna County, said he had to withdraw from attending school at Valley View High School due to stress and ridicule from other students. He told Caputo he attempted suicide and self mutilated while reading the text messages from Kandel.

Kandel was indicted by a federal grand jury in December on four counts. He pleaded guilty in June to a single count of online enticement of a minor while the three other counts were withdrawn under a negotiated plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Scranton.

Kandel did not move when his youngest daughter, currently a student at Valley View, said she was ashamed to call him a father. She told Caputo that for the first 15 years of her life she held her father on a “pedestal,” saying they had an “unbreakable bond.”

She said her family forgave their father when he was charged and later sentenced to 90 days home confinement in 2008 for supplying alcohol to minors during a party at their home.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Former educator sentenced to 14 years in prison for solicting sex from boy" by Edward Lewis, Wilkes Barre Times-Leader 10/28/13

. . . The then 17-year-old man, now attending college in Lackawanna County, told investigators about his contact with Kandel while he was a student at Valley View High School. The boy sent an email to Kandel asking for help with a college entrance exam essay and stayed in touch by texting. Their communication was harmless at first but quickly turned explicit, with Kandel asking the boy to send him pictures of the boy wearing Calvin Klein underwear.

The boy said he had to withdraw from attending Valley View because of stress from other students. He told Caputo he attempted suicide.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

For further background, read the history of President Obama's Gay Agenda for Schools

And also read Obama's DOJ Forces Girl into Boys Locker Room

In addition, read School Doesn't Back Gay Agenda, Obama Investigates

Bishop Shoves 'Gay Marriage' Up Methodists' Alley

Homosexualists inside the United Methodist Church, both clergy and laity, have worked for decades to reverse the denomination's lack of acceptance of homosexual behavior as a "Christian teaching," but to no avail.  Although many avenues for amicable exit from the UMC (including money and/or property) have been offered to defiant pastors, and entire church congregations, these homosexualists refuse to leave but rather insist that the denomination change.

This week, a retired San Francisco UMC bishop, who sat in the Birmingham jail with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., says the UMC is "immoral and unjust" concerning homosexuality, and now has officiated a same-sex "marriage" in an Alabama church, in order to intimidate the Christian majority of the worldwide denomination.

"I think it would be appropriate for those who think they cannot live within the policies of the church to withdraw from the church, and [the denomination majority] would be willing to allow them to keep their property, their pensions, and send them forward."
-- Rev. Tom Lambrecht, UMC Christian pastor

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Methodists Ignore Own Rules re: Lesbian Pastor

Renegade Methodist Clergy for Same-sex 'Marriage'

Baby Jesus with Two Lesbians: Methodist Nativity

Methodist Clergy Buck Bible, Church - Science Also

Methodists Team Up with Atheists for Bible Study

Allah Worshiped in Virginia Methodist Church

African Methodists Vote to Keep United Methodist Church on 'Straight and Narrow'

In addition, read this NON-joke: A Rabbi, Pastor & Imam Join a Methodist Seminary, and ...

UPDATE 12/21/13: Apostate Methodist Bishops Support Defrocked Pastor (see excerpts below)

-- From "Methodist bishop performs gay wedding" posted at Montgomery Advertiser 10/27/13

A retired United Methodist bishop performed a wedding for two gay men Saturday in [Center Point,] Alabama despite opposition from other church leaders.

Joe Openshaw said he and longtime partner Bobby Prince asked [San Francisco's former United Methodist Bishop Melvin] Talbert to marry them when they were refused permission to marry in their United Methodist church.

Talbert and other Methodist supporters of same-sex rights have been encouraging their denomination to recognize gay marriages for years. Alabama does not recognize same-sex marriage.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Defiant Methodist bishop fuels gay-marriage battle" by Matt Smith, Center for Investigative Reporting, posted at San Francisco Chronicle 10/27/13

San Francisco's former United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert gave a sermon at the denomination's global conference last year, urging pastors to defy church law by performing same-sex wedding ceremonies.

Church leaders predict that Talbert's action will aggravate a conflict between conservative and liberal factions of the United Methodist Church - one of the last mainline Protestant denominations that bans same-sex marriage.

Talbert says he doesn't want to divide the church or its 12 million members worldwide. His goal, he said, is to address hypocrisy in a denomination that includes thousands of gay parishioners and gay pastors living with partners.

. . . While church policy calls for punishing those who perform same-sex weddings, the denomination said Tuesday that it would nonetheless extend employee benefits to same-sex couples.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

 From "Bishop follows through on commitment to conduct same sex wedding" by Bart Styes, Correspondent, United Methodist Reporter (a UMC official, but liberal, publication) 10/26/13

. . . With three sheriff’s deputies, multiple media representatives and an officiating United Methodist bishop in jeopardy of facing charges for violating the denomination’s Book of Discipline, this was a unique occasion. However, for the majority of the approximately one-hundred and fifty in attendance, this remained a marriage ceremony, even in the face of the implications for the United Methodist Church and the presiding clergy. Like most “traditional” weddings, there were flowers, music, and restless children.

For several of the clergy in attendance, there was a sense of frustration at this even being a divisive or contentious issue. One elder of the North Alabama [regional] conference in asserted that “some clergy were told not even to attend the wedding as it could hurt their careers.”

“We just need to get over it,” said Rev. Mike Harper. “It’s obvious these guys care about each other. I’m embarrassed that we feel awkward about affirming something so beautiful.”

Openshaw and Prince requested that the service end with a prayer for the affirming clergy in attendance and for the United Methodist Church as a whole. Local elders and deacons of the North Alabama Conference filled the front two rows of the sanctuary. Several ministers from different parts of the country participated in the service as supporting clergy. During the prayer the Bishop Talbert and the other supporting clergy who participated in the service were compared to Jesus turning over the tables of the money-lenders in the temple.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Methodist Gay Marriage Debate Being Formally Considered By Court As LGTB Acceptance Grows" by Renee K. Gadoua, Religion News Service, on Huffington Post 10/23/13

The United Methodist Church’s highest court gathers for its semiannual meeting in Baltimore on Wednesday, as the denomination confronts a growing movement of defiant clergy members opposed to church doctrine on gays and unwilling to back down.

The church law cannot change until the next quadrennial conference, in 2016. But at its meeting, the Judicial Council, the “Supreme Court” of the United Methodist Church, will consider a number of related resolutions. One asks the council to support a Western [liberal] Jurisdiction 2012 resolution that says the church is in error on homosexuality and should ignore the Book of Discipline’s laws on it.

Also on the docket are a New York [liberal] Conference resolution commending clergy, laity and congregations who “help to provide for the pastoral needs of same-sex couples” and a case involving the ordination eligibility of a Southwest Texas candidate who is a lesbian.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



From "Gay marriage debate threatens to splinter the United Methodist Church" by Ivey DeJesus, Central Pennsylvania Patriot-News 10/25/13

Under the stiffest penalties, the Rev. Frank Schaefer, pastor at Zion United Methodist Church of Iona [Lebanon County], could lose his ordination credentials. Schaefer faces charges of marrying his son Tim and his gay partner in 2006 in Massachusetts.

A considerable number of Schaefer’s congregation has walked away in opposition to his actions, but the German-born pastor has also garnered mounting support from among his flock and peers.

Next month, in a show of solidarity for Schaefer, as many as 30 United Methodist pastors from 25 churches in eastern Pennsylvania will preside over gay marriages in Philadelphia.

The most recent pastor to be convicted of performing same-sex marriages was the Rev. Amy DeLong, a Wisconsin pastor who in 2011 was found guilty of performing gay marriages. A lesbian, she was also found not guilty of being a “self-avowed practicing homosexual.”

“This is nothing new really,” [Christian UMC Rev. Tom] Lambrecht said. “What is new is the widespread inclination to disregard and disobey the church’s policy... in an attempt to get the church to change it through pressure tactics.”

Lambrecht said his group [of UMC Christians] has over the years received thousands of letters from United Methodist parishioners who say they can no longer remain church members amid flagrant disobedience of church policy.

Given the demographics of the general assembly, Lambrecht doubts the policy will change anytime soon. Approximately 40 percent of the representatives to the general assembly come from outside the United States, the majority from Africa, the Philippines and Europe.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 12/21/13: "Methodist bishops offer support to pastor who lost credentials over son’s same-sex wedding" by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post

The cause of Frank Schaefer, whose credentials were taken after he officiated at his son’s same-sex wedding, is spreading at high levels in his denomination, with a New Jersey bishop [John Schol] releasing a tearful video supporting gay equality and a California bishop inviting Schaefer to be a pastor in her region.

Schaefer’s credentials were formally removed Thursday after he told a clergy oversight body in Philadelphia that he could not uphold doctrine “in its entirety,” saying church teachings were contradictory and un-Christian on the treatment of gays and lesbians. They jury had given him 30 days to decide whether he could abide by the ban on clergy officiating same-sex weddings.

On Friday Bishop Minerva Carcano invited Schaefer to serve as a minister in the California-Pacific Annual Conference in the Los Angeles area. In a statement, Carcano said she was inspired by Methodist leaders in the 1960s who came to the support of clergy fighting racial discrimination.

Schaefer said he is also considering an offer to become a member of Foundry United Methodist Church, a large church in the Dupont Circle area, where he is scheduled to preach Sunday. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.


A Message from Bishop John Schol - December 20, 2013 from Greater New Jersey Annual Confer on Vimeo.


For myriad attacks on the Bible and Christian faith, read CBS Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates

Male Homecoming Queen at Univ. of Northern Iowa

21-year-old Steven Sanchez, who is 100% male but describes himself as gender non-conforming, competed for the homecoming queen crown by dancing while dressed as a woman at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, and won.

"He can dance amazingly well in high heels."
-- David Pope, president of UNI Proud (student group advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people)

Meanwhile, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission ruled that sexually confused men are free to use women’s restrooms in public places.

For background, read Sexual Confusion Reigns at California Homecoming and also read Massachusetts Male 'Transgender' Student Voted Prom Queen

In addition, read Boys & Girls Shower Together in Co-ed Locker Rooms at Iowa College

And read how the Gay Agenda permeates public schools with "transgender rights."



-- From "Transgender student named homecoming queen at Iowa university" by Noreen O'Donnell, Reuters 10/12/13

For his routine, Sanchez wore his school colors - a purple ball gown, belted as a skirt, a purple shirt and the gold pumps.

Sanchez said his gender identify was in transition, though he was unsure that he would ever physically become a woman.

"I identify as gender queer so not really one or the other," he said.

His grandmother, mother and an aunt are all encouraging, he said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Iowa college crowns transgender homecoming queen" by Jens Manuel Krogstad, USA TODAY 10/12/13

There was a time when Sanchez hated himself: He regularly cut his wrists and once overdosed on pills in a suicide attempt, he said. Those memories and emotions overflowed at a vigil Wednesday for those affected by hate crimes and suicide, an event scheduled for Northern Iowa's Coming Out Week.

Sanchez has become a crowd favorite, performing as "Lola" on stage at various events, since arriving two years ago on the Cedar Falls campus, Pope said. He came to Iowa after earning an associate degree and taking high school classes at a community college in Texas.

In the process, Northern Iowa has become a place where Sanchez finally feels at home. His open, welcoming attitude puts others at ease, Pope said.

Student leaders and university administrators have backed LGBT students and their allies . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "After big win, Sanchez plans activism for future" by Linh Ta, The Northern Iowan 10/14/13

While Sanchez said he still deals with depression, he’s received a newfound confidence and wants to share it with other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

However, Sanchez has not received purely positive feedback from people who have heard or read his story. He’s seen negative homophobic comments on social media sites and has been criticized by “radical” feminists who say he’s appropriating women’s culture.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Transgender student wins UNI homecoming queen crown" by Mackenzie Elmer, Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier Staff Writer 10/11/13

Sanchez will reign over this year's homecoming court alongside Yaw Kyeremateng, a graduate student who was crowned king. The 440 students who attended Tuesday night's competition voted to select the winners.

Sanchez performed a drag routine during Tuesday night's competition, lip synching and dressing in drag to imitate singer Selena Gomez.

Sanchez nominated himself for the title in a new court application process instated last year by the Campus Activities Board. He detailed his work in the university relations department and on the UNI Proud board, an advocacy group representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students and others.

A panel of students and faculty selected ten applicants based on their academic standing, responses to essay questions and campus involvement.

But any identification, like the name and gender of each candidate, was removed from applications before judges saw them, said Ashley Minshall, program coordinator of student activities.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Transgender rights: Restroom battles emerge" by Jason Clayworth, Des Moines Register 10/26/13

. . . three cases are the first to advance through a civil rights complaint process since 2007, when lawmakers added gender identity to the state’s nondiscrimination policies.

Confusion about the law is compounded by little court precedent on the issue, said Beth Townsend, director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.

“The new law does require ... that individuals are permitted to access (restrooms) in accordance with their gender identity, rather than their assigned sex at birth, without being harassed or questioned,” Sara Stibitz, a civil rights specialist with the state commission . . .

The number of gender identity complaints made to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission has increased from six in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008, to 51 in the year that ended June 30, 2013.

Chuck Hurley, a vocal opponent of Iowa’s 2007 law . . . says he is concerned that new policies will allow voyeurs and sex offenders to simply claim a different gender identity to gain access to areas where women and children are vulnerable.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Parents Allow Babies to Choose Gender From Birth as well as 2-year-old Says She's a Boy, 'Parents' Say OK

In addition, read Transgenderism is a 'Delusion' According to Victim

IL Black Churches, RC Diocese Block 'Gay Marriage'

After the Illinois legislature, packed with Democrats, were unable to pass a same-sex "marriage" bill in May 2013 (for which the Democrat governor has pleaded), homosexualists targeted this past week for passage of the bill.  However, once again, Illinois church leaders stood in the way of abomination (a.k.a. ObamaNation), and God has blessed the effort (2 Chron. 7:14).

For background, read Illinois Democrats Figure to Lock-in 'Gay Marriage' but they didn't figure this: God Intervenes to Preserve Marriage in Illinois

In addition, read Illinois Democrats Declare One-Man-One-Woman Marriage Law Unconstitutional

UPDATE 11/6/13 - Homosexualists Win: Democrat machine pressures black legislators, promises them money to defeat black Christians in primaries



-- From "Gay marriage opponents at Illinois Capitol invoke God, free speech" by Kerry Lester, Associated Press 10/23/13

Pastors, Christian activists and others addressed a crowd clustered on the first floor of the Capitol rotunda, some peering down from the second and third floor rails, a day after gay marriage proponents held their own event to urge lawmakers to approve it.

"Defend Marriage Lobby Day" —sponsored by the Illinois Family Institute began Wednesday with a morning prayer service outside the state Capitol. The secretary of state's police put number of attendees at 2,500—slightly smaller than the estimate from Tuesday's event.

Pastors from several of the area's black mega-churches are trying to help blunt gay marriage advocates' work to clinch a handful more "yes" votes to secure passage of the measure in the House.

Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan said just weeks ago that about a dozen votes were still needed for the legislation's passage.

On Tuesday, [Springfield's Catholic] Diocese head, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, barred any pro-gay marriage activists wearing rainbow sashes from attending a Mass. [Diocese Monsignor Carl] Kemme called Springfield a "fearless defender of the traditional definition of marriage."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Traditional marriage advocates pack Capitol rotunda" by Bernard Schoenburg, The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) 10/23/13

“May all recognize that marriage between one man and one woman is the foundation of our society and that marriage as such is essential for the common good,” said Monsignor Carl Kemme of the Springfield Catholic Diocese, as he led a prayer at the rally that filled the rotunda and had people watching over railings from the second and third floors of the building.

Senior Pastor Mark Johnson of Calvary Temple Christian Center in Springfield got applause when he said, "I am against same-sex marriage because I love people."

The rally came a day after a rally and march outside the capital by advocates of making same-sex marriage legal in Illinois. Advocates of that change, a form of which passed the Senate in February, hope for a House vote during this fall’s veto session.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Bishop Stops Gay Activists at Cathedral: ‘Praying for Same-Sex Marriage’ is ‘Blasphemous’" by Michael W. Chapman, CNSNews.com 10/24/13

“The Rainbow Sash Movement has encouraged Roman Catholics to come to Springfield to ‘have a loud Catholic presence for marriage equality,” said Bp. Paprocki in the video.  “They have announced plans to gather at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 4:30 p.m., just before the 5:15 p.m. Mass [on Oct. 22], to stand in the Cathedral and indicate that they are there to pray the rosary for ‘marriage equality.’”

“It is blasphemy to show disrespect or irreverence to God or to something holy,” said the bishop. “Since Jesus clearly taught that marriage as created by God is a sacred institution between a man and a woman (see Gospel of Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9), praying for same-sex marriage should be seen as blasphemous, and as such will not be permitted in the cathedral.”

In closing his video statement, Bishop Paprocki said, “Of course, our cathedral and parish churches are always open to everyone who wishes to repent their sins and ask for God’s forgiveness.”

The Catholic Church teaches that marriage was set by nature and God as being between one man and one woman. “Marriage is a basic human and social institution,” states the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  “Though it is regulated by civil laws and church laws, it did not originate either from the church or the state, but from God. Therefore, neither church nor state can alter the basic meaning and structure of marriage.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 11/1/13: From "How Illinois gay marriage fight pitted Obama against black pastors in Chicago" by Peter Wallsten, Washington Post

. . . On its face, the [gay marriage legislation] seemed like a sure bet in Democrat-dominated Springfield. Gay rights activists filled the House chamber on the legislature’s final day in session in May anticipating a historic victory. Obama, the former Illinois senator, had mentioned the pending House vote during a fundraising stop in Chicago that week, saying: “I just want to say for the record it’s something that I deeply support.”

“There is all due respect to the president, but your influence only goes so far,” one skeptical lawmaker, Rep. Monique Davis (D), said over the summer, “especially when the caucus perceives that it, too, has some big issues no one is thinking about. Their children are dying [in widespread Chicago violence].”

Obama “has tremendous sway in Chicago,” [mega-church pastor James T.] Meeks said in an interview over the summer. “However, on this issue, I think people had made up their minds.”

Obama’s largely passive role in the Illinois debate was an early indicator that his declining clout may have been extending even into the state capital where his political career was born.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Air Force Drops God; Army and Christian Terrorists

When atheists complained that the Air Force Academy oath ended with the words "so help me God," the Academy dutifully responded within minutes to the atheists, and then within a few days, the Academy announced that the phrase is now optional.  However, that wasn't enough for the atheists who said it must be dropped entirely, or they'll sue.

Although, Atheists Say They're Short on Lawyers to Sue ALL Christians

UPDATE 12/19/13: Army & Navy Take Orders from Atheists

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Army has temporarily stopped all troop briefings on extremist organizations after myriad media reports from soldiers that they were being instructed to consider Christians as the worst terrorists.

“. . . Army leaders [shall] cease all briefings, command presentations or training on the subject of extremist organizations or activities until that program of instruction and training has been created and disseminated.”
-- Col. David Patterson, Jr., Army spokesman

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Air Force Engages War on Christianity, Say Lawmakers

Lesbian Officer Punishes Airman for Moral Beliefs

President Obama's Army Says Christians are Worst Terrorists

West Point Study Warns of Christian Terrorists

Pentagon Gay Agenda: Christians are 'Hate Groups'

Pentagon Says Following Jesus' Command is a Court Martial Offense


-- From "'So help me God' optional in Air Force oath" by The Associated Press 10/25/13

[Air Force Academy] officials said Friday the words were made optional after a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation [MRFF], an advocacy group.

Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson says the change was made to respect cadets' freedom of religion.

The oath states, "We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and to live honorably, so help me God."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Air Force Academy decides to make ‘in God’ portion of oath ‘optional’" by Thomas Hendrick, KDVR-TV31 (Dever) 10/25/13

Last week, the Colorado Springs Independent newspaper published a photograph of a poster at the academy which included the oath. The newspaper then forwarded the photo to MRFF President Mikey Weinstein.

Weinstein wrote a letter to Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson. Weinstein said she responded 68 minutes later.

“The Prep School poster has been taken down,” she wrote in an email reply posted by the Independent.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "'So help me God' part of Air Force Academy cadet oath made optional" by Travis Ruiz, KXRM-TV21 (Colorado Springs) 10/25/13

Late Friday morning, officials said they had reviewed the Cadet Honor Oath and decided to make the final clause optional, in the 'spirit of determining a way ahead that enables all to be true to their beliefs.'

In 1984, the Cadet Wing voted to add an "Honor Oath," for all cadets to take and it is administered to fourth class cadets (freshmen) when they are formally accepted into the Wing at the conclusion of Basic Cadet Training.

The Honor Code is a vital part of cadets’ development as military professionals. It also represents a broader aspect of ethical maturity which will serve them throughout their lives. As the bearers of the public trust, both as cadets and as officers, it is the Honor Code which helps build a personal integrity able to withstand the rigorous demands placed upon them

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Academy makes 'God' optional in cadets' oath" by Stephen Losey, Air Force Times Staff Writer 10/25/13

. . . But Weinstein said nothing short of eliminating the “so help me God” language from the oath is acceptable. Making it optional would not be good enough, he said, because airmen who chose not to say it would feel pressure.

“The Air Force Academy took the cowardly route,” Weinstein said after the announcement. “From our perspective, it still creates a tremendous amount of unconstitutional turmoil ... for anyone who is a religious objector.”

Weinstein pledged earlier in the week to bring a lawsuit against the academy if the religious language is not dropped entirely from the oath.

Weinstein graduated from the academy in 1977, and spent 10 years in the Air Force as a judge advocate general, and more than three years as legal counsel for the Reagan administration. His two sons, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law also graduated from the academy. Weinstein, who is Jewish, said his younger son experienced anti-Semitic prejudice while attending the academy in 2004, after the movie “The Passion of the Christ” was released. He said cadets were being pressured to see the movie. He founded MRFF later that year.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Army halts training program that labeled Christians as extremists" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com 10/24/13

The Secretary of the Army has ordered military leaders to halt all briefings on extremist organizations that labeled Evangelical Christian groups as domestic hate groups. The shutdown comes just four days after I reported exclusively about a briefing at Mississippi’s Camp Shelby that labeled the American Family Association [AFA] as a domestic hate group.

Last week soldiers at Fort Hood were warned that participating in or donating money to evangelical Christian groups or Tea Party groups could result in military punishment.

So where did the Army instructors get their talking points?

“None of these slides were produced by the Army, but by soldiers who included information found during an Internet search,” Patterson told me.

“The Army does not maintain or publish a list of organizations considered extremist; and after a similar incident earlier this year, commanders and other leaders were cautioned that they should not use lists of ‘extremists,’ ‘hate groups,’ ‘radical factions’ or the like compiled by any outside non-governmental groups or organizations for briefings, command presentations, or as a shortcut to determining if a group or activity is considered to be extremist.”

But the Army does provide a list of organizations that do list groups like the AFA and FRC as domestic hate groups – specifically the Southern Poverty Law Center. And the SPLC is featured in the military’s Equal Opportunity Advisor Student Guide.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

For background, read SPLC Labels Christian Hate Groups for Bible Honesty and also read SPLC Spawns Homosexualists' Terrorist Attack on Christians

From "Army stands down on Christian bashing" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 10/25/13

The Camp Shelby episode also drew the attention of Congress, where Reps. Doug Lamborn, Steve Scalise, John Fleming, Joseph Pitts and Tim Huelskamp joined in a letter to the Pentagon stating: “This most recent mislabeling of a Christian organization reflects what appears to be a troubling trend of religious intolerance in the military.”

Tim Wildmon, president of AFA, one of the country’s largest Christian ministries, said: “We are probably going to be taking legal action. The Army has smeared us. They’ve defamed the American Family Association.”

AFA’s [Brian] Fischer suggested that if the “military wasn’t headed by a commander in chief who is hostile to Christian faith, these allegations would be laughed off every military base in the world.”

The Obama administration’s attacks on conservatives date back to just weeks after he took office.

Judicial Watch, a government corruption monitor, said it obtained records regarding the “preparation and presentation of training materials on hate groups or hate crimes distributed or used by the Air Force.”

The teaching claimed: “In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 10/28/13: From "Army Briefing Labels Christians, Tea Party as Terror Threats" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com

A soldier who attended the Oct. 17th [pre-deployment briefing at Fort Hood] told me the counter-intelligence agent in charge of the meeting spent nearly a half hour discussing how evangelical Christians and groups like the American Family Association were “tearing the country apart.”

The soldier told me he fears reprisals and asked not to be identified. He said there was a blanket statement that donating to any groups that were considered a threat to the military and government was punishable under military regulations.

The soldier said they were also told that the pro-life movement is another example of “radicalization.”

Another soldier who attended the briefing alerted the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. That individual’s recollections of the briefing matched the soldier who reached out to me.

And while a large portion of the briefing dealt with the threat evangelicals and the Tea Party pose to the nation, barely a word was said about Islamic extremism, the soldier said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

For further background, read President Obama Redefines 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion and yet President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity, and so Congress Responds to Obama's Military Attack on Christians

In addition, read Christians in President Obama's Military? Don't Ask, Don't Tell and also read President Obama Raises the Gay Agenda in the Military above Religious Liberty as well as President Obama Shuts Down Catholic Church, with Government

Florida Univ. Prof. Says Priests are Full of Crap

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has complained to the University of South Florida that professor of psychology, and behavior analyst, Timothy Weil would symbolically equate Catholic priests to a toilet bowl. In his defense, Weil said, “It seems the purpose of the exercise may have been missed.”

Prof. Weil's projection screen image showed a priest with a crucifix, an equal sign (=), and a toilet.  Awaiting an audience response for a meaning, someone yelled “They’re both full of shit,” to which, the professor repeated the profanity in agreement.

For background, read Florida Atlantic Univ. Student Suspended for NOT Desecrating Jesus' Name as Required by Prof. and also read University Says Student's Cross Necklace Offends Freshmen as well as University Strips Crosses from Students' Chests

In addition, read how the Supreme Court is enabling the persecution of Christians on campus

-- From "USF looking into professor's toilet-priests comparison" by Jerome R. Stockfisch, Tampa Tribune Staff 10/22/13

In an email exchange obtained by the Tribune, Weil fielded a complaint from Ken McDonald, a Gainesville behavior analyst who attended the conference, who said he found the example “highly offensive.”

. . . Weil wrote in the email. “It was an attempt to show that through language, we are able to relate a wide variety of things that we come across in daily life — even those things that have seemingly no link such as the two pictures that I had on the screen. Please know I had no goal of a preferred response on the part of the audience ... I only needed to present stimuli that were seemingly mis-matched to make the point about how we are able to relate arbitrary stimuli without much effort.”

The topic of Weil's presentation was “Impact of Rule Governance on Motivation and its Clinical Application.”

Universities are accustomed to dealing with conflicts between academics and religious or ideological advocates and typically give educators leeway in the name of academic freedom.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Florida Professor Mocks Priests" by Bill, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights 10/22/13

On October 3, Dr. Bill Donohue contacted the president of the University of South Florida, Dr. Judy Genshaft, the Dean, Dr. Julianne Serovich, and the chairman of the Department of Child & Family Studies, Dr. Mario Hernandez, about the alleged conduct of Dr. Timothy Weil. He asked them two questions: a) is the allegation true? and b) if it is, what exactly is going to be done about it? He has not heard back, which is why he is contacting the media. Below is an excerpt from his letter:

I taught sociology for 16 years at a college in Pittsburgh and served for 20 years on the board of the National Association of Scholars. I have also written two books on the First Amendment. I have great respect for academic freedom, but I also have great contempt for those who abuse it. There is obviously nothing of any academic value when someone gratuitously insults the adherents of any world religion. Whatever point Dr. Weil was trying to make could surely have been made without unnecessarily offending Catholic sensibilities.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read ObamaNation: Rating Colleges Based on Immorality as well as Obama Administration Muzzles College Students' Moral Speech

Over One-third of Abortion Clinics in Ohio Close

As a result of newly enacted laws regarding abortion clinics, actions by the Ohio Department of Health are likely to result in closure of at least five of Ohio's 14 abortion clinics.

For background, read Abortion Clinics Close in Most States Since 2010 and also read Abortionists Lament Ever-greater State Limits as well as Pro-lifers Prevail: More Abortion Restriction Laws

In addition, read Eroding Roe v. Wade State-by-state

UPDATE 7/2/14: Judge Says Ohio Late-term Abortion Clinic Must Close

UPDATE 7/31/14: Ohio Shuts Down Last Abortion Clinic in Toledo

-- From "State has closed several abortion clinics this year" by Amanda Seitz, Dayton Daily News Staff Writer 10/19/13

Ohio’s abortion clinics are facing more restrictions after the state budget bill banned the clinics from signing transfer agreements with public hospitals. The budget bill also requires women to listen to the fetal heartbeat before an abortion. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sued the state over the new legislation.

At the same time, the number of women seeking abortions in Ohio increased by 2.8 percent for the first time in a dozen years. More than 25,000 abortions were performed last year in Ohio and 1,101 were performed on women living in Montgomery County.

Ohio Right to Life Director Mike Gonidakis said that Kasich has simply been enforcing laws surrounding abortion and same-day surgery clinics more diligently, driving some clinics to close.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Abortion restrictions closing Ohio clinics" by Darrel Rowland and Alex Felser The Columbus Dispatch 10/17/13

A suburban Cincinnati clinic’s appeal to remain open was rejected last week by the Ohio Department of Health. The clinic has 10 days to appeal, which they plan to do next week. Last month a Cleveland facility closed and a Toledo center remains open during an appeal of its closure order.

The Lebanon Road Surgery Center in Sharonville was ordered closed by the state because it did not have a valid transfer agreement — a pact with an area hospital to accept abortion patients if help is needed. The state health director rejected the clinic’s request for a variance, and his decision was upheld by a hearing officer last week.

On Sept. 30, the Cleveland Center for Women’s Health shut down.

[Ohio Right to Life president Mike] Gonidakis said the Cleveland facility, operated by Dr. Martin Ruddock, specialized in late-term abortions. He credited the closure to Ohio’s 2-year-old ban on abortions of viable fetuses after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ohio Abortion Facilities Close Over Failure to Comply With New State Regulations" by Heather Clark, Christian News Network 10/18/13

“We are gratified to see yet another late-term abortionist shutting down,” Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right to Life president and member of the state medical board, told reporters. “As a result of this Health Department order, Martin Haskell, a strong proponent and former practitioner of the controversial and deadly partial-birth abortion procedure, will no longer be able to abort children and jeopardize women’s health in Hamilton County.”

As previously reported, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed new abortion regulations into law this past June, which describe each child in the womb as an “unborn human individual,” and bar abortionists from obtaining transfer agreements with public hospitals—thus mandating them to find a private hospital that will enter into a partnership. The majority of private hospitals are operated by religious organizations that oppose abortion.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Not One Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic in Ohio Offers Prenatal Care" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 10/21/13

As Rita Diller of STOPP Planned Parenthood notes:

A news story from ABC Channel 22 in Ohio reports that opponents of Planned Parenthood defunding via the governor’s budget cuts say defunding Planned Parenthood “deprives women of basic health care, especially low-income women who depend on Planned Parenthood for prenatal care.”

But when STOPP researched each of the 29 Planned Parenthood facilities in Ohio on October 13, 2013, we found that not a single Ohio Planned Parenthood facility provides prenatal care. The only mention of prenatal services on the 29 Planned Parenthood websites says, “If you choose to continue a pregnancy, we will provide you with a list of resources to help you obtain prenatal care.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Lesbian Fired by Ark. Catholic School Wants Apology

Media tout public's demand that Catholic Church change . . .

English teacher Tippi McCullough never discussed her homosexuality with her employer, Mount St. Mary Academy for girls in Little Rock, Arkansas, but when she traveled to New Mexico to "marry" her lesbian lover, she was dismissed for violating the terms of her contract -- a morality code that required her to uphold teachings of the Catholic Church.

"Sometimes adherence to the church's teachings may be difficult, challenging and/or unpopular. We recognize that some may disagree with our actions, and we respect their right to do so."
-- Mount St. Mary President Karen Flake

For background, read 'Gay Marriage' Teacher Fired by California Catholic School and also read Lesbian Methodist Fired from Ohio Catholic School as well as Christian University Boots Professor for Changing Sex

Other teachers have sued Christian schools for being fired over immorality issues, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruling over President Obama's DOJ gives churches freedom to fire & hire.

Remember the assurance from Pope Benedict XVI: Public Opinion Won't Liberalize the Church and also read that Pope Francis I Says the Gay Agenda is Work of the Devil



-- From "Teacher at Catholic school in Little Rock asks for apology for firing after marrying partner" by Chuck Bartels, Associated Press 10/22/13

On Oct. 16, McCullough married her partner, Barb Mariani, in New Mexico, where same-sex marriage is [claimed to be] legal. McCullough said she received a call from her principal less than an hour after the ceremony and was told that she'd lose her job if she was married to a woman.

"I was devastated," McCullough said. "I would never have purposefully blown my life up like this."

Mariani, who is a deputy prosecutor in Pulaski County, said the school is incorrectly applying the morals code contained in its employment contract with McCullough.

Flake's statement didn't address McCullough's call for an apology and gave no indication that a nondiscrimination policy is under discussion.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Teacher Tippi McCullough Forced To Resign After Marrying Same-Sex Partner" by Rebecca Klein, The Huffington Post 10/23/13

. . . McCullough appeared Tuesday at a news conference held by the Human Rights Campaign –- a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group -- and said she was devastated by the situation.

The Human Rights Campaign has called on students, teachers and Mount St. Mary Academy community members to stand up for McCullough. One of the school’s students started an online petition asking the school to stop discriminatory practices.

"So many other teachers have signed that contract, and they probably use birth control or have had premarital sex or anything else that goes against Catholic beliefs," Gillian Gullett, a 10th-grader at the school, told local outlet Fox 16.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Teacher at a Catholic school is fired on her wedding day after marrying her lesbian lover of 14 years" by Chris Pleasance, UK Daily Mail 10/18/13

[School principal] Diane Wolfe claimed she had found out about the union 'through the diocese' and, according to Mrs McCullough, told her: 'I never thought this day would come, but I have to terminate you.'

It has been reported that the English teacher, who had been at the school for 15 years, was offered a 'glowing recommendation' letter and told she could voluntarily resign.

Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin said: 'To fire a beloved teacher simply because she is gay is morally reprehensible.

'At a moment when Pope Francis is urging the Catholic hierarchy to put aside judgment and a decades-long campaign targeting devoted LGBT Catholics, it’s shameful that this school is ignoring that hopeful message in favor of explicit and baseless discrimination.'

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Mount St. Mary teacher fired for marrying her female partner" by Max Brantley, Arkansas Times 10/17/13

[McCullough] said she'd been encouraged by support from other teachers. She said, too, that she was sure Wolfe knew of her long relationship with Mariani.  They never discussed it explicitly, she said, but "she knew." In their discussion yesterday, "I told her I thought it was unfair, that I was being singled out for being gay." She said Wolfe told her the nun who once headed the school had once escorted out an unmarried pregnant teacher.

[Mariani] said McCullough had been more than discreet. McCullough said she'd never talked about her sexual orientation with students.

No law protects McCullough from firing. Some states and cities have employment non-discrimination laws that protect people of different sexual orientation. But even so, a religious institution citing church teaching would be exempt.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Obama-Schooling Should Begin at Age 18 Months

It goes beyond ObamaCare . . .

According to new research published in Developmental Science, President Obama's previously-announced plan to initiate government indoctrination of children at age 3 or 4 is too late.  The latest study shows that the government should take control of all low-income children no later than 18 months after birth, lest their development lag the more affluent children.

For background, read Obama-CHILD-Care is Next, Says Nancy Pelosi and also read Entire West Virginia County Becomes School-run Orphanage-Plus as well as Massachusetts Strives to Replace Mom with Government

UPDATE 5/16/15: Public Boarding Schools Proposed by Obama Administration

UPDATE 5/30/14: President Obama Replaces Fathers with Government Mentors

In addition, read It Takes a Village to Admit Failure: Head Start, the federal government’s largest preschool program for low-income children, was found to yield no lasting results, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

-- From "Language gap between rich and poor children begins in infancy, Stanford psychologists find" by Bjorn Carey, Stanford University News 9/25/13

Stanford researchers have now found that these socioeconomic status (SES) differences begin to emerge much earlier in life: By 18 months of age, toddlers from disadvantaged families are already several months behind more advantaged children in language proficiency.

The study, published in Developmental Science, is the first to identify an "achievement gap" in language processing skill at such a young age and could inform strategies to intervene and bring children up to speed.

"By 2 years of age, these disparities are equivalent to a six-month gap between infants from rich and poor families in both language processing skills and vocabulary knowledge," [Stanford associate professor of psychology, Anne] Fernald said. "What we're seeing here is the beginning of a developmental cascade, a growing disparity between kids that has enormous implications for their later educational success and career opportunities."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Language-Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K" by Motoko Rich, New York Times 10/21/13

Nearly two decades ago, a landmark study found that by age 3, the children of wealthier professionals have heard words millions more times than those of less educated parents, giving them a distinct advantage in school and suggesting the need for increased investment in prekindergarten programs.

Now a follow-up study has found a language gap as early as 18 months, heightening the policy debate.

President Obama has called for the federal government to match state money to provide preschool for all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families, a proposal in the budget that Congress voted to postpone negotiating until later this year. The administration is also offering state grants through its Race to the Top Program to support early childhood education. Critics argue, however, that with so few programs offering high-quality instruction, expanding the system will prove a waste of money and that the limited funds should be reserved for elementary and secondary education.

The National Governors Association, in a report this month calling on states to ensure that all children can read proficiently by third grade, urges lawmakers to increase access to high-quality child care and prekindergarten classes and to invest in programs for children from birth through age 5.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Campaign emphasizes that preschool education is a social investment" at Global Post 10/21/13

"A preschool nation is one in which every child has full opportunity to succeed in school regardless of their zip code, ethnic background or immigration status," W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, said [Monday, launching the campaign "Preschool Nation"].

The campaign, an effort by about 30 organizations, is being headed by Los Angeles Universal Preschool [LAUP], a non-profit that funds preschool services to some 11,000 youngsters in Los Angeles County.

During the period 2009-2011, only 37 percent of Hispanic children under 5 were attending preschool, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® Data Book.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Launch of Nationwide Preschool Campaign Urges Americans: Stand Up for Access to Quality Preschool" posted at Fort Wayne Journal Gazette 10/21/13

Preschool Nation partners say the campaign is right on time. Individual states have been increasing their Pre-K efforts and the research in support of quality early education has been overwhelming.

Virginia Wate, a Los Angeles resident and mother of a preschooler, agrees. "To me, a Preschool Nation is a nation that accepts responsibility for the importance of education," Wate said. "I feel like (preschool) really builds self-esteem, and all kids should be able to enter kindergarten and feel like they know just as much as their peers."

"This campaign gives us an opportunity to create an alliance and an advocacy platform to maximize our resources and leverage every local, state and national resources to ensure that every child can have access to a quality early education experience," said Celia C. Ayala, chief executive officer of LAUP.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Violence & Poverty due to Absence of Intact Family as well as Liberalism Causes Poverty in America: Study

In addition, read Largest US Child Study Finds Early Child Care Linked to Aggression and Disobedience

Donor Eggs & IVF 'Creates' Life, Causes More Death

Use of human donor eggs has nearly doubled in a decade, according to researchers at Emory University and the federal CDC as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).  While thousands of human beings are being 'created' every year by a variety of unnatural methods, for every healthy person born of a donated egg, another is either killed or barely survives.

"Think forward. If we live in a world where kids are adopted and made with more reproductive technologies and with more parties involved, we will not fret about them quite as much. The kids will just think it's normal."
-- Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University's Langone Medical Center

For background, read IVF: 'Creating' Life & Aborting Life

UPDATE 3/15/15: Secret Designer Babies via Gene-editing Science

For  further background, read Lab Creates Human Life with 3 Biological Parents and also read Women Who Give Birth Live Longer and Healthier as well as Abortion Risks Later Pregnancies, U.S. Media Silent

In addition, read Human Egg Market Hot for Smart Babes as well as Frozen Embryo Custody Lawsuit to Set Precedent

-- From "More U.S. women using donor eggs to get pregnant, with increased success: study" The Associated Press 10/17/13

U.S. women are increasingly using donated eggs to get pregnant, with often good results, although the ideal outcome — a single baby born on time at a healthy weight — is still uncommon, a study found.

That ideal result occurred in about 1 out of 4 donor egg pregnancies in 2010, up from 19 percent a decade earlier, the study found.

Almost 56 percent resulted in a live birth in 2010, and though most of these were generally healthy babies, 37 percent were twins and many were born prematurely, at low birth weights. Less than 1 percent were triplets. Low birth weights are less than about 5½ pounds and babies born that small are at risk for complications including breathing problems, jaundice, feeding difficulties and eye problems.

For women who use in vitro fertilization and their own eggs, the live-birth rate varies by age and is highest — about 40 percent — among women younger than 35.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Donor egg cycles for IVF have increased, as have good outcomes for donor egg births" posted at Emory University News and Events 10/20/13

The researchers examined data at 443 clinics (93 percent of all U.S. fertility centers) and found the number of donor egg cycles performed increased from 10,801 in 2000 to 18,306 in 2010. An increasing trend was also seen in the percentage of cycles that involved frozen embryos (26.7 percent to 40.3 percent) and elective single-embryo transfers (vs. transfers of multiple embryos) (0.8 percent to 14.5 percent). Good perinatal outcomes increased from 18.5 percent to 24.4 percent. (Good perinatal outcome is defined as a single live-born infant delivered at 37 weeks or later weighing 5.5 pounds or more.)

Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the factors associated with unsuccessful outcomes, according to the Emory researchers.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Donor Eggs Increasingly Used for IVF, With Rising Success" by Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter 10/17/13

Dr. Evan Myers, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C., wrote a journal editorial to accompany the study.

"This study confirms that donor eggs have a high success rate," Myers said. "In some ways it confirms what we already knew. The older you are, the harder it is to get pregnant."

The take-away message for women in IVF treatment, he said, is this: "If the chances of success with their own embryos are low, and if they are willing to consider donor eggs, the likelihood is good they will have a healthy baby." [Albeit, about a 50% chance.]

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pregnancy With Donor Eggs: IVF Method Sees Rise In Popularity, Healthier Births" by Susan Scutti, Medical Daily 10/17/13

Throughout the span of years from 2000 to 2010, the researchers noted, the mean age of both donor and recipient remained stable at 28 years old and 41 years old, respectively.

[Donor] compensation ranges from $5,000 to $10,000, with first-time donors at the lower end of that pay scale. Egg donors commonly fall between the ages of 21 and 35 — apparently old enough to legally enter into a contract but young enough to respond well to fertility drugs.

. . . a donor will be hurled into a state of temporary menopause with possible side effects that include mild headaches, hot flashes, and fatigue. After this, a donor begins a new series of drug injections that provide follicle-stimulating hormones and ends with a final injection of HCG, a hormone that stimulates ovulation.

Finally, a donor is prepared for egg retrieval. This is performed vaginally; once the donor has been sedated, her eggs are removed with a needle guided by ultrasound in a procedure that takes about 20-30 minutes total.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "'Where did I come from?' Donor eggs, sperm and a surrogate" by Anndee Hochman, Philadelphia Inquirer 10/17/13

The story of conception is no longer a single narrative: woman, man, sex, baby. At its most complex, it can involve five individuals: a sperm donor, an egg donor, a gestational carrier, and the intended parents. Not to mention petri dishes, hormone injections, and a good reproductive endocrinologist.

And the number of differently conceived children is growing. No one tracks the use of donor sperm, but egg donation swelled by 18 percent between 2003 and 2011. In 2010, 58,727 babies conceived through assisted reproductive technology were born in the United States. That's a lot of kids eventually asking, "Where did I come from?"

The latest [way to explain his/her existence to such a child] is What Makes a Baby, a picture book published in May by sexuality educator Cory Silverberg. Illustrated with bright Keith Haring-esque figures (a blue egg and a yellow sperm dance together, each dressed in striped socks and high-top sneakers), the book explains conception for 3- to 7-year-olds without referring to family type or even the gender of the "grown-ups" who are making the baby.

Silverberg, who will give the keynote talk at Saturday's Philadelphia Family Pride conference, initially wrote the story for some friends - a family with a transgender (female-to-male) dad, his female partner, and their 4-year-old son.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Everyone Pays for 'Gay Fertility' Treatments in California

In addition, read IVF: Women Living and Procreating Without Men