Related articles and links |  1 of 4

•

Life Ethics:

• Deaths after abortion pill to be studied by officials | Federal drug regulators have discovered that all four women in this country who died after taking an abortion pill suffered from a rare and highly lethal bacterial infection, a finding that is leading to new scrutiny of the drug's safety. (The New York Times)
• Earlier: Review of 'Plan B' pill is faulted | Critics of the FDA's handling of the issue said the report confirmed their view that the agency had allowed politics to trump science. (Washington Post)
• Cloning pioneer battles ethics charges | Everything seemed so bright for pioneering South Korean stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk just a few weeks ago after two major breakthroughs this year. Now the man who made world headlines by cloning a dog faces a swirl of allegations over the ethics of his team's work. (Reuters)

Vatican says 'no gay seminarians':

• In strong terms, Rome is to ban gays as priests | A new Vatican document excludes from the priesthood most gay men, with few exceptions, banning in strong and specific language candidates "who are actively homosexual, have deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called 'gay culture.' " (The New York Times)
• Vatican closes door on gay seminarians | The Vatican is toughening its stand against gay candidates for the priesthood, specifying in a new document that even men with "transitory" homosexual tendencies must overcome their urges for at least three years before entering the clergy. (Associated Press)
• Vatican says active gays not welcome in priesthood | Practising homosexuals should be barred from entering the Roman Catholic priesthood, the Vatican says, taking a strict line on the place of gays in the clergy, an issue that has divided the faithful worldwide. (Reuters)
• Vatican gay document prompts criticism | A new Vatican document on homosexuality in the Catholic priesthood touched off a storm of criticism on Wednesday from those who say the Church is missing the point and using gays as scapegoats for its sex scandals. (Reuters)
• Vatican document sets new rules on gays in seminaries | The Vatican is ordering seminaries to bar candidates for the priesthood who "practice homosexuality," have "deeply rooted homosexual tendencies" or support "gay culture," according to a document published Tuesday by Adista, a Catholic news agency in Rome. (Washington Post)
• Vatican issues a qualified ban on gays in priesthood | Men who have "deep-rooted homosexual tendencies" or who sustain a "gay culture" may not be trained to become Roman Catholic priests, the Vatican says in a new document posted Tuesday on a Catholic news website. (Los Angeles Times)

Religion & politics:

• A religiosity issue | Washington Monthly's current issue headlines "Milt Romney's Evangelical Problem." Romney, like Ernest Istook of Oklahoma City, is a Mormon. (Claremore Daily Progress, Ok.)
• Mass. gay marriage foes may get on ballot | Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to put a stop to gay marriage in Massachusetts said Tuesday they have gathered almost twice the number of signatures needed to put it on the ballot in 2008. (Associated Press)

Church & state:

• Coach sues over right to pray with team | The East Brunswick High School football coach who was barred by his school district in New Jersey from praying alongside his players has filed a lawsuit alleging that the district's action infringed on his constitutional rights. (The New York Times)
• Firefighters to erect monument with controversial poem | Firefighters will be allowed to erect a memorial that features a poem with a reference to God and language that some town councilors viewed as sexist. (The Boston Globe)

next page... |  1 of 4

November (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49