Monday's Washington Post informed us that at least 18 states are considering 36 bills that would "protect" and "shelter" pharmacists and other health care workers from providing care that conflicts with their personal religious beliefs.

About half of the proposals would shield pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control and "morning-after" pills because they believe the drugs cause abortions. But many are far broader measures that would shelter a doctor, nurse, aide, technician or other employee who objects to any therapy. That might include in-vitro fertilization, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cells and perhaps even providing treatment to gays and lesbians.

In an exquisite touch of irony, the Post titled its story "Health Workers' Choice Debated" - because this is the one kind of choice that the Religious Right will defend.

The "March For Life" was remarkably well-controlled. Though marchers periodically broke into Catholic songs, and the post-Halloween trick or treating Jesus above was milling around in bare feet, displays of religiosity seemed subdued. The Family Research Council distributed signs declaring "Equal Rights For All: Born and Unborn," another attempt by the descendants of the Jim Crow forces to co-opt the mood of the civil rights movement. A more novel co-optation of left-wing symbology is depicted below. [click on photo for larger version]

Last week, in a story about the ongoing shutdown of family planning services by the highly influential "pro-life" contingent in the Texas Legislature, I gave passing mention to a parallel initiative -- the diversion of $5,000,000 in funds previously designated for family planning and primary health screening to promote and support crisis pregnancy centers.

Only two groups applied to administer $5 million earmarked to promote childbirth over abortion after Planned Parenthood representatives complained that application requirements were too tight.

The two that answered the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's call for proposals are the Texas Pregnancy Care Network of Bellville, partnered with Real Alternatives; and The Heidi Group of Round Rock, partnered with the Texas Association of Women's Resource Organizations.

Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Jennifer Harris said that although some adjustments in the program description had been made, "We still had to ensure that the active promotion of childbirth is a fundamental aspect of the statewide program that will be developed."  It is astonishing that only two groups claim to qualify for this lucrative contract.  But given the openly stated evangelical mission of crisis pregnancy centers that this initiative will support, meeting the requirements of both the state program and federal law may present a bigger challenge than dissuading women from choosing abortion.  

A division of the American Life League (ALL) issued a report on January 5 with a race-baiting message aimed at the Latino population. Headed by Judie Brown, ALL is a Catholic-based, ultraconservative anti-abortion and anti-contraception religious right group with an annual budget in the $6-$7 million range.  

The ALL group declared that Planned Parenthood clinics are located in states of "high Latino population" and this is the designated Planned Parenthood "current target" to "limit the births of minority children." Not only is this ugly and untrue, it's factual distortion.  Moreover, nowhere is this race-baiting challenged in the media.  

What is the contraceptive mentality, anyway?  If you think it sounds like a good idea, not only are you likely going to hell, but you'll never, never cut it as a Texas legislator.

Courtesy of the American Life League, Monsignor Vincent Foy provides us with a brief primer on this insidious threat to our very survival as a nation. The monsignor would understand perfectly why a group of influential "pro-life" legislators in Texas have embarked on a crusade to stamp out birth control while there's still time.

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Well, confirmation hearings on Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination begin next week in the Senate, so it must be time for  Justice Sunday III, a January 8 Christian right confab to rally support for Bush's campaign to remake the federal courts. You may recall the first Justice Sunday, last April, when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist took heat for appearing on a program that accused Democrats of being "against people of faith" for filibustering some of President Bush's most conservative judicial nominees. This time around, faced with defending a nominee who doesn't believe most racial discrimination cases deserve their day in court, the Family Research Council has stacked the program with black conservatives such as former Georgia state rep Alveda King, Bishop Wellington Boone of Atlanta, and Rev. Herbert Lusk of Philadelphia.

FRC identifies Alveda King as the "daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King," Martin Luther King Jr.'s brother, in order to burnish her civil rights credentials. The only problem is A.D. died by drowning in a swimming pool accident.

Last week, I reported an attempted firebombing of an abortion clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana. I also noted the remarkable silence about this attempted act of domestic terrorism -- even as the act was celebrated by the antiabortion Army of God. As far as I can tell, it was never reported by any media outside of Louisiana.

Today, the Shreveport Times and other state media are reporting the arrest of two suspects.

Focus on the Family has announced its new target in the culture wars: the many women inside evangelical churches who get abortions. Now that the fake war on Christmas is over, Focus on the Family is returning to its tried and true real war on women.   January is a big month for attacking abortion, and this year all the more so because of Supreme Court nomination hearings. In its first post-holiday release, Focus on the Family slung its first arrow: Focus on the Family Challenges Christians on Abortion in the Church.

Antiabortion violence, a staple of American life for a generation, has been in steep decline in recent years. That's why it was so striking to read recently of an attempted firebombing of a clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana. An investigator quoted in the short news item called it potentially an act of domestic terrorism.

Especially conservative, religious right Christians?  There has been no insubstantial discussion of full quiver theology on this site, which instructs followers that they are obliged to have as many babies as possible.  

But no less of religious right icons than Beverly and Tim LaHaye came to a different conclusion. In fact, they endorse birth control and describe The Pill as the best method of contraception in their book The Art of Marriage, first published in 1976 and subtitled The Beauty of Sexual Love..  The 1996 edition says that 2.5 million copies have been sold.

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It would be ridiculous if it weren't so cruel. When Bush first got his global AIDS plan approved by Congress, Republicans tacked on guidance that at least a third of its prevention funds--a total of some $1 billion--should be spent on unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage messages. Now a leaked government document from the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator shows that as of October 1 of this year, abstinence will now command two-thirds of sexual prevention dollars abroad.

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We all know how the Bush administration has pushed Christian right policies at home, but many of the most devastating effects of the delegation of public policy to the James Dobson lobby are being felt abroad, especially when it comes to sexual health.