religious freedom

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has debased itself by turning into a lobbying group of the most aggressive and inappropriate sort.

Valencia Robinson talks about the ACLU lawsuit against Mississippi's HHS. Also, the Values Voters said some weird stuff, and why health care reform is a woman's issue.

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte

Talking about women talking about virginity loss with Abby Kincaid. Also, the ACLU vs. abstinence-only in Mississippi and more lies about health care reform.

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte

Stanley Fish applies philosophy to the Provider Conscience Rule debate. He points out that Hobbes’s definition of “conscience” was almost exactly the opposite of the way we think of the word today. Hobbes looked to the word’s etymology—“to know in concert with one another”—to reason that the word could refer to public or common knowledge.

"Expelled," the anti-Darwinist polemic, and the creationist movement behind it, share goals, tactics and leaders with anti-choicers. It's a multi-pronged mission to insert fundamentalist religious principles into all areas of public life.

Think that child marriage only happens in the developing world? Think again - a fundamentalist sect of Mormonism has been marrying the young girls in their community to men two or even three times their age.