Ethics/rights

John Mark and Pamela Crawford are suing the state of South Carolina for performing sex assignment surgery on their adoptive infant three months prior to having legal custody of the child. This is the first lawsuit of its kind in the nation.

Their child, known as M.C., was born with both male and female reproductive organs, otherwise known as a special needs child that has an intersex condition. When M.C. was 16 months old and a ward of the state, under the care of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, doctors and department officials decided that M.C. should undergo sex assignment surgery to make M.C. a girl. The child's biological mother was deemed unfit and the biological father was considered to have abandoned the child. The decision about the child's sexuality was left to the state.

M.C. is now 8 years old, identifies as a boy, dresses as a boy, and refuses to be called a girl. M.C.'s surgery is irreversible. Left with female genitalia, his parents say that he feels like he has always been a boy and he has announced to his school and church community that he is a boy. more >>

National Religious Broadcasters President & CEO Dr. Frank Wright asked members of Congress investigating the IRS over its alleged inappropriate scrutiny of conservative and faith-based groups to focus on First Amendment protection for such organizations.

"As Congress investigates these incidents at the IRS, and others that may surface in the days ahead, I ask that you emphasize the First Amendment rights of non-profit religious organizations and churches, which gives them constitutional authority to operate free from government entanglement," wrote Wright in a letter sent to House Speaker John Boehner and other Congressional leaders, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

"Pernicious targeting of faith-based organizations by any state actor must not be tolerated," Wright added. "These IRS cases before the nation today appear to be just such entangling, oppressive, and constitutionally unsound situations that must be protected against." more >>

The National Right to Life Committee responded to news of a milestone breakthrough in human cloning by speaking out against the killing of human embryos for medical science.

"These researchers created many human embryos, male and female, and allowed them to grow for up to seven days, for the sole purpose of killing them and harvesting their stem cells," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.

"We will certainly continue to oppose attempts in Congress to provide federal funds to create human embryos for the purpose of harvesting their cells – which is a step towards human embryo farms." more >>

Police are searching for 40 mentally ill patients who escaped from Kenya's only psychiatric facility. Mental health care is seriously underfunded in the country, and patients complained that their medications were ineffective.

Approximately 70 male patients overpowered the hospital guards; 40 of them managed to escape, while the other 30 remained in custody. Samuel Anampiu, the police chief in the area, said that patients had complained of ineffective medications and decided to rebel. They had staged a protest prior to overpowering the guards, police said.

"We have all their particulars, including their pictures," Anampiu told the Associated Press. "That will make it easy for us to identify them." more >>

A U.S. soldier has revealed that she experienced harassment from fellow soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan because of her Muslim-sounding name.

Although identifying as a Roman Catholic, Sgt. 1st Class Naida Hosan says that fellow soldiers taunted her by calling her "Sgt. Hussein" and asking her what God she prays to, The Associated Press reported.

"I was called Sgt. Hussein, as in Saddam Hussein," she revealed. "Even when I would correct them on the pronunciation of my name, I was still called Sgt. Hussein. I was asked what God I pray to. And there were a lot of references to hajjis, used as a derogatory term." more >>

The mass exodus of millions of Christians from one part of the Islamic world to another as the result of persecution by Muslims has reached epidemic proportions, says a Middle East and Islam expert. In fact, Christians may completely disappear from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt, warns the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

"This matter of Muslim persecution of Christians is a humanitarian crisis at this point," said Raymond Ibrahim in a recent interview with Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch. Ibrahim is the author of the recently released book, Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians.

"It's something that is little known of or heard of or acted upon. In fact, not only is the Obama administration ignoring it, but it is actually exacerbating it, making it worse, a la the Arab Spring and other matters," said Ibrahim, who is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum. more >>