A group of 13 religious leaders from various denominations filed a lawsuit on January 19 in St.Louis, Missouri, challenging the state’s ban on abortion, arguing that lawmakers used their religious beliefs to pass the law and imposed those beliefs on others.
A new report from the Pew Research Center reveals that the 118th US Congress is more Christian and religious than the general public.
The new report says that around 88% of all members of Congress are Christian, compared to only 63% of Americans who identify as such. That includes 57% of Congress members who identify as Protestant and 28% who are Catholic, both higher than the national percentage.
A 19-year-old man named Trevor Bickford is accused of assaulting New York Police Department (NYPD) officers using a machete on New Year's Eve. Prosecutors say that he traveled to the city "in order to kill people and carry out Jihad."
On November 1, a federal court in Pakistan instructed an officer representing Baluchistan Province to submit a report regarding the marriage of a five-year-old girl in his district, as well as an overview of the practice of child marriage and what steps are being taken to stop it.
UN member states have called out India to improve its human rights record.
During a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of New Delhi's human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), UN member states advised India to take a stronger stance on sexual violence and religious discrimination. The UPR, conducted every four years, evaluates member states' human rights records. Any member state may query the state being reviewed and offer suggestions.
The Satanic Temple has filed a lawsuit against the current abortion laws in the state of Idaho. The lawsuit claims that the laws violate religious freedom, property rights, and involuntary servitude.
Religious organizations in the US defended a loophole allowing clergy not to report child abuse cases. In 2020, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City heavily opposed House Bill 90 (HB90) in Utah.
The Catholic church argued that the “bill would violate the confidentiality of the confessional seal.” In February, the Catholic church gathered 9,000 signed letters from its parishioners and sent them to Rep. Angela Romero, the bill’s author.
