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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Christianity Required? ACLU Calls for Investigation into OR Pregnancy Prevention Program

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Friday, May 4, 2007   

The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the government to investigate evidence that taxpayer dollars are funding religion in the "Stop and Think" program, a service of the Oregon-based Lane Pregnancy Support Center. Jann Carson with the ACLU of Oregon says a contract requiring presenters to have an "authentic relationship with Jesus Christ" raises concerns.

“If there is a misuse of dollars, then the government has an obligation to remedy that and to monitor how the taxpayers' dollars are being used in these programs.”

Abstinence-only programs receive $176 million in federal funds every year, and the ACLU says these funds should not be tied to a religious requirement for presenters.

Carson notes that a religious test for employees runs afoul of the Constitution when government funding is involved.

“It is impermissible for government to favor one religion over another.”

The ACLU's letters to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and a copy of the Stop and Think contract are available at www.aclu.org.



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