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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

CA Lawyers File Lawsuit to Block Campaign Finance Records From Public View

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Pro-Marriage Supporters Face Threats in California

by Steve Lawrence, AP writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Supporters of the ballot measure that banned same-sex "marriage" in California have filed a lawsuit seeking to block their campaign finance records from public view, saying the reports have led to the harassment of donors.

"No one should have to worry about getting a death threat because of the way he or she votes," said James Bopp, Jr., an attorney representing two groups that supported Proposition 8, Protect Marriage.com and the National Organization for Marriage California. "This lawsuit will protect the right of all people to help support causes they agree with, without having to worry about harassment or threats."

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Sacramento, asks the court to order the secretary of state's office to remove all donations for the proposition from its website. It also asks the court to relieve the two groups and "all similarly situated persons" from having to meet the state's campaign disclosure requirements. That would include having to file a final report on Proposition 8 contributions at the end of January, as well as reports for any future campaigns the groups undertake.

Proposition 8, approved by 52.3 percent of California voters on Nov. 4, reversed a state Supreme Court decision allowing homosexual marriage. The measure's opponents have asked the Supreme Court to overturn it.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday cites a series of incidents in which those who gave money to support Proposition 8 received threatening phone calls, e-mails and postcards. One woman claims she was told: "If I had a gun, I would have gunned you down along with each and every other supporter." Another donor reported a broken window, one said a fliyer calling him a bigot was distributed around his hometown and others received envelopes containing suspicious white power, according to the lawsuit.

Businesses employing people who contributed to the Proposition 8 campaign have been threatened with boycotts, the suit said.

Supporters of the homosexual marriage ban fear the donor backlash will hurt their efforts to raise money in the future, perhaps to fight an initiative seeking to overturn the ban.

"Several donors have indicated that they will not contribute to committee plaintiffs or similar organizations in the future because of the threats and harassment directed at them as a result of their contributions...and the public disclosure of that fact," the lawsuit said.

The suit said courts have held that laws requiring disclosure of campaign contributions can be overturned or restricted if a group can make "an uncontroverted showing" that identifying its members can result in economic reprisals or threats of physical coercion. California's Political Reform Act, which voters approved in 1974, established disclosure requirements for candidates and campaign committees.

[Read entire article here]

 

Hospital Could Force Staff to ‘Dismember Pre-Born Babies’

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Hospital Could Force Staff to ‘Dismember Pre-Born Babies’

by Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow

A legal alliance of Christian attorneys is taking University of Wisconsin hospitals to task on second-trimester abortions.

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Matt Bowman has sent a letter to officials at the hospitals and clinics about implementing a secret and potentially illegal plan to perform the abortions with a jointly-operated clinic.

"In Wisconsin there's a plan to take a legitimate medical facility and impose upon it -- by its leadership at the University of Wisconsin -- late-term, second-trimester abortions," he explains, "and pro-life health professionals at the facility who object are in danger of being required to participate in some way."

According to an ADF press release, the plan could force reluctant employees to "[dismember] preborn babies," regardless of firmly held religious views they might have against it. The act could also be determined as illegal funding of abortion by the state.

Bowman believes no one should be forced to act against ethical or religious objections in the work place. "ADF is prepared to take legal action immediately on any coercion or penalties applied to pro-life health professionals because of their objection to this," he points out.

Any coercion, Bowman adds, could mean the school is violating state or federal law, or both.