Abortion

Increasing boldness by extreme Islamists is one of six top religious news stories that the Institute on Religion & Democracy predicts will make major headlines in 2012.

The religious freedom advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., warns that proclamations such as those made by the terrorist group Boko Haram declaring that all Christians must leave Nigeria indicates more of the same for this year.

“Islamists globally are making more assertive demands against vulnerable religious minorities,” IRD officials stated in their “IRD Predicts Top Church News of 2012” report released Thursday. “Egypt's Coptic Christians may face rule by Islamic parties and accelerated attacks by emboldened militants.” more >>

Focus on the Family launches its "Be a Voice for Life Campaign" this month as part of a yearlong effort to promote the dignity of human life at all stages. The emphasis during the first quarter of the campaign is preborn babies.

The Colorado Springs, Colo.-based pro-family group is kicking off its campaign with an emphasis on preborn babies, in observance of Sanctity of Life month. The overall goal is to educate people about the “inherent value and God-given worth of all human beings from the beginning of life in the womb to natural death – and at every point in between,” the ministry announced Wednesday.

“We live in a time where human life seems to be devalued at every turn, whether by abortion, violence, cultural and ethnic clashes, human trafficking, slavery or pornography,” said Kelly Rosati, vice president of Community Outreach, in a statement. “We need to communicate – and demonstrate through action – that human beings are created in the sacred image of God. As such, every person deserves justice, dignity, and especially the right to life.” more >>

Facebook removed a profile picture set by the director of a pro-choice advocacy group that outlines how a woman can self-administer an abortion using over-the-counter medication. But the social media site quickly reposted the image following protests.

Rebecca Gomperts’ Facebook profile image advises women seeking abortions to buy 12 tablets of Misoprostol – a medication used to prevent ulcers in arthritic patients – and instructs abortion seekers to say the requested medicine is “for your grandmother with arthritis.”

Gomperts’ advocacy organization, Women on Waves, sends groups of women on ships around the world to countries where abortions are illegal. The group, based out of Holland, says it only services nations at the request of local women’s groups. Abortions are then conducted using pills. more >>

DefendChristians.Org released a list of its top 10 anti-Christian acts in the U.S. for 2011 and the majority relate to gay rights, abortion and religious liberty.

The group asked its online members to submit events they saw as discrimination against Christians or religious liberty this year. Voters listed the bill signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown forcing public school curriculum and textbooks to "celebrate" homosexuals, transgenders, and bisexuals as the number one anti-Christian act of 2011.

Brown signed the bill back in July. It requires public schools in California to revamp their social studies curriculum to ensure that it includes contributions from famous gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. more >>

Being pro-life in Hollywood can often be the kiss of death for actors. But a new list of five pro-life male celebrities was recently compiled by LifeNews.com.

Those that made the cut include: Jack Nicholson, Eduardo Verastegui, Ben Stein, James Caviezel, and Mel Gibson.

Verastegui took first place on the list. The Mexican actor is best known for his 2007 film “Bella,” which his production company, Metanoia, produced. more >>

A New York woman claims her boss made her choose between getting an abortion or losing her job, yet still ended up getting fired even after she terminated her pregnancy.

The ultimatum is at the heart of a lawsuit that Catherine Rizzo, a 25-year-old mother of two, has filed against the owner of Cooky's Deli in Bohemia, N.Y.

“The owner’s daughter pulled me in the office, and basically told me if I didn’t have an abortion, I wasn’t going to have a job,” Rizzo told The New York Post. more >>