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Gay Washington senator remains rooted in faith

Sen. Ed Murray has made it his life's work to represent the vulnerable and marginalized. But as a devout Catholic, his position on same-sex marriage has invited scrutiny.

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Supreme Court declines to hear Oklahoma 'personhood' law case

An Oklahoma ruling that stopped an attempt to amend the state constitution to define "personhood" to ban abortion will stand after the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.

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Adult stem cells offer ethical, effective cures, speakers say

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Finding safe and effective cures to disease and illness does not have to go against moral and ethical principles; that was the message of a three-day conference at the Vatican on adult stem-cell therapies.

"To address global suffering, one does not have to choose between faith and science. ... These two ideas fit together symbiotically," said Dr. Robin Smith, chairman and CEO of the for-profit NeoStem biopharmaceutical company and president of its nonprofit Stem for Life Foundation.

Curbing gun violence 'builds a culture of life,' bishop tells senators

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Days before the Senate began debate over gun-control legislation, Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., urged senators to support a bill that "builds a culture of life by promoting policies that reduce gun violence and saves people's lives in homes and communities."

Blaire, head of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said in a letter to Senate members Monday that one bill, S. 649, was "a positive step in the right direction."

The bill requires universal background checks for all gun buys and makes gun trafficking a federal crime.

Immigration rally cries out to Congress to fix range of problems

From across the country, by bus, plane and train, tens of thousands of people calling for comprehensive immigration reform covered the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, in one of more than a dozen similar events taking place around the United States.

Cries of: "Si, se puede," Spanish for "yes, we can," and "What do we want? Citizenship. When do we want it? Now!" rose from the crowd in Washington.

Opponents of gay marriage say they're not bigots

They are moms and dads, authors and activists, a former police officer and a former single mom. They're black and white and Hispanic. One's a Roman Catholic archbishop, another an evangelical minister. Many have large families -- including gay members.

They are among the leading opponents of gay marriage, or as they prefer to be called, defenders of traditional marriage. And they're trying to stop an increasingly popular movement as it approaches two dates with history this week at the Supreme Court.

HHS: Seniors saved more than $6 billion because of health care law

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According to a March 21 press release from the U.S. Health and Human Services:

As the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act approaches, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today more than 6.3 million people with Medicare saved over $6.1 billion on prescription drugs because of the health care law.

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Editorial: 'Intrinsically evil' canard is a deception

Editorial: Catholic voter's guides that use "intrinsic evil" as the measuring stick to choose "nonnegotiables" are partisan distractions and should be ignored.

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Seattle pastor to parishioners: 'Authority never supplants conscience'

A Seattle pastor urged his parishioners to use their consciences when it comes to voting for a same-sex marriage referendum Nov. 6.

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The American voter is a gullible idealist

Column: The mystery is why so many citizens allow themselves to be sucked into the political miasma and be complicit. How? By voting.

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In This Issue

May 10-23, 2013

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