Around Wisconsin
... Judge rules social worker violated children's right to be free of unreasonable search in Milwaukee area Christian school
... State senator announces Tax Freedom Day for Wisconsin
... Governor Doyle receives "Stand Up For Women" award from Planned Parenthood Action Fund
... Wisconsin religious free speech case petition filed with U.S. Supreme Court

Around the Nation
... Massachusetts governor takes stand against traditional marriage and human life
... Long-term study of children in day care shows behavior trends by 6th grade
... "Paramount Right to Life Amendment" filed in Georgia
... NOW alleges discrimination in Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative

Around Wisconsin Family Council
... Wisconsin Family Council issues press release on proposed physician-assisted suicide bill
... Legislation Wisconsin Family Council is tracking

Around Wisconsin

... Judge rules social worker violated children's right to be free of unreasonable search in Milwaukee area Christian school
US District Judge Lynn Adelman has ruled that Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare social worker Dana Gresbach violated the constitutional rights of two students, a boy and a girl who are step-siblings, at Good Hope Christian Academy in February 2004. Gresbach was investigating an allegation of abuse and checked under the children's clothing for signs of abuse after forbidding the academy principal to be present and forbidding him to call the parents of the children. Gresbach and the other defendants have filed an appeal. Waukesha Attorney Michael D. Dean represents the girl and her mother in the lawsuit. Read more...

... State senator announces Tax Freedom Day for Wisconsin
Wisconsin citizens have to work until May 2 to pay the taxes they owe before they start earning money for themselves, Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) states in a press release issued earlier this week. Last year's Tax Freedom Day for Wisconsin fell on April 28. The Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. releases a Tax Freedom Day study each year. "This study illustrates that Wisconsinites have one of the heaviest tax burdens in the nation," said Lazich. "...Under Governor Doyle’s tax and spend budget, Wisconsin taxpayers will bear an even greater workload, working longer days just to pay off their tax obligations.

... Governor Doyle receives "Stand Up For Women" award from Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Planned Parenthood Action Fund gave Governor Doyle its "Stand Up For Women" award last week at the Planned Parenthood conference in Los Angeles for what they consider his work to promote health and safety for women. The governor said in a statement, "When it comes to the issue of choice, it’s time to move beyond the fights, and get to a broader agenda – an agenda of reducing unwanted pregnancies. “We should be helping people, in a realistic way, to plan a family, and make wise decisions about their health." [Ed note: Is this why Governor Doyle has refused federal funds for abstinence education, why he proposes expanding the Medicaid family planning waiver to include young men, why he vetoed a bill last session that would have informed women seeking an abortion of the pain their baby would feel?]

... Wisconsin religious free speech case petition filed with U.S. Supreme Court
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case involving free speech on a pedestrian highway overpass in Madison. In 2003 Madison police threatened to arrest Ralph Ovadal and then prohibited him from displaying a sign on an overpass expressing his religious views on homosexual behavior. At the same time, the city allowed other individuals and groups to display signs (including campaign messages, anti-war protests and expressions of support for high school sports teams) on other overpasses. "The government cannot suppress peaceful religious speech simply because the audience may have an adverse reaction to it," said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum.  "Determining whether or not speech will be heard on this basis is unconstitutional." A district court ruled against Ovadal in 2005 and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court's decision. The 7th Circuit refused to rehear the case.

Around the Nation

... Massachusetts governor takes stand against traditional marriage and human life
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has ordered officials to record the marriages of 26 out-of-state same-sex couples, thereby reversing the action of former Gov. Mitt Romney. Gov. Patrick is also pushing to reverse restrictions on stem cell research that would prohibit the creation of human embryos for the sole intent of research. Former Gov. Romney supported the restrictions.

... Long-term study of children in day care shows behavior trends by 6th grade
The Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development recently released by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) shows an increase in vocabulary and an increase in disruptive behavior by grade 6 of children who are in day care for a year or more. The article appears in the March/April 2007 issue of Child Development. The 1,364 children in the analysis had been tracked since birth as part of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, the largest, longest-running, and most comprehensive study of child care in the United States. Read more...

... "Paramount Right to Life Amendment" filed in Georgia
Earlier this week Georgia legislators introduced the nation's first "Paramount Right to Life" Amendment, H.R. 536. If this effort is successful, Georgia will become the first state in the nation to establish the personhood of each of its citizens from fertilization until natural death. Read more...

... NOW alleges discrimination in Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative
The National Organization for Women (NOW) and Legal Momentum, a radical feminist advocacy group, have filed a complaint with the Dept. of Health and Human Services alleging that the Department's "Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative" is illegal because it targets men. The Initiative currently receives $50 million every year to fund programs that help fathers with parenting skills, job skills, education, and substance-abuse prevention and treatment. Administration officials say helping men become better fathers will help women and children too and that equal access to the programs is required. Read more...

Around Wisconsin Family Council

... Wisconsin Family Council issues press release on proposed physician-assisted suicide bill
Read the press release issued by Wisconsin Family Council on the proposed bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Wisconsin.

... Legislation Wisconsin Family Council is tracking

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