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Today, the United States Senate voted on an anti-infanticide bill introduced by Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The legislation needed 60 votes to pass, and it failed by a vote of 53 in favor and 44 against. The bill stated that “if an abortion results in the live birth of an infant, the infant is a legal person for all purposes under the laws of the United States, and entitled to all the protections of such laws.” The 2002 Born Alive Infants Protection Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush, established that any...

The US Justice Department is intervening in a private lawsuit against H&R Block for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. H&R Block is a large provider of American tax services and informational services for tax payers.

Hi Folks!  This is perhaps the most absurd story ever reported here — and that’s saying a lot! A reader named Rachel writes:A Deaf child named Hunter is not allowed to use his name sign because the sign for “Hunter” (a dictionary word) uses the thumb and first two fingers in a gun shape and suggests a shooting motion. Here’s the story.These school officials have lost their ability to reason if they believe stripping a child of his name is necessary for safety under a weapons policy. Educators who are unable to use logic and critical thinking have no business...

Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the National Drug Control Policy, has announced a new focus on treating drug addiction as a disease, not a moral failing, and emphasizes removing the stigma placed on drug abusers. Speaking at the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, Calif., on Monday, Kerlikowske declared “this country hasn’t looked at recovery in a way that makes sense,” and that he intended to “use the bully pulpit of the White House in a way that brings it out into the open.” Previous federal drug policies were a three-legged stool, Kerlikowske said, with criminalization, prevention and treatment serving...

The Obama Administration is suing a trucking company for firing a driver who admitted he was alcoholic. Unreal. FOX News reported: Citing a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Obama administration is suing a trucking company for taking the keys away from an Arkansas driver and eventually firing him after he admitted he was battling alcohol abuse. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit this week arguing that Old Dominion Freight Line discriminated against Charles Grams by stripping him of his position and offering him a demotion even if he completed a substance abuse counseling program....

  The revolution in tort liability has claimed another victim. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is now traveling lighter by around $140,000. The reason is a decision handed down about a month ago by a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concerning two of its San Diego-area outlets that supposedly wouldn't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The award might not be a king's ransom by the standards of one of the nation's most successful restaurant chains. But the ruling could have major consequences for the way business as a whole operates in this...

The Legacy of Terri Schiavo From the April 11, 2005 issue: What we can do so this won't happen again. by Wesley J. Smith 04/11/2005, Volume 010, Issue 28 TERRI SCHIAVO IS DEAD. But her death by dehydration last week need not be in vain. Great good can still come from the harsh, two week ordeal she--and to a lesser extent, we--were forced to undergo by court order. Terri's story generated a torrent of compassion. (The root meaning of compassion is to "suffer with," which is precisely what her legions of supporters did.) Hundreds of thousands of people who had...

BLAIR HORNSTINE is a straight-A student. Make that straight A-plus. She scored 1570 on her SATs out of a possible 1600. She'll attend Harvard in the fall. And until recently, it appeared as if she would be the sole valedictorian of her class at Moorestown High School, Burlington County. What makes her achievement all the more noteworthy is that Hornstine, 18, is a physically disabled, special-education student. She suffers from an immune-system disorder similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, which made it impossible for her to attend most of her classes at the school. But now Moorestown's schools superintendent, allegedly taking...

SHUTESBURY, Mass. -People who attend Shutesbury's upcoming town meeting will be segregated by scent to avoid disturbing those hypersensitive to chemicals and odors. Splitting the meeting hall into three sections May 3 is part of a two-year-long effort that also has produced "fragrance-free" hours at the library. One section of the room will be reserved for people who never use perfumes or scented deodorants, detergents or other products. The second will be for those who sometimes wear fragrance but not on the day of the meeting, and the third will be labeled, "Seating for those who forgot and used cologne...

Nov. 9 — Those public service lawyers are at it again — they're out "protecting your rights" — in this case they're enforcing the Americans With Disabilities Act. Lawyers complain the Wildside Adult Sports Cabaret in West Palm Beach, Fla., violates the act, because among other things, a stairwell in the club prevents people in wheelchairs from getting a lap dance upstairs. No matter that you can get a lap dance downstairs. He says that room isn't good enough. It's still "discrimination," says the suit, causing "emotional distress." And the club must pay "damages" … and Anthony Brady's legal fees....

On April 9, the U.S. Department of Justice's civil-rights division sued SFX Entertainment Inc. — now called Clear Channel Entertainment — because it prohibits anyone from taking a syringe into a rock concert. Huh? Well, the problem is that this policy makes no exception for insulin-using diabetics. In the Justice Department's view, this violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Rock concerts are "public accommodations" under the ADA, insulin-dependent diabetics are "disabled," and letting them take their syringes with them is a "reasonable modification" of Clear Channel's general anti-syringe policy. Clear Channel says it was surprised by the lawsuit. It...