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Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—on key issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs:

 

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INTERVIEW October 3, 2007
A Progressive Argument Against the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide
The debate over physician-assisted suicide is often portrayed as a battle between social or religious conservatives who oppose the practice and liberals or progressives who support it. But not everyone fits neatly into this paradigm.
INTERVIEW June 27, 2007
From the Ten Commandments to Christmas Trees: Public Religious Displays and the Courts
In recent decades, a growing number of citizens and civil liberties groups have sued towns, cities and states over religious symbols in the public square, arguing that these displays should be removed because they violate the First Amendment's prohibition on government establishment of religion.
ANALYSIS June 27, 2007
Religious Displays and the Courts
Each year as the winter holidays approach, Americans across the country debate the appropriateness of the government sponsoring, or even permitting, the display of Christmas nativity scenes, Hanukkah menorahs and other religious holiday symbols on public property.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT June 14, 2007
After Gonzales v. Carhart : The Future of Abortion Jurisprudence
On April 18, 2007, the Supreme Court handed down a major ruling on abortion rights, upholding the constitutionality of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.
ANALYSIS June 13, 2007
Twenty Years After a Landmark Supreme Court Decision, Americans Are Still Fighting About Evolution
Twenty years ago, on June 19, 1987, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that dramatically reshaped the debate over teaching evolution in public schools.
ANALYSIS June 6, 2007
The High Court Upholds the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act
On April 18, 2007, the Supreme Court handed abortion opponents a major victory, ruling that the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act does not violate the constitutional right to abortion.
INTERVIEW May 9, 2007
School Graduations, Religion and the Courts
Spring is the season for school graduations, and graduation ceremonies play a featured role in the national debate over the place of religion in public education. Is a clergyman's benediction at a public school event a violation of the separation of church and state?
ANALYSIS May 9, 2007
Religion in the Public Schools
Nearly a half-century after the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling striking down school-sponsored prayer, Americans continue to fight over the place of religion in public schools.
ANALYSIS April 19, 2007
High Court Decision Could Raise Abortion's Profile in Campaign
Wednesday's 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding a federal law banning a controversial abortion procedure may dramatically raise abortion's visibility in the presidential election campaign.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT February 28, 2007
Same-Sex Marriage in California: Legal and Political Prospects
Special Report: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate A Stable Majority: Most Americans Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Additional Resources Map: Stat...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT December 12, 2006
The Christmas Wars: Religion in the American Public Square
Every year as the holiday season gets underway, debates break out across the country over the appropriateness of religious displays in public spaces, such as crèches and menorahs placed in town halls. But the so-called "Christmas wars&...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT November 2, 2006
Judicial Showdown: The Supreme Court Returns to the Abortion Debate
On Nov. 8, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases that challenge the constitutionality of the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. The Act aims to prohibit a doctor from performing what the legislation calls a "partial bir...
ANALYSIS November 1, 2006
The Supreme Court Revisits the Partial Birth Abortion Issue
Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Download the full backgrounder (12-page pdf) Abortion resource page Introduction On Nov. 8, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases that challenge the constitutionality o...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT September 26, 2006
God's Country? Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy
In his recent article in Foreign Affairs, Walter Russell Mead argues that as U.S. evangelicals exert increasing political influence, they are becoming a powerful force in foreign affairs. In recent years, evangelicals have voted overwhelmingly Rep...
EVENT TRANSCRIPT September 8, 2006
Dr. No? The Debate on Conscience in Health Care
Does requiring pharmacists to dispense medication they find morally objectionable violate their rights to the free exercise of religion? Or, are religious objections secondary to a woman's right to receive an approved prescription in a timely mann...
INTERVIEW July 26, 2006
Washington State High Court Upholds Gay Marriage Ban
The Pew Forum's legal expert David Masci explains the impact of the latest legal ruling on gay marriage in Washington.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT July 21, 2006
The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It?
The Pew Forum, together with the Federalist Society and the Constitution Project, recently held an event examining the application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty in the United States, focusing on issues such as habeas corpus ...
INTERVIEW July 6, 2006
Courts Rule Against Gay Marriage in Two States
The courts ruled against gay marriage in two top state courts recently in Georgia and New York. What is the political impact for supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage?
INTERVIEW May 26, 2006
Federal Court Sends Back Georgia Evolution Sticker Case
The Pew Forum's legal expert David Masci explains the impact of the latest legal ruling in the battle over teaching evolution in American public schools.
INTERVIEW May 11, 2006
Judge Allows Religious Rights Case at Guantanamo Bay to Move Forward
A federal judge has said 4 former detainees at Guantanamo Bay may file a lawsuit alleging their religious rights were violated even though they are not U.S. residents or living in the U.S.
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