Having posted on what I think is overheated and, in the final analysis, completely counterproductive rhetoric on abortion, I ran across an instance of an overzealous concern for the slippery slope that I think has the same effect. The two Catholic bishops of North Carolina are encouraging Catholics to oppose an anti-bullying bill pending passage in the state legislature because it might lead to same-sex marriage--a big leap in the minds of many.

The case of the 9-year-old Brazilian girl who was discovered to be pregnant with twins after being raped by her stepfather has now drawn comment from Rome, according to the BBC. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation for Bishops, defended Archbishop of Olinda and Recife Jose Cardoso Sobrinho's decision to excommunicate the mother of the girl and medical personnel who terminated her pregnancy. Sobrinho has been attacked by members of the Brazilian government.