Watch out Tom Cruise. The Australian government might try to declassify Scientology as a religion and reclassify it as a criminal organization. In a speech he gave to the Aussie Senate on Tuesday night, Senator Nick Xenophon claimed that the church was guilty of torture, forced imprisonment, and coerced abortion, embezzlement and blackmail. He unearthed letters from an ex-Scientologist, which detailed abuse and violence that happened within the religion, and said that horrors such as forced confinement, torture and abortion, were ordered. 

As the Senate attempts to suck the fat out of the 2,000-plus-page health care reform bill, there is one provision that donkeys are fighting to keep intact. Democrats have proposed a way to nip and tuck a few Benjamins to help pay for the health care reform plan. I’ll give you a hint—it doesn’t have to do with abortions, mammograms, or pap smears—or any procedures women actually need. They plan to raise $5 billion over the next 10 years by taxing 5 percent on all cosmetic surgery procedures. Want a tummy tuck, silicon bubbies, or some warm botulism injected into your face? Under this provision, you’ll have to pay a tax. Reconstructive surgeries due to cancer or injury would not be subject to the tax. Naturally the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery is against this “Botax.” So what do you think? Is the “Botax” a good idea? [NY Daily News]

I’m sorry, but are our country’s medical agencies smoking something? Just a few days after new breast cancer screening guidelines recommended mammograms only for women 50 and older and declared self-breast exams moot, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is now telling women to delay getting their first pap smear until they are 21 and to get them less often afterwards. This is pretty confusing because, until today, the rule was that women should have their first terribly uncomfortable meeting with the dreaded stirrups shortly after becoming sexual active, and that they should get a pap every year at their annual check-up. So why the change? ACOG says that in young women, HPV—the virus that can lead to cervical cancer—is very prevalent and that the huge majority of women clear the virus on their own, without any medical intervention. They say that there are only one to two cases of cervical cancer a year for every million women between the ages of 15 and 19. But because testing has become so routine, ACOG says that young women who are very unlikely to develop cervical cancer are getting invasive procedures to remove precancerous growths and cells that would clear on their own. And that they’re having complications, like injury to the cervix, that can cause problems if they have a baby. As for recommending less frequent testing, ACOG argues that cervical cancer develops slowly—it can take 10 to 20 years—so can be caught early even with less rigorous testing. [NY Times]

While these arguments sound logical, I have a hard time believing that this can be a good idea. And honestly, it makes me pretty mad.

Being a police officer is hard, especially when you have to write speeding tickets. Sometimes the drivers won’t pull over; other times people just get really pissed, and occasionally ... a cat climbs on your head while you are responding to the call of duty. Even the FOX newscasters had trouble keeping straight faces when they aired this video of a cat who obvs thought this police officer was a tree. The dude kicked the little kitty away repeatedly, but it came right back, eventually making it up to the cop’s head. The ‘po should have just put the little critter in handcuffs. Duh.

• Conan O’Brien is the subject of pissy Tweets by plus-sized actresses Kirstie Alley and Star Jones after cracking jokes about Alley’s size. Example? A recent earthquake drill in California might have just been a response to Alley jazzercising. [New York Daily News]—Ah, fat jokes: the province of lazy comedians. Maybe he could mix up his repertoire and do ugly jokes, too? And for her part, maybe Alley could practice what she preaches and stop drawing so much attention to her own weight.
• An analysis by George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services found that the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to Obama’s health care reform bill would “produce industry-wide effects, leading to the elimination of health plan coverage for nearly all medically indicated abortions.” The GW study arrived at this conclusion after examining how “the health benefits services industry adjusts its products over time to conform to the regulatory environment in which it operates.” [George Washington University Medical Center]

I must admit, we post about a lot of sexist advertising campaigns here on The Frisky. But there are just so many of them! But here’s one that’s actually kind of empowering and positive, courtesy of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, or “Sucrilhos” in Brazil. The message is clear: it doesn’t matter if you’re “different”—like this adorably awkward little girl competing in a beauty pageant—all that matters is that you’re healthy. (OK, granted sugary cereal isn’t the healthiest, but whatevs.) Check out one more from the campaign, after the jump… [copyranter]

It’s not to hang their nice suit jackets, that’s for sure! Here’s some straight-to-the-point activism: a cell phone company, CREDO Mobile, is mailing coat hangers to all the democratic members of the House of Representatives who voted in support of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment in Obama’s health care reform bill. (CREDO must have read our piece, “How The Health Care Reform Bill Is Screwing Over Women With An Abortion Amendment”! Right?) The coat hangers are definitely a gruesome, but clear, reminder of what some women will do when their access to abortions is restricted. So far, over 116,000 have been sent.

But how come all of the 240 politicians who voted for Stupak-Pitts didn’t receive a coat hanger in the mail? After all, democrats aren’t the only ones who voted in favor of this amendment, just to pass the health care reform bill. [CREDO Action]

Oh, no she di’-n’t! After being crowned Miss Gay Brazil 2009, Ava Simões got her wig snatched clean off her head by a fellow PO’d contestant! And her tiara, too! Talk about a sore drag queen loser. If that had happened to me, I know I would’ve cut a fellow contestant. You do not grab my wig and run. Or, you know, I would have at least beat her with my stiletto. Dios mio! Drama ensues. [BuzzFeed]

Alexandra Kerry, 36, the eldest daughter of Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, was arrested last night for allegedly driving drunk. The LAPD said Kerry was stopped on a Hollywood street at 12:40 a.m., failed a sobriety test and was charged with a DUI. [AP] Come on, Alexandra Kerry! Even the Bush twins didn’t get themselves arrested. Well, if this turns out to be true, maybe Alexandra will come around and be glad she got busted before she got behind the wheel and killed someone.

Caster Semenya, the South African 800-meter runner who got hell for looking “manish,” will get to keep her gold medal. If you remember back to August, her gender came under extreme scrutiny after she won the World Championship race and she was forced to submit to gender testing—and the leaked results alleged that she is intersexed, possessing both male and female anatomy. Which sparked a media maelstrom, letting fly accusations of racism, bigotry, and fairness. But in a decision that does little to answer the questions or quell the ongoing debate, the International Association of Athletics Federation declared today that Semenya’s win stands. Meanwhile, they’re suspending South Africa’s Olympic Board for not disclosing their knowledge of her gender identity, and keeping Semenya’s test results under wraps. I really wish the whole issue had stayed that way—I mean, even athletes who’ve voluntarily changed sexes are allowed to compete. Semenya was born with that body and triumphed in last summer’s race, and she is now suffering for it. Which just doesn’t sit well with me. [AP, Vancouver Sun]

Hey! The other day I brought my camera to the Frisky offices, and I took some pictures! Would you like to meet some of the Frisky editorial team? Of course you would!

First up, we have Amelia. If this site came from a womb, it was Amelia’s. [And now I am barren. Kidding!—Editor] She is our lead editor and fearless leader. One time she told me that she rules with an iron glove clutching a bouquet of flowers. Or something like that. [Iron fist of flowers, actually.] Whatever that means, it works. Meet more of the Frisky ladies after the jump!

So we all know that gay marriage was banned in Texas in 2005, but did you know that some unfortunate wording in the amendment might have accidentally banned all marriages? Democrat and attorney general candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky is making a ruckus about the colossal mistake she believes lawmakers made in drafting the amendment. The first part is pretty clear stating: “Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.” But the phrase in question in Subsection B of the legislation states:

“This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”

Uh-oh. Does that mean all marriages in the state of Texas are not legit? Now that would be interesting—bye, bye George W and Laura. Critics accuse Radnofsky of trying to stir up controversy about the banning of gay marriage. As if that’s a bad thing? They stand by the amendment and think the linguistic loophole is not likely to hold up in the event of any forthcoming lawsuits. But still … what would happen if all straight marriages in the Lone Star state were unrecognized? Might it create some empathy for the gay marriage cause? Why … it just might, dangit. [Gawker]

“New Moon,” the second movie in the Twilight Saga, hits theaters this Friday, and it seems the owner of what is used as the Cullen’s home in the film has decided to cash in on the franchise’s popularity by putting his home on the market this week. The five-bedroom West Vancouver house features an outdoor pool, hot tub, and a koi pond on a 1/2-acre of land, along with 20-foot ceilings and a chef’s kitchen. Twihards are probably salivating at the mouth, dying to live in—or see!—the place Edward and his fam call home, but it won’t be cheap or easy. Viewings of the house are by appointment only, and the asking price is $3,298,000. The Cullens certainly did well for themselves. [Jason Soprovich via Luxist]

Are cutting credit cards up a new recession trend? The Atlantic thinks so:

“Cutting up credit cards is a classic solution to the temptations of easy credit, but as Americans have become more and more reliant on plastic, there’s been a resurgence of interest in swearing off credit entirely.”

• University of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert has broken her silence about her overly aggressive form of soccer against Brigham Young University in the Mountain West Conference. “I still deeply regret it and will always regret it and will carry it through the rest of my life not to retaliate,” she said. [NY Daily News]—Yeah, well, if she were so sorry she wouldn’t have done it in the first place. This reminds me of when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear.
• The Shanghai Barbie store has six floors of fun to keep an adult Barbie lover busy for 12 hours. [CNNGo]—I can’t get to Shanghai, but I will be hitting up F.A.O. Schwartz’s Barbie store in NYC soon.
• Lily Allen managed to stop herself from falling flat on her face while performing in 5-inch platforms at the Apollo in Manchester last night. [The Daily Mail]—Girl, we’ve all been there. I’m glad to hear you recovered, though.