The genetic engineering of humans is not yet a reality. But, with advancements in gene therapy and cloning, it will be and it is critical that Catholics be ahead of the rhetorical curve on this one, instead of behind. Now is the time to look at the genetic engineering of humans and what the Church […]
How do ya like them apples? That’s the question I was left with after the public to-and-fro between Planned Parenthood and the Komen Foundation for the Cure. The phrase popped unbidden into my head as though my dad had said it, with New York vocabulary mellowed by long exposure to Hawaiian speech. In any case, […]
Certainly by now you’ve heard that the present Administration, through the Health and Human Services Department, is mandating that all employer healthcare insurance plans provide coverage for procedures which violate the beliefs of the Catholic Church, and Catholic institutions. Basically, the new rules require the Church, and the institutions operating faithfully under the aegis of […]
At Shippensburg University, female students who hook-up for drunken sex on Saturday will find it easy to dispose of just-conceived babies on Monday or Tuesday. A quick trip to the vending machine is all it takes. Easy. Kind of like buying a bag of Doritos. Women who wake up in unfamiliar beds or sober up […]
Sometimes, an outside force attacks the Catholic Church in such a way that it creates a swathe of very public unity amongst Catholics. These attacks are rare in this country. However, the Obama administration, with the inexplicable boorish tenacity we’ve come to expect from them, has truly risen to the occasion. Back in December, PRI […]
The latest attack on constitutional rights by Obama administration is a requirement that forces employers to purchase health insurance coverage for their employees that includes contraceptive drugs and abortifiacients. As a finger in the eye of the Catholic Church and other religious groups opposed to contraception and abortion, and with a least a figurative smirk […]
The mention of Distributism often draws skepticism by those who, while valuing its merits, believe Distributism incapable of providing satisfactory answers to our modern needs. From chewing gum to automobiles, chairs to food stuffs or toys to beer, we live in a world consumed by and dependent on mass-produced goods and large scale industry. The […]
Flying is an amazing experience. You just can’t beat it if you want to get anywhere far away in a hurry. The early history of flying reveals the glory days and shows us what flying should be. The planes were made by individuals or by small groups of craftsmen who learned by tinkering. They were […]
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. […]
I know it’s cliché, but bear with me. I have a point to make. Whole Woman’s Health that operates in Texas and Maryland is proud to announce the launch of an “app.” They officially launched a new mobile website in January so women can make appointments for abortions and learn about their services more easily. This […]
My husband and I recently attended the funeral of a relative who died suddenly at age twenty-one. During the lovely Baptist service, family and friends told stories and gave testimonies of a girl who loved generously, especially children, and was about to obtain a teaching degree. She not only had a special gift of capturing […]
If Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor were the naïfs who foisted the United Nations on the world, George H. W. Bush was responsible for its revival as a political force. From about 1950 to 1990, the United Nations Security Council was essentially toothless, as the Soviet and U.S. governments disagreed on issue after […]
With the celebration of Black History Month we are reminded of the historic presidency of Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American president. Some black leaders, however, believe that Mr. Obama has let the black community down. For example, prominent voices like Dr. Cornell West and PBS’s Tavis Smiley, former supporters of Obama, believe that having […]
This morning, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled by a 2-1 vote that a California constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman is unconstitutional. In an 89-page ruling that cited William Shakespeare and Marilyn Monroe, Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote, “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and […]
In 2011 Texas became the latest state to make the Choose Life plate available. The Choose Life plate is now in 25 states and has raised over $14 million for the cause of life and adoption in those states. We have started new teams in Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Rhode Island and Iowa and in 2012 we expect […]
What do political pundits Peggy Noonan, Chris Matthews, E.J. Dionne, Jr., and Mark Shields have in common? Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, is Catholic. Matthews and Dionne claim to be loyal but dissident Catholics at least on matters such as contraception (Dionne) and public policy on abortion (Matthews). Mark Shields, another Catholic, is […]
The Obama administration supports “democracy” and “self determination” in the Middle East—two euphemisms that, in the real world, refer to “mob-rule” and “Islamic radicalization,” respectively. Yet, as Jimmy Carter recently put it: “I don’t have any problem with that [an “Islamist victory” in Egypt], and the U.S. government doesn’t have any problem with that either. […]
At the Heart of the Gospel, the new book by Christopher West, is the fruit of West’s sabbatical from speaking after controversy broke following a television interview. West’s new book is primarily two things. First, it’s a summary of the main points of West’s lectures and writings over the years. West takes a deep breath, […]
I don’t know if I am getting old, but have you noticed that people don’t seem to know how to behave at Mass anymore? I will never forget the day I was at Sunday Mass, when a well-meaning dad pulled out a very large plastic bag from the Dollar Store. In it, he had a big new toy for his […]
As far as I can tell, the real story at the center of this week’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation / Planned Parenthood debacle is not that Komen cut off Planned Parenthood from existing funding. (They didn’t. Existing grants were to be honored for over a year.) Nor is it that Komen […]
The 3-genetic parent embryo is back in the news. This time it is Australia that wants to attempt to genetically engineer a human embryo to have 3 genetic parents. Why would scientists want to engineer an embryo with the genetic material from 3 people? Because, they think it will “prevent” the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Not all […]
Talking with my sister-in-law, a maternity ward nurse, the other day about the new Health and Human Services mandate (HHS), I was curious about how things are going since she works at a Catholic hospital. She told me her hospital is totally orthodox and performs no procedures that would hurt or prevent or end life at all. […]
A few years ago, we lost our DVD of Monsters, Inc. (2001, PIXAR) in a basement flood. It was a small disappointment, and every once in a while our kids mentioned how much they would like to see it again, but it was one of those back-burner “wants.” This Christmas season, we bought a copy and […]
I am here today to address those of you who have already made up your minds to redefine marriage. History will not be kind to you. Previous generations of social experimenters have caused unimaginable misery for millions of people. Particular people advocated the policies that led to today’s 50% divorce rate and 40% out of […]
