I know, those adjectives don’t always go together; but Benedict is a unique case. I was just in Rome where I was able to be at a private audience with the Pope on Thursday. I was there for his address to the Order of Malta on Saturday, when the Order celebrated its 900th anniversary. And I was there on Sunday for the Angelus. When I left Rome on Monday morning, the news had not broken yet. Landed at Dulles and,... Read more
Not everyone in this country sees eye to eye on the topic of abortion. Got it. But this new ad from Center for Reproductive Rights in support of Roe is simply creepy. Did Mehcad Brooks start his acting career doing ads for sleazy dating websites/pay-per-call numbers? How I’d wish they’d edited out a few of those mmmm-mmmm-mmms at the end. They just don’t stop. Brooks says that a few hundred thousand “of us have chipped in to get you something special.” It’s not... Read more
Today marks 40 years since the Supreme Court decisions Roe and Doe which allowed for abortion at any time during gestation for any reason. I’ll be on CNN “Newsroom” just after 9 a.m. ET to discuss some follow up ideas to my piece from last week. No, I don’t agree with Time magazine. I don’t think abortion advocates are losing. Witness the most recent elections and the annual report for Planned Parenthood. As long as there are more than a... Read more
Bitterly, that is. Pro-abortion activists are losing? Really? If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Cheap. After the election, I wrote about how the campaign had in fact been about values, just not values that I and other pro-lifers hold. In fact, we’d been too silent. For at least the second cycle of national elections, we – as part of the family values movement – bought in to the conventional wisdom that we should temper the... Read more
The Telegraph, a UK news publication, reports that the top ten things that children put on their Christmas lists, included siblings and a dad. The number one gift children requested was a baby brother or sister. But it’s their number ten request that speaks volumes: a dad. In my book, that’s something that a child shouldn’t have to put on a Christmas list. That should be a given, no pun intended. And yet, the fact that a sibling and a... Read more
On Friday, we were all shocked and stunned to hear of the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. It was an unspeakable crime. Every time I see a headline of human tragedy, particularly involving large numbers of innocent people, I can’t help putting it in the context of abortion. There’s a noon Mass that I sometimes frequent and one of the attendees, when asked to share additional prayers for the faithful, always reminds us to pray for the 3,000 innocent, unprotected, unborn babies... Read more
For several years, the conventional wisdom has been that conservatives who are Republicans should keep quiet about social issues since their positions are not mainstream enough. Instead, they have been advised to talk about the economy. Well, for the second presidential election in a row, we see where that got us. In 2000 and 2004, it was widely acknowledged that value voters drove the election results. They turned out like Ronald Reagan was running for office. In 2008, they clearly... Read more
If you live or have lived in Washington state, particularly the western side of the state, you know what’s it’s like. You’re warned that we are the least churched state in the nation (a positioning we may have recently lost), that unless you’re using NARAL talking points there’s no place for your voice in a state that voted to make abortion legal before Roe v. Wade, and then voted at least two more times to confirm that vote. Despite the... Read more
Bishop Jenky of Peoria has an excellent letter that will be read at all the Masses this weekend in his diocese. It’s too good to just cite one part so here it is in toto: Dear Catholic Believers, Since the foundation of the American Republic and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, I do not think there has ever been a time more threatening to our religious liberty than the present. Neither the president of the United States nor the... Read more
Just before yesterday’s debate, a USA Today/Gallup poll showed Gov. Mitt Romney taking the lead over President Barack Obama. The lead was largely attributed to more women giving their support to the governor. As I wrote yesterday, this suggests that maybe, just maybe, women care about more than “pelvic politics” (abortion, contraception, abortion and abortion). The debates gave considerable evidence of each candidate’s view of women. Read more here. Read more
Pia de Solenni
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In