Author: Ruth Institute

The Positive Virtue of Chastity

Chastity, not just a list of “don’ts” but a positive “to-do” list, with serious benefits.  So says, Samantha Schroeder, a 2012 graduate of  ITAF= “It Takes a Family to Raise a Village,” The Ruth Institute’s national student leadership conference. I’m so proud of her! In an age when morality is known more for its rules […]

Mommy come back!

  by Meredith H. (South Jordan) It started when I was 5. I remember hearing them fight scream while I cried trying to go to sleep. One night as I was asleep I heard some yelling outside my door. Then I heard my mom singing though my dad was still trying to argue with her. […]

The grass isn’t always greener

When I was 13, my mom began an affair with an old boyfriend, who she ran into at a reunion. She eventually divorced my dad, and married him. My father was devastated. My mom justified her actions by telling everyone their marriage had been miserable and my dad treated her poorly. This was a huge […]

Save the Sisters: Stop the War on Women’s Fertility

Originally published at The Blaze, March 22, 2016. The Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Catholic nuns who serve the indigent elderly, will be in court this week, defending its right to exist. Religious freedom will be the principle legal issue. As worthy as that cause is, I propose another, equally significant issue […]

It’s Time to Stop Letting the Elite Class Define What Family Looks Like

This is my maiden voyage at The Blaze.  The virtue of this blog, is that I can tell you The Rest of the Story, that you won’t necessarily see on the published article. For this article, I can tell you that I wanted a different title, “The Rich and The Rest.” The editor over there […]

How to Have a Happy Marriage (Even When You’re Busy with Kids)

by Betsy Kerekes This article was published at Catholic Exchange on March 8, 2016. Marital satisfaction tends to take a dip once that first baby comes home from the hospital (or out of the bathtub, birthing center, etc.). This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Let’s face it, kids, particularly newborns, are difficult. Anyone who says […]

Is Homo Economicus an Attachment-Disordered Child?

(March 10, 2016) Dr J addresses students, faculty, and community members at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The event was jointly sponsored by the CUA Anscombe Society (a chapter of the Love &amp, Fidelity Network) and the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family. Her talk is entitled "Is homo economicus an attachment-disordered child?&quot, and is inspired by her first book, Love and Economics.

GWU: The Sexual Revolution and Its Victims

(March 10, 2016) Dr J addresses students, faculty, and community members at an event jointly sponsored by the Federalist Society and the James Wilson Institute at George Washington University. Her talk is entitled "The Sexual Revolution and its Victims."

Is Contraception a Legitimate Response to the Zika Virus?

by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was originally published at Crisis Magazine on March 4, 2016. Pope Francis’ latest press interview on the plane from Mexico created confusion about the Church’s teaching on contraception. The Holy Father said, “Paul VI, a great man, in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use contraceptives in cases of rape.” The Papal spokesman, Fr. Lombardi, trying to clarify matters, seemed to say that women in areas affected by Zika are in a “case of emergency or gravity,” and so are allowed to “discern” whether to use a contraceptive. The process of “discernment” Fr. Lombardi seems to be suggesting, does not really make sense on its own terms. Let me explain. Just this past weekend, I met David and Roz Rowan, a couple whose only child died suddenly at the age of 23 from a Massive Pulmonary Embolism. Why would a healthy young woman die from a stroke? Doctors attribute it directly to her use of hormonal contraception. The parents have set up a foundation in her honor, to do research on the link between contraception and Massive Pulmonary Embolisms. Likewise, Erika Langhart died of a double pulmonary embolism, at the age of 24. She was using a NuvaRing, contraceptive device. This family refused an out of court settlement from the drug manufacturer. The parents wanted Merck, the international pharmaceutical giant, to face a jury trial, and be held accountable for the deaths of women like Erika. As her mother said, In our opinion, Merck got away with murder, and continues to do so to this day. In 2011 NuvaRing made the company $623m; in 2013 it was $686m; and in 2014, after the settlement, Merck made a staggering $723m from it. Settlements are just the cost of doing business to Merck, all at the expense of women’s health and lives. Earlier this year, Erika’s mother committed suicide. How could Erika have predicted her own death, the nightmare her parents would endure on her behalf, the callous behavior of government agencies and drug companies, and ultimately, her mother’s suici

Restoring Marriage Today

(March 4, 2016) Dr J is one of the speakers at this year’s Catholic Answers Conference: "Restoring Marriage Today.&quot, Her talk was entitled "Keeping the Family Together: Public Policies and Personal Strategies."

I moved in with my girlfriend at 16.

My family were not Christian when I was a child, and my mum was never warm towards me or my sister because we reminded her of her aging and mortality, which she resented. The sexual revolution had made her fixate on being a young woman and gave her no preparation to function as a mum. […]

I watched as the officers took my dad into the car in handcuffs.

While I was growing up my parents would argue a lot. I thought their fighting was just a normal thing that grown-ups did. As I got older I would try to intervene and stop them from fighting. One night when I was 12 years old I woke up at about 3AM and heard my father […]

I never thought to question the morality of abortion.

My mother left when I was six. My sister and I went to a beautiful old house we called “the home” – a group home for girls whose families were under stress. We were fed and dressed well, had lots of play time but, even with my sister there, I was scared. I saw Matron […]

"It was torture for all of us."

I am a child of divorce. I am a 52 year old father of three children. I am married but in a mixed marriage. We do not share the same faith background. I am the third child of four. I have two older sisters and a younger brother. My mom was 15 when she got […]

The Church Has Been Right on Divorce All Along

by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted at Crisis Magazine on January 27, 2016. I would like to weigh in on Ross Douthat’s on-going dialogue with theologians employed at nominally Catholic institutions. Like Douthat, I am not a theologian. However, we don’t have to be theologians in order to be good Catholics or […]

A Prodigal Son’s Tale

The uproar over the Obergefell decision by the Supreme Court, as well as over the Planned Parenthood videos of aborted infants, has brought to light in my heart the brutal, circular journey I myself have made from devout Catholic school boy of the 50s to passive, liberal “hippie” of the 60s and 70s, and back […]

It’s Legal To Buy And Sell Children, As Long As They’re Small

Children created during in vitro fertilization can be disposed of for potential flaws, evaluated for ‘desirable’ characteristics, experimented upon, and bought and sold.   This article was first published at thefederalist.com on January 25, 2016. By Katie Schuermann, with extensive quotes by Dr. Morse   Abortion is not the only legalized medical procedure that hurts […]

The real reason 50 Shades is so wildly popular (HINT: It’s not the sex)

This article was first posted February 10, 2015, at Life Site News.  The secret to the success of 50 Shades is the same thing that drove the success of Twilight – from which 50 Shades had its origins in the form of fan fiction. Over the past several weeks, countless pixels have been expended on […]

Missing Millennials — What Must the Church Do to Reach a Generation?

Experts weigh best practices to reach younger adults, who are less likely to attend Mass and more likely to back same-sex ‘marriage.’ by JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND 07/09/2015 WASHINGTON — When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its June 26 ruling, which found a constitutional right to same-sex “marriage,” Catholic leaders called for renewed efforts to evangelize […]

More than two Parents: Not so New and Not so Enlightened

From the United Families International blog on July 16, 2014. by Diane Robertson, featuring quotes by Ruth Institute’s Jennifer Johnson. In 2013 California made it legally possible for children to have more than two parents. More states will surely follow suit. The diversity-in-family-structure-loving-liberals think this is enlightened. They’re working hard to bring society out of […]

Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism

A book review by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse This book review appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of The Independent Review and was posted here. The latest book by Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, is a series of essays held together by natural-law reasoning. Although George is a devout Roman […]

Judge rules against polygamous couple

Posted at Life Site News December 11, 2016. By Fr. Mark Hodges HELENA, Montana, December 11, 2015 – A bigamist and his two women are fighting Montana’s bigamy laws. Nathan Collier says he was inspired to sue the state to legalize bigamy by the Supreme Court Obergefell decision constitutionalizing homosexual “marriage.” But on Monday, U.S. […]

A Closer Look: Culture, Faith, Family, and Rebuilding Society

(January 27, 2016) Dr J is once again Sheila Liaugminas’s guest on A Closer Look. They’re discussing culture, faith, family, and rebuilding society by keeping the family together and strengthening the institution of marriage. Check out Austin’s article, too: "11 Reasons the Sexual Revolution has been a Complete, Utter, and Deadly Failure."

I’m still emotionally disturbed by my parents divorce sixty years ago.

I am a sixty-one year old adult child of divorce. My parents divorced in 1956 when I was two years old. My mother remarried in the same month that the divorce was final. My mother had full custody of me, and my new step-father raised me into adult-hood. I had minimal contact with my natural […]

Help for the victims of the sexual revolution

By Alyson Smith Celebrate Life September-October 2015 Jennifer Roback Morse, PhD, founder and president of the Ruth Institute, brings a unique voice to discussions of love, marriage, sexuality, and the family. Tell us about the Ruth Institute. What led you to found it? I had been a hard-charging career woman in my 20s and early […]

Keeping the Family Together

(January 22, 2016) Dr J is once again Patrick Coffin’s guest on Catholic Answers Live. Their topic: keeping the family together through the preservation of marriage. For more information on "Restoring Marriage Today,&quot, the upcoming Catholic Answers Conference in March in San Diego, please check out their website. Hope to see you there!

Remember Our Children

Nov 12 2015 – America Magazine | Jason Adkins, Jessica Aleman, Richard Aleman, Mary Jane O’Brien   Finding hope in the church’s ‘hard teachings’ on marriage and Communion   A child attends a special Mass at Mission San Miguel in San Miguel, Calif., May 16 (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec). Now that the Synod on the Family […]

50 Shades of Gay

by Jennifer Roback Morse First published January 4, 2016, at Crisis Magazine. The Sexual Revolution was supposed to liberate us from sexual stereotypes. In fact, we have replaced the old stereotypes of gay men with new and even more rigid stereotypes. Perhaps some people regard the new view of gay as more positive and affirming […]

From the Median: The Need for Intact Families

(January 6, 2016) Dr J is once again Molly Smith’s guest on From the Median to discuss how the sexual revolution has not provided a solution to our problems–the whole package has been damaging, and we can’t ignore some fruits of it while condemning others.

Ruth Institute Ambassador Program

Become a monthly donor and receive a free gift! It’s that time of year when we thank you for your amazing support and ask that you become a Monthly Donor. $10 per month – FREE GIFT: Christmas ornament $25 per month – FREE GIFTS: Christmas ornament + “101 Tips for a Happier Marriage” book. $50 […]

The Catholic Conversation: Fallout from the Sexual Revolution

(November 17, 2015) Dr J is interviewed by Steve and Becky Green on The Catholic Conversation out of Phoenix, Arizona. They’re discussing the fallout of the sexual revolution in regard to freedom and the family broadly and children specifically.

Sexual Revolutionaries Target Cal State Professor for Defending Families

COMMENTARY: A tenured professor of English is threatened with dismissal because he challenged one of the sexual revolution’s core assumptions. by JENNIFER ROBACK MORSE This article was first posted November 11, 2015, at NCRegister.com. Robert Oscar Lopez, a tenured English professor at California State University-Northridge, is on the verge of being suspended without pay, ostensibly […]

Bisexual prof. raised by lesbians who supports traditional marriage faces loss of tenure

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, November 10, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) — Robert Oscar Lopez isn’t your typical social-conservative professor: he was raised by his mom and her lesbian partner, and he openly admits that he is bisexual. But he also opposes same-sex “marriage” and adoption, and even submitted a brief to the United States Supreme Court arguing against […]

World Congress of Families speakers lament sexual revolution, family breakdown

By PEGGY FLETCHER STACK This article was first Published at The Salt Lake Tribune on October 29, 2015, and last updated October 31, 2015.  On the third day of the World Congress of Families meeting in Salt Lake City, stirring speeches about assaults on the family from the government and media, costs of the sexual […]

Assessing Damage and Restoring Family Values

(October 29, 2015) Dr J is in Utah! She traveled there to be part of the 9th annual World Congress of Families. She’s speaking at their plenary panel "Assessing Damage and Restoring Family Values&quot, on all of the different types of people who have been harmed by the sexual revolution.

Society victimized by divorce

by Francis Michael Walsh This article was first published October 3, 2015, at Pacific Daily News. On the very week that the Catholic Church sponsored a World Meeting of Families, the PDN published a column extolling the virtues of Guam’s divorce laws. We were told by the correspondent that the divorce laws in Guam are […]

Uncovered — the dirty secrets behind the feminist movement

This article was published October 13, 2015, at ReligionNews.com. Longtime Cosmo writer reveals how she hijacked the women’s rights crusade SAN FRANCISCO – The 1960s women’s rights movement has had a profoundly adverse impact on women throughout the United States, including Sue Ellen Browder, a former ardent propagandist for sexual liberation who wrote stories meant […]

Same-sex attraction: Read this before you risk your credibility.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus This article was first published October 14, 2015, at CatholicCulture.org. I mentioned two weeks ago that Living the Truth in Love from Ignatius Press is an important book, and that I would have more to say about it. Having now read each of its score of theoretical, testimonial and pastoral essays, […]

Laity Should Act When Clergy Won’t

by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted October 22, 2015, at crisismagazine.com. Let’s face it: The 2015 Synod on the Family is a mess. I was one who gave Pope Francis the benefit of the doubt. I now have my doubts about him. And I have no doubt at all that some of […]

This is what I wanted to say to a fellow child of divorce

by Jennifer Johnson I just came across this article, written by a young adult whose parents divorced when she was 16. Her name is Talia Kollek. She is defending divorce and advocating for more divorces. I wanted to post this as a comment under her article, but for some reason I didn’t have the heart. […]

When parents don’t love each other

by s.f. (ny, ny) When parents don’t love each other, they don’t love each others family. when they don’t love each other’s family, they don’t love the family of their child. the child feels alone and can’t show too much love or devotion to either side. when the parents remarry and have children, they love […]

Overturning California’s Parental Notification Laws

(October 19, 2015) Our board member Steve Hicks is guest on "The Terry and Jesse Show&quot, to encourage our local friends to find out more about California’s parental notification laws and let them know about gathering signatures for an upcoming ballot measure (to overturn them). We encourage all of our listeners to be informed on this issue.

The Catholic Church, Children and Same-Sex Parenting

Deliberately depriving children of a relationship with one of their parents is an injustice to the children. by JENNIFER ROBACK MORSE This article was first published at National Catholic Register on October 16, 2015. Editor’s note: This article is an adaptation of a talk Jennifer Roback Morse presented at the “Living the Truth in Love” […]

The Vatican’s Synod on the Family

(October 14, 2015) Dr J is once again Todd Wilkin’s guest on Issues, Etc. They’re discussing the Catholic church’s worldwide Synod on the Family and the educational conference immediately beforehand in which Dr J participated.

Jennifer Johnson at ICRI

(October 10, 2015) Continuing with our international theme, Jennifer Johnson is in Paris! She traveled there to be part of the International Children’s RIghts 2nd Annual Conference. She’s speaking on the injustice of alternative family structures to the children growing up in them.

Dr J at the Angelicum

(October 12, 2015) Dr J is in Rome! She traveled there to be part of the Courage Conference at the Angelicum. Courage put on the conference in anticipation of the upcoming Synod on the Family. She’s speaking on the injustice of alternative family structures to the children growing up in them. She takes questions afterward, too–those will be available on the Ruth Refuge.

Teaser: October Synod on the Family

(September 30, 2015) Dr J is once again Molly Smith’s guest on From the Median to discuss her upcoming trip to the Vatican for the October Synod on the Family.

The Impact of Re-Defining Marrriage on Children and Society

(March 7, 2015) This is Dr. Morse’s talk from the 2015 "Bringing America Back to Life&quot, convention in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s entitled "The Impact of Redefining Marriage on Children and Society.&quot, Special thanks to Molly Smith and From the Median for this audio.

The Supreme Court Has Legalized Same-Sex Marriage: Now What?

A National Review Online Symposium, June 27, 2015 Jennifer Roback Morse After the Obergefell ruling, we can expect the following: Parenthood will no longer be considered a natural reality to be recorded by the government but the creation of the state for the benefit of adults. Some children will have a legally recognized right to […]

A New Kind of Taboo for Children

(September 17, 2015) Jennifer Johnson, Ruth Institute’s Director of Operations, appears today on Family Policy Matters Radio to speak about the harms and risks of being a child of divorce. Emotional harm and the pressure to be silent form the inadvertent basis for a new kind of taboo for children.

Bedding 12 Strangers in a Year, Not Surprisingly, Ends 18-Year Marriage

An interview of Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse by Austin Ruse This article was first published at breitbart.com on March 23, 2015. Sex in her 18-year marriage had gone routine and stale. What’s more, forty-something “Robin Rinaldi” wanted a baby, something her husband was adamantly against. So she proposed a limited open marriage, a 12-month sexathon […]

The Sexual Revolution, Part 6

(September 8, 2015) Dr J is once again Todd Wilkin’s guest on Issues, Etc. They’re concluding their 6-part series on the sexual revolution: this one touches on the stigma of abstinence, the effects of the hook-up culture, and the West’s war on fertility, among other things.

The Sexual Revolution, Part 5

(September 2, 2015) Dr J is once again Todd Wilkin’s guest on Issues, Etc. They’re continuing their 6-part series on the sexual revolution: this one touches on divorce’s impact on men and the effects of the hook-up culture, among other things.

Defending Marriage with Dr. J

Get it while you still can! We’re phasing this product out to make way for soon-to-be updated materials. Buy yours before it’s gone! This disk includes the renowned and chilling talk, “What did you do to help the bishop?” recorded in Oakland, CA, about our likely future if same sex marriage were enacted. Many of […]

My sense of family was swept away…

    I just want to say what my reaction was when I understood that night, when I was seven, what was the meaning of the word “divorce.” Despite an empathy that made it very possible to forgive them in my early 30’s; Despite an understanding of how much a young, responsible couple was up […]

Dr J at CANFP

(August 21, 2015) Dr J is one of the keynote speakers at the California Association of Natural Family Planning, where she talks about "The Sexual Revolution and its Victims.&quot, She takes questions afterward, too–check out the podcast stream over at the Ruth Refuge for all of her Q&A sessions.

The Courage Conference and the Sexual Revolution

(August 17, 2015) Dr J is once again Molly Smith’s guest on From the Median to discuss how we got to where we are culturally on sex, marriage, and family–and how we can move forward to a kinder, more Godly understanding that promotes healing from all the damage that’s been done.

Courage Conference Interview

(August 12, 2015) Dr J is at the Courage Conference in Plymouth, Michigan, where she took time to talk with Teresa Tomeo of Catholic Connection, who you’ve heard on here before. Teresa is interviewing Dr J and Father Paul Check (of the diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut) on how to work as a force for healing in the midst of all the sexual pressure our culture applies.

The Sexual Revolution, Part 4

(August 7, 2015) Dr J is once again Todd Wilkin’s guest on Issues, Etc. They’re continuing their 6-part series on the sexual revolution: part 4 touches on the related themes of cohabitation and divorce. Check out our podcast stream if you’re joining us in the middle of the series, and stay tuned for the rest of it.

Impressive lineup at San Francisco NFP conference

Dr. Morse will be at this event. If you can make it, please join us! This article was first posted at California Catholic Daily. “Male & female he created them” draws star speakers On August 21 and 22 the Archdiocese of San Francisco is hosting the the 13th statewide conference of the California Association of […]

The Sexual Revolution, Part 3

(July 28, 2015) Dr J is once again Todd Wilkin’s guest on Issues, Etc. They’re continuing their 6-part series on the sexual revolution: part 3 examines the claim that "women can have it all&quot, and its influence over modern sexual education. Check out our podcast stream if you’re joining us in the middle of the series, and of course stay tuned as the rest of it comes up.