Dr J’s Amended Statement Lamenting the Overturn of Prop 8
Dr Jennifer Roback Morse, Foundress and President of the Ruth Institute, lamented the overturn of Proposition 8 by openly gay Judge Vaughn Walker, who is widely reported to be gay. “Judge Walker’s reasoning today in overturning Prop 8 illustrates that he does not understand the essential public purpose of marriage, which is to attach mothers […]
Judge Walker’s sexual orientation
In my news release yesterday, I described Judge Vaughn Walker as “openly gay.” An AP reporter called me out (privately and politely: thx!) about that description. His question: “What is the attribution for that? I wasn’t aware that Walker had ever commented publicly on his sexual orientation.” I clearly recall the San Francisco Chronicle reporting […]
Ruth Institute President Laments Overturn of Proposition 8
Dr Jennifer Roback Morse, Foundress and President of the Ruth Institute, lamented the overturn of Proposition 8 by openly gay Judge Vaughn Walker. “Judge Walker’s reasoning today in overturning Prop 8 illustrates that he does not understand the essential public purpose of marriage, which is to attach mothers and fathers to their children and to […]
Black Marriage Crisis
My Acton Institute friend Anthony Bradley has this in World magazine today, on the Black Marriage Crisis. Read it and weep. In the black community, the institution of marriage is essentially dead. While marriage in Western developed nations is declining in general, the black community and black women are being disproportionately affected. Unless marriage and […]
Prop 8 Ruling Due Today
The Prop 8 ruling is going to be handed down today. there is a local TV station on its way over here to interview me about it. Pray for me, and for all of California. You can get the actual text eventually of Judge Walker’s opinion, at this site.
Why Get Divorced? Just Stay Separated.
I will be doing today’s broadcast on Issues Etc. on this revolting story from the NYT. It is revolting because: 1. it is about upper middle class New Yorkers, which seems to be the only kind of people that enters the collective mind of the NYT. 2. it takes divorce and separation for granted, and […]
Dr Ken Howell reinstated at U of Illinois
Dr Ken Howell has been reinstated to his adjunct positiion at the University of Illinois. I have not been posting on this story, but I think it is significant because it shows that people’s protests can be effective. The facebook group supporting Dr Ken had 2,600 members. That is not a huge number in this […]
Red and Blue Families
Washington Times Columnist Cheryl Wetzstein interviewed me for this article on the new book Red Families v. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of Culture. Cheryl ably summarizes the basic premise of the book: In blue states, families tend to be well-educated, have high-paying jobs, be tolerant of diversity and be politically liberal. They […]
Revisiting the Iowa case, for the benefit of G-A-Y
Welcome readers from the Good As You site.I just wanted to clarify for all of you the fact that I have indeed read the Iowa decision, Varnum v Brien. I believe it was wrongly decided and poorly argued. I have written about it in two separate places, which are now posted on the Ruth Institute […]
Welcome to Peepwis
People with wrong ideas Participating in the same sex marriage debate has forced me to confront this question: what shall I call the people on the opposite side of this issue? I try not to call people my opponents or my enemies. When I am writing, I can put in the whole description: “those who […]
Christian Unity
I have been saying that the Reformation is coming to an end: the orthodox believers of all denominations have more in common with each other than with the more “progressive” members of their own traditions. The need to work together for life and natural marriage is breaking down 500 years worth of historic mistrust and […]
My approximate remarks in Annapolis
This is the gist of what I said in annapolis on Wednesday: The gay lobby and their sex radical friends want you to believe that the only issue in the same sex marriage debate is equality. That is all they talk about. That is all they want you to think about. All the shouting, and […]
Escape from Rhode Island
A mother of young children wrote this story about what happened to her during the NOM rally yesterday in Providence. Did you ever see that scene in one of the Narnia movies, where a battle is about to start and preparations are being made – when off in the distance there is a faint chanting […]
The face of intolerance: photo from RI
The woman in this photo is right in Brian Brown’s face. He is standing behind the podium. We had a permit for this event, to exercise our First Amendment rights to speak and assemble. You can see two other heads in the photo, who are also disrupting our peaceful demonstration. Intimidation. Bullying. While the police […]
Remember: Keep Holy the Sabbath
I usually don’t even turn on my computer on Sunday when I am at home. I’m only making an exception for this very busy travel day. But to all of you who have comments pending: we haven’t forgotten you. Betsy isn’t supposed to work on Sunday. None of us are. Except Ari. He isn’t supposed […]
Small state, high tournout rally. Low class, loud decible counter-rally
OK, I am finally in a position to do more than post a picture and type a few characters. I’ve been uploading photos to my facebook page all day. Now, I’m on an Amtrack train, from Providence to DC, for a day off from the Summer for Marriage Tour. (I still have tyo figure out […]
The ambuiguities and complications of the Donor Conceived Person
Alana S, who blogs at the Family Scholars blog offers this testimony about some of the ambiguities, complications and stresses of being a conceived through anonymous sperm donation: I decided to tell my mom about my blogging. I decided to explain to her how extensively I plan on combating commercial conception.
The Gay Blogosphere
I am paying more attention to the gay blogosphere than I usually do. I guess that’s because they are paying more attention to me. One thing I notice about many of them: they are short on arguments and ideas, and long on ridicule and name-calling. Some of these people are mean. I was going to […]
News Coverage in NH
the news coverage of the NOM rally in NH got my quote right, but got my name wrong. Oh well. I could have easily straightened him out, if he had asked. Dr. Ruth Roback, who heads the NOM-financed Ruth Institute, challenged the view that same-sex marriage does not degrade the lives of heterosexual couples. Once […]
Argentines Rally for Marriage
This story in the Buenos Aires Herald reports on the groups rallying for natural marriage, but it doesn’t give an estimate of the crowd. We’ll have to rely on our friends on the ground there, to let us know their estimates of the numbers of people there. As in the US, this cause of natural […]
Government Neutrality in Marriage is (probably) Not Possible
I am responding to the inquiry of a student who wanted to know, in effect, whether it would be desirable to somehow get the government out of the marriage business altogether. Couldn’t we sidestep a lot of the conflict over marriage, by eliminating the default relationship contract currently known as marriage, and allowing any couple […]
The Outward Appeal of Privatizing Marriage
Before I go any further in my responses to my young friend who asked about privatizing marriage, I want to acknowledge one thing: this proposal is outwardly appealling. I recently received an e-mail from an earnest young man, who wanted my opinion of his proposal to essentially privatize marriage. His idea was to have government […]
Privatizing Marriage? Part 1. Marriage Equality is Impossible
Part 1. in a series of responses to a question posed by a student. No one contract can treat same sex couples and opposite sex couples identically. (Warning: this post is long! But Worth the effort if I do say so myself!) 1. If you believed that it is not possible for the government to […]
Our Broken Confirmation Process
Ralph Reed declares our Supreme Court Confirmation process to be broken and he is certainly correct. The question is why? The answer is one word: abortion. Actually, it is abortion and all its ill-begotten progeny, the entire sexual revolution. This is because the abortion rights fanatics are attempting to create something that simply cannot be: […]
A Libertarian View of Gay Marriage
No, I didn’t write it. Someone who calls herself Jane Galt wrote it. It is really, really good. I will just quote the beginning. You should really read the whole thing. Here goes: A really, really, really long post about gay marriage that does not, in the end, support one side or the otherUnlike most […]
Get the government out of the marriage business?
I hear this proposal frequently. “Get the government out of marriage” has become the new default position for alot of people. (I suspect for some folks, this position is really a way to get the same sex marriage issue to go away. I don’t think that will work, but that is another story.) I recently […]
Pro-life strategy
Marjorie Dannenfelser outlines her strategy for turning the ObamaCare fiasco into an opportunity for the pro-life movement. The core ideas: punish people who sell out (think Stupak), favor people who remain faithful (think Michelle Bachman), and build on the fact that the American people are growing in their opposition to federal funding for abortion, reaching […]
Sex and the Gross College Movie
Carol Iannone speculates on the connection between the truly gross college movies, and the rise of co-ed dorms: In the earlier film, (Revenge of the Nerds) when the sexes were still separate, there was perhaps a tinge of sweetness around the idea of the nerds’ longing to have their place on campus, and to have […]
Sex as a Sterile Activity
It is one thing for people to try to reduce the probability of pregnancy. It is entirely another to attempt to create a whole society around the premise that sex should be a sterile activity, with reproduction thrown in as an afterthought if you happen to like that sort of thing. This fundamental incoherence is […]
The New Sexual World Order
My article on the New Contraceptive World Order is now up on the National Catholic Register website. The 50th anniversary of the birth control pill — the Food and Drug Administration gave it final approval in 1960 — has been the occasion of much media fanfare, societal reflection — and what we might call Secular […]
Obama: Liar or Bigot?
Princeton University professor Robby George tells it like is today on NRO. It has become a matter of orthodoxy among progressives that those who believe that marriage is properly defined as the union of one man and one woman are guilty of bigotry. There is a problem, however: Barack Obama has assured voters that he […]
Dr Miriam Grossman to speak at the Ruth Institute gala in LA
We are getting excited about our Gala August 12 near LAX. Southern CA supporters of the Ruth Institute should be getting an invitation in the mail shortly after the July 4th weekend. If you don’t get one, let us know! Or, just go here to sign yourself up!
Sliding vs Deciding
I just found a really cool blog called Sliding vs Deciding, by social psychologist and relationship expert, Scott Stanley. Among the interesting topics, “Coasting and Drive-by Opportunities,” “Oxytocin: I Feel Your Pain,” and “What Drives Sacrificing for a Partner.” One theme that emerges throughout: men and women related differently, and part of the differences are […]
IVF and Birth Defects
Also right on cue, after noting how many women would be willing to freeze their eggs, comes this story on the risks of birth defects associated with IVF. Please note: these data are from IVF, and are almost certianly mostly more or less “fresh” eggs. We don’t know yet the impact of freezing and thawing […]
I called it: ART threatens marriage
Just this past weekend, I told the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers that the use of Artificial Reproductive Technology is the newest threat to marriage as the lifelong fruitful union of a man and a woman. I argued that the very existence of the ART option is distorting women’s marriage decisions. They believe […]
Catholic Mom dot com
Nice sound, eh? I met the brains behind CatholicMom, the original Catholic Mom, Lisa Hendrey, at the NACFLM conference this past weekend. I don’t know how she does it. I thought I was hyper-active. Check out this site of hers, all you Catholic Moms! Or non-Catholic moms. Or Jewish dads. Or, whatever! she also blogs […]
Fathers for good
is the name of the Knights of Columbus pro-fatherhood initiative. I met their editor, Brian Caulfield, last week at the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers in Cincinnati. He says nice things about me in this post! They may be a small and non-representative minority of Catholics, but they are people in possession of […]
Provincetown and kiddy condoms
I’ll be talking about this story on my Issues Etc interview in a few minutes. Free condoms to children of all ages? Don’t tell the parents? School population declining? could there be a connection? Singer said she wanted the policy to apply to the Veterans Memorial Elementary School so that fifth- and sixth-graders could get […]
The CLS v Martinez, Hastings Law school case
The case of Christian Legal Society and the Hastings Law School tested whether Christian groups can exclude non-Christians from membership or leadership. Prof Hadley Arkes summarizes the case: after all of the quick moves, the fact remained that the CLS was deprived of its standing on the campus because it ran afoul of the non-discrimination […]
ON Fatherhood
I just discovered Dr. Gordon Finley over at Men’s News Daily. Here he is on the challenges to fatherhood: fatherhood itself is under fire on multiple fronts and with multiple losses, not only for children and fathers, but also for society. Consider three: male unemployment, divorce, and non-marital childbearing. Male unemployment today is higher than […]
Daddy was only a donor
Brad Wilcox weighs in on the My Daddy’s Name is Donor study. Brad is a professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, and lectured at our ITAF conference last summer. Seventy-one percent of the adult offspring of these single mothers agree that: “My sperm donor is half of who I am,” and 78% wonder […]
3 Really Pernicious Messages behind the “Lesbians Make Better Parents” Story line
My last post dealt with the sampling and reporting problems associated with the latest study purporting to show that the children of lesbians are doing just fine. The fact is, that the study claims that the children of lesbians are doing better in every dimension than the children in the general population. The underlying message […]
Lesbians are the Best Parents Ever!! NOT! 8 reasons why the latest study doesn’t prove anything
You’ve all seen the headlines by now: “Children of lesbian parents do well.” These headlines are based on a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. I actually read the study, which is my custom before commenting. I also read the letters to the editor on this study. Here are 8 reasons why this study […]
Sexual Liberation does not liberate
I want to thank Ari Mendelson for finding and posting this very important 22 minute video on the history of political correctness. And I want to thanks the Free Congress Foundation for making this. This video is important to the Ruth Institute because it shows the connection between Marxism and the Sexual Revolution. Marxism has […]
Life Without Father, Book Suggestion
Ari posted about David Popenoe’s classic book, Life without Father: Compelling New Evidence That Fatherhood and Marriage Are Indispensable for the Good of Children and Society You can get the book here:
Regrets of an Egg Donor
While I was over at the My Daddy’s Name is Donor site, I came across this entry, called Debt and Donation, by a woman who was donor conceived herself, and who “donated” her eggs for the money. Poignant, painful, powerful: I can’t begin to do it justice. Go read it yourself.
Why? Because I wanted to.
The Institute for American Values has just published a new study, My Daddy’s Name is Donor, of how donor conceived persons are doing in comparison with those who were born and raised by their biological parents and in comparison with those who were adopted. I have not read the report yet, just the Executive Summary. […]
More from the COGIC
Here is a photo my colleague sent me from the Church of God in Christ convention. Some of the convention-goers pose with a NOM employee who was exhibitng at the convention. I know that many of our gay and lesbian readers do not understand why the black community feels so strongly about natural marriage. But […]
Church of God in Christ
Ruth Institute Executive Director Jamie Gruber is an exhibitor at this massive conference of African American women, of the Church of God in Christ, held in LA this year. Jamie tells me this crowd of mature African American women recieves our message of lifelong married love with great enthusiasm. It is my understanding that Maggie […]
Issues Etc Today
My weekly radio show on Issues Etc will be on this article from the Gallup Poll. Americans are sharply divided over 4 moral issues: physician assisted suicide, same sex relations, abortion and having a baby outside marriage. However, there are some surprises further down in the article. The show will be on the Issues Etc […]
Why the “T” in LGBT?
Dennis Prager asks this question Why the “T” in LGBT? Paraphrasing his answer: the Transgender people stand for the proposition that male and female are interchangeable, that all distinctions based on gender or sex are arbitrary. Prager sees this as being of a piece with the Left’s desire to obliterate all kinds of distinctions. I […]
Finding Lifelong Love in a Hookup World
You can find the book,Smart Sex: Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-Up World mentioned in the previous post, here:
Empathy and the Me Generation
Psychiatrists are making comparative studies of empathy across generations. The Me Generation lives up to its name: less empathetic than previous generations. Sara Konrath, a researcher at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, said in a news release. “College kids today are about 40 percent lower in empathy than their counterparts of 20 […]
Help! I’m reading a bad book!
I am reading a bad book, that i agreed to review for my friends at Mercator Net. Red Families v Blue Families is a deeply aggravating book! But don’t take my word for it: Glenn Reyonlds, of Instapundit, has reviewed it for Commentary magazine. (The current issue is not yet posted.) I am what the […]
Speaking of books, Stumbling on Happiness
Ari talked about this book, Stumbling on Happiness a couple of posts ago. You can get this book on Amazon here:
Smart Sex
You can buy my book, Smart Sex: Finding Lifelong Love in a Hookup World, mentioned in the previous post, here:
Organic Sex or “Recycling?”
This article from the Georgetown Hoya could be considered appalling. (I think that is approximately the view of my friend Tony Listi, who called it to my attention.) I think it is highly instructive. (Listen to me shift into Professor mode: sorry, I can’t help it.) This author who frets about “recycling” an old hook-up, […]
More disputed lesbian custody cases:Second class mothers?
Two more disputed lesbian custody cases are coming in Ohio. both these cases have the following features: 1. a biological mother does not want her former lesbian partner to have parental rights over her child. 2. the former partner and the mother dispute many details of their relationship to each other and their agreement regarding […]
Same Sex Marriage Changes more than you think…
I have been trying to say for some time that redefining marriage is not a small deal, but really a big deal, with changes far beyond what the advocates claim for it. Here is a small piece of evidence on this point: In the year since the Iowa Supreme Court discovered a right to same […]
US Catholic Bishops leave “civil rights” group.
The US Catholic Bishops have finally withdrawn from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR). According to Deal Hudson, editor/blogger of Inside Catholic: There is nothing ambiguous about LCCHR’s lobbying activity on behalf of abortion, same-sex marriage, and “family planning.” All the items on the LCCHR Web site listed here affirm their support […]
ITAF Faculty: Prof Robert Gagnon on Marriage and the Bible
Last year, one of the favorite profs at ITAF was Prof Robert Gagnon of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He gave two great talks, one on Marriage and the Bible, and the other on What the Bible teaches about Homosexuality. His wit and learning make him a great speaker!
Canadian Pro-life Students Face Expulsion
According to the Catholic Register (Canada), have been charged with non-academic misconduct for their graphic displays of the results of abortion: The charges resulted from a Genocide Awareness Project display the group hosted April 8 and 9. Its display, which compares abortion to atrocities such as the Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust, had been hosted […]
Faculty: It Takes a Family conference
We are very excited about our 2nd annual It Takes a Family Conference, for college students August 12-15 here in Southern Caliornia. We have lined up a distinguished and diverse faculty for this long week-end leadership training experience. Dr. Linda Malone-Colon will be covering the social science aspects of marriage. She is chairwoman of the […]
New Podcast: The Institution Formerly Known as Marriage
A podcast of my lecture at Cal Berkeley is now up on our podcast page.
American Papist is Hillarious
I get such a kick out of Tom Peters, the American Papist. He has a great sense of humor. And where does he get this photos!?!? News Flash! Pope Against Gay Marriage, Abortion! Super-duper Hat tip to Tom Peters, The American Papist!
Why Have Mother’s Day?
Chuck colson’s Center just published an article of mine by that title. We’ll have the whole thing up soon, I’m sure. In the meantime, here is a snippet. And don’t forget to visit the Colson Center for more cool info. As a woman who has given birth to a child, who has been an adoptive […]
Even Bad Arguments Must be Refuted
I know it is tedious to refute nonsensical, illogical, factually incorrect or otherwise bad arguments. But it must be done. Yesterday’s nonsense has a way of becoming today’s conventional wisdom. And our friends at the Daily Kos made a very bad argument indeed in the course of their smear job against the Ruth Institute the […]
Books on Demographic Decline
Ari’s post about Philip Longman’s book, The Empty Cradle, reminded me that Dr J’s Bookshelf has several titles on Demographic Decline. My little collection proves Ari’s point: concern about demographic decline is not the exclusive province of the Left. including Longman’s book. Longman is at the New America Foundation and Schwartz Senior Fellow at the […]