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 […]
Ruth’s Real Aims
I am flattered by the attention from Daily Kos blogger, Dante Atkins. Sadly, this post is short on substance, and long on ad hominem attacks and innuendo. I will leave aside for now, his silly attack on our logo, of all things. I will ignore his mangling of the Biblical story of Ruth, except to […]
Racquel Welch on The Pill
For those of you who are too young to remember: Racquel Welch was a serious sex symbol in the seventies. Anyhow, here is her take on the anniversary of The Pill. I have to love her for her graciousness to her ex-husband: On the upside, by the early 60’s The Pill had made it easier […]
Welcome Daily Kos Readers!
We just learned that the Daily Kos has noticed little ole us, the Ruth Institute. On Sunday, they published this charming essay, called Ruthless. While we were celebrating Mother’s Day, our website had an unusual number of hits, and the Kos had over 200 comments. So, welcome to our site! We will be responding to […]
How will you feel in 20 Years?
Contrary to the new Washington Post writer on the “conservative beat,” I am confident that I will continue to be proud of my involvement in the movement for natural marriage. Oh, you hadn’t heard about this? It seems that the Washington Post chose one David Weigel to be their correspondent to cover the conservative movement. […]
Seton Hall and same sex marriage
This story caught my eye. Catholic University Seton Hall will be offering a course on same sex marriage next fall in the Women and Gender Studies Department. I doubt that the course would have even been noticed by the media, except that the Archbishop of Newark objected: Archbishop John J. Myers said news that Seton […]
Dear, Dear, Dear Abby
Yesterday’s Dear Abby column inadvertantly highlighted how far the Abortion Culture has advanced. As you read the column, reprinted below, keep these thoughts in mind: 1. An engaged couple of 30 year olds “terminated” a pregnancy. Remember how the “hard cases” of rape and incest were the justification for legalizing all abortions? So much for […]
Please Keep Your Eggs and Sperm inside the Ride…
Please keep your eggs and sperm inside the body until you are ready to use them. See what happens when you don’t? According to this article from the UK, errors in IVF clinics have doubled in the last year. Lest you think this is some ordinary error, listen to this: One couple were told by […]
Get the Government out of Sex Ed
Next up in our series on the Pill: how exaggerating the effectiveness of contraception causes serious problems. Read the statistics I quote in this column. If you don’t believe the stats I quote, you can go directly to the Alan Guttmacher articles where I first got them. Bottom line: contraception is least effective among women […]
Condomism
Next in our series, Fifty Years on the Pill, this article on the ideology of contraception. I call that ideology, “condomism:” The twentieth century witnessed so much blood-shed in the name of ideology, you might think people would be ready to give it a rest. But no, we have a new ideology whose adherents believe […]
Contra-Time magazine on the Pill: Fifty Years of Deception
Dr Janet Smith is well-known in Catholic circles as a critic of contraception. In this article, she lists some of the deceptions that have been part of the history of The Pill. Dr. Janet E. Smith holds the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Mich. some […]
Contraception Conundrum
Contraception Conundrum by Political Science Professor Michael New, deals with this problem: contraception reduces the probability of pregnancy. So, if we want to reduce the number of abortions, we should increase the use of contraception. This argument in some form or another, is at the heart of the annual political crisis over federal funding of […]
Contra Contraception: Diversionary Tactics
First up in our series of contrarian articles on contraception: We need Penicillin, not condoms, in Central Africa. The diversion of health care dollars and medical personel from urgent matters like sanitation and into “family planning,” is something that deeply offends many African recipients of foreign aid. This article was written by an attorney in […]
Contra Time Magazine on Contraception
The Ruth Institute is collecting a series of articles with a different take on The Pill than the fawning account Time Magazine gave. The Time author assigns credit to The Pill for All Good Things, yet refuses to take the slightest responsibility for any negative consequences that may have come from the widespread use of […]
Judicial Corruption in the People’s Republic of Los Angeles
This chilling story at NRO shows how close corruption can come to home. On April 23, 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States denied the petition for “stay of execution” (of coercive confinement for civil contempt of court) by attorney Richard I. Fine in the case of Richard Fine v. Leroy Baca, Sheriff of […]
More on The Pill’s Deadly Affair with HIV AIDS
Betsy published a story by this name yesterday. Here is more on the link between hormonal contraception and risk factors for HIV/AIDS. The studies that demonstrate a connection between hormonal contraceptives and HIV/AIDS infection postulate a number of mechanisms at work. First, let’s review the basics. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is carried in warm […]
The Pill after 50 Years
There is a lot wrong with this Time article on the 50th Anniversary of The Pill. I will be talking about it on Friday at 2 PM Pacific Time on Issues Etc, the Lutheran Public Radio show I do every week. Just to give a heads up on my contrarian perspective on The Pill, go […]
More messages to my new friends from Berkeley
I talked to a couple of people involved in the helping professions. These individuals were concerned that they might be marginalized within their professions for their Christian beliefs. I mentioned to at least one of them, that a group of Christian therapists is forming in CA to advocate for religious liberty in the counseling profession. […]
Dr J On the Radio
I will be on Catholic Answers Live this afternoon, at 3 PM Pacific Time. Check your local listings here.
Messages to my new friends from the Christian World view conference
One of the wonderful aspects of my job is that I get to meet so many lovely people. One the frustrating aspects of my job is that I can’t always connect with them again! At this past weekend’s Christian Worldview conference, cosponsored by Gracepoint Church, I met a number of people who had needs I […]
Discrimination Goose and Gander
I just recieved this note from someone who heard me speak at last week’s Christian Worldview conference. I am a kitchen designer and I had a client who is a lesbian. Unfortunately, I let it slip that I am a Christian. She said that she couldn’t let me design the warmest room in the house […]
Marriage is a Bipartisan Issue
Ar excellent article in today’s Atlanta Journal Constitution, by Senator Sam Brownback and Hampton University Psychology Professor Linda Malone-Colon. A war over the family divided liberals and conservatives in the last several decades. Now is the time to end that war and come together for a nationally urgent and common cause. With 40 percent of […]
More from the CDC on risks to MSM
Ginny cited this article in a previous post. It is worth looking at this report from the CDC, as well as the commentary that Ginny cited. Here is what the CDC press release reported: The data, presented at CDC’s 2010 National STD Prevention Conference, finds that the rate of new HIV diagnoses among men who […]
A Prop 8 Trial Development I’m Not Sure I Like….
The No on 8 crowd is getting a taste of its own medicine. They are being ordered to turn documents over to the courts. I’m not sure I like it because it is a tit-for-tat move in the cat and mouse game between the parties. I don’t like the principle that political strategic plans should […]
Advocates for Life
A new group is forming for pro-life law students. Advocates for Life is sponsored by Americans United for Life, and hopes to have chapters in law schools across the country. I am proud to say that I am friends with Michael Healy, quoted in the story below. And founding member Jonathan Berry, was my host […]
Feminist regrets?
Evidently, some self-described feminists have no regrets about the hook-up culture, and are stressed out about the “back-lash” of a “new wave of anti-orgasmic sexual conservatism.” S.T. Karnick dissects their pity party. Oh wait. He didn’t call it that. I called it that. In any case, here is Karnick’s bottom line: I sympathize with Grose’s […]
Stories about the Culture Strong and Good
This speech by Orson Scott Card articulates the role of storytelling in creating and sustaining a Culture Strong and Good. Of course, Card is a professional storyteller, the author of numerous science fiction books. But he makes the case that fictional storytelling is one of the strongest, most important parts of culture formation and maintenance. […]
Research on Donor Conceived Persons
A professional journal reports on the experiences of Donor Conceived Persons searching for their anonymous dads, and/or half-siblings. One fact that I have been interested in for some time: how many people using Artificial Reproductive Technology are actually infertile, and how many have normal fertility, but do not have opposite sex partners? This study is […]
Kids Need Fathers
David Eggebeen is Associate Professor of Human Development in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on aspects of the family. His interview with Mercator Net talks about how kids need fathers and how fathers make unique contributions to the welfare of their children. He also notes […]
More on Abortion Rates and State Policy
Evidently, the article Michael New was responding to originally appearred on the Law, Religion and Ethics blog. The discussion there is quite good, at a surprisingly high level of sophistication. The Leftys are still wrong however, as this deeply flawed analysis in the comments by June Carbone illustrates:
Abortion Rates and State Policy
Michael New is just the best at showing that state policy can have an impact on their abortion rates, even in the extremely hostile climate created by the Supreme Court and Roe. IN this article, he is refuting claims made in a book and a deeply pernicious book review that the culture of Red States […]
Why are so many young girls lesbians?
This story is SOOO interesting for SOOO many reasons. 1. Dr Sax shows that sexual orientation is different for women than for men, disturbing the common theory that sex differences are completely socially constructed, and that men and women are completely interchangeable. 2. Dr. Sax shows that sexual orientation is much more fluid for women […]
Unbelievable: Sweden abducts homeschooled child
I can hardly believe this story. Homeschooling in Sweden is legal. Why has the state removed this child from his parents? Failure to vaccinate? Is this really the Swedish liberal utopia? The HSLDA documented that the child was removed “without a warrant or reasonable cause to believe that he was being harmed. “Their reasoning? Dominic […]
Sex Not Necessary for Infertility Coverage
Continuing the social trend of separating sex from procreation, we are taking the next logical step after having sex without babies, (which many people thought would be great fun.) We now are entitled to have babies without having sex, (which I’m pretty sure is not as much fun.) The Illinois Dept of Insurance has declared […]
Arkansas strikes down gay adoption ban
Read it here.
Mandated Reporters?
Should colleges handle rape allegations interally? That’s the question. posed by this post over at NRO. In this case, the young man had absolutely no due process whatsoever, after being hounded out of school by an allegation that was never substantiated. Here is another twist on this question: if an criminal act (rape) is alleged, […]
The Pro-life Youth Movement
The pro-choice lobby is finally catching on to the fact that their membership is aging and not replacing itself. We noticed it when we went to the West Coast Walk for Life: the average age was really young. lots and lots of teenagers, college students and babies in strollers (the Under 1 Demographic really lowers […]
“A Landmark Gay Custody Case”
I don’t know why the MSM is so enthused about these “landmark gay custody cases,” which are supposedly “bringing us into the 21st century.” These cases, unfortunately, illustrate I am completely justified in my concerns about the direction of family law, under the tutelage of the gay lobby and the influence of same sex marriage. […]
The Wall Street Journal carries water for Planned Parenthood
Melinda Beck, in this article in the Wall Street Journal, tries to answer this question: why is it, 50 years after the Pill, that there are over 3 million “unplanned” pregnancies per year? Her answer is some variation on the Planned Parenthood theme: people don’t use enough contraception, often enough, correctly enough. They need more […]
Gay Divorce in Texas
I will be talking about this article this afternoon in my regular Issues Etc show. It will be running a bit earlier than usual: 1:45 Pacific Time, instead of my usual 2 PM slot. BTW, to all my new friends in Dallas: I mentioned to some of you that Same Sex Marriage could be coming […]
Sexual Integrity, Not Hooking Up
This article from CNN quotes favorably our friends at the Love and Fidelity Network, based at Princeton. Evidently, students from a number of schools are trying to start nonreligious pro-abstinence clubs. This is a favorable report, because they are describing the students in their own terms, rather than putting scare quotes around them, or implicitly […]
Teen Births or Out of Wedlock Births?
Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation, takes the MSM to task for its flippant and irresponsible reporting on the CDC’s figures on teen births. The press has rushed to report a minuscule drop in “teen births” based on data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As usual, the mainstream media are focusing […]
Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue
Samuel Johnson supposedly said something like that. One of my readers will straighten me out, I’m sure. Anyhow, that quote came to mind when I read this mindless post at the Huffington Post: A few years ago, I applied for a teaching position at a Catholic University’s law school. Although the faculty eventually voted to […]
The Superfluous Man
This hard-hitting editorial makes many of the points I’ve been making: the combination of feminism and the welfare state is making fathers a thing of the past. The UK is further along this path than we are, but we could go this route, if we aren’t careful. Men from the employable and educated classes are […]
