Two Things Pope Francis Will NOT Say in His Encyclical on the Environment
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published at The Daily Caller on January 9, 2015 and at aleteia.org, January 10, 2015. Pundits left and right have been jockeying for position in anticipation of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. This is quite amazing, considering that even the publication date hasn’t been published yet! I do not know what he is going to say. Neither, dear reader, does anyone else whom you are likely to read. However, I can tell you two things that he will certainly NOT say. And those two unsaid things have the potential to speak volumes, if only we will listen. 1. He will certainly NOT say that overpopulation is the cause of any environmental problem. This old trope will be completely absent from the Holy Father’s document. 2. He will certainly NOT say that contraception, abortion or sterilization, voluntary or involuntary, are necessary components of any comprehensive solutions to environmental problems. Think about what the environmental movement would look like without those two claims. People who want to protect the landscape or wildlife could be part of the environmental movement in good conscience. I like birds. I like birdwatching. About 15 years ago, I tried joining the local chapter of the Audubon Society. I thought it would be fun. But I could not stand the constant left-wing political preening that dominated this particular local chapter. I have often felt sad about that. I might have had an enjoyable time and they might have learned something from having an outlier in their midst. So now, suppose a large contingent of pro-life Catholics started going to the meetings of their local Audubon Society or Sierra Club or Nature Conservancy. A bunch of us walk in and say, “We are here because we are good Catholics. Our Holy Father Francis told us we should protect the environment. We want to help with the local beach clean-up project or recycling project. I’ve brought three of my kids along to help. My pal here has brought four of his kids. Where do we start?” The te
World Congress of Families heading to Salt Lake City in the fall
By Dennis Romboy and Lois M. Collins This article was published on May 12, 2015, at deseretnews.com. SALT LAKE CITY — The World Congress of Families will be held in Salt Lake City Oct. 27-30, marking the first time that the international family-focused gathering has taken place in the United States. But Salt Lake City […]
Your Revolution is Killing Us
A review of The Sexual Revolution and its Victims by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse By Austin Ruse This article was first posted at Crisis Magazine on May 1, 2015. It is inevitable that advocates for the Sexual Revolution will say all we need is a bit more of it. More orgasms. More sex-ed. More abortion. […]
Religious Liberty Is Not Enough
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted at Crisismagazine.com on April 29, 2015. I want to thank those who took the time to respond to my recent article, “Why Religious Liberty Arguments Aren’t Working.” Our focus at the Ruth Institute is crafting sound arguments and clarifying the proper context for their use. Religious liberty arguments are a case in point. While there is merit in religious liberty arguments, we propose a broader strategy that will help all who are engaged in this greatest struggle of our time. What I’m Not SayingI am NOT saying that lawyers like Matt Bowman and his colleagues at the Alliance Defending Freedom should stop taking religious liberty cases. I am NOT saying that advocates should stop sticking up for Christians who have been harmed. I am NOT denigrating the people who have lost their jobs, their businesses or their educational opportunities for the sake of their religious beliefs. Never in a million years. In fact, I support them all. Nor am I saying that we don’t need religious liberty. So what am I saying? A Hypothetical DialogueA Christian baker refuses to bake and deliver a wedding cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding reception, citing deeply held religious beliefs. At one time, this might have been an acceptable legal argument providing protection from prosecution under anti-discrimination laws. This appears to be no longer the case. But I’m not so interested in what will or won’t fly in a court of law. I trust the attorneys like Charles LiMandri, Jay Sekelow, Brad Dacus, Dean Broyles and all the wonderful men and women at the Alliance Defending Freedom to know their business. They know what arguments can and should be made in a court of law, under different sets of facts. I’m getting at something else. Suppose someone other than a lawyer questions the Christian baker: a news reporter or their next door neighbor or their lesbian co-worker. “Why won’t you bake and deliver this cake?” “Because my religion forbids gay marriage.” “Why does your religion forbid gay mar
Why Religious Liberty Arguments Aren’t Working
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted at crisismagazine.com on April 16, 2015. I am a very committed, very public advocate of marriage as a gender-based institution. Many of my fellow proponents of man/woman marriage cite religious liberty as an argument against redefining marriage. While I have great respect for those who promote this view, I must respectfully disagree with their assessment. The uproar over the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act demonstrates that religious liberty arguments don’t work anymore. I take no pleasure in saying this. But religious liberty arguments are not compelling enough to induce our fellow citizens to sacrifice something they value, namely, sexual liberty. I can think of three reasons for this. An increasing number of our fellow citizens do not believe in any god. A substantial number describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. The American religious situation at the time of the American Founding was quite different. James Madison spoke for most when he regarded religion as “the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it.” When so many people do not regard themselves as having any “duty to the Creator,” the social foundation that made religious liberty appealing or even intelligible, no longer exists. So, Reason #1 why religious liberty arguments are not working: People who don’t believe in God, couldn’t give a rip whether we religious believers are inconvenienced in our religious practice. Secondly, the controversies over religious liberty are not about transubstantiation or the Trinity or predestination. We are arguing about sex: abortion, contraception, homosexuality and similar topics. Our fellow citizens have absorbed and are committed to a particular view about the meaning of human sexuality and its place in our lives. Millions of people have ordered their lives around these beliefs. They are not going to give up those views, in the absence of an attractive alternative. Reason #2 why religious liberty arguments are not
Rev. Walter Hoye at San Diego’s Walk for Life
(January 31, 2015) Rev Walter Hoye is one of the speakers at San Diego’s 3rd annual Walk for Life this year–you may remember him as a longtime friend of Ruth who went to jail after peacefully holding signs across the street from an Oakland abortion clinic. He gave a short talk as part of the event entitled "All Lives Matter."
Thinking Strategically and Faithfully, about the Pope
I have received many responses to my somewhat tongue in cheek article last week, “Mom’s Home,” imploring my fellow Conservative Catholics to stop disrespecting the Pope. The responses were all over the map. I thought it would be well to offer a window into my strategic thinking. This post should help you understand what I’m […]
In celebration of Blessed Paul VI, Prophet and Pope
Pope Francis beatified Pope Paul VI at the close of the Synod on the Family. This means two things. First, the Church officially recognizes the personal sanctity of Paul VI. Second, the Church has no intention of backing away from its ancient teachings on artificial contraception. For Paul VI is the author of the 1968 […]
Dealing with a Guilty Conscience: A Modest Proposal
We talk about some very sensitive issues at the Ruth Institute: sex, abortion, divorce. I have noticed that sometimes, peoples’ reactions are all out of proportion to what we actually said. Many times, I have wondered to myself, “What accounts for this extreme reaction?” Without jumping to an overly broad conclusion, let me suggest that […]
Karen’s Story: Cohabiting with Regrets
I believe we are living under a brutal sexual regime. The Sexual Revolution routinely chews people up and spits them out. Let me tell you a story about a young woman whom I know by reputation, but have never met. I have inferred some parts of her story, based on my experiences that are in […]
The Sexual State: The Purpose of our government
What is the purpose of government? Let us look around us to draw the conclusion. Based on what we observe our government doing, we would have to conclude: The real purpose of the government is to give people the sex lives they want, with a minimum of inconvenience. You want to have sex without having a baby? […]
Hobby Lobby and The War Among Women
This article was also published at Christianpost.com here. You have no doubt heard that the men of the US Supreme Court are making war on the interests of American women. You may, however, have some doubt as to which interests of which women. I maintain that there has been a War Among Women for the past 50 years or so. And most of the time, the Elite Women prevail over Everywoman. But not this time. Everywoman: embedded within the family / Elite Woman: alone at the top Let me tell you about a friend of mine named Katie. She is a brilliant attorney, who works part-time for a non-profit public interest legal organization. Katie has nine children, whom she homeschools. She lives out in the country in coastal California. By any reasonable reckoning, Katie, is “having it all:” big family, country living in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and meaningful, intellectually challenging work. However, it is safe to say that Katie is highly unlikely to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court. She has other concerns. She does not have the single-minded focus on her legal career that would allow her to be a serious contender. I too, have had a wonderful advantaged life: meaningful work, good family life. But I never chaired an economics department. I never sat on any prestigious commissions. I wasn’t given any political appointment as my childless or male peers have done. Which brings me back to the subject at hand: whose interests do the women on the Supreme Court actually represent? Ruth Bader Ginsburg came of age in the short window of time when women could still get married, have kids, go to law school, and have a career after child-bearing. Her two children were born when she was 22 and 32. Thanks to radical feminism, highly educated women have a much more difficult time doing these things. They can go to law school and have a career alright. But getting married and having children sometime before menopause, not so much. Justice Ginsburg had the lifelong support of her husband in her career aspirations. Thanks to
The Sexual State: Waiting for the Hobby Lobby ruling
As we await the Supreme Court’s decision on the Hobby Lobby case and the Mt. Soledad Cross case, we should recall the purpose of our government. Ah, you supposed that the purpose of the government was to protect people from force or fraud? Maybe you thought the purpose of the government was form a more […]
The New Class Warfare: "All we want to do…"
Allow me to point out a pattern in the promotion of the Sexual Revolution: All we want to do is lower the cost of divorce to the handful of people whose marriages have irretrievably broken down. All we want to do is allow abortion for cases of rape and incest. All we want to do is allow […]
After the Party: An Open Letter to Social Conservatives in San Diego and Beyond
On June 3, 2014, Kirk Jorgenson, came in third in a run-off style primary election for the 52nd Congressional District. He obtained 17% of the vote. Jorgenson had been the favorite of the Social Conservative community in San Diego. OK, San Diego Cultural Conservatives. Kirk Jorgenson lost his runoff race for the 52nd Congressional District. Can we talk now?
Did You Know?
Did you know that about 45% of women who had abortions in the US in 2010, had already had at least one prior abortion? Look it up here. Table 19. 55% of women had zero prior abortions. 100%-55%= 45% of women had one or more prior abortions. Just thought you’d want to know.
Santorum, the Duggars, and Blogmanship – or, Why You Should Always Ignore Internet Comments
Comments on the blogosphere are a total joke. And by joke, I don’t mean funny. I mean “something not to be taken seriously.” Case in point: When Santorum did well in Iowa on Jan. 3, 2012, many news sites wrote about the Duggers supporting him. The articles I saw were pretty evenhanded, but it was […]
“Marriage Equality” – What’s Love Got to do With It?
One of the most common things I see in regards to the marriage debate has to do with love. Here are a couple common misconceptions I have seen across the internet. “When a gay couple marries, it is exactly the same as when a heterosexual couple marries. In other words, they are in love and […]
The Immaculate Conception and the culture of the Prop 8 trial
I just came from Mass in honor of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I will soon head off to the airport to go to SF, for the Prop 8 trial. It is fitting that this trial take place on this feast day. I realize that many of my readers are not Catholic, and think […]
A “dangerous book” on philanthropy
Jeff Cain, President of American Philanthropic, has an interesting review of a book called, Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World. He doesn’t like it. He is deeply suspicious of what the authors breathlessly call, “catalytic philanthropists.” Having conquered the world of business, come into a great inheritance, or stumbled […]
The Culture of Choice is no such thing
We have been habituated to think that the most pressing issues of life and death are really just issues of choice. “Abortion is a woman’s choice.” A choice to do what? is the question never quite answered. People should have the “right to choose” to use contraception, even if they are young and unmarried, as […]
“Twin Reductions” and the Right Side of History
My first response to this story Betsy posted earlier this week about “Twin Reductions” at IVF clinics was to be appalled. But as I have reflected on it, there is more to the story than the outrageousness of it all. To be sure, twin reduction is intrinsically appalling. Fertility doctors routinely implant multiple embryos in […]
In Massachusetts, your tax dollars at work
The AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is a not-for-profit, community-based health organization whose mission is to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic by preventing new infections and optimizing the health of those already infected. The AIDS Action Committee (AAC) developed the Maria Talks website with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). (ie, with tax dollars.) […]
More Leftist Images
This video has been circulating in pro-life circles. I’m interested in the images of the signs carried by the pro-abortion people. Pause the video around 3 minutes, and run it slowly for the next 15 seconds. You will see: “Life Begins when you stand up to Christian Fascists” “Abortion on Demand without Apology” “Abortion Providers Save […]
Rev Ron Sider: What would you accept as proof?
In his much-discussed First Things article, Bearing Better Witness, Rev. Ron Sider offers his view of the same sex marraige debate. I submitted a letter to the editor of First Things, and chose not to participate in the on-line discussion, pending publication of the printed letter. I am pleased to say that my letter was […]
A simple pro-life project
This weekend, pro-lifers are commemorating the tragic anniversary of Roe v Wade. The Catholic Bishops have urged people to pray, fast, do penance. And they have urged the clergy to preach on pro-life themes. Here is a simple pro-life project anyone of any religion, can do. If your clergy preach on pro-life themes, this weekend or […]
Aristotle’s Ethos, Pathos, and Logos – in Which Do You Excel?
Ethos: the source’s credibility, the speaker’s/author’s authority Logos: the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. Pathos: the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details. Located here. A recent blog comment by “RuthRocks” triggered a […]
Pro Choice and Informed Choice
Caution: very graphic content follows. Clicking the links below may result in shock or sadness. I notice only pro life groups create abortion videos to use in trying to persuade people to their cause. Why don’t pro choice groups create their own videos showing abortions? Is there something biased in the pro life’s abortion videos? […]
What is Nature’s Purpose for Sex?
I’m wondering what you all think. What is nature’s purpose for sex? I think nature intended sex for procreation. I base this on the physiology of the act. When man has an orgasm, he ejaculates a fluid known as semen. Within the semen are sperm, which are reproductive cells. The sperm are ½ of the […]
Pro-Marriage, not anti-gay
Some of our commenters seem to be surprised that the Ruth Institute is “transitioning away from its anti-gay advocacy…. Why is there an article about abortion here?” Actually, if you look over the life of this blog, you will see a lot of discussion about abortion, contraception and artificial reproductive technology. You will also see […]
“Marriage Equality” Equals State Expansion and Less Freedom
In a recent article about “marriage equality,” I addressed a couple of the common considerations regarding love and the marriage debate. I then received a question regarding one of the points I made, asking for clarification. Here is the question I received: “You wrote in the article, ‘The state has other reasons for supporting man/woman […]
Original Meaning, Privileges and Immunities, Fundamental Rights and Other Legal Magic Words
So this morning, I’m reading the Hoover Institution’s Policy Review on the treadmill at 24 Hour Fitness, “Who’s Afraid of Original Meaning?” by George Thomas of Claremont McKenna College. I won’t pretend that I understand the twists and turns of his argument about why Scalia’s interpretation of Original Meaning isn’t as original as it should […]
A “Roe” moment for marriage
I once told the Blackstone legal Fellows, if you knew that Roe v Wade was coming down the pike, wouldn’t you throw yourself in front of a train to stop it? Archbishop Joseph Kurtz is making the same argument here: Saying “today is like 1970 for marriage,” Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., urged […]
Election Preferences
This election season, some friends of mine have made a project of reporting on the actual pro-abortion, pro-gay views and activities of a candidate. The husband in this husband and wife team researched the candidate’s positions on abortion and same sex unions. He wrote up a flyer, reporting this information. The wife translated the flyer […]
It’s Not Working (the Blue State Script, that is)
I recently reviewed Red Families vs. Blue Families. (I didn’t like it much.) The authors’ constant refrain was “The Blue State Script works. Delay marriage and childbearing until the mid-thirties, with the help of unapologetic use of abortion and contraception. The marriages last longer and are more stable. The kids are better off. Be like […]
Red Families v Blue Families
I didn’t much care for this book. The essence of the Cahn and Carbone’s version of class difference, which they wrongly attribute to “red states” and “blue states”, is delayed age at first marriage. Later marriage allows women to complete their education and enter into high-income, high-status jobs before beginning families. These high status women […]
The fraudulent principle of “liberal neutrality:” from Prof Ed Feser
Philosophy professor and prolific author Dr. Ed Feser has a lenghthy post on the Prop 8 overturn. I’m just picking out some highlights. I suggest you read the whole thing. The dialogue in the comments is worth looking at also. 1. Judge Walker’s decision, he tells us, is based on the principle that the state […]
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: […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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!
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
California Human Rights Amendment
The California Human Rights Amendment would define personhood to include everyone, “no matter how small.” The spiritual dynamo behind this amendment is pro-life hero, Rev. Walter Hoye. An African American pastor in Oakland, Rev. Hoye spent time in jail, because he violated the Oakland City Council’s draconian “clinic bubble law.” Rev. Hoye makes the connection […]
Civil Rights and The Sexual Revolution
I recently asked a black pastor friend of mine to consider this hypothetical question: Where do you think the black community would be today, if the Sexual Revolution had not happened at the same time as the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s? Think about it: a functioning African American family, black men inside the […]
The Pro-Life advantage
Susan B. Anthony List reports that the pro-life Democrats who are holding up health care over abortions are making the politically astute judgment. The public does not want federal funding of abortions. At least three-in-five voters in these eight congressional districts agreed that “Abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation.” Additionally, more […]
Dump the term Pro-Life? change it to Pro-Person?
This article in the New Oxford Review follows nicely on my posts about the CA Human Rights Amendment. After going on about the inconsistency of some people in the pro-life movement, (an argument I haven’t got time for, frankly), he makes this observation: It could be called the Personhood Movement. It would have a very […]
CA Human Rights Amendment
I am totally on-board with the CA Human Rights Amendment. I have been deeply influenced by the Rev Walter Hoye, African American pastor of Oakland, and tireless defender of the unborn. To me, in this essay, Rev Hoye sounds like William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist of the 19th century and editor of The Liberator. I […]
British Parents Nudged Out of Kids’ Education
There is more to this story from the UK than may first meet the eye. British religious schools receive some taxpayer funding. Therefore, this program will apply to all schools, including religious schools that have a very different view of human sexuality, and of the relationship between children, parents and the state. Britain’s House of […]
Tim Tebow Ad
I just saw the (a?) Tim Tebow ad on the SuperBowl. What the heck is teh big deal? There was nothing there about abortion. You would have to know the back-=story to have a clue that that’s what they were talking about. NOW needs to get a life. But then, they have needed a life […]
German Homeschooling Family Granted Asylum in the US
A US judge granted political asylum to a German homeschooling family that is in danger of losing their children to the state. Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman, of Memphis, Tennessee, said: “We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution. The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated […]
Point by Point rebuttal of Ted Olson’s Newsweek piece
The American Spectator has a point by point reply to Ted Olson’s unpaid advertisement in last week’s Newsweek. Many of Jeffrey Lord’s arguments use the analogy with polygamy. Every argument made today for removing the gendered requirement for marriage can be used tomorrow to remove the “two persons” requirement for marriage. His bottom line argument is one […]
Are Blacks Abandoning Obama?
Inquiring Lefty minds want to know. Speaking as a dyed-in-the-wool, unapologetic right wing-nut who hangs around with others of same description of all colors: I can tell you there are plenty of blacks with traditional religious and family values who are disgusted with Obama. Let me lis the things I’ve heard them say they don’t like: […]
Same Sex “Marriage” is NOT Inevitable
so says Maggie Gallagher, of our sister organization, the National Organization for Marriage, over at NRO. Here is one of my favorite reasons: 4. Progressives are often wrong about the future.
ME Update: 10:21 EST
Bangor is now reporting that Yes on 1 is slightly ahead. this is SOOOO much like Prop 8. I will never forget it. We all went down to a hotel in SanDiego to watch the election returns. The only election any of us really cared about was Prop 8. We knew Obama would win nationwide, […]