By Deirdre A. McQuade
On the eve of World Youth Day 2016 in Poland, Pope Francis gave a beautiful address. . . urging leaders to support the family, the "primary and fundamental cell of society." Specifically, he urged them to welcome and protect human life in all its stages: "Life must always be welcomed and protected. These two things go together—welcome and protection, from conception to natural death."
By Mary McClusky
Police recently found twenty-three-year-old Candace Pickens of Asheville, North Carolina, dead in a park. Nathaniel Dixon, the father of their unborn child, is charged with her murder. Family members say Candace's refusal to have an abortion sparked the violence.
Read more: Life Issues Forum - Connecting Domestic Abuse and Abortion
By Kimberly Baker
There was once a four-year-old girl who had some delays with speech development. Her doctor and parents agreed that she should work with a speech-language pathologist to correct this difficulty.
By Caitlin Thomas
As a nation, we recently marked the 240th anniversary of our independence and our beginnings as a sovereign country. Amid festivities celebrating our history, enjoying the fellowship of family and friends, and praying for our country, Independence Day is also a time for us to reflect on our cherished ideals about freedom, as well as to consider what it means to be a part of a union—an alliance of diverse states, yes, but also a country that guarantees and protects the freedoms of all faiths, peoples, and communities: E pluribus unum.
Read more: Life Issues Forum - Independence and Interdependence
By Tom Grenchik
Millions of Americans are deeply concerned about abortion. And tens of thousands of health care professionals do not want to be forced to participate in abortion in any way. Yet everywhere you look, great pressure is being exerted on individuals and institutions to cooperate in abortion.
By Greg Schleppenbach
I was privileged to attend the 2016 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. The keynote speaker was His Eminence Robert Cardinal Sarah who currently heads the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments. The Cardinal's talk and life story can inspire all who work to spread the Gospel of Life.
Read more: Life Issues Forum - My Grace Is Sufficient for You
By Tommy O'Donnell
British scientists have created a substance that mimics a mother's womb, allowing human embryos to implant on the side of a petri dish and continue their development long past the previous technological limit of seven to eight days. In short, this new technology makes it possible to grow human beings in a lab. Completely removed from the context of a nurturing family, they are cultivated solely for experimentation, often under the guise of curing common problems related to pregnancy and fetal development.