Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a lifelong Democrat and member of a political family that largely embraced abortion rights, but on that controversial issue, she was pro-life. Shriver died Aug. 11 at the age of 88 and is perhaps best remembered as the founder of the Special Olympics. But while she was a lifelong advocate of the intellectually disabled she also was an abortion opponent, and she saw her two positions as being closely aligned. More than four decades ago – before the Supreme Court issued its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion – Shriver began fearing that if abortion […]

The Obama administration has initiated an effort to dispel what it describes as “wild rumors” about health-care reform, but, perhaps tellingly, it does not seek to deny that current congressional proposals will result in government funding of abortion. In his weekly radio address Aug. 8, President Obama sought to dismiss what he described as “the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia or cut Medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care.” “That’s simply not true,” Obama said. “This isn’t about putting government in charge of your health insurance. It’s about putting you in charge of your health […]

As the mortgage crisis continues to grip South Florida, many people who are delinquent in their mortgage payments and facing foreclosure become desperate. The Associated Press recently reported that Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada comprise 46 percent of the nation’s homes in foreclosures. The media have repeatedly focused on South Florida as an area where residential real estate values have been hit hardest. The reasons people find themselves facing foreclosure are varied. Some overextended by spending more than they could realistically afford. Others made prudent home financing decisions, but since have been laid off and are unable to make once-reasonable […]

A West Virginia school board has voted unanimously not to include “sexual orientation” as a special category in a new cultural-diversity policy – marking a significant victory for parents and pro-family advocates who used a Focus on the Family resource. Family advocates said if “sexual orientation” was not removed from the bullying policy by the Kanawha County School Board, it would have created a special class of protection for some students based on sexual orientation or gender identity, while leaving others unprotected. It could also have set up a system that would be ripe for reverse discrimination. Jeremiah Dys, president […]

It’s early morning at the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) in Knoxville, Tenn. Dr. Carol Sommerfelt, the embryologist, has already begun her full day of transfers. I watch as she draws tiny plastic straws from liquid nitrogen tanks and dips the tubes containing embryos into a controlled-temperature bath. She checks and rechecks names and numbers. After taking the straws to the microscope’s stage, she snips off the ends. Holding her breath, she slowly pushes a plunger through the straw. One by one the embryos move into a Petri dish that contains the proper media for safe thawing and expansion. The […]

Christians don’t have a thorough knowledge of the Fairness Doctrine, hate-crimes legislation or the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), according to recent research by Wilson Research Strategies. CEO Chris Wilson said the data examined suggest that Christians don’t fully understand the negative impact of these policy proposals on the ministries they support.  “The recent change in control of both the White House and Congress has reintroduced the possibility of the Fairness Doctrine being revived,” he said. “Ministries would avoid any commentary that could be interpreted as relating to political or policy issues or risk action by the FEC. Stations would feel […]

Legend has it that P.T. Barnum once said, “There is a sucker born every minute.” If that’s true, it’s possible that Harvey Dockstader, Jr., is out to find them all – from prison – and using pastors and church leaders to identify his marks. Dockstader was convicted of running an illegal pyramid scheme in Harris County, Texas, in 2008, and sentenced to two years in jail. Dockstader’s scheme was an odd mix of an old-fashioned chain letter, a multi-level marketing organization and prosperity theology. His organization, Elite Activity, recruits pastors into the organization, who then recruit their flocks. The new […]