As Washington, DC braces for an onslaught of winter weather, hundreds of thousands of people are coming here from around the country for the annual March for Life. The March’s president, Jeanne Mancini, previously led FRC’s Center for Human Dignity. We are deeply grateful for her life’s dedication to the little ones and their mothers.
Those coming will be here to celebrate the beauty of life and mourn for the loss of so many millions of unborn children over the past 43 years.
Along with unborn children, millions of women have been victimized by a predatory abortion industry. Many others have believed one of the great lies of our time, one that deceives men and women of every age and station: Professional attainment and personal satisfaction outweigh in value not just all other priorities, but other people.
That’s why there are so many broken marriages, casual intimacies, addictions, pathologies, and wounded young people and children. Avarice and greed are rampant. Radical autonomy is the god of the age.
The good news is that the true and living God offers new life to everyone. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
That gracious invitation is extended to all. Have you accepted it yet?
Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council
P.S. Be sure not to miss FRC’s “ProLifeCon 2016,” the premier conference for the online pro-life community. Hosted by the Director of our Center for Human Dignity, Arina Grossu, activists, policy experts, and legislators will be on hand to discuss the issues impacting the pro-life movement, and to share practical ways to make a difference for life on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and your online platform of choice. Register online or join us here at FRC headquarters.
Religious Liberty
International Religious freedom-
- Open Doors USA Releases World Watch List Highlighting Worst Countries for Persecution of Christians – Travis Weber, Family Research Council
- In Prisoner Swap, Iran Frees American Pastor Saeed Abedini and Three Other American Hostages – David French, National Review
- Cuba: Unprecedented Crackdown Drives Spike in Violations of Religious Freedom – Christian Solidarity Worldwide
- Naghmeh Abedini Grateful for Husband's Release – Amanda Casanova, Crosswalk.com
- As Many as 300 Murdered by Islamic State in Syria – Veronica Neffinger, Christian Headlines
Military Religious Freedom
- Stop the Insanity: Free Exercise of Religion in the Military - Daniel Briggs, Alliance Defending Freedom
- U.S. military health officer draws complaint for writing blog post promoting prayer – Czarina Ong, ChristianToday.com
Religious Liberty in the public square –
- Family Research Council Files Amicus Brief in US Supreme Court Obamacare Case – FRC Newsroom
- US Supreme Court agrees to tackle religious hostility by states – Alliance Defending Freedom
- U.S. religious freedom to be honored – Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times
- 207 Members of Congress File Brief Supporting Religious Liberty of Little Sisters of the Poor - Lauretta Brown, CNS News
- Supreme Court to Consider Churches’ Rights to State Grants – Jess Bravin, Wall Street Journal
- Washington Pharmacists Fight for Religious Rights – CBN
- IRS Lax Controls Enable Targeting Based On Religion + Politics, Claims Report – Robert W. Wood, Forbes
- Mike Pence Promises to Protect Religious Freedom in Indiana – Roger Severino, Daily Signal
- LGBT Activists Target Christian Colleges over Title IX Exemptions - Samantha Gobba, ChristianHeadlines.com
- Alliance Defending Freedom Cases Supporting our “First Freedom” – Alliance Defending Freedom
Life
Abortion
- Answering the Abortion Question That Is Sure to Come – Kevin DeYoung, Gospel Coalition
- NBC’s Gifford Blames Abortionist Kermit Gosnell for Real “War on Women” – Katie Yoder, Media Research Center
- A time for plain speaking: Planned Parenthood benefits from a culture that disguises what it is and does – Marvin Olasky, World Magazine
- Black Pastor: Though African-Americans are 12.6% of the Population, 30% of Aborted Babies are Black – Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com
- Does Planned Parenthood care as much about homosexuality as abortion? – Austin Ruse, LifeSitenews.com
- Priests for Life: Churches Must Decry ‘Killing the Public’ in 2016 Election – Katie Yoder, Media Research Center
- Infamous Oklahoma abortionist finally loses his medical license – Dave Andrusko, National Right to Life News
- Hillary Clinton Calls for Free Abortions for Medicaid Recipients – John McCormack, Weekly Standard
- Arkansas Rejected by U.S. Supreme Court on 12-Week Abortion Ban - Bloomberg Business News
- Ultrasounds: Seeing Is the End of “Choice” – Samuel James, The Gospel Coalition
- Poll: 80 Percent Of Women Support Late-Term Abortion Bans – The Federalist
- The New Way to Be Pro-Choice: Flaunt Your Abortion – Zachary Gappa, Christian Post
Adoption
- American Families are Adopting ‘Unadoptable’ Children With Down Syndrome From China – Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com
- Adoption: What God teaches us through orphans – Pat Ennis, Baptist Press
- 10 Things You Need to Know If You're Adopting in 2016 – Rachel Garlinghouse, Babble.com
Bioethics
- Designer Babies To Be Super Intelligent? – William M. Briggs, The Stream
- Life, Liberty, and Modern Bioethics – Philip Hawley, Jr., Public Discourse
- Human-animal hybrid research continues despite federal funding ban – Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner
- Child with High Risk Leukemia Recovers after Adult Stem Cell Transplant – Charlotte Lozier Institute
Healthcare conscience
- Should You Get An Obamacare Conscience Tax Exemption? – Casey Mattox, The Federalist
- Federal Court Refuses to Dismiss Individual Bid for Obamacare Religious Exemption – Thomas More Society
- Archbishop Kurtz: Pass Abortion Non-Discrimination Act – Catholic News Agency
- Not At Liberty: Court Rules that Farmers Should Have Violated Their Religious Beliefs – Emily Conley, Alliance Defending Freedom
- A War of Choice: The Obama administration welcomed a fight with the Little Sisters of the Poor – Joseph Bottum, Weekly Standard
Obamacare
- Are you prepared for new Obamacare tax forms? Jeff Reeves, USA Today
- Medicaid Expansion -- Bait and Switch – Brian C. Joondeph, American Thinker
- UnitedHealth Raises Forecast for Losses on Affordable Care Act Plans – Anna Wilde Mathews, Wall Street Journal
Family
Family Economics
- Millennial Marriage Tax Penalty: The Student Loan Interest Tax Deduction Has A Gotcha For The Hitched – Maggie McGrath, FORBES
- Tax deductions vs. tax credits: How to tell the difference – Christian Science Monitor
Human Sexuality (Homosexual/ gender issues)
- Most U.S. Christian groups grow more accepting of homosexuality – Pew Research
- Republicans Battle to Roll Back Washington’s New Transgender Bathroom Rules – Kelsey Harkness, Daily Signal
- Transgenderism Has No Basis in Science or Law – Margaret A. Hagen, Public Discourse
Human Trafficking
- Human Trafficking Awareness Day calls for family awareness - Lindsay Steele, Mission Network News
- Human Trafficking Prevention Month: Raising Awareness of a Devastating Crime – Federal Bureau of Investigation
Marriage
- A Fundamental Departure from the Faith: Episcopal Church Disciplined for Stance on Gay Marriage – Rob Schwarzwalder, FRC Blog
- My Real Life Hosea Story: An Unfaithful Wife, a Faithful God – Craig Keener, Christianity Today
- Chastity: An Inseparable Part of Religious Freedom and Liberty of Conscience – Rick Plasterer, Institute on Religion and Democracy
Pornography
- It’s Not Worth It: This Billboard Campaign is Targeting Sex Buyers – Angelyn Bayless, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
- Pornography and Sex Trafficking: It’s Time to Stop Ignoring the Links – National Center on Sexual Exploitation