Abortion When it Involves a Rape: See the Faces
by Jim Hewes Addressing abortion following criminal rape is sensitive and complex. Below I draw from nearly two decades of direct experience as the director of Project Rachel, where I have accompanied many women wounded and hurt by abortion. I also rely on people directly affected such as Rebecca Kiessling, Lianna Rebolledo, Stephanie Reynolds, Jennifer…
Persuading People to Act against the Nuclear Threat: Some Findings and Recommendations
by John Whitehead A perennial question for activists is “How do you get people to join you?” Persuading people to accept your views on an issue and then to act on these views is a major challenge. Addressing this challenge, specifically regarding activism against the threat of nuclear weapons, is the subject of the recent…
Abortion and the Unwanted Child
by Fr. Jim Hewes In the 1990’s I was invited to be a presenter to a non-profit organization who was considering moving to support abortion rather than continuing to stay neutral. It was in a home filled with quite a few people. There were two of us on the pro-life side and two on the pro-abortion…
Signal Chat: The Media Misses the Actual Scandals
by Rachel MacNair A journalist is mistakenly invited and included in a group chat of top officials discussing a military strike in Yemen. Details of the operation that’s about to happen are given there, but the reporter doesn’t divulge them to anybody at that point. Indeed, it’s not until the strikes happen as detailed that…
U.S.A.I.D. – The Good and the Bad
by Rachel MacNair The Trump administration is trying to shut down the United States Agency for International Development. The courts are weighing in and developments are likely to change between the time I write this and the time you read it. The US Congress is supposed to have a say since it created the agency…
The Uniqueness of the Fetal Body: A Distinct Human Life
by Fr. Jim Hewes Introduction March 30 marks the 30th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s The Gospel of Life. Just days earlier, on March 25, Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation—the moment Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb. This prompts a profound question: Was Jesus, at His conception, a mere part of…
Turning Back the Nuclear Threat: Some Practical Steps
by John Whitehead The following is adapted from remarks given at the Vigil to End the Nuclear Danger, a peace witness outside the White House on March 8, 2025. The vigil was co-sponsored by the Consistent Life Network, as well as the American Solidarity Party of DC and Maryland, Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore, and Rehumanize…
Not Panicked / Always Panicked
by Rachel MacNair I was visiting a large Quaker Meeting for Worship in January 2025, just days into Donald Trump sending a lot of heads reeling with his initial set of executive orders and actions. We Quakers (Friends) are the type of folks especially inclined to be upset about many of those. This was expressed…
Preborn Babies, Infants, and Government Programs
by Sarah Terzo A recent study looked at food insecurity and government benefits among pregnant people in the United States. Researchers determined that 14% of their sample was “food insecure,” meaning they couldn’t afford enough to eat. These were all people who weren’t receiving government assistance through SNAP or WIC, two programs that provide food…
Seeking an End to a Catastrophic War: The Ukraine War after Three Years
by John Whitehead The Ukraine-Russia war will soon enter its fourth year. The war has become, in one sense, a relatively static conflict, with neither the Ukrainian nor Russian forces advancing dramatically and battles being fought over very small pieces of territory. However, in another sense, the war has changed significantly over time by becoming…