

Dying Man Saved from Suicide
by Miles Gloetzner — Note: Identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved and maintain confidentiality. —————— The family members stepped out of the room and paused by the door. Before they left, they told me they had spoken with Arthur about an "end-of-life option," and that he wanted to talk with me privately about his decision. I knew exactly what that meant, and a wave of mixed emotions hit me. My first thought was a pang of self-doubt: Had
Jun 83 min read


Bringing Life, Peace, and Justice Together: Further Reflections on the Consistent Life Ethic
by John Whitehead — Note: This article discusses suicide. — A decade ago, I wrote an article for Rehumanize in which I argued for a particular understanding of the Consistent Life Ethic. I proposed that Consistent Life Ethic activists focus their attention on four major forms of socially approved killing—abortion, assisted suicide/euthanasia, the death penalty, and war—and I offered a rationale for this focus. After a subsequent 10 years of activism and reflection, I would no
Jun 28 min read


Pregnant and Detained by ICE
by Sarah Terzo — Organizations on both sides of the abortion debate have been trying to raise awareness of pregnant immigrants detained by ICE. These detainees are receiving substandard medical care, resulting in harm to themselves and their babies. The Number of Pregnant People in ICE Custody Seems to be Increasing Attorney Rebecca Cassler, who works for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, says her group is seeing increasing numbers of pregnant, postpartum, and nur
May 114 min read


Facing Execution for Liking a Post
by Lauren Pope — A woman is facing the death penalty. Her crime? Liking a post. Azar Yahoo, 38, was arrested in Mashhad by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and charged with “collaboration with a hostile state.” Her actual offense was placing heart stickers on social media posts and expressing joy over the reported death of Ali Khamenei. She is being held without a lawyer, without contact with her family, and without broad public knowledge of her situation. We can at leas
May 63 min read


‘The Drama’ and ‘Just Mercy’
by Timothy Kirchoff — The recently-released film The Drama poses difficult questions: What is the worst thing you have ever done, and would other people be justified in rejecting you if they knew about it? (I will discuss the film’s plot in detail, so there will be spoilers.) The film explores these questions through a soon-to-be-married couple, Charlie (played by Robert Pattinson) and Emma (played by Zendaya). Early in the film, Emma and Charlie are with their Best Man and M
May 24 min read


The Danger (and Futility) of Presidential Power: Trump’s Threats and the War in Iran
by John Whitehead — A terrifying escalation in the United States’ war against Iran seemed all too likely earlier in April. As of this writing, the prospect of escalation appears to have diminished somewhat. Nevertheless, recent events have shown the extreme dangers posed by the current war and by the power of the American president. Threats to Kill a Civilization Since the US-Israeli campaign against Iran began, the Iranian government has retaliated by limiting the passage of
Apr 227 min read


Fertility Decline: A Consistent Life Ethic Mom’s Perspective
by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — In college, I had an interesting pair of minors: Geography and Management of Aging Services. In both disciplines, I learned about something I hadn’t really had exposure to before: demographics. In my Geography courses, which included Environmental Studies, the overwhelming sentiment was that the Earth’s population had stabilized fairly well overall, though there was concern for those living in countries where the population was not well balanced,
Apr 204 min read


"Why Aren't I Enough?": Grief After Veteran Suicide
by Sarah Terzo — Donald Trump and Our Latest War President Trump has told the American people that the war in Iran has already been won, that Iran’s military has been decimated, that Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal so badly,” and that they are “begging to work out a deal.” In response to a reporter’s question , he stated, “We’ve won this war. This war has been won. The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news… You read the New York Times , it’s like we’re n
Apr 78 min read


“The Violence Is Getting Worse and Worse”: Pope Leo and Making Peace in the Middle East
by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — My 4-year-old and I were laying in bed enjoying some early morning snuggles when he asked me if there was a war anywhere in the world. At first I deflected the question and just said I hoped there wasn’t. But then I thought better of it and realized if I didn’t give him straight (while age-appropriate) answers, who would? I told him sadly there is a war going on but emphasized that it is nowhere near where we live, and Mommy and Daddy will always
Apr 63 min read


Insanity on a Global Scale: The US-Israeli Bombing of Iran
by John Whitehead — US foreign policy perfectly illustrates the saying that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result.” The United States, together with Israel, launched a bombing campaign against Iran on Saturday, February 28. The bombing reportedly struck an array of military and government-related sites across Iran, including the capital, Tehran. Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, have reported that more t
Mar 15 min read