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

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

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

Rehumanize is part of the bi-partisan, pro-choice AND pro-life, coalition working to pass the Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act (S. 1834 / H.R. 3762). The bill eliminates patient cost-sharing for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. If it passes, giving birth in America becomes free at the point of care. This is a bipartisan bill with Republican and Democratic cosponsors in both chambers: Senate (S. 1834): Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Kaine (D-VA), Hawley (R-MO), Gillibrand (D

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,

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

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

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

by Sarah Terzo — The Study and Its Findings A study published in 2025 in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association found that immigrants who spent time in detention centers were up to twice as likely to suffer from PTSD as combat veterans. This study, which was published on January 24, 2025, four days after Donald Trump’s inauguration, used data on detainees released in 2020 and 2021. The data paints a dire picture of the conditions inside immigrant detenti

Re: Protections for Pregnant, Postpartum, and Nursing Women in Immigration Custody Dear President Trump, Secretary Noem, and Acting Director Lyons: We write as pro-life organizations to urge the immediate reinstatement and enforcement of federal protections that prevent the detention of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women, except in truly exceptional circumstances. Pregnancy and early postpartum are medical states that require care that immigration detention facilities ar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 13, 2026 Washington, DC — A coalition of more than 30 pro-life organizations and thought leaders is calling on the Trump administration to reinstate federal protections preventing the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing women in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. In an open letter to President Trump, Secretary Noem and Acting ICE Director Lyons, the coalition argues that immigration policy does not require putting

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — The first time I went to the March for Life, I was five years old. I understood the basic concept in a child-friendly way: killing babies before they are born is wrong, and we march to show that. That year we missed our bus back home, and I thought it was a great adventure! Taking a metro ride was the perfect end to my wonderful day. I went with my dad and big sister, the two people in the world I felt the safest with besides my own mother, who s

by Timothy Kirchoff — Recently, a number of anti-ICE protestors disrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul because one of the church’s leaders is also a Field Office Director for ICE . Department of Justice officials are apparently considering charging these protestors under the FACE Act , which was originally introduced in 1993 by then-Representative Chuck Schumer in order to stop the pro-life protests — some of them violent, even deadly — that had been occurr

by Sara Leonard 1st Place and Best in Show , 3D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: God Shaped combines the theological illustration of St. Patrick and the moral statement of Dr. Suess. Both use the imagery of a clover, St. Patrick uses it to describe the threefold personhood of God, Dr. Suess uses it to say: “A person is a person no matter how small”. God Shaped uses canvases, magnets, acrylic paint and clay to assemble an interactive painting and sculpture

by Skanda. R 1st Place, 2D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: People get displaced, families torn apart and all appeals of help and aid are met with closed doors of deafness to the perpetrators that cause torment. The very feeling of despair is often not shown among the people which is what drove me to create this artwork.

by Kelsey Hazzard 2nd Place, 2D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: Much of this child's life is a matter of random chance; the so-called "birth lottery" starts with genetics, but hardly ends there. Where is this conception occurring? Will he grow up in a democracy, or in a dictatorship? What kind of education will he be able to attain? Will he even make it to birth? The ultimate goal of the consistent life movement is to make human rights a guarantee, not a

by Haley Hartsfield Spencer Honorable Mention, 2D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: This piece is acrylic on recycled canvas. Earth life began in the ocean. Like the surface of our planet, our bodies are 80% water. Water is life, quite literally. It is in the depths of salt water that our oldest ancestors were formed, and we are still to this day formed in the dark salt-water wombs of our mothers. This piece honors the common origins of all life and the va

by Mariam Jones Honorable Mention, 2D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: I painted this while I was pregnant. I wanted something to show that woman are amazing, especially when being open to life! The original has since been donated to my local woman's resource center.

by Hilary Beall Honorable Mention, 2D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: for those who may be on the verge of giving up: my past life with depression feels like someone else’s life entirely. but this is the truth- it is still a good life. I have been where you are. I plead with you- make your way through. It is still a good life.

by Natalia Recinos Chang Honorable Mention, 2D Visual Art, Create | Encounter 2025 Artist Statement: My work is a calligraphic portrait of Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector and human rights activist. The portrait is composed using the text (instead of lines) from her speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum and the One Young World Summit, where she implores the world to raise awareness about the ongoing human rights crisis in North Korea. Through her native clothing and a heart bu