by R. C. Perkins 1st Place, Prose, Create | Encounter 2026 — Halfway through another night, and she felt like a failure. Her bright golden wings spread apart to illuminate her heavenly domain. One by one, she watched a million new souls infuse themselves into their new home. It was a moment that had always filled her with such joy. But then she turned to the ones nearly a week old and helplessly watched as nearly half of them perished because they could not implant into the

by Alexandra Kilgore 2nd Place, Prose, Create | Encounter 2026 — A thesis submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Bioethics Baltimore, Maryland April 2026 ABSTRACT Absent a choice, diseased, disabled, and other genetically suboptimal people could live by default, without justification. This thesis considers the implications of the imposition of just such a choice by the advent of novel whole genome embryo screen

by Herb Geraghty — The abortion pill now accounts for the majority of abortions in the United States. Studies show that it can cause serious complications including hemorrhaging, incomplete abortion, sepsis, and death. To protect women, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rules and protocols in place to help prevent those complications. However, the companies responsible for implementing those safeguards cannot say, with any confidence, that the people prescribing the

by Lauren Pope — For the second time this year, the state of Tennessee has tried and failed to execute one of its citizens. In May, its execution team members failed to establish a central line in Tony Carruthers after over two hours and over a dozen sticks. Yesterday, they injected both vials of pentobarbital into Christa Pike, but after over an hour she remained alive. In their petition to the US Supreme Court, Pike’s lawyers had raised concerns that the condition of her ve

by Lauren Pope — My name is Lauren Pope, and I am a Louisiana resident, a mother of 6, and the Executive Director of Rehumanize International. Like many of you, I am pro-life and care deeply about unborn children and their mothers. In February of this year, I spearheaded an open letter to the Trump Administration signed by over 35 pro-life organizations, including Live Action and several state Right to Life groups. In it, we called upon the executive branch to follow the ICE

Carol Crossed has been showing up for sixty years. In the summer of 1965, at Howard University, Carol started her 60 year struggle for civil and human rights. She has been a leader in nonviolent civil disobedience since the 1970s movement against the Vietnam War. Carol stood with Indigenous communities in South America, participated in the US Rescue movement, and advanced a nonviolent feminist struggle across the Consistent Life Ethic. Through it all, Carol’s commitment to us

by John Whitehead — Mohandas K. Gandhi made a striking statement in his essay “The Doctrine of the Sword” (1920): “I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence.” Referring to India’s struggle for independence from Britain, he wrote, “I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour.” While stating t

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — “But will I still get my books??” my four-year-old asked with big hazel eyes. “Yes, sweetheart. I’m sure you’ll still get your books. Dolly Parton would want you to keep reading.” And thankfully an article from The Hill confirmed we, along with one in six American children under the age of five, will still get the books. A spokesperson from the Dollywood Company confirmed that the Imagination Library will continue, despite Dolly Parton’s passing

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — The Economist recently ran an article titled “In Praise of Designer-ish Babies.” The article describes how certain businesses are now offering couples using in vitro fertilization (IVF) the opportunity to “screen” the embryos they create. Embryos can supposedly be screened for genetic risks for illnesses and even for particular heights or IQ levels. The article endorses such screening of embryos. Its main argument is that parents just want to giv

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — As I write this, it’s World Breastfeeding Week, and the Facebook algorithm is really winning at capturing my attention. While scrolling (if I remember right, while breastfeeding), I came across a post claiming that formula companies had lobbied against paid parental leave. I thought that couldn’t be true, so of course subjected this incredible claim to a Google search. To my surprise, a 2023 The Lancet series on breastfeeding confirms this. In Fe

by Timothy Kirchoff — In an interview with retired pastor Pat Kahnke, former pro-life leader Rob Schenck explained one of the experiences that ultimately reshaped his perspective on abortion. A number of years ago, after being arrested during a political protest, Schenck was briefly detained in Alabama, in the Montgomery County Jail (jails are usually temporary pre-trial holding facilities, while prisons are for holding people post-sentencing). Schenck found himself in the s

by Sarah Terzo — This post is a continuation of a series. Read Part I, Part II, and Part III. On August 6, 1945, the United States became the first and only nation to use nuclear weapons against another nation with the bombing of Hiroshima. Estimates on the exact number of people killed by the bombing of Hiroshima vary. One estimate was that 140,000 people died as a result of the bombing by the end of 1945. Many children were made orphans by the atomic bomb. This is the story

by Sarah Terzo — This post is a continuation of a series. Read Part I and Part II. The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, died in the initial blast, and many more succumbed to radiation poisoning in the weeks and months after the bombing. Many children were killed, and others were orphaned. The account in this article comes from a 1951 book by Arata Osada, PhD, called Children of Hiroshim

by John Whitehead — The anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9) are times to reflect on the past. They are times to mourn the estimated 100,000 people killed in the bombings, as well as all those injured and bereaved. They are times to reject the injustice of using these indiscriminate, massively destructive weapons against cities. However, the atomic bombing anniversaries are also a time to reflect on the future. The invention of

by Sarah Terzo — This is part II of a series. You can read part I here. On August 6, 1945, the United States became the first and, so far, only country to use nuclear weapons in wartime when our leaders dropped the atomic bomb on a civilian target, the city of Hiroshima. US assessments shortly after the bombing estimated that over 60,000 people were killed in Hiroshima. A later assessment estimated roughly 140,000 people died by the end of 1945 because of the bombing. While

by Sarah Terzo — The Bombing of Hiroshima This month is the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, which took place on August 6, 1945. Some children from Hiroshima became orphans. This article tells the stories of three of them. The accounts are from Arata Osada, PhD, Children of Hiroshima, originally published in 1951. Osada interviewed children who survived the bombing. The book was translated into English by Yoichi Fukushima. All quotes are from the 1980 edition. The thr

by Jason Jones — Originally published on The Jason Jones Show Substack. — Just this week, President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth stood by as four grieving families watched the remains of their children return home from the Iran war: 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton. Feehan was 25. Gonzales was just 19. Rampersad was 28. Swinton was 30. The same day, official War Department channels pu

by Sarah Terzo — At the end of this article will be a link to take action. Medicaid work requirements will soon go into effect. States have some flexibility as to when they implement them, but every state must have them in place by January 1, 2027. Details of the New Policy To stay on Medicaid, adult recipients between the ages of 19 and 64 must document that they’re working at least 80 hours a month, are enrolled in an educational program, or have a monthly income equivalent

by John Whitehead — The United States, under presidents of both parties, has been building a new generation of nuclear weapons. This project is euphemistically called “nuclear modernization.” One part of nuclear modernization is a plan to dramatically increase production of the plutonium that produces nuclear explosions. Increasing plutonium production is profoundly unwise. Producing more plutonium is unnecessary, wastes money, and endangers communities in the United States

by Timothy Kirchoff — As I write this, the United States seems to finally be on the verge of a peace deal that will conclude the unjust and unnecessary war with Iran. Other commentators have already pointed out that the peace deal does not seem to meet many, if any, of the major stated goals or justifications for the war. From the destruction of the Iranian nuclear program and ballistic missile capability, to the end of Iran’s theocratic regime, to the restoration of shipping