Blog 2/27

Why People Need SNAP: Countering Myths with Reality

by Sarah Terzo — Many people claim that public assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which assists people in buying food, allow lazy people to avoid working. They imagine a “welfare queen” who lives high on the hog on government benefits while refusing to work. They resent their tax dollars going to help such a person. People aren’t eating lobster and steak on SNAP, though. The monthly SNAP benefit varies , but the average amount pe

Dec 21, 20256 min read

Act to Prevent Nuclear War: What You Can Do

by John Whitehead — Nuclear war is the greatest catastrophe that could befall life on this planet. Nuclear war would mean death on an unparalleled scale and the likely end of human civilization. Today, in 2025, the danger of nuclear war is greater than it has been in decades. We are living through a period of nuclear danger comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 or the extreme Cold War tensions of the 1980s. We see the danger of nuclear war in the ongoing war in U

Dec 17, 20254 min read

Infant Euthanasia is an Unacceptable Practice

by Nora Stewart Wylie — In 2005, the Netherlands made the historic decision to legalize assisted death for terminally ill infants under the age of one. Dutch law specifies that, should a baby be born with a severe medical condition that is irremediable and causes “unbearable” suffering, parents may have the right to terminate their child’s life . While many other countries in the world have legalized assisted dying for adults, the Netherlands was the first to legalize it fo

Dec 15, 20255 min read

The “Heritage Americans” Concept: Who Does It Include–and Exclude?

by Timothy Kirchoff — The term “heritage American” has come into use in certain parts of the internet—in blogs, on X, and in hand-wringing commentary from outlets like Politico . While definitions of the term vary, it seems to mean roughly “Americans who trace their presence in the country back to the colonial or Civil War era.” The term is endorsed by some as a celebration of the United States’ “national heritage and its culture.” When I first heard the term “heritage Ame

Dec 13, 20257 min read

Restricted Every Day: Dispatches from the West Bank

by John Whitehead — A group of activists known as a Meta Peace Team (MPT) traveled to the West Bank this autumn. These activists are committed to “creating a nonviolent alternative to militarism.” During their West Bank work, the MPT is collaborating with the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement (ISM). The MPT and ISM’s joint mission includes “participating in Palestinian-led demonstrations, creatively disrupting activity by the Israeli occupation forces, [an

Dec 11, 20254 min read

A Consistent Life Ethic Perspective on Operation Southern Spear

by Christy Yao Pelliccioni — Starting in early September, the Trump administration started attacking vessels supposedly being used in the illegal narcotics trade, as part of what it calls Operation Southern Spear. Between September 2 and November 19, 22 vessels have been hit in 21 strikes, and 83 people have been killed. This is the largest US military operation in or around Latin America for decades, with tens of thousands of troops and substantial air and naval assets hav

Dec 9, 20253 min read

What 'My Oxford Year' Teaches About the Value of Life

by Lauren Boyer — *Spoilers Alert* I must admit I had no idea what I was in for when I sat down to watch My Oxford Year . I thought it would be cheesy and well-acted. Neither assumption was particularly the case. But what My Oxford Year loses in—I’m sad to say—Sophia Carson’s character’s stiffness (blame the actor or the writer), it makes up for with its storyline. The film centers around Ana (Sophia Carson), a hard working American eager to give herself a taste of Oxford b

Nov 15, 20254 min read

Endgame Agnosticism

by Timothy Kirchoff — In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade , pro-life activists disagreed on the best strategy to pursue. One proposed strategy focused on a sweeping proclamation of the rights of the unborn. Another proposed strategy focused on achieving and building on smaller rhetorical and legal victories, with the aim of eventually leading people toward accepting abortion abolition. Both of these approaches, abolitionism and incrementalism, have the same philosophical startin

Oct 22, 20257 min read

Enduring amid Violence: Dispatches from the West Bank

by John Whitehead — While we can hope the Gaza ceasefire agreement brings an end to the war there, Israeli injustices and acts of violence against Palestinians are far from over. Gaza has understandably received the most attention recently, but abuses against Palestinians are also being perpetrated in the West Bank. Along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, the West Bank has been under varying degrees of Israeli control since 1967. Some parts of the West Bank are ruled by the Pales

Oct 20, 20255 min read

WIC Is Vital for Moms and Babies

by Christy Yao Pellicioni — This week has been a hard one for many families, particularly in the Washington, DC, area. The government shutdown has left many uncertain about employment and government benefits. According to Reuters , this includes the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, generally referred to as WIC. WIC provides nutritious foods and support for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children under the age of five. The f

Oct 13, 20255 min read