

- Jun 5, 2013
- 1 min
Recent Media Focus on Rape Prevention
BY MARY STROKA How do we eliminate rape? Several articles published today were about various ideas of methods on how to lower the numbers of rapes. An article from The Daily Beast, "From the Anti-Rape Bra to Chastity Belts: How Women Use Clothing for Protection," describes a plethora of devices that may discourage rapists. They include an anti-rape bra that will deliver 82 shocks, a vending machine disguise, pepper spray disguised as lipstick, pink cellphones that double as
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- Jun 4, 2013
- 4 min
Sticks and Stones . . . But Words Can Still Break You
BY NICKI JURINA This post is the first in a series on suicide and abuse prevention by Nicki Jurina, one of our newest social media interns. There exist many childhood "sayings," and one of the most commonly known is "sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you." Many parents say this, not aware of the extreme impact that bullying, whether physical or psychological and emotional, has on an individual. Adults will often encourage children to stand up
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- Apr 1, 2013
- 4 min
An Interview with "Nips" Matheson of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA)
Perhaps the first thing you think of when you hear the word “bikers” is a quaint little cruiser bicycle with teal spokes, or maybe a slick road bicycle ready for the Tour de France. But we are talking about a more hardcore biker today – the Hell’s Angels type of bikers. Except, these bikers take to the road to work against and prevent child abuse, and give children support in some of the most badass men and women who take to the streets. Bikers Against Child Abuse might sound
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- Mar 2, 2013
- 6 min
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Series, 2.2: "We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve" &
BY ELIZABETH THOMSON "We accept the love we think we deserve." The first two posts about domestic abuse focused on Candace and Sam, two teenage girls who are still alive. The reader can witness their experiences as they happen. This final post focuses on Charlie’s late Aunt Helen, whose domestic abuse continued into adulthood. Aunt Helen and her history of abusive relationships play possibly the largest roles in the novel. Arguably, when the reader reaches the epilogue, Au
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- Feb 23, 2013
- 3 min
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Series, 2.1: "We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve" &
BY ELIZABETH THOMSON "We accept the love we think we deserve." The last post featured domestic abuse and the effects it had on Charlie’s sister, Candace. This post continues with Charlie's crush Sam, who also exhibits the behavioral patterns of a woman who has been abused. She breaks down and confesses that her father's friend abused her when she was a child; she had not told anyone until a year ago, which facilitated the abuse. Naturally the sense of stability and trust t
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- Feb 17, 2013
- 7 min
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Series, 2.0: "We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve" &
BY ELIZABETH THOMSON "We accept the love we think we deserve." Why do people stay in abusive relationships? From the outside, it seems so foolish that someone would cling so closely to someone who was manipulating them emotionally or beating them physically. To top it all off, why is there a pattern that more abusive relationships follow? (This entry will focus predominantly on the effects of abuse on women. While abuse can go both ways, the U.S. Department of Justice repo
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- Oct 12, 2012
- 6 min
Early Feminists on Abortion: A Still-Relevant Herstory
BY MARY KRANE DERR Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s were hardly the first to address abortion. Their 19th- and early 20th-century foremothers also took a strong, if -- to many today -- unexpectedly oppositional, stance. Since at least the late 1980s, pro-choicers and pro-lifers have repeatedly and heatedly disputed the precise content and meaning of this herstory. After over two decades of research and writing on this subject, I cannot agree with pro-choicers who outright
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- Oct 12, 2012
- 5 min
Drawing Connections: Intimate Partner Violence, Poverty, and Abortion
BY JEN ROTH The consistent life ethic is traditionally seen as a way to draw connections among issues that do not seem related at first glance, such as war, the death penalty, and abortion. However, the connections among different forms of violence and injustice are sometimes more immediate. Recent research, including a study published in August 2012 by the Guttmacher Institute, has highlighted connections among intimate partner violence, poverty, and abortion. Intimate par
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- Oct 12, 2012
- 3 min
Make it History: Students for a Fair Society at Franciscan University of Steubenville
BY KEITH MICHAEL ESTRADA What does it mean to be "pro-life"? This is a question I asked myself when I first dived into the student culture at Franciscan University of Steubenville. The campus has a very positive reputation for protecting the lives of the pre-born and those near death; people here call themselves "pro-life." However, I was forced to ask myself: is that all being "pro-life" means? The answer I found was surprisingly controversial. I thought to myself, "I
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- Jul 16, 2012
- 4 min
A Just Defense of Self
BY AIMEE MURPHY Photo by NMR Photography; some rights reserved. I promised this issue that I would expound a little greater upon the theory of just self-defense and what it means to the consistent life ethic, and the Life Matters Journal. While we've certainly been attacked on all sides, I was a little surprised that pacifists objected to my theory of just defense. That being said, much of this moral problem is exceedingly complex -- but I would argue that the principle is
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- Mar 30, 2012
- 4 min
On Date Rape: Responding To and Decreasing Sexual Violence in Our Communities
BY MARY STROKA There's a problem that plagues many campuses across the nation and around the globe. It's not an issue of low-quality food in the cafeteria, but something much more serious: violence -- specifically date rape. Statistical information about rape is unreliable, partly because of the sensitive nature of the issue, but the prevalence of rape is certainly a problem, even if it is not as high as statistics suggest. The National Center for Victims of Crime states o
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- Dec 20, 2011
- 2 min
No Mad.
BY LISA GROVES No Mad. When I was six years old I deliberately dropped my brand new baby doll into a long-abandoned well in my parents' backyard. It was the same year I made a lavender Christmas tree ornament with the sentiment, "I like alone." When I was twenty-six, an old, old friend, smoking furiously and with unqualified command calmly informed me that it was impossible to love another person unconditionally. If it were possible, she reasoned, if we indeed could love wi
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- Dec 20, 2011
- 2 min
Penn State: Evidence of a Larger Problem
BY AIMEE BEDOY The cult of celebrity reaches far and wide and covers a multitude of sins, it seems. At least in the United States, fans seem willing to forgive their favorite celebrities their wrongs and will often continue in reverence towards individuals who have been responsible for the harm of others. This has been evinced by Chris Brown's relationship with Rihanna, Ben Roethlisberger's continued fame after sexual assault, and most recently, the defense of Joe Paterno o
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