The Argentinean pontiff has made it part of his papacy to speak out very vocally for the oppressed. He has spoken to the people about abortion, even taking it to the streets in the Italian March for Life. He has spoken about loving persons with homosexual inclinations, loving them no matter what their decisions may entail. He has spoken about seeking peace, because war does nothing but destroy human lives. This consistent theme of speaking of things in relation to the human p

“Your eyes are an extension of your brain, so when I look into your eyes, I can see your brain” –Dr. Bonny, Ugandan resident at Mbale Regional Hospital The concrete floor, the metal beds, the putrid smells, Mbale is not a place the well present, With 36 beds in ward 8 & 9 all waiting for death, No cost to die in this barrack, The medicine, the fluids, the food costs, But a discharge to no earthly dwelling comes at no price. All brown eyes, yellowed with jaundice, Weak with fe

People from all kinds of pro-life, consistent life, peace and justice groups have taken up the task of moving more people to a position of respect for life, peace, and justice. This is good. But we also need to remember the vast amount of kindness and respect for life that already exists in our communities. I have become increasingly aware of this as I walk through the streets of my lovely native city, San Francisco. Now that I am 85, and have become very obviously disabled—w

When Gabby Gingras was a baby, she nearly scratched out both of her eyes with her fingers. As a toddler she chewed her tongue, gnawed at her fingers until they bled, and snapped many teeth out of her gums by chewing too hard on her toys. Over the years, she has badly bumped, bruised and broken many parts of her body, including her jaw—which remained broken for weeks before a doctor noticed the injury. Gabby Gingras has a rare neurological condition called Congenital Insensiti

The Jahi McMath legal battle at Children’s Hospital Oakland over a brain-dead 13-year-old provides a stark contrast to a law passed across the Atlantic in Belgium that allows terminally ill minors to choose physician-assisted suicide. California judges have allowed the mother of young Ms. McMath to uphold her wish to keep her daughter on life support despite multiple pediatric neurologists declaring her dead. Meanwhile, the nation of Belgium presses forward its dismal euthana

Rochester, NY – Federally-focused Political Action Committees (PACs) and 527s with a pro-choice mission contribute a total of 25 times more than those with a pro-life mission, according to a report released this week by Feminists Choosing Life of New York (FCLNY). The sources for the compiled financial data are the Federal Elections Bureau and The Center for Responsive Politics for the 2010 and 2012 election cycles. Despite a nearly even pro-life/pro-choice split in recent op

A post came across my dashboard on Tumblr back in December and it gave me more than a moment of pause. It was an entry from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a project by John Koenig that involves making up words for phenomena that we as human beings might experience over the course of our lifetime. The word was “sonder” – and I am convinced that this idea of sonder is something that can revolutionize the way we see our fellow man, change the world, and it could very well be

Recently, a film titled Ender’s Game (a film adaptation of the science fiction best-seller with the same name) was released at the box office to a myriad of reviewers and fans alike arguing about the importance of the story’s focus on war, aggression, and passivism. Now there are many parallels one could make regarding the modern wars the USA has engaged in and the pre-emptive strike tactics used in the film, but I wanted to take a much more thematic look at the main characte

I must admit, I very much enjoyed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The film improved over its predecessor in almost every way, and the addition of Philip Seymour-Hoffman to the cast seems to have improved the acting of everyone around him, though their progress might just be due to aging. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen is as much a treat now as in 2012, and though not a few of her colleagues still have a wooden disposition when it comes to their trade, it is easy enoug

Americans who favor traditional marriage and family life—sometimes referred to as “social conservatives”—tend to be lumped together politically with those who favor hawkish foreign policies. In many cases, this categorization is no doubt accurate: many social conservatives do favor American military interventions. The association between concern for marriage and the family and a hawkish foreign policy is a misguided one, however: war threatens marriage and those who wish to p

“He’s so dark.” That is something that always brings a smile to my face. A lot of people are too shy to ask if my brother is adopted. After beating around the bush for a while, they finally come out with a question about why he is darker than his seven obviously Irish siblings, and it always brings a smile to my face, not because I am laughing at them but because I love the opportunity this opens up. I can brag about my brother! Yes, he is adopted! Yes, he has Down syndrome!

BY MARY KRANE DERR The right to access the full range of voluntary family planning methods is often neglected or actively undermined in the name of prolife, especially but not exclusively in the United States. Yet there are nine good reasons -- at least -- why fostering this right is essential to respect in practical deed for all human lives, already born and unborn. 1. Family planning freedom prevents millions of human deaths every year. Voluntary access to modern methods o

BY LILIANNA SERBICKI Swollen, a dream on its way to fruition; Nothing romantic. Lense (soft-focus) gone. Real fruit bruises; a real fruit stays the motion We make ourselves. Our unkempt pieces drawn Into alignment; some beings are too real To smudge with soft words. Some beings delight In waking up the small pith in the chest With beating limbs. It is a sudden sleight Of soul, not hand; the itch will soon persuade Myself to love my stippled skin far more Than when it held jus

BY AIMEE BEDOY I am writing this ten years to the day that those towers fell. And ten years later, I want us to discuss what we have learned from September 11, 2001, and where we as a nation must continue to grow. I am speaking as someone who grew up in this culture, immersed in it wholly from the time I was 12 years old. Perhaps I am not the wisest, or the most sage member of society to speak on these points, but this is what I have learned from my childhood to the present

BY NICHOLAS NEAL The abolition of the death penalty in Illinois began when Governor George Ryan placed a moratorium on capital punishment in the state in 2000, after seeing an alarming number of death row inmates being exonerated. Eleven years later, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill officially abolishing capital punishment in Illinois. It was then up to Pat Quinn to sign it. Now, although Governor Quinn is a Democrat, he had previously spoken in favor of capital

BY AIMEE BEDOY & STEVEN OETJEN A quandary of major proportions faces our nation in this day and age. It could be a matter of life and death for countless persons -- we cannot truly be sure. This paper seeks to examine abortion through the lens of Constitutional law, science, and justice, and lastly to apply these faculties to the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act recently passed in Nebraska. In brief, our recommendation is always to stand for justice and ultimately

BY NICHOLAS NEAL & AIMEE BEDOY On Tuesday, August 23rd, the rebel forces in Libya stormed Gadhafi's capital of Tripoli, thus declaring victory over the tyrannical leader who had once imposed unjust and inhumane purification laws against his own people. After 42 years in power as an autocratic dictator in Libya, Muammar Gadhafi has been removed from power by rebels within his own borders. Gadhafi is currently out of power and in hiding from NATO forces, but in an effort to k

BY BILL SAMUEL What should our attitude -- as individuals, social movements and nations -- be toward war? When, if ever, is war justifiable either as to our own participation or as a decision of a nation or social movement? How do we get to a meaningful peace? These questions have been discussed and debated for millennia, and may be even more vital in this day of advanced weaponry. They have been discussed by people from many different religious traditions, and from none.

BY OLIVIA MELDRUM While I am mistress of my mind, You will sleep safely every hour. No morning will you wake to find My warmth turned cold, or sweetness sour. A fragile burden do I bear (O precious visitor; flesh brand-new) - I forget my face and clothes and hair In pain and consciousness of you. My little one, your mama hurts. She shakes at every strange man's gaze. You've joined the Dance - this you deserve; But our dance, dear, limps through a maze. I am not mistress of my

BY JULIA SMUCKER It's that time of year again -- or has been, since sometime last year. The mud is flying left and right as a motley crew of politicians competes for our nation's volatile confidence. And who are they trying to appeal to? For a myriad of confounding reasons, our national political discourse has become so polemicized that most prominent candidates, as well as many commentators, seem able to do little more than preach to particular choirs within their own par