Ruth Institute Blog

Can we judge the status of a woman by her pay check? Have women arrived when they have half the seats in the legislature and their husbands do half the chores at home? This is Part I of a symposium by Mercatornet.com on improving the status of women by 2020.

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse’s take on the situation:

I have a radical idea for promoting the dignity of women: the idea that giving birth to children inside marriage is good and worthy use of one’s time and talent. This idea has come under assault from many directions. Read more…

Great article by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J., friend of the Ruth Institute,  much beloved and deeply learned professor of government at Georgetown University, and the author of many books on politics, theology and culture.

“In the act of procreation of a new creature is its indispensable bond with spousal union, by which the husband becomes a father through the conjugal union with his wife, and the wife becomes a mother through the conjugal union with her husband. The Creator’s plan is engraved in the physical and spiritual nature of the man and of the woman, and as such has universal value. Read more…

There is more to this story from the UK than may first meet the eye. British religious schools receive some taxpayer funding. Therefore, this program will apply to all schools, including religious schools that have a very different view of human sexuality, and of the relationship between children, parents and the state.

Britain’s House of Commons is set to vote on legislation this week that would introduce a program of sex education to primary school children from as young as 5 years of age.

The “Children, Schools and Families Bill” also contains many other clauses which, critics say, Read more…

Such a nice article. I did see the Superbowl, as I’m sure many of you did too. The very end when winning quarterback Drew Brees held up his son was truly the highlight. Seeing a picture of it even now brings tears to my eyes. This article is a great perspective on the significance of that moment.

The poster says, “Life. Better than lifting the Lombardi.”

by Kathryn Jean Lopez

This Super Bowl MVP would rather hold his son than the Lombardi Trophy.

‘Don’t you live for that moment right there?” Read more…

At this past weekend’s West Coast Walk for Life, I got to think about the connection between the abortion issue and the marraige issue.  I have long thought that the life issues and the marriage issues are related, deeply connected at the philosophical level.  The handful of protestors made the connection with their little chant: “Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay: Right-wing Bigots, Go Away.”  (They do have a way with words, don’t they?  Deep thinkers, all.)  So, I am not going out on a limb Read more…

Yet another example of how selfish people can be. So much for what’s best for the child. I want it, and I can get it, so I will. And of course the doctors aren’t willing to turn down a buck. So sad. Poor kids with moms who will likely die while the kids are in college. How kind. I’m willing to bet old women are doing this because their grown children are too selfish to provide grandchildren. And what 20-year-old wants to spend his time caring for his mom after her hip replacement surgery or while she’s dealing with dementia?

Michael Cook

Senior fertility specialists in the UK have rejected calls for an age cap on IVF eligibility. After 59-year-old Sue Tollefsen featured in a BBC documentary about her desire to get IVF in Britain so that she could give birth at 60, there were howls of indignation from the public. But doctors backed up Ms Tollefsen’s claim that she was fit to be a mother even though she would be 70 when her child was ten. “I agree there should be a cut-off point,” she told the London Times. “Perhaps 65 is too old, but I’m still so healthy I don’t see why I shouldn’t be treated.” Read more…

More example of how children are affected by the poor decisions of their parents. Seems they are so often the last ones to be thought of.

Carolyn Moynihan

We are used to the sad stories of children who have never known their fathers, and of those whose fathers become estranged through divorce; but there are a growing number of children who risk losing the only father they have ever known because he discovers he is not their father after all. Read more…