On the Storming of the Capitol: No to Political Violence. Yes to Civil Society

  The one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church strives to serve the Gospel of Life. Remember that the Gospel of Life is simply the Gospel, and that the Gospel is simply the Gospel of Life. (St. John Paul II and Rev. Richard John Neuhaus often reminded us of that.) Political...
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God Has All of Us in Mind

  I have recently returned from a seven-week pilgrimage, walking the traditional Camino Francés across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. I was part of a host of pilgrims that this year will number several hundreds of thousands. As we peregrinos passed through villages and...
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The Little Discussed But High Blood Clot Risk of Hormonal Birth Control

  In April, the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine received scrutiny after six women experienced a rare blood clot condition, causing the United States to pause its distribution “out of an abundance of caution.” Immediately, some trying to downplay the risk compared the...
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THE REASON I JUMP

  Directed by Jerry Rothwell Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida Reviewed by Maria McFadden Maffucci ______________________________________ The Reason I Jump is a remarkable film, a powerful documentary directed by Jerry Rothwell, that invites viewers to...
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DISPUTES IN BIOETHICS: ABORTION, EUTHANASIA, AND OTHER CONTROVERSIES

  Christopher Kaczor (University of Notre Dame Press, 2020, paperback, 236 pages, $30) Reviewed by John Grondelski ______________________________________ In his enlightening book Disputes in Bioethics: Abortion, Euthanasia, and Other Controversies, Christopher Kaczor,...
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THINGS WORTH DYING FOR: THOUGHTS ON A LIFE WORTH LIVING

  Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap. (Henry Holt, 2021, 272 pages, hardcover, $25.99) Reviewed by Brian Caulfield __________________________________________ When he began writing, Archbishop Charles Chaput could not know that Things Worth Dying For would be released in a time of...
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Coolidge and the Catholics

  I In September 1924 President Calvin Coolidge gave a speech to over 100,000 Catholics of the Holy Name Society1 that exhibited his truly prophetic grasp of the role church and state play in upholding and sustaining America’s constitutional order. Now, when that order is...
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Covid’s Totalitarian Temptation

  The Covid pandemic unleashed a soft totalitarianism in healthcare policy and bioethical advocacy that may not abate with the decline in infections and deaths from the pandemic. In this essay I will explore why the arrival of a modern plague created conditions that allowed...
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What Happens Should Roe Go?

  The Supreme Court’s decision to take up in its next session Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the suit brought against the 2018 Mississippi law limiting abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, can’t help but raise heady hopes in prolifers eager for good...
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Thinking about Abortion and Democracy

  For nearly 50 years, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision has deprived American citizens of their rightful voice and vote on life and abortion. Certainly, citizens have voted for United States representatives, senators, and presidents who acted on secondary matters...
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