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  On a nothing August Saturday, with little more on my mind than the afternoon races at Saratoga, I picked up a copy of the New York Post and headed home to fix myself a sandwich. Lurid crime, political scandal, questionable celebrity antics—I don’t remember what was... Read More →

  The following is an imaginary conservation between myself and an abortion supporter whom I call Abe (for abortion). Me: I am always pleased to have an honest, open-minded dialogue with someone who supports abortion. I think that reason, logic, and the facts are on my side, and... Read More →

  Prolifers care about babies in the womb, of course. That’s part of what being pro-life is all about. But there’s something you notice when you spend time in the pro-life movement: Pro-life people are good at what comes after birth, too. So many of the prolifers I know are... Read More →

  Rape is the third rail in both the pro-life and pro-choice camps, but for different reasons. For prolifers life begins at conception, and since this includes embryos created during IVF procedures, certainly a child conceived by rape has the same right to life. But... Read More →

  [This article appeared in a slightly shorter form in First Things on May 3, 2010, ten years after the death of Cardinal John O’Connor. It is reprinted here, with the magazine’s permission,  to mark the 25th anniversary of the beloved Cardinal’s passing.] I first got to... Read More →

  Public opinion inside and outside the Church is split three ways about the kind of leader the Church needs at this defining moment of its history: another Francis (“a continuity candidate”), a pope in the mold of John Paul II or Benedict XVI, or a hybrid, someone between... Read More →

  A figure that looms large in the Christian story, Pontius Pilate is cited by name in both the Apostles Creed—which has roots in the second century—and the more explicit and detailed Nicene Creed, adopted in 325 AD. The verifiable facts of Pilate’s life, however, are few.... Read More →

  There are two ways in which to think about humanity: as unique human persons or as aggregate masses. When we humans start to speak of groups of people, it almost always leads to dismissing each group member’s humanity, even if only slightly. “Fans of that football team... Read More →

  Researchers at the University of Waikato in New Zealand are studying how light from the outside world travels into the womb. A pregnant woman’s skin allows light to pass through and provide some illumination, and strong light applied directly to her skin can illuminate the... Read More →

  Pro-abortion news outlet ProPublica claims Texas’ strong protections for preborn babies are tied to a reported increase in sepsis, but a statistical expert says there is more to the story. “Texas banned abortions. Then sepsis rates soared,” a February article state... Read More →