About the Author

Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. Since 2003, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials, and website content. Fourteen of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of its Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program, an educational nonprofit program for k-12 students.

Is Monogamy Unnatural? What’s Its Origin?

By Susan Ciancio / July 30, 2019 /

Monogamy, the practice of having one sexual partner at a time, is a concept that has sparked the interest of countless anthropologists and has been the subject of decades of research. You may have even heard people state that monogamy is “unnatural.” If this is true, why do you imagine monogamy has been favored for…

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“Mommy, What’s Abortion?”

By Susan Ciancio / July 24, 2019 /
mother and daughter

The taking of a tiny human being’s life is not only a grave evil and a grievous sin, but a very difficult topic to broach with children. How does a parent explain to a child that there are people out there who not only advocate for the killing of babies, but who revel in the…

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Cohabitation Before Marriage Statistics

By Susan Ciancio / July 5, 2019 /
cohabitation before marriage statistics

Imagine this scenario: You’ve been in a serious relationship for several years and things are going well. You talk about a future, but not necessarily marriage. Your friends and family like this person. You get along fantastically. And people are now starting to ask, “When are you taking the next step?” But by “next step,”…

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Protecting Your Kids From Premarital Sex

By Susan Ciancio / June 19, 2019 /
teens

Our world is saturated and infatuated with sex. We see scantily-clad women on billboards and on TV advertisements. We see ads on TV for birth control pills, for IUDs, and for the little blue pill for men. We hear about sex in song lyrics, in jokes on TV, and in the news. It’s no wonder…

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A St. Joseph Novena for a Faith-Filled Spouse

By Susan Ciancio / June 14, 2019 /
st joseph with child Jesus

We can’t help but see the importance of families, as they are the foundation of society. Aside from Christ Himself, nothing is more important than our spouse and children. That is why we celebrate fathers and all that they do for their families, on Father’s Day and throughout the year. But what if you’re longing…

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Is Euthanasia a Slippery Slope?

By Susan Ciancio / April 24, 2019 /
elderly woman in a coma

Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God…. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being. ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church In other words,…

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Five Ways to Help an Unbelieving Spouse

By Susan Ciancio / April 3, 2019 /

Marriage is fraught with countless challenges: home ownership, finances, children, jobs, navigating the good days and the bad, and sometimes even just getting along. Being married to your best friend—someone who shares your likes and dislikes—is a blessing and makes life fun and exciting. Even your differences can be fun. Maybe her prankster personality makes…

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Is Remarrying after Divorce a Sin?

By Susan Ciancio / March 11, 2019 /

The Beauty of Catholic Marriage Is remarrying after divorce a sin? To answer this question from a Catholic viewpoint, we must first understand what marriage is. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines marriage as “the matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life…

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