Spirit & Life Blog
Earlier this month, the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) published a survey of two thousand American men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine. The results are a resounding affirmation of the problem I began to delineate in last week’s column, i.e. a crisis of masculinity that is pushing men into the orbit of toxic,…
Read MoreA few weeks ago, in a courtroom near Seattle, a young woman stood up and described what life was like inside what local media have dubbed the “OnlyFans House.” “I watched manipulation become normal,” she told the court. “I watched violence become normal. I watched controlling women become normal.” And then: “I will never forget…
Read More“The Christian family, which is truly a ‘domestic Church,’ has always offered and continues to offer favorable conditions for the birth of vocations. Since the reality of the Christian family is endangered nowadays, much importance should be given to pastoral work on behalf of the family, in order that the families themselves, generously accepting the…
Read MoreOn Wednesday, July 15, France’s National Assembly voted 291 to 241 to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. The vote follows a years-long, often-contentious debate, in which proposed laws were repeatedly rejected by both chambers of the legislature. The new law permits an adult to request death if he or she is a French citizen or…
Read MoreIs the world facing an existentially threatening crisis of overpopulation? Until a few years ago, practically every major Western politician, institution, and media outlet was in lockstep. Yes, the world was overpopulated. And it was only going to get worse, with consequences including ecological disaster, warfare, famine, hunger, and poverty. As I have pointed out…
Read MoreEarlier this month, on July 4, the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the document that proclaims respect for the God-given right to life as a foundational principle upon which this great nation is founded. But as Americans gathered for fireworks and parades, something else happened that day, with far…
Read More“Civil society and States also have a responsibility to respond concretely to situations of vulnerability, offering solutions to human suffering, such as palliative care, and promoting policies of authentic solidarity, rather than encouraging deceptive forms of compassion such as euthanasia.” ― Pope Leo XIV, January 9, 2026, Address to the Diplomatic Corps On Wednesday, June…
Read More“By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally to the one and the other. Each of them, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity.” ― Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2393 On the last working day of its session this month, the New York State Legislature…
Read More“Genetic manipulation becomes arbitrary and unjust when it reduces life to an object, when it forgets that it is dealing with a human subject, capable of intelligence and freedom, worthy of respect whatever may be their limitations; or when it treats this person in terms of criteria not founded on the integral reality of the…
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Baby Gabriel and the Abortion Clause: The Dark Reality of Surrogacy
On Wednesday, August 12, a baby boy was born three weeks early in a hospital near Dallas. This is hardly an unusual event. However, that this particular child was born was a near miracle. Baby Gabriel had been the target of a conspiracy against his life that nearly resulted in his destruction, and which has…
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