Every day we hear about tragedies all around us: gun violence, abortion, the trafficking and abuse of children, poverty, homelessness, and more. At the heart of all these sins is people\u2019s treatment of other humans as things<\/strong>, as not having any worth, as a means to one\u2019s desires. The tragedy of suicide, too, is\u00a0based on a lack of care and devaluation of oneself.<\/p>\n If you are not a believer but a humanist, you may nevertheless want to see the end of such disrespect for human life simply because we are all part of the same human race. For Christians, life has value because we know we are made in the image of God, with inherent dignity<\/strong> and uncountable worth. Thus, we weep, we pray, and we do whatever we can.<\/p>\n Have you not yet become active in or supported the pro-life movement? This new year is a time to start. Much of the pro-life effort has focused on abortion because more than 65 million pre-born children have been aborted in the USA alone. For 2024, it is estimated that the lives of about 900,000 developing babies will be terminated. Thankfully, there are many ways to help. Ask at your church, find out about your state\u2019s right to life group, or inquire into your diocesan programs. Your efforts will be for a good cause and the Lord will amply reward you.<\/p>\n Morgan Nuzzo is the co-owner of a Maryland abortion business. But the abortion center she owns doesn’t just kill babies early in pregnancy. In an new interview, Nuzzo brags that her abortion biz kills babies up to 34 weeks. That’s\u00a0nearly full-term.<\/strong> Not only are these abortions killing babies who elsewhere are born healthy every day in hospitals across the country, they are past viability. The record for the earliest viability where a baby has survived is 21 weeks. And 22, 23, and 24 week-old babies are not only surviving but surviving more frequently and at higher rates than ever before as medical technology continues to improve.<\/p>\n “We aren’t booking out now for a[[ointments — we have availability next week. Whereas before, the wait time was two to three weeks on average, sometimes as much as five. We were getting a little worried about where the patients are,” Nuzzo added. Worried? Hopefully women later in pregnancy are getting the legitimate medical care they and their babies need.\u00a0[excerpts from Steve Ertelt, LifeNews.com, 12\/27\/23]<\/p>\n In addition to the National March for Life on January 19th in Washington DC, many states will be hosting their own statewide rallies and marches. One of the newest to sign on is New Jersey, scheduled to hold its first Rally for Life on September 26, 2024. Other hugely attended state marches include California and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n In Washington DC, the national Rally for Life begins at 12 noon, with the March up Constitution Avenue at about 1:15 pm. The Rally, which is usually attended by over 200,000 people, will host a number of nationally known speakers. Jeanne Mancini, head of March for Life, said: \u201cIt\u2019s the largest annual human rights<\/strong> demonstration in the world. But this is not just a protest. TOGETHER, WE GATHER TO CELEBRATE LIFE. We celebrate each and every life, from the moment of conception. We envision a world where every life is celebrated, valued, and protected.\u201d For additional information, visit https:\/\/marchforlife.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n The American public is being bombard by false info, much of it from within the medical community.<\/p>\n Opposing these erroneous statements is the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. More info may be found at www.aaplog.org.<\/a><\/p>\n Regarding students\u2019 mental health, research has shown that various measures of student well-being began\u00a0a sharp decline around 2012 throughout the West, just as smart phones and social media emerged as the attentional centerpiece of teenage life. But what about school learning? The Program for International Student Assessment, conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in almost 80 countries every three years, tests 15-year-olds in math, reading and science<\/strong>. Test scores have been falling for years. Across the OECD, science scores peaked in 2009, and reading scores peaked in 2012. Since then,\u00a0developed countries have as a whole performed \u201cincreasingly poorly\u201d on average. Even in famously Research found that students who spend less than one hour of \u201cleisure\u201d time on digital devices a day at school scored about 50 points higher<\/strong> in math than students whose eyes are glued to their screens more than five hours a day. This gap held even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Nearly half of students across the OECD said that they felt \u201cnervous\u201d or \u201canxious\u201d when they didn\u2019t have their digital devices near them. (On average, these students also said they were less satisfied with life.) This phone anxiety was negatively correlated with math scores.<\/p>\n Studies have shown that students on their phone take fewer notes and retain less information<\/strong> from class, \u201ctask-switching\u201d between social media & homework is correlated with lower GPAs, and students who text a lot in class do worse on tests. Students whose cellphones are taken away in experimental settings perform better.<\/p>\n In sum, students who spend more time staring at their phone do worse in school<\/strong> and feel worse about their life. For the past decade, the internet-connected world has been running a global experiment on the minds of young people. Results from a decade of observational research have now repeatedly shown a\u00a0negative relationship<\/strong> between device use and life satisfaction, happiness, school attention, information retention, in-class note-taking, task-switching, and student achievement. These cognitive and emotional costs are highest for those with the most \u201cdevice dependence.\u201d Banning phones in school would be a bold and novel experiment. The present fallacy is believing that doing nothing is harmless. Time for a new intervention. For a powerful \u00bd hour documentary about the dopamine effects on the brains and on the social lives of teens and young adults who get snared into the world of porn watching, see the video For help in getting out from under the spell of pornography, to get your life back, get started with An unavoidable fact is that each adult was at one time an embryo in his or her mother\u2019s womb. Politicians who support abortion in the Western world, and the millions of voters who place them in office [including Christians and Catholics], are seeking to deny a particular form of knowledge, namely, their own participation in evil. With all our busyness, evil may not be in our field of vision,\u00a0but it is always hiding in the back of our minds. [excerpt from Ellen Wilson Fielding, Descending from Paganism,\u00a0Human Life Review<\/em>, Fall 2023.]<\/p>\n Eugene Tarne, a senior analyst with the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute recently published an article entitled \u201cHuman Embryonic Stem Cell Research 25 Years On.\u201d In it he reviews the controversy that grabbed headlines beginning back in 1998: Should human embryos be destroyed so that their stem cells can be harvested and used to work medical miracles<\/strong>?<\/p>\n Laws were passed that said yes. But no cures were ever generated<\/strong>, and none is on the horizon. Tarne lists political leaders as well as prominent scientists who delivered similar prophecies, and who have turned out to be the unreliable Prophets of Baal. Meanwhile, research in regenerative medicine was continuing using adult stem cells. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells, another ethical alternative to embryonic stem cells, led to funding most research and treatments that now do not Mark Houck, the Pennsylvania father and pro-life activist who was acquitted of violating the FACE Act in January 2023, didn’t stop there. In October, he announced that he is suing the Department of Justice for its aggressive and traumatic persecution of him and his family. \u201cI think if the DOJ gets hit hard enough and there\u2019s a big enough black eye against them, then they\u2019re going to cease and desist from coming after pro-life people and people of faith.”<\/p>\n GoodTube Kids\u00a0is a new platform hosting wholesome entertainment and educational content anchored in the truths of the Christian faith. It features shows for small children, tweens, and teens, as well as videos on arts & crafts, music, cooking, outdoor adventures, etc. GoodTube Kids is available online and is downloadable from the Apple and Google Play app stores.<\/p>\n According to the 2022 General Social Survey, viewed as the nation\u2019s top social barometer, 35% of married men and 40% of married women aged 18-55 reported being \u201cvery happy\u201d while 14% and 22% of unmarried, childless men and women did. Despite all modern cultural shifts and the sacrifices marriages<\/strong> and children<\/strong> entail, it appears that these two traditional markers of adulthood still represent the most reliable route to a fulfilling life. [excerpted from Salvo<\/em> magazine #67, Winter 2023]<\/p>\n This monthly newsletter is used by dozens of churches as a bulletin insert. Since 2013 it has had over 30,000 readers and is now posted on three diocesan websites. To receive each month\u2019s free issue in your inbox, email Frank Tinari, Ph.D. at tinarifr@shu.edu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New Year Editorial Every day we hear about tragedies all around us: gun violence, abortion, the trafficking and abuse of children, poverty, homelessness, and more. At the heart of all these sins is people\u2019s treatment of other humans as things, as not having any worth, as a means to one\u2019s desires. The tragedy of suicide,…<\/p>\nAbortionist Brags She Kills Babies Up to 34-Weeks-Old<\/h4>\n
17 States To Hold March for Life Events<\/h4>\n
The Fight for Life is Raging Nationwide<\/h4>\n
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Are Phones Making Students Dumber?<\/h4>\n
\nhigh-performing countries, such as Finland, Sweden, and South Korea, PISA grades in one or several subjects have been declining for a while.<\/p>\n
\n[excerpts from Derek Thompson, The Atlantic<\/em>, 12\/19\/23]<\/p>\nPorn: A Viral Addiction<\/h4>\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fwdb9NsaA1Q.\u00a0<\/a>Though there is vulgar language in some segments, the overall message is one of information and insight.<\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/integrityrestored.com\/<\/a> as well as https:\/\/support.covenanteyes.com\/<\/a> and https:\/\/exodus90.com\/<\/a><\/p>\nAt the Heart of the Pro-Choice Worldview<\/h4>\n
Should Human Embryos Be Destroyed?<\/h4>\n
\ninvolve the destruction of human embryos. [Life Legal Defense Foundtn, 12\/5\/23, https:\/\/lifelegaldefensefoundation.org<\/a>]<\/p>\n
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\nGoodTube Kids<\/h4>\n
The Secret to Happiness<\/h4>\n
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