What Will Cure Contagious Blindness?

By Rebecca Oas, Ph.D.

(Zenit.org) – On Monday, Jan. 23, about 400,000 people marched in defense of the unborn in the United States capital. Despite the cold January weather and persistent rain, people from all over the country, as well as many international visitors, joined in the annual demonstration marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States 39 years ago.

Those not purposely following the event, however, could well be forgiven for missing it entirely — in what has become a ritual counterpart to the march itself, the mainstream news media, both local and national, paid little attention.

Coverage of the march in the local newspaper, The Washington Post, has received criticism for its failure to present a complete image of the event. An editorial published in the Post on Friday the 27^th criticized the photography in particular, noting that there was not a single wide shot of the march that might have given an indication of its scale, as well as the extent of coverage granted to the comparatively small number of counter-protesters.[1] According to the editorial, the Post does not estimate crowd size at such events, although a report regarding the national Occupy movement’s “Occupy Congress” march on the 17^th apparently ignored this policy when it ventured to guess that the event drew 1,000 to 1,500 people — less than a hundred times fewer demonstrators than those estimated to have attended the March for Life.[2] The title of the Post article in Tuesday’s edition referenced “thousands of youths” being in attendance, which, while technically accurate, seems quite myopic for a news agency which claims to strive for unbiased reporting.[3]

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By Donald DeMarco, Ph.D.

Football’s fundamental rules are not difficult to understand. There is little ambiguity about them, given the fact that they are clearly explained in an official rule book. Although a noteworthy parallel exists between football and human freedom, the fundamental rules for the use of the latter, despite being written in stone, are commonly a source of confusion and controversy. If you’ll pardon the allusion to a popular childhood game, here we have an example of paper beating rock!

The rules for football are ordered toward the goal of the game, which is to win, and the rules impact a team’s ability to achieve the goal. A team that has more points than its opposition at the end of the game wins. The rules must be strictly honored, however, if a team is to move down the field in a sustained effort to score points. Infractions of the rules—encroachment, pass interference, unnecessary roughness, etc.— are met with penalties of various lengths of yards, which send a team in the wrong direction. Persistent or untimely violation of the rules severely hampers a team’s chances of scoring and eventually winning. Rule infractions and penalties are self-defeating: A team must move forward toward its goal if it hopes to win.

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By Melanie Baker

Shouts of “kill this bill” and “one man, one woman” thundered throughout Lawyer’s Mall in Annapolis on Monday night. Also known as the State House Square, it is situated between the Maryland State House and the Governor’s residence, and it was to both that the crowd, estimated at more than 2,000 people, was directing its cries. Once again, marriage is under threat in the state of Maryland.

The Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would redefine marriage as including unions by two people of the same sex, was defeated last year but has been resurrected, this time with the endorsement of Maryland’s Governor, Martin O’Malley. And the pressure is on. First Lady Catherine Curran O’Malley, referring to the defeat of last year’s failed attempt, blamed it on “some cowards,” a statement she quickly regretted, as it fueled the determination of the current bill’s opponents and cast a shadow over the noble sheen of “understanding, compassion and justice” that “same-sex marriage” advocates are invoking.

Knowing that they do not have the necessary support to push this bill through the usual approval process, advocates are attempting to manipulate the process. It is being rushed, in the hopes that the bill can be pushed through the Senate and a combination of House committees, since the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee does not have enough votes on its own for success.

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By Brendan Dudley

This past week we celebrated the pro-life movement with the March for Life. We also celebrated the feast day of Saint Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. Such occasions allow us to reflect about the hearts and minds that have been changed by the beautiful truth of the Gospel message via the powerful affirmation of life and love found in the Theology of the Body.

Blessed Pope John Paul II focuses on the importance of self-gift and the need for interior conversion throughout the Theology of the Body. The late pope describes how God calls us to express love and give life through our bodies. We have been inundated with so many self-serving messages about our bodies being mere instruments for pleasure that the pope’s message can seem to be an unrealistic challenge. And yet so many of us are longing for more than the empty, heartbreaking and lifeless approach to relationships and sexuality that our secular culture presents to us. We are recognizing how the secular outlook leads to unstable and unhealthy relationships, broken families and the scourge of abortion.

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