A zeal for expanding premature deathRichard Doerflinger
When supporters of physician-assisted suicide announced in 1993 that they would sponsor a ballot initiative to legalize it in Oregon, they had bigger plans in mind. Coalition leader Dr. Peter Goodwin ...
The contested legacy of Vatican II Richard Doerflinger
This October was the 60th anniversary of the first session of the Second Vatican Council, a landmark event in the Catholic Church. Yet the council's legacy remains a matter of confusion and controversy ...
Why not love them both?Richard Doerflinger
"Why not love them both?" has been a message of the pro-life movement for many years, expressing a commitment to both the unborn child and his or her mother who may be considering abortion. For decades ...
Wishing for a real debate on abortion Richard Doerflinger
So many falsehoods and confusions fill the media lately on abortion that I find myself pining for an actual argument. For an example, I do not want to pick on our president. But he started it, by picking ...
A depopulated futureRichard Doerflinger
I remember when people thought overpopulation would destroy us and the planet. Paul Ehrlich's 1968 book "The Population Bomb" popularized this idea, leading to urgent calls for "zero population growth." ...
A right to contraception? Richard Doerflinger
July 25 marked the 54th anniversary of St. Paul VI's encyclical "Humanae Vitae," reaffirming the Church's teaching on contraception and openness to the gift of new life. Four days earlier, ...
Roe and the legacy of abortionRichard Doerflinger
On Friday, June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) and, by implication, a long line of abortion decisions relying on them. This ends a regime ...
A perfect storm on abortion Richard Doerflinger
A leaked draft opinion in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has prompted reactions that are extreme, ill-informed, and sometimes abusive. We are seeing a "perfect ...
