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  • Family and Religion

    Restore the family as the primary institution of civil society, and reclaim the fullness of religious liberty in America’s civic life.

    Americans Recognize Obamacare’s Religious Liberty Problem

    Americans see the problem with the religious liberty violation at the leading edge of Obamacare implementation, according to a new poll released by Rasmussen Reports this week. The poll shows that by a margin of 46–41, likely American voters support a religious exemption for churches, religious organizations, and businesses from … More

    The Supreme Court’s Challenge: Restore Marriage Decisions to Citizens

    The Supreme Court announced today that it will hear cases dealing with the definition of marriage during its current term. The Court will consider challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress and signed by President Clinton, and Proposition 8, California’s constitutional amendment … More

    Crucial Vote Today on Human Rights Bill

    Today, the lame-duck Senate is considering the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal Act of 2012. The bill’s language contains the language known as the Magnitsky Act, which for the first time punishes Russian officials implicated in serious human rights abuses. The Magnitsky Act was named after Russian lawyer, anti-corruption crusader, … More

    International Religious Freedom: President Obama Misses an Opportunity

    President Obama missed a key opportunity to advance robust religious liberty in prepared remarks delivered in Burma recently. This is especially disappointing given that Burma has a long track record of persecution against religious minorities; the plight of Muslims in its west is just the latest and most visible manifestation. … More

    HHS Anti-Conscience Mandate: Challengers Get Federal Appellate Court Victory

    A family-owned business with religious objections to the conscience-crushing Obamacare mandate got a temporary reprieve last week. A three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an order for a preliminary injunction in O’Brien v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The order temporarily blocks the … More

    Children of Same-Sex Unions: New Research on Family Stability and Structure

    Primary schoolchildren in married heterosexual households are 35 percent more likely to make typical school progress than peers in same-sex households, according to a new study published in the respected academic journal Demography. The finding is based on data from 1.6 million children in the 2000 Census, which included 8,632 … More

    Helping the Poor and Addicted Turn Their Lives Around (VIDEO)

    Strong marriage and family relationships are crucial to fighting poverty. This was the message shared by grassroots leaders at an anti-poverty conference sponsored by The Heritage Foundation and the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise this past September. These leaders shared firsthand experience and common-sense intuition about poverty reduction. They explained what … More

    United Nations Declares Contraception Access a “Human Right”

    In the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) recent State of World Population report, access to contraception is described as a “universal human right.” While the report has no legal force, it declares that cultural and financial barriers to accessing contraception are an infringement on women’s rights. While access to contraceptives … More

    Family Fact of the Week: Teens Need Parental Involvement, Not “Emergency Contraception”

    A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some parents and physicians concerned—and rightly so. The statement recommends that pediatricians counsel adolescent patients on some of the most commonly used forms of “emergency contraception” in the U.S., specifically recommending that all teenagers receive counseling and advance … More

    The Future of Marriage and the Wisdom of Tradition

    As Sherif Girgis, Robert P. George, and I argue in The Wall Street Journal, the future of marriage is the future of humanity. Conservatives rightly uphold the institution of marriage between a man and a woman because marriage is the seedbed of society, the necessary precondition for limited self-government. But … More