Category Archives: Religion

March 8, 2026 · 1:00 am

Parental Rights

Mother, father, and child, Source https://pxhere.com/tr/photo/1445573, Author @mohamed hassan (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)

The US Supreme Court has handed down a significant decision in Mirabelli v. Bonda reaffirming parental rights [1][2].

California law had required that schools effectively mislead parents about their children’s gender presentation, withholding information from parents as to their children’s use of preferred pronouns at school.  California viewed such disclosure as “forced outing” – as if the state had a greater interest in the welfare of children than their own parents [3].

The US Supreme Court ruling upheld the constitutional rights of parents to freely exercise their religion and direct the upbringing and education of their children [4][5].

In a related decision, Regino v. Staley, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last year pointed out that although the right of parents to make decisions for their children is not unbounded, the inquiry in cases of substantive due process is “whether the asserted fundamental right is objectively, deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition, and implicit in the concept of ordered liberty, such that neither liberty nor justice would exist if it was sacrificed [6].”

The existence of the family could hardly be more fundamental, and long predated the existence of the state.

Continue reading →

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March 1, 2026 · 1:00 am

Baby Trafficking

Pregnant woman, Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/aurimas_m/3423098686/, Author Aurimas Mikalauskas of Paliūniškis, Lithuania (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

WARNING:  Graphic Images

In a joint operation between the United States and Mexico, authorities last year captured Martha Mendez Aguilar, known as “La Diabla” (“The Devil”), the head of a grisly baby trafficking ring called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel [1A].

“[This is an] example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams and finance operations [1B].”

–Joe Kent, Dir. of National Counterterrorism Center

Pregnant women, often from impoverished circumstances, were lured to remote locations.  Once there, the mothers were murdered, and their organs and infants harvested for sale.  The infants were sold to couples for around $14,000 each.

Tragically, this cartel was not the only one to pursue baby trafficking.

Indonesian police uncovered an international baby trafficking ring believed to have sold at least 25 infants to buyers in Singapore since 2023 [2A].  Using Facebook, WhatApp, and other channels, this syndicate targeted expectant mothers who allegedly did not want to raise their infants.

Delivery costs were covered and a small amount of compensation paid to the mothers.  Then the infants were handed over.

In some cases, infants were actually reserved in the womb for purchasers and housed for as long as a year after birth, while fraudulent birth certificates, parental consent forms, medical records, and immigration documents were prepared.

Desperate Straits

“These clinics or shelters use language that sounds compassionate at first, such as ‘you can give birth and take your baby home’.  But in reality, they offer money and illegally transfer custody of the baby [2B].”

— Ai Rahmayanti, Commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI)

Child trafficking cartels are extremely sophisticated, often posing as maternity clinics, orphanages, or shelters which appear to care for vulnerable women and children [2C].

Typically, they target women in desperate straits – those suffering from financial hardship, trapped in debt bondage, abandoned by a spouse or partner, pregnant as the result of sexual violence whether by a partner or stranger, or simply pregnant from a casual sexual relationship [2D].

When manipulation fails, cartels will resort to criminal approaches including direct abduction (whether from hospitals, schools, playgrounds, or other public spaces), and crisis exploitation (natural disasters, civil unrest, or refugee settings) [7A].

Purposes

Infants and children may be trafficked for illegal adoption, prostitution or other sexual abuse, forced marriage, forced organ donation, forced labor or slavery, use in the drug trade, use as beggars, and use as child soldiers [3][4][5].  These can overlap [6]. Continue reading →

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February 22, 2026 · 1:00 am

The Trouble with Throuples

File:ST TroubleWithTribbles.jpg

Screenshot of William Shatner as Captain James Kirk surrounded by tribbles, Source Star Trek:  The Original Series, Episode “The Trouble with Tribbles”, Copyright © 1967 Paramount Pictures (Fair Use)

There was an old Star Trek episode titled “The Trouble with Tribbles” [1].  Cute and furry little creatures, tribbles multiplied rapidly when fed, and had the potential to destroy entire ecosystems as a result.  The trouble with throuples is not dissimilar.

Throuples, for those unfamiliar with the term, are sexual relationships comprised of three individuals [2].  The fad is a modern variant on polygamy which is again in vogue, as People Magazine and reality TV reflect.

The concept may at first seem titillating.  Why not explore our sexuality to the fullest extent?  It’s “obvious” no single individual can fulfill all our needs.  And why should we have to fulfill the needs of someone else, when that burden can so easily be shared?

Theoretically, each member of a throuple is an equal partner.  Presumably, however, the group can decide to distribute power differently.  With or without consent, both power and attraction can, also, shift within the group.

Unfortunately, tensions that can exist between a married couple are multiplied in the context of a throuple, not diminished. That applies whether the group involves one man/two women, one woman/two men, three women, or three men (and whatever the sexual orientation within the group). Continue reading →

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February 8, 2026 · 1:00 am

Minimizing Pain

FACES_English_Blue_no copyright info

As abuse victims, we will often minimize our pain.  We may downplay our pain out of fear, guilt, or a desperate need to believe that the parent/caregiver or partner who caused that pain “deep down” loves us.

This is a short-term coping mechanism, a way of assuring ourselves that we will survive the harm done to us.

It is, also, a way of minimizing the responsibility of those who inflicted that harm on us (and avoid or defer dealing with the anger and grief their betrayal caused us).

Denial v. Reality

Both the victims of childhood abuse and the victims of domestic abuse may employ this coping mechanism, sometimes despite clear evidence to the contrary [1].  A woman whose partner blackened her eyes and knocked her teeth out may, nonetheless, seek to assure concerned family members, “Really, it’s not so bad.”

The problem with this coping mechanism is that it does not address the abuse.  The victim denies the reality that he or she has been seriously harmed; may fail to obtain necessary medical treatment; and continues to remain in the abusive situation. Continue reading →

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February 1, 2026 · 1:00 am

The Dangers of So Called “Freebirth”

18th Century anatomical illustration of a pregnant woman, possibly a plate to Gautier d’Agoty’s “Exposition Anatomique”, Marseille, Paris, and Amsterdam (1759). Source/Photographer The Wellcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/works/m5jaykde (Photo No. L0036026),  (CC Attribution 4.0 International)

Women have died in childbirth since time immemorial.  Complications can develop even in low risk pregnancies.

But the rate of maternal mortality has dropped 99% in the last hundred years, since the advent of prenatal care [1].  Prenatal care has likewise been crucial in reducing infant mortality [2].  Advancements in medical training and infection control were key to this.

Free Birth Society

The Free Birth Society founded by Emilee Saldaya promotes the radical concept of “freebirth” without medical assistance of any kind during pregnancy or childbirth, whether from a physician (even a female physician) or from a midwife.  This supposedly serves to reclaim the sacredness of childbirth, and assert a woman’s autonomy over her own body.

The messaging resonates with women who have had traumatic experiences with maternity services or unnecessary medical interventions, and those seeking to live “off the grid”.

Maternal and Infant Deaths

Investigation has, however, linked the Free Birth Society to dozens of cases of maternal and infant harm or death across the globe [3][4][5][6]. Continue reading →

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January 18, 2026 · 1:00 am

Chocolate

Chocolate fudge cake, Urban Diner, Edmonton, Canada, Author Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

Chocolate is a pure delight.  But there is a bitter truth behind the sweet taste.  Child labor is heavily involved in cocoa product [1][2][3].

Multiple human rights organizations confirm that over 1.5 million children in West Africa work under hazardous conditions to produce cocoa.  Many of these children are the victims of forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery.  They are deprived of an education, and exposed to dangerous chemicals and equipment.

This exploitation is ongoing despite the public pledges made by major chocolate companies over the past 20 years to eliminate child labor from their supply chains.  Some of the most recognizable chocolate brands still associated with unethical practices include:  Hershey’s Chocolate; Nestle’s Chocolate (Kit Kat, Butterfinger); Mars Chocolate (M&M’s, Snickers, Twix); Ferrero (Nutella, Kinder); and Mondelez (Toblerone, Cadbury). Continue reading →

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January 11, 2026 · 1:00 am

Literacy, Rousseau, and Unschooling, Part 2

We continue our examination of unschooling, a controversial educational philosophy praised on TikTok and elsewhere [1][2].

Literacy in the US

The current literacy rate in the United States is no more than 79% [3].  Most Americans can read at a 7th or 8th grade level.  Approximately 35 million read below a 6th grade level.

But 66% of 4th grade children cannot read proficiently.  Statistically, 2 out of 3 children who cannot read well by the 4th grade end up on Welfare or in prison.

One teacher recently lamented that 3rd graders do not know their parents’ names or phone numbers; do not know their home addresses; do not know the year they were born; cannot use a dictionary; cannot count physical money; and have difficulty following multi-step directions…all of which makes them enormously vulnerable to kidnapping and trafficking, not to mention difficult to teach [4].

Scientific Literacy

The issue of scientific literacy adds another layer of complexity.  A Pew Research survey found that many Americans can answer at least some questions about science concepts [5].  But other concepts are more challenging – and this in an age of explosive scientific growth.

Moreover, scientific literacy requires more than a simple knowledge of the facts [6]. It requires thoughtful analysis and judgment.  These are the same processes required for life decisions. Continue reading →

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January 4, 2026 · 1:00 am

Literacy, Rousseau, and Unschooling, Part 1

Little Red Schoolhouse, Talbot County, MD, Author Shopkins91, (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported and GNU Free Documentation License)

Unschooling (to be distinguished from homeschooling) is a controversial educational philosophy which has gained rapid popularity online, and allows children to direct their own learning [1][2].  A rosy picture is painted of care-free learning, without pressure, stress, structure, or restrictions.

The assumption is that children pursuing only the subjects which interest them will learn more naturally and easily.  The corollary assumption seems to be that subjects of little immediate interest to them will be of no later use.

Some parents are not even teaching their children to read or write, and are actually proud of that fact.

The Rousseau Connection

Whether its proponents are aware or not, unschooling derives loosely from the writings of an 18th Century philosopher.   In his work Discourse on Inequality, Jean-Jacques Rousseau proposed that human beings in their “natural” state were inherently peaceful, egalitarian, and good.  They had simply been corrupted by civilization.

This idea has great appeal to those who believe wholeheartedly in Darwin’s theory of evolution.  It suggests that a return to Eden is possible, a return to innocence and union with nature.  All we need do is discard the trappings of civilization – trappings like law and formal education.

Unfortunately, this is nonsense, spiritually and otherwise.  Innocence and ignorance are not the same.

Literacy Highlights

Literacy has been prized by civilization for thousands of years [3].  We denote pre-history as such because literacy did not exist.  All knowledge had to be passed down orally. Continue reading →

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December 28, 2025 · 1:00 am

Editing the Human Genome

Double helix of DNA biochemistry, Author brian0918&#153 (PD)

Editing the human genome is no longer beyond the realm of possibility.  To the contrary, it represents the frontier of medicine, promising a golden future without heritable disease or genetic defects.  The question is:  at what cost to human rights?

Human genome editing takes two forms:  somatic genome editing (which modifies non-reproductive cells) and germline genome editing (which modifies reproductive cells, including sperm and egg cells, and can be passed on to future generations) [1A].

Somatic Gene Editing

Somatic gene editing is viewed as less controversial, since it cannot be passed on.  The United States, the United Kingdom, and China have all permitted clinical trials involving somatic editing to treat cancer, sickle cell anemia, and other genetic diseases [1B].

Germline Gene Editing

No country has yet approved germline genetic editing, although twins whose germline had been modified using the genetic cut-copy-paste technology known by the acronym CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) were born in China in 2018 [1C][2A]. 

A majority of the European Union has ratified the Oviedo Convention which prohibits heritable gene editing in humans [1D].  Germany, Canada, and Australia have adopted similar prohibitions [1E].  

There is a strong possibility that these bans will eventually be lifted for therapeutic purposes, though there is no current agreement on what qualifies as “therapeutic”.  There is an equal chance that access to germline genetic editing will at some point be characterized as a legal “right” [6A].

In the United States, law currently prohibits the use of federal funds on human germline gene therapy [2B].  However, there are no protocols or restrictions for human genomic engineering [2C]. 

Recently, a startup named Preventive was identified as attempting to engineer the first genetically modified baby outside China [3].  This is not surprising, since Do-It-Yourself CRISPR kits are actually available online [6B]. Continue reading →

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December 21, 2025 · 1:00 am

Good Tidings

“Nativity of Christ a/k/a Holy Night” by Antonio de Correggio (c. 1529-1530), Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (Accession No. Gal.-Nr. 152), Dresden, Source/Photographer Google Arts & Culture https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/7wGhio0LPVXb_g Hans Peter Klut/Elke Estel (PD)

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger’” (Luke 2: 10-12).

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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