The news that Ariel Castro might be tried for murder for ending the pregnancies of the women he held captive has brought to the fore an older debate over fetal homicide laws. If ending a pregnancy is murder, what does that say about the legal status of the unborn?

Castro reportedly impregnated Michelle Knight, one of his three kidnapping victims, five times, then forced her to miscarry by starving her and repeatedly punching her in the stomach.

Since 1996, Ohio, like 37 other states, has had a law that intentionally ending a pregnancy is murder. Murder charges can be brought against someone who causes a miscarriage, or murdering a pregnant woman will recognize two victims to the crime. more >>

Washington's Ethics and Public Policy expert George Weigel skewered President Obama's recent blessing of Planned Parenthood's work as blasphemous on Wednesday and popular Calvinist theologian John Piper has tweeted in tacit agreement with the bold comment.

Weigel's declaration came in a hotly discussed article published in First Things critiquing President Barack Obama's address to the annual Planned Parenthood Gala at Washington's Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on April 26 which he capped with: "Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you …"

"It was an appalling speech that had the sole benefit of clarifying the last-ditch commitment of the present administration to the most open-ended abortion license possible. And it drew a line in the sand that those committed to the biblical view of the sanctity of human life cannot ignore—and must challenge," wrote Weigel. more >>

Editor's Note: Warning, graphic material in following article.

Spurred by pro-life groups and Texas Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the Harris County District Attorney's Office is proceeding with an investigation into allegations that Houston-based abortionist Douglas Karpen, who operates three abortion clinics in the state – two in Houston and one in Dallas – has performed illegal late-term abortions and killed babies born alive, a violation of the federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

In a video released Wednesday by Life Dynamics, a Denton, Texas-based pro-life organization, three former employees of Karpen's discuss the details of routine late-term abortions in Karpen's clinic in which babies were allegedly born alive and then subsequently killed by the abortion doctor. more >>

New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg has become an interesting urban social engineer. In 2012 alone, he pumped nearly 2.5 million dollars of his own money to help legalize same-sex marriage in the state of Maryland. Needless to say, he has become a formidable foe to traditional family values.

More recently he proposed an ill-conceived soda ban. I criticized his maniacal attempt to force New Yorkers to eat right a few weeks ago. Although his goal for better health among the urban poor is a pandemic issue in every US City; his solutions will hurt minority businesses, increase government expenditures, along with many other intrusions into personal freedoms. Surprisingly, in this article, I am highlighting one of Bloomberg's better, less invasive policy concepts. Let me explain!

Last month, thousands of posters were put up around New York City. They carried images of crying toddlers with words for teen mothers, including messages like: Because you had me as a teen, I'm twice as likely not to graduate high school. Mom, chances are, he won't stay with you. What happens to me? more >>

Results of a new Food for the Hungry study conducted among Bolivian mothers suggest that holding the belief that God wants all children to live influences mothers to provide better nutrition for their children.

According to a release from Food for the Hungry, the study, completed in April 2013, shows that Bolivian mothers who believe that God wants all children to live are 15 times more likely to parent a well-nourished child.

"I would say that it's important to know what you believe and to realize that those beliefs can have a profound impact on what you do and not just how you treat others but what happens in your own life," said Dr. Tom Davis, Food for the Hungry's chief program officer, in an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday. more >>

The New York City Health Department is promoting a new smartphone app, "Teens in NYC – Protection," created to battle teen pregnancy. One video featured in the mobile app addresses bisexuality and birth control.

The department claims that it is responsible for declining teen pregnancy in recent years and hopes that the new app will help continue this trend. The New York City Health Department recently announced that its efforts over the last decade have led to a 5 percent decline in teen pregnancies in one year, hitting a new low by falling 30 percent over the last decade. The new app was created to provide teens with more accessible information to locate free, confidential reproductive health services.

Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said in a press statement that, "Not having sex is the surest way to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. But for teens who are having sex, it is important to use birth control and condoms to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. The Teens in NYC mobile app provides information in ways that are familiar to teens so they can [get] access to these services." more >>