THE LATEST "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PRO-FAMILY NEWS," DECEMBER 15, 2011

  These compilations from a variety of sources by the Family Research Council continue to offer interested people a gold mine.  A new edition appears every two weeks.  Readers will find in each a wealth of information not readily found elsewhere. For previous reviews I've posted, click here.   For a complete list of articles from this latest edition,  click "continue reading" below.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• "Homeschool still a popular option," Matt Sabo, The Daily Press

Legislation and Policy Proposals

• "Glenn Reynolds on the Education Bubble," Chris Gacek, Family Research Council
• "Fort Worth schools clarify rules banning Santa, gifts in class," Jessamy Brown, The Star-Telegram
• "How Many Hours do Public School Teachers Really Work?," Andrew G. Biggs, The American
• "The Higher Ed Bubble Is Bursting, so What Comes Next?," Glenn Harlan Reynolds, The Washington Examiner
• "Should Christians attend public schools?," Marcia Segelstein, WORLD Magazine
• "Mission creep in schools," D.C. Innes, WORLD Magazine
• "Grinding the Antitesting Ax," Eric A. Hanushek, Education Next
• "How to Rescue Education Reform," Frederick M. Hess and Linda Darling-Hammond, New York Times
• "The Excellence Gap: Our Public Schools are Shortchanging Their Best Students," Sol Stern, City Journal

Government Reform
Regulation

• "The Payroll Tax Holiday Is a Bad Bipartisan Idea," Alex Brill, The American
• "Regulation for Dummies," Opinion, The Wall Street Journal

Waste/Fraud/Abuse

• "White House touts progress fighting waste, announces new initiatives," Charles S. Clark, Government Executive

Health Care
Abstinence

• "Teens, MTV, and Pregnancy -- A Very Confusing Topic," Barbara Greenberg, The Huffington Post
• "Another Kind of Purity Pledge," Katelyn Beaty, Christianity Today
• "LET'S HONOR the AWKWARD FIRST KISS and the COMMITMENT Behind It!," Elwood "Sandy" Sanders, Virginia Right

Conscience Protection

• "The Costs of Taking Conscience," Michael Fragoso, The Public Discourse
• "Coercing Consciences," George Weigel, First Things
• "A question of conscience," Emily Belz, WORLD Magazine
• "At Belmont Abbey, Catholics Fight Back," Gerald J. Russello, Crisis Magazine

Health care reform: Political and Legislative efforts

• "In Sickness or in Wealth," Christopher J. Conover, The American
• "Natural Rights Trump Obamacare, or Should," Hadley Arkes, First Things
• "FDA Keeps Limits on Other 'Plan B' Contraceptive," Jennifer Corbett Dooren, The Wall Street Journal
• "The Church of Kathleen Sebelius," William McGurn, The Wall Street Journal
• "The Next Roe v. Wade?: Jennie McCormack's Abortion Battle," The Daily Beast
• "A Radical Restructuring of Health Insurance," Grace-Marie Turner, The Galen Institute

Homosexuality

• "Secretary of State Says Homosexual Behavior Trumps Religious Freedom," Kevin Theriot, Alliance Defense Fund
• "The Red Kettle menace," Janie Cheaney, WORLD Magazine
• "Pentagon defends sodomy rule change," Fox News

Human Life and Bioethics
Abortion

• "What Babies Learn in the Womb," Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council
• "12 New Jersey Nurses Stand Up to Obama's Abortion Crusade," Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council
• "Red Cross promoting abortion as a human right? Shame on WHO," Susan Yoshihara, Turtle Bay and Beyond
• "Is Planned Parenthood On The Ropes?," Michael Norton, Alliance Defense Fund
• "Bill would ban abortions based on sex, race; critics call it ploy to undermine broader rights," Associated Press
• "What babies learn before they're born," Annie Murphy Paul, CNN
• "The Sanctity of Human Life," David P. Gushee, Qideas
• "Eugenics in our time," Rod Dreher, The American Conservative
• "Margaret Sanger: 'Abortion is Dangerous and Vicious," George Marlin, The Catholic Thing

Bioethics and Biotechnology

• "You Will Always be With Me: Fetal Cells Cross Placenta and Stay with Mom for Life," Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council
• "Tiniest babies are growing up healthy despite odds," Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press
• "Wisdom, Not the Geek Squad," Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing

Euthanasia and End of Life Issues

• "Euthanasia: There is Always A "Next Step"," Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke

Stem Cell Research

To read about the latest advances in ethical adult stem cell research, keep up with leading-edge reports from FRC's Dr. David Prentice, click here.

• "Keeping the Embryonic Stem Cell Hype Alive by Creating a False Impression," Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke
• "Stem cells: The cell division," Alison Abbott, Nature

Human Trafficking

• "Defeat human trafficking and slavery in the U.S.," Clark Eberly, The Washington Times

Women's Health

• "Monty Patterson learns about RU-486 the hard way," Julian Guthrie, San Francisco Chronicle
• "Talking Nunsense About The Pill," Alex Perrottet, Crisis Magazine

Marriage and Family
Adoption

• "Va. agency to take up final adoption rules," Zinie Chen Sampson, Associated Press
• "Racial Identity Important After Adoption," Hope Rurik, Kansas City infoZine

Family Economics

• "Who Qualifies for Charity?," Chuck Bentley, Crown Financial Ministries
• "Social Muddle," Jonathan Witt, The American Spectator
• "The Rich Are Getting Richer; So Are the Poor," Jarrett Skorup, The Center for Vision and Values

Family Structure

• "Contemporary Family Law: Divorcing Marriage from Children," Helen Alvare, The Public Discourse
• "Traditional Family Law: Connecting Marriage with Children," Helen Alvare, The Public Discourse
• "The Teening of America," Gerald Nachman, The American Spectator

Media
Pornography

• "Deviancy defenders," Daniel James Devine, WORLD Magazine
• "Expand child pornography laws," Opinion, NewsChief.com

Internet

• "Hey Google, Don't Be Evil?," Robert Morrison, Family Research Council
• "Human trafficking gets attention from Google," Chenda Ngak, CBS News

Religion and Public Policy
Religious Liberty

• "Bringing Religious Freedom Back into American Religious Freedom Policy," Thomas F. Farr, Cardus
• "The Most Important Religious Liberty Case of the Past Thirty Years," Michael Stokes Paulsen, The Public Discourse
• "Court Allows Two Constitutions, Gives Schools Room to Evict Church Groups," Alan Sears, Alliance Defense Fund
• "NYC Pastors Join With NYC Council members to Repeal Ban on Worship Services in Public Schools," Jordan Lorence, Alliance Defense Fund
• "'Freedom of access'," Tiffany Owens, WORLD Magazine
• "Federal Judge Tosses Suit to Block Brewer's 'Day of Prayer' Declaration," Howard Fischer, East Valley Tribune

Religion in America

• "Of Minas and Men: more thoughts on Jesus and the Occupy Movement," Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
• "The Bible and the Founding of Our Country," Rob Schwarzwalder, Family Research Council
• "Tim Tebow's Vocation," Thomas Haine, First Things
• "Atheist messages displace CA park nativity scenes," Associated Press
• "God and Moral Absolutes," Matthew O'Brien, The Public Discourse
• "Obama misses the real "Reason for the Season"," Andrew Schwartz, Bearing Drift

Secularism

• "Post Office Manager Throws Christmas Carolers Out into the Cold," J.P. Duffy, Family Research Council
• "Atheism and the Overton Window," Joe Carter, First Things

International
Israel

• "The Real War in Iran," Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post
• "An Ally No More," Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post
• "Israel Rift Roils Democratic Ranks," Ben Smith, Politico

International Economy and Family

• "Eurocracy Run Amuck," Samuel Gregg, The Acton Institute
• "China's "Superior" Economic Model?," Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, The Center for Vision and Values

Religious Persecution

• "Religious freedom in China at lowest point since Tiananmen Square crackdown," CHINAaid
• "Christian Solidarity International issues Genocide warning for Christians in the Middle East," Mission Network News
• "In Egypt, they beat and kill Christians," Rod Dreher, The American Conservative

Sharia law -- U.S., foreign

• "Can Interfaith Dialogues Exist?," Ken Thomas, The Ashbrook Center
• "Elections in Egypt," Peter W. Schramm, The Ashbrook Center
• "Christian Persecution Expert Insists 'Islam Needs a Reformation'," Mark Hensch, The Christian Post

The Courts
Constitutional Issues

• "Nino: A Memoir," Hadley Arkes, The Catholic Thing

Judicial Activism

• "Why the Supreme Court Ruling Is an Opportunity for NYC Christians," Caleb Clardy, Christianity Today
• "Should Justice Kagan Recuse Herself from the ObamaCare Case?," Justin Shubow, The Federalist Society

Other News of Note

• "One builds, and one tears down: This Old House vs The Daily Show," Chris Marlink, Family Research Council
• "Likeability Is Not Character - And It is Character That Counts," Rob Schwarzwalder, Family Research Council
• "What Russia's Election was Really About," Leon Aron, The New Republic
• "Goodbye, America: More Recollections of Deer Seasons Past," Paul G. Kengor, The Center for Vision and Values
• "Are Real Women Liberal?," Suzanne Venker, National Review Online

Book reviews

• "Amiable Atheism," R. J. Snell, First Things
• "Standing in the Need of Prayer," Richard E. Morgan, Claremont Review of Books
• "Hungering for Violence," James Kirchick, Claremont Review of Books
• "Anne Rice's "Christ the Lord" to be a movie," Rebecca Cusey, Patheos