Cheryl Wetzstein
Articles by Cheryl Wetzstein
Rhode Island legalizes gay marriage
Rhode Island became the 10th state to legalize gay marriage Thursday, capping a campaign to bring same-sex nuptials to all of New England. Published May 2, 2013
Abortion clinic video makers call for government investigation
A pro-life activist group that uses hidden cameras to go undercover in abortion clinics called Wednesday for a government investigation into the practice of letting "born-alive" children die. Published May 1, 2013
Videos, court fight fuel surging debate on abortion
New undercover videos of abortion professionals explaining late-term abortions, coupled with states passing strict abortion laws and a horror-show abortion criminal case, are keeping abortion at the top of the news — an unexpected development after the nation re-elected its most vocal pro-choice president. Published April 29, 2013
Boy Scouts get stamp of approval on gay policy from Mormon church
Boys Scouts of America leaders recently received a boost for its proposed policy on gays from a powerful stakeholder — the Mormon church. Published April 27, 2013
Federal funds sought to fight gonorrhea ‘superbug’
Alarms are being sounded on Capitol Hill about the emerging problem of an untreatable gonorrhea "superbug," and tens of millions of dollars are being sought to prepare for an expected outbreak in the U.S. Published April 25, 2013
R.I. nears approval of gay marriage; would be 10th state to do so
The Rhode Island state Senate passed a gay-marriage bill Wednesday evening, bringing the state closer to becoming the 10th in the nation to recognize gay nuptials. Published April 24, 2013
Opposition to Boy Scouts’ compromise on gays grows on both sides of issue
The early verdicts are in and the Boy Scouts of America's proposed new membership policy pleases no one. Published April 24, 2013
Supreme Court questions ‘prostitution pledge’ for AIDS funding
The Supreme Court appeared divided Monday as it wrestled with the right of the U.S. government to ask for a pledge against prostitution and sex trafficking as a condition for HIV/AIDS organizations to get taxpayers' money. Published April 22, 2013
Supreme Court to hear arguments on ‘prostitution pledge’
A Bush-era rule that forbids some federal AIDS money to go to groups unless they "explicitly" oppose prostitution and sex trafficking is heading to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. Published April 21, 2013
Values groups, rights advocates criticize Boy Scouts’ proposed policy on gays
The Boy Scouts of America's plan to drop its ban on gay Scouts but to continue to bar homosexual Scout leaders and employees has advocates on both sides of the issue unhappy. Published April 19, 2013
Pressure builds from both sides as Boy Scouts weigh gay policy
A draft resolution for a proposed membership policy, to be released by Boy Scouts of America officials publicly by Monday, will be voted on by some 1,400 delegates of the BSA National Council at a three-day meeting in Grapevine, Texas, starting May 22. Published April 18, 2013
Lawsuit filed to block Arkansas abortion law
Liberal activists have filed a court challenge to an Arkansas law that would prohibit most abortions after 12 weeks if a fetal heartbeat could be heard. Published April 16, 2013
Law on sex orientation therapy for youths heads to court
A first-of-its-kind California law is going to court this week, when a panel of judges will hear testimony about whether mental health professionals have the right to talk with young clients about reducing their homosexual attractions or the state has the right to outlaw such "dangerous quackery." Published April 15, 2013
‘War on women’ could loom large in 2016
Americans who grew weary of the "war on women" meme in the 2012 election may want to take a deep breath: The issue may loom even larger in 2016, an influential social critic told a Capitol Hill symposium. Published April 14, 2013
Pro-lifers eye Kansas for top study of stem cells; no embryo use at proposed center
Long clouded by ethical concerns, medical treatments and research based on stem cells taken from adults or the umbilical cords of newborns — but not human embryos — are getting renewed support from lawmakers and religious leaders. Published April 10, 2013
Abortion bills at state level reveal pro-life split
Forty years after Roe v. Wade, a growing number of abortion foes say they are tired of waiting. Exposing a rift in the pro-life camp, Republican-dominated state governments in Arkansas and North Dakota have pressed forward with legislation imposing the nation's toughest restrictions on abortion, all but inviting a courtroom confrontation taking on the 1973 Supreme Court decision. Published April 1, 2013
Supreme Court justices question DOMA’s range, consider effect act has in states
The federal government has a "powerful interest" in a single, uniform definition of marriage, even if it excludes gay unions that are legal in individual states, the lawyer defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act said Wednesday as the Supreme Court concluded two days of landmark arguments on gay marriage. Published March 27, 2013
Gay-marriage questions offer few clues to Supreme Court’s direction
Religious fervor collided with secular ambition this week as the stakes in the gay marriage battle were laid bare in dramatic testimony before the Supreme Court. Published March 26, 2013
Not all arguments will be inside as Supreme Court weighs gay marriage
The battle for public opinion on gay marriage will be in full swing Tuesday, with supporters and opponents rallying on the streets as the U.S. Supreme Court begins two days of oral arguments on two landmark cases. Published March 25, 2013
Gay-marriage backers see public behind them as the Supreme Court weighs the arguments
After more than two decades of legal battles, rallies, protests and campaigns, proponents of gay marriage say they are increasingly confident as they await their day in court. Published March 25, 2013
