Cheryl Wetzstein

Cheryl Wetzstein, a Washington Times staff member since 1985, is manager of special sections in The Washington Times' Advertising and Marketing Department.

Previously, she spent 30 years as a Washington Times news reporter, covering national domestic policy, in addition to being a features writer, environmental and consumer affairs reporter, and assistant business editor.

Beginning in 1994, Mrs. Wetzstein worked exclusively on welfare and family issues such as child support enforcement, abstinence and sex education, child welfare, sexually transmitted diseases, marriage, divorce, cohabiting and gay marriage.

She has won several newspaper awards, including 1977 Cub Reporter of the Year and 1983 Heart of New York award, both from the New York Press Club.

Articles by Cheryl Wetzstein

Survey: Most Americans under 30 don’t understand Roe v. Wade

Forty years after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision, most Americans still support legal abortion — but less than half of young Americans know what the Roe ruling was about, a Pew survey has found. Published January 16, 2013

Russia’s adoption ban may be way to boost population

Russia's ban on U.S. adoptions could be part of a strategy to boost the country's diminishing demographic profile, a U.S. political science professor says. Published January 13, 2013

Pressure from gays pushes pastor off inaugural agenda

The pastor chosen to deliver the benediction at President Obama's inauguration withdrew from the ceremony Thursday after gay-rights groups complained that he once referred to homosexuality as a "sin." Published January 10, 2013

Supreme Court justices refuse challenge to stem-cell policy

The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear a case challenging the Obama administration's guidelines on embryonic stem-cell research. Published January 7, 2013

Gay-marriage supporters turn focus to Illinois

Gay-marriage supporters on the hunt for their 10th victory are eyeing Illinois as a likely candidate and several other states as strong possibilities. Published January 6, 2013

Virginia joins pro-life wave with abortion clinic rules

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed off on permanent regulations that will hold abortion clinics to the same building standards as hospitals, joining Arizona and Michigan as states looking to tighten their abortion-facility standards to among the most stringent in the nation. Published January 2, 2013

Ban on gay-to-straight therapy for children halted

A first-of-its-kind California law banning therapies to change children's sexual orientation has been blocked temporarily, but lawyers are preparing for a court battle that could come soon. Published January 2, 2013

Abortion fights heating up as Roe v. Wade turns 40

Pro-life forces have legislative momentum across the country heading into 2013, but pro-choice supporters also see plenty of opportunities to win in and out of the courts, as the nation's political clash over abortion rights shows no signs of easing ahead of the 40th anniversary this month of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. Published January 1, 2013

100-candle birthdays rise dramatically

The ranks of the nation's most senior citizens may be tiny, but their numbers will be growing steadily for the foreseeable future, the federal government says. Published December 26, 2012

Company can’t skip health mandate

A federal appellate court refused to permit Hobby Lobby stores to sidestep a federal mandate to provide employees with free contraception as part of its health-insurance plan beginning in January. Published December 20, 2012

More teens smoke marijuana; fewer see great risk

When he was 13, Chris Leibowitz was nervous about trying drugs. But when friends told him marijuana was "natural" and cocaine was cool, he just said, "Yes, I'll take it." Published December 19, 2012

Marriage culture called key to stable middle class

Although Americans spend $50 billion a year on weddings, a large segment of the population is making an exodus from the institution, says a new report from a family-values think tank. Published December 17, 2012

U.S. doctors fight U.N. ban on preservative in vaccines

In a move likely to stoke an already raging debate over the safety of the vaccines routinely given to children, America's largest organization for pediatricians is strongly objecting to a proposal by the United Nations to ban a mercury-containing preservative from the world's vaccine supply. Published December 17, 2012

Child abuse drops for 5th straight year

The number of U.S. children suspected of suffering abuse or neglect dropped for the fifth year in a row in 2011, the federal government said Wednesday. Published December 12, 2012

Lawsuit takes on birth control mandate

A lawsuit against the Obama administration's "contraception mandate" in its health care law is heading to a federal appellate court this week, while a Mennonite-owned company filed the 41st lawsuit seeking relief from it. Published December 11, 2012

Counteracting ‘headwinds’ vs. families

Could government policy changes like a "Mr. Potter Tax" and college-debt forgiveness tied to childbearing rebuild America's traditional family culture? Or are "cultural headwinds" so great that the nation is unlikely to ever find its way back home? Published December 9, 2012