Cheryl Wetzstein
Articles by Cheryl Wetzstein
Bishops push back against Obama on social issues
Alarmed by what they see as deeper government intrusion into issues such as reproductive health care and gay marriage, the nation's Catholic bishops have created a committee to identify and resist threats to religious freedom. Published October 5, 2011
Study: Modern economies ‘rise and fall’ with nuclear families
If the wealth of a nation is tied to both the quality and the quantity of its people, then modern trends toward cohabiting instead of marrying, easy divorce and fewer children born to couples will have sweeping economic consequences, a new report says. Published October 3, 2011
Lawsuit in N.C. seeks to undo abortion law requiring ultrasound
A group of abortion clinics, doctors and pro-choice groups are suing to block a North Carolina law that would require a pregnant woman to have an ultrasound and receive information about her fetus before she can obtain an abortion. Published October 2, 2011
Population sees increase in ‘Hispanic whites’
America's majority-white population kept growing in 2010, thanks to a burgeoning number of "Hispanic whites," the Census Bureau said Thursday. Published September 29, 2011
Census: Households led by gay couples rose 80 percent
The number of U.S. households led by same-sex couples rose about 80 percent in the past 10 years, and more than 130,000 couples listed themselves as married, new U.S. Census Bureau data show. Published September 27, 2011
Alimony reform in Mass. ends pay until death
Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a sweeping reform of Massachusetts' alimony system that activists are praising as bringing rational criteria to a hodgepodge system and for ending "alimony-until-death" payments. Published September 26, 2011
Catholic bishops push Obama for ‘reset’ on marriage law
The nation's Catholic bishops have urged President Obama to "push the reset button" on his administration's treatment of a federal marriage law, or face an enormous national conflict between church and state. Published September 22, 2011
Cigarette makers sue to block new graphic warnings
Can Uncle Sam legally force tobacco companies to put images of corpses, diseased body parts and tracheotomy patients on their cigarette packages? Published September 21, 2011
Backers rally for tough ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill
Hundreds of pro-life supporters rallied Tuesday as part of a drive to make Ohio the first state in the country to pass a law effectively banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Published September 20, 2011
Gays take fight against DOMA to Connecticut
The House of Representatives has failed to defend its federal marriage law, and it should be thrown out, attorneys for six gay couples and a gay widower said in recent court papers. Published September 18, 2011
Same-sex marriage ban will be on 2012 ballot in N.C.
North Carolina voters will decide in May whether to effectively ban same-sex marriages in the state constitution, now that both chambers of the Republican-dominated General Assembly have passed a bill allowing the measure to be put on the ballot. Published September 13, 2011
New poverty numbers reflect post-recession blues
In the first full calendar year after the Great Recession, the U.S. poverty rate jumped past 15 percent, the highest in 17 years, as a new historical high of 46.2 million Americans fell below the official poverty line, the Census Bureau said Tuesday. Published September 13, 2011
North Carolina bill to ban gay marriage advances to Senate
A North Carolina bill to allow voters a chance to define marriage in their state constitution goes to the state Senate on Tuesday, after passing the state House. Published September 12, 2011
Granting personhood to fetuses will be on Miss. ballot
The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for an amendment to the state constitution granting "personhood" to fetuses to go to voters in November though the court did not render a position on the measure's constitutionality, should it pass. Published September 8, 2011
Report: Severe hunger affects fewer households
Fewer U.S. households experienced severe hunger last year, but the overall number of homes struggling to keep healthy meals on the table every day stayed the same. Published September 7, 2011
Prop 8 hearing weighs backers’ standing
Can proponents of a California citizens' initiative defend it in federal court if state officials refuse to do so? Published September 6, 2011
As porn’s pre-eminent domain, .xxx to mark spot
Beginning this week, the Internet's "red-light district" will be open for business as the rush for ".xxx" domain registrations starts in earnest, but whether the new tag to alert — and attract — Web surfers to porn sites will meet expectations is a matter of sharp debate. Published September 4, 2011
Alabama latest state to impose abortion restrictions
Alabama on Thursday officially became the fifth state in the nation to restrict abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the latest in a wave of new state efforts to curb the practice this year. Published August 31, 2011
GOP leaders push to have marriage defined in N.C.
Two Republican leaders in the North Carolina legislature said Tuesday they will push for passage of a marriage referendum, which, if passed by voters in 2012, would make their state the final one in the Southeast to define marriage in the state constitution as the union of a man and a woman. Published August 30, 2011
ACLU battles schools over gay websites
A fierce legal battle on free speech and family values is brewing about Internet filters used by school administrators to block students' access to gay educational and advocacy websites. Published August 29, 2011
