No, but we should exercise compassion and care toward those who experience a conflict with their bodily sex.

Being a boy never felt right to Rob. He had talked with his friend Claire about his struggles with his parents, about the boys in class who bullied him for caring more about theater than sports, and about his doctor’s unwillingness to listen seriously about his mental health struggles. Rob was beginning to think maybe, deep down, he was really a woman, even if he had been discouraged from admitting it.


Supporters of gender theory would be willing to entertain that possibility. Out of a genuine desire to ensure Rob’s physical and mental well-being, they believe that the right thing to do is affirm whichever identification seems most likely to resolve his inner difficulties. In this line of thinking, the way to happiness is to accept “who you really are”, even if it doesn’t align with the body you’re born into.


But is “the body you’re born into” the right way to think about it? Let's unpack its meaning and find out.

KEEP READING

Should We Worry About Declining Birth Rates?

Bishop Barron discussed the significance of shrinking families and declining birth rates on a recent episode of the Word on Fire Show. Shortly after, the Vatican's Secretary of State gave a similar warning. Contrary to the concerns of older generations about global overpopulation, demographic data have shown that decreasing population may occur sooner than expected. Populations have already started decreasing for Japan, China, and Europe, with most of the world expected to join them in the next few decades.


The emerging narratives around decreasing birth rates tend to use data from the United Nation's "World Population Prospects" updates. The updates paint a picture of below-replacement-level fertility around the world, but even those updates tend to err on the high side. An example is the projected number of births for the United States. Both the US Census Bureau (in blue) and the UN (in red) have released projections for the number of births in the US in future years. As the graph shows, there is substantial disagreement between the two sets of projections. 

LEARN MORE

Legal/Policy Updates

 

Courts – A district court ruling in North Dakota protected thousands of Catholic parishes and employers from having to provide benefits related to abortion and IVF that would have been mandated by the Biden administration's distortion of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.


The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a professor who was wrongfully fired from the University of Louisville after he expressed criticism of "gender-affirming care" for minors.


The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed two trans-identifying, biologically male students to compete on girls' sports teams in Arizona. A district court in New Hampshire issued a similar ruling.


A district court ruling in Indiana required the state's Department of Corrections to provide a male inmate with "gender-affirming care", including surgery.


States – The attorneys general of twenty states signed a letter demanding the American Academy of Pediatrics substantiate the claims justifying its "deceptive" support of "gender-affirming care".

Facebook  X  Instagram