Free Republic

At least 27 percent of Americans are estranged from a member of their own family, and research suggests about 40 percent of Americans have experienced estrangement at some point. The most common form of estrangement is between adult children and one or both parents — a cut usually initiated by the child...children in these cases often cite harsh parenting, parental favoritism, divorce and poor and increasingly hostile communication often culminating in a volcanic event... The parents in these cases are often completely bewildered by the accusations. They often remember a totally different childhood home and accuse their children of rewriting...

"Mom, Joe and I have decided to live together," my strong-willed 23-year-old daughter announced defiantly at our dining-room table, her boyfriend at her side. Her words made my heart pound and my stomach churn. "Have either of you even thought about the possibility you could get pregnant?" My daughter looked sheepishly at her boyfriend, admitting they hadn't. The defiance swept over her face again and she replied, "Well, I don't care what you and Dad think. You'll just have to accept it." "We may have to tolerate it," I said firmly. "But we'll never accept it. You're going, against every...

There is nothing more American than mom’s apple pie. The image of the hot sugar-crusted pie is a happy memory for countless Americans. Variations of this tasty dessert belong to all American mothers regardless of race or ethnic origin. Leave it to progressive demagogues to find a way to tear down this cultural icon. They cannot let an apple be an apple. They deconstruct an apple pie to always find a hidden racist or oppressive narrative. Food InjusticeThe Left rejects the truth that apple pie is just an easy-to-make dessert. Instead, it denounces what it calls “food injustice.” This sour...

The phrase “gender equality” has been removed from the declaration on social issues to be adopted by EU leaders at their social summit in Porto later on Friday (7 May) after Poland and Hungary opposed the expression. The phrase was replaced by a reference to a previous document, the European Pillar of Social Rights, which includes “gender equality”. The latest compromise is part of a trend that has been going in the EU, with mostly Hungary and Poland, sometimes joined by Slovakia, Bulgaria, pushing for “gender equality” to be deleted from different EU texts. The nationalist-conservative governments in Budapest and...

In a disconnect from the rest of the country, the left wishes to cower Americans into submission and spin ideas that both contradict the Bible and science.Just in time for Mother’s Day, one of the newest members of “The Squad,” freshman Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., referred to black mothers as “birthing persons.” The abortion advocacy group NARAL quickly backed the Missouri congresswoman’s erroneous definition of who can give birth. “When we talk about birthing people, we’re being inclusive,” the group said. “It’s that simple. We use gender neutral language when talking about pregnancy, because it’s not just cis-gender women that...

Past studies have shown participating in religious services and in the life of a religious community can be good for your health. (RNS) — Going to church is generally touted as good for the soul. But there is also evidence church attendance can be good for your health — unless, that is, you are a woman at a church that bars women from preaching or other leadership roles. A new study published in the American Sociological Review has found that women who attend churches with such restrictions report worse health than those who attend churches with women in leadership roles....

It is pointless to seek a rationale behind the abuses that our ruling class inflicts upon us daily. The civilized instinct to understand one’s opponent, to get to know why he thinks what he thinks and maybe reach some compromise with him, is nothing more at this point than a wearisome exercise in futility. Why is COVID-19, which has a 98% survival rate, a threat great enough to bring all human life on earth grinding to a halt, whereas a vaccine against COVID-19 must be yanked from circulation if (much like birth control) it causes clotting in a small number...

On March 8, Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council adopted amendments to the city's Domestic Partnership Ordinance allowing polyamorous domestic partnership. The ordinance now provides that "Domestic partnership" means the entity formed by two or more persons who meet the following criteria and jointly file a registration statement proclaiming that: 1. They are in a relationship of mutual support, caring and commitment and intend to remain in such a relationship; ... 5. They consider themselves to be a family.

So what's happening with your eggs?' This was the question Sara Murray's oldest friend asked her recently during a phone catch-up. It's the same question she's been asking Sara ever since she decided to freeze her eggs back in 2015, aged 43. 'Normally when she asks me that, it reawakens my emotional dilemma of whether I should try to use my eggs or not,' admits Sara. 'But this time, as I sipped on my herbal tea, I felt a strange sense of peace. 'I'm turning 49 this summer, and after years of assuming I'll have children one day, I'm starting...

The U.S. Army is considering reversing its plans to set a gender-neutral fitness standard in the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), an Army official told Military.com last month.The ACFT was intended to be a gender-neutral test, and would have required soldiers to score 360 out of 600 possible points, but preliminary figures showed 54 percent female soldiers failing the gender-neutral standard, as compared to 10 percent of male soldiers, according to Army data shared with the Washington Post last fall. Female soldiers were also scoring 100 points lower on the test, on average, than their male counterparts.“We are currently...

This week, Seattle Public Schools (and other area schools) are teaching students in kindergarten to pick their gender, combat a so-called hetero-patriarchal society, and disrupt the nuclear family structure. The lessons are part of the Black Lives Matter at School movement. The radical, political agendas on gender identity and the family structure have some parents livid. These topics are not age appropriate. Hoping for an alternative viewpoint to BLM talking points? There are none presented to students and it’s by design. Indeed, SPS believes them to be bigoted. Seattle Public Schools will spend this week promoting Black Lives Matter lessons...

A poll conducted earlier this year says that a majority of Republicans are opposed to same-sex “marriage” and that support for matrimony defined as between one man and one woman is higher amongst those who identify as “conservative” within the party. The “2019 American Values Atlas” survey, published in April by the Washington D.C. based Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which was mainly funded by pro-LGBTQ foundations. In regards to marriage, the survey asked participants: “do you strongly favor, favor, oppose or strongly oppose, allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry?” The poll found that overall, only 47 percent...

Half of Christians say sex between consenting adults who are in a committed dating relationship is sometimes or always acceptable, and over half — with the exception of evangelical Protestants — say casual sex is OK, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. Some 62% of Catholics, 56% of Protestants in the historically black tradition, 54% of mainline Protestants, and 36% of evangelical Protestants say casual sex between consenting adults is sometimes or always acceptable, according to the survey. Among those who are religiously unaffiliated, as many as 84% say casual sex is sometimes or always acceptable, Pew...

The Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress has just produced an important new study titled "The Demise of the Happy Two-Parent Home." The report exhaustively presents data showing the shocking collapse of marriage and the traditional family in America and then explores possible explanations for why it has happened. In 1962, 71% of women ages 15-44 were married. By 2019, this was down to 42%. In 1962, 5% of women ages 30-34 had never been married. By 2019, this was up to 35%. In the 1960s, less than 1% of couples living together were not married. Today, it is...

MEXICO CITY — Women filled the streets of the world's largest cities Sunday to protest gender violence, inequality and exploitation on International Women’s Day, with the mothers of murdered girls leading a march in Mexico City and participants in Paris inveighing against the “virus of the patriarchy.” While many protests were peaceful celebrations others were marred by tension, with security forces arresting demonstrators at a rally in Kyrgyzstan and police reportedly using tear gas to break up a demonstration by thousands of women in Turkey. “In many different ways or forms, women are being exploited and taken advantage of,” Arlene...

Negative Population Growth, Inc. (NPG) has released a new Forum paper detailing various opportunities to combat global warming. The paper, titled Humans are Making Oceans Warmer, Deeper, and Life Threatening, identifies the roles of nations in climate change, examines the many ways humans can utilize oceans to stop the earth’s temperature from rising, and discusses the detrimental effects of single-use plastics. Author Edwin S. Rubenstein begins by recounting the latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change surmising that “a potentially disastrous rise in global sea levels is inevitable. He addresses the opinion that global warming is not...

The Hallmark Channel certainly wasn’t expecting to find itself at the center of a viral culture war controversy this weekend. But in 2019, corporations never know which move might grab the internet’s attention. The controversy started when Hallmark decided to cancel an advertisement they had accepted from the wedding planning service Zola. The ad depicted, in a humorous fashion, a lesbian wedding, and at one point, the couple kisses. The conservative group One Million Moms complained to Hallmark and launched a petition, angered that an advertisement on the family-friendly network showed a type of family arrangement not in accordance with...

A polyamorous woman has fallen pregnant by one of her four partners after they went away together - but says they will raise the baby as a 'family'. Tory Ojeda, 20, from Jacksonville, Florida, met one of her partners Marc, 18, in high school and then started a relationship with Travis, 23, two months later. Their love story began three years ago and she has since announced her engagement to Travis in July. She also found love with their long-term mutual friends Ethan, 22, and Christopher, 22. While seven months ago, Tory and Chris found out that they were pregnant...

Come on boys, vogue! The youngest generation’s greater willingness to embrace nontraditional gender norms has opened up a new market within the beauty industry: men’s makeup. One-third of young men said they would consider wearing makeup, according to Morning Consult polling, while 23 percent of all men said the same. Founders of men’s cosmetic brands credit the increased interest among young men not only to a wider acceptance of the idea that gender is fluid but also to the pressure to be picture perfect at any moment, thanks to social media. “The stigma associated with buying and purchasing this product...

Senator Elizabeth Warren delivered quite the burn at CNN’s Equality Town Hall Thursday in response to a question from Morgan Cox, chair of the Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors, on how she would respond to someone who says marriage is between one man and one woman. “You’re on the campaign trail and a supporter approaches you and says, ‘Senator, I’m old-fashioned and my faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and one woman.’ What’s your response?” Cox said. “I’m going to assume it’s a guy who said that and I’m just going to say, then just marry...