Op-Eds & Commentary

Originally posted on National Review. How about a happy story about pregnancy? Anne Hathaway! Oh wait. I forgot. That’s controversial. She’s 43. Controversies like this suggest we don’t want to be happy. Or don’t [...]

At 13, Alicia Kozakiewicz snuck out of her house to meet a “friend” she’d met online. He wasn’t a friend. He abducted her, chained her in a basement, and tortured her. Alicia’s family, neighbors, and [...]

Published in The Hill. History does not always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes it arrives softly and humbly, and only in hindsight does the landmark moment become clear. That is how it came earlier [...]

History does not always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes it arrives softly and humbly, and only in hindsight does the landmark moment become clear. That is how it came last week, when First Lady [...]

In The Imprint, reporter Jeremy Loudenback highlighted California’s efforts to change mandatory reporting laws, a movement spurred by advocates who believe the current system unnecessarily pulls innocent families into the child welfare system. Loudenback featured the story of Roger De Leon, Jr., who was investigated for suspected abuse only to be later found innocent, as one traumatic example.

Foster care unexpectedly took center stage at President Trump’s congressional address on Tuesday. First Lady Melania Trump highlighted her Foster the Future initiative — which secures scholarships and opportunities for kids in foster care — and President Trump recognized Jeff Denard, a foster parent to 40 children.

Read more here.

Read more here.

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As a licensed foster mom, I answered a call from a group home a few weeks before Christmas. When I arrived, I saw a bland environment for children, with identical, impersonal beds pushed up against walls — no stockings, no decorations, no matching pajamas.