12 year old girls are a lot of things, but keenly aware of their own bodies, biological functions and the side effects of medications are typically not among their strong suits. Imagine a 12 year old girl who isn’t even sure how she might get pregnant, let alone if she is. Imagine a 12 year old who’s been coerced into having sex or has even been raped. Imagine she may or may not be pregnant, but has contracted an STD and doesn’t know it. Imagine she’s so afraid of being pregnant that she takes the ‘morning-after’ medication 2 or 3 times, “just to be sure.” Imagine the harm being done to her young body and mind, with no counsel from a parent and a medical professional. In fact, the parents have no rights here, despite the fact that there are only five states in the U.S. that do not have laws regarding piercings and/or tattoos for minors. The Obama administration has decided that a child facing an unplanned pregnancy needs less parental supervision than one who wants to get a nose ring. Read more on ‘Morning-after’ Medication Now Available To All Ages…

Digging into the Acton video vault, we’ve reposted on YouTube some of the analysis that Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, handled as the on-air expert for BBC News in 2005 and, when not on call from the BBC, Fox News, EWTN and others. The fourth video here is from last week’s appearance on Fox, discussing the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Check this resource page for updates on Acton’s ongoing coverage of Pope Benedict’s resignation.

On the 2005 Papal Conclave (BBC America – April 18, 2005)

Read more on Video: Rev. Robert A. Sirico at the 2005 Papal Conclave…

If you’re a Facebook fan of YogaFit Training Systems, you can get 15 percent off its conferences. If your kid gets good grades, he or she can score free nuggets at Chick-Fil-A.  Presenting your military ID will get you a discount at Advance Auto Parts. And many independently-owned Ace Hardware stores offer 10 percent discounts to senior citizens.

Does a business have the right to offer certain discounts to certain people in order to bolster business and offer a service to a segment of their customers, or is this inherently unfair?

John  Wolff, a retired electrical engineer in Pennsylvania, is crying “Unfair!” to just such a program. According to Todd Starnes’ Fox News Commentary, Wolff is decrying a restaurant’s right to offer a discount to folks who bring in a church bulletin:

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission confirmed there is an investigation against Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen in the town of Columbia. The complaint was filed by John Wolff, a retired electrical engineer.

“I did this not out of spite, but out of a feeling against the prevailing self-righteousness that stems from religion, particular in Lancaster County,” Wolff told the York Daily Record. “I don’t consider it an earth-shaking affair, but in this area in particular, we seem to have so many self-righteous religious people, so it just annoys me.”

The investigation against the restaurant is apparently part of a campaign by Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based group whose website states, “The history of Western civilization shows us that most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion.” Read more on ‘That’s not fair!’ — a lesson in living in a free society…

Fr. Robert Sirico appeared on Varney & Co. May 24. Here is his interview:

Fr. Sirico on Varney & Co.

On Aug. 28, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton president and co-founder, was interviewed by Freedom Watch host Judge Andrew Napolitano in a wide ranging discussion of natural rights, the moral law and politics. They were joined by Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine.

Read more on Fox News Freedom Watch: Rev. Sirico on Church, State & Liberty…