By Christy Barritt

Gay Adoptions Triple

In the past decade, the number of adoptions in the U.S. by gay and lesbian couples has tripled.

According to analysis of Census Bureau data by the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, 6,477 same-sex couples adopted children in 2000. In 2009, the number rose to 21,740. The numbers increased, in part, because of eased state restrictions and more adoptions stemming from foster care. The number of American adoption agencies accepting applications from gay and lesbian parents has risen to 60 percent, according to the Adoption Institute.

Many states restrict gay parent adoptions. But gay adoptions are especially high in Massachusetts, New York, California, and Texas.

Pornography a Problem Among Churchgoers

Forty-three percent of people who use the Internet visit pornographic websites according to new data compiled by Education Database Online. According to that same data, 70 percent of men age 18-24 visit porn sites monthly.

This ties in with a new statistic from LifeWay Research that found that 69 percent of ministers believe that pornography has adversely impacted the lives of their church members. Despite that, most ministers cannot estimate what percentage of their congregation views porn.

Of those willing to estimate the percentage of men in their congregation who view pornography on a weekly basis, a majority (62 percent) said less than 10 percent.

“Though ministers know generally that pornography is harmful, many may not realize that it is coming into the homes of their members,” said LifeWay Research president Ed Stetzer. “Studies show that committed Christians engage in pornography less, but the issue is still a big one that the church must face.”

Debt Higher for 2010 College Graduates

 The average amount owed on student loans is up five percent from 2009 according to a survey by the Project on Student Debt.

Students who graduated college in 2010 and acquired student loans owed an average of $25,250. Many experts are noting a growing reliance on borrowed money to pay for college, an alarming reality in the face of current high unemployment.

The survey also showed that approximately two-thirds of the class of 2010 borrowed money for college, and that 22 percent of those loans were private loans, which typically have a higher interest rate than a government loan.

Also noted was that students in the Northeast and Midwest generally had substantially higher debts than those in the West.

New Law May Force Coverage of Abortion Drugs

A new rule related to President Obama’s controversial health care plan may force insurance companies to include abortion-inducing drugs under the umbrella of “preventative care.”

The Obama Administration has initially approved a recommendation from the Institute of Medicine that requires insurance programs to include birth control in its coverage. Included among the birth control drugs are the morning-after pill and the ella drug that causes an abortion days after conception.

If some pro-life employers are forced to pay for medical coverage for employees, this means essentially that they’ll be paying for these abortion drugs. Several Christian health organizations have been lobbying the Department of Health and Human Services to either drop contraception from coverage guidelines entirely or to broaden the list of organizations that are exempt from having to provide it.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging Obama’s healthcare plan this
spring.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons.  www.christybarritt.com