Bill Donohue comments on data released by the Guttmacher Institute on teenage sexual activity:

The media are trumpeting the Guttmacher report showing that teenage pregnancies, births, and abortions have dropped to their lowest level since they peaked in the 1990s. This is good news, but the data are incomplete.

The teenage pregnancy rate in the U.S. is still 5.5 times higher than in Western Europe. Moreover, the report says nothing about rates of teenage oral sex, or same-sex sex. Also, it is entirely possible for pregnancy rates to decrease at the same time that “hooking up,” or casual sex encounters, are increasing. We know, for example, that there has been an increase in pre-teen “hooking up.”

Even more important, the Guttmacher Institute, and most other organizations that track sexual activity, never discuss the emotional effects of sexual experimentation among teenagers; among girls, in particular, the effects are serious. If we look at studies on teenage wellbeing—measures of their physical and mental health, coupled with their level of happiness—the results are not encouraging.

It is entirely logical that organizations bent on seeing technology as the great elixir to contemporary social problems would neglect to report on the wellbeing of teenagers. That is because wellbeing is tied to moral issues, and that is a subject that makes sexologists uncomfortable.

Bill Donohue offers three examples of media bias against Catholics that appear in news stories today. To read his Newsmax piece, click here.

Bill Donohue comments on the latest developments in the Catholic League’s boycott of Guinness:

Over 100 additional Irish pubs in Washington, D.C. have been contacted to join our boycott of Guinness.

We will continue to announce additional cities where the pub owners will be asked to join our boycott.

To sign our Boycott Guinness Petition click here.

Contact Alix Dunn at Diageo, parent company of Guinness: Alix.Dunn@diageo.com

Bill Donohue comments on how the pope’s trip to the Middle East ended:

Pope Francis spent three historic days in the Middle East trying to bring Christians, Jews, and Muslims together, and on the plane ride home he fielded 11 questions on nine issues. Two dealt with his trip: there was one question on Jewish-Muslim relations, and one on the status of Jerusalem. But there were three on sexual issues: priestly sexual abuse, celibacy, and divorced and remarried Catholics.

It’s actually worse than this. On the “Today Show” this morning, only two issues were discussed: sexual abuse and celibacy. In Nicole Winfield’s AP story last night, about half the article was on sexual abuse; in today’s version, this was the only issue covered. Almost all of CNN’s coverage was on sexual abuse. John Allen of the Boston Globe covered many topics, but most of his reporting was on sexual abuse. The Boston Herald showed no interest in anything but sexual abuse.

In England, the Guardian only discussed sexual abuse and celibacy. Almost all the coverage by the BBC was on sexual abuse. This subject dominated the coverage in the Daily Mail.

There is no mystery here. The big media lean left, and what interests them is pressuring the Catholic Church to change its teachings on sexuality. Their obsession with priestly sexual abuse, which as a problem is mostly a non-starter these days, is a function of their desire to discredit the Church’s moral authority.

It’s too bad the pope didn’t take the time to ask these reporters to explain their disinterest in his critically important trip. He might then ask them to explain their obsession with matters sexual. Unless they are called out on this issue, the media circus will never end.

Bill Donohue comments on the U.N. Committee Against Torture’s report on the Holy See that was released today:

For the most part, there is nothing in this report that merits criticism, though two matters must be addressed: there is a glaring inconsistency between the way the hearings were held and the concluding observations by this committee; and calls for the Holy See to encourage redress by religious orders for the “victims” of the Magdalene Laundries are unjust.

The report makes no mention of abortion, canon law, or any Church teaching on sexuality, yet these subjects were grist for attacks on Church officials during the hearings. Why, then, was committee member Felice Gaer allowed to conduct what amounted to, at times, a show trial? If none of her highly politicized remarks were even tangentially addressed by the report, it calls into question her continued service to this committee. She should be asked to step down immediately.

Pressuring the Holy See to force four Irish religious orders to provide “restitution, compensation, [and] rehabilitation” for the so-called victims of the Magdalene Laundries is wholly unjust. Has anyone on the committee even bothered to read the authoritative “McAleese Report on the Magdalene Laundries”? Had they done so they would know why I refer to the “so-called” victims. The Irish body that examined this issue, chaired by Senator Martin McAleese, did a full statistical analysis of all available data; it also interviewed 118 women who lived in the asylums, along with many physicians who cared for these women.

Here is what the McAleese Report found: Not one woman said she was tortured while working in the Laundries, and there is no evidence that a single nun ever sexually abused anyone. Conditions were harsh—they were harsh for many throughout Ireland at the time—but there is a profound difference between harsh conditions and torture.

The U.N. Committee on Torture issued a mostly balanced report today, but it needs to do more to empty its proceedings of politics. Its animus against the Holy See must end.

Bill Donohue comments on the latest developments in the Catholic League’s boycott of Guinness:

Nearly 120 Irish pubs in Pennsylvania’s two largest cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, are being contacted to join our boycott of Guinness.

We will continue to announce additional cities where pub owners will be asked to join our boycott in the coming weeks.

To sign our Boycott Guinness Petition click here.

Contact Alix Dunn at Diageo, parent company of Guinness: Alix.Dunn@diageo.com

Bill Donohue comments on a gala honoring a convicted sex offender:

In 1970, a 14-year-old girl and her 17-year-old sister went to his hotel room after his concert to get his autograph. He came to the door naked and then sexually abused the 14-year-old in front of her sister. He was sentenced to a one-to-three-year prison sentence, but only served three months. Tonight he will be honored in New York City by the Parents Association of his alma mater, LaGuardia Arts High School (the FAME school). Al Roker and Deborah Roberts will co-host the fundraiser, and many stage and screen stars will perform.

The child molester is Peter Yarrow, of the Peter, Paul, and Mary trio. Yarrow, who was convicted of “immoral and improper liberties” with a minor, brushes off criticism by saying what he did was not uncommon.

• “In that time, it was common practice, unfortunately—the whole groupie thing.”
• “It was an era of real indiscretion and mistakes by categorically male performers.”
• “In Washington, it was considered a felony. In New York, it would have been a class B misdemeanor.”

In 1981, he was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter, a man who has spent much of this year hawking his book on the mistreatment of women by the clergy. At the time of the pardon, Yarrow was married to the niece of Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy. Yarrow wants us to take note of his pardon: “With the mean-spiritedness of our time, it gets hauled out as if it’s [his sexual assault of the 14-year-old girl] relevant. You don’t get a presidential pardon if you’re not doing great work, have paid your debts to society.”

It just makes me want to reach for the vomit bag. Make that two vomit bags: one for him and one for those who will fawn all over him tonight.

Contact the co-presidents of the Parents Association, Stephanie Fields and Melinda Moore: sfieldslamail@aol.com and moostack@me.com

Bill Donohue comments on Bill Maher’s latest attack:

After being pounded with mail from angry Catholics, including many bishops, Bill Maher laid off portraying priests as molesters for several months. But last Friday, he went back to the sewer again. Here is what he said:

“This week Pope Francis said he would baptize aliens if they came to Earth. I love you, Frank, but that is some Mitt Romney-level crazy pope. I’m pretty sure any beings advanced enough to travel hundreds of light years aren’t that interested in getting sprinkled with magic water. Besides, given the past history of fondling and groping, the last thing the Church needs is a 50-foot-priest with six arms.”

Given all the sordid revelations coming out of Hollywood these days, why isn’t Maher turning to the entertainment industry for script material? That, of course, is his backyard, and he won’t do anything to offend his buddies. More important, his real interest is not lampooning sex offenders—it’s berating priests.

Contact Keith Cocozza, VP, Corporate Communications: keith.cocozza@timewarner.com

Bill Donohue is mailing a formal complaint today, with documentation, to the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations in Geneva regarding the conduct of Felice Gaer, Vice-Chairperson of the U.N. Committee Against Torture. Donohue charges her with violating specific strictures governing the impartiality of committee members. The basis of his complaint is Gaer’s recent exchange with officials from the Holy See, and her compromising relationship with an external activist organization, the Center for Reproductive Rights.

To read Donohue’s complaint, click here. Copies are being sent to the heads of every U.S. diocese, select Vatican officials, and others.

Bill Donohue comments on the latest developments in the Catholic League’s boycott of Guinness:

Over 250 more Irish pubs across New England are being contacted to join our boycott of Guinness. We are particularly singling out pubs in Boston and blanketing them with information about the boycott.

We will continue to announce additional cities where the pub owners will be asked to join our boycott in the coming weeks.

To sign our Boycott Guinness Petition click here.

Contact Alix Dunn at Diageo, parent company of Guinness: Alix.Dunn@diageo.com