'The anti-abortion movement's religious worship of the union of egg and sperm'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day

'Would you expect a firefighter to run into a burning building to save a frozen embryo?'
Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times
The Alabama Supreme Court just "ruled that frozen human embryos are people too" in the most ridiculous example yet of the anti-abortion right's "religious worship of the union of egg and sperm," says Robin Abcarian. A frozen embryo is "a tiny blob of undifferentiated cells," not an "extrauterine" child. Alabama has already criminalized abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now fertility centers face legal peril, too, as the state "slides toward theocracy."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Trump's GOP is a confederacy of fakers'
Thomas L. Friedman in The New York Times
Former President Donald Trump's Republican Party will stoop to "any form of crow eating, bootlicking, backtracking and backstabbing to stay in his good graces," however "un-American his demand," says Thomas L. Friedman. "Trump decides to just dump Ukraine? Bye-bye, Zelensky." Trump dislikes a bipartisan "grand bargain on immigration reform? Gone." The GOP is stuck in a "doom loop" of "performing for Trump" to get clicks, donations, and votes. "It is all fake." The trouble is, our enemies are real.
'Biden rewrites "An American Tragedy"'
Arthur Herman in The Wall Street Journal
President Joe Biden "is poised to become the most discredited American president since Richard Nixon," says Arthur Herman. And his "diminished mental and physical capacity" is only part of it. "Instead of uniting Americans as he promised in 2020, he has made us weaker and more divided." He "handed out concessions" to enemies, abandoning Afghanistan to the Taliban and letting China buy Russian oil despite sanctions over Moscow's Ukraine invasion. "We had a right to expect more."
'The House should find a way to vote on supporting our allies'
National Review editorial board
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) "doesn't dare" bring up the $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, says the National Review editorial board. Passing it without funding to secure the U.S.-Mexico border "would cause a revolt among the GOP's fiercest opponents of Ukraine aid." But Johnson has to get it done. Failure, "as Russia gains the upper hand in Ukraine" and Israel defends itself "against its terrorist enemies," would fuel the image of Republican "dysfunction."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Who is actually running DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House said in a court filing that Elon Musk isn't the official head of Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency task force, raising questions about just who is overseeing DOGE's federal blitzkrieg
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How does the Kennedy Center work?
The Explainer The D.C. institution has become a cultural touchstone. Why did Trump take over?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What are reciprocal tariffs?
The Explainer And will they fix America's trade deficit?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Who is actually running DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House said in a court filing that Elon Musk isn't the official head of Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency task force, raising questions about just who is overseeing DOGE's federal blitzkrieg
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How Trump is changing the US-Russia relationship
Talking Points And how will Europe, Ukraine respond?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Whether we like it or not, social media is the public square of the 21st century'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?
Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The end of empathy
Opinion Elon Musk is gutting the government — and our capacity for kindness
By Theunis Bates Published
-
What is Donald Trump's net worth?
In Depth Separating fact from fiction regarding the president's finances is harder than it seems
By David Faris Published