Month: December 2025

(OSV News) – Catholic bishops are offering prayers following the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in the nation’s capital Nov. 26.

The midafternoon attack, believed to be perpetrated by a lone suspect now in custody, killed 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, who succumbed to her injuries in the hospital Nov. 27, and left 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe — in critical condition.

President Donald Trump announced Beckstrom’s passing Nov. 27 during his Thanksgiving evening video calls to U.S. troops, saying the young woman — whom he described as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person,” was “no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now.”

Immediately after the attack, West Virginia Gov. Patrick James Morrisey had announced both troops had been killed. He later clarified the two were initially in critical condition.

Authorities have named the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The Afghan national — a resident of Washington state and a father of five — had previously worked with the U.S. government in Afghanistan.

Lakanwal had been permitted to enter the U.S. in 2021 on the basis of that work, which ended after the “chaotic evacuation” that marked the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan that same year, CIA director John Ratcliffe told CBS News.

“We are praying for the healing of the injured National Guard members and will continue to monitor the situation,” Chieko Noguchi, spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told OSV News.

In a Nov. 27 post on X, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, also called for prayer for the wounded National Guard members, adding, “This latest act of political violence is deeply troubling and should call our minds and hearts to our need for God and his saving grace.

“Now is the time for fervent prayer for these National Guardsmen and for peace in our nation this Thanksgiving and always,” said Bishop Burbidge.

At a press conference a few hours after the shootings, FBI Director Kash Patel said the attack would be “treated at the federal level as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer.”

In August, President Donald Trump federalized more than 2,000 National Guard troops, deploying them to the nation’s capital to combat crime, despite protests from Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

A federal judge in Washington — responding to a suit brought by the District of Columbia against the Trump administration — temporarily blocked the deployment last week, saying in a Nov. 20 opinion the move had appeared illegal for a number of reasons, and staying her order until Dec. 11 “to permit orderly proceedings on appeal.”

Trump has authorized similar deployments in several cities, with troops assigned to provide security at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities — a policy that has drawn controversy.

Following today’s attack — which took place not far from the White House — Trump ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops deployed in Washington, said Pete Hegseth, secretary of war.

The two National Guard troops injured in Washington had been on “high visibility patrols” at the time of the shooting, said Jeffery Carroll, executive assistant chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, during today’s press conference.

Trump — currently in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Thanksgiving holliday — posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, the “animal that shot the two National Guardsmen … will pay a very steep price.”

He added, “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”

(OSV News) – In 2024, pregnancy centers saw more new clients, provided more medical care and distributed more material goods than ever before, according to a new report from the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Between free medical care, education services such as childbirth classes, and items such as diapers, baby clothes and car seats, pregnancy centers provided an estimated $452 million to families in need.

Centers also are increasingly upping the number of services they offer, including abortion pill reversals, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, childbirth classes and after-abortion support.

“As permissive abortion policies continue to deprioritize women’s health, CLI’s results demonstrate that pregnancy centers found in communities across the country stand ready to provide focused, quality, wide-ranging, life-affirming care,” said Moira Gaul, a Charlotte Lozier Institute associate scholar and the project manager of the report.

“The fact that there has been a net increase in the number of U.S. abortions leading up to and post-Dobbs, indicates a greater need for pregnancy support in America,” she said. “Our study shows an encouraging trend: More women and men are embracing the hope and help they find at pregnancy centers, allowing them to courageously choose life for their children.”

“Dobbs” is the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It overturned Roe v. Wade, the court’s 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, and returned abortion policy to the states.

The 2025 National Pregnancy Center Report, released Nov. 17, is the fourth national study Charlotte Lozier has released since 2017. To conduct the analysis, the institute partnered with pregnancy center organizations including Care Net, Heartbeat International, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and Focus on the Family Option Ultrasound Program.

The report found that the nation’s 2,775 pregnancy centers saw more than a million new clients last year. Those clients are increasingly tapping into material support — a 48% increase since 2022.

The results highlight the findings of a separate Charlotte Lozier Institute peer-reviewed study that found that 60% of women with a history of abortion would have preferred to give birth had they received either more emotional support or had more financial security.

Gaul believes even more clinics and services are needed.

“The professional and practical care that the pregnancy centers are offering are helping to fill a health care gap with their medical services, the vast majority of which are free or very low-cost, and they’re obviously addressing emotional support with their whole-person care,” she told OSV News. “We know that communities benefit from pregnancy centers. The maternal and child health benefits of centers are tremendous.”

The report also noted that the number of maternity homes has increased from 458 in 2023 to a total of 498 the following year. More clinics are utilizing an educational video streaming service called BrightCourse and a texting platform called HopeSync that helps pregnancy centers connect more effectively with clients.

Organizations such as Focus on the Family and the Knights of Columbus help provide millions in needed funds and new ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers nationwide. While a few states are increasing or maintaining some level of funding for pregnancy centers, others are hostile to pro-life efforts.

Since the original national study was published eight years ago, there has been growth in many areas. New clients have steadily increased from 883,700 in 2017 to now over 1 million. The number of pregnancy center locations included in each study has increased from 2,600 in 2017 to 2,775 in 2024. The number of ultrasound exams performed went from 400,100 in 2017 to 636,000 in 2024, a 60% increase.

More clients are utilizing STI testing services, too, with nearly a quarter million tests performed in 2024 representing a $12 million value, the study noted.

“As the landscape of abortion in America following the Dobbs decision has rapidly changed, pregnancy centers continue to offer steadfast, professional care to women and families,” Karen Czarnecki, Charlotte Lozier Institute’s executive director, said in a press release on the new report.

“Rising client visits and overall satisfaction are undeniable proof these centers are improving lives,” Czarnecki said. “It’s imperative that pregnancy centers continue to increase the availability of services — walking alongside women, men and families to provide love, education and support so they can courageously choose life.”