My article responding to the Virginia Tech tragedy is found at “On Faith,” sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine.

Should stillborn babies be assigned birth certificates? That question is throwing some legislatures right in the middle of the conflict over abortion — and that is a tragic commentary on our times.

A spate of murdered babies has shocked Germany in recent weeks. The Times [London] reports that at least 23 babies have been killed this year, “many of them beaten to death or strangled by their mothers before being dumped on wasteland and in dustbins.” German officials believe the total number of babies killed this year to be even higher than what has been reported.

Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon warned years ago that a contagion of “rights talk” was ruining our ability to conduct a serious moral discussion. When every major issue is reduced to “rights,” the moral considerations go into a melt-down. When rights inevitably conflict and collide, there is no way to resolve the problem.

The star attraction of the Germany’s Berlin Zoo is “Knut,” a three-month-old polar bear cub. Knut is popular because he is undeniably cute, but he is also the focus of controversy as well. It seems that some animal rights activists want to have him killed.

David Cameron is the leader of the Conservative Party in Britain, a post to which he was elected after just four years in Parliament. His goal is to lead his party to victory in Britain’s next national election, and then to serve as Prime Minister. Michael Portillo is also a well-known leader in the Conservative Party, and a man of considerable controversy. He has added to that controversy in recent days by attacking Mr. Cameron.

The New York Times asks a question that would have been unimaginable until recent times: “If people want to choose their baby’s sex before pregnancy, should doctors help?”

Worldviews work at multiple levels in each individual. Every person operates out of a basic set of convictions about reality, truth, meaning, and how the world works. Disagreements between individuals and groups on controversial issues can almost always be traced back to a fundamental difference in worldview, recognized or not.