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Cheryl Wetzstein

Cheryl Wetzstein

cwetzstein@washingtontimes.com

Cheryl Wetzstein, a Washington Times staff member since 1985, is manager of special sections in The Washington Times' Advertising and Marketing Department.
Previously, she spent 30 years as a Washington Times news reporter, covering national domestic policy, in addition to being a features writer, environmental and consumer affairs reporter, and assistant business editor.
Beginning in 1994, Mrs. Wetzstein worked exclusively on welfare and family issues such as child support enforcement, abstinence and sex education, child welfare, sexually transmitted diseases, marriage, divorce, cohabiting and gay marriage.
She has won several newspaper awards, including 1977 Cub Reporter of the Year and 1983 Heart of New York award, both from the New York Press Club.

Articles by Cheryl Wetzstein

U.S. church still facing questions as Benedict departs

America's 77 million Catholics generally gave Pope Benedict XVI high marks, but his surprise decision to step down after just eight years comes as the U.S. church confronts a string of unanswered questions, on issues ranging from divisions with the Obama administration on birth control and gay marriage to political activism by U.S. nuns and the continuing fallout from the sexual-abuse scandals in dioceses across the country.

February 11, 2013

A Saudi-inspired all-faiths hub

The underappreciated power of prayer is a prime motivating force behind a new Saudi-inspired interfaith center in Austria that seeks to become the place for world religious leaders to meet, solve problems and melt the "mountain of fears" that exists between religious people, says the Saudi official who is championing the ambitious project.

February 11, 2013
** FILE ** Stephen Cyr (left), 13, and his brother Paul, 15, attend a "Save Our Scouts" prayer vigil and rally in front of the Boy Scouts of America national headquarters in Texas on Feb. 6, 2013. (Associated Press)

No delays from gays on Boy Scouts decision

Traditional-values groups thanked the Boy Scouts of America on Wednesday for delaying a decision on whether to change their membership policy on gays, saying it will permit more voices to be heard on the white-hot social issue.

February 6, 2013
The Boy Scouts of America is considering replacing its long-standing ban on gays with a policy that would let troop sponsors make their own decisions. Traditional-values groups are urging the BSA's leadership not to make the change. The issue will be discussed by the BSA's executive board next week. (Department of Defense via Associated Press)

Boy Scouts leader pleads for patience

Boy Scout executives should delay making any decision about changing the national membership policy on gays until the organization's councils have had a chance to speak on the issue, a Boy Scouts of America council leader said Tuesday.

February 5, 2013
Thomas Rabe, right, places a wedding ring on Robert Coffman's finger during a marriage ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ** FILE **

Activists urge gay-marriage truce to save institution

Some 74 family and marriage specialists appealed Tuesday for an end to the fighting over gay marriage, saying both gay and straight marriage-supporters are needed to address the breakdown in America's marriage culture.

January 29, 2013
**FILE** Boy Scouts are honored with a statue in front of the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas. (Associated Press)

Boy Scouts may allow local troops to set policy on gays

Gay-rights groups were elated Monday after the Boy Scouts of America announced that it was considering dropping its long-standing national policy of disallowing open homosexuals from participating in its activities, but traditional-family groups were quick to condemn the shift.

January 28, 2013
Eric Wolfert (from left); Aileen, who did not give her last name; Norma Gattsek of Alexandria; and Linda Berg of Bethesda attend a National Organization for Women candlelight vigil to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, in Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Roe foes add up 55 million legalized abortions

With a slogan created especially for the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists are expected to swarm the Mall on Friday for the annual March for Life.

January 23, 2013
** FILE ** Pro-life activists rally outside the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan., on Tuesday. (Associated Press)

Two sides of Roe: Activists weigh in on ruling’s past, present, future

Marking the 40th anniversary this week of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, The Washington Times asked leading advocates on both sides of the issue to discuss the ruling, the present state of the abortion debate and where American attitudes on abortion are heading in the coming years.

January 22, 2013
In what has become an annual scene in front of the Supreme Court on the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, pro-choice advocates clash with pro-life demonstrators participating in the March for Life. (The Washington Times)

Abortion battle rages 40 years after Roe decision

Forty years ago, a poor, anonymous, pregnant woman called "Jane Roe" stepped forward to attack a Texas state law banning abortion. She and her attorneys succeeded beyond their wildest imaginations.

January 21, 2013
** FILE ** In this April 22, 2012, file photo, Holly Ann Haley, 4, gets vaccinations at the doctor's office in Berlin, Vt., although the state continues to be embroiled in a debate about continuing to allowing parents to have their children skip the immunizations required for most to attend school. (Associated Press)

Treaty on mercury would not affect vaccines with thimerosal

A global treaty to reduce toxic mercury in the environment has been completed and will be presented to countries for their ratification as part of a worldwide bid to control and reduce ways in which mercury is used, released or emitted.

January 19, 2013