When authorities removed 413 children in danger of sexual abuse from the Yearning for Zion ranch this month, it became clear that here in the US, child marriage is a result of brainwashing and indoctrination.

How can we trigger passion for social justice in young people? Nothing touches people like personal connection. That's why last year Americans for UNFPA started the Student Award for the Health and Dignity of Women.

We don't view teen pregnancy as a travesty when the teen is not American. And why not? Consider this fact: Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 worldwide.

At the dawn of a new year, women around the world still rely on crucial funds from UNFPA for health care and family planning. But our current administration continues to withhold the money.

No matter what the framers intended, we now follow a system of government that is heavily weighed toward the executive branch. So more than ever we need a President who understands the importance of global women's health.

Where would the world be without the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? What body would have the moral authority to set the standard for nations everywhere? The answer: The United Nations.

Societies are living, evolving entities just like the people who comprise them. And when one or a few decide to change things - if they are very passionate, persistent and, one might argue, extraordinary - societies do change.

Motherhood is not fundamental to women. But even childless women have a stake in childbirth being safe because it's such a strong indicator of the value a society places on women.

A new book on "50 Facts that Should Change the World" misses the fifty facts that could improve the lives of women.

Bill Hybels, conservative Christian and founder of a Chicago-area megachurch, recently indicated interest in "the plight of women in the developing world."