This piece was originally published at TheIowaRepublican.com.  Republished by permission.  – Ed.

After an election like Tuesday’s, conservatives might need a little distraction, or perhaps even inspiration.  I managed to get a bit of both yesterday when I had lunch with the staff at InnerVisions HealthCare in West Des Moines.

One of the things that this election taught me is that change in this country needs to come not from political battles, but by truly changing the hearts and minds of people on the issues we care about.

So, yesterday, I got to hear about how a free healthcare clinic in our community provides pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to women in need who are facing unplanned pregnancy.  They provide free STD testing to men …

As this election draws to a close, and although many have already gone to the polls, I’d like to ponder some of the issues that matter in this election. Some matter more to the general population than others, and we will cover as many as we can between now and November 6. The intent is not so much to compel you to vote for a particular candidate, but to provide some food for thought about the issues and why they are important.  -Ed.

Of all of the issues that fall before us this year, “Life” has the most significance to me.  All of the other issues pale in comparison, and my innermost desire is to do everything I can to ensure that everyone is able …

Abortion.  This word is at the same time one of the most cherished and abhorred words in American culture today.  I fall on the side of those who are offended by the word and everything it represents.  Whether politically, social-scientifically or personally, I see this one word and its use as speaking volumes about the one who uses it.  When I hear or speak this word, without exception, I wince.

My heart breaks every time I think of each life that is shattered indiscriminately as it is snuffed out by a doctor who violates his Hippocratic Oath by harming an innocent life, and a mother who is convinced that she has no way to handle the challenges of pregnancy.  The worst of it is a …