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Cheryl Wetzstein

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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.

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Charitable giving reached record high in 2015: report

Americans are a passionately charitable people, donating a record $373 billion in 2015, with most of that coming from individual donors, according to a new report.

October 10, 2016

Donald Trump is headlining the 2016 Values Voter Summit in the nation's capital on Friday evening — the first day of the three-day annual conference hosted by the Family Research Council. His running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, will address the gathering of faith-based voters the following evening. (Associated Press)

Donald Trump, Mike Pence to address 11th Annual Values Voter Summit

All eyes will be on Donald Trump this weekend as he attempts to shore up support among social conservatives heading into the final stretch of the presidential race.

September 8, 2016

Confirmed speakers for the 2016 Values Voters Summit.

‘Virtues’ author Bill Bennett to be honored at Values Voter Summit

Dr. William J. Bennett, the prolific author with a lengthy resume of public service and conservative thought-leadership, is set to be honored at the upcoming Values Voter Summit.

August 31, 2016

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., speaks during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Monday, July 18, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ** FILE **

Donald Trump to address 11th Annual Values Voter Summit

Donald Trump will be the first Republican presidential nominee to personally address thousands of conservative grassroots activists when he takes the stage at the 2016 Values Voter Summit in September.

August 31, 2016

A pro-life demonstrator holds a sign and a flower while cheering during a rally, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) ** FILE **

March for Life: Thousands brave impending blizzard to stand for ‘life’

Braving cold temperatures and a blizzard barreling toward the nation's capital, tens of thousands of pro-life activists gathered for the 43rd March for Life Friday.

January 22, 2016

Naghmeh Abedini holds a necklace with a photograph of her husband, Saeed Abedini, on Capitol Hill on June 2, 2015 during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing with four people whose family members were being held in Iran. (Associated Press)

Saeed Abedini, released Iran hostage, relied on Christian faith during lengthy ordeal

After her husband had been held for more than three years in Iran and beaten for refusing to recant his Christian faith, Naghmeh Abedini was finally able to tell her children that their father was headed home over the weekend.

January 17, 2016

In this June 2, 2015 file photo, Naghmeh Abedini holds a necklace with a photograph of her husband, Saeed Abedini, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Iran state television has reported that the government has released several dual-national prisoners. The Associated Press has confirmed that three of them were Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Saeed Abedini release hailed; Iranian-American Christian pastor had been tortured

News of Saturday's release of Iranian-American Christian pastor Saeed Abedini was hailed, especially at an event in honor of religious liberty.

January 16, 2016

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are depicted at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. (AP Photo/File)

U.S. religious freedom to be honored

As a colonial-era Virginia law upholding religious freedom reaches its 230th anniversary this weekend, traditional values groups are urging Americans to stand up for their rights to live out their beliefs in peace.

January 14, 2016

A baby is fed by her mother at the teen pregnancy program offered at the Upper Cordoza Clinic in Washington in 2003. (The Washington Times/File)

Miscarriage study: No need to wait long to try again

The idea that a couple should wait as long as six months before trying to conceive after a miscarriage may be outdated, a new study says.

January 12, 2016

FRCAction and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, speaks during the Values Voter Summit, held by the Family Research Council Action, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ** FILE **

Racial reconciliation, religious liberty top issues for 2016: ‘State of the Family’ address

Racial reconciliation and religious liberty are the top issues for 2016, the leader of a prominent traditional-values group said in his second annual "State of the Family" presentation Monday night.

January 11, 2016

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore reads his administrative order discouraging probate judges from issuing same sex marriage licenses, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, at the Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery, Ala. The outspoken chief justice, who previously tried to block gay marriage from coming to the Deep South state, issued an administrative order Wednesday saying the Alabama Supreme Court never lifted a March 2015 directive to probate judges to refuse licenses to gay couples. (Albert Cesare/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Alabama judges ignore gay marriage order; others obey

Alabama's probate courts remained in conflict Thursday, as some judges ignored an order to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while other probate judges stopped issuing licenses to anyone.

January 7, 2016

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore (Associated Press/File)

Roy Moore, Alabama chief justice, orders judges to honor state law, not gay marriage

Alabama probate judges were advised Wednesday that they must uphold state marriage law that recognizes only unions of a man and a woman, sparking outrage from gay rights advocates and applause from traditional values groups.

January 6, 2016

Attorney David Dinielli delivers the opening statements for the plaintiff in a fraud trial against Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, (JONAH) Wednesday, June 3, 2015, in Jersey City, N.J. The nonprofit New Jersey based group that promised to turn gays heterosexual instead offered "junk science" and lies, Dinielli told jurors Wednesday during opening statements in the fraud trial involving so-called gay conversion therapy. (Alex Remnick/The Star-Ledger via AP, Pool)

‘Gay conversion’ group in New Jersey closing in January

A New Jersey nonprofit group that sought to help people struggling with their same-sex attractions is ceasing operations this month after losing a civil lawsuit, a media report says.

January 5, 2016

In this Nov. 4, 2015, photo, Amita Parmar, 30, displays a photograph of a South African child she was a surrogate for, in Anand, India. The Indian government recently banned surrogate services for foreigners and ordered fertility clinics to stop the practice of hiring Indian women to bear children for them. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce) ** FILE **

California surrogate mother suing over abortion request

A California woman reportedly has filed a lawsuit to have the state's surrogacy law declared unconstitutional because it permits her to be asked to terminate one of the triplets she is carrying.

January 5, 2016

Anti-abortion activists demonstrate near a Planned Parenthood clinic Tuesday, July 28, 2015, in Philadelphia. The protesters are calling for an end to government funding for the nonprofit reproductive services organization. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) ** FILE **

57 provisions to limit abortion added by states in 2015

State legislatures continued to boost their regulation of abortion procedures and clinics by adding 57 new provisions in 2015, a research group said Monday.

January 4, 2016

Kevin Stormans, one of the owners of Ralph's Thriftway, in Olympia, Wash., talks to reporters, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, in Tacoma, Wash., after a federal judge ruled that Washington state may not force pharmacies to sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives. Ralph's and two licensed Washington pharmacists sued in 2007, saying that dispensing Plan B would infringe on their religious beliefs because it can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren/File)

Christian pharmacists appeal ‘conscience’ case to Supreme Court

Christian pharmacists in Washington state asked the Supreme Court Monday to review a ruling that seeks to force them to dispense Plan B or other emergency contraceptives.

January 4, 2016

Planned Parenthood in Claremont, N.H., closes its doors on Oct. 21, 2015, as employees and professional cleaners responded to damage left by a vandal. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Arkansas abortion clinic law blocked in Planned Parenthood case

A federal judge rang in the new year by blocking an Arkansas abortion law from going into effect Friday.

December 31, 2015

Commonly referred to as the Peace Cross, this is a picture of the historic Bladensburg, Maryland, World War I Veterans Memorial. (Photo/Liberty Institute website)

Americans strongly support preserving religious freedom: survey

Americans strongly support preservation of religious freedoms, although fewer believe their rights will be protected by the government, a survey says.

December 30, 2015

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland clinics perform only medication abortions in Arkansas. (Associated Press/File)

Planned Parenthood asks for stay of Arkansas abortion clinic medication law

An Arkansas law regulating the use of abortion pills and scheduled to go into effect Friday will receive a federal court hearing this week, as abortion clinic owners seek to block the law.

December 29, 2015

A man holds a U.S. and a rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 16, 2015, after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Gay marriage foes reject Supreme Court ruling, dig in for extended culture war

Religious liberty continues to collide with gay rights six months after the Supreme Court's landmark gay marriage ruling, seeing scattered -- but feisty -- rebellions around the country, with battles on new fronts expected in 2016.

December 21, 2015