Sex offenders can’t adopt. But they can buy a baby?



Last week, a gay couple — Logan Riley and Brandon Mitchell — went viral for posting photos of the baby boy they acquired through surrogacy. What began as a celebration quickly unraveled after it emerged that one of the men is a convicted sex offender.

Social media users raised obvious concerns. Was this arrangement in the best interest of the child? What risks come with separating a baby from his mother and placing him with unrelated adult males, one of whom has a record of sex crimes? Critics asked these questions and were met, as usual, with accusations of bigotry from gay activists. But once the facts surfaced, the activists who rushed to defend the couple fell silent.

Children are not accessories. Women are not rental space. And no one should be allowed to buy a baby — least of all someone who wouldn’t be permitted to adopt one.

The pattern is familiar. Critics of surrogacy are smeared until reality breaks through the narrative. By then, the damage is done — and the child is the one who suffers.

From fallback to moral imperative

The original case for gay adoption was flimsy. It presented same-sex couples as a last resort, a solution for children who would otherwise languish in the foster system. Even its advocates admitted that two men raising a child could not replicate the contributions of a mother and father. The goal was to offer love and stability in the absence of better alternatives.

That framing has since disappeared. As the LGBTQ movement moved from acceptance to dominance, the rhetoric shifted. Gay adoption was no longer a concession. It was equal to heterosexual couples adopting, then it was superior. Religious adoption agencies that prioritized married mothers and fathers were accused of discrimination and extremism. State governments and national organizations began steering children toward same-sex households, now presented as the cultural ideal.

Once equality became unquestionable dogma, the conversation shifted again. Adoption was no longer enough. Activists turned to surrogacy — not to rescue unwanted children, but to commission biologically related ones. The moral justification evaporated. This wasn’t about saving lives so much as satisfying adult desires.

Adoption and surrogacy are not the same

Surrogacy is sometimes described as a form of adoption. That’s misleading. Adoption involves accepting responsibility for a life that already exists, often in difficult circumstances. Surrogacy deliberately creates a child to be separated from his mother and sold to strangers.

The physical and emotional toll on the mother is severe. Surrogates are often poor, vulnerable, and pressured into contracts they don’t fully understand. Children are ordered like designer fashion accessories. There are cases of forced abortions, abandoned babies, and severe trauma — all downstream from the commodification of life.

This is not a rare byproduct. It is built into the practice.

The risk to children is real

Children raised by unrelated adults face increased risks of abuse. One study found that preschool-aged children are 40 times more likely to be abused in a household with a stepparent than in one with both biological parents. The data is not absolute, but the trend is clear: Adults, especially men, are far more likely to abuse children to whom they are not biologically related.

This should alarm anyone watching the rise of surrogacy arrangements, particularly those involving male couples. These are homes where the child has no biological connection to either adult. And in some cases, as with Riley and Mitchell, one of the men has a criminal record that would disqualify him from adopting under state law.

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In Pennsylvania, sex offenders are barred from adopting. But surrogacy remains unrestricted. The child in this case remains in the custody of a man the law has deemed unfit to parent.

This is not some oversight. It is a structural and legal failure.

The moral inversion is complete

We are told that the buying and selling of human beings was one of history’s greatest evils. Our education system and popular culture treat slavery as the ultimate moral horror. Yet, in the name of equality and inclusion, we now celebrate the legal sale of children — so long as it occurs under the banner of LGBTQ rights.

And so we have elevated identity above accountability. In any other context, a convicted sex offender taking custody of a newborn would be a national scandal. But when the arrangement involves a same-sex couple, basic standards are suspended. The child becomes secondary to the cultural narrative.

Enough of this

Surrogacy did not enter the mainstream through a national debate or democratic vote. It arrived through the back door, marketed as compassionate and modern. Most people didn’t understand the process. They didn’t consider the ethical costs. That time has passed. Ignorance no longer justifies our complacence.

We now see surrogacy for what it is: a commercial industry that exploits vulnerable women and treats children as consumer goods. The law must catch up with the reality.

This is not just a problem for gay couples. Surrogacy as a practice should be banned for everyone. No adult has a right to manufacture a child for personal fulfillment. No amount of wealth, influence, or legal maneuvering justifies the creation of human life as a transaction.

Children are not accessories. Women are not rental space. And no one should be allowed to buy a baby — least of all someone who wouldn’t be permitted to adopt one.

DOJ reaches out to one major Epstein witness everyone's been afraid to talk to



The Trump administration faced significant backlash over the Justice Department's July 6 conclusion that Jeffrey Epstein did not have a client list — a list that Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed in a Feb. 21 interview to have sitting on her desk.

While President Donald Trump has indicated he does not personally share the public's continued fascination with the Epstein case, he told reporters on July 15 that he would instruct his administration to release any "credible information."

'The FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.'

The DOJ, acting on Trump's instruction, is working to check off some items that appeared on Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk's list of "10 immediate credible action items" Bondi could take that might satisfy Americans' hunger for answers, namely pressing Epstein's former lover and co-conspirator for answers.

Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls as young as 14 with Epstein, going all the way back to the early 1990s.

According to evidence presented at her trial and allegations in court documents, Maxwell "assisted, facilitated, and participated in Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18."

In addition to grooming minors for abuse, Maxwell — whose father the Telegraph indicated was a newspaper baron who had "known links with MI6, the KGB, and the Israeli intelligence service Mossad" — apparently did her best to normalize the abuse, allegedly discussing sexual topics with the victims, undressing in front of them, hanging around when the victims were being stripped, and encouraging the victims to massage Epstein.

RELATED: Charlie Kirk outlines '10 immediate credible action items' Pam Bondi can take on Epstein case

Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Besides Epstein, it is unlikely there is anybody more familiar with the monstrous operation than Maxwell.

A source close to Maxwell recently told the Daily Mail that the convicted groomer "would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story."

"No one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows," said the unnamed source. "She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein, and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth."

'No lead is off-limits.'

Charlie Kirk recommended that all of Maxwell's grand jury testimony should be unsealed and that the administration should "green-light Maxwell to speak freely and learn what she knows."

"President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in statement on Tuesday. "If Ghislane [sic] Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say."

Blanche indicated that he reached out to Maxwell's counsel at Bondi's direction "to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department."

RELATED: Why the Epstein story cannot be buried

Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

"I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days," continued Blanche. "Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now."

"No one is above the law," Blanche added in a separate message, "and no lead is off-limits."

While the convicted sex offender might volunteer some satisfactory insights, it's clear that the DOJ is not budging in the meantime on its conclusion regarding the existence of the Epstein list.

Blanche noted that the DOJ and FBI's controversial conclusion "remains as accurate today as it was when it was written. Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties."

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Ex-teacher accused of grooming, sexually abusing teen boy; mother rips suspect as 'sick, twisted, calculating sex offender'



A former elementary school teacher in South Carolina is accused of engaging in a "prolonged and inappropriate relationship" with a teenage boy, according to police.

Multiple jurisdictions have been investigating the allegations.

'Looking back, it sickens me knowing Nikki manipulated our son and our family.'

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office charged Nicole Ballew Callaham, 33, with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Greenville Police Department hit Callaham with eight counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, as the alleged victim attended school there. In addition, the Clemson City Police Department has been conducting a parallel investigation.

The Anderson School District Five stated that Callaham had been a kindergarten teacher for the Homeland Park Primary School from 2017 until her May 21 resignation.

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that an investigation into Callaham was launched in May 2025 after police discovered evidence of misconduct against a teenage boy.

The Greenville Police Department added in a press release, "The investigation revealed that Callaham engaged in an inappropriate and unlawful relationship with a 14-year-old male."

Police said the alleged misconduct began in 2021 when the boy was 14 and continued for at least two years.

Investigators said Callaham "engaged in grooming behavior toward the boy during his early teenage years."

"The relationship intensified as she reportedly signed the student out of school, transported him to practices, and served as a supervisor for after-school activities," the Anderson County Sheriff's Office stated.

Detectives said Callaham engaged in a "prolonged pattern of abuse, which was corroborated by search warrants and ongoing cooperation with the victim's family."

Citing arrest warrants, WHNS-TV reported that Callaham provided the alleged victim with marijuana, nicotine, and alcohol. The arrest warrants also accused Callaham of engaging in sexual intercourse with the teen boy at a Greenville hotel and a downtown Greenville parking garage.

Callaham "voluntarily surrendered herself" Thursday morning to the Anderson County Detention Center, the sheriff's office said. The next day, Callaham was booked at the Greenville County Detention Center.

During Callaham's bond hearing in Anderson County last week, a detective read a letter in court from the mother of the alleged victim, according to WYFF-TV. The mother claimed that her family first met Callaham while she was serving as the director of musical theater productions for a play in which her son performed.

RELATED: Florida teacher accused of 'disturbing' sexual misconduct against student — including in classroom just hours before arrest

"Our son, who was an innocent, naive 14-year-old boy, had worked hard for years in hopes of earning a lead role. Our son was finally given an opportunity by Nikki, and we were beyond thrilled for him," the mother wrote.

The mother said she and her husband "trusted her completely with our son, as she seemed to be a wonderful mentor to our son and other young actors and actresses by investing in them."

"Looking back, it sickens me knowing Nikki manipulated our son and our family," the mother stressed. "She was waiting on this opportunity, and she found the perfect victim and family to prey on."

The letter stated, "She saw our son's innocence and that he was very easily manipulated. ... She saw a family who had a lot of love and kindness to share with those who needed it."

The mother accused Callaham of having a "plan to groom our son" and added that Callaham referred to her as her "best friend."

"However, Nikki was abusing our trust and abusing our young teenage son right under our noses," she wrote.

The mother claimed that Callaham "led a double life" and put up a "facade" to "blind us from her evil, sick intentions."

The mother added that Callaham is a "sick, twisted, calculating sex offender."

The mother also said she witnessed behaviors around her son that were "questionable and inappropriate," and her family instructed her to cease all contact with the teen.

The mother alleged that Callaham continued to contact her son through social media and purchased an Xbox video game system in order to interact with him.

WHSV-TV reported that the alleged victim — identified as Grant Strickland — spoke out following Callaham's bond hearing.

RELATED: Married ex-teacher hit with 52 additional child sex charges related to multiple alleged trysts with 15-year-old male student

The station said he decided to come forward as an 18-year-old after time spent processing the trauma he said he experienced.

Strickland told WSPA-TV that confronting Callaham was like a "weight lifted off his shoulders." He noted that he was a "child" when the alleged misconduct occurred.

"All I really want the public to know is that that was a traumatic event. I'm here to fight, and I'm not going to back down," Strickland said following the hearing, according to WRDW-TV. "I think more awareness needs to be brought to things like this. And just because I'm a man doesn't mean that it should be shunned away. Because I was a child."

Strickland added, "I would love to bring more awareness to show that this happens, and it happens a lot, and it's not just to women. It's to men too, and it happens to young children, and it's gotta stop."

Strickland continued, "I would never want somebody to go through what I went through, because I don't really think that most people would be strong enough to survive it. Because I almost didn't."

WSAV-TV reported that at Callaham's bond hearing in Greenville on Monday, she was seen smiling at people in the courtroom, including her family and fiancé.

RELATED: Florida middle school teacher sent nude photo, engaged in 'lewd conduct' with 14-year-old student: Police

Callaham's lawyer asked for leniency since his client is pregnant and needs prenatal care.

"Miss Callaham is eight to nine weeks pregnant," attorney William Epps III said.

Her bond was set at $120,000 in Greenville County, and her bond was set at $40,000 in Anderson County.

WRDW reported that as part of her bond requirements, Callaham will be placed under house arrest until she secures employment. A judge also ordered Callaham to not have contact with the alleged victim; in addition, she must undergo a psychological evaluation and will be required to wear a GPS monitor.

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office stated that the Anderson School District Five is aware of the investigation and charges made against Callaham.

Blaze News reached out to the Anderson School District Five for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

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Florida sex offender doesn't get job interview at door store, so he reportedly lashes out by flinging bottles of urine



A Florida man who is a registered sex offender flung bottles of urine into a local door store after he was denied a job interview, according to court documents.

John Connaughton, 51, was arrested Friday and charged with felony battery, criminal mischief, and two counts of aggravated assault, according to court records.

He caused more than $1,000 in damage 'to various building materials' by 'splattering [them] with urine,' according to the affidavit.

Connaughton allegedly asked for a job interview at the Doors, Molding and More store in St. Petersburg. However, store employees reportedly denied Connaughton an interview, after which he allegedly embarked upon a strange attack.

An arrest affidavit People magazine obtained says Connaughton "threw urine in multiple bottles into the front door" of the local business.

Urine splattered on the bare legs of an employee, WFLA-TV reported, citing the arrest affidavit.

He caused more than $1,000 in damage "to various building materials" by "splattering [them] with urine," according to the affidavit.

Connaughton reportedly fled the Doors, Molding and More store, but two men chased after him. Once one of the men confronted him, Connaughton raised his skateboard over his head as if he were going to hit the man with it, according to the affidavit.

Shortly after the confrontation, officers with the St. Petersburg Police Department arrested Connaughton and booked him into the Pinellas County Jail.

Connaughton is reportedly being held on a $22,500 bond — $10,000 for each count of aggravated assault, $2,000 for felony battery, and $500 for criminal mischief.

A public defender purportedly is representing Connaughton, who reportedly has not yet entered a plea to any of the charges.

No hearing has been scheduled as yet, either.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement sexual predator database, Connaughton is a registered sex offender.

Records show Connaughton was arrested in October 2004 for lewd or lascivious exhibition of a victim under the age of 16 years old.

Records also show Connaughton was arrested twice for failure to comply with the registration of a sex offender, in May 2016 and May 2019.

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Democrats Have A Manhood Problem, In More Ways Than One

Almost no one believes the absurd tenets of transgender ideology. They pretend to believe because everyone around them is also pretending to believe.

Teacher who left claw marks on underage student's back after sex romp gets sweetheart plea deal



A former Missouri math teacher who pleaded guilty to having sex with a student could potentially serve a very short prison sentence thanks to a sweetheart plea deal.

As Blaze News reported in January, 26-year-old Hailey Clifton-Carmack was arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.

'They are going to do it behind my back, so I may as well let it happen.'

Clifton-Carmack — a former teacher at Laquey High School — allegedly had sex with a minor on multiple occasions and in different locations, including at the school.

WITI-TV reported that a witness told detectives with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office that the teacher and victim had "used students as lookouts while they had sex during school."

The victim allegedly sent photos of scratches on his back to a classmate. The student said the scratches were from Clifton-Carmack after they had sex in the classmate's driveway, according to the police report.

Blaze News reported last month that the victim's father — Mark Creighton — allegedly knew of the suspect's purported relationship with his son.

An anonymous witness reportedly told the father that she was going to report the child sex abuse, and the father allegedly responded: “They are going to do it behind my back, so I may as well let it happen.”

The father allegedly admitted to Pulaski County Detective Sgt. Bryan Gibbs that Clifton-Carmack had been to his house.

Prosecutors said Creighton “knew of the relationship of his minor child and the 26-year-old teacher, and instead of reporting the information, he continued to cover for them and allowed the relationship to continue” and “even allowed Hailey to come over to his residence and see the victim while he was present.”

The teen’s father was charged with child endangerment in January.

Clifton-Carmack allegedly denied the child sex crime accusations when questioned by detectives in December 2023. Clifton-Carmack fled to Texas, where she was arrested in January and was extradited back to Missouri.

Clifton-Carmack initially was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree statutory rape, having sexual contact with a student, fourth-degree child molestation, and seven counts of misdemeanor furnishing pornographic material to a minor.

However, the disgraced teacher made a deal and pleaded guilty to sexual contact with a student, which allows her to avoid more serious charges.

On Friday, Circuit Judge John Beger sentenced Clifton-Carmack to four years in prison. The divorced mother of two also was ordered to complete a sex offender treatment program.

The judge also said he would "receive a report on her progress and behavior in about 90 days, and if she does well, her sentence could be suspended, and she would be placed on probation," KJLU-TV reported.

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FBI Raids Home of Former UN Official and Convicted Sex Predator Scott Ritter

The FBI on Wednesday raided the home of Scott Ritter, the former United Nations weapons inspector and convicted sex predator who has collaborated with isolationist organizations such as the Ron Paul Institute and the Quincy Institute.

The post FBI Raids Home of Former UN Official and Convicted Sex Predator Scott Ritter appeared first on .

Biden Judicial Nominee Sent Trans Male Rapist to Female Prison, Arguing Safety Concerns Were Overblown. Now, Sources Say He is Exposing Himself to Inmates.

A judge nominated by President Joe Biden to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Sarah Netburn, is facing questions from lawmakers after recommending that a transgender, twice-convicted male sex offender be placed in a female prison.

The post Biden Judicial Nominee Sent Trans Male Rapist to Female Prison, Arguing Safety Concerns Were Overblown. Now, Sources Say He is Exposing Himself to Inmates. appeared first on .

Biden Judicial Nominee Said Child Predator Had 'a Lot of Good in Him'

One of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees suspended a child sex predator’s sentence and said the convict had "a lot of good in him" during a court hearing last year.

The post Biden Judicial Nominee Said Child Predator Had 'a Lot of Good in Him' appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.