Laura Schlessinger
Photo by Phil Konstantin, 2006 Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Birth name	Laura Catherine Schlessinger
Born	January 16, 1947 (1947-01-16) (age 60) Brooklyn, New York  United States
Show	'The Dr. Laura Show'
Station(s)	Clear Channel Communications
Style	Advice
Country	United States
Website	http://www.drlaura.com

Laura Catherine Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American cultural and conservative commentator, best known as host of the popular Dr. Laura radio advice call-in show. The show is nationally syndicated and runs three hours a day on weekdays. is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Not to be confused with clear channel radio stations, which are AM radio stations with certain technical parameters. ... Look up advice in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... American conservatism is a constellation of political ideologies within the United States under the blanket heading of conservative. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Look up advice in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ...

Schlessinger is an outspoken critic of practices that she feels are immoral and have become too prevalent in contemporary American culture. These include sex outside of marriage (sometimes referred to by her as "fooling around;" Schlessinger also often refers to women who have sex outside of marriage as "unpaid whores"), living together before marriage (referred to by her as "shacking up"), intentional single parenthood, re-marrying after a divorce while children from a prior marriage are still under the age of 18, daycare in lieu of a parent staying home to raise their children, the viewing of pornography, the allowing of a schedule arrangement in which neither parent is home when children arrive home from school, marrying too quickly or out of desperation, permissive parenting (also known as laissez-faire parenting), abortion, euthanasia, easy or no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage. Her radio program often features short editorial monologues on these and other social and political topics, followed by her characteristically direct responses to callers' questions and moral dilemmas. Certain aspects of feminism are often discussed on her show (Dr. Laura was a self-claimed feminist in the 1970s). It has been suggested that Baby mama be merged into this article or section. ... For schedule in computer science, see schedule (computer science). ... The permissive society is a label given to a society where social norms are becoming increasingly liberal. ... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... Euthanasia (from Ancient Greek: ευθανασία, good death) is the practice of ending the life of a terminally ill person in a painless or minimally painful way, for the purpose of limiting suffering. ... For the record label, see Divorce Records. ... International recognition Civil unions and domestic partnerships Recognized in some regions Unregistered co-habitation Recognition debated Civil unions legal, same-sex marriage debated See also Same-sex marriage Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country This box:      Same-sex marriage is a term... An ethical dilemma is a situation that often involves an apparent conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another. ... Feminists redirects here. ...

She has also authored numerous self-help books, including the best-selling Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, and several religious books. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands has been her most successful. Her books are both controversial and popular. Though the term self-help can refer to any case whereby an individual or a group betters themselves economically, intellectually or emotionally, the connotations of the phrase have come to apply particularly to psychological or psychotherapeutic nostrums, often purveyed through the popular genre of the self-help book. ...

Personal history

Laura Schlessinger was born in 1947 in Brooklyn, New York, to Monroe (Monty) Schlessinger and Yolanda Ceccovini Schlessinger. She was the only child in the family during the eleven years prior to the birth of her younger sister, Cindy. Schlessinger grew up first in Brooklyn, then in Long Island, New York. She has described her childhood in a dysfunctional family as unpleasant, due to extended family rejection of her mixed-marriage parents (her father was a non-practicing Jew, while her mother was an Italian non-practicing Roman Catholic) and due to what she has described as an unloving environment. For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about Long Island in New York State. ... A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior and even abuse on the part of individual members of the family occur continually, leading other members to accommodate such actions. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

An excellent student, Schlessinger received a bachelor degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Columbia University.^{[citation needed]} A brief marriage in her early twenties ended in divorce, and she moved to Los Angeles where her parents had resettled. A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course that generally lasts three or four years. ... The State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNYSB), also known as Stony Brook University (SBU) is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York (on the north side of Long Island, about 55 miles east of Manhattan, New York). ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Columbia University is a private research university in the United States and a member of the prestigious Ivy League. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

Schlessinger received her certification in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from University of Southern California (USC) and taught at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Irvine, and Pepperdine University. While working at USC, she met Dr. Lewis G. Bishop, who was married with dependent children. According to divorce filings, Schlessinger and Bishop began an affair. Bishop left his wife after more than 20 years of marriage, and moved in with Schlessinger. They lived together as an unmarried couple, and Schlessinger tried to get pregnant after reversing an earlier tubal ligation and suffering an ectopic pregnancy. They married in early 1985, eight years after beginning their relationship, and Bishop became Schlessinger's business manager. Schlessinger bore their only child, Deryk Schlessinger, in November 1985, when she was 38. The Trojan Shrine, better known as Tommy Trojan located in the center of University of Southern California campus. ... The University of California, Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... The University of California, Irvine is a public research university primarily situated in suburban Irvine, California, USA; a significant portion of the campus falls into the neighboring community of Newport Beach. ... Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ. ... Tubal ligation (informally known as getting ones tubes tied) is a permanent form of female sterilization, in which the fallopian tubes are severed and sealed or pinched shut, in order to prevent fertilization. ...

Schlessinger began practicing Judaism in 1996, and she and her son Deryk became followers of Conservative Judaism. Although Schlessinger's father was Jewish, she was not a Jew under Jewish law, which dictates that the children are the religion of the mother only. In 1998, Schlessinger, Bishop and their son converted to Orthodox Judaism under Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka of Ottawa, Ontario. Schlessinger sometimes used Jewish law and examples to resolve the moral dilemmas of her callers, whether or not they were Jewish. She occasionally clarified ethical and moral issues with her local Orthodox Rabbi, Moshe D. Bryski, before mentioning them on the air. She was embraced by many in the politically conservative segment of Orthodox Judaism for bringing more awareness of Orthodoxy to her radio show. Schlessinger received a National Heritage award from the National Council of Young Israel in early 2001. Some of her expressed views were explicitly religious and found their way into her 1999 book The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life. While her other books stressed the importance of morality, they were secular in nature. Conservative Judaism, (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel predominantly), is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s. ... Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonised in the Talmudic texts (Oral Torah) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... Young Israel or National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), is a branch of Modern Orthodox Judaism. ...

She has received awards from both media and conservative organizations, including the Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the year, American Women in Radio & Television's Genii Award and National Heritage Award, and the National Religious Broadcasters' Chairman's Award. She also lectures on the national conservative circuit, and was the commencement speaker at Hillsdale College in June, 2002. Her son matriculated there the following fall; he subsequently left college and joined the United States Army under its 18x Special Forces contract program. The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Association represents 1700 plus Christian religious broadcasters. ... Hillsdale College is an independent, co-educational, nonsectarian, liberal arts college located on the north side of the city of Hillsdale in central-southern Michigan, United States. ... The robot and the human with the great divide between them. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Special Forces (SF) or Special Operations Forces (SOF) are highly-trained military units that conduct specialized operations such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions. ...

In July 2003, Schlessinger announced on her show that she was no longer an Orthodox Jew. In a series of monologues over the next month, she explained that she did not feel a connection with God and felt frustrated by the effort she had put into following the religion. Her religious approach on the show lessened substantially after this announcement.

Radio show

Schlessinger's first time on radio was not as a host, but as a caller to the Bill Ballance show in 1974, under the pseudonym of "Cathy". Impressed by her quick wit and sense of humor, Ballance began featuring Schlessinger in a weekly segment. She and Ballance also began a romantic relationship, which came to light many years later (see Nude Photos). Her stint on Ballance's show led to her own shows on a series of small radio stations. Bill Ballance (born 1918 in Peoria, Illinois, died September 23, 2004), or Willis Ballance, was an American radio talk show host. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... A pseudonym (Greek: , pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons legal name. ... Laura Catherine Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American cultural and conservative commentator, best known as host of the popular Dr. Laura radio advice call-in show. ...

Her big break came in the late 1980s when she started filling in for Barbara De Angelis's nighttime relationship-oriented talk show in Los Angeles on KFI, considered by many to be a powerful and prestigious radio station. When De Angelis replaced noontime talk show host Toni Grant, Schlessinger got De Angelis's former nighttime time slot. A few years later, De Angelis left the station, landing Schlessinger the coveted noontime time slot. Her show became very popular, leading to its national syndication. The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... KFI is an AM radio station that began operating on March 15, 1922 as one of the United States first high-powered, clear channel stations. ... Toni Grant is an American psychologist and radio talk-show host. ...

Maurice Tunick, former Vice-President of Talk Programming for the ABC Radio Networks, comments: "Toni Grant was not on KFI and was not replaced by Barbara D'Angelis. Toni Grant was on KABC and was replaced by Dr. Sonja Friedman in 1995 on both KABC and the ABC Talkradio network which distributed the show nationally. KABC was the market leader back then, with KFI way back in the pack. While Laura did fill the D'Angelis time period at noon she was also holding down fort on weekends at KGIL San Fernando. When Sally Jessy Raphael moved from NBC Talknet to ABC Radio, I was in search of a regular sub because Sally had numerous TV commitments and would require a dependable fill-in. Dr. Laura, who was little known outside of Southern California, became the regular sub for Sally, filling in on her personal advice show in the evening." For other uses, see ABC Radio (disambiguation). ... KABC is the callsign of the American Broadcasting Companys three flagship broadcast stations in Los Angeles: KABC AM, 790 kHz KABC-TV, channel 7 (DTV 53) KABC-FM 95. ... San Fernando (Spanish for Saint Ferdinand) may refer to: Argentina San Fernando, Buenos Aires, city of the Greater Buenos Aires. ... Sally Jessy Raphaël (born Sally Lowenthal on February 25, 1935 in Easton, Pennsylvania) is an American talk show host and television presenter. ... Run by NBC Radio, Taknet featured advice-oriented talk shows, during the evening and overnight. ... For other uses, see ABC Radio (disambiguation). ...

The Dr. Laura Show was nationally syndicated in 1994. Schlessinger has characterized her show as a "moral health program" rather than an "advice program". Her responses to callers usually display a trademark frankness and bluntness; she gets to the core of a caller's issue quickly rather than letting them talk for a long time. (Her approach has been likened to that of the highly popular, Judge Judy, as she has many of the same qualities.^[1]) In the entertainment and news industries, syndication is a method of making content available to a range of outlets simultaneously. ... For the person off screen, see Judith Sheindlin. ...

Schlessinger now broadcasts from her home in Santa Barbara, California and as of 2005, was added to the lineup of satellite broadcaster XM Radio. In that same year, Schlessinger was nominated for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame^[2] but was not selected for induction.^[3] Podcasts and live streams of the show are available on her website. Her show is also carried on a one-day delay at 9am EST on some East Coast stations. Nickname: Location in Santa Barbara County and the state of California Coordinates: , County Government  - Mayor Marty Blum Area  - City 111. ... XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) is a satellite radio service in the United States based in Washington, DC and controlled by News Corporations DirecTV, General Motors, American Honda, Hughes Electronics, and several private investment groups. ... // The National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Illinois, is a museum dedicated to recognizing those who have contributed to the development of the radio medium throughout its history in the United States. ...

The Dr. Laura Show is tied for fourth highest-rated talk radio show in the United States, but its listenership has been in decline in recent years. At its peak, it was the second-highest-rated radio show after The Rush Limbaugh Show and was heard on 471 radio stations. In September 2002, the industry magazine Talkers named Laura Schlessinger as the seventh greatest radio talk show host of all time.^[4] But by November 2003, the number of Dr. Laura affiliate stations had dropped to 275. Talk radio is a radio format which features discussion of topical issues. ... The Rush Limbaugh Show is an American radio program broadcast live Monday through Friday. ... Talkers magazine is a trade industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. ...

The dropoff in listenership to Schlessinger's show has been attributed to multiple factors. Over time, she became more conservative and her stance on homosexuality and gay rights were offensive to many (see "Views on Homosexuality," below). Additionally, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, talk radio became less relationship-oriented and decidedly more political. Many stations replaced Dr. Laura with political hosts like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Hannity's show debuted nationwide in 2001 in the same time slot as Dr. Laura (3 p.m. EST, 12 p.m. PST). Laura Catherine Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American cultural and conservative commentator, best known as host of the popular Dr. Laura radio advice call-in show. ... Glenn Beck (born February 10, 1964) is a talk-radio and television host. ... Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961, in New York City, New York) is an American conservative talk radio host, a co-host of Fox News Channels program Hannity & Colmes, the host of the Fox News weekend program Hannitys America, and the author of two books. ...

Schlessinger sold her ownership of the show to Jacor Communications, Inc. for $71 million. Jacor was then sold to Clear Channel Communications. Jacor Communications, Inc. ... Not to be confused with clear channel radio stations, which are AM radio stations with certain technical parameters. ...

Television shows

In 2000, Schlessinger signed a deal with Paramount Television to produce a TV talk show with Schlessinger as host. The deal came after years of Schlessinger stating she would not work with the company due to its association with Howard Stern. She stated in an appearance on the Larry King show that she had wanted her show to be called "Schlessinger," in the tradition of Phil Donahue's successful talk show that was titled with his last name. But producers refused, and the show was called Dr. Laura. With the television show, producers hoped to extend the enormous success of Schlessinger's radio show to daytime television. However, the show was fraught with controversy before it ever aired, and proved to be very short-lived. The Paramount Domestic Television logo used from 2002-2006 with 90th Anniversary used throughout 2002 (when Paramount Pictures celebrated its 90th Anniversary) Paramount Television (re-incorporated from Desilu Productions) was an American television production/distribution company that was active from 1967 to 2006 and was launched under Gulf+Western. ... This article is a biography of Howard Stern as an individual; for information regarding his radio show see The Howard Stern Show. ... Larry King (born November 19, 1933) is an award-winning American writer, journalist and broadcaster. ... Phil Donahue Phillip John Donahue (b. ... Laura Schlessinger, Ph. ...

Dr. Laura's views on homosexuality were a major factor in the show's undoing. Prior to 1997, Schlessinger was very supportive to gay callers during her radio show. In those years, she took issue with Christian religious leaders who were opposed to gay relationships, and said that it was cruel to deny love and happiness to gay couples. She renounced this view in 1997, however, and said she had been misinformed in her earlier views. Soon, her monologues approvingly mentioned ex-gay groups who claimed they could help homosexuals become heterosexual, and she attacked the American Psychological Association for condemning the position of ex-gay groups. Schlessinger cited Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, a Harvard-, MIT- and UT-educated psychiatrist, as support for her revised views on homosexuality. The ex-gay or exodus movement claims that homosexuals can become heterosexual or otherwise leave homosexuality behind through counselling, prayer, and other therapies if they choose to do so. ... The American Psychological Association (APA) is a professional organization representing psychology in the US. It has around 150,000 members and an annual budget of around $70m. ... Jeffrey Satinover, MD, is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author of five books. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... UT (or U.T. or ut) may stand for or refer to Abbreviations of the following universities: University of Tartu (Estonia) University of Tampa (USA) University of Tehran (Iran) Universiteit Twente (Netherlands) University of Tennessee (USA) University of Texas at Austin (USA) University of Tokyo (Japan) University of Toledo (USA...

In the months leading up to the premiere of her TV talk show, Schlessinger called homosexuality a “biological error.” She expressed the view that it was okay to be a homosexual, but not for homosexuals to practice homosexuality or to adopt children. On May 8, 2000, GLBT activists protested Dr. Laura’s TV show at Paramount Television in New York, and stated her views were bigoted and offensive. Similar protests in other U.S. cities followed, and a Web site^[5] was launched with the purpose of getting Paramount to cancel the show prior to its premiere.^[6] Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... LGBT (or GLBT) is an acronym used as a collective term to refer to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people. ...

Not long before her own show was set to premiere, Dr. Laura appeared as a guest on the daytime talk show, The View. The appearance was tense at best, as protests outside the studio continued and she was confronted by audience members. She appeared visibly shaken, and her trademark no-holds-barred critique of callers suddenly vanished as she went face to face with her detractors. Host Joy Behar took issue with some of her comments, and host Barbara Walters raised the issue of Schlessinger's nude photos in response to criticisms Schlessinger had made about a photo of Walters in a robe. This article is about the talk show. ... Joy Behar (christened Josephina Victoria Occhiuto) was born on October 7, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York. ... This biographical article needs additional references for verification. ...

Amid growing concerns at Paramount, the first episode of Schlessinger’s television show aired September 11, 2000. Many critics and viewers found it dull in format, and it failed to generate the energy and interest of her radio show.^[7] The biting rhetoric that worked so well on radio for Dr. Laura seemed overly harsh for face to face discourse, and the radical change in Schlessinger's demeanor from her radio persona left viewers cold. is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

She was also still fighting an uphill battle with public opinion. In October 2000, she took out a full page ad in Variety magazine apologizing for some of her "poorly chosen" words about homosexuality.^[8] She stopped short of apologizing for the overall message of the comment, however, and repeated it (albeit more carefully worded) on later radio broadcasts. On October 25, 2000, the television show The West Wing used a storyline with a character clearly meant to be Dr. Laura and was thinly disguised as "Dr. Jacobs," a conservative radio talk show host whose views on homosexuality were savaged by the heroic protagonist portrayed by Martin Sheen. Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2006. ... Martin Sheen (born August 3, 1940 as Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ...

The credibility of Schlessinger's TV show also suffered during its first month. The New York Post and other media reported that Schlessinger had used a member of her staff more than once to falsely pose as a guest on the show. A September 25, 2000 episode named "Readin', Writin', and Cheatin'" featured a so-called college student who specialized in professional note-taking. On the next day’s show, "Getting to the Altar”, the same guest appeared in different hair and makeup, and said she was a woman living with her boyfriend. In fact, the woman was San-D Duchas, a researcher for the Dr. Laura TV show. Her name even appeared in the closing credits of the shows on which she posed as a guest. The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

By November 2000, Schlessinger’s TV show had lost many of the advertisers that originally committed to it, and its ratings were in freefall. CBS directed its stations to move the show to a late-night slot, or replace it altogether. As a result, Philadelphia’s KYW-TV dropped the show entirely.^[9] The show was canceled March 30, 2001 and last aired on September 7, 2001. is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

A pilot for a sitcom starring Dr. Laura was filmed in early 2000 for the WB television network but was not picked up.^{[citation needed]} WB or Wb or wb may stand for: Internet chat slang for welcome back Wachovia Corporation, stock symbol Warner Bros. ...

Publications

On July 29, 2006, it was announced that Schlessinger would join the Santa Barbara News-Press, replacing notable former columnist Barney Brantingham. This news came weeks after an incident at the News-Press led to the resignation of many top editors and columnists (See Santa Barbara News-Press controversy). Her columns, which appear on Thursdays and Sundays, deal with Santa Barbara news as well as general news and cultural issues discussed on her radio show. is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Santa Barbara News-Press is a broadsheet newspaper based in Santa Barbara, California. ... Supporters of the newsroom staff, here Cedric Robinson, a UCSB political science professor, have spoken at public rallies. ...

Schlessinger has published a number of books. Several follow the mold of her successful Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, with similarly named books giving advice for men, couples, and parents, others are more religious or moral in orientation. The later advice books emphasize religion more than the earlier works, until her announced departure from Orthodox Judaism in July, 2003.

Her 2004 book, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, sold well despite poor reviews by critics. It was a departure from her previous books, which tended to focus on pre-marital relationships and children. Proper Care asserts that men need direct communication, respect, appreciation, food and good loving rather than tearing down the husband's sense of strength and importance. Schlessinger's thesis is that wives have the power to change their husbands' attitudes by seeing to these needs, and then their husbands will "swim across shark-infested waters to bring you lemonade." The book proposes that wives have the power to prompt devotion, compassion and love from their husbands.

Advice books

• Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, February 1994
• Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives, September 1997
  • portions repackaged as Damsels, Dragons, & Regular Guys, March 2000
• Parenthood by Proxy: Don't Have Them if You Can't Raise Them, April 2000
  • repackaged as Stupid Things Parents Do to Mess Up Their Kids, January 2001
• Ten Stupid Things Couples Do to Mess Up Their Relationships, January 2002
• The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, January 2004
• Woman Power, July 2004 (a workbook to use with Proper Care...)
• Bad Childhood Good Life: How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood , January 2006
• The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage, January 2007

Religious books

• How Could You Do That?! The Abdication of Character, Courage, and Conscience, January 1996
• The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life with Rabbi Stuart Vogel, August 1998

Children's books, with Martha Lewis Lambert, illustrated by Dan McFeely

• Why Do You Love Me?, April 1999
• But I Waaannt It!, April 2000
• Growing Up is Hard, April 2001
• Where's God?, April 2003

For several years, Schlessinger published a full-color 16-page monthly magazine, The Dr. Laura Perspective, but it has ceased publication.

She wrote a syndicated weekly column that was carried in many newspapers as well as Jewish World Review, where archives are still available. She currently writes a monthly column for World Net Daily. Jewish World Review is an online magazine published five days a week, which purports to appeal to people of faith and those interested in learning more about contemporary Judaism from Jews who take their religion seriously. ... World Net Daily, also known as WND, is a conservative online news site. ...

Foundation

In 1998 Schlessinger created The Dr. Laura Foundation to help abused and neglected children. Schlessinger regularly asked her on-air audience to donate items for "My Stuff" bags which go to children in need (often children who must leave their home with no possessions). All other donations came from other people or groups, usually in the form of donated items for the bags. Per the foundation's reports, money not used for operations was directed toward pro-life organizations such as crisis pregnancy centers. Abuser redirects here. ... This article is about the social movement. ...

In September 2004, Schlessinger announced she was closing down the foundation by the end of the year. Her reason for ending the foundation's work, as given on her website and in an announcement to listeners, was to support adoption and abstinence. For other uses, see Adoption (disambiguation). ... Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. ...

Controversies

Qualifications

Schlessinger's Ph.D. is in physiology and not psychology; critics have characterized the show's name as deceptive. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Psychology (from Greek: ψυχή, psukhē, spirit, soul; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. ...

Although she has mentioned that her degree is in physiology and that she was a licensed marriage therapist on her web site and during her show, critics contend that she rarely mentions these facts on her show. However, Schlessinger never makes psychiatric diagnoses and commonly will recommend that callers or their loved ones undergo psychological or psychiatric assessment in order to make informed decisions as they relate to issues of mental health. She has referred to her marriage and family therapy training on the air, but has never referred to herself as a psychologist. Marriage and family therapy is a branch of counseling psychology. ...

She has received additional criticism because her California Marriage Family and Child Counseling (MFCC) license has been inactive for several years.^[10] Further criticism arises because she often refers to herself as "a licensed therapist."

Nude photos

In 1998, allegedly upset that he was snubbed by Schlessinger at an event, former radio mentor Bill Ballance sold to a media outlet nude photos of Schlessinger for which she had posed when she and Ballance had an affair in the 70s. Internet Entertainment Group (IEG), which had purchased the photos, subsequently posted them on its Web site. IEG was already known at the time for making available to subscribers a sex tape of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. The Schlessinger photos were originally available only to subscribers to the IEG Web site, but predictably, the photos later appeared on different free sites in varying forms. Bill Ballance (born 1918 in Peoria, Illinois, died September 23, 2004), or Willis Ballance, was an American radio talk show host. ... Seth Warshavsky (born 1973) was a pioneer in the internet pornography industry ant the founder of Internet Entertainment Group (IEG). ... Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian/American[1] actress, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, TV personality, and author. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Schlessinger initially said the photos were not of her, but then claimed a copyright interest in them in court. Eventually she admitted the photos were authentic, and read a statement on her radio show addressing the issue. Schlessinger tried to get the photos off the Internet, but ultimately was unsuccessful in doing so, as a court ruled IEG had legally acquired rights to the material.

In the statement she read on her radio show about the scandal, Schlessinger called Ballance a "mentor and friend," and said she was "mystified as to why this 80-year-old man would do such a morally reprehensible thing." She said the photos were taken when she was 28 years old, going through a divorce, and had "no moral authority." She added that she had undergone "profound changes over the course of my life from atheist to observant Jew."

Despite the apology, many faithful listeners to the Dr. Laura show felt betrayed. Once the nude photo scandal came to light, accusations surfaced that Schlessinger cheated on her first husband, broke up the marriage of the man who became her second husband, lived with him while unmarried and intentionally bore a child with him out of wedlock -- all things she railed against on her show, but never mentioned were part of her personal life experience. Schlessinger's response to these criticisms was that "A hypocrite says, 'Do what I say, not what I do,' rather than, 'Do what I say, not what I did'",^[11], meaning that a hypocrite is not a person who makes a mistake and then changes, but a person who sets up a double standard. A double standard, according to the World Book Dictionary, is a standard applied more leniently to one group than to another. ...

Family estrangement

On December 16, 2002, Schlessinger's mother Yolanda was found dead in her Beverly Hills condominium by the Beverly Hills Police Department, her body possibly having been there for more than two months.^[12] is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... “Beverly Hills” redirects here. ...

The May 23, 2007 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Dr. Laura's 21 year old son Deryk was under investigation for creating a website that allegedly contained, among other objectionable materials, depictions of rape, torture, and child molestation. ^[13] Marquis of the Salt Lake Tribune on the Tribune Building in Downtown Salt Lake City The Salt Lake Tribune is Salt Lake City, Utahs largest-circulated local daily newspaper. ...

Views on homosexuality

Prior to 1997, Schlessinger was very supportive to gay callers to her show. During that time, she took issue with Christian religious leaders who were opposed to gay relationships, and said that it was cruel to deny love and happiness to gay couples. She renounced this view in 1997. Soon, her monologues approvingly mentioned ex-gays that claimed they could help homosexuals "turn" heterosexual, and she attacked the American Psychological Association for condemning their stance. Schlessinger also began citing Harvard, MIT and psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover in support of her new views.^[14] The American Psychological Association (APA) is a professional organization representing psychology in the US. It has around 150,000 members and an annual budget of around $70m. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... Jeffrey Satinover, MD, is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author of five books. ...

Afterward, Schlessinger was frequently criticized in the gay community for her view of homosexuality as a "biological error" and for her opposition to adoption by same-sex couples. The GLBT rights group GLAAD began monitoring Schlessinger's on-air comments about homosexuality, posting weekly transcripts of relevant shows on its Web site. Adoption by same-sex couples refers to the adoption of children by gay or lesbian couples. ... LGBT (or GLBT) is an acronym used as a collective term to refer to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people. ... Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation or GLAAD is an organization intended to promote and ensure fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. ...

On May 10, 2000, The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) ruled that Schlessinger's "consistent characterization of the sexual behavior of gays and lesbians as 'abnormal,' 'aberrant,' 'deviant,' 'disordered,' 'dysfunctional' and 'an error' constituted abusive discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and as such, were in violation of the human rights provision of its Code of Ethics. The CBSC found similar fault with her generalized statements that pedophilia is more prevalent among members of the gay community. is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is an independent, non-governmental organization created by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters to administer standards established by its members, Canadas private broadcasters. ... This article is about discrimination in the social science context. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

In response to her comments about homosexuality, a rhetorical and sarcastic "letter to Dr. Laura" was circulated circa 2000 on the Internet that attempted to illustrate disagreements with her literal interpretation of the Bible, especially with regard to homosexuality.^[15] This letter was the inspiration for the character Jenna Jacobs in a Season 2 episode of The West Wing called "The Midterms." In that episode, President Bartlet criticizes Jacobs for using the Bible to call homosexuality "evil."^[16] The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2006. ... The Midterms is the 25th episode of The West Wing. ...

Schlessinger attempted to repair her relationship with the gay community without success. Her March 2000 public apology on her radio show was withdrawn two weeks later when it was not whole-heartedly accepted. In October 2000, Schlessinger paid for a full-page ad in the "Gay Hollywood" issue of Variety as a Yom Kippur apology for previous negative remarks. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Yom Kippur (IPA: ; Hebrew:יוֹם כִּפּוּר, IPA: ) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. ...

In her book, The New Thought Police: Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds (Prima, 2001), lesbian author Tammy Bruce discussed Dr. Laura's relationship with the gay community at length, and criticized some gay activists' treatment of Dr. Laura. Bruce said Dr. Laura has not only unfairly been accused of hate speech, but also has had her freedom of speech suppressed. Schlessinger wrote the foreward to Bruce's book. Tammy Bruce (born August 19, 1962) is a pro-choice lesbian feminist who hosts The Tammy Bruce Show, a radio talk show broadcast on over 160 stations in the United States. ... Hate speech is a controversial term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, moral or political views, socioeconomic class, occupation or appearance... Freedom of speech is the concept of being able to speak freely without censorship. ...

Comments on Wives of Iraq-Deployed US Soldiers

In a story first reported in late May, 2007 in The Salt Lake Tribune by Matthew D. LaPlante, Schlessinger appeared at Fort Douglas before an audience for a live broadcast of her daily radio show. She said she was annoyed with military wives who complain to their deployed spouses and admonished the wives, "You're not dodging bullets, so I don't want to hear any whining," adding that "warriors need warrior wives" and that they should share their complaints with friends or family members, not the deployed: "He could come back without arms, legs or eyeballs, and you're bitching?"^[17] Schelessinger's own son, Deryk, was deployed in Afghanistan. Marquis of the Salt Lake Tribune on the Tribune Building in Downtown Salt Lake City The Salt Lake Tribune is Salt Lake City, Utahs largest-circulated local daily newspaper. ...

The controversy sparked an interview on Bill O'Reilly's Fox News television program. O'Reilly blasted the original newspaper article as an incomplete, one-sided editorial, which Schlessinger contested. Schlessinger repeatedly mentioned that her son was serving in "the Middle East" and that she knows as well as any being a military family and support system for her only child, a soldier serving abroad on a life-threatening situation. Two notable people are named Bill OReilly: For the anchor of The OReilly Factor, see: Bill OReilly (commentator) For the Australian cricketer, see: Bill OReilly (cricketer) This is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Only days later, a MySpace page allegedly belonging to Schlessinger's son, Deryk Schlessinger, surfaced containing graphic content that an Army official has called "repulsive." The page is credited to and includes photographs of Deryk and other Army personnel.^[18] The webpage, which has since been removed from MySpace.com, included cartoon depictions of rape, murder, torture and child molestation; photographs of soldiers with guns in their mouths; a photograph of a bound and blindfolded detainee captioned "My Sweet Little Habib"; accounts of illicit drug use; and a blog entry headlined by a series of obscenities and racial epithets. The Army is investigating, but has currently issued no public findings. MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. ...

In pop culture

In the sixth season of the TV show Frasier, Dr. Laura was parodied in an episode called "Dr. Nora" (played by Christine Baranski). The Dr. Nora character, with biographical details similar to that of Schlessinger, is hired by Frasier to follow up his show on the radio. However, Dr. Nora has a very biting tone, telling a woman who was sleeping with a man before marriage to "keep your knees together." Dr. Laura had originally sponsored Frasier, but publicly pulled her support from the show because she disagreed with the series' tacit endorsement of premarital sex. Frasier is an American sitcom starring Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane. ... Christine Baranski Christine Baranski (born 2 May 1952) is an American actress. ... Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane (b. ...

In a second-season episode of the television show The West Wing entitled "The Midterms", Dr. Laura is parodied as the fictional character Dr. Jenna Jacobs in a conversation with President Bartlet revolving around her academic qualifications and the consequences of a literal interpretation of Leviticus regarding homosexuality — referring to Dr. Laura's characterization of homosexuality as a "biological error."^[19] “The West Wing” redirects here. ... The Midterms is the 25th episode of The West Wing. ... Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ...

The character Dr. Lorna in the webcomic Sluggy Freelance (now revealed to be the mother of Riff, one of the main characters) is an obvious parody of Dr. Schlessinger. This is a list of characters from the popular webcomic Sluggy Freelance. ... Webcomics, also known as online comics and internet comics, are comics that are available to read on the Internet. ... Sluggy Freelance is a popular, long-running webcomic written and drawn by Pete Abrams. ... This is a list of characters from the popular webcomic Sluggy Freelance. ...

Dr. Laura Schlessinger appears on a card in the board game Taboo.

Notes

is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... NPR logo For other meanings of NPR see NPR (disambiguation) National Public Radio (NPR) is a private, not-for-profit corporation that sells programming to member radio stations; together they are a loosely organized public radio network in the United States. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Dr. Laura's website
• Dr. Laura monthly columns at World Net Daily
• Dr. Laura columns at Jewish World Review (inactive)
• Forward article on Schlessinger dropping Orthodox Judaism
• Dr. Laura on Tourette Syndrome
• FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Dr. Laura Tells Women: Just Do It
• Salon Technology|Dr. Laura targets the new Sodom: Libraries
• Dr. Laura controversial Biography
• Beliefnet: Why Dr. Laura Dumped Judaism
• Dr.Laura on "Officer Phil's" KUSI-TV page
• Don't Listen to Dr. Laura, criticism by libertarian feminist Sharon Presley.