in this issue:
hot button issues: PLANNED PARENTHOOD / RAPE TREATMENT / SAVING THOSE DAMNED CATHOLICS
abortion: PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION / POST-ABORTION SYNDROME
activism: WASH FOR LIFE
bioethics: BRAVE NEW WORLD
birth control pill: CONTRAINDICATIONS
brain death: BEIJING
catholic bishops: MISSOURI
catholic hospitals: ABORTION IS OK / CONNECTICUT
catholic schools: NO TO McCASKILL
culture of death: WHEN IS MURDER MURDER?
good news: DAWN PATROL
ultrasound: WINDOW TO THE WOMB
vaccine: TEXAS
zinger: JESUITICAL NONSENSE
reflection for prayer: PSALM 19
hot button issues
PLANNED PARENTHOOD: New figures show Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion chain, aborted almost 265,000 babies in 2005 alone. American Life League’s STOPP International has a full look at the latest data.
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood releases new U.S. numbers,” Wednesday STOPP Report, 5/2/07)
RAPE TREATMENT: Judie Brown examines the debate over Catholic hospitals providing so-called emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. “The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life,” she notes, “condemns the morning-after pill and makes no exceptions for cases of rape treatment.”
(Reading: “Catholic hospitals and the emergency contraception,” American Life League, 5/3/07)
SAVING THOSE DAMNED CATHOLICS: Of Judie Brown’s Saving Those Damned Catholics, Joseph Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League writes, “We can always count on Judie Brown and American Life League to keep up with the shenanigans of the so-called ‘Catholic’ leaders. Judie’s call for authentic leadership from the nation’s bishops and priests is key to rejuvenating the Catholic Church’s role in American life.”
TO ORDER: “Saving Those Damned Catholics” is available from ALL in hardcover or paperback. Call 866-LET-LIVE or purchase online.
abortion
PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION: Ambassador Alan Keyes has written an excellent analysis of the flawed Supreme Court decision.
(Reading: “Gardeners of evil,” Renew America, 4/28/07)
POST-ABORTION SYNDROME: Barbara Horak has written a new book detailing fifteen short, riveting stories that offer hope to mothers, fathers and family members of aborted children.
(Reading: “Real abortion stories: The hurting and the healing,” Barbara Horak)
activism
WASH FOR LIFE: This exciting web site features a pro-life fundraising project accomplished by washing cars-well worth thinking about and doing in your community.
bioethics
BRAVE NEW WORLD: A video from the Beyond Bioethics Conference currently on the Internet is not to be believed. Suggesting strategies to get around pro-life objections and activists to pass regulations for stem cell research is but one of the concepts you will see and hear.
birth control pill
CONTRAINDICATIONS: A review of studies involving women ages 12-85 was aimed at examining risk factors associated with birth control pill (OC) use. The contraindications included uncontrollable hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, 35+ smoking, history of breast, uterine or cervical cancer, diabetes and liver disease. For example, the research shows that there is no “consistent link between OC use and liver disease or tumors, but the studies have mow statistical power due to the rarity of liver cancer at reproductive age.” Of interest was the conclusion that “clinicians and patients may decide that the benefits of OC use outweigh the risks for the individual woman. .. We suggest further research.”
(Reading: “Contraindications to oral contraceptive use among women in the United States, 1991-2001,” Contraception, 75 (2007) 355-360)
brain death
BEIJING: The Chinese are debating a medico-legal question regarding what actually constitutes death. Vice Minister of Health Huang Liefu told a press briefing that new legislation on “brain death” is needed so that development of human organ transplants can move forward. He said the “wider definition of death” would be better than the “traditional notion of cessation of heartbeat.”
COMMENT: Sounds like he was trained in the United States!
(Reading: “Recognition of brain death will aid organ transplants,” China Daily, 5/1/07)
catholic bishops
MISSOURI: Archbishop Raymond Burke followed up his public statements about pro-abortion singer Sheryl Crowe appearing at a “Catholic” fund raiser with yet another expose. This time he has taken aim at the Susan G. Komen charity because of its alliances with Planned Parenthood.
COMMENT: We love Archbishop Burke. We hope you do too and that you will send him a note of thanks for being an amazing shepherd, an example to every Catholic: http://www.archstl.org/contact.html.
(Reading: “Archdiocese critical of second charity group,” Associated Press, 4/28/07)
catholic hospitals
ABORTION IS OK: In Kingston, New York, the Kingston Hospital and Benedictine Hospital, which are merging, have found common ground by agreeing to purchase and equip a 4,000 square foot space where abortions and other procedures will be performed. The fact that such “reproductive services” will be performed on neutral ground appears to resolve any concerns the Catholic hospital might have had.
(Reading: “Hospitals reach agreement on reproductive services site,” Kingston Daily Freeman, 4/27/07)
CONNECTICUT: The state legislature is going to pass a law requiring all hospitals in the state, including four catholic hospitals, to provide the morning after pill, Plan B, to victims of sexual assault. The state’s Catholic bishops have pointed out that Catholic hospitals in the state already provide the pill in the vast majority of cases. In Wisconsin, the very same scenario is being played out.
(Reading: “Connecticut legislature one step closer to forcing chemical abortions at Catholic hospitals,” Catholic News Agency, 4/27/07; “US Catholic bishops in Wisconsin and Connecticut drop opposition to abortion-causing emergency contraception,” Life Site News, 4/30/07)
catholic schools
NO TO McCASKILL: Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill had been invited to speak at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis. However her invitation was abruptly cancelled by the school because her positions contradict Church teaching.
(Reading: “Sen. McCaskill not welcome at Catholic school commencement,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/1/07)
culture of death
WHEN IS MURDER MURDER? A serial killer in Los Angeles has been convicted of “murdering 10 women and one victim’s unborn fetus.”
COMMENT: An abortionist is not convicted of murdering unborn fetuses; he is protected by an unjust law.
(Reading: “Jury convicts Los Angeles man of murdering 10 women, unborn fetus,” Associated Press, 5/1/07)
good news
DAWN PATROL: Check out Dawn Eden’s blog to learn about the pro-life movie, “Bella,” and a whole lot more.
ultrasound
WINDOW TO THE WOMB: Abortion sympathizer William Saletan recently wrote, “Ultrasound has exposed the life in the womb to those of us who didn’t want to see what abortion kills. The fetus is squirming and so are we.”
ACTION: To order your copy of American Life League’s excellent 4-D ultrasound DVD for $9.95 plus shipping and handling, see http://americanlifeleague.stores.yahoo.net/
(Reading: “Window to the womb,” Washington Post, 4/29/07)
vaccine
TEXAS: The Texas House voted 135-2 to pass a Senate-approved bill that would prevent mandatory vaccination of middle school girls with the human papilloma virus vaccine.
(Reading: “Texas passes bill to halt order mandating HPV vaccine for school girls,” Kaiser Foundation, 4/27/07)
zinger
JESUITICAL NONSENSE: During a recent bioethics conference Father Kevin FitzGerald told his audience that “We are Play-Doh.” He followed this with an explanation paraphrased in a report: “The definition of an embryo becomes clouded with knowledge that an egg and sperm can combine to create substances that aren’t embryos, and with the possibility of embryonic cloning.”
COMMENT: Father FitzGerald, who teaches at Georgetown University, contributes to confusion when he suggests that it is time for us to figure out what an embryo really is. Where in the world has this man been?
(Reading: “‘We are Play-Doh’ says speaker on embryonic ethics,” St. Cloud Visitor, 5/1/07)
reflection for prayer
PSALM 19: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day; and night to night imparts knowledge.