in this issue:
hot button issues: ALL CRUSADE WALK
abortion: BREAST CANCER / CHEMCIAL / CRACKDOWN / DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / NO! / TRAINING
birth control pill: SEX DRIVE
euthanasia: GALLUP POLL / WHAT’S IN A WORD?
fetal tissue: UKRAINE EXPORTING ABORTED BABIES
planned parenthood: SARAN WRAP
wisdom: POPE BENEDICT XVI
zinger: RAPE AND INCEST
reflection for prayer: POPE JOHN PAUL II
hot button issues
ALL CRUSADE WALK: A documentary showing an inside look at the college students who participated in American Life League’s 2004 Crusade walk will be shown on EWTN in June. “Living Hope: Stories from the Crusade” will air Thursday, June 9 at 11 pm; Saturday, June 11 at 2 am and Thursday, June 16 at 2 pm (all times EDT). In addition, the 2005 Crusade walk will be featured in a weekly segment on EWTN’s “Life on the Rock” series, which airs on Thursdays at 8 pm EDT. See more about the walk online.
abortion
BREAST CANCER: Attorney Andrew Schlafly writes of the serious legal implications that can result when fully informed consent is not provided to the mother seeking an abortion.
(Reading: “Legal implications of a link between abortion and breast cancer,” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Spring 2005)
CHEMICAL: A study indicates that administering mifepristone and misoprostol at the same time can abort a child through the 63rd day of life and that the combination results in expulsion rates within 24 hours.
(Reading: “A pilot study of mifepristone and misoprostol administered at the same time for abortion in women with gestation from 50 to 63 days,” Contraception, 71 (2005) 447-450)
CRACKDOWN: In Manila, Philippines Mayor Lito Atienza is cracking down on RU-486 (mifepristone), the abortion pill, and says he will arrest anyone trying to bring the deadly pill into the city.
(Reading: “Abortion pill crackdown in Philippines has police chasing down U.N. supported NGOs,” LifeSiteNews.com, 5/26/05)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Researchers find that many women do not disclose the fact that they have had an abortion due to “direct fear of personal harm” from their partner.
(Reading: “Abortion disclosure and the association with domestic violence,” Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6/05, pp. 1329-1334)
NO! Sam Nigro, M.D. writes about a personal experience during which he told a young mother, “No, I will not help you get an abortion.” The story is amazing.
(Reading: “No, I will not help you get an abortion,” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Spring 2005)
TRAINING: The University of California at San Francisco has developed a “rotation training” for medical students that lasts six weeks and is referred to as “family planning rotation.” Medical students are trained at an in-hospital abortion clinic “where medical and surgical pregnancy terminations is provided up to 23 weeks gestation. On average, residents perform 90 second-trimester surgical abortions and 50 first-trimester abortions during this rotation.”
COMMENT: Definitions: “family planning” = killing preborn babies.
(Reading: “Obstetrics and gynecology resident satisfaction with an integrated, comprehensive abortion rotation,” Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6/05, pp. 1335-1340)
birth control pill
SEX DRIVE: University of Boston researchers are claiming that women who take the pill may suffer from reduced sex drive for the rest of their lives.
(Reading: “The pill may cause permanent sex drive loss,” Science Daily, 5/26/05)
euthanasia
GALLUP POLL: A recent poll reveals that 75 percent of Americans support euthanasia — “allowing a doctor to take the life of a patient who is suffering from an incurable disease and wants to die.”
(Reading: “Gallup: 3 in 4 Americans back euthanasia,” Editor and Publisher, 5/27/05)
WHAT’S IN A WORD? Visitors to the Compassion and Choices web site find that it is a collaborative effort of Compassion in Dying and End of Life Choices. Both organizations support euthanasia and physician assisted suicide.
fetal tissue
UKRAINE EXPORTING ABORTED BABIES: A news report, initiated by the British Observer news service, and repeated by International Planned parenthood Federation claims that “racketeers pay Ukraine women to sell fetuses to quack clinics.” It is further reported that allows aborted babies to be provided to research institutions.
(Reading: “Abortion encouraged in Ukraine as unborn babies used for Russian beauty treatments,” LifeSiteNews.com, 5/24/05)
planned parenthood
SARAN WRAP: Janice Shaw Crouse reveals that “‘comprehensive sex education materials from Planned Parenthood” recommend that eighth graders use Saran Wrap as “protection” when engaging in certain forms of sexual activity.
(Reading: “Saran Wrap for ‘safe’ sex,” Concerned Women for America, 5/24/05)
wisdom
POPE BENEDICT XVI: In contemporary society there is a growing expectation for a non-confessional ethic, for a so-called lay morality produced by reason alone and independent of any revelation.
(Reading: “Bible indicates way to happiness, says Pope John Paul II,” Zenit News Agency, 4/20/04)
zinger
RAPE AND INCEST: Louisiana legislators are considering a bill that would impose a 24-hour waiting period before a woman could obtain an abortion in a case of rape or incest. House sponsor A.G. Crowe (R-Pearl River) said current requirements should apply in these cases, “the way it is for every other woman.” But Rep. Robby Carter (D-Greensburg) opposes such waiting periods, noting, “Rape and incest are horrible crimes, horrible, horrible crimes. In those situations we ought to give women more latitude.”
COMMENT: Rape and incest are horrible crimes; so let’s commit the most horrible crime of all by killing the innocent baby! Gee, that makes sense.
(Reading: “Panel vote on anti-abortion bill delayed,” Baton Rouge Advocate, 6/1/05)
reflection for prayer
POPE JOHN PAUL II: Do you realize that all men are called to live with God, and that without Him they lose the key to the ‘mystery’ of themselves? This call to salvation comes directly to us from Christ who has for man the ‘words of eternal life’ (John 6:8). He directs himself to every individual person living on earth, in particular to those who suffer, in body and soul.
(Reading: Homily from Pope John Paul II, 5/14/82; available online in Italian)