in this issue:
urgent / terri schiavo: ANOTHER VATICAN APPEAL / CATHOLIC DOCTORS / CONGRESS / COURTHOUSE / LEGISLATURE / MEDICAL OPINION / RALLY
hot button issues: COSTA RICA
catholic bishops: HENRY / McCARRICK
catholic priests: PORTUGAL
culture of death: MAN OR MOUSE? BOTH!
culture of life: CELEBRATION / MY UNKNOWN CHILDREN
human cloning: UNITED NATIONS
population: AUSTRALIA
reminders: ALL’S NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY / RIGHT TO LIFE ACT OF 2005
reflection for prayer: PSALM 34:19-20
urgent / terri schiavo
ANOTHER VATICAN APPEAL: “She will die a horrible and cruel death. She will not simply die; she will have death inflicted upon her over a number of terrible days, even weeks,” writes Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. “How is it that this woman, who has done nothing wrong, will suffer a fate which society would never tolerate in the case of a convicted murderer or anyone else convicted of the most horrendous crimes?”
(Reading: “Vatican issues second appeal for life of disabled Florida woman Terri Schiavo,” LifeSiteNews.com, 3/7/05)
CATHOLIC DOCTORS: The World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations warns the Schiavo case “will open the floodgates to euthanasia in the United States, at all ages, without even a legislative decision.” The group urges U.S. bishops “to mobilize every resource and influence of the Catholic Church to counteract this impending tragedy.”
(Reading: “Schiavo case could open up floodgates, warns group,” Zenit News Agency, 3/7/05)
CONGRESS: Sponsors say the Incapacitated Persons Legal Protection Act would grant disabled individuals a form of “due process” protection. The bill would not permit courts to intervene, however, if there is a signed statement consenting to removal of food and water, or if all parties agreed to permit such withdrawal in the absence of a formal declaration from the patient.
(Reading: “Federal bill introduced to save Terri Schiavo,” World Net Daily, 3/8/05)
COURTHOUSE: Judge George Greer rejected the Florida Department of Children and Families’ request to intervene in the Schiavo case. Greer said the petition “appears to be brought for the purpose of circumventing the court’s final judgment … in violation of the separation of powers doctrine.” Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube is scheduled to be removed March 18.
(Reading: “Florida bid to intervene in Schiavo case rejected,” Associated Press, 3/10/05)
LEGISLATURE: State lawmakers are considering a bill that would require provision of food and water unless patients specified in writing that they did not want to be fed in that manner. A verbal request, such as Michael Schiavo claims existed in Terri’s case, might not be sufficient.
(Reading: “Bill sets rules for all like Schiavo,” St. Petersburg Times, 3/10/05)
MEDICAL OPINION: Dr. William Hammesfahr: “There are many approaches that would help Terri Schiavo. I know, because I had the opportunity to personally examine her, her medical records, and her X-rays. It is time to help Terri, instead of just warehousing her. She would have benefited from treatment years ago, but it is not too late to start now.”
(Reading: “There are clearly medical therapies available to help Terri Schiavo,” Christian Underground, 3/4/05)
RALLY: Supporters are planning a rally for Terri Schiavo at Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., on March 12 at 2 pm. Speakers will include Jim Sedlak of American Life League’s STOPP International, who noted, “For a judge to impose capital punishment on an innocent person is outrageous and every person in America should be active in trying to correct this injustice. If they can do this to Terri today, they can do it to anyone else tomorrow.”
(Reading: “Terri Schiavo is an innocent person who will fall victim to capital punishment,” American Life League news release, 3/10/05)
hot button issues
COSTA RICA: A Costa Rican couple that wants to use in vitro fertilization has filed a lawsuit challenging the country’s ban of that practice. American Life League was joined by Human Life International in issuing a joint friend of the court brief in support of Costa Rica’s prohibition, which ALL describes as a “bold step in defending innocent human beings’ lives.”
(Reading: “American Life League submits amicus brief defending Costa Rica’s ban on in vitro fertilization,” American Life League news release, 3/8/05)
catholic bishops
HENRY: Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary said he would not offer Holy Communion to Paul Martin, Canada’s pro-abortion Catholic prime minister. In a TV interview, Bishop Henry said, “When we are dealing with a politician, it’s frustrating. You’d like to kind of give them the boot, but at the same time, what we’re always doing is calling to conversion. But as maybe a step towards waking them up, it might not hurt occasionally to say, ‘Please refrain from receiving Communion because you’re not totally in good standing with the Church.'”
(Reading: “Calgary bishop says he would refuse prime minister Communion,” LifeSiteNews.com, 3/2/05)
McCARRICK: Washington’s archbishop, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, said pro-abortion politicians should not receive honorary degrees from Catholic colleges, but they should not necessarily be prohibited from speaking there. The cardinal also said he would not deny Holy Communion to pro-abortion public figures because ”I do not believe there is a place for confrontation at the altar.”
(Reading: “Cardinal says some officials to be denied honors,” Boston Globe, 3/4/05)
catholic priests
PORTUGAL: Fr. Nuno Serras Pereira is getting little support for his decision to deny Holy Communion to pro-abortion Catholics. The Franciscan priest’s provincial said the action represented Fr. Pereira’s personal opinion. Cardinal Jose Policarpo of Lisbon said Fr. Pereira’s comments to the media about denying Holy Communion were not prudent and did not show proper pastoral action. Fr. Pereira had merely offered a near-verbatim recitation of canon law by stating the Eucharist should not be offered to “those Catholics who stubbornly and manifestly persist in defending, contributing to, or promoting the death of innocent human beings.”
(Reading: “Portuguese priest sparks row over denial of Communion,” Catholic World News, 3/9/05)
culture of death
MAN OR MOUSE? BOTH! The head of Stanford University’s ethics committee admits it’s “a little creepy,” but researchers have been given a preliminary go-ahead to genetically engineer a mouse with a brain composed entirely of human cells – using stem cells taken from aborted babies. The premise is that such research will help treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Ethics committee chairman Henry Greeley said, “If the mouse shows human-like behaviors, like improved memory or problem-solving, it’s time to stop.”
(Reading: “Scientists to make ‘Stuart Little’ mouse with the brain of a human,” London Telegraph, 3/6/05)
culture of life
CELEBRATION: Isabelle de Mezerac, whose infant son Emmanuel lived only 72 minutes after birth, has written a book about rejecting abortion and welcoming a child into the world who is not expected to survive. She writes, “In making me live an extraordinary experience of love, Emmanuel taught me the beauty of life and the possibility it represents. He taught me the power of this gratuitous love, wholeheartedly given without asking anything in return. It has enabled me to discover fullness, and this has made me profoundly happy, despite the fact that still today I grieve over his absence.”
(Reading: “Welcoming an infant who is to die,” Zenit News Agency, 3/2/05)
MY UNKNOWN CHILDREN: Writer Lisa Contini reports a “remarkable” response to her story, “My Unknown Children,” which was mentioned in the November/December issue of American Life League’s Celebrate Life magazine. She has published the story in booklet form for those who want copies to share with others. For more information, write to Lisa Contini, P.O. Box 251, Cadyville, NY 12918, or visit Aletheia Press.
human cloning
UNITED NATIONS: A divided General Assembly approved a non-binding request that member nations should ban all forms of human cloning. The resolution was approved 84-34, with 37 other countries abstaining. Costa Rican ambassador Bruno Stagno Ugarte called the vote “a historic step” because it recognized “that therapeutic cloning involves the creation of human life for the purpose of destroying it.” Countries opposing the resolution wanted to ban human cloning for purposes of making babies, but not for scientific research.
COMMENT: There is no difference; all forms of human cloning are immoral.
(Reading: “U.N. backs U.S. plea for total ban on human cloning,” Reuters, 3/8/05)
population
AUSTRALIA: Australia’s birth rate is not sufficient to maintain the country’s population, so the government is calling for outside-the-box thinking to encourage families to have more children. Many Australians cite economic reasons and child care concerns for not having larger families.
(Reading: “Conceiving a way to get more babies,” Sydney Morning Herald, 3/2/05)
reminders
ALL’S NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY: American Life League’s third annual National Pro-life T-shirt Day is April 26. All pro-life Americans, especially students, are encouraged to wear pro-life apparel that day to show support for the preborn. The official shirt of ALL’s National Pro-life T-shirt Day is available online at www.NationalProLifeTshirtDay.com. The cost is $5 plus shipping and handling.
RIGHT TO LIFE ACT OF 2005: This bill (which will be identical to the previous version) states, “The terms ‘human person’ and ‘human being’ include each and every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including, but not limited to, the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being.”
COMMENT: Is your member of Congress a co-sponsor? He or she should be. Ask!
reflection for prayer
PSALM 34:19-20: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the Lord delivers him.