in this issue:
abortion: TELEVISED IN BRITAIN
catholic bishops: BRUSKEWITZ / O’MALLEY
catholic politicians: DURBIN / KERRY
dark side: GOD’S WILL?
fetal pain: JUDGE VS. ABORTIONIST
in vitro fertilization: ADVERTISED LIKE A CAN OF BEANS
morning-after abortion pill: POLITICS
pharmacists: CONSCIENCE VS. JOB
population: AUF WIEDERSEHEN, DEUTSCHLAND
pro-life movement: ANATOMY OF A DEFEAT
stem cell: BABY TEETH
reminder: NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY
reflection for prayer: PSALM 31:20-21
abortion
TELEVISED IN BRITAIN: Plans to televise a film of an abortion on a British TV network have drawn comments both positive and negative. But Archbishop Peter Smith said; “Everyone, especially women, has a right to know what abortion really involves. If the tide of public opinion were to be turned by these disturbing images, it would be for the common good.”
(Reading: “Catholic Church backs channel 4 abortion documentary,” Ekklesia, 4/5/04)
catholic bishops
BRUSKEWITZ: Catholic writer Barbara Kralis called the office of Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., to get his ideas on whether pro-abortion Catholics should be barred from receiving Communion. The response: “We agree completely with Archbishop Raymond Burke in the action he has taken and we would take the same action in the diocese of Lincoln with regard to manifest, persistent, obstinate sinners, including politicians, regardless of which diocese they are from.”
(Reading: “Bishop Bruskewitz will deny Kerry the Eucharist,” Barbara Kralis, 4/6/04)
O’MALLEY: Boston Archbishop Sean O’Malley told the priests of his archdiocese that today’s Catholics are “exiles in the midst of Babylon” who “find themselves in a hostile, alien environment where the overriding temptation is to assimilate, the cultural pull is to conform to a dominant cultural influence that is incongruous with our faith and our destiny.” He told his priests, “the strongest predictor of Catholic behavior and identification [is] the quality of the Sunday sermon,” and urged them to preach from the heart.
(Reading: “O’Malley confronts ‘culture of death,'” Boston Globe, 4/7/04)
catholic politicians
DURBIN: Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) summed up his differences with the Catholic Church over abortion in a statement to the Chicago Tribune: “Personally I would counsel any woman who asked in my family to do her best to carry the child full term and I’d try to help,” he said. “But I do believe the government should not prohibit a woman from making that decision.”
“That’s a hard thing to reconcile,” said Fr. Thomas Hurley of Old St. Patrick Church in Chicago, where Durbin attended Mass and received Communion, despite assertions that as a pro-abortion Catholic, Durbin should be denied the sacrament. “I know that there are probably bishops and people who would not agree with me. But I’m sorry. I’m first his priest. … At the heart of it, he is first and foremost a man of faith.”
A spokesman for Cardinal Francis George, Chicago’s archbishop, said the cardinal and senator have met privately, but the cardinal wished to avoid public confrontation.
(Reading: “Durbin keeps faith despite votes,” Chicago Tribune, 4/2/04)
KERRY: Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) summed up his differences with the Catholic Church over abortion in a statement to the New York Times: “I’m not a church spokesman. I’m a legislator running for president. My oath is to uphold the Constitution of the United States in my public life. My oath privately between me and God was defined in the Catholic church by Pius XXIII and Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II, which allows for freedom of conscience for Catholics with respect to these choices, and that is exactly where I am. And it is separate. Our constitution separates church and state, and they should be reminded of that.”
The Times saw fit to point out that there was a Pope John XXIII, but not a Pope Pius XXIII.
(Reading: “Kerry dismisses critics of time that he took off campaigning,” New York Times, 4/6/04)
dark side
GOD’S WILL? Dr. Roselyn Smith-Withers, a Baptist minister who considers herself a “Christian pro-choice advocate,” believes God sanctions the decision to abort: “I believe God speaks to women and enables them to make decisions for themselves.”
(Reading: “Pro-choice clergywoman claims God often wills abortion,” Agape Press, 4/6/04)
fetal pain
JUDGE VS. ABORTIONIST: In a lawsuit involving the recently approved partial birth abortion law, federal judge Richard Casey questioned abortionist Timothy Johnson, asking him if the “fetus” feels pain during an abortion. Johnson said he did not know. The judge asked if he ever thought about it. “Simple question, doctor. Does it cross your mind?” Johnson said it did not. “Never crossed your mind?” the judge again asked. “No,” said Johnson. The judge also asked if women are told precisely what happens to their preborn children during an abortion. Yes, said Johnson, but “we try to do it in a way that’s not offensive or gruesome or overly graphic for patients.”
(Reading: “Judge asks doctor if fetus can feel pain,” Associated Press, 3/31/04)
in vitro fertilization
ADVERTISED LIKE A CAN OF BEANS: Fresh attention is being given to a Virginia fertility clinic’s advertising program. The Genetics and IVF Institute is using soft-sell advertising in mainstream media to sell high-tech in vitro fertilization programs. One such program deals with “family balancing,” otherwise known as sex selection. Each “attempt” costs $2300. Typical couples will go through three rounds before achieving pregnancy or dropping out.
(Reading: “Sex selection goes mainstream,” AlterNet, 9/25/03)
morning-after abortion pill
POLITICS: The Washington Post reports the government and the manufacturer of “Plan B” are talking about a compromise regarding over-the-counter sales. Two proposals said to be under discussion: setting minimum age limits, and keeping the drugs behind the counter rather than on display shelves. The article notes that “social conservatives” fear full over-the-counter status could encourage teen promiscuity.
COMMENT: The article does not mention the pills’ potentially abortifacient nature.
(Reading: “Compromise may restrict ‘morning-after’ pill,” Washington Post, 4/8/04)
pharmacists
CONSCIENCE VS. JOB: A woman plans to file a complaint about a pharmacist in the Dallas suburbs who refused to fill her birth control prescription because of personal objections. The pharmacist works at a CVS outlet in North Richland Hills. Three employees at an Eckerd store in Denton were fired earlier this year for refusing to fill a prescription for the morning-after pill.
(Reading: “Texas pharmacist refuses birth control,” United Press International, 3/31/04)
population
AUF WIEDERSEHEN, DEUTSCHLAND: Germany’s population has shrunk by more than 260,000 over a two-year period, as deaths increase and births decrease. Experts say the only way population levels will be maintained is through increased immigration.
(Reading: “German population shrinks,” DPA, 4/5/04)
pro-life movement
ANATOMY OF A DEFEAT: Richard Thompson, chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, offers a detailed account of the conflict among different pro-life factions regarding a recent legislative debate in South Dakota. A bill, as originally proposed, would have banned abortion in the state. But the bill was amended into an exception-filled proposal and was eventually defeated.
(Reading: “Report regarding NRLC role in defeat of South Dakota legislative effort to ban abortion and challenge Roe v. Wade,” Thomas More Law Center news release, 3/31/04)
stem cell
BABY TEETH: Researchers say they’ve found a new, ethical source for stem cells. The pulp in baby teeth can be extracted and potentially used for treatment. Dr. Stan Gronthos said, “They usually go to the tooth fairy and that’s the end of it, but we can use them. One stem cell can be grown in culture into a colony of thousands of cells, then into millions of cells. They can regenerate into connective tissue such as bone, cartilage, fat and muscle.”
(Reading: “No fairy tale, baby teeth key to repairing human tissue,” Sunday Mail [U.K.], 4/4/04)
reminder
NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY: American Life League is again sponsoring this annual event. This year’s date is April 27. Pro-life students across the country are asked to wear shirts with a pro-life message when they attend school that day. The official shirt of National Pro-life T-shirt Day is available from ALL online, or by phone at 866-LET-LIVE.
reflection for prayer
PSALM 31:20-21: How great is your goodness, Lord, stored up for those who fear you. You display it for those who trust you, in the sight of all the people. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from scheming enemies. You keep them in your abode, safe from plotting tongues.