in this issue:
abortion legislation: KENTUCKY / SOUTH DAKOTA
activism: LIFE IS WORTH LIVING
birth control: BRAZIL / SEASONALE
catholic bishops: BOSTON / MADISON
ethics: JUSTIFIABLE INFANTICIDE
human cloning: NEBRASKA
in vitro fertilization: RISKY BUSINESS
media: POPE JOHN PAUL
planned parenthood: ALASKA / OHIO / TEXAS
poll: ABORTION MAKES WOMEN’S LIVES WORSE
reflection for prayer: JEREMIAH 1:4-5
abortion legislation
KENTUCKY: SB4, another version of “fetal homicide” legislation, has cleared the state Senate. It defines personhood at the moment of conception, but contains exemptions for medical procedures to which the mother consents, including abortion.
COMMENT: A human being’s life begins at fertilization. So why is it a crime in one case to kill this human being, but a constitutionally protected “choice” in another?
(Reading: “Senate passes fetal homicide bill after dispute,” Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, 1/23/04)
SOUTH DAKOTA: A bill filed in the state legislature would outlaw all abortions, except to save the life of the mother. Backers call the bill a “ban.”
COMMENT: Read that again. If this bill allows abortions for any specific reason, it does not ban abortion. What’s everybody so excited about? Besides, abortion is never “necessary to save the life of the mother.”
(Reading: “S.D. considers banning abortion,” Family News in Focus, 1/26/04)
activism
LIFE IS WORTH LIVING: Julie Grimstad, director of the Center for the Rights for the Terminally Ill, is forming a new organization called Life Is Worth Living. “The primary purpose of this organization is to promote the Culture of Life through prayer and growth in personal knowledge of the [Catholic] Church’s moral teachings on matters concerning human life and what is going on in our culture concerning life issues,” she said.
(Contact: , Life Is Worth Living, 3008 Della St., Stevens Point, WI 54481)
birth control
BRAZIL: Rio de Janiero has scuttled a plan to distribute free contraceptives to low-income women and girls. The change of heart followed a meeting between the Catholic archbishop, Cardinal Eusebio Scheid, and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia. Still, a new law allows minors to obtain contraceptives without their parents’ knowledge.
(Reading: “Rio drops ‘pill by mail’ plan after church talk,” Reuters, 1/21/04)
SEASONALE: A Newsday report on the birth control formulation, described as an “extended cycle” pill, shows that “examination of Barr Laboratories’ statements about Seasonale found many of its claims are not supported by the evidence.” Added physician Susan Rako, “Hormones have an effect on every organ system in the body. It’s reckless for doctors to be passively signing on to something that involves dosing young, healthy, fertile girls and women with hormones that do away with their natural cycle, for no medical reason.”
COMMENT: Also note that Seasonale is an abortifacient.
(Reading: “The new pill in town,” Newsday, 1/25/04)
catholic bishops
BOSTON: In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com, Archbishop Sean O’Malley said pro-abortion Catholic politicians “should know that if they’re not voting correctly on these life issues that they shouldn’t dare come to Communion.”
COMMENT: We pray that Archbishop O’Malley will personally share that information with Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. John Kerry. Both men are listed on American Life League’s list of Deadly Dozen pro-abortion Catholics in the U.S. Senate.
(Reading: “Boston archbishop says pro-abortion politicians ‘shouldn’t dare come to Communion,'” LifeSiteNews.com, 1/23/04)
MADISON: In noting Archbishop Raymond Burke’s notification that pro-abortion Catholic politicians would not be allowed to receive Holy Communion in the LaCrosse, Wis., diocese, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wis., said, “Archbishop Burke is on target.”
(Reading: “Mind of Christ must not be set aside in public office,” Madison Catholic Herald, 1/22/04)
ethics
JUSTIFIABLE INFANTICIDE: A man identified as an “ethics professor” says killing an infant born with a genetic defect can be considered ethical. Prof. John Harris of the University of Manchester is quoted as saying, “I don’t think infanticide is always unjustifiable. I don’t think it is plausible to think that there is any moral change that occurs during the journey down the birth canal.”
(Reading: “Infanticide is justifiable in some cases, says ethics professor,” The Telegraph [U.K.], 1/25/04)
human cloning
NEBRASKA: A filibuster has apparently killed efforts to ban human cloning. The legislation, LB602, would have outlawed human cloning for any purpose, making it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Backers say they will try again next year.
(Reading: “Cloning ban fails to defeat filibuster,” Omaha World Herald, 1/23/04)
in vitro fertilization
RISKY BUSINESS: Dutch researchers report children conceived through in vitro fertilization have a higher risk of premature birth, and a higher risk of infant death.
(Reading: “IVF babies ‘face birth problems,'” BBC News, 1/23/04)
media
POPE JOHN PAUL: “On the one hand, marriage and family life are frequently depicted in a sensitive manner, realistic but also sympathetic, that celebrates virtues like love, fidelity, forgiveness, and generous self-giving for others?.On the other hand, the family and family life are all too often inadequately portrayed in the media. Infidelity, sexual activity outside of marriage, and the absence of a moral and spiritual vision of the marriage covenant are depicted uncritically, while positive support is at times given to divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexuality.”
(Reading: “The media and the family: A risk and a richness,” Vatican Information Service, 1/24/04)
planned parenthood
ALASKA: The state Planned Parenthood president says the group wants to open a “reproductive health facility” in Juneau, but currently lacks funding. Jim Sedlak of American Life League’s STOPP International visited Juneau to rally opposition to the plan, telling local pro-lifers that it is Planned Parenthood’s intent that “no baby escape the womb. They are intent on destroying young people.”
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood draws debate,” Juneau Empire, 1/23/04)
OHIO: State Planned Parenthood offices were shut out in their attempts to land tax dollars in a new women’s health program. In previous budgets, the ten Planned Parenthood locations received the bulk of the money. In the new plan, local health departments are the recipients of the more than $1 million in funding.
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood receives no Ohio ‘women’s health’ grant funds,” Ohio Right to Life news release, 1/23/04)
TEXAS: Pro-lifers fighting efforts to build a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Austin are continuing to ask for prayer. Last week, a prayer vigil was held at the Planned Parenthood construction site. The missionary image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was brought to Austin for the event. Coordinator Chris Danze is asking local pro-lifers to call the project’s new general contractor to “let him know that it is wrong to build an abortion chamber and it is bad for business.”
(Reading: “Boycott update,” Chris Danze, 1/23/04)
poll
ABORTION MAKES WOMEN’S LIVES WORSE: A new publication from the Elliot Institute, “Reversing the Gender Gap,” includes results and analysis from a new national poll indicating that the majority of Americans believe abortion makes women’s lives worse. Researcher David Reardon, Ph.D., says that even among women who identify themselves as “pro-choice” (this is the term used in the survey), less than 30 percent believe abortion generally improves women’s lives. In addition, 67 percent of women who describe themselves as “pro-choice” stated they would be “more likely to vote for a candidate who calls for government support for grief counseling programs to assist women who experience emotional problems after an abortion.”
(Reading: “Most believe abortion makes women’s lives worse, new poll results,” Elliot Institute news release, 1/28/04)
reflection for prayer
JEREMIAH 1:4-5: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
NOTE: This passage is contained in the First Reading for Sunday Mass this weekend in Catholic churches.