activism
POLICE STATE: Stop Planned Parenthood International (STOPP) and Rock for Life are accusing Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation of attempting once again to portray the pro-life movement as a lawless coalition prone to violence. STOPP’s Jim Sedlak says Planned Parenthood compiles lists of pro-life events, then mails the list, along with a publication called the “Clinic Violence Report,” to police agencies in the towns where the pro-life events are scheduled. Rock for Life’s Bryan Kemper says his group received calls from state police in Alabama and Maryland, asking if extra security would be required for pro-life benefit concerts. Sedlak said, “it appears that Planned Parenthood wishes to turn America into a police state where any activity they do not expressly endorse must be monitored by the police.”
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood Engaged in Un-American Activities,” STOPP news release, 5/4/00; “National Abortion Federation Targets Christian Teens and Rock for Life,” Rock for Life news release, 5/4/00)
chemical abortion
FDA: The Food and Drug Administration holds hearings in June on proposals that would make birth control pills available over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. The theory is that over-the-counter status would lead to lower prices, and consumers would be provided easier access to medication.
COMMENT: The FDA is overstepping its bounds and is behaving recklessly to even consider making the pill — an abortifacient — an over-the-counter drug. A new Congressional oversight hearing is in order.
ACTION: The FDA is calling for learned individuals to testify at the hearings, scheduled for June 28-29 in Gaithersburg, Md. The public should submit written notices of participation and comments by June 2, 2000, to the “>Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Additional written public comment will be accepted through August 25.
(Reading: “FDA Moves to Make More Drugs Rx-free,” USA Today, 4/28/00; “FDA to Hold Public Meeting on Regulation of OTC Products,” 4/27/00)
parts, inc.
INVESTIGATIVE SERIES: The Orange County Register has published a very thorough multi-part examination of the organ donation business. The reporters note, “What we found may surprise or disturb you. One path for donated body parts leads to an assembly line where human tissue is turned into lucrative products. In other cases, bodies are sent to laboratories and tested in ways you might never imagine. There is a common theme throughout: Nonprofit tissue banks and research institutions do not explain to families how the bodies will be used.”
(Reading: “The Body Brokers,” Orange County Register, 4/16-20/00)
MORE ON BABY PARTS: The Asheville Tribune published a series on fetal tissue transactions that touches on various aspects of the abortion/research connection. The paper says that given the Roe v. Wade decision, “multiple uses of elective-abortion fetuses became completely legal. This documentary was undertaken so as to learn the factual details surrounding the market for aborted fetuses and the debate which has taken place, for the most part, out of the general public’s view.” A good introduction for people who have not followed this story over the years.
(Reading: “America’s Back Door Market for Aborted Fetal Tissue,” Asheville Tribune, 2/25/00)
rest in peace
JOHN CARDINAL O’CONNOR: American Life League today mourns the loss of our nation’s heroic pro-life prince of the Catholic Church. America has lost a rare champion of truth, justice and peace. Cardinal O’Connor spoke and acted with heroic courage in defense of all vulnerable human beings, particularly those waiting to be born. He wholeheartedly supported our work and encouraged our no-exceptions position, never apologizing in defense of the absolute truth!
(Reading: “ALL Mourns the Loss of John Cardinal O’Connor,” 5/4/00)
commentary
From Dianne N. Irving, Ph.D.:
Anyone notice lately how so many words and phrases from diverse issues and diverse fields have taken on some odd and rather funny, amusing new meanings lately? Sort of a “cultural phenomenon.” Such ingenuity should surely not go unrecognized. So I thought it would be interesting to start collecting some of these gems from time to time, just for fun! I call them “gobbledygook.”
GOBBLEDYGOOK: nonsense; junk; psychobabble; non sequitur; absurdity; fraud; trick. (adj.): foolish; fake; meaningless; irrational; wacko; crazy; far out; radical; ridiculous; unreal; cunning; nutso; stupid; bizarre; dumb; tricky; deceitful; disingenuous; crafty; insane; erratic; unstable; eccentric; off-center; depraved; garbage.
EXAMPLES: 2 + 2 = 37. Carbon is water. Embryos and fetuses are just “products of conception.” Chicago is in Florida. Frozen embryos are “pre-embryos.” The moon is made of blue cheese. Embryos are just stem cells. Queen Elizabeth is my uncle. The morning-after pill cannot be abortifacient because it only prevents a “pre-embryo” from implanting. Up is down. Pregnancy begins at implantation. July 4th we celebrate Labor Day. Partial birth abortion is medically necessary. Wild bears are pets. Adult stem cells don’t work. A red light means “go.” Euthanasia is merciful. Water boils at six degrees Fahrenheit. Food and hydration are always extraordinary means. Pepper spray feels good, especially in the eyes. Apes and monkeys are persons. Squares are circles. Most children need Prozac. Lead is gold. Only the inner cell mass of a blastocyst embryo is the human being. Plants are rocks. Bioethics is ethical. Arsenic is best when taken in large quantities. Eugenics is good. So is Clinton. Patients in a persistent vegetative state are vegetables. Iron nails are easily digestible. Planned Parenthood helps parents plan well. The Statue of Liberty is in the Chesapeake Bay. All doctors take the Hippocratic Oath. Everyone loves liver. The Pill is never abortifacient. Napoleon was Chinese. Elian loves Castro. Eggs never rot. The human products of IVF are not persons. Frogs are not amphibians. “Free choice” makes us free. Babies never get sick. HMOs make us healthy. Winter is summer. Hillary makes us proud. The North Pole is at the South Pole. Utilitarianism is a neutral ethics. Hitler wrote the Declaration of Independence. Placebos are medically necessary. AIDS is caused by jellybeans. Sexually transmitted diseases can’t cause infertility. Neither can abortions. Hot is cold. Clones are OK as long as they are not implanted. Most humans have four heads and 12 legs. Feminists are feminine. Attila the Hun was too. The free market is free. Slavery is extinct. Scientists can do anything they want. When I sleep I am not. Republicans are conservatives. Mickey Mantle played for the Jets. Personhood is irrelevant. So are you. Hollywood is just entertainment. Marx was a cartoonist. Everything is relative. So is relativity. We shouldn’t be judgmental. Murder is nice. We can’t know anything objectively. You don’t exist. Parents are just friends. Children are just adults. Women give informed consent when donating their embryos for research. George Washington was the 86th President of the United States. Fetal research is banned in the United States. Sweet is sour. Peter Singer is profound. Poison ivy doesn’t itch. Twinning cannot take place after 14 days. Mayonnaise is made of turnips. Pro-life is pro-life. Brain surgery is fun. Pro-choice is pro-life. Monday is Friday. Institutional review boards have no conflicts of interest. Geese lay golden eggs. The world is overpopulated. Bill Gates is penniless. Hospital ethics committees are ethical. Mermaids are orange. Vaccines are well-researched and always safe. Horses can fly. An inch is a mile.
reflection
Be persevering in your prayers and be thankful as you stay awake to pray. Pray for us especially, asking God to throw open a door for us to announce the message and proclaim the mystery of Christ, for the sake of which I am in chains; pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I ought.
-Colossians 4:2-4
POLICE STATE: Stop Planned Parenthood International (STOPP) and Rock for Life are accusing Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation of attempting once again to portray the pro-life movement as a lawless coalition prone to violence. STOPP’s Jim Sedlak says Planned Parenthood compiles lists of pro-life events, then mails the list, along with a publication called the “Clinic Violence Report,” to police agencies in the towns where the pro-life events are scheduled. Rock for Life’s Bryan Kemper says his group received calls from state police in Alabama and Maryland, asking if extra security would be required for pro-life benefit concerts. Sedlak said, “it appears that Planned Parenthood wishes to turn America into a police state where any activity they do not expressly endorse must be monitored by the police.”
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood Engaged in Un-American Activities,” STOPP news release, 5/4/00; “National Abortion Federation Targets Christian Teens and Rock for Life,” Rock for Life news release, 5/4/00)
chemical abortion
FDA: The Food and Drug Administration holds hearings in June on proposals that would make birth control pills available over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. The theory is that over-the-counter status would lead to lower prices, and consumers would be provided easier access to medication.
COMMENT: The FDA is overstepping its bounds and is behaving recklessly to even consider making the pill — an abortifacient — an over-the-counter drug. A new Congressional oversight hearing is in order.
ACTION: The FDA is calling for learned individuals to testify at the hearings, scheduled for June 28-29 in Gaithersburg, Md. The public should submit written notices of participation and comments by June 2, 2000, to the “>Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Additional written public comment will be accepted through August 25.
(Reading: “FDA Moves to Make More Drugs Rx-free,” USA Today, 4/28/00; “FDA to Hold Public Meeting on Regulation of OTC Products,” 4/27/00)
parts, inc.
INVESTIGATIVE SERIES: The Orange County Register has published a very thorough multi-part examination of the organ donation business. The reporters note, “What we found may surprise or disturb you. One path for donated body parts leads to an assembly line where human tissue is turned into lucrative products. In other cases, bodies are sent to laboratories and tested in ways you might never imagine. There is a common theme throughout: Nonprofit tissue banks and research institutions do not explain to families how the bodies will be used.”
(Reading: “The Body Brokers,” Orange County Register, 4/16-20/00)
MORE ON BABY PARTS: The Asheville Tribune published a series on fetal tissue transactions that touches on various aspects of the abortion/research connection. The paper says that given the Roe v. Wade decision, “multiple uses of elective-abortion fetuses became completely legal. This documentary was undertaken so as to learn the factual details surrounding the market for aborted fetuses and the debate which has taken place, for the most part, out of the general public’s view.” A good introduction for people who have not followed this story over the years.
(Reading: “America’s Back Door Market for Aborted Fetal Tissue,” Asheville Tribune, 2/25/00)
rest in peace
JOHN CARDINAL O’CONNOR: American Life League today mourns the loss of our nation’s heroic pro-life prince of the Catholic Church. America has lost a rare champion of truth, justice and peace. Cardinal O’Connor spoke and acted with heroic courage in defense of all vulnerable human beings, particularly those waiting to be born. He wholeheartedly supported our work and encouraged our no-exceptions position, never apologizing in defense of the absolute truth!
(Reading: “ALL Mourns the Loss of John Cardinal O’Connor,” 5/4/00)
commentary
From Dianne N. Irving, Ph.D.:
Anyone notice lately how so many words and phrases from diverse issues and diverse fields have taken on some odd and rather funny, amusing new meanings lately? Sort of a “cultural phenomenon.” Such ingenuity should surely not go unrecognized. So I thought it would be interesting to start collecting some of these gems from time to time, just for fun! I call them “gobbledygook.”
GOBBLEDYGOOK: nonsense; junk; psychobabble; non sequitur; absurdity; fraud; trick. (adj.): foolish; fake; meaningless; irrational; wacko; crazy; far out; radical; ridiculous; unreal; cunning; nutso; stupid; bizarre; dumb; tricky; deceitful; disingenuous; crafty; insane; erratic; unstable; eccentric; off-center; depraved; garbage.
EXAMPLES: 2 + 2 = 37. Carbon is water. Embryos and fetuses are just “products of conception.” Chicago is in Florida. Frozen embryos are “pre-embryos.” The moon is made of blue cheese. Embryos are just stem cells. Queen Elizabeth is my uncle. The morning-after pill cannot be abortifacient because it only prevents a “pre-embryo” from implanting. Up is down. Pregnancy begins at implantation. July 4th we celebrate Labor Day. Partial birth abortion is medically necessary. Wild bears are pets. Adult stem cells don’t work. A red light means “go.” Euthanasia is merciful. Water boils at six degrees Fahrenheit. Food and hydration are always extraordinary means. Pepper spray feels good, especially in the eyes. Apes and monkeys are persons. Squares are circles. Most children need Prozac. Lead is gold. Only the inner cell mass of a blastocyst embryo is the human being. Plants are rocks. Bioethics is ethical. Arsenic is best when taken in large quantities. Eugenics is good. So is Clinton. Patients in a persistent vegetative state are vegetables. Iron nails are easily digestible. Planned Parenthood helps parents plan well. The Statue of Liberty is in the Chesapeake Bay. All doctors take the Hippocratic Oath. Everyone loves liver. The Pill is never abortifacient. Napoleon was Chinese. Elian loves Castro. Eggs never rot. The human products of IVF are not persons. Frogs are not amphibians. “Free choice” makes us free. Babies never get sick. HMOs make us healthy. Winter is summer. Hillary makes us proud. The North Pole is at the South Pole. Utilitarianism is a neutral ethics. Hitler wrote the Declaration of Independence. Placebos are medically necessary. AIDS is caused by jellybeans. Sexually transmitted diseases can’t cause infertility. Neither can abortions. Hot is cold. Clones are OK as long as they are not implanted. Most humans have four heads and 12 legs. Feminists are feminine. Attila the Hun was too. The free market is free. Slavery is extinct. Scientists can do anything they want. When I sleep I am not. Republicans are conservatives. Mickey Mantle played for the Jets. Personhood is irrelevant. So are you. Hollywood is just entertainment. Marx was a cartoonist. Everything is relative. So is relativity. We shouldn’t be judgmental. Murder is nice. We can’t know anything objectively. You don’t exist. Parents are just friends. Children are just adults. Women give informed consent when donating their embryos for research. George Washington was the 86th President of the United States. Fetal research is banned in the United States. Sweet is sour. Peter Singer is profound. Poison ivy doesn’t itch. Twinning cannot take place after 14 days. Mayonnaise is made of turnips. Pro-life is pro-life. Brain surgery is fun. Pro-choice is pro-life. Monday is Friday. Institutional review boards have no conflicts of interest. Geese lay golden eggs. The world is overpopulated. Bill Gates is penniless. Hospital ethics committees are ethical. Mermaids are orange. Vaccines are well-researched and always safe. Horses can fly. An inch is a mile.
reflection
Be persevering in your prayers and be thankful as you stay awake to pray. Pray for us especially, asking God to throw open a door for us to announce the message and proclaim the mystery of Christ, for the sake of which I am in chains; pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I ought.
-Colossians 4:2-4