in this issue:
hot button issues: COMMENTARY / SETON HALL
abortion: BREAST CANCER / NURSE ATTITUDES / PRO-DEATH PREDICTION / RISK
adolescents: ABSTINENCE
fetal research: MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS
human cloning: SCOTLAND
infant mortality: RISING
in vitro fertilization: IMPROVEMENT?
lifeline: A THOUGHT
morning-after abortion pills: USE OFTEN!
population: BILL GATES
prenatal diagnosis: COST
web notes: MARCH OF DIMES
zinger: PETER BAUER
reminder: NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY
reflection for prayer: THOMAS A KEMPIS
hot button issues
COMMENTARY: American Life League is receiving much comment, most of it positive, from Judie Brown’s current article in the online Washington Dispatch, “Why don’t Catholic politicians practice what the Catholic Church preaches?“
SETON HALL: Last week, Communique pointed out an event at Seton Hall Law School at which a pro-abortion judge honored another pro-abortion judge (Communique, 4/16/04). A few days after the event, Seton Hall acknowledged that it was wrong for the Catholic university to host such a ceremony. “I find this action profoundly offensive and contrary to the Catholic mission and identity of Seton Hall Law School, Seton Hall University, and the Archdiocese of Newark,” wrote Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark.
(Reading: “Seton Hall regrets conferring award to judge,” Newark Star-Ledger, 4/21/04)
abortion
BREAST CANCER: Responding to a recent medical journal article suggesting that abortion does not contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer, the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer points to the misrepresentation of published research, the fact that the research group was funded by UNFPA, and challenges the group to explain “how women should breastfeed their dead fetuses.”
(Reading: “Women’s group accuses Lancet, Oxford scientists of misrepresenting abortion-breast cancer research,” Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer news release, 4/16/04; “Breast Cancer and abortion: collaborative reanalysis of data from 53 epidemiological studies… ,” The Lancet, 3/27/04)
NURSE ATTITUDES: One obstacle to abortions in Massachusetts is “the unwillingness of nurses to staff abortion procedures.” In fact, researchers find that nurses tend to be more opposed to abortion than other medical professionals, and warn that this may “hinder patient access to abortion services.”
(Reading: “Effect of nurses’ attitudes on hospital-based abortion procedures in Massachusetts,” Contraception, 69 (2004) 59-62)
PRO-DEATH PREDICTION: “Ultimately our courts will determine the constitutionality and fate of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. If it is interpreted as written, and as its authors say they intend, this bill should have little impact overall on the provision of abortion services in this country. We should all be mindful, however, of the broader implications for women’s health and reproductive rights if this ban is extended to other safe and effective procedures used for the termination of pregnancy.” [emphasis added]
(Reading: “Abortion, health and the law,” New England Journal of Medicine, 1/8/04)
RISK: Pro-life researcher/writer Brent Rooney has sounded yet another alarm pointing to the fact that women who have had an abortion prior to delivering a baby are more likely to deliver that baby early. The premature baby is more likely to have cerebral palsy if his mother has had one or more abortions.
(Reading: “Induced abortion and risk of later premature births,” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Summer 2003, pp. 46-49; “1,100 excess brain damaged babies yearly,” Reduce Preterm Risk Coalition, 4/14/04, request a copy via email from )
adolescents
ABSTINENCE: Focus on the Family’s abstinence department manager, Linda Klepacki, is promoting the most recent Zogby Poll, which affirms what parents want for their children: abstinence.
(Reading: “Zogby 2004 parental poll on sexuality education,” Citizen Link, 3/24/04)
fetal research
MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS: Parents of six preborn children volunteered to provide researchers with liver samples from their abortions, each of which occurred at 9 weeks gestational age. The mesenchymal stem cells proved to be potentially useful for allogenic transplantation because they have the capacity to differentiate in vitro to several mesenchymal tissues as bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, etc.
COMMENT: The study provided inconclusive results, yet the recommendation is to continue, which means killing more children.
(Reading: “Immunologic properties of human fetal mesenchymal stem cells,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1/04, pp 239-45)
human cloning
SCOTLAND: The team responsible for Dolly, the cloned sheep, now wants to clone human beings. Human embryos would be created, then destroyed for their stem cells. Team leader Ian Wilmut said failure to use so-called therapeutic cloning would be “immoral.”
(Reading: “Dolly scientists want to create cloned human embryos for stem cell research,” Associated Press, 4/21/04)
infant mortality
RISING: The United States has not experienced a rise in infant mortality rates since 1958. But in 2002 that rate increased by three percent. Statisticians claim that part of the reason is that women are waiting longer to have children and many are using technologies such as in vitro fertilization. Such technologies “appear to result in smaller and earlier deliveries for all births.”
(Reading: “U.S. infant mortality rate rises 3%,” Washington Post, 2/12/04)
in vitro fertilization
IMPROVEMENT? Researchers claim that test tube baby clinics are improving their procedures for culturing human embryos and are becoming better at transferring embryos. It is claimed that this will avoid health problems often associated with multiple pregnancies.
COMMENT: What about the ‘health problems” experienced by the children who are killed in the “fetal reductions” used to minimize IVF births?
(Reading: “Trends in embryo-transfer practice and in outcomes of the use of assisted reproductive technology in the United States,” New England Journal of Medicine, 4/15/04)
lifeline
A THOUGHT: Man’s way leads to a hopeless end. God’s way leads to endless hope.
morning-after abortion pills
USE OFTEN! Population Council researchers opine that healthcare providers should encourage the use of morning-after pill regimens and “should expect that women may need emergency contraceptive [sic] pills multiple times during their reproductive years.”
COMMENT: The fact that there is no hard evidence to show that complications are not a problem was not addressed.
(Reading: “As often as needed: appropriate use of emergency contraceptive pills.” Contraception, 69 (2004) 339-342)
population
BILL GATES: Donald Boudreaux writes about the persistent charitable giving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provide to population elimination groups. He points out that “no evidence exists to support a belief in the dangers of large or growing populations.”
(Reading: “Oblivious to the obvious,” Ideas on Liberty, 11/03, pp. 17-18)
prenatal diagnosis
COST: A recent article points out that pregnant women who have information about fetal chromosomal status can avoid “subsequent costs associated with raising a child affected by Down’s syndrome or another trisomy.” Researchers set that lifetime cost at $228,400. However, in a follow up letter to the editor, doctors point out that the loss of a possibly health baby due to misdiagnosis is one of the consequences of prenatal testing. They write, “if diagnostic testing were applied to a typical population of 100,000, it would identify around 125 Down’s syndrome pregnancies and lead to procedural losses of about 1,000 unaffected fetuses.” The researchers recommend telling the prospective client about the “risks.”
COMMENT: What is a baby worth?
(Reading: “Cost utility of prenatal diagnosis and the risk-based threshold,” The Lancet, 1/24/04, pp 276-282; “Cost utility of prenatal diagnosis,” The Lancet, 4/3/04, p. 1164-1165)
web notes
MARCH OF DIMES: American Life League is frequently asked, “Is the March of Dimes pro-life?” The short answer is “no.” For details, please see “March of Dimes.”
zinger
PETER BAUER: “Ironically, the birth of a child is registered as a reduction in national income per head, while the birth of a farm animal shows up as an improvement.”
(Reading, “Random thoughts,” Jewish World Review, 7/31/98)
reminder
NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY: American Life League is again sponsoring this annual event. This year’s date is next Tuesday, April 27. Pro-life students across the country are asked to wear shirts with a pro-life message when they attend school that day.
reflection for prayer
THOMAS A KEMPIS: In truth, sublime words make not a man holy and just; but a virtuous life makes him dear to God.
(Reading: Imitation of Christ, 1:1:3)