in this issue:
acog: ACTION NEWS
bush watch: ACTION ALERT
center for reproductive law and policy: PILL BILL PROMOTION
chemical abortion: ADVERTISING DEATH, MIFEPRISTONE (RU-486) + MISOPROSTOL
cloning: AMERICANS OPPOSE
endometriosis: PREGNANCY LOSS
imposed death: BRITAIN
politics: CATHOLIC PRO-ABORTION ELECTED OFFICIALS
population control: ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
web news: SANGER, EUGENICS AND MORE
zinger: PRO-LIFE ACTIVISM OPPOSED BY STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
reflection for prayer: IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
acog
ACTION NEWS: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is urging members to support destructive embryonic stem cell research. For updates on such activities from ACOG, which alleges to represent all members of the profession, see ACOG Net Legislative News.
(Reading: “Support Stem Cell Research! Call the White House Today!” ACOG Key Contact Listserv, 6/8/01)
bush watch
ACTION ALERT — PERSONS OR MATERIAL? The president must decide whether or not he will approve DHHS regulations that would permit taxpayer funding for stem cell research — experimentation that destroys human beings who exist at conception. News reports suggest the decision is imminent. It is claimed that some “pro-life” Republicans favor the research, and argue that the embryos in question would be discarded anyway.
COMMENT: Thus, killing them is permissible? As Colleen Parro, Director of Republican National Coalition for Life, has said, every pro-lifer who voted for Bush should be outraged and disgusted.
CONTACT: To make your voice heard, contact: “>President George W. Bush, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20251; fax 202-456-2461; call White House operator 202-456-1414; call White House comment line 202-456-1111; for “>HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, fax 202-690-7755, call toll-free 1-877-696-6775.
(Reading: “Stem Cell Research Debated,” Associated Press, 6/12/01; to receive Republican National Coalition for Life updates, e-mail “>RNCLife; “Americans Oppose Destructive Embryo Research, Support Alternatives,” National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 6/11/01; “Tommy Validates Long-Standing Concerns,” Pro-Life Wisconsin news release, 6/12/01)
center for reproductive law and policy
PILL BILL PROMOTION: The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy has devoted a section of its anti-life web siteto detailing how pro-aborts can be effective in imposing legal requirements on insurance companies to force payment for birth control, including chemical abortion.
chemical abortion
ADVERTISING DEATH: The National Abortion Federation is advertising in women’s magazines to encourage women to destroy their babies early and often, using the chemical convenience of RU-486. We are urging you to call the customer service numbers for each magazine that has agreed to run the ad, and tell them you’re canceling your subscription, you’re never buying another copy off a newsstand and you’ll never allow future issues in your house, unless they immediately cancel the RU-486 ads. The one magazine that refused to run the RU-486 ads was Redbook. When you’re done reading the riot act to the other magazines, you might want to call the folks at Redbook, just to express your appreciation.
Cosmopolitan: 800-888-2676
People: 800-435-9792
Vanity Fair: 800-365-0635
Instyle: 800-274-6200
Mademoiselle: 800-274-4750
Glamour: 800-274-7410
Fitness: 800-888-1181
Health: 718-921-3131 (toll call)
Self: 312-649-3500 (toll call)
First for Women: 201-569-6699 (toll call)
Marie Claire: 800-777-3287
Redbook: 800-888-0008
MIFEPRISTONE (RU-486) + MISOPROSTOL: Concerning findings by University of Pittsburgh researcher Mitchell D. Creinin and his colleagues, Reuters Health reports “administration of mifepristone and oral misoprostol on the same day is not as effective in causing abortion within 24 hours as when the medications are given 24 hours apart.”
(Reading: “Oral Misoprostol Less Effective When Given on the Same Day as Mifepristone,” Reuters Health, available via Medscape, free after initial registration; for information about Mitchell D. Creinin, M.D., who is at the forefront of the pro-abortion promotion of these pills, see “Early Options: A Provider’s Guide to Medical Abortion“)
cloning
AMERICANS OPPOSE: A recent Gallup poll reveals that 9 out of 10 Americans oppose human cloning. For details see Gallup Poll.
endometriosis
PREGNANCY LOSS: Belgian researchers have identified a possible connection between endometriosis and spontaneous abortion, but recommend further study to isolate the exact histological confirmation of the diagnosis.
COMMENT: It is also known that the birth control pill can cause endometriosis, according to Paul Hayes, M.D. (see “Can I Take the Pill for Medical Reasons“).
(Reading: “Endometriosis and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss,” Seminars in Reproductive Medicine)
imposed death
BRITAIN: A father who admitted to killing his mentally ill daughter “out of love” has been given a two-year suspended sentence by a judge who claims that because the man purportedly acted “out of love,” the circumstances take the matter “out of the norm.”
(Reading: “Father Who Killed Daughter Is Freed,” The Guardian (United Kingdom), 6/9/01)
politics
CATHOLIC PRO-ABORTION ELECTED OFFICIALS: An interesting quote appears in the Code of Canon Law that bears repeating. Canon 915 states: “Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”
(Reading: Code of Canon Law, Canon 915)
population control
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL: Rotary International has partnered with the UN Population Fund to solve the “population explosion.” In August 2000, they published articles supporting “family planning” as a solution (see Communique, 9/22/00). Also see the 1997 Rotary International fellowship touted by the UNFPA
(Reading: “Rotary and UN Unite to Tackle Overpopulation,” Associated Press, 6/7/01)
web news
SANGER, EUGENICS AND MORE: Visit Inkling Books for details on ordering a recent reprint of “The Pivot of Civilization” by Margaret Sanger, and “Eugenics and Other Evils” by Chesterton. (“The Pivot of Civilization” is available online.)
zinger
PRO-LIFE ACTIVISM OPPOSED BY STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: As Missionaries to the Preborn bring their six-foot tall pictures of aborted babies to the streets of Bozeman, Montana, the local media quoted both NARAL and Montana Right to Life as opposing the life-saving operation. It is reported that more than 50 pro-lifers lined the streets with posters reading: “Warning, Planned Parenthood Atrocities Displayed Ahead.”
(Reading: “Local Pro-life Group Decries Extremist Anti-abortion Tour,” The [Helena, Montana] Independent Record, 6/9/01)
reflection for prayer
IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH (50 – 117 AD):
Our task is not producing persuasive propaganda; Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world.