in this issue:
abortion: CHILDREN’S RIGHTS, HARD TRUTH ON LINE
birth control pills: DEATHS, RISKS
genetic research: GENETICALLY ALTERED HUMAN BEINGS
hero: ARGENTINE ARCHBISHOP
imposed death: TEXAS
in vitro fertilization: HATCHING
morning-after abortion pills: APHA, BRITAIN, CALIFORNIA
physicians: ACOG and BABIES
planned parenthood: DANCING CONDOMS
vaccines: ANTI-PREGNANCY
web news: PHARMACISTS FOR LIFE, SECULAR HUMANISM, TEEN PRO-LIFE SITE
reflection for prayer: ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA
abortion
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS: Abortion proponent Rachel Hodgkin, quoted in a recent article, states: “There are some medical interventions, such as abortion, where it is inconceivable that doctors should be permitted to act against the expressed wishes of a ‘competent’ child of any age.” Or, any child should be able to get an abortion without parental consent or notice.
(Reading: “Should the Senate Ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child? No,” Insight, 4/16/01)
HARD TRUTH ONLINE: A visit to the Sexual Wisdom web site, created by pro-life author and physician, Richard Wetzel, M.D., now provides a special look into the truth about abortion and “contraception,” and the opportunity to view the hard-hitting video, “The Hard Truth.”
birth control pills
DEATHS: A New Zealand magazine reports the story of 23-year-old Laney Whitchelo, who was walking down the aisle to be married when she collapsed and subsequently died of blood clots on the lungs. Her parents attributed her death to the birth control pills she was taking, based on autopsy findings. Laney’s father said during the interview that as a teacher he had witnessed the death of one of his students, a death also attributed to the pill.
(Reading: “Forever a Bride,” New Idea, 3/24/01, p. 14-17, story available from ALL via postal mail; “Young Bride Died on Way to Altar,” 12/7/00, The Dominion [New Zealand])
RISKS: (see Communique 4/27/01) Reports that Wyeth allegedly suppressed research on the pill are further documented by this statement: “observers have noticed a continued discrepancy between industry sponsored surveys of the side effects of third generation pills and the research findings of independent scientists.” It is further documented that sixteen major studies on the safety of the third generation birth control pill presented a variety of findings. “The 12 independent studies found evidence of increased risks, while the four industry sponsored studies did not.”
(Reading: “Research on Third Generation Pill Remains Unpublished,” British Medical Journal, 5/5/01; “Wyeth Suppresses Research on Pill, Programme Claims,” British Medical Journal, 5/10/01; “Pitfalls of Pharmacoepidemiology,” British Medical Journal, 11/11/00)
genetic research
GENETICALLY ALTERED HUMAN BEINGS: Researchers at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St. Barnabas in New Jersey have genetically manipulated at least 30 children who have been born, and have “genetic fingerprints” that contain a small quantity of additional genes from someone OTHER THAN either of their parents. It is alleged that “the additional genes were taken from a healthy donor and used to overcome maternal fertility problems,” but ethical scientists argue that such genetic manipulation is pure, unadulterated eugenics. Pro-abortion researcher and eugenicist R.G. Gosden called attention to safety concerns regarding future children due to “stray chromosomes.”
(Reading: “Ethicists Attack Infertility Treatment,” Star-Ledger (New Jersey), 5/6/01; “World’s First Genetically Altered Babies Born,” 5/4/01; “The Role of Cytoplasmic Transfer,” The First World Congress On Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, Prague, Czech Republic, 1999)
hero
ARGENTINE ARCHBISHOP: Archbishop Estanislao Karlic, president of the Argentine Bishops Conference, responding to a new birth control law, said “Laws must be in accordance with the well-being of the human person, that is the key condition for a law to be respected. … If the law goes directly against true values then it is not a law, since an unjust law just ceases to exist.” The archbishop called for “the natural disobedience paid to a law that is no such thing.”
(Reading: “Argentine Archbishop Calls on Catholics to Disobey New Law,” Catholic World News, 4/24/01; e-mail Archbishop Karlic through the Conferencia Episcopal Argentina web site)
imposed death
TEXAS: A judge has approved the exhumation of the bodies of 12 people who died suspiciously while patients at Nocona General Hospital. A two-fold increase in the rate of patient deaths lead to this most recent action, though no one has been arrested in the case.
(Reading: “12 Bodies to Be Exhumed in Texas,” Associated Press, 5/3/01; “Mysterious Deaths at North Texas Hospital“, 3/31/01, WFAA news)
in vitro fertilization
HATCHING: Researchers are examining ways to improve pregnancy rates by transferring only those embryonic persons who are actual blastocysts; a process labeled “hatching.” Father Joseph Howard Jr., director of the American Bioethics Advisory Commission, comments, “What they have done here is use IVF to generate human embryos. Since there is a correlation between successful continued development of a human embryo with hatching (thinning of the zona pellucida), they are selectively killing those embryonic persons who do not demonstrate hatching and are “pursuing” only those embryonic lives which show evidence of hatching. Hence, they talk about zygotes or embryos of a “good-quality” on day 2. This is nothing more than selective killing based on eugenics of so-called “preferred or good quality” embryos. Since the success rate of IVF is so poor, this is but another utilitarian technique designed to do anything and everything to get one life birth at the cost of numerous human embryonic lives which are destroyed. (NOTE:A human zygote is a human embryo who is a human individual, a human being, a human person — all one and inseparable.)”
(Reading: “High Implantation and Pregnancy Rates with Transfer of Human Hatching Day 6 Blastocysts,” Fertility and Sterility, 4/4/01, p. 832, paid subscribers only; analysis by Father Joseph Howard, Jr., for IVF insights by Father Howard, see “In Vitro Fertilization, Biological Mammalian Cloning, The Current Status of the Human Genome Project, and Gene Therapy: Reflections of the Pontifical Academy of Science)
morning-after abortion pills
APHA: The American Public Health Association says, “Emergency contraceptive pills could substantially decrease the number — more than 1 million — of unplanned pregnancies in the United States every year.”
COMMENT: While APHA claims these pills would decrease the number of abortions, they fail to admit that a human person exists at conception. Thus the pills cause even more abortions!
(Reading: APHA Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health Section Newsletter, Spring 2001.)
BRITAIN: The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, Britain’s most well established pro-life organization, is asking the Courts to halt sales of the morning-after pill, currently approved to be marketed by pharmacists to patients as young as 16 with a prescription.
(Reading: “Pro-Life Groups in the UK Have Warmly Welcomed SPUC’s Victory,” SPUC news release, 5/3/01)
CALIFORNIA: The California Family Health Council, which distributes federal family planning dollars in the state, has overruled the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors’ decision to ban the morning-after abortion pill regimen. The federal Department of Health and Human Services could intervene, and pro-lifers are watching to see how Secretary Thompson responds since the board action was a deliberate attempt to ignore state and federal law.
ACTION ITEM: You can e-mail your comments of support directly to each member of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
(Reading: “Board Rebuffed in Its Effort to Ban Morning-after Pill,” Los Angeles Times, 5/4/01; for clinical facts on the morning-after abortion regimen and how it works, see Morning After Pill and Emergency Contraception: The Morning-After Pill)
physicians
ACOG and BABIES: The pro-abortion American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has called for immediate action stating that the nation’s ob-gyns can “help cut the nation’s rate of unintended pregnancies and abortions by offering advance prescriptions for emergency oral contraceptives during women’s routine gynecological visits.” The same legislative alert to members of ACOG supports the repeal of the Bush Mexico City Policy. ACOG does not note the abortion action of the misnamed emergency oral “contraceptives.”
(Reading: ACOG Key Contact Legislative News, 5/4/01)
planned parenthood
DANCING CONDOMS: News reports that Planned Parenthood Federation received the “Webby” award for their web site, “Teen Wire” pale in comparison to the actual message found on the parent site, which depicts a dancing condom, and promotes their new condom which they claim will undersell other brands and generate an anticipated $25 million annually. Planned Parenthood fails to provide information to potential customers on condom failure rates which are well documented.
(Reading: “New Planned Parenthood Condoms Are Risky,” STOPP news release, 4/25/01; see the dancing condom at Planned Parenthood web site)
vaccines
ANTI-PREGNANCY: Dr. John Herr at the University of Virginia is “carrying out research on something called ‘recombinant gamete contraceptive vaccinogens.’ What Herr hopes to do, put in plain English, is develop a vaccine that will cause a woman’s body to react to sperm in the same way that it does to, say, germs. The immune response that follows will disable and destroy any sperm that enter the Fallopian tubes before they reach any egg that might be present, thus preventing conception.”
(Reading: “A Stick in Time Saves Nine,” Population Research Institute Review, 1-2/01, p. 4; background on Dr. Herr’s work at the Center for Recombinant Gamete Contraceptive Vaccinogens)
web news
PHARMACISTS FOR LIFE: A new and improved web site, and a growing number of state coordinators are two reasons to visit.
SECULAR HUMANISM: To view a site devoted to the religion of secular humanism, which denies the existence of God and places personal autonomy at the forefront of all tenets, see American Humanist Association.
TEEN PRO-LIFE WEBSITE: The first ever web site managed totally by pro-life teens can be viewed at True Abortion.
reminder
PRO-LIFE CONFERENCE: American Life League and Population Research Institute are sponsoring the first major international pro-life conference of the new millennium. A Celebration of Life World Family Conference is scheduled June 20-24 in Bloomington, Minn. The event will include a banquet honoring Fr. Paul Marx, OSB, for his lifetime of pro-life activism. For complete schedules, speaker lists and registration information, see A Celebration of Life World Family Conference or call 888-546-2580.
reflection for prayer
ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA (1347-1380 AD): From “Dialogue on Divine Providence”:
I have tasted and seen the depth of your mystery and the beauty of your creation with the light of my understanding. I have clothed myself with your likeness and have seen what I shall be. Eternal Father, you have given me a share in your power and the wisdom that Christ claims as his own, and your Holy Spirit has given me the desire to love you. You are my Creator, eternal Trinity, and I am your creature. You have made of me a new creation in the blood of your Son, and I know that you are moved with love at the beauty of your creation, for you have enlightened me.