in this issue:
associate news: KENTUCKY / WISCONSIN
birth control pills: SAFETY CONCERNS
catholic bishops: AYMOND / CHILE / HUBBARD / McMANUS / PILARCZYK / SHERIDAN
catholic politicians: NEW JERSEY
condom: PHILIPPINES
in vitro fertilization: EPIDEMIC
lifelines: A THOUGHT
morning-after abortion pills: PROPAGANDA
rhetoric: CHOICE WORDS
starvation and dehydration: WHO PAYS?
vegetative state: VATICAN
web notes: EPISCOPAL SPINE ALERT
reflection for prayer: PROVERBS 3:26
associate news
KENTUCKY: Northern Kentucky Right to Life will not endorse U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning for re-election, but instead prefers his opponent, state Sen. Barry Metcalf. Bunning brought former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, who is pro-abortion, to work on his campaign.
(Reading: “Northern Kentucky antiabortion group decides not to endorse incumbent U.S. Sen. Bunning in GOP primary,” Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 5/10/04)
WISCONSIN: Pro-Life Wisconsin has instituted a special hotline for those who seek an alternative to the morning-after abortion pill deception. It’s billed as God’s plan for innocent human life, or Plan A. The hotline number is 877-GODS-WILL (877-463-7945).
birth control pills
SAFETY CONCERNS: A recent study reveals that women who smoke or suffer from hypertension, obesity or diabetes, should take precautions as there exists a “possible small increase in the risk for breast and cervical cancer, and an increased risk of liver cancer.”
(Reading: “Safety concerns and health benefits associated with oral contraception,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, (2004)190,S5-22)
catholic bishops
AYMOND: In Austin, Texas, Bishop Gregory Aymond advised Catholic schools and pastors that scouting troops that are associated with his diocese may not in any way encourage or be involved with Planned Parenthood “or any other organization espousing similar beliefs and practices.”
(Action: send thanks to )
(Reading: “A cookie boycott and a bishop’s ban,” National Catholic Register, 5/9-15/04, p. 2)
CHILE: Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa sent a letter to every Catholic Church in Santiago, warning of the dangers of the “morning-after” pill regimen. He wrote when there is a question of human life, there cannot be an illicit act unless it is certain that no life is in jeopardy. He said, “The Church cannot be inconsistent in her teaching.” In the “shattering case of rape … the immense pain of the one who has suffered it is comprehensible.” But he said this cannot justify the elimination “of a new and innocent life that wants to be born.”
(Action: letters of thanks to Erasmo Escala 1884, Casilla 30-D Santiago or fax: (011) (2) 698 9137)
(Reading: “Even a crime doesn’t justify ‘morning-after’ pill, says cardinal,” Zenit, 5/4/04)
HUBBARD: Albany, N.Y., Bishop Howard Hubbard will not deny Communion to pro-abortion politicians who claim to be Catholic, because it is “not a helpful tactic,” according to the diocesan chancellor.
(Reading: “No ban on rite in Albany diocese,” Albany Times-Union, 5/8/04)
McMANUS: Bishop Robert McManus, bishop-elect of the Worcester, Mass., diocese, told reporters that “for a public official to say he or she is ‘personally opposed’ to an issue, such as abortion, but promote any policy that deviates from that belief, is ‘absolutely unacceptable.'”
(Reading: “Bishop elect knocks politicians,” Fitchburg [Mass.] Sentinel and Enterprise, 5/8/04)
PILARCZYK: Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati said he will wait for the recommendations of a bishops’ task force before making a decision about denying Holy Communion to pro-abortion Catholics. For now, he does not support barring them from receiving the sacrament. “We need to be very cautious about denying people the sacraments on the basis of what they say they believe, especially when those are political beliefs,” he said.
(Reading: “Interview with Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk,” National Catholic Reporter, 5/11/04)
SHERIDAN: In a pastoral letter, Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs writes, “Any Catholic politicians who advocate for abortion, for illicit stem cell research or for any form of euthanasia ipso facto place themselves outside full communion with the Church and so jeopardize their salvation. Any Catholics who vote for candidates who stand for abortion, illicit stem cell research or euthanasia suffer the same fateful consequences. It is for this reason that these Catholics, whether candidates for office or those who would vote for them, may not receive Holy Communion until they have recanted their positions and been reconciled with God and the Church in the Sacrament of Penance.”
(Reading: “A pastoral letter to the Catholic faithful,” Diocese of Colorado Springs, 5/10/04)
catholic politicians
NEW JERSEY: State senate majority leader Bernard Kenny says he’s leaving the Catholic Church. Kenny backs legal abortion and stem cell research. News reports quote Kenny as saying unnamed Church officials told him he would no longer be welcome to receive Communion.
(Reading: “Top NJ lawmaker quits Roman Catholic Church,” WINS, 5/10/04)
condom
PHILIPPINES: Human Rights Watch has blamed the Philippine government for a potential AIDS crisis because the government will not promote condoms. Pro-lifers respond that “any rise in the figures would not be the result of the Catholic teaching on condoms, but ‘because sexual promiscuity and downward trend of morality among Filipinos — the culture of sexual gratification, that is the main cause.'”
(Reading: “Philippine pro-lifers stand by anti-condom policy,” CNS news, 5/6/04)
in vitro fertilization
EPIDEMIC: Current practices in the IVF technology field reveal an “epidemic of multiple gestations.” A conclusion is “the current inevitability of multiple births can no longer be accepted.”
COMMENT: The writer recommends transferring only one or two embryos at the most. One can conclude that only the “best” one would be chosen, leaving the fate of the “unused” human beings in whose hands?
(Reading: “The multiple gestation epidemic: the role of the assisted reproductive technologies,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, (2004)190:894-898)
lifelines
A THOUGHT: Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.
morning-after abortion pills
PROPAGANDA: Researchers claim the morning-after pill regimen is “an underused therapeutic option” for women who have “unprotected sexual intercourse.” They argue that pill use would decrease the abortion rate, and do not admit that the pills cause abortion during the human being’s first week of life. They further argue that “ECPs [emergency contraceptive pills] are associated with financial and psychological advantages that benefit both the individual patient and society at large.”
(Reading: “The role of emergency contraception,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,” (2004)190:S30-8)
rhetoric
CHOICE WORDS: Francis J. Beckwith, Ph.D., has written an interesting article about the new pro-life sloganeering that focuses on women, and the possible downside to such tactics.
(Reading: “Choice words: A critique of the new pro-life rhetoric,” Touchstone, 1-2/04)
starvation and dehydration
WHO PAYS? Barbara Olevitch, Ph.D., has written a stunning article on the arguments against withdrawing nutrition and hydration from a patient. She writes, “How will we know when our experiment of allowing starvation and dehydration to have the status of just another government-sponsored health care choice has gone too far? When will it be time to make a U-turn and change gears so we can climb back up the slippery slope? When cases come along that cause outrage? That has already happened. When the pope says our practices are euthanasia? That, too, has already happened.”
(Reading: “Starvation and dehydration: Who pays?” Catholic Exchange, 5/10/04)
vegetative state
VATICAN: A joint statement issued by the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations and the Pontifical Academy of Life notes: vegetative state “patients cannot be considered as ‘burdens’ for society; rather, they should be viewed as a “‘challenge’ to implement new and more effective models of health care and of social solidarity.”
(Reading: “Joint statement on the vegetative state,” L’Osservatore Romano, 4/28/04)
web notes
EPISCOPAL SPINE ALERT: A new web log tracks “the evidence and evolution of backbones among contemporary Catholic clergy.”
reflection for prayer
PROVERBS 3:26: For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare.