in this issue:
hot button issues: POST-ELECTION ANALYSIS / TOWARDS LONG-TERM VICTORY
action alert: PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDED
catholic bishops: OLMSTED
condoms: HYPE
stem cell research / battling on: MISSOURI
stem cell research / ethical: BREAST TISSUE REGENERATION / LUNG CELLS FROM CORD BLOOD
zinger: IT’S ALL ABOUT ME
reflection for prayer: ST. LEO THE GREAT
hot button issues
POST-ELECTION ANALYSIS: ALL’s Judie Brown writes, “I reflect on the 2006 elections and have a different take than most. I do not see the results in South Dakota and Missouri as a problem or a defeat; they are opportunities. They are chances for all of us to get with the program and recall a simple fact: The work we do is work for God Himself. Our work is about babies.
(Reading: “2006 election: It’s the babies, stupid,” American Life League, 11/8/06)
TOWARDS LONG-TERM VICTORY: Come to Washington, D.C. for the very special conference being hosted by American Life League and ALL’s Rock for Life. Get details now online so you can be part of the pro-active pro-life future.
action alert
PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDED: Your comments on what cell lines will be used in the future for the manufacture of vaccines is being requested by the Food and Drug Administration. Don’t miss this golden opportunity to make your voice heard and demand ethical vaccines, not vaccines manufactured using the cells of aborted babies.
ACTION: Find suggested letter writing tips online and spread the word with facts.
catholic bishops
OLMSTED: The Diocese of Phoenix’s newspaper, the Catholic Sun, is asking faithful Catholics to pressure the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to stop funding cancer screening at Planned Parenthood clinics. The diocese argues that even though the funding is earmarked for cancer screening, it indirectly contributes to the Planned Parenthood’s pro-abortion advocacy.
ACTION: Thank “>Bishop Thomas Olmsted; thank the editor of the “>Catholic Sun.
(Reading: “Phoenix diocese calls for end to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation funding of abortion,” Catholic Sun, 11/3/06)
condoms
HYPE: A former religious brother who is now a reporter opines that the Vatican is examining the question of condoms because the Catholic Church may amend its prohibition on birth control to permit the use of condoms when a spouse has contracted the HIV virus. He writes, “Benedict’s choice is a difficult one: Retain Humanae Vitae’s absolute no-never and preserve the traditional ban on contraception, or shift to a relative yes-sometimes.”
(Reading: “Will the Vatican change course on condoms?” Los Angeles Times, 11/6/06)
stem cell research / battling on
MISSOURI: The bad news is that pro-life stalwarts lost their bid to stop human cloning by a mere 4,700 votes. The good news is that strategy for undoing the deceptive constitutional amendment in that state is well underway.
(Reading: “Stem cell opponents to continue seeking restrictions in Missouri,” Associated Press, 11/8/06)
stem cell research / ethical
BREAST TISSUE REGENERATION: University of Pittsburgh researchers are working on the development of a technique that could put an end to reconstructive surgery after women have a breast removed due to breast cancer. The basis for the research is the use of the patient’s fat tissue stem cells.
(Reading: “Stem cells in regeneration of breast tissue in cancer patients,” MedIndia, 10/30/06)
LUNG CELLS FROM CORD BLOOD: University of Minnesota researchers have coaxed umbilical cord blood stem cells to differentiate into a type of lung cell. “In the future, we may be able to examine cord blood from babies who have lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, to do more research to understand how these diseases evolve as well as to develop better medical treatments.”
(Reading: “U of MN researchers turn cord blood into lung cells,” University of Minnesota news release, 11/1/06)
zinger
IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: A catholic woman from Jefferson City, Missouri voted in favor of human embryonic stem cell research and told the media, “I’ve had several family members that have had debilitating illnesses. It goes against my Church, but to eliminate pain in my life, I thought it was worth it.”
COMMENT: Now there’s a confused Catholic for you!
(Reading: “Ballot measure losses jolt the religious right,” Associated Press, 11/8/06)
reflection for prayer
ST. LEO THE GREAT: Whether we fight against the ambition of the world, against the desires of the flesh, or against the darts of heretics, we are always armed with the Lord’s cross.