3/15/02
in this issue:
activism: ALABAMA activism
ALABAMA: Sales are going slowly in the latest state to offer
"Choose Life" license plates. But Alabama pro-lifers say cost may be a
factor. The specialty plates are $50 more expensive than the basic
license. So far, only 133 have been ordered. The state will not start
issuing the plates until it receives a minimum of 1,000 orders.
(Reading: "Abortion
foes seek orders for Alabama's 'Choose Life' tag," Associated Press,
3/11/02)
human cloning
DUELING LEGISLATION: Congress is considering several bills related
to human cloning. S.1758, sponsored by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) is
called the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001. S.1893, sponsored by
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), is called the Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell
Research Protection Act of 2002. Despite what the titles might imply, both
of these bills both promote a "clone and kill" option that would let
researchers clone human embryos for experimentation, with the proviso that
the embryos will not be implanted in a woman's uterus and allowed to
develop.
A third bill, S.1899, sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), is also
called the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001. The Brownback bill would
ban "human asexual reproduction, accomplished by introducing nuclear
material from one or more human somatic cells into a fertilized or
unfertilized oocyte whose nuclear material has been removed or inactivated
so as to produce a living organism (at any stage of development)."
(Reading: "Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001," S.1758; "Human
Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Research Protection Act of 2002," S.1893; "Human
Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001," S.1899; go to US Senate and search by bill number)
FLORIDA: On a 70-42 vote, the state House okayed HB805,
a bill described as a total ban on human cloning. Human cloning would be a
felony punishable by 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. One
lawmaker is wary of the bill because she believes that as written, it
could also ban in vitro fertilization. Opponents say the bill goes too far
by banning so-called therapeutic cloning, that is, the "clone and kill"
option described in the previous item.
(Reading: "House
passes bill banning cloning," South Florida Sun Sentinel, 3/13/02)
morning-after abortion pill
ARGENTINA: So-called emergency contraception is now forbidden in
Argentina, thanks to a ruling from that nation's supreme court. The
morning-after abortion pill had been allowed in Argentina for more than
five years. But the court ruled that it is, in fact abortion. According to
a BBC report, "The judges defined human life as beginning at the moment of
fertilization, rejecting a previous interpretation that life is created
when the embryo reaches the uterus."
(Reading: "Day-after
pill outlawed in Argentina," BBC News, 3/6/02)
UNITED STATES: The Congressional "Pro-Choice Caucus" is pushing
a plan that would earmark $10 million in taxpayer funds each year for the
next five years for promoting "emergency contraception." The bill (S.1990
-- go to Library of Congress and
search by bill number) claims this regimen "prevents pregnancy, by
preventing ovulation, fertilization of an egg, or implantation of an egg
in a uterus."
COMMENT: It is not implantation of an "egg" which the morning-after
abortion pill inhibits, but the implantation of a living human embryo.
This action kills the child. Apparently, the Argentine supreme court can
easily understand simple biology, but certain members of the US Congress
cannot.
(Reading: "Bill
seeks to boost 'morning after pill' use in US," Reuters Health,
3/6/02)
pill bill
MASSACHUSETTS: Even pro-life groups could be forced to cover birth
control pills in their employee health programs under a bill signed by
Gov. Jane Swift. Marie Sturgiss of Massachusetts Citizens for Life noted,
"Here we are a pro-life group against abortion and we're going to be
forced to have this very thing provided for in our health plans for our
employees. That's how ludicrous this thing is." Sturgiss's group opposed
the bill because it would require coverage for "contraceptives that are
known abortifacients."
(Reading: "New
law forces pro-life groups to pay for contraceptives," Cybercast News
Service, 3/8/02)
planned parenthood
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Planned Parenthood's new Manchester office is now
open. Pro-lifers had convinced city government to reject building permits,
but Planned Parenthood sued and prevailed in both state and federal court.
A Planned Parenthood spokesman said abortions are not being done at the
new "state of the art facility." But she hinted that one day that could
change: "When you think of comprehensive reproductive health care
services, they do include abortions."
(Reading: "Planned
Parenthood opens clinic doors," Manchester Union Leader, 3/13/02)
NEW YORK: "I'm so proud of what we're doing," said Shelley D.
Stuchell of Planned Parenthood of Niagara County, New York, after her
facility began offering first-trimester abortions. Pro-lifers are planning
a Good Friday prayer service outside the clinic on March 29.
(Reading: "Reproductive
issues rise anew," Buffalo News, 3/10/02)
RHETORIC: Planned Parenthood Federation of America is actively
campaigning against Federal Judge Charles Pickering's nomination to serve
on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. A Planned Parenthood action alert
reads: "Judge Pickering's record reveals deep-rooted opposition to
reproductive rights and hostility toward other civil rights. Judge
Pickering poses a clear and present danger to all people's participation
in the economic, social and political life of our nation."
(Reading: "Oppose
the nomination of anti-choice Judge Charles Pickering!" Planned
Parenthood Action Center)
ru-486
ROUSSEL GUILTY: A federal judge in Maryland has ordered the French
pharmaceutical firm Roussel Uclaf, pioneer of the RU-486 abortion pill, to
pay a $33 million fine. According to the Food and Drug Administration,
Roussel pleaded guilty to charges of "conspiracy and introducing
adulterated drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or
mislead." The case involved cefaclor, an antibiotic. "Some of the
essential ingredients used to manufacture cefaclor were obtained from
unapproved sources," according to the FDA report.
(Reading: "Foreign drug firm
pleads guilty to felony charges," FDA Consumer, 1-2/02)
reminder
WORLD FAMILY CONFERENCE: Plans are unfolding for American Life
League's next Celebration of Life World Family Conference, scheduled for
July 10-14 in New Orleans. Speakers include former ambassador Alan Keyes,
Life Dynamics founder Mark Crutcher and Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss.
Conference outlines and registration information may be found online.
reflection for prayer
ROMANS 12:1: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God,
dedicated to his service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship
that you should offer.
©2002 American Life League, Inc.
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