5/30/01
in this issue:
catholics: PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS catholics
PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS: Catholics United for the Faith has issued
a position paper on elected officials who support abortion. The paper
points out, "despite their apparent knowledge of the Church's teaching on
abortion and the frequent admonitions of the U.S. bishops, there are
Catholic lawmakers who believe they can systematically block attempts to
protect human life on Friday and worthily receive Holy Communion on
Sunday. This duplicity has the ostensible blessing of the Church to the
extent this situation is permitted to continue unabated." The document
cites the need for punishment as described in Canon 1371 and affirmed by
Pope John Paul II in Ad Tuendam Fidem (To Defend the Faith).
(Reading: "Position Paper of
Catholics United for the Faith on Addressing the Problem of Catholic
Politicians Who Publicly Advocate Abortion Rights," Lay Witness, 4/01)
catholic health insurance
MAKING IT RIGHT: "How One
Diocese Cleaned Up Health Insurance," by Bishop Robert F. Vasa, can be
reviewed online.
cloning
DEFECTS ABOUND: Researchers at Advanced Cell Technology have
revealed concerns about defects in animal clones including enlarged
tongues, squashed faces, bad kidneys and so on. As one scientist
explained, "Serious problems have happened in all five species cloned so
far, and all are mammals, so of course it's going to happen in humans."
(Reading: "Cloning
'Has to Do Better on Animal Welfare,'" Daily Telegraph, 5/17/01;
"Human Cloning Bid Stirs Experts' Anger," Washington Post, 3/6/01, online
with paid subscription)
"contraception"
RISKS: The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public
Health released a study showing that the use of contraception (hormonal
and barrier) does not reduce a woman's risk of pelvic inflammatory
disease.
(Reading: "Pitt
Study Finds Contraceptives Offer Women No Protection from Pelvic
Inflammatory Disease," University of Pittsburgh news release, 5/01)
food and drug administration
INTEGRITY QUESTIONED: Richard Horton, in a stinging editorial in
The Lancet, argues that the FDA's integrity has been eroded because of the
alleged financial payoff it receives from the drug industry.
(Reading: "Lancet
Questions FDA Integrity, Claiming Drug Industry Influence," Reuters
Health, 5/17/01; "Lotronex and the FDA: A Fatal Erosion of Integrity," The Lancet, 5/19/01, p. 1544, paid
subscription only)
hemlock
NEWS UPDATE: Peter Singer, eugenicist of Princeton, has an article
in the most recent "Hemlock TimeLines." Also, Mary Grove writes about
"Deliverance by Dehydration," and the update on Jack Kevorkian comes
complete with an address for sending him mail.
(Reading: The Hemlock TimeLines,
Spring 2001)
in vitro fertilization
EUGENICS TECHNOLOGY: American researchers are convinced that
technology will one day be able to test embryos for genetic flaws through
a mechanized process, rendering current methods of pre-implantation
genetic diagnosis obsolete. Ethical concerns regarding "genetic diversity"
have been raised.
COMMENT: Another reason why in vitro fertilization must be
banned.
(Reading: "Promise
of Production-line Embryos," BBC News, 5/23/01)
morning after abortion pills
FACTS: The American Medical News published a definitive letter
regarding the recommendation of the AMA to make the MAAPs available over
the counter. Concerned that women will not be advised of the mechanism of
action of these pills, Stewart Jennings, M.D. of Richmond, Va., writes,
"The term 'emergency contraception' actually may be a misnomer since, by
definition, 'contraception' is the prevention of conception. Emergency
contraception, especially if used 24 to 72 hours after intercourse, may in
fact (depending on the timing of ovulation relative to the use of the
drug) prevent implantation after conception has occurred. This would be
more accurately termed 'interception' and may also be considered abortion
by those who believe life to begin at conception."
COMMENT: Anyone with an understanding of Biology 101 knows that
a human being begins at conception; these pills will abort the person
whose life has already begun.
(Reading: "Purchasers
May Not Understand OTC Emergency Contraceptives," American Medical
News, 4/16/01)
personhood
CANADIAN BISHOPS: In a public statement opposing stem cell
research, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops points out, "the
issue today is whether this most vulnerable human being will be treated
and respected as a person. ...Catholic teaching, which holds that the
embryo is a human being, maintains that the human being should be treated
as a protected as a person."
(Reading: "Response of
the Catholic Organization for Life and Family," Canadian Conference of
Catholic Bishops, 5/23/01)
PETITION TO PRESIDENT BUSH: Life Dynamics, Inc., is sponsoring a
"First Step Initiative" petition drive, calling on President Bush to
appoint a blue ribbon committee to advise the president on developing a
strategy to achieve legal protection for all persons from conception. To
learn more, see Life Dynamics, Inc.
Deadline for completion: 7/31/01.
physician-assisted suicide
DOCTORS' VIEWS: A new study reveals that while 23.5% of AMA House
of Delegates members support physician-assisted suicide, 44.5% of rank and
file physicians support the argument that it should "probably or
definitely be legal."
(Reading: "Physicians:
Leave Assisted Suicide to Doctors, Patients," American Medical News,
6/4/01)
planned parenthood
NEBRASKA: An abortionist who was forced to resign from the
University of Nebraska Medical Center because he was performing abortions
is now helping Planned Parenthood expand its "gynecological services."
(Reading: "Ex-med-center
Doctor Gets New Job," Omaha World Herald, 5/25/01; "Abortion
Blame Shouldn't Fall on UNMC," Omaha World Herald, 3/6/01)
prenatal care
REFUSED, BASED ON ROE: The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
overturned a lower court ruling and denied prenatal services to illegal
immigrants. "Relying in part on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe
v. Wade, the appeals court reasoned that it is legal to deny an unborn
child the benefits of prenatal coverage based on the mother's undocumented
status. When the high court established a woman's right to an abortion in
that pivotal case, it also found that a fetus does not have the same
rights as a person."
(Reading: "Court
Affirms Ban on Prenatal Care for Illegal Immigrants," Reuters Health,
5/23/01)
suicide
SCREENING: U. S. Surgeon General David Satcher unveiled a strategy
for identifying patients over the age of 65 at risk of committing suicide.
The program includes suicide risk screening in primary care and expanding
the "mood disorder" identification process.
(Reading: "Surgeon
General Unveils Strategy for Preventing Suicides," American Medical
News, 5/21/01)
web news
AUSTRALIA: The NSW Right to
Life Association has an excellent web site.
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: Among the anti-euthanasia materials
available on line is the new video, "To Be or
Not to Be: The Human Family," featuring terminally ill, Canadian
disability rights activist Mark Pickup.
IN VITRO FERTILIZATION: The Worldwide
Fertility Network provides a web site that identifies all centers
throughout the world specializing in the failure-plagued practice of in
vitro fertilization.
PARENTS
NETWORK: "A Child Protect Campaign" is the accurate title for this
new site featuring factual information on the pill, "safe sex vs.
abstinence" and more.
zinger
STEM CELL RESEARCH OPPONENTS - CONSISTENT? Professor Francis
Fukuyama writes of those who believe that destroying a 32-cell blastocyst
is morally equivalent to infanticide, clarifying that he personally does
not this view, but "those who accept this premise must ask themselves why
it is also legal for an in vitro fertilization clinic to destroy these
embryos, but impermissible to use them for research. Or to put it another
way, if their concern is the deliberate destruction of embryos, why are
they not bending every effort to ban in vitro fertilization altogether
rather than focusing on stem cells since the former leads to massively
greater levels of harm to embryos? Could it be that they are motivated by
a utilitarian concern that voters would never abide banning in vitro
fertilization? And if so, why not concede the utilitarian interest we all
have in future stem cell research?"
COMMENT: Well said, Professor. In vitro fertilization must be banned!
(Reading: "Separating Good Biotech from Bad," Wall Street Journal,
5/23/01; available on the web only with subscription)
reflection for prayer
THOMAS A KEMPIS: Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 7, Section 5,
on adversity and tribulation:
Such a trial is oftentimes more profitable than if thou wert always to
have prosperity according to thy will.
For a man's merits are not to be estimated by his having many visions
or consolations, nor by his knowledge of the Scriptures, nor by his being
placed in a more elevated station.
But by his being grounded in true humility and replenished with divine
charity; by his seeking always purely and entirely the honor of God; by
his esteeming himself as nothing and sincerely despising himself, and
being better pleased to be despised and humbled by others than to be the
object of their esteem.
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