8/24/01
in this issue
abortion: CURETTAGE FOLLOWING MIFEPRISTONE, POSTABORTAL
ABORTION abortion
CURETTAGE FOLLOWING MIFEPRISTONE (RU-486): Researchers studied
women who underwent curettage after a medical abortion that was conducted
using mifepristone and vaginal misoprostol. Among the 4,393 women enrolled
in two studies, surgical intervention to abort was found to be "rare"
among these women, less than 100 in all. However, the researchers point
out that using "this medical abortion regimen in broader practice settings
may result in higher curettage rates with more varied indications than
reported here." Hedging!
(Reading: "Curettage after mifepristone-induced abortion: frequency,
timing and indications," Obstetrics and Gynecology,
7/01, pp. 101-106, subscription only)
POSTABORTAL ABORTION: Denying that IUDs, Norplant and similar
methods cause early abortion, researchers found that among the 150 Turkish
women who follow surgical abortion with a form of birth control few
experience immediate pregnancies or problems. Of interest: "At the time of
abortion, women are highly motivated to start an effective method of
contraception [sic], and they are inclined to discontinue their previous
method, which has failed."
(Reading: "Immediate postabortal contraception with the levonorgestrel
intrauterine device, Norplant and traditional methods," Contraception, 63 (2001)
309-314, members only)
adolescents
DATING VIOLENCE: Researchers found that 9th through 12th grade
girls "who report a history of experiencing dating violence are more
likely to exhibit other serious health risk behaviors" such as smoking,
drug abuse, binge drinking, and risky sexual behavior.
(Reading: "Dating
violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy
weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality,"
Journal of the American Medical Association, 8/1/01, pp. 572-579,
abstract)
birth control and health insurance
WASHINGTON STATE: Twelve health insurance carriers in Washington
State were surveyed; 75% of customers covered did not have contraceptive
coverage, 37% did not have sterilization coverage and 98% were not covered
for infertility treatment.
(Reading: "Reproductive and
sexual health benefits in private health insurance plans in Washington
State," Family Planning Perspectives, 7/8/01, pp. 153-160, 179)
birth control pill
OVARIAN CANCER: Researchers recommend that the pill not be used
"for chemoprevention of ovarian cancer" in women who carry BRCA1 or BRCA2
mutations. In fact, the risk of ovarian cancer among such women does not
decrease if they are on the pill.
(Reading: "Parity, oral
contraceptives, and the risk of ovarian cancer among carriers and
noncarriers of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation," New England Journal of
Medicine, 7/26/01, pp. 235-240, abstract)
congress
RIGHT TO LIFE ACT OF 2001: Senators Bob Smith, Jesse Helms and Sam
Brownback introduced S. 1373, a bill "to protect the right to life of each
born and preborn human person in existence at fertilization." For a copy
of the bill see Library of Congress
and search by bill number. Will your member of the U. S. House of
Representatives introduce this bill in the House? Is he or she truly
pro-life?
elder abuse
UNDERTREATING PAIN: Arguing that Dr. Wing Chin made their father
suffer terribly due to undertreatment of pain, the children of deceased
William Bergman were awarded a $1.5 million settlement in an elder abuse
case in California.
(Reading: "Doctor
guilty of elder abuse for undertreating pain," American Medical News,
7/23/01)
morning after abortion pills
ACCESS: Researchers studied the provision of morning-after abortion
pills by pharmacies in the state of Washington and insist that "women's
access to emergency contraception can reduce unintended pregnancies and
abortion."
COMMENT: That's because the regimen kills human beings on their way to
implanting in their mothers' wombs and thus ends those unintended
pregnancies by abortion.
(Reading: "Increasing access
to emergency contraception through community pharmacies: lessons from
Washington State," Family Planning Perspectives, 7-8/01, pp. 172-175)
planned parenthood
GOES TO SUMMER CAMP: New Jersey pro-life activists have exposed the
activities of a local Planned Parenthood which was teaching children ages
5-12 "about self esteem" during day camp. One citizen participant at a
Housing Authority meeting stated, "How can we, as parents, trust our
children to an organization whose primary agenda is to aggressively pursue
nullifying parents' rights and undermining parental authority?"
(Reading: "Camp class
under fire," Asbury Park Press, 8/16/01; for information on stopping
Planned Parenthood see STOPP)
reflection for prayer
2 TIMOTHY 1:7-8: Out of deep love for Timothy and respect for his
gift of faith, St. Paul writes to him:
"I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you
when I laid my hands on you. God's gift was not a spirit of timidity, but
the spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be
ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his
prisoner, but with me bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News,
relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy --
not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and
by his own grace."
ask the president
WHY THE SILENCE? Re: human embryonic stem cell research
(a) Can an embryonic stem cell be coaxed into becoming a human embryo?
(b) Is human embryonic stem cell research on existing stem cell lines
going to allow human cloning?
EXCERPT FROM:"Analysis: Parts I and II: Stem Cells that Become
Embryos: Implications for the NIH Guidelines on Stem Cell Research, the
NIH Stem Cell Report, Informed Consent, and Patient Safety in Clinical
Trials" by Dianne N. Irving, M.A., Ph.D. (July 22, 2001).
The analysis is currently under peer review. Dr. Irving wrote the
analysis as a fellow of the Linacre Institute (CMA), consultant for the
Catholic Medical Association (USA), and consultant for the International
Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC), in issues relating to
human embryology and human embryo research.
Three things should be noted from these direct quotations from the
human embryology textbooks. First, the tendency of separated individual
cells-or even separated groups of cells-to undergo "regulation" and
become whole embryos themselves is a natural tendency or property
inherent in these separated cells or groups of cells. Second, this
ability to "heal" and form new living embryos applies not only to the
earliest embryo (e.g., from the 2-16 cell stage embryo which involves
"blastomere separation"), but also to the embryo at the blastocyst stage
(5-7 days post-fertilization which involves "blastocyst-splitting"), as
well as to the bilaminar embryo, which has already implanted (up to 16
days post fertilization). Third, virtually all of these stages of the
early human embryo-from fertilization to just before the formation of
the mesoderm (gastrulation)-are included in the definition of
"pluripotent" as found in both the NIH guidelines and the NIH stem cell
report. These objective scientific facts are also known by IVF
researchers and clinicians, who consider exploiting this natural
"healing" tendency in order to produce more embryos for cultivation,
implantation and research purposes...
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