WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- Randall Terry and other pro- life advocates will take a 13-city, 7-state tour against child-killing in the "healthcare" bill from Nov. 23 through Dec. 4, 2009. They will hold rallies, prote Image via Wikipedia Mr. Randall Terry states: "We are calling on Democratic Senators to make sure this is clear wording in the Senate bill which would prohibit tax- payer monies being used to kill children; we are calling on Republican Senators to filibuster the bill." Also, there will be a stop at Notre Dame University to call upon Fr. Jenkins to drop the charges against Fr. Norman Weslin and Norma McCorvey. Both were arrested while protesting Obama speaking at graduation this spring. What: Randall Terry and other pro-life advocates will take a 13-city, 7-state tour against child-killing in the "healthcare" bill. They will hold rallies, protests, and press conferences and will perform skits. Who: Mr. Randall Terry and Fr. Norman Weslin (for several cities) and other pro-life advocates When: Monday November 23 through Friday Dec 4, 2009 Where: Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Indianapolis, Indiana; Omaha, Lincoln, and Kearney, Nebraska; Topeka, Kansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Granite City and Highland, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Monday 11/23
CHOOSE LIFE!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Randall Terry and Team to Go on 13-City Tour to Fight Health Care Bill
U.S. Government Grants Guo Feixiong's Family Political Asylum
MIDLAND, Texas, Nov. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- On November 10, 2009, the U.S. government confirmed political asylum status for the wife and two children of Chinese legal advocate Guo Feixiong. The law firm handling the case was notified on November 19, and they shared the good news with the family. Guo's wife, Zhang Qing, expressed joy and gratitude over the decision, having escaped from China this February with teenage daughter, Yang Tianjiao, and 8-year-old son, Yang Tiance.
Guo Feixiong is considered by many to be China's "Number Two" legal advocate, second only to human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng. Guo (birth name Yang Maodong) has suffered intense persecution and physical torture for his human rights legal defense work. He is currently serving a 5-year sentence in Meizhou Detention Center in Guangdong for his political activism. Learn more about Guo Feixiong at ChinaView.com.
Guo's wife, Zhang Qing, became a political target herself in 2007, when she issued 10 open letters appealing for Guo Feixiong's release to American and Chinese leaders--including President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, U.S. President Bush, and the U.S. Congress. (Read Zhang Qing's Open Letter to President Bush). Facing constant police surveillance and increasing danger, Zhang Qing knew the family would have to leave China.
In February, 2009, Zhang Qing fled with her children to Bangkok, Thailand, sending an appeal for political refugee status to the UN High Commission on Refugees. The UNHCR denied her request on March 19, because her case was not considered "under the UNHCR's mandate."
Aware of the Guo family's dangerous situation, ChinaAid President Bob Fu flew to Thailand to mediate and to speak to the UNHCR office in person. He addressed the Guo family's request to the Obama Administration prior to leaving the U.S. When the Obama Administration decided not to activate the special procedure allowing the Guo family to be extradited without UN approval, Bob Fu helped the Guo family flee to the United States. Zhang Qing and her two children arrived safely on American soil on April 7, 2009.
With the support of many NGOs, churches, individuals, and a strong legal team, the Guo family's asylum case processed smoothly in a little over 7 months. Barred from attending public school in China, the two children now attend a private school in Midland, Texas. Zhang Qing will now also be permitted to work under her new asylum status. She prays that one day, husband and father Guo will join them safely in the United States.
Read the full report at www.ChinaAid.org.
ChinaAid grants permission to reproduce photos and/or information for non-fundraising purposes, with the provision that www.ChinaAid.org is credited. Please contact: Annee@ChinaAid.org with questions or requests for further information.
Senate Poised to Advance Majority Leader Reid's Anti-Life Bill
AUL Action Campaign: Vote NO on Cloture
"This bill provides for unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. Real health care respects life, not ends it." -- Charmaine Yoest
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- At 8:00 p.m. tonight, the Senate is expected to vote on cloture on the Motion to Proceed to debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's pro-abortion health care bill. Sixty Senators' votes are needed for the bill to move forward. While this vote has been touted by pro-abortion lawmakers as merely "procedural" in nature, according to the Congressional Research Service, over 97% of bills that require a cloture vote to begin debate ultimately pass the Senate.
Americans United for Life Action President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said, "Senator Reid's bill provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally- funded abortion. The majority of Americans who oppose federal funding of abortion will not stand for policies that force them into paying for abortions under the guise of health care reform."
Senator Reid's health care bill contains five major threats to life:
- Allows the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions through the public option.
- Creates new federally-funded subsidies for private health plans that cover abortion.
- Requires every insurance market to include a private plan that covers abortion.
- Fails to sufficiently protect health care entities from discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.
- Fails to prohibit federal funding of assisted suicide.
Dr. Yoest continued, "The Reid language in the new Senate health care bill is not the Stupak-Pitts language barring federal funds from going to abortion in health care. It is the opposite of the pro-life Stupak- Pitts language. The U.S. Senate must stop this bill from moving forward by voting no on cloture on this anti-life health care bill."
AUL Action Staff Counsel Mary Harned said, "A vote for this motion equals a vote for the anti-life bill. Right now, the bill lacks the strong Stupak-Pitts Amendment language that was added to the House health care reform bill. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment mirrors the Hyde Amendment, in that it prohibits federal dollars from paying for elective abortions or subsidizing insurance plans that cover elective abortions."
Americans United for Life Action will score the vote tonight on cloture as a pro-abortion vote in their annual scorecard. To go to AULA's score letter:blog.aulaction.org/wp- content/uploads/2009/11/Score.pdf
To go to AUL's analysis of the abortion-related provisions in the Senate health bill: blog.aul.org/2009/11/19/reid-releases-pro- abortion-health-care-bill/
AUL Action spokespersons Dr. Charmaine Yoest (President and CEO) and Mary Harned (Staff Counsel) are available for interviews and debates on the threats to life in the U.S. Senate health care bill.
Americans United for Life Action is the legislative arm of Americans United for Life, the first national pro-life organization in America. In 1980, AUL successfully defended the Hyde Amendment before the U.S. Supreme Court in Harris v. McRae. Visit AUL Action's RealHealthCareRespectsLife.com, for background from our legal team about the current health care reform bills threat to the right to life and rights of conscience.
LifeSiteNews.com - NewsBytes US Health Care Reform
LSN NewsBytes - US Health Care Reform
* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information.
Compiled by Steve Jalsevac
Obamacare: Senate Version is Assisted Suicide Friendly! - Wesley J. Smith
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/19/obamacare-senate-version-is-assisted-suicide-friendly/
Expert Explains Upcoming Battle Over Pro-Abortion Senate Health Care Bill
Catholic political analyst, Deal Hudson, said yesterday that pro-life forces will face an uphill battle over the health care bill expected to reach its peak of discussion in the Senate over the weekend. Hudson explained to CNA that the bill can be prevented from going to the floor for debate if 41 senators oppose the cloture. He added that reaching this number is possible making Saturday a day that will be "very dramatic."
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17779
CBO: By 2019, Taxpayers Will Pay $196 Billion A Year for Obamacare, But 24 Million People Will Remain Uninsured
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/57454
The $100 Million Vote: Harry Reid Woos Skeptical Democrats
On page 432 of the Senate bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for "certain states recovering from a major disaster." ABC News has been told the section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana, the home of moderate Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, who has been playing hard to get on the health care bill.
In other words, the bill spends two pages describing would could be written with a single world: Louisiana. How much does it cost? According to the Congressional Budget Office: $100 million.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/HealthCare/sen-harry-reid-woes-skeptical-democrats-health-care/story?id=9124461&nwltr=politics_featureMore
The Onward March Of ObamaCare - Joe Ellis
No group has done more to promote the public funding of abortions than the Catholic bishops of America. That might well surprise them, flushed as they are with their success in making a deal in the House in which they supported passage of the Pelosi bill in exchange for an amendment barring public funding of abortions. But when you make a deal with people whose strategic goals are diametrically opposed to yours, you must be careful that what you get is not a temporary tactical retreat that can be reversed at any time, while what you have given is a huge and lasting strategic advantage.
The bishops actually endorsed the bill, and the slim margin of its victory in the House might not have been there without them. Henry Waxman and Pelosi had simply pocketed their priceless gain, and if they could betray the bishops, they would. But the bishops should not have needed to be told this. What none of them seemed able to grasp was that the strategic goal toward which Reid and Pelosi were relentlessly advancing was something that would inevitably remove all of the protections they thought they had negotiated for themselves.
The subsidized public option that Pelosi and Reid want would inevitably drive private insurers out of business, leaving the government as sole provider of health care, including abortions. When that happens government will also control drug prices, as well as conditions of work and pay for doctors.
The archetype of the suicidal short-sighted deal will always be Neville Chamberlain's Munich pact with Hitler. What Chamberlain got was temporary and unreliable: a promise of no more territorial demands that could be reneged on at any time, from a man who already had a track record of reneging on promises. What he gave in return was a huge and permanent boost to Nazi strength and momentum: Appeasing a hungry monster never works: it grabs what it is offered, and immediately wants more, and more. ...one day the bishops will wake up to find that all their muscle-flexing had only led to the very result that they had most feared.
The bishops, the insurers, the doctors, and the drug companies all need to grasp the rather simple fact that their own strategic goals are fundamentally in conflict with those of Pelosi and Reid, and that the public option is at the center of that conflict. For all of them, making deals that allow the public option bandwagon to gather speed is sheer folly. The only way in which they can genuinely protect their interests is by stopping it, now.
http://frontpagemag.com/2009/11/18/the-onward-march-of-obamacare-by-john-ellis/
At least in Oz, Universal Health Cover is Good Sense, Not Socialism
An Australian journalist explains why her country's health insurance system leaves Obamacare in the dust.
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/at_least_in_oz_universal_cover_is_good_sense_not_socialism/
"Pulling the Plug on Conscience" - Wesley J. Smith
I believe that the Culture of Death brooks no dissent and we are witnessing the beginning of requirements for health care professionals to either participate in medical procedures that end human life – or be complicit in them by requiring them to refer (for abortion) – the current abortion law in Victoria, Australia.
It is a sad day when medical professionals and facilities have to be protected legally from coerced participation in life-terminating medical procedures. But there is no denying the direction in which the scientific and moral currents are flowing.
I believe that medical conscience is going to be one of the most intense and bitter bioethical issues of the next ten years. The time to prepare to wage the debate is now.
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/19/pulling-the-plug-on-conscience/
The 2,074-page Senate health care bill would take 34 hours to read cover to cover -- and that's just what Sen. Tom Coburn wants done on the Senate floor. The move is strictly according to Senate rules, which say any senator can demand a bill be read in its entirety before debate begins.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/19/health-bill-could-get-34-hour-reading-senate/
Abortion Causes Family Feud for Dems
House passage of a sweeping anti-abortion amendment has set off a wave of soul-searching and finger-pointing among abortion rights activists — many of whom thought they'd found a safe harbor when Democrats won the White House and big majorities in Congress last year. "The reality is that we have a Democratic Congress, but we don't have a pro-choice Congress," said Laurie Rubiner, vice president of Planned Parenthood.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29651.html
CNN's Toobin Complains About Stupak Amendment: 'Marginalizes' Abortion
He accused "many modern pro-choice Democrats," including the President, of ceding "the moral high ground" to pro-lifers.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2009/11/17/cnns-toobin-complains-about-stupak-amendment-marginalizes-abortion
Are our bishops all Republicans?! By Phil Lawler
Apart from dignity-of-life issues, the American bishops do not side with Republicans on a single major political issue. Whether the issue is capital-gains taxation, welfare spending, foreign aid, climate change, immigration, gun control, or (lest we forget) health-care reform, most bishops seem clearly to disagree with most Republicans. It's only on the life issues: abortion, embryo research, marriage, and homosexuality, that Catholic bishops and Republic loyalists find common ground. Since Republicans (especially those of the "big tent" persuasion) regularly downplay those issues, it's downright absurd to think that the bishops are reflexively supporting the Republicans.
So why does any intelligent commentator feel that way? Because the quest for legal abortion on demand has become so tightly woven into the Democratic Party agenda that anyone who opposes abortion becomes a threat to the Democrats. A threat to Democratic hegemony is presumed to be a Republican, and someone who threatens the Democrats at every turn-- that is, whenever they promote the culture of death, which is nearly every day-- is perceived as a stalwart Republican.
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=543
Friday, November 20, 2009
Fr. Thomas Euteneuer: Long Live Christ the King!
| Spirit & Life® | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63) Human Life International e-Newsletter Volume 04, Number 38 | Friday, November 20, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| .................................................................................. | www.hli.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Long Live Christ the King! This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King and on Monday the feast of Blessed Miguel Pro, the Mexican martyr who died with the words "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!) on his lips. How ironic that the feast of Blessed Miguel falls every year somewhere near the feast of Christ the King in the Church calendar. This marvelous saint and, indeed all the saints, remind us that our lives are not our own, that we serve a great King whose service is sweet and blessed - and demanding. Our King does not need a political party or an army of pawns to do His Will. He needs saints to transform the kingdom of this world into the Kingdom of God. Will we join H  Martyrdom of Bl. Miguel Pro Image by Jobriga via Flickr In the modern world we are not used to kings (and queens) being anything other than figureheads. In countries that have them, they are generally nothing more than symbols of the national identity or holdovers from a bygone era, or heads of state but without any political power. Christ our King, however, is not one of these monarchs. His kingship is not political - indeed, He told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world and He refused to be the political messiah that His people expected. Nor is His kingship just ceremonial, as if he were fulfilling a nostalgic social need for a national figurehead. Rather, He reigns over us with Truth and His Kingship is social. He demands that we be personally virtuous and conduct a worthy struggle against the enemies of His Kingdom - the world, the flesh and the devil - that affect everyone. He wants the total transformation of our culture so that the kingdom of this world may be purified of its evil and given over to authentic justice and charity. We all have something to do for Him, no matter how meek or mighty we might be. The subjects of such a King bind themselves on oath to serve Him and carry out this project of social transformation to make the world one for Christ. We see that project most fully implemented in the lives of the saints. They fought the hard battles of their respective societies and sometimes they even gave their lives and their blood for Christ so that men could be saved from the power of evil. They first transformed the hearts of those who listened to them and in turn transformed the societies in which they lived to make them more fitting places for the ultimate coming of Christ. Politics tends to follow the transformation of society, for good or for evil, and the saints know that. If we haven't already made the decision to do so, it's time to serve this King with our whole beings. Like the saints, we cast aside any fear of acknowledging our loyalty to Him and ask the King where He wishes us to serve His kingdom best. He will direct His loyal servants to their most effective way of overcoming the darkness and bringing His Light to the world. What is it that the King calls you to do? Is it the humble service of a family? Is it offering faithful service to the poorest members of our society, the unborn, by sidewalk counseling, working in or supporting a crisis pregnancy center, or some other prophetic action directed at our culture of death? It may be that He calls you to "be fruitful and multiply" for His Kingdom and have more children. Every king is blessed by an abundance of citizens for His Kingdom and those who are able to do so must take seriously His call to transform our world by giving life and educating children in the ways of the Faith. It is through humble service like this that we are given the opportunity to become saints. We transform culture first by transforming our hearts in His service. Blessed Miguel Pro lived a life of heroic service to others and died a joyful martyr. His final words are a call to each of us to glorify our King in our lives here on earth and a reminder of the gift of eternal life promised us in heaven. Indeed, "Long live Christ the King!" Sincerely, Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President, Human Life International |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright 2009 - Human Life International Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required. Human Life International 4 Family Life Lane -- Front Royal, VA 22630 U.S.A. Phone: (540) 635-7884 Fax: (540) 622-6247 E-mail: hli@hli.org Website: www.hli.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report 11/21/09
LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Saturday, November 21, 2009
| For news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com. |
Current Headlines
• Key Pro-Life Democrat Backs Debate, But Not Pro-Abortion Senate Health Care Bill
• President Obama Again Attacks Stupak Amdt, Backs Pro-Abortion Senate Bill
• Catholic Bishops: Pro-Abortion Senate Health Care Bill "Worst We've Seen Yet"
• Senate Health Care Bill Raises Taxes on Special Needs Children, Their Families
• Christian Leaders Release Manhattan Declaration for Pro-Life, Conscience Rights
• Controversial Human Cloning Company Applies Again for Embryonic Stem Cell Trial
• China Arrests Attorney for Forced Abortion Opponent After Obama Visit, Hearing
• Document on Problems With In-Vitro Fertilization Gets Catholic Bishops Okay
• Half of Women Using Prescription Drugs That Harm Unborn Children Get Abortion
• Illinois Parental Notification Law on Abortion Blocked Again by Court Decision
• University of Nebraska Regents Defeat Effort to Limit Embryonic Stem Cell Research
---> Ask friends to sign up for free news from LifeNews.com. We offer a daily version (http://www.Lifenews.com/digest) and a twice-weekly version (http://www.Lifenews.com/weekly) of our email news reports. Just ask your pro-life friends to go to those links to sign up.
Key Pro-Life Democrat Backs Debate, But Not Pro-Abortion Senate Health Care Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A key pro-life Democrat, who is seen by political observers as one of the Democrats who would help defeat the pro-abortion Senate health care bill, says he will vote tomorrow for the Motion to Proceed -- allowing the Senate to debate the bill that contains massive abortion funding.
However, Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, says not to interpret his vote to begin debate as him supporting the bill itself. That is especially the case if an amendment Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch plans to offer to yank the abortion funding is not added to the bill.
"Throughout my Senate career I have consistently rejected efforts to obstruct," he said in a statement. "That's what the vote on the motion to proceed is all about. It is not for or against the new Senate health care bill released Wednesday. It is only to begin debate and an opportunity to make improvements. If you don't like a bill why block your own opportunity to amend it?" he added.
"This weekend, I will vote for the motion to proceed to bring that debate onto the Senate floor. The Senate should start trying to fix a health care system that costs too much and delivers too little for Nebraskans," Nelson continued.
Nelson also said he worried that voting to oppose the Motion to Proceed would prompt Reid to use the controversial reconciliation process that allows him to push a bill under a 50-vote process without any amendments to stop abortion funding. The pro-life Democrat also promised to oppose the bill and oppose efforts to stop the filibuster if the abortion funding remains. Full story at LifeNews.com
President Obama Again Attacks Stupak Amdt, Backs Pro-Abortion Senate Bill
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- During an interview with Fox News, President Barack Obama again condemned the Stupak amendment added to the House health care bill to stop abortion funding. Meanwhile, the Obama administration says the president supports the new Senate health care bill that contains massive abortion subsidies.
Before it voted for its version of the government-run health care bill, the House added the Stupak amendment on a lopsided bipartisan vote to prevent abortion funding in the public option and affordability credits.
The new comments are the second time Obama has said he either wants the Stupak amendment removed from the bill or Obama is making what even left-leaning mainstream media factcheck sites are calling a false argument by saying the Stupak amendment goes too far in preventing women from getting abortions paid for under their own insurance plans.
"There is a balance to be achieved that is consistent with the Hyde Amendment," Obama said.
"I believe in the basic idea that federal dollars shouldn't pay for abortions. But I also think we shouldn't restrict women's choices, so I think there's some negotiations going on, not just on the Democratic side, but I think among people of good will on both sides, to see if we can arrive at something that meets that criteria," he continued. "And I'm confident we can do that." Full story at LifeNews.com
Catholic Bishops: Pro-Abortion Senate Health Care Bill "Worst We've Seen Yet"
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life spokesman for the nation's Catholic bishops doesn't mince words today an interview about the new Harry Reid health care bill in the Senate that contains massive abortion funding.
The bishops have taken a consistent pro-life stance against using government money for abortions and they say this bill is no exception when it comes to that problem.
Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the bishops' conference Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, told the Associated Press today that the Senate bill "is actually the worst bill we've seen so far on the life issues." Doerflinger called it "completely unacceptable," adding that "to say this reflects current law is ridiculous."
The money to pay for abortions comes from the premiums taxpayers pay to the federal government. The phony Capps amendment added to the bill makes it so the funds are segregated but the government eventually uses those taxpayer dollars, through the public option and affordability credits, to pay for abortions.
Other leading pro-life groups like Americans United for Life, National Right to Life, the Family Research Council and Susan B. Anthony List have come to the same conclusion about the abortion funding in the Senate bill. Full story at LifeNews.com
Senate Health Care Bill Raises Taxes on Special Needs Children, Their Families
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The statistics are scary when it comes to the percentage of unborn children born with special needs who become victims of abortion. One fiscal conservative group says the task for parents raising such children is made more difficult by extra taxes found in Harry Reid's new Senate health care bill.
The measure has already been condemned by pro-life groups and the Catholic bishops for its abortion funding and this latest analysis won't make it any more endearing.
Ryan Ellis of Americans for Tax Reform notes that the bill contains 18 separate tax increases -- one of them targeting parents of disabled children.
"One of them caps the amount that can be deferred in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) at $2500 per year (a similar provision was included in the Pelosi-Obama health bill)," Ellis notes.
"There is currently no limit to how much can be saved, though all monies must be used by the end of the year. Employers may put a cap in place for their employees, but this would put a cap in federal tax law for the first time. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), 30 million American families use an FSA," he explained.
"There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly-cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children," he said today. "There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Full story at LifeNews.com
Christian Leaders Release Manhattan Declaration for Pro-Life, Conscience Rights
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A list of 149 Christian and pro-family leaders, reading like a who's who of the pro-life movement, have signed onto the Manhattan Declaration, a new statement declaring that pro-life advocates deserve conscience rights when it comes to abortion, bioethics and other issues.
Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George, and Chuck Colson joined other pro-life advocates and prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars in announcing the new declaration at a press conference today.
The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not-under any circumstance-abandon their Christian consciences when it comes to pro-life issues.
The Manhattan Declaration says today's pro-life movement "claim[s] the heritage of those Christians who defended innocent life by rescuing discarded babies from trash heaps in Roman cities and publicly denouncing the Empire's sanctioning of infanticide."
"Like those who have gone before us in the faith, Christians today are called to proclaim the Gospel of costly grace, to protect the intrinsic dignity of the human person and to stand for the common good," it says. "In this declaration we affirm: the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life." Full story at LifeNews.com
Controversial Human Cloning Company Applies Again for Embryonic Stem Cell Trial
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Advanced Cell Technology is at it again. The human cloning company that thrives on overstated press releases that capture the media's attention and temporarily drive up its stock prices is announcing yet another attempt at launching a trial with patients receiving injections of embryonic stem cells.
Never mind that embryonic stem cell research has yet to conquer animal testing. There, the cells face immune system rejection issues that scientists have yet to figure out how to overcome and they also still have problems of causing tumors after injected as a supposed treatment. Those results are much different from those seen in ethical adult stem cells that can be obtained without destroying days-old unborn children.
Still, ACT presses on and announced that people suffering from a form of incurable blindness could soon become the first patients in the world to benefit from an operation involving embryonic stem cells.
ACT scientists yesterday applied for a licence from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out a clinical trial on patients suffering from macular degeneration and they expert the trial to begin early next year. Full story at LifeNews.com
China Arrests Attorney for Forced Abortion Opponent After Obama Visit, Hearing
Beijing, China (LifeNews.com) -- A Chinese human rights lawyer who is one of the attorneys for forced abortion opponent Chen Guangcheng, was arrested shortly after President Barack Obama departed China. Jiang Tianyong testified before a Congressional panel on November 10 sponsored by pro-life Rep. Chris Smith.
Tianyong, of Beijing Global Law Firm, had requested a meeting with President Obama with other human rights lawyers during Obama's visit this week, but was turned down. Smith's office informed LifeNews.com late Friday that, after Obama left the country, Tianyong's wife was beaten and he was hauled off by Chinese officials.
As legal counsel to Chen, who has helped draw international attention to the brutality of the one-child policy and the forced abortion and sterilization campaign used to enforce it, Tianyong testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. He testified on these and other abuses of the family planning policy, which marks its 30th anniversary this year.
Smith will join Chinese human rights activist Harry Wu, 18-year political prisoner Wei Jingsheng, Tiananmen Square survivor Yang Jianli, and Michael Horowitz of the Hudson institute for a press conference on Monday to discuss the situation. Full story at LifeNews.com
Document on Problems With In-Vitro Fertilization Gets Catholic Bishops Okay
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The nation's Catholic bishops approved a 15-page document on reproductive technologies this week called Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology. The new paper says pro-life Catholics need to be mindful of the ethical problems associated with technologies like in-vitro fertilization.
The document says the Catholic Church shares the pain of couples who have problems bearing children because of infertility, genetics or other issues.
However, it warns that some reproductive technologies, which also include human cloning and embryonic stem cell research, "are not morally legitimate ways to solve those problems" because the violate the human dignity of unborn children.
"Children have a right to be conceived by the act that expresses and embodies their parents' self-giving love; morally responsible medicine can assist this act but should never substitute for it," the new document reads. Instead, parents who face birthing issues need to remember the "full human dignity of the child." Full story at LifeNews.com
Half of Women Using Prescription Drugs That Harm Unborn Children Get Abortion
Montreal, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- New research out of Canada shows that half of women who use prescription drugs that harm their unborn children ultimately wind up having an abortion. The statistics is so high that the lead author of the new study says the numbers left him shocked and surprised.
Anick Berard of the University of Montreal headed the new study that examined data from the Quebec Pregnancy Registry on 109,344 women between the ages of 15 and 45.
They study found 6,871 pregnant women consumed one of 11 prescription drugs known to be harmful to their unborn child during either the first, second or third trimester of pregnancy. Of those women, 3,229, or nearly 47 percent, had an abortion, 6 percent miscarried and 8.2 percent of the women gave birth to who a baby with major congenital malformations resulting from the use of the harmful drugs.
"I never expected such results and I was extremely surprised," Berard said in a statement about the new research. Full story at LifeNews.com
Illinois Parental Notification Law on Abortion Blocked Again by Court Decision
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- The on again, off again nature of the Illinois parental notification law reads like the script of a soap opera because the status of the relationship between the law and the courts changes so frequently. In the latest turn of events, a circuit court judge decided to uphold a restraining order.
That order prevents enforcement of the law -- meant to allow parents to know 48 hours in advance when their minor daughter is considering an abortion so they can help her find positive alternatives -- from going into effect until at least January.
Judge Dan Riley says he's waiting for briefs from both sides before determining whether the law should stand. Lorie Chaiten represented the American Civil Liberties Union in court in its attempt to overturn the law while Thomas More Society attorneys presented a motion to vacate the temporary restraining order.
Earlier this month, Judge Riley blocked enforcement of the parental notification law on abortion just hours after a state board approved letting it go into effect. Full story at LifeNews.com
University of Nebraska Regents Defeat Effort to Limit Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) -- The University of Nebraska board of regents today defeated an effort to limit the embryonic stem cell research activity that takes place there because it involves the destruction of unborn human life. The current school policy is to engage in research allowed by the federal government, which includes ESCR.
The eight-member Board of Regents voted 4-4, which defeated the resolution that would have limited research to older embryonic stem cell lines and focused on adult stem cell research, the only kind to ever help patients.
Regent Jim McClurg of Lincoln cast the deciding vote against the resolution. He had the endorsement of Nebraska Right to Life when he was elected to the board in 2006 but appeared to have turned on the pro-life group today.
NU President J.B. Milliken addressed the regents and urged a no vote while Dr. John Safranek, a Nebraska physician, said the research is wrong because it destroys human life. Full story at LifeNews.com
Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Christ is King of Heaven and Earth!
Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr
Pray to End Abortion Bulletin
Posted by Fr. Frank Pavone
Dear Friends,
Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King and the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The following week, Advent begins and the Church focuses on the coming of Christ, both at Christmas and at the end of time.
Christ is truly king over heaven and earth. How important it is for us to remember that in this battle for health care reform to protect the unborn. This battle is ultimately about who rules over us; it is about who our King is. Our worship of Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords impels us to communicate with our elected representatives and urge them to do what is right.
God bless you.
Fr. Frank Pavone
