Dear Friends for Life,
A clamp down takes place on Swiss Suicide Clinics. Authorities in Zurich have announced new rules which will apply to Dignitas and other organizations which have been helping tourists commit suicide. The new legislation will require a longer period of counseling at the clinic, stretching over several months. The Swiss doctors who prescribed the deadly drugs must have met the person on at least two separate occasions and there will be other clinical and age limits.
Next, an amendment to Slovakia's abortion law now establishes mandatory counseling, requires a two-day wait, and increases the age until which parents consent is required from sixteen to eighteen years. International abortion groups have put heavy pressure on the Parliament not to add these pro-life amendments, however, they were adopted by a vote of 86-7.
And finally, French abortions continue to increase. The French National Institute of Demography has shown that unplanned pregnancies fell from 46% - 33% in the last 30 years, probably due to contraceptive use. However, the number of abortions of such pregnancies jumped from 42% - 60% over the same period of time. The explanation has been that women using contraception have a greater desire to control their fertility and thus more likely to abort a child conceived in spite of contraceptive use. During these years, French fertility rates fell from 2.4 to 1.8 children per woman. It has recently jumped back to 2.0, which may due to the government's attempts to encourage child birth thorough various initiatives.
Much work needs to be done this year for the Culture of Life. In addition to our involvements, more emphasis must be placed on prayers. Only with God's participation can the Culture of Evil be defeated.
God Bless
Jerry Novotny, OMI
(Quote) "My experience is that women who miscarry are usually given a small window of sympathy; but women who have abortions often resort to using drugs and alcohol to cover up the pain because the people who told us it was OK to abort our babies, don't want to listen to our crying afterwards". -- Georgette Forney, an abortion survivor, co-founder of Silent No More Awareness Campaign
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Lifeissues.net NEWSLETTER #458
January 24, 2010
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(TABLE OF CONTENTS):
1. UK Girls Using Abortion as Birth Control, Aborting Up to FOUR Babies by Age 18
2. Madrid Schools Teaching 13 Year-Olds to Use Condoms
3. Cervical Cancer: The Rising Tide
4. Charlotte Raven: Should I take my own life?
5. Cord blood stem cell transplant hopes lifted
6. Russia Health Minister Suggests Cutting Abortions to Combat Underpopulation
7. The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community
8. Warning: Supreme Court Ruling "Devalues Every Human Life"
9. Chinese Men Face Bride Shortage Due to Sex-Based Abortions
10. Terminal Sedation: Abortion for the Elderly
11. New Zealand study links depression, abortion
12. Mother gets life for heroin death
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(FOCUS ON ASIA): "Vanishing Females in Vietnam" - Is the women's equality movement leading to the extinction of females? China's coercive one-child policy is well known but other countries are freely expressing a population preference with similar dire consequences in the works. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is well known for the promotion of gender equality through "reproductive health and reproductive rights" and provides assistance to individual countries for many population related matters. Inter alia, the latter includes the financing of various studies to collect, analyze and disseminate population data. One such study Recent Increase in the Sex Ratio at Birth in Vietnam: A Review of Evidence [1] provided some astounding analysis relating to abortion consequences in Vietnam: a dynamic country with a population of 87 million - 14th highest in the world - with a 90% literacy rate and a fertility rate of 1.83 that is just below replacement (2.1). http://www.me
rcatornet.com/demography/view/6419/
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ITEM #1. UK Girls Using Abortion as Birth Control, Aborting Up to FOUR Babies by Age 18
Teenagers in the UK are using repeat abortions as a form of birth control, with some girls having four or more abortions by age 18, according to reports. Nearly 1,500 of the 19,000 girls under 18 who had an abortion last year had already had rone abortion for an unwanted pregnancy - and at least one girl aborted her eighth baby.
View full article at Family and Life:
http://www.familyandlife.org/Abortion-and-Embryo/1448/9/13.html
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ITEM #2. Madrid Schools Teaching 13 Year-Olds to Use Condoms
The Spanish organisation Professionals for Ethics has slammed the president of the Community of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre for letting schools teach 13-year-olds how to use condoms. The group cited reports in an educational magazine that confirmed this is happening in some schools in the Madrid area.
View full article at Family and Life:
http://www.familyandlife.org/Abortion-and-Embryo/1449/9/13.html
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ITEM #3. Cervical Cancer: The Rising Tide
A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report shows that there are about 500,000 cases of cervical cancer reported each year, with nearly 80 per cent occurring in developing countries. In Africa, reported cases are on the increase and by 2020 it will be the most common cancer among women and will account for 50 per cent of the deaths, says the global health agency. Could this disturbing trend be in tandem with the rising use of oral contraceptives (OCs) amongst women in those parts of the world?
View full article at Scitech:
http://scitech360.com/Biotech.php?action=view&id=24
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ITEM #4. Charlotte Raven: Should I take my own life?
COMMENT: This is a very moving article. Please read it to the end.
I have to second Charlotte Raven's conclusion at the end, especially since my 30 year-old daughter committed suicide in October using "textbook Final Exit" (the medical examiner's term) technique. Marie spent more than half her life struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. The last few years, as I told a friend, she seemed to be dying no matter what we did or what programs she attended. Her struggle was both heartbreaking and frustrating. "Tough love" was excruciating. But when she committed suicide, there was no feeling of relief just terrible pain. As Marie's loving but long-suffering ex-husband said, there were times when it was so painful to watch Marie's descent that he even admitted wondering sometimes if death could possibly be worse. He said he now knows the answer: death - especially suicide - was indeed the worst of all possible outcomes.
The public needs to realize that the euthanasia movement's real agenda is total acceptance of assisted suicide/euthanasia on demand, even for those unable to choose for themselves like Terri Schiavo. As Derek Humphy (author of "Final Exit" and found of the Hemlock Society now known as Compassion and Choices) said in his November 18, 2009 blog, "Time was when right-to-die groups were looked to for help exclusively by terminally ill, and sometimes hopelessly ill, persons. But nowadays with our greater public visibility, credibility and legislative progress, many mentally ill persons are approaching us expecting positive help." He goes on to say that "From their point of view, the suffering is as great as a person dying of a physical illness. And it probably is." ("Realistically, assisted suicide for the troubled is not available", available online at: http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/)
At its heart, the euthanasia movement is a selfish, callous movement willing to sacrifice or undermine suicide prevention efforts for the estimated 400,000 suicide attempts and over 30,000 suicide victims yearly in the US as well as the conscience rights of doctors and nurses for its power and eugenics - fueled philosophy of despair. --Nancy Valko, RN
View full article at The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jan/16/charlotte-raven-should-i-take-my-own-life
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ITEM #5. Cord blood stem cell transplant hopes lifted
A technique which may eventually remove the need for matched bone marrow transplants has been used in humans for the first time. It is hoped that "master cells" taken from umbilical cords could be used on any patient without rejection. The latest advance, published in the journal Nature Medicine, greatly multiplies the tiny number of cells from the cord ready for a transplant. UK charity Leukaemia Research said this could be the "holy grail" for doctors.
View full article at BBC News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8462488.stm
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ITEM #6. Russia Health Minister Suggests Cutting Abortions to Combat Underpopulation
A top health minister in Russia suggests the nation should consider cutting abortions to combat its problems of underpopulation. The Russian nation is desperately in need of people as the prevalence of abortions has caused such severe problems that it has ravaged the nation's workforce.
View full article at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/int1439.html
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ITEM #7. The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community
Pornography is a visual representation of sexuality which distorts an individual's concept of the nature of conjugal relations. This, in turn, alters both sexual attitudes and behavior. It is a major threat to marriage, to family, to children and to individual happiness. In undermining marriage it is one of the factors in undermining social stability.
Article is located at Family Research Council:
http://www.frc.org/pornography-effects?tr=y&auid=5819196
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ITEM #8. Warning: Supreme Court Ruling "Devalues Every Human Life"
The court found that the husband could not be forced to become a father against his wishes. But anyone who provides sperm for IVF is already the father of any embryos which come into existence as a result. Unfortunately, our culture has, to a large extent, lost touch with the essential connection between procreation and parenthood.
Article can be found at Family and Life:
http://www.familyandlife.org/Abortion-and-Embryo/1465/8/18.html
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ITEM #9. Chinese Men Face Bride Shortage Due to Sex-Based Abortions
The Academy reports that sex-selection abortions are "extremely common". This is especially true in rural areas, and ultrasound scans, first introduced in the late 1980s, have increased the practice. The latest figures show that for every 100 girls born in China, 119 boys are born.
View entire text at Family and Life:
http://www.familyandlife.org/Abortion-and-Embryo/1469/10/23.html
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ITEM #10. Terminal Sedation: Abortion for the Elderly
I spoke to a friend this morning whose father was murdered by terminal sedation (aka "palliative" care). Her father suffered from Alzheimer's and his mind was pretty well gone, but physically he was in great shape. He and his wife lived with one of my friend's children who took him for a long walk every day and knew how to manage all his grandfather's moods. They were good buddies. My friend lived nearby and spent as much time as possible visiting her parents and enjoying her father's company. But the rest of the family....
View entire text at Spero News:
http://www.speroforum.com/a/25865/Terminal-Sedation-Abortion-for-the-Elderly
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ITEM #11. New Zealand study links depression, abortion
Another study in a line of scientific reports links depression and anxiety with abortion. The study was done by New Zealand pro-abortion professor David Ferguson, who, according to Anglicans for Life president Georgette Forney, looks at the data and decides that it speaks for itself.
View entire text at OneNewsNow:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=852136
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ITEM #12. Mother gets life for heroin death
A mother convicted of murdering her disabled son by injecting him with heroin in a "mercy killing" at a care home in Herts has been jailed for life.
View entire text at BBC News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8470572.stm
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YOU CAN CHANGE SOCIETY:
1. BE INFORMED: "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. Visit Lifeissues.net Website for insights into current Life Issues www.lifeissues.net. All prior email Newsletters Archives are located online at http://lifeissues.net/newsletters/mojo.cgi?flavor=archive&list=lifenews&start=0
3. PRAY DAILY: for the courage to be God's presence in society and to strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life". "If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
4. BECOME INVOLVED: Several years ago Fr. Jerry created a project entitled, "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia". It is a project which appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Universities, Parishes, Hospitals and Family/Pro Life related groups. The lectures place emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Life Issues Trends and Challenges".
For information about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group in Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp.
To become a supportive Missionary participant for this Asian project, kindly send your donations to:
** Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI
** LifeIssues.net, Editor
** Akebono-cho 1-15-9
** Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072
(or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)
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Contact EDITOR:
Jerry Novotny, OMI
Akebono-cho 1-15-9
Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072
[tel/fax: 088-843-0406]
[email: jerry@lifeissues.net (or) jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp]
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