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Dear Friends for Life, We are happy to announce that this email marks the 500th edition of LifeIssues.net Newsletter - an extension of our Website www.LifeIssues.net, which continues to show a gradual daily increase in the number of viewers. At present, both websites (English and Japanese) display a number nearing 8 million. We thank you for your continual support, prayers and encouragement over the past ten years. With the 500th issue, we have updated the format to make it friendlier to read. If you have any suggestions or observations, kindly contact us. God Bless,
Jerry Novotny, OMI
Lifeissues.net Newsletter #500
November 14, 2010
**************************************** (TABLE OF CONTENTS): 1. Church Calls for Care of Homeless in Asia
2. 72% of Blacks Born to Unwed Mothers
3. Hundreds of foetuses, newborns dumped in South Africa
4. Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Seven Reasons Why Not
5. Chaste teens significantly less likely to be depressed
6. Care of vulnerable people
7. Repackaging Death as Life
8. The Silent Screams of the Children Nobody Hears
9. Pornography and Socially Responsible Investing
10. Catholics and "Do-Not-Resuscitate" Orders
11. Natural Family Planning Versus Artificial Birth Control
12. Abortion, Conscience, and Doctors
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(Focus on Asia): "Euthanasia poll in Australia" - Poll in Adelaide (Australia) today, 'do you support Euthanasia'. This is an important poll because South Australia currently has bills in the upper and lower houses to legalize euthanasia. To find the poll, click here, scroll down and you will find it on your left-hand side. Vote NO.
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ITEM #1: Church Calls for Care of Homeless in Asia
The participants appealed "to the governments to improve the condition of homeless citizens by making available to them decent housing at affordable costs, basic services, education and employment opportunities." "All Church institutions and the faithful should be duly informed of the pressing need for attention on the complex reality of men, women and children on the street, homelessness and road security in Asia and Oceania," the participants urged. "They need to use all modern technologies and communications, without overlooking the power of the pulpit."
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ITEM #2: 72% of Blacks Born to Unwed Mothers
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ITEM #3: Hundreds of foetuses, newborns dumped in South Africa
Johannesburg's private 702 radio station quoted a report by the South African Medical Research Council and the Pretoria-based University of South Africa as saying at least 446 bodies of foetuses and babies under one years of age were turning up in in drains, gutters and rubbish bins in Gauteng province.****************************************
ITEM #4: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Seven Reasons Why They Should Not Be Legalized It would be contrary to any legal system which purports to protect and enforce a just social order to legalize killing which rests for its justification on the belief that certain lives lack worth. Why? Because justice in society itself requires a non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory way of identifying who are the subjects of justice. But the only way of avoiding arbitrariness in identifying the subjects of justice is to assume that all human beings, simply in virtue of being human, are entitled to be treated justly and are the subjects of certain basic human rights. In other words the basic human dignity and worth which are recognised in respecting human rights must be seen as attaching to our humanity. Basic dignity and worth would not, however, be a title to just treatment if human beings were thought capable of losing them. They are, so to speak, ineliminable features of our humanity.
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ITEM #5: Chaste teens significantly less likely to be depressed When compared to teens who are not sexually active, teenage boys and girls who are sexually active are significantly less likely to be happy and more likely to feel depressed. Also, when compared to teens who are not sexually active, teenage boys and girls who are sexually active are significantly more likely to attempt suicide.
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ITEM #6: Care of vulnerable people
The vulnerable people whom your committee is called to reflect about caring for, are often in a precarious state, mentally or physically or both. They are often in anguish. The old, those living with illness and perhaps near death, those in depression and with a sense of despair, those living with disabilities; these are all people living in a most fragile state. The danger in our culture of productivity and achievement is that we easily dismiss and ignore as unproductive the gifts and the beauty of our most vulnerable members, and we do so at our own peril, dehumanizing ourselves.
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ITEM #7: Repackaging Death as Life - The Third Path to Imposed Death
A major transformation of traditional medical ethics is taking place. What was once unthinkable has become acceptable, and no one really knows why. In the last half of the 20th century a multi-million dollar social engineering and marketing project financed by foundations and directed by bioethics think tanks has normalized the withdrawal of ordinary care.
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ITEM #8: The Silent Screams of the Children Nobody Hears
The subject of fetal pain, and the manner in which political operatives within the pro-life movement have handled it, have always been a source of interest and sorrow for me. Now is the perfect time to examine the so-called "fetal pain" proposition from a perspective that is not often discussed - the perspective of the preborn child.
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ITEM #9: Pornography and Socially Responsible Investing
What is the moral argument for only investing in companies that do not profit from pornography? Germain Grisez argues that "if some of the company's profit-enhancing policies and actions are immoral, the investor normally intends the immorality and so shares moral responsibility for it," because: "one normally has no reason to invest directly in a particular company's stock unless one expects and intends one's money to be used to make a profit, and one normally cannot intend that without intending that the company do all that one is aware of its doing to make its profit: treat people in certain ways, encourage potential customers to choose its products or services, and so on."
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ITEM #10: Catholics and "Do-Not-Resuscitate" Orders: Relevant Moral Principles
Is a "do-not-resuscitate" order ever ethical? Shouldn't a patient in an emergency situation always be resuscitated, so that the family can evaluate with some time and care what are the limits of ordinary and extraordinary care (and is that distinction used anymore)?
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ITEM #11: The Practice of Natural Family Planning Versus the Use of Artificial Birth Control
It is essential to understand what is meant by natural family planning in order to realize why it produces so many benefits to the marriage. In general, Natural Family Planning (NFP) is defined as methods for achieving or postponing pregnancy that are based on observations of naturally occurring signs in the woman's body that inform her of the fertile and infertile phases of her cycle. Authentic Natural Family Planning never interferes with the transmission of life; its sincere openness to the Will of God and respect for life is its most vital virtue. Various natural methods are being taught throughout the world that respect the natural law and are accepted by most cultures and religions. The Ovulation Method (OM) of Natural Family Planning is at present the most widely used method because it is the easiest to learn and simplest to follow.****************************************
ITEM #12: Abortion, Conscience, and Doctors Suggestions to end conscience protection ignore the importance of conscience and rely on a circular - and baseless - understanding of a woman's "right" to abortion. Following such suggestions would be detrimental to the entire health care system.
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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. Access to all prior Newsletters is located in the Archives on main page. 2. 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 3. BECOME INVOLVED: Several years ago Fr. Jerry created a project entitled, "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia". The project appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is centered 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) ------------------------------ Get a weekly dose of clear thinking: subscribe to our free Lifeissues newsletter! Sign up at www.LifeIssues.net. Pass this free service to your friends and various groups. ------------------------------ Contact EDITOR: Jerry Novotny, OMI Akebono-cho 1-15-9 Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072 [tel/fax: 088-843-0406] [email: jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp] ["Due to volume of spam received, we're asking you not to reply to this message but instead send all correspondence to jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp. Thank you! Editor"] ------------------------------ Websites by Editor: English LifeIssues Site: http://www.lifeissues.net, Japanese LifeIssues Site: http://www.japan-lifeissues.net, OMI Site: http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html ------------------------------
