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Dear Friends for Life, AP Notes Adult Stem Cell Successes Cord Blood Stem Cell Treatment Effective: The Associated Press (AP) has surprised pro-life observers with a news story contrasting adult and embryonic stem cell research. Its headline indicates what we have long known and it is that the uses of adult stem cells now have broad international uses across a spectrum of human needs. The AP admitted that "for all the emotional debate that began a decade ago in allowing the use of embryonic stem cells, it is adult stem cells that are in human testing today. An extensive review of stem cell projects and interviews with two dozen experts reveals a wide range of potential treatments." After giving some examples it continued, "apart from these efforts, transplants of adult stem cells have become a standard life-saving therapy for perhaps hundreds of thousands of people with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases. Approximately 70 different congenital or disease problems are now being treated successfully with adult stem cells and none with embryonic stem cells. Cord Blood Stem Cell Treatment Effective: Until recently, patients receiving cord blood stem cells had to be given immunosuppressant drugs to guard against graft versus host disease, which is often fatal. Now it has been demonstrated that using cord blood stem cells to treat neurological conditions is both safe and efficient. The range of conditions treated is broader and it may be that immunosuppressant drugs may not be necessary. This according to an article in the Journal of Translational Medicine reporting on a study of 114 patients including 42 who were paraplegic, 19 with multiple sclerosis, and 12 with Lou Gehrig disease. Research continues. God Bless,
Jerry Novotny, OMI
Lifeissues.net Newsletter #501
November 21, 2010
**************************************** (TABLE OF CONTENTS): 1. Bayer Pushes Dangerous Birth Control Pills
2. Transplant patients given lungs of smokers
3. UN Undermines Family, Religion, and Sovereignty
4. Poll Finds Growing Aversion to Death Penalty
5. The Face in the Window
6. Heath Care Access a Right, Not Abortion/Euthanasia
7. Aiming High: How to Grow in Virtue
8. We ignore rise in drug abuse among kids
9. Fighting for Life
10. Habits for a Happy Marriage
11. Barnyard Morality
12. NFP Versus the Use of Artificial Birth Control
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(Focus on Asia): "Indonesia isn't as tolerant as Obama would have us believe" - Yet just seven months ago, Indonesia's highest court issued a landmark ruling widely considered to be a major setback to speech and religious rights.
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ITEM #1: Bayer Pushes Dangerous Birth Control Pills Despite 4000+ Lawsuits
Blood clots, gallbladder disease, heart attack and stroke are four of the main adverse side effects thousands of women, their doctors, and legal representatives claim are caused by the drugs Yaz and Yasmin and their generic equivalents. In many pharmaceutical cases, when massive evidence piles up in the form of lawsuits for a company, the company in question often removes the drug from the market and halts its distribution.
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ITEM #2: Transplant patients given lungs of smokers due to shortage of organ donors Comment: Note this quote: 'We say to people: look, all organs have a risk, some high risk, some low risk, please trust us, we will give you the one that is best for you but we will not necessarily ring you at 2am and say do you want this particular one? 'We will say here is your organ.' Informed consent? -Nancy Valko, RN
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ITEM #3: How UN Conventions on Women's and Children's Rights Undermine Family, Religion, and Sovereignty
U.N. committees charged with offering guidance on the obligations incumbent upon nations that have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women ("CEDAW") and the Convention on the Rights of the Child ("CRC") are, instead, advancing a radical agenda harmful to the best interests of societies and states, under the cover of providing review and recommendations. These committees have recommended: * Legalizing prostitution and elevating it to the status of a profession* Diminishing the legal protection of freedom of conscience
* Diminishing parental guidance for teenagers' emerging sexuality
* Promoting access to abortion, contraception, and other "medical" services for children without parental consent
* Promoting contraceptive use without regard to its social consequences
* Promoting abortion under the fiction of an international law mandate
* Demeaning traditional motherhood and those who support it
* Promoting professional child care for newborns
* Equating mild spanking of children by their parents with serious physical abuse
* Objecting to the influence of religion on society
* Objecting to the protection of rights of religious minorities If these recommendations were followed, marriage and family would be further undermined, as would religious freedom.
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ITEM #4: Poll Finds Growing Aversion to Death Penalty A clear majority of U.S. voters - 61 percent - would choose a punishment other than death for murder if given a choice, the Death Penalty Information Centre said Tuesday as it released the results of "one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted" of U.S. citizens' views on capital punishment.
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ITEM #5: The Face in the Window Jim told me what happened, and it helped me to know what is right. It helped me see what really is a "death with dignity." Jim's death, when it did eventually happen, had real dignity, something that only occurs when we allow a death in its own natural timing.
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ITEM #6: Pope: Heath Care Access a Right, Not Abortion or Euthanasia
The Pontiff said nations have a moral responsibility to guarantee access to health care for all citizens, calling medical treatment one of the "inalienable rights." "The care of man, his transcendent dignity and his inalienable rights" should concern Catholics and non-Catholics alike, he said, because one's health is a "precious asset." But Pope Benedict cautioned that good health care does not include practices that destroy human life like euthanasia, or artificial reproductive techniques that destroy human life like human cloning of in-vitro fertilization that involves the destruction of human embryos.
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ITEM #7: Aiming High: How to Grow in Virtue
If we are aiming to live virtuously in our marriages, families, and friendships, we need much more than sporadic good deeds or occasional acts of kindness when we happen to be in a good mood.
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ITEM #8: We ignore rise in drug abuse among kids
Here's the takeaway: Illicit drug abuse is seriously affecting our children, our schools, our workplaces and our society. And it is on the rise. In 2009, nearly 22 million Americans were regularly abusing illicit drugs: a rise of 1.5 million abusers of marijuana from 2008 and a rise of 2.3 million users from 2007, a rise of 205,000 abusers of Ecstasy from 2008, a rise of 188,000 abusers of methamphetamine from 2008 and a rise of 800,000 abusers of prescription drugs from 2008.
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ITEM #9: Fighting for Life
We who know better must proclaim that the value of our unborn brothers and sisters is not based on what they give to society. It is based solely on the mysterious worth of their humanity, that mysterious imprint of the divine.
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ITEM #10: Habits for a Happy Marriage
In my 34 years of working with Catholic couples, I have observed seven major conflicts that create severe marital stress. The good news is that these weaknesses can be overcome.
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ITEM #12: The Practice of Natural Family Planning Versus the Use of Artificial Birth Control: Family, Sexual and Moral Issues 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.
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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 ------------------------------
