An innovation we can all cheer: the pain-free needle

via smartplanet.com

File this under "Why didn't someone think of this before?" A new needle makes all injections pain-free.

When I was young (about 12) and had rheumatic fever, in the hospital, they injected me several times a day and also took blood. I remember those large syringes and how painful it was, so this is good news for us who hate needles:

Imagine you’re about to get a shot at the doctor’s office.

Instead of feeling a painful prick as the needle goes in, you watch it touch your skin but feel nothing.

That’s how a revolutionary new needle works: It first injects you with a tiny amount of local anesthetic, which masks the pain inflicted by the bigger needle.

Read more here: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/science-scope/an-innovation-we-can-all-cheer-the-pain-free-needle/12536?tag=nl.e660

Also here is an article on how to overcome fear of injections:
http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-the-Fear-of-Injections

DAY 38: Special prayer request

Dear Deacon,

I have two stories to share today, both about the
results of praying in front of an abortion center
during the 40 Days for Life campaign. But first --
a special prayer request.

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LONDON, ENGLAND
------------------------------------------------------

The London 40 Days for Life team will pray tonight
outside the BPAS abortion facility. BPAS is the
British equivalent of Planned Parenthood ... and they
are NOT happy about 40 Days for Life!

Bishop Alan Hopes and other clergy will lead an hour
of prayer for an increased respect for life in the UK.

It is certainly needed ...

... several facilities are under investigation for
doing illegal sex-selection abortions, and abortion
providers have just been granted permission to
advertise on television.

But vigil participants will not be alone. Pro-abortion
forces plan a "noisy" counter-demonstration.

Since 40 Days for Life began, BPAS has been rallying
the media and others to attack the London campaign at
an unprecedented level. One BPAS spokesman even told
the media there was "no moral justification" for Bishop
Hopes to get involved!

A pro-abortion advocate said, "Their protest (meaning
40 Days for Life) should be banned."

The good news, of course, is that this shows the
campaign is working!

PLEASE keep the London campaign in your prayers,
especially during this event. The vigil (and the
counter-protest) begins at 7 pm London time. That's
2 pm Eastern, 11 am Pacific in North America.

40 Days for Life's national director, David Bereit,
and I visited England just before the start of the
campaign and met a dedicated group of prayerful
volunteers. Have you seen the video of that visit?
You can watch it by going to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3109

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GERMANTOWN, MARYLAND
------------------------------------------------------

Andrew, the coordinator of the 40 Days for Life
campaign in Germantown, writes of women who have
decided against abortion -- including one who found
out it would be a two-day procedure. "She left and
did not come back," he said.

Infamous abortionist Leroy Carhart travels to
Germantown every week to perform late-term abortions.
But there have been two weeks during this campaign
that Carhart never arrived -- meaning no abortions
for those weeks.

"God is continuing to answer our prayers," Andrew said.
"We are making a difference. Germantown is continuing
to take notice of our constant presence. Please come
out and pray."

For a picture of a candlelight vigil at the Germantown
site, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3109

------------------------------------------------------
STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN
------------------------------------------------------

Mary said she was about halfway through her prayer time
at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Sterling Heights when
a small car pulled up and parked. A young woman got out
and asked Mary if she knew Sue.

The woman explained that three years ago, she had met
Sue, who was praying in about that same spot.

The young woman had come for an abortion. She was
pregnant and she was about to be evicted from her home.
Quite simply, she didn't know what to do. After talking
to Sue, however, "I had my baby -- my son. Come see!
He's in the car."

"I met her beautiful, boisterous, all-boy, 3-year-old!"
Mary said. The young mom's life is back on track. "She
said she's doing well now, has her own place, and the
boy's dad is active in his son's life."

Mary said this woman just wanted to tell everyone how
important this work and your prayers have been.

"Praise the Lord!" Mary said. "He always knows when I'm
getting a bit discouraged. I always read the stories on
the national 40 Days for Life site and think, 'WOW!'
Well, today I had my WOW moment."

To see some photos from the Sterling Heights vigil,
please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3109

Today's devotional is from Fr. Frank Pavone, national
director of Priests for Life.

------------------------------------------------------
DAY 38 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------

Pray that we become vessels of hope to all around us,
especially to those who minister in the pro-life
movement.

------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------

On the first day of the week, very early in the
morning, the women took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away
from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not
find the body of the Lord Jesus. "Why do you look for
the living among the dead? He is not here; he has
risen!"

-- Luke 24:1-5

------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
------------------------------------------------------

This meditation, based on a sermon I once heard, is
adapted for pro-life concerns.

It's Friday. Jesus is on the cross. He has been killed
by his enemies; he is off the scene.

But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Abortionists continue their work 3,300
times a day, tearing off the arms and legs of little
babies and crushing their heads.

But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Pro-abortion groups receive blood money
from billionaires who are as deceived as they are.

But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. Liars attempt to speak for all women and
hide the pain of abortion, and ignore the evidence of
how it harms women, and call abortion a blessing.

But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday. People of hardened hearts guard the
clinics and usher desperate women in to have their
abortions, while keeping them from the pro-life people
who want to give them hope.

But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'!

Hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the
evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the
whole picture, which is that evil is conquered because
of what happened one Sunday morning.

We are called to proclaim, celebrate, and serve that
victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ's return
and the full flowering of the Culture of Life!

Indeed, Sunday's comin'!

------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------

Lord, fill your people with new hope. Make us vessels
of hope to all around us, especially to those who
minister in the pro-life movement, that as we engage
in the difficult work ahead, we may experience the
peace and joy that come only from you and that nobody
can take away from us. We ask this through Christ our
Lord, Amen.

------------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
------------------------------------------------------

To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2012day38print.pdf

------------------------------------------------------

Yours for Life,

Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

PS: Have you received assurance that your efforts with
40 Days for Life have borne fruit? If so, please share
your story by replying to today's blog entry at:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3109

40 Days for Life

10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
Fredericksburg, VA
22408
US

Remembering Terri on the 7th Anniversary of her Death

via terrisfight.org

“As the Director of the largest organization in the Catholic Church, I want to express my unqualified support and endorsement of the work of The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network. Moreover, I can attest that the goals of Terri’s Life & Hope Network meet a critical need of families and of society to assist, guide, and advocate for families who find themselves in situations similar to what the Schindler family underwent with Terri.” – Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

To our Dear Friends and Faithful Supporters,

We must never forget Terri and the premature, unthinkable death she endured. This upcoming March 31st will be the seventh anniversary of my sister, Terri Schiavo’s death.

Terri was starved and dehydrated to death by those who value killing the innocent ahead of preserving life, and who put God second to the powers of a corrupt legal and government system—or leave Him out of the equation, entirely.

Terri never wanted to die, and in fact told us just the opposite—that she wanted to live. As we look back on all she endured, we realize that Terri did not die in vain. For years the “death cult” lurked in the shadows. Now, through the media coverage and public outcry surrounding Terri’s tragic ordeal, the evil of imposed death on the innocent and vulnerable has been exposed.

Our family learned, in the most painful way possible, of the existence of this “pro-death culture,” as we fought to save Terri. Please listen carefully when we say that there is a nationwide movement under way to promote a so-called “right to die,” with the ultimate goal of legalizing involuntary euthanasia.

Should you ever be put in the terrible situation that our family was placed as our Terri was fighting for her life, you will not be alone! The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network will be with you!

Please click here to send a safe and secure and tax deductible gift to Terri’s Life & Hope Network so that we can stand with you when you need us!

Terri’s Execution Was a Wake-Up Call: Who Benefits from Euthanasia?

Ethicists and economists are questioning whether the long accepted “spending mindset” is best for the financial future of programs such as Medicare. Estimates show that about $88 billion of Medicare's annual budget (10/18/06 – USA Today) goes to care for patients in their final year of life. Private medical insurers also have a vested interest in “cost containment” as health care costs continue to spiral and our population ages. As retirees live longer, the drain on Social Security has the potential to deplete the already jeopardized fund.

The same scenario applies to the medical profession, forcing doctors to decide who lives and dies based not on the value of every human life, but on the value of the almighty dollar.

Under IPAB (Independent Payment Advisory Board) 15 politically appointed members will make vital decisions on Medicare which removes the doctor patient relationship in determining what is best and will ultimately lead to countless cases of premature termination of life sustaining care for the elderly, disabled and those deemed as “too expensive”.

But don’t take our word for it, just read what Stanley Kurtz, Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center wrote about the IPAB, “…the elderly will be unable to obtain many kinds of care, or will experience de facto rationing via long treatment delays and sharp declines in the quality of care.

He continued, “Rationing, death panels, socialism, and deception. It’s all there. When Sarah Palin first raised the “death panel” issue, she was referring to end-of-life counseling. But IPAB is the real death panel (as Palin herself later noted), a body of unelected bureaucrats with the power to cut off care through arbitrary rules based on one-size-fits-all cost calculations, just as in Britain.”

Terri’s tragic story has proven that it is no longer safe to assume that the courts and the medical community have the best interests of your loved ones at heart… or even that you can trust your medical professionals to err on the side of life. Just look how the medical profession has created and now uses a diagnosis that studies have shown is wrong almost half the time – the persistent vegetative state (PVS). Yet they are using this diagnosis as a criterion to kill those with brain injuries just like they did in Terri’s case.

Sadly, a “quality of life” ethic has hijacked the profession, leaving very few doctors and nurses who are willing to stand up and fight for the lives of the most vulnerable among us. The “death cult” has no regard for the sanctity of life or compassion for the disabled.

Your financial help is especially critical right now because the tough economy is hitting Terri’s Life & Hope Network just as hard as it is everyone else in the country. That's why I'm urging you to help—right now.

Please make a secure contribution of $1,000, $500, $100, $50 or whatever you can manage to help us help the most vulnerable. We need you and they need you! In memory of the seventh anniversary of Terri’s death, you can click here and follow the simple instructions to donate to Terri’s Life & Hope Network today!

Terri’s Life & Hope Network Needs Your Financial and Moral Support to Stop Euthanasia!

We are in a David vs. Goliath battle. Simply put, we need your help! Terri’s Network has a small office, but we are still confronted with the ongoing operating expenses incurred by any small business. Except that we aren’t your average small business. We are on the front lines of the battle for life in America. On a weekly basis, we receive calls from families who are desperate to protect their loved ones whose lives are threatened in much the same way Terri’s was. We are continuing to expand our network of medical and legal professionals who are in place to help in these cases, but we need your help in order to grow this network.

Conversely, the death movement in this nation is funded by multi-billion dollar industries seeking to gain further profit from the de-valuation and destruction of life. While we cannot match them dollar for dollar, with your help we will hold off their deadly agenda. Since Terri’s death in 2005, Terri’s Life & Hope Network has been involved in hundreds of cases, and has impacted over 1,000 families by giving encouragement, support and solutions, for their loved ones living with brain injuries, Alzheimer’s and other medical conditions. We are understaffed and under–funded but we continue to fight the battle ever day with our 24 hour on call staff available for those in need.

In order to succeed, we need additional personnel who are dedicated to the Network’s objectives. This is an ongoing battle of life and death! If we fail in this battle, no life will be safe. Now is the time to act; now is the time to take a stand! Already we have seen how desperately needed Terri’s Life & Hope Network is to save the lives of the vulnerable… lives that could very well be your own or those of your loved ones in the years to come.

There is no one else out there helping these families and connecting them will the legal and medical services they need to protect their loved ones.

We are asking you at this time for a financial gift to the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network. Your financial support, your prayers and sacrifices will make the Network’s goals achievable, and may someday save the life of someone you love. Please consider Terri’s Life & Hope Network, as no cause is more worthwhile than the cause of life.

Many pro-life leaders commend The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network. Among them are...

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries
Judie Brown, President of American Life League
David N. O’Steen, Executive Director of the National Right to Life Committee.
To a person, these champions of life support us because they know that The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network saves lives! They know our track record. They know what we do.

The Sanctity of Life Must Be Respected

We come face to face with this death culture on a regular basis as people contact Terri’s Life & Hope Network asking us to help them protect the life of a loved one. Whether it is the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, or those living with a debilitating disease like Alzheimer’s, life must be respected. Caring for loved ones who have become ill or grown old is not an inconvenience, it is an honor. Only God has the power to create and take our lives.

On behalf of Terri and the Life & Hope Network, we thank you for standing up for life and ask that God will bless you,

Suzanne Schindler (Terri’s sister)
Executive Director
Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network

: LifeSiteNews - Thursday Mar 29 2012

Thursday, March 29, 2012 Donate - Subscribe to Daily News - Unsubscribe - Update Your Info - Send News Tips Click here to View Full Text, With Photos, of all Today's Stories On One Page We have been experiencing problems with the Disqus reader comments service. Comments for one story have been showing up under one or even several other stories, preventing comments under the stories affected. We are trying to have Disqus resolve the issue. One marvels how President Barack Obama is so at ease telling bald-faced lies. I am referring to his video endorsement today of Planned Parenthood. Scary. There are more stories today reflecting the current trend of serious attacks by Canadian governments and activist courts on basic freedoms and traditional moral principles. Many religious and pro-family spokesmen are openly speaking about a frightening rise of totalitarian tyranny in Canada that must be vigorously fought before it is too late. The LifeSiteNews website for mobile devices is 95% completed. Those who view LifeSiteNews on IPhones, Blackberrys and similar devices will be very pleased with this new option for small screen devices. If you have committed or are planning to attend the exciting LifeSiteNews gala in Washington, D.C. on April 29, now it the time we need you to purchase your tables or tickets. PLEASE Click here to submit your order. Steve Jalsevac LifeSiteNews.com * Obama plugs Planned Parenthood in new video - Jill Stanek * Powerful video highlights 60,000 strong religious freedom rallies against Obama mandate - John Jalsevac * Video: The final countdown to the Canadian March for Life - Alissa Golob Obama endorses Planned Parenthood: ‘you’ll never stop fighting for choice and neither will I’ Kathleen Gilbert Thu Mar 29 17:13 EST Abortion In an unusually candid video addressed to Planned Parenthood President Obama assured the billion-dollar abortion organization of his continued support. Full Story 911 call shows late-term abortionist Haskell laughing as patient suffers continuous seizure Kathleen Gilbert Thu Mar 29 13:53 EST Abortion "Haskell is a danger to the public, plain and simple," said Troy Newman of Operation Rescue. Full Story Like traditional marriage? Then dump Starbucks, says National Organization for Marriage Kathleen Gilbert Thu Mar 29 10:22 EST Homosexuality "People don't want their coffee company taking sides in a culture war," NOM Cultural Director Thomas Peters told LifeSiteNews.com. Full Story House committee approves bill strengthening parental involvement in minor abortions Christine Dhanagom Thu Mar 29 16:15 EST Abortion The bill would make it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines in order to circumvent parental involvement laws in the minor’s home state. Full Story Obama’s National Preparedness order creates a ‘martial law matrix,’ author says Ben Johnson Thu Mar 29 13:29 EST Freedom "They created this institutional architecture of executive dictatorship," Will Grigg told LifeSiteNews.com. Full Story Pro-life atheists invade the American Atheist Convention Kristine Kruszelnicki Thu Mar 29 13:20 EST Abortion "I don't understand how women could be so hateful to other women,” said one participant who approached our table. Full Story ‘Licensing the government to pimp’: ex-prostitutes condemn Ontario’s brothel ruling Peter Baklinski Thu Mar 29 15:27 EST Family “In my opinion, this just gives the government a license to be a pimp, because now they can charge taxes to these women,” said Tania Fiolleau, a former prostitute. Full Story Ontario’s NDP hope to force Catholic schools into naming clubs ‘gay-straight alliance’ Thaddeus Baklinski Thu Mar 29 13:11 EST Freedom The party says they plan to introduce an amendment to McGuinty's Bill 13 that would force schools to let students name the clubs. Full Story The Perils of the Quebec Euthanasia Report Alex Schadenberg Thu Mar 29 09:00 EST Euthanasia The commission's recommendations, says anti-euthanasia expert, are similar to Belgian-style euthanasia, which is not limited to exceptional cases. Full Story EU illegally gave abortion providers $30 million, report says Ben Johnson Thu Mar 29 17:46 EST Abortion "Two of the major beneficiaries" are "International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Marie Stopes International (MSI)," the report says. Full Story Confronting population control in ‘the Kingdom in the Sky’ Brian Clowes Thu Mar 29 17:30 EST Opinion When I visited Lesotho in February, it was hard not to notice the ceaseless work of the huge “family planning” and population control groups operating there. Full Story The myth of ‘harm reduction’ strikes again Patrick B. Craine Thu Mar 29 13:28 EST Freedom Let us be clear: prostitution is a social ill that is unsafe at any time or place. Full Story Why opposing the gay lobby is not anti-gay Jennifer Roback Morse Thu Mar 29 12:09 EST Opinion Equating all disagreement with evidence of bias lowers the intellectual level of the discussion. Full Story Spain’s main conservative and socialist parties join in rejecting euthanasia bill Matthew Cullinan Hoffman Thu Mar 29 10:48 EST Euthanasia A proposal to legalize euthanasia was roundly rejected by Spain's two biggest parties, which are normally at loggerheads over human life and family issues. 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