 |
Last revised 10/1/08 |
Healthy MORE COMPANIES OFF BOYCOTT LIST [1/13/08]
Life Decisions Int. has reported that Sears, Kmart, Comcast, Compass Group PLC and The Park Grill have been removed from the list of companies which fund Planned Parenthood.
For more info, go to www.fightpp.org
MONTHLY UPDATE & ACTION MEETINGS [1/13/08]
The Helpers of God's Precious Infants prayer vigil on the first Saturday of each month (see Regularly Scheduled Activities), is followed by a short meeting to update us on pro-life news - local, state, and national. The meetings usually begin around 9:45 am and are over by 11 am. Come learn what you can do to help and be more involved with upcoming legislation and other pro-life events. To receive regular emails about these meetings, send your email address to rmmaxwell@yahoo.com
THREE WAYS TO SUPPORT CHESTER COUNTY PRO-LIFE COALITION [1/13/08]
DONATE: Fill out this form and send with your donation.
USE GROCERY STORE GIFT CARDS: Purchase gift certificates or cards (depending on the store) for any of the stores listed on the coupon here. Use them when shopping in the same way you would use cash. You get dollar for dollar what you purchase from us; there is no cost to you. We make 5% of what we sell.
If you are currently purchasing gift cards from your church or school, perhaps you would consider purchasing one week's worth out of each month from us. You can order by mail using the coupon to the right. Tell your friends about it. For more information, please call our office at 610-692-4463.BUY AN ENTERTAINMENT BOOK: We have the Philadelphia West 2008 Entertainment Book. These books are filled with incredible discounts on restaurants, entertainment, travel and local businesses and services in Chester & Delaware Counties and Philadelphia. The books sell for $25 and make great gifts. The savings on one or two uses can often pay for the cost of the book
To order books for other cities call our office at 610-692-4463 or go to www.fundraising.entertainment.com/support and use our Account Number #542323. We will receive 20% of your purchase price.EXCITING NEWS FROM CCWS MEDICAL [1/13/08]
By Karen Pennell, CEO
I believe God is the Author of the word "Amaze". Someone once told me that where God leads He provides. I've come to learn this is true of not just the small stuff in life but also the Goliath size callings. In 2007, CCWS Medical heard the call of God and the cry of the community to open a location in the heart of West Chester. After much prayer and guidance our Board of Directors was in full agreement that it was time to expand our territory into the borough of West Chester. Then the "amazing" journey officially began!
We found a building that was too expensive to our human eyes but God provided through His faithful children. In a very short time He provided $75,000 to cover the down payment and closing costs. This building at 27 South Church Street has three apartments which provide approximately $2,000 per month income toward the mortgage payment. The remaining payment amount is less than we were paying for rent at our previous West Chester location! That's Amazing!!
Once we purchased the building we needed to build out the office and also meet current building codes. We put out the word in the form of emails and mailings and once again the children of God stepped up and were willing to put forth the effort to complete these needed renovations. We've experienced Godly men and women from throughout Chester County working together at our new location. It's a pleasure to be on site with them…to hear joking, laughter and conversation. So much has been completed in just one short month. In just two more weeks we will be finished! That's Amazing!!
We then began praying for more volunteers to serve our clients once the doors open in West Chester as well as increase our Coatesville hours. In the last month we have had over 20 women contact us regarding joining our staff of volunteers. That's Amazing!!
We look forward to opening our doors mid-January 2008 to women seeking hope in their time of crisis! Through our counseling services and our ultrasound technology we will introduce mothers and fathers to their pre-born children. Currently we are experiencing 90-95% of our clients choosing life for their pre-born children. With ultrasound in the borough of West Chester we believe we will increase the number of mothers choosing life and decrease the number of abortions! That's Amazing!!
To know more about CCWS Medical visit our website or contact Karen Pennell, CEO, via e-mail or phone at (610) 593-6331.
IS THE END OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH NEAR? [1/13/08]
Recent incredible events have occurred which some say will end the debate between embryonic versus adult stem cell research. While the only current successes in treating numerous diseases and conditions have come from the use of adult or cord blood stem cells, the proponents of the need for embryonic stem cells say that they are the only type that have the possibility of being transformed into whatever type of tissue that is needed. Until now. Two research pioneers, Professor Shinya Yamenaha, of Kyoto University, and Professor James Thomson, of the University of Wisconsin, have announced that they have found a way to make adult stem cells revert to their embryonic form, which can then be turned into various types of cells. The method is an extremely simple technique of injecting four genes into adult skin cells. The process can be easily replicated in labs across the world. "People didn't know it would be this easy," stated Prof. Thomson. As a result of this announcement, the internationally known, Professor Ian Wilmut, who cloned "Dolly", the sheep, and received a license from the British government to clone human embryos, now says he will not pursue it. He says the new method has better potential for creating embryonic stem cells by growing them from a patient's own cells and forgoing the destruction of human life. He believes the new approach is "easier to accept socially", given the opposition from pro-life advocates to human cloning. Charles Krauthammer, who sat on President Bush's Council on Bioethics as a "secular member" -- not committed to one side or the other, commented on the stem cell research breakthrough in his Nov. 30, 2007 column for the Washington Post. He stated, "The Holy Grail has now been achieved". He lists several reasons: (1) The genius of Professors Yamanaha and Thomson, (2) The good fortune that nature requires only four injected genes to turn an adult skin cell into one that can become bone or brain or heart or liver, and (3) Because the moral disquiet that James Thomson always felt -- and that George Bush forced the country to confront -- helped lead him and others to find some ethically neutral way to produce stem cells. In August of 2001, President Bush took a stance and decided that a moral line had to be drawn regarding the issue of embryonic stem cell research. He forbade the use of federal dollars for the creation and destruction of new embryos for research. Many on both sides didn't agree with where he drew the line, but as Krauthammer put it, "What Bush got right was to insist, in the face of enormous popular and scientific opposition, on drawing a line at all, on requiring that scientific imperative be balanced by moral considerations."
ANNUAL FUNDRAISING APPEAL [1/13/08]
The movie, "Amazing Grace", recently released on DVD, tells the story of William Wilberforce who spent a lifetime working for the abolishment of the slave trade in the British Empire. It is an inspirational film, which shows that faith in God, accompanied by dogged persistence in a just cause, can lead to a great victory. It appears that the "Culture of Death" is every bit as formidable as the forces that supported slavery. Chester County Pro-Life Coalition has been fighting against it for over twenty-five years. We intend to keep fighting until abortion joins slavery in the dustbin of history. We know that we will prevail only with God's help and we pray for this help in everything we do. To see a list of the activities and work we are involved in, please check out our website -- www.chescoprolife.org
We need your help, too, to continue the battle. We are an all-volunteer organization so we have no salaries to pay; but because we believe it is important to be visible to the community --which includes the West Chester University students - we maintain an office in West Chester. The rent is $900 per month. Our monthly utility bill is $150. The cost to keep our pro-life literature stocked and current is about $500 per year, since we supply the sidewalk counselors at Planned Parenthood with the literature they hand out to women coming for abortions. Our copier costs us $500 a year to keep it running. The mailing and printing cost for our newsletter is $550 per month. These are our major recurring expenses, but there are others. Our total expenses for 2006 were $22,520. With this, we confront an organization (Planned Parenthood of Chester County) that receives many thousands of our tax dollars and reported a surplus of $100,645 in a recent financial report.
And so we come to you with our major once-a-year request for your financial support. Please use the enclosed envelope. A generous response will enable us to continue our work without having to spend time and money on other fundraising events.
Finally, we ask for your continued prayers for an end to abortion, for mothers and babies in danger of abortion, and for those who have the power to change laws and policy that allow this evil to continue in our land.
Jo Christof, PresidentINCONVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT ORGAN DONATIONS [10/29/07]
By Steve Jalsevac
September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - There has been growing concern over the past several years about increasingly aggressive measures undertaken to harvest human organs from dying patients. Dr. John Shea, a Toronto physician who has specialized in researching the issue, has just completed a report, Organ donation: The inconvenient truth, that sounds an alarm about the unethical or at least highly questionable practices of the organ transplant industry. The article is published in the September issue of Catholic Insight magazine.
The magazine editor states the article is offered to inform the public about "the moral principles and scientific facts pertaining to both the donation and harvesting of human organs for transplantation purposes. Many physicians have serious and well-considered concerns about the morality of human organ transplantation and about the fact that the general public has not been properly informed about what really happens when organs are retrieved."
Dr. Shea reports on the modern and still very unsettled definition of "brain death" used by many organ transplant physicians to justify declaring organ donors dead and therefore fair game for immediate organ harvesting.
Shea points out, "There is no consensus on diagnostic criteria for brain death. They are the subject of intense international debate. Various sets of neurological criteria for the diagnosis of brain death are used. A person could be diagnosed as brain dead if one set is used and not be diagnosed as brain dead if another is used." It depends on what hospital or which doctor is involved in a particular case.
In fact, says Shea, "A diagnosis of death by neurological criteria is theory, not scientific fact. Also, irreversibility of neurological function is a prognosis, not a medically observable fact."
The coldly utilitarian goal of promoting the acceptance of brain death, says Shea, "is to move to a society where people see organ donation as a social responsibility and where donating organs would be accepted as a normal part of dying." In fact, he says, the specific wishes of a donor opposed to having his organs removed would be bypassed by putting skilled pressure on surviving family members to approve the organ removal.
The apnea test, or removal of a ventilator, that is often used to determine brain death, says Dr. Shea, is the thing that often ends up killing the patient. "The test", he reports, "significantly impairs the possibility of recovery and can lead to the death of the patient through a heart attack or irreversible brain damage."
Shea reveals there are some preventive measures taken by organ removal teams that bring in to serious question whether their donor body, kept functioning through artificial means to preserve the organs, is really, fully dead.
"Some form of anesthesia is needed to prevent the donor from moving during removal of the organs. The donor's blood pressure may rise during surgical removal. Similar changes take place during ordinary surgical procedures only if the depth of anesthesia is inadequate. Body movement and a rise in blood pressure are due to the skin incision and surgical procedure if the donor is not anesthetized. Is it not reasonable to consider that the donor may feel pain? In some cases, drugs to paralyze muscle contraction are given to prevent the donor from moving during removal of the organs. Yet, sometimes no anesthesia is administered to the donor. Movement by the donor is distressing to doctors and nurses. Perhaps this is another reason why anesthesia and drugs to paralyze the muscles are usually given."
Since the definition of brain death was invented in the late 1960s "as a means for the moral validation of the retrieval of human organs for transplant", says Shea, the demand for organs has increasingly exceeded supply and so a new definitions of death had to be created to help meet the demand. The concept of "cardiac death" was developed but this also has serious ethical challenges and test measures that also kill a possibly still alive patient. Another "ominous and disturbing development" is the recent recruitment of palliative caregivers by the organ harvesting industry. "Those care givers" says Shea, "in effect… are to be the agents of a soft-sell program to make the family 'feel comfortable and supported during this extremely difficult time.'"
Shea covers the changing Vatican debate on these end of life issues and the need for more definitive and better informed direction from the Church on the issues. An Italian researcher is quoted stating, "The concern of many is that the Vatican has not taken the appropriate position when doubts exist about the end of human life."
Organ donation: The inconvenient truth contains many references to support its statements and is a timely paper on the human transplant trend that is fast becoming ethically out-of-control. Many political jurisdictions are considering radical legislative measures, such as presumed consent, without being fully aware of the major ethical dilemmas related to organ transplants. Most are not aware, for instance, that organs are often taken from persons who are likely, in many ways, still alive.
To view the complete article: www.lifesitenews.com or see related articles: www.lifesite.net
SUPPORT A PRO-LIFE BUSINESS [10/29/07]
Past issues of this newsletter have called for boycotts of various companies. Now we�d like to highlight a local pro-life business that deserves your patronage. The Mediterranean Restaurant at 150 W. Gay St, in West Chester, has refused to participate in the annual �Dining Our for Life� event that raises funds that end up in the hands of Planned Parenthood. Owners, Joe & Margaret Andraos, are often intimidated into giving money to the Dining Out event and told they are losing regular customers. They still refuse to give. Joe immigrated from Lebanon many years ago, where he fled from Christian persecution. Their restaurant is BYOB and offers a quiet dining experience with plenty of fresh home made food.
AWARD WINNING MOVIE, BELLA, OPENS OCTOBER 26 [9/25/07]
You don't want to miss this winner of the "People's Choice" Award at the Toronto Film Festival that provides a look at the abortion debate from the perspective of a man who learns to have an appreciation for the value of human life after an automobile accident in which a young girl is killed. Changing the way the public approaches the issue of abortion is the top goal of the producers of Bella. Without an over-the-top approach that features content directed at the pro-life community, it takes a more subtle tack that could cause millions of Americans to rethink their own views supporting abortion.
The actors and producers in the movie are stars in their own right who are all strongly pro-life Catholics and have formed a production company to impact the culture. Eduardo Verastegui is one of the most successful Mexican actors in Hollywood today and has become one of the strongest voices against the legalization of abortion in Mexico City. Like his character in Bella, he gave up the glory of the world to focus on making movies that advance values and ethics. Since rediscovering the faith of his parents, he has no fear of public rejection for denouncing the holocaust of abortion
The movie is racking up strong reviews from media outlets including, the New York Times, Fox News and the New York Post. At numerous private showings, audiences have risen to their feet with teary eyes, thunderous applause and offers to help promote it. Now that it has finally received a major distribution deal, it will hit theaters nationwide on October 26th. So gather as many people as you can to come out to, not only be enthralled by this stunning movie, but to help support those who have used their money, talent, and faith to speak out on the sanctity of human life.
WAWA OFF THE BOYCOTT LIST [9/25/07]
Life Decisions, International (LDI) has put out an update that Wawa is no longer a boycott target as reported in this newsletter last month. It was a shock to many that one of our "homegrown" and well-loved businesses would contribute to an organization such as Planned Parenthood - for that's what gets you on the LDI boycott list. Phone calls, letters and emails were sent to the Corporate Headquarters. It appears they got the message.
PRO-LIFE GROUP NAMES NEW BOYCOTT TARGETS [9/1/07]
Life Decisions International (LDI), a group that monitors corporations that give contributions to Planned Parenthood has released a new boycott list. They hope that pro-life advocates will consult the list before making purchases at some of the leading companies in the United States because they support the number one abortion business.
Doug Scott, president of LDI, confirms that the boycott list has proven effective over the past 15 years. He says, "As a direct result of the commitment, action and prayers of pro-family people, at least 153 corporations have stopped funding Planned Parenthood." Several well-known companies are appearing on the LDI boycott list for the first time, including:
Allstate Insurance Company, CCA Global (the parent of Carpet One and other flooring stores), Chevron, Texaco, Comcast, DuPont, eBay and PayPal, the Four Seasons Hotels, GlaxoSmithKline, Marriott, OSI Restaurants (which includes Outback Steakhouse), Sears and Kmart, Sonic, and Wawa convenience stores [NOTE: Wawa is now off the boycott list!].
Some of the companies that remain on the boycott list include: Wachovia, Nike, Time Warner, Bank of America, CIGNA, Walt Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Wells Fargo, Whole Foods, Nationwide Insurance.
The new list also includes a revised section identifying charitable organizations associated with Planned Parenthood. To receive the complete list contact Life Decisions International at P.O. Box 75161, Washington, D.C. or by phone 540-631-0380 or website www.fightpp.org
THREE CHESTER COUNTY FACILITIES REPORT ABORTIONS IN 2006 [6/23/07]
According to the PA Department of Health, abortions were committed at three locations in Chester County in 2006.
Planned Parenthood - 1008
Phoenixville Hospital - 23
Paoli Hospital - 6
INFORMED CONSENT: IT'S REALLY QUITE CLEAR [6/23/07]
A portion of Section 3205 of the PA Abortion Control Act states:
1. At least 24 hours prior to the abortion, the physician who is to perform the abortion or the referring physician, has orally informed the woman of:
| i. The nature of the proposed procedure or treatment and of those risks and alternatives to the procedure. | |
| ii. The probable gestational age of the unborn child at the time the abortion is to be performed. | |
| iii. The medical risks associated with carrying her child to term. |
This above is part of the information a mother is to receive during her "informed consent" visit at least 24 hours before an abortion. Planned Parenthood of West Chester has their clients watch a video instead of speaking with a physician during their "informed consent" visit. Does it seem obvious that a physician speaking on a video has no way of telling the abortion client what the gestational age of the child is?
We have been back and forth with both the PA Dept. of State (who is supposed to enforce this law) and the Chester County District Attorney's Office (who also has jurisdiction) for well over a year to have this law enforced. The former has decided there is no violation - without giving any explanation; the latter is still researching it!!!
THE GOLDEN RULE [6/23/07]
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12)
This teaching of Jesus, called the Golden Rule, makes it pretty easy to evaluate how we should treat others, particularly others in need. Jesus tells us it applies "in everything." That includes in pro-life strategy. �
"Do to others what you would have them do to you." It applies when the "others" are unborn children, living and growing in their mothers' wombs, and scheduled to be aborted. We are to do to them what we would want others to do to us if we were in the same situation. �
I once asked a pro-abortion person if he would prefer to have been aborted.� His response was, "I would not have known the difference." And thus he avoided answering the question, which was whether he would prefer (now) to have been aborted (then), not what he would or would not have known then. Put another way, if you were in danger of losing your life and could not rescue yourself, what would you want others to do for you? �
The answer for every sane person is that we would want others to rescue us, to save us. According to the teaching of Jesus, then, we have to do save and rescue the unborn. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." Yet most believers in Jesus do not follow this advice. �
Were we in danger, would we want others to speak up for us, even if they would face ridicule, opposition, and accusations of being fanatical single-issue people? The answer is yes. Were we in danger, would we want preachers to sound the alarm and rally people to come to our aid and protect our lives? The answer is yes. Were we in danger, would we want public officials and candidates for public office to make an issue of saving our lives, and restore to us the protection of which we were deprived? The answer is yes. �
If, then, we follow the teaching of Jesus, we know what we have to do. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." �
A lot of pro-life people lose time and sleep figuring out how much risk they should take in their pro-life activity - how many people should they risk offending, how many positions should they risk losing, and how many legal entanglements should they risk incurring. It's time to stop wondering. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." Just ask the simple question, "If it were my life at stake, how much risk would I want others to take to save me?" �
Some people today, including me, are even evaluating whether they should physically intervene by blockading the doors of abortion facilities to separate the babies from the instruments that will kill them. Jesus' words convey an uncomfortable answer: "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOC. HAS RADICAL AGENDA [6/23/07]
The National Education Association (NEA) teacher union is holding its annual convention in Philadelphia from June 30 - through July 5, 2007. Over 9000 delegates from all fifty states will meet to set policy for its 3.2 million members.
It will come as no surprise if NEA delegates propose a resolution at the convention condemning the recent Supreme Court decision against Partial-Birth Abortion.
Most Americans are unaware of the NEA leadership's radical agenda. In 1985 its �Family Planning� Resolution (I-13) was adopted. It 1986 it was amended and is reaffirmed annually at every Convention. It reads, "The National Education Association supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom. The Association urges the government to give high priority to making available all methods of family planning to women and men unable to take advantage of private facilities. The Association further urges the implementation of community-operated, school-based family planning clinics that will provide intensive counseling by trained personnel."
In 1990 NEA delegates passed New Business Item 1990-65 - "NEA will oppose any legislation which will erode the status of Roe v. Wade and/or which impedes access to and choice of reproductive health care options, by providing technical assistance to state affiliates."
The NEA leadership is one of Planned Parenthood's primary advocates. The NEA leadership co-sponsored the pro-abortion rallies in Washington, DC in 1989, 1992, and 2004 along with the ACLU, National Abortion Rights Action League, and other liberal and feminist groups.
ONGOING VISITS TO LEGISLATORS [5/7/07]
The monthly lobbying trips to Harrisburg are continuing. Several carloads of people have been traveling to our state capitol to meet with state legislators. Over 26 have been visited so far � both influential leaders and the newly elected. These meetings have been informative both for the legislators and for our people. The legislators are learning more about pro-life priorities and issues and we are learning more about the workings of our government.
The legislative efforts being pursued include: An "Ultrasound Bill" which will enable mothers to view their unborn child before an abortion, a "Conscience Bill for Pharmacists" to give them the right to refuse filling prescriptions that can cause the death of an unborn child, the "Marriage Amendment" to declare marriage as between one man and one woman, a "Psychological Harm Bill" which would require telling mothers coming for abortions about the risks of psychological problems following abortion, and the removal of "family planning" money from the budget which uses our tax dollars to promote promiscuity among the young.
Anyone wishing to join in future trips to Harrisburg, contact Jack O'Brien at 610-692-2122.
2005 ABORTION STATISTICS: WHERE DO WE STAND? [5/7/07]
Recently, the PA Department of Health released their annual report for 2005 on abortions in Pennsylvania. There was a lot of information to process, and some sad numbers to relate for our unborn brothers and sisters who were lost, and for their mothers who were wounded. In total, 34,909 abortions were committed throughout Pennsylvania.
Statewide, 6 girls, 12 years of age or younger, had abortions � and in Chester County alone, 4 abortions were done on girls under the age of 15.
The majority (almost 60%) of all abortions were performed at 8 weeks or less. This means that these mothers lost children who already had heartbeats, brainwaves, and were moving around of their own free will.
Over 34% were obtained by 20-24 year olds, making them the majority of women seeking abortions. The next largest group was 25-29 year olds.
Complications occurred in 121 reported cases, most of which were problems with �retained products of conception'. And most of these complications occurred in abortions at 8 weeks or less gestation.
Repeat abortions accounted for 44.8% of the abortions, with 18.8% on women who had two or more previous abortions.
White women had 56.9% of the abortions, while black women accounted for 38% and those of Hispanic origin had 6.4%.
In Chester County, 1,117 residents had abortions in PA, while 1,162 abortions actually occurred in Chester County. The number of residents having abortions has been slowly increasing over the past three years. In 2004, there were 1040 and in 2003, there were 983. The number of abortions occurring in Chester County in 2004 was 1173 and in 2003 there were 1129.
Anyone wishing to receive the complete report from the PA Department of Health, please call our office at 610-692-4463.
CANCER GROUPS AND PLANNED PARENTHOOD [5/7/07]
We want to call your attention to some groups that you may normally like to contribute to, but have links to Planned Parenthood. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation ("Race for the Cure") continues to give grant money to Planned Parenthood for "breast health care". And the American Cancer Society is now giving them money for "smoking cessation programs".
Both of these organizations insist on ignoring the evidence that abortion can increase the risk of breast cancer and that Planned Parenthood is the number one provider of abortion in this country. Please let these seemingly good organizations know why you cannot contribute or participate in their "races" as long as they are involved with Planned Parenthood.
According to "Life Decisions International" other groups with relationships with Planned Parenthood are Camp Fire Girls, The Dr. Phil Foundation, Girl Scouts, Human Rights Watch, some Kiwanis Clubs, the March of Dimes, some Rotary Clubs, and the YWCA.
30 DAYS OF PRO-LIFE PRAYER [5/7/07]
Prayer is one of the most powerful tools available to each of us. The Bible repeatedly refers to prayer as a way to not only praise and worship God, but also to petition God for help and to thank God for His many blessings.
The National Pro-Life Religious Council, which represents a wide variety of different Christian denominations, has recently completed a prayer outline to help pro-life people conduct 30 days of personal prayer, based on a solid Biblical foundation.
"30 Days for Life - A Prayer Devotional" begins each day's devotional with a scriptural quote followed by several thought-provoking and inspiring paragraphs, which offer reflections on that day's scripture. Each day's devotional is then closed with a brief pro-life prayer.
In all, there are 15 contributors to the book, representing 14 different denominations or organizations with outreach programs to religious groups. Some of the contributors include pro-life clergy who have worked steadfastly for 20 or more years to change their denominations' position from pro-abortion to pro-life. And through their work and prayer, some of these denominations are beginning to move, ever so slowly, toward a pro-life position.
Through prayer, we honor God, ask for His assistance in our struggle to protect all innocent human life, and thank Him for the help He has already given us. I believe this book will provide everyone with an opportunity to spend a few minutes a day, for 30 consecutive days, to pray and to reflect on various aspects of the pro-life movement. I hope this book will fill your hearts with a sense of peace and purpose that only prayer - personal communication with God - can bring.
30 Days for Life - A Prayer Devotional may be purchased for $3.50 plus $1.00 postage. Please send your order to National Right to Life, 512 Tenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20004. You can also call (202) 626-8811.
By Ernest L. Ohlhoff, National Right to Life Director of Outreach
PA CHOOSE LIFE LICENSE PLATE [3/21/07]
After years of lobbying and waiting, the PA Choose Life License Plate is finally here! Here is an excerpt from the website, www.pachoose-life.org, where you can find more information about this license plate!
"Membership for PA Choose Life is $40.00 for the first year. The membership fee includes the PA Choose Life License Plate. After covering the costs incurred from the Department of Transportation for the manufacture of the plates the rest of the $40.00 fee will go directly to the Homes for Women in Crisis Pregnancies in Pennsylvania. In the future, members will be able to view fund distribution via the PA Choose Life website.
We would ask that you renew your $20.00 membership fee each year at the time of your vehicle registration. PA CHOOSELIFE will send you a reminder card separately from your Penndot Registration. Your annual support will continue to fund these homes in the years after you have received your PA CHOOSELIFE specialty plate."
|
Signing up for this license plate serves two very important purposes in our community�first, it allows people to share the message about Life just as effectively as with bumper stickers, and secondly, an important contribution goes to those pregnancy resource clinics in our area that are serving women facing crisis pregnancies, helping them to choose life for their babies.
Order your "Choose Life" license plate today!
WHO WILL DECIDE FOR YOU? [3/21/07]
On Jan 29, 2007, Act 169 took effect in the state of PA and it could affect all of us. The Act makes sweeping changes affecting healthcare powers of attorney and living wills. It provides the means for competent adults to control their health care either directly through instructions written in advance (living wills) or indirectly through a health care agent (health care powers of attorney) or, when there is no advance directive, through a healthcare representative (usually a member of the patient's family).
In the absence of a chosen health care agent or representative, this law sets forth who may act by default as the representative to make medical decisions. The list in descending order of priority is: 1.Spouse and adult child who is not the child of the spouse 2. Adult child. 3. Parent. 4. Adult sibling. 5. Adult grandchild. 6. Close friend.
It is impossible to know what medical situations will arise in the future. Pro-life attorneys and organizations recommend naming a health care representative you trust to make the best moral and ethical decisions if you are unable to speak for yourself instead of using living wills.
THE CHANGING FACE OF THE MARCH FOR LIFE [3/21/07]
by Andrea
The face of the March for Life has changed. Even in the brief five years that I have been working in pro-life efforts such as volunteering at pregnancy centers and public outreach through education, I can see the large steps that have been taken by the movement to incorporate the voice of post-abortive women and men. At every turn I am further heartened by the compassion, the unity, and the single vision that is becoming more and more a part of the pro-life environment today.
|
No event is such a marked testament to this change than the March for Life. My first March was five years ago, in 2002. I remember going with my church, as a senior in high school. It was less than a year after my abortion � I was 17, and the only person who knew about my abortion was the friend who accompanied me to this event. I remember standing at the rally before the March, listening to senators talking about women who "sacrificed their children on the altar of convenience." I was ashamed � they were talking about me. That day I walked by several men with bullhorns, shouting that women who aborted their children were going to hell. The final straw came later when a friend in my pro-life college group (who didn't know my history) stated unequivocally that women who had abortions were excommunicated without question. It hurt to go to the March. It hurt to take a pro-life stance with an abortion in my past. I felt like I couldn't share my past with those I struggled to help.
How far we have come!!! This past year, I had the honor to join Silent No More Awareness Campaign throughout the rally � holding up an "I Regret My Abortion" sign; right next to my sisters and brothers who had withstood the same loss I had suffered. I felt a great sense of gratitude and support standing with them. I didn't feel ashamed before that vast crowd; I didn't feel like I had to hide my past. I felt like all those people were there to mourn with me, to cry out for justice with me, and to rejoice in healing with me.
Today, thanks to a better understanding of post-abortion trauma, mothers and fathers of aborted children are helped every day through ministries like ours. The vast majority of friction and static I get about my past comes from those who claim to be pro-choice. I attended the so-called "March for Women's Lives," with Silent No More and was openly mocked by the opposing side. We were sneered at, made fun of, and I remember one woman in particular screaming, "You should be ashamed of yourselves!" I have never been less ashamed of myself in my life than when I stand up for my rights, for the rights of the son I lost, for the rights of my sisters and friends and the generations that will come after me.
At a Silent No More Gathering that took place after the March for Life this year, women and men gave their brave testimonies about their abortion experiences. The speakers were completely composed and shared their stories with powerful emotion, but not histrionics. There were tears, but they were gentle, and each participant took time to mention the great healing they had experienced. Many cited Rachel's Vineyard Ministries as being responsible for the transformation of their hearts and their lives. In contrast was the short-lived protest by NARAL, which featured the screaming of meaningless slogans, and attempts to silence the voices of the very women that pro-choice groups claim to represent. They came and went briefly � their impact hardly felt in the face of the truth we proclaimed.
My most vivid memory of the March this year was a wonderful man who spoke to the assembled women of Silent No More before the Gathering. He held his fist in the air, smiled proudly at those holding "I Regret" signs, and said, "Regret but not shame, ladies, regret but not shame!" His words echoed one theme that must be highlighted � this was not an event designed to revel in the guilt and grief of abortion, but a chance for us as parents who had lost children to abortion to finally have the chance to stand up for our true rights, the right of their children to life, and to decry the lie of abortion. I regret, but I am not ashamed. I cry out, but not in pain � I cry out for justice, and I cry out with the voice given to me by the dedicated representatives of Rachel's Vineyard who helped heal me from my pain.
(Andrea is currently working for Rachel's Vineyard and the newest member of the Chester County Pro-Life Coalition Board of Directors.)
GARDASIL - SHOULD IT BE MANDATORY? [3/21/07]
A new drug has been introduced to the public by Merck & Co. that makes a misleading promise to curb the rate of cervical cancer in women by inoculating them against the Human Pappiloma Virus, a sexually transmitted infection that is directly linked to cervical cancer.
Currently, there are efforts underway in our own state legislature to make this vaccine a requirement for school-age girls. Traditionally, mandated vaccines are for easily communicable diseases such as mumps and measles, which can be spread through casual contact like coughing. The vaccine only protects against four kinds of HPV. There are currently more than a hundred recorded variations of this disease infecting people all over the world. In fact, 30% of cases of cervical cancer caused by HPV will not be affected by this vaccine at all. In addition, the incubation period for the HPV virus to develop into cervical cancer is 10 � 15 years. The Gardisil vaccine is only effective for 4 �5 years. If it is mandated to inoculate 6th grade girls, as is currently being proposed, it will have worn off before any cancer occurs.
Another important note to take into consideration about this new vaccine is the fact that this drug with a life-long impact has only been tested for four years�there is no current information about the long-term effects. Dr. Jon Abramson of the Center for Disease Control has come forward to say that he strongly opposes mandating Gardasil as a vaccine.
It is important that we as consumers, as parents and siblings and friends, understand the facts about Gardasil.
EXPOSE THE EVIL [1/6/07]
Fr. Frank Pavone
I have spent more than half my life strategizing about how the people of God can most effectively fight and end abortion. There is no one line that summarizes my conclusions better than what St. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:11, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
Evil flourishes when it is hidden: injustice festers when the victim is unseen. And history demonstrates that those who have overcome social injustices have followed Paul's advice to expose the evil. For instance, those who fought the slave trade in Britain went to the ports to draw pictures of the boats and how the slaves were kept in them like sardines.
Exposing evil causes it to collapse under its own weight, as it confronts the light of human conscience. Overcoming injustice does not require that everyone believe it is injustice. There is, rather, a critical mass at some point in the spectrum, when "enough" people are so convinced. The good news is that those people already have the conscience to reject the evil. The problem is that the evil hasn't been sufficiently exposed for them to see it.
So it is with abortion. The more it is exposed, the more people reject it. Public opinion on abortion in America has been amazingly stable since Roe vs. Wade. The most significant shift occurred when the details of the partial-birth abortion procedure were exposed in the mid-nineties. Never did a larger audience see and hear in more detail what abortion actually is. Abortion needs to be exposed in five distinct ways:
Statistics: Most Americans have no idea of the immense numbers of abortions, or that abortions occur throughout pregnancy. The abortion supporters themselves provide us the statistics. See the Alan Guttmacher Institute's website, www.agi-usa.org. Just seeing these facts awakens many people that a change in abortion policy is necessary.
Descriptions: Medical textbooks like Abortion Practice use the word "decapitate" and dismember to describe what happens to the baby in abortion. Moreover, there are now more sworn court testimonies from practicing abortionists than ever before, on all different abortion procedures (see www.priestsforlife.org/pba). Again, the abortionists' own words work against them! When expose evil in this way, nobody can accuse us of making it up!
Photos: Show people what abortion looks like, and they will never feel the same about it again. See how the photos impact people by reading their testimonies at www.priestsforlife.org/resources/abortionimages/graphicspraise.htm.
Devastation to women, men and families: More and more mothers, fathers, and families of aborted children speak out about how they have been devastated. The power of their testimony changes minds and hearts. (See www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org/testimonies).
Corruption in the abortion industry: Read the book Lime 5 and see how malpractice, fraud, and sexual abuse are rampant in legal abortion clinics. See www.ClinicWorker.com to learn of other abuses and violations.
The road to ending abortion is clearly open in front of us. Simply take the evidence above and put it before the conscience of everyone you can.
(From Priests for Life Newsletter, March-April 2006)
10 YEARS OF ABORTION AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD [9/30/06]
Following is the original version of a Guest Column by Jo Christof, President, Chester County Pro-Life Coalition. A few changes were made when it was published in the Daily Local News on August 17, 2006.
It was a sad day ten years ago this August when Planned Parenthood began committing abortions in its West Chester facility. They heralded it as "expanding their services" to the women of Chester County. After months of great public outcry, debate, prayer and hearings, the West Chester Borough Zoning Board agreed that ending the life of an unborn child by tearing it to pieces was "just another service" and did not violate any zoning ordinances.
Today we mourn the victims of that "service" � over 8000 victims. The PA Department of Health reports that Planned Parenthood began with 185 abortions August through December of 1996 and are now killing over 1000 babies a year totaling 8494 from 1996 � 2005. The average is 22 lives lost each week. That�s a whole classroom of children � EACH WEEK!
It also means there are thousands of young women who are hurting. In the words of one young post-abortive woman, they are "watching playgrounds with empty arms." Post abortion trauma is real. It can manifest itself almost immediately, or after 30 years of emotional pain, it is finally identified as the cause. The existence of post abortion trauma is now almost universally accepted. There is, however, controversy regarding how many women experience post abortive psychological problems. Often the most affected women will not participate in a study because "they don�t want to talk about it". Percentages of various studies range from 6% - 50% of women who suffer negative effects of abortion. But even if the low-end percentage of 6% is correct, after 40 million abortions since 1973, there are 2,400,000 women suffering some form of post abortion trauma.
They describe feelings of emptiness, self-hatred, guilt and anger. They are more likely to become depressed, suicidal, or suffer from eating disorders or substance abuse. Post-abortive women have become more vocal with organizations such as, "Silent No More" emerging in recent years. Information on recent studies of post abortion trauma can be found at www.afterabortion.org.
The pro-life community cares, not only for the lost lives of the innocent children, but deeply cares for the women who find themselves in difficult pregnancies and have great concern for those who thought their only solution was abortion and now suffer from their "choice."
Throughout these past 10 years in West Chester, dedicated sidewalk counselors have stood outside Planned Parenthood offering help and hope to those coming for an abortion.
What makes their offers of help credible is a large number of other dedicated people who work and volunteer in a variety of Pregnancy Care Centers throughout Chester County that provide real help for these mothers and fathers.
They include Birthright in West Chester, Catholic Social Services in West Chester, Coatesville, and West Grove, Amnion in Kennett Square, Genesis in Pottstown, and the St. Agnes Nurses Center in West Chester. Three Pregnancy Care Centers � Chester County Women�s Services Medical in Coatesville & West Chester and the Oxford Women�s Center in Oxford - have recently expanded their services to offer limited pre-natal care and free ultra-sounds to introduce the mother to the developing child in her womb. House of His Creation operates two homes � one for pregnant women in Coatesville and a mother and child home in Lititz. Mom�s House in Phoenixville offers free day care to mothers who are continuing their education. One phone call to a 24 hour hotline (610-626-4006) can direct a woman to the care and counseling she needs anywhere in the Philadelphia area. All services are free and offered with love and compassion.
MORE FROM "ADDRESSING ABORTION WITH CONFIDENCE" [8/11/06]
According to LifeNews.com (April 4, 2006) an 8th Medical Organization, The Philippine Foundation for Breast Care, has gone on record as acknowledging that a link exists between induced abortion and breast cancer (ABC link). In a letter to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, Cristina Santos, MD, wrote: "(W)e acknowledge the abortion and breast cancer link based on the physiologic changes in the breast lobules of a woman who chose to deliberately interrupt her pregnancy and the risk for breast cancer this will pose to that woman."
Seven other medical groups have acknowledged this link, and another, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has said that the ABC link is "highly plausible".
Much more information on this subject can be found on the website for the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer (www.abortionbreastcancer.com). Following are some excerpts.
|
While it is not true that all women who have breast cancer have had abortions. It's also untrue that all
women who've had abortions will get breast cancer. Induced abortion is only one of the risk factors. There
are two ways that abortion raises the risk of breast cancer. One is the "protective effect of childbearing,"
which scientists have acknowledged for centuries. The second way - the "independent link" - has been
studied since 1957. The explanation for the independent link makes good biological sense. A never-pregnant woman has a network of primitive, immature and cancer vulnerable breast cells which make up her milk glands. It is only in the third trimester of pregnancy that her cells start to mature and are fashioned into milk producing tissue whose cells are cancer resistant. When a woman becomes pregnant, her breasts enlarge. A hormone called estradiol causes both the normal and pre-cancerous cells in the breast to multiply terrifically. By 7 to 8 weeks gestation, the estradiol level has increased by 500%. If the pregnancy is carried to term, a second process called "differentiation" takes place. This shapes the cells into milk producing tissue. It shuts off the cell multiplication process. If the pregnancy is aborted, the woman is left with more undifferentiated � and therefore cancer-vulnerable cells � than she had before she was pregnant. A full term pregnancy leaves a woman with more milk producing differentiated cells, which means that she has fewer cancer-vulnerable cells in her breasts than she did before the pregnancy. Only a few decades ago, breast cancer was known to be a grandmother's disease. It has now become a young woman's disease. Breast cancer rates have skyrocketed over 40% since the surgical procedure was legalized in the U.S. in 1973. One especially disturbing study on women was done by Dr. Janet Daling in 1994. Dr. Daling, an abortion supporter, found that "among women who had been pregnant at least once, the risk of breast cancer in those who had experienced an induced abortion was 50% higher that among other women." Dalling's most alarming finding was that teenagers with a family history of breast cancer who procure an abortion face a risk of breast cancer that is incalculably high. All 12 women in her study with this history were diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 45. |
STOP THE COVER-UP!
You would think that organizations that are in the "business" of raising funds for breast cancer research would be on top of all the data, testing and findings of the ABC link and would want women to know the facts. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Groups such as the American Cancer Society, National Breast Cancer Coalition, the Komen Foundation, and others continue to cover-up the findings of numerous studies. The Komen Foundation even goes a step further and has been donating almost $500,000 a year to Planned Parenthood, an organization engaged in a business � abortion - that appears to cause a woman's risk of breast cancer to increase. Komen's main source of income is its "Race for the Cure" events that are held across the country. Given its long-time connection with Planned Parenthood, all who truly care about women's health, should have no involvement with the Komen Foundation.
UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD BANKS ACCEPTING DONATIONS [8/11/06]
It was not widely publicized, but in December 2005, The Stem Cell Therapeutic Research Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Bush. This bill established a national databank of umbilical cord blood and bone marrow that allows doctors to quickly find a match for patients. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), who spearheaded the legislation for three years said, "Umbilical cords are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells, but currently hospitals throw millions of them away each year . . . The best kept medical secret has been that thousands have been successfully treated with cord blood stem cells for more than 67 diseases including Leukemia and Sickle Cell Anemia. The infusion of federal funds will make this medical miracle available to thousands more and will ensure that research continues so that this source of stem cells can treat many other debilitating diseases."
Karen Wack, a resident of Downingtown, recently donated the umbilical cord blood of her baby boy, born this past April. Karen wrote to us, "When I was pregnant I had heard a lot of information about cord blood banking. We decided to see how we could donate it to possibly save someone else's family member or for research."
Karen contacted Cryobanks International, located in New Jersey, and found that the process was easy, free, and worthwhile. She filled out a questionnaire and checked that her doctor would not charge a collection fee. After returning the questionnaire, she received a collection kit, instructions for the doctor and hospital, and a phone number to call when she went into labor and within 2 hours after giving birth. A representative from the cord blood bank came to the hospital to pick up the donated cord blood. Karen is thankful for her baby boy and the opportunity to help a good cause.
We thank Karen for letting us know about her experience and of thinking of others at such an exciting time in her own life. Cryobanks International can be contacted by phone 1-800-869-8608 or website www.cryo-intl.com
PRESIDENT TAKES STRONG MORAL STAND ON STEM CELL RESEARCH [8/11/06]
President George W. Bush courageously vetoed the Congressional bill that would have used taxpayer funds to pay for stem cell research using human embryos. He said, "This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others. It crosses a moral boundary that our society needs to respect." Referring to the children in the room who were adopted as frozen embryos, the President also said, "These boys and girls are not spare parts. They remind us of what is lost when embryos are destroyed in the name of research. They remind us that we all begin our lives as a small collection of cells. And they remind us that in our zeal for new treatments and cures, America must never abandon our fundamental morals."
He then encouraged government agencies to pursue other research using adult stem cells, including umbilical cord blood. In fact, the day after his veto, The University of Louisville reported that studies have confirmed its research that adult stem cells can mimic the properties of embryonic ones. Researchers in Illinois, Germany and New York have identified similar embryonic-like stem cells in umbilical cord blood. The use of adult stem cells is much preferred for two reasons � human embryos will not be destroyed and they will not have the same rejection issues that embryonic cells do.
Reports of successful treatments using adult stem cells are increasing. New studies show that adult stem cells taken from the patient's own nose have restored motor function and sensation to some with spinal cord injuries. Irish researcher, Colin McGuckin, will present new information at a conference in September showing it is possible to use stem cells from the umbilical cords of living babies to produce insulin in diabetics and to grow blocks of human tissue for use in drug tests.
Many are confused about the difference between embryonic and adult stem cell research. We thank President Bush for not backing down on his belief in the sanctity of human life and taking such a strong moral stand on this issue.
THE LINK BETWEEN ABORTION & BREAST CANCER [5/9/06]
According to LifeNews.com (April 4, 2006) an 8th Medical Organization, The Philippine Foundation for Breast Care, has gone on record as acknowledging that a link exists between induced abortion and breast cancer (ABC link). In a letter to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, Cristina Santos, MD, wrote: "(W)e acknowledge the abortion and breast cancer link based on the physiologic changes in the breast lobules of a woman who chose to deliberately interrupt her pregnancy and the risk for breast cancer this will pose to that woman."
Seven other medical groups have acknowledged this link, and another, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has said that the ABC link is "highly plausible".
Much more information on this subject can be found on the website for the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer (www.abortionbreastcancer.com). Following are some excerpts.
|
While it is not true that all women who have breast cancer have had abortions. It's also untrue that all
women who've had abortions will get breast cancer. Induced abortion is only one of the risk factors. There
are two ways that abortion raises the risk of breast cancer. One is the "protective effect of childbearing,"
which scientists have acknowledged for centuries. The second way - the "independent link" - has been
studied since 1957. The explanation for the independent link makes good biological sense. A never-pregnant woman has a network of primitive, immature and cancer vulnerable breast cells which make up her milk glands. It is only in the third trimester of pregnancy that her cells start to mature and are fashioned into milk producing tissue whose cells are cancer resistant. When a woman becomes pregnant, her breasts enlarge. A hormone called estradiol causes both the normal and pre-cancerous cells in the breast to multiply terrifically. By 7 to 8 weeks gestation, the estradiol level has increased by 500%. If the pregnancy is carried to term, a second process called "differentiation" takes place. This shapes the cells into milk producing tissue. It shuts off the cell multiplication process. If the pregnancy is aborted, the woman is left with more undifferentiated � and therefore cancer-vulnerable cells � than she had before she was pregnant. A full term pregnancy leaves a woman with more milk producing differentiated cells, which means that she has fewer cancer-vulnerable cells in her breasts than she did before the pregnancy. Only a few decades ago, breast cancer was known to be a grandmother's disease. It has now become a young woman's disease. Breast cancer rates have skyrocketed over 40% since the surgical procedure was legalized in the U.S. in 1973. One especially disturbing study on women was done by Dr. Janet Daling in 1994. Dr. Daling, an abortion supporter, found that "among women who had been pregnant at least once, the risk of breast cancer in those who had experienced an induced abortion was 50% higher that among other women." Dalling's most alarming finding was that teenagers with a family history of breast cancer who procure an abortion face a risk of breast cancer that is incalculably high. All 12 women in her study with this history were diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 45. |
STOP THE COVER-UP!
You would think that organizations that are in the "business" of raising funds for breast cancer research would be on top of all the data, testing and findings of the ABC link and would want women to know the facts. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Groups such as the American Cancer Society, National Breast Cancer Coalition, the Komen Foundation, and others continue to cover-up the findings of numerous studies. The Komen Foundation even goes a step further and has been donating almost $500,000 a year to Planned Parenthood, an organization engaged in a business � abortion - that appears to cause a woman's risk of breast cancer to increase. Komen's main source of income is its "Race for the Cure" events that are held across the country. Given its long-time connection with Planned Parenthood, all who truly care about women's health, should have no involvement with the Komen Foundation.
SOMETHING FOR OUR CLERGY [5/9/06]
Is addressing the abortion issue something you do with fear, hesitation or confidence? Regularly or once a year?
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, has put together a 16 page booklet titled, "Addressing Abortion with Confidence" that addresses many of the major concerns clergy of all faiths have expressed at seminars and through surveys. It is in a question & answer format. An Ecumenical Version titled "A Clergyman Answers the Fears Pastors Face as They Address the Issue of Abortion" is also available, as well as a Spanish version.
A few examples follow.
Question: Do I see the issue as too emotional and sensitive?
Answer: Many aspects of abortion are very sensitive. That means they
have to be dealt with in a sensitive way; it does not mean they should be
ignored. The impact of abortion on the lives of our people � physically,
spiritually, and emotionally � is all the more reason for a shepherd to
pay attention to these wounds, and to help people avoid them in the first
place. Ministry necessarily involves confronting problems that provoke
emotions within us and among our people. In this case, ministry
regarding abortion involves nothing less than life and death.
Question: Will I increase the sense of guilt and pain of women who have
had abortions?
Answer: (Excerpts) An understanding of the dynamics of post-abortion
women and men is extremely helpful in dealing with this fear. Many
priests are silent out of the best of good intentions towards such people
in their congregation. Silence, however, does not interpret itself. The
person in the pews hurting from abortion may interpret our silence to
mean, "He doesn't know my pain." Or, "He doesn't care about it." . . It
is not silence that helps one break out of denial, but rather an honest
and compassionate word about the reality of what they have done. We
preach on abortion to save post-abortive people, and to protect others
from making the same mistake.
The Catholic, Ecumenical, and Spanish versions can be viewed and ordered on the Priests for Life website (www.priestsforlife.org) or by calling 888-PFL-3448. Or just call our office at 610-692- 4463 and we will send you one.
YOUR PA TAX DOLLARS FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD [4/17/06]
Governor Ed Rendell has once again included money for "Family Planning" in the PA budget for 2006-2007. In 2004 over $5 million went to so-called "Family Planning Councils," who funneled it to organizations such as Planned Parenthood.
Contact your State Representative. Ask him or her to support the elimination of "Family Planning" funds from the budget. Some facts you can pass on to them:
- It is a misnomer � it's not about planning families, but about supplying contraception to people, the majority of whom are unmarried.
- It is not a function of government to furnish condoms and birth control to its citizens. Funding medical services such as mammograms or pap smears for poor women is a better use of our tax dollars.
- Providing contraception to teens behind their parents backs only serves to promote promiscuity which has as its fruit record highs of sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy, out-ofwedlock births, abortion, broken education, and broken hearts.
- Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion company in the world. This organization literally teaches young people to be sexually promiscuous and rejects marriage.
- Dr. Meg Meehan, author of "Epidemic" writes, "Now, one in four sexually active teens is infected with a sexually transmitted disease. They now contend with 50-100 strains of viruses, which stay with them for life. The severest dread is HPV (human papilloma virus) which directly causes 99.7% of all cervical cancers and five times more common than all STDs combined."
- 65 million Americans are infected with incurable STDs.
A LIVING WILL OR A "WILL TO LIVE?" [4/17/06]
(excerpts from "Straight Talk" by Michael Galloway, Catholic Online)
Most estimates say there have been 40�50 million unborn children aborted since 1973. Why the absence of alarm? What does 40-50 million dead people look like anyway?
You could lose the West Coast -- everybody in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Or you could lose most of the East Coast, if you preferred. It's a matter of choice, and it's fifty million people. It's similar to the numbers of people who vote as either Republicans or Democrats in a national U.S. presidential election. Choose. Eliminate everybody who voted in the last election as a Democrat or as a Republican.
Think of each deserving aborted baby strolling across a graduation stage at the announcement of each name, at least five syllables each. Maybe you could read as many as 30 or more a minute. If a team of readers read 40 million names taking turns for ten hours a day, they'd still be reading the names of the dead nearly seven years later!
Fifty million people? Can you grasp it? End the slaughter. Stop it now. Embrace a future in which the value of each life is cherished as vital�those born, those unborn, and those now aborted. Will you proclaim that truth? Will you stand up for the pre-born? Will you speak up?
ATROPHY OF COMPASSION [4/17/06]
(Following is an excerpt from comments by Fr. Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life, following Terri Schindler Schiavo's autopsy report.)
Terri did not die from atrophy of the brain. She died from an atrophy of compassion. Too many people, starting with Michael, were unwilling to accept the fact that profoundly injured people require profound compassion and care. Even if this autopsy report showed that Terri was ten times more damaged than she was, our moral obligation to respect and protect her life would not change at all. We don't have to pass a test to qualify for our human rights. An autopsy is a measure of physical damage, not of human rights.
The autopsy says Terri was blind. That is not the morally relevant point. The point is that we are blind...blind all too often to the fact that even the disabled and the severely injured have the same dignity and worth as