Recently in Pro-Life Category

The top abortionist in Serbia has converted to the pro-life cause on account of a recurring nightmare involving St. Thomas Aquinas! He saw a field of children from four to 24, and St. Thomas asking him who he thought they were, then informing them they were children he aborted. Now he's returned to the Orthodox faith of his youth and enlisted in the pro-life cause.

(Thanks to Paul M.)

The answer is: Yes.

In New Jersey, the Quality Inn in Maple Shade and Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill are giving discounts to women having abortions. The women are having a type of abortion that require that they stay overnight while the baby dies and then return to the clinic to deliver the body.

Please consider commenting to these companies on their policy. Fittingly Quality Inn is owned by "Choice Hotels". Call the company toll-free at 800-300-8800 or log on to www.choicehotels.com. In the upper right corner, you'll see a tab for "customer support." Click through to voice your concerns.

YouTube, without explanation, pulled a pro-life video exposing an ostensibly unbiased documentary as a tool of the pro-abortion agenda. This is the first I've heard YouTube pulling a video for political content. It met their terms of service, the creators claim. This is not the first pro-life video to be taken down by YouTube, apparently. I find it interesting that you can find nearly every other type of video on YouTube but they censor pro-life videos.

Habitat for Humanity Sarasota chapter has backed down from plans to provide a Planned Parenthood clinic the residence it needs to build. Thanks be to God — though I am still disturbed by the attempts of the national office to justify the move, as posted here earlier in a comment (thanks to Robert). "We wanted to inform you that Habitat for Humanity of Sarasota has declined a donation of land from Planned Parenthood, stating that accepting the land 'would not be in the best interests of our ongoing work in the community, the families we seek to serve or the broader Habitat for Humanity community'".

From a Family Research Council newsletter:

Habitat for Humanity is known for housing the poor, but Floridians want to know why one of America's most respected Christian ministries would help build a home for Planned Parenthood. The unusual partnership evolved in Sarasota, when the nation's largest abortion merchant applied to build a new clinic. Because of the city's zoning policy, which requires that a multi-family housing unit exist on the back of the lot, Planned Parenthood's request was denied. To solve the problem, Planned Parenthood sold the property to Habitat for $10 in exchange for the ministry's agreement to build the housing unit. After striking the deal, Planned Parenthood resubmitted the request to construct a new clinic with these adjustments to the city commission. It was approved by a 3-2 vote. When pro-lifers started to get wind of the alliance, emails and phone calls of protest started flooding Habitat's offices. The decision on whether or not to go through with the plan now sits with the board of directors for approval. Join FRC in respectfully asking the board to reconsider its affiliation with the organization responsible for killing more unborn babies than any other abortion merchant in the world. Urge them to uphold their biblical standards by calling the Sarasota office at 941-365-0700.

Apparently there is an organization called "Roman Catholics for Obama" who are trying to change Obama's position on abortion. They cited Archbishop Chaput of Denver as part of their justification, which prompted him to write a very friendly column clarifying his position and that of the church, and relating in a very personal way his own story. You go, Your Excellency, I say. Here is a ZENIT summary of the letter.

The pope today observed the fortieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the 1968 document prohibiting artificial contraception. He reiterated the Church's teaching on contraception and alluded to her prohibition on artificial reproduction technologies, such as IVF. He averred that following the Church's teaching is difficult, but it has been borne out by scientific research. "Forty years after its publication, that teaching not only shows itself to be unchanged in its truth, but it reveals the farsightedness with which the problem was tackled," he said.

I do think HV turned out to be prescient. We've seen a number of Paul VI's predictions unfold. Unfortunately we're pretty far down the road right now and it's unclear how we get back on track.

The pro-life movie Bella is now on DVD. It's very popular on Amazon; the best selling DVD in its category and #5 overall. I encourage you to tell your friends about this.

Did you know that twenty years ago, doctors performing surgery on some preemies did not use anesthesia, because they were convinced the babies could not feel pain? Now we know that they do, as do babies in the womb as young as 20 weeks — although there are of course those who dispute that, including one doctor who has provocatively asserted that babies can't consciously feel pain until their first birthday.

This plays into the battleground over abortion, as pro-life forces strive to educate women and clinic patients specifically about fetal pain.

A woman miscarried and, being suspicious, had her blood tested where they found abortion drug RU-486. She alerted the sheriff who arrested her boyfriend. She doesn't know when she might have ingested it so I'd argue they might not have a case but it's an interesting case nonetheless.

This is just a naked form (if you'll pardon the pun) of what men often do when their girlfriends get pregnant — i.e., force them to have abortions, whether covertly or openly, using threats. A side of abortion the pro-choice people don't want you to see, the seedy underbelly, as it were.

Gotta love that photo though of the accused. A trance-like, faraway look. Does not improve his looks, that's for sure. (I wonder if there is a rule against smiling for your mug shot, or if it's merely custom [and foul mood] that binds nearly everyone to avoid it.)

According to the missive that alerted me to this, but not stated in the above article, the man faces multiple felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child.

The scientist who created the "theraputic cloning" technique used to clone Dolly the sheep and who is the de facto leader of the embryonic stem cell research crowd has abandoned the technique of cloning because a much more efficient and "socially acceptable" (read: ethical) approach has been discovered in Japan. The new approach uses skin cells to create adult stem cells.

This is wonderful news and will send shockwaves throughout the scientific community. The ocean liner has been headed in the embryonic stem cell direction, but now it may very well turn around and embrace adult stem cells (which are more promising anyway).

Here is something I ran across concerning the policy adopted by the Connecticut bishops in treating rape victims in Catholic hospitals. Not surprisingly there was some inaccurate reporting and misleading terminology. (I should have done more thorough research on the topic.)

The National Catholic Bioethics Center has posted a statement regarding treatment of victims of sexual assault, in response to this issue. Part of it is included below. For the rest, go to www.ncbcenter.org. This seems to me to be an acceptable policy. While there is a chance of abortion, because most contraceptives occasionally cause spontaneous abortions, the principle of double effect applies, i.e., an abortion is not intended. (I have to admit much ambivalence about this but I have to concede that the argument seems sound.)

October 3, 2007

Recently the Bishops of Connecticut permitted a protocol in Catholic hospitals for the treatment of victims of sexual assault. This action on the part of the Connecticut bishops received national attention and requires some commentary. This is a complex moral matter and does not lend itself to brief explanation. This difficulty was rendered all the worse by inaccurate reporting and inappropriate, indeed misleading, terminology.

Catholic hospitals have always provided contraception for the victims of sexual assault. This was usually done with a medication or medications which would prevent ovulation. If an egg is not released from the ovary, the victim cannot become pregnant. There was a difficulty here, however, because some medications appear to have a negative effect on the lining of the womb that might prevent an implantation of a new human embryo if one is engendered as a result of the assault. This would amount to an early medical abortion that would not be allowed.

In light of these facts, two protocols were generally developed and approved by bishops. One protocol allowed for no use of a medication for contraceptive purposes because it might have an abortive effect.

Another more commonly used protocol tried to take into account the variety of circumstances surrounding a sexual assault in such a way as to allow the use of a contraceptive medication – if it truly worked as a contraceptive.

The protocol with the ovulation test.

A rather simple (ovulation) test is used to determine whether or not a victim has begun to ovulate or has already ovulated. If the victim has not ovulated she is given the drug that will prevent the release of the egg from taking place. If the woman has already ovulated, the drug is not given because 1) it will not have the desired effect of preventing ovulation and 2) it might, if a new life is present, have an effect on the lining of the womb and prevent implantation.

Here is a fantastic homily by Fr. John Bapist Ku, OP, who gives a homily on Humanae Vitae every year.

Part One

Part Two

Both videos are about 10 minutes, so the homily is about 20 minutes long total.

(Thanks to Bob L.)

I received the following from a friend that's worth repeating here:

Archbishop Burke has published in a peer reviewed journal the ins and outs of denying Holy Communion to politicians who openly support abortion and euthanasia.

Hat tip to Jimmy Akin.

Pretty eye-opening to see someone argue that Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion have not only the right but obligation, under pain of mortal sin, to deny communion to those ineligible for it. That puts a big burden on them. If that is so, it is better to not be an EMHC, which is probably just as well anyway. I went to a Mass the other day and there were so many EMHCs (ten) that when they approached the altar, for a second I thought communion had started.

Speaking of which, since the Holy See has seen fit to bestow such a grandiloquent name on these individuals, I propose we deal with this unwieldy title by pronouncing the acronym, "em-hic". It can enter our vocabulary as "radar" and "laser" did, though without enough vowels. "Em-hic" also sounds suitably dissonant.

Thanks to Bob L.

Sibling Rivalry a Deadly Reality in IVF

Family Research Council — For thousands of couples suffering from infertility, the advances in reproductive health have given many new hope--and, in some cases, new life. However, with progress comes the burden of ethical responsibility--a burden many in the field seem unwilling to shoulder. This weekend, The Washington Post published an emotionally-charged article, "Too Much to Carry," that did an admirable job portraying the wave of selective reduction that often accompanies modern fertility treatments. Doing her best to put a human face on the inhumane procedure, author Liza Mundy visited the offices of Dr. Mark Evans to observe the dark side of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for herself. The experience, as she tells it, was an eye-opening one. If IVF were as simple as fertilizing one egg with one sperm, the process would be less troubling. Yet for several of these at-risk women, doctors insist that to make the pregnancies more "viable" there must be less competition in the womb. This often means that "excess embryos" are created, implanted, and destroyed after tests are performed to determine which of the fetuses are healthiest. In some instances, Mundy was present for the "reductions" and describes the horror of seeing tiny lives, once active on the ultrasound screen, quickly silenced by a lethal injection to the heart. The "selection process" is also used to single out small victims that doctors suspect have Down syndrome or other maladies, which, 85% of the time is used to justify an abortion. In one visit, Mundy describes the patient crying, "Oh, my gosh, I can really see it! I can see the fingers!" and then sobbing uncontrollably as the small baby goes still. Another woman says, "It's killing me that we're going to do this. I never thought I would feel that... I'm vehemently pro-choice." Yet the sight of seeing the needle, as one nurse puts it, "chasing the babies" who try to get away, overwhelms mothers. This same nurse, a new mom herself, has trouble with the procedure because she feels like they are "playing God." "Some of these people tried to get pregnant...and prayed to God. And now that they're pregnant, they're telling God, 'You gave me too many.'" Rather than using IVF as an end to create life, the process is all too often a means that destroys it. This article serves as a timely call to conscience in an era when couples consider it a "right" to have children but seek freedom from the unintended consequences.

Rae Stabosz has written a powerful piece against so-called "research cloning" that revolves around this indisputable fact: every instance of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) requires a human egg to be extracted from a young, fertile woman. The consequence of this is that while white women are used for IVF, black women may be exploited as the race of the egg doesn't matter and poor black women are likely to be exploited as they are paid huge sums of money for a painful and dangerous procedure.

The Family Research Council had the following interesting report:

Import Imbalance - Human Eggs

Asians are certainly competitive in the world marketplace, but few knew that prowess extended to the fertility industry. New reports suggest that people of Asian decent are the most sought-after source for donor eggs among couples exploring fertility treatments. The Washington Post reports a new shortage of eggs of ethnic origin, citing Asians, in particular, as not keeping pace with demands. Now these same clinics are shamelessly "recruiting" egg donors in a campaign that has become painfully commercial. Defying claims that they are manipulating women, doctors say the donors are compensated for their time and discomfort. What they don't say is that the patients are injected with super-ovulating drugs, which do more than simply increase the quantity of eggs--they also put women at increased risk for ovarian cancer. In the Asian culture, clinics blame the fertility gap on poor marketing and on clinic staff and advertising limited to English. But maybe the shortage of Asian eggs points more to an ethical than a linguistic barrier. Perhaps Asians are not responding to the Western campaign to commodify women.

For more information, see "In Competitive Marketplace, Asian Egg Donors in Demand".

The Family Research Council has a free DVD on stem cell research and cloning that you may be interested in.

Thanks to my friend Gary for this one.

There is a new icon on abortion written by iconographer Mr. Kostas Vrousgos from Thessaloniki. It's an incredible piece that shows a variety of different scenes: the child-loving family blessed by Christ, the single mother bearing the cross and stigma of society rather than aborting her child, the repentant mother recovering from an abortion, the greedy and hedonistic women approaching New Herodias (female form of Herod) to have their infants slaughtered, the abortionist killing a baby, the beast who is master of Herodias. Pretty breathtaking. Not sure where the icon can be obtained, though.

(Thanks to RC)

Remember my post on Linda Hirshman, the feminist who argued that stay at home Moms are less human because they don't have a job? I just read the letters to the editor for that article. You know how magazines generally print letters proportionally, i.e., if the rate is 50% pro and 50% con, they print an equal number of pro and con letters? Well, they did not print a single letter in her favor. :-) There were a lot of good ones; I was pleased.

I am not sure if you found this disturbing as I did. Here, the Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, says "Warren Buffett will be known as the Dr. Mengele of philanthropy unless he repents and ceases using tax deductible donations to promote a culture of death and desolation."

Now as you expect I have much to criticize Buffett about concerning his pro-death philanthropy. However I must object to comparing him to Dr. Mengele. Dr. Mengele did far worse things than Warren Buffett will ever fund. He committed far more unspeakable crimes. The inapropros comparison, I think, not only falls flat but risks only alienating more moderate voices and embarassing the cause.

There is a saying on Usenet (the traditional forum for discussion on the Internet) that a thread has reached the end of its useful life when people start comparing their opponents to the Nazis. It's very true. At that point the discussion has completely and totally degenerated into something utterly unprofitable. Unfortunately it applies here too.

Reading other parts of his message, he says, "The merger of Gates and Buffett may spell doom for the families of the developing world." I'm not sure what to call this — it's not quite demogoguery, it's not quite sensationalism, maybe rabble-rousing — so I'll just call it nonsense. "Doom" implies total destruction. That is not going to happen, that is just patently absurd. Much less are Gates and Buffett going to cause it. It is said that there are two errors you can make of the devil — give him too much credit, or not give him enough. Let's not give Gates too much credit.

HLI has always been a somewhat shrill and strident organization, in my opinion. Rev. Euteneuer has proven a close follower of Rev. Marx, his predecessor.

I say strident language is not going to get us where we want to go. And I'm not afraid to criticize an ally on that account.

UPDATE: Apparently the reason Buffett was called "Dr. Mengele" was because of his eugenics activities. While this makes a certain amount of sense, I still object to the association. It would be better to call him the Margaret Sanger of philanthrophy, though that certainly doesn't have force. :-)

Feminists are starting to show their true colors, as Newsweek reports. Linda Hirshman, author of "Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World," quite explicitly and unapologetically denegrates stay-at-home motherhood. For real.

"Well, if you have two or three children, you're out of the work force for 13 years. And you should have work that brings you influence, honor, compensation, a way of being political and a hand in shaping the world around you."

So motherhood doesn't bring influence, honor, compensation, "a way of being political" (that's good??), or a "hand in shaping the world around you." That's news to me. This is such a sad statement it's not even funny. A woman influences her children and everyone they encounter in their lives. It's an honor to be a mother, which is why we have Mother's Day. There is a lot of compensation for being a mother, just ask one. Perhaps it's not monetary but is that what really counts? Not shaping the world around you? Sheesh, just listen to what world-changing people have to say about how their mothers influenced them and made them who they are.

She talks so snobbishly it's unbelievable. And she defines things in terms of men's standards — who gets the compensation, who gets written into history, who has the power, and so forth.

Dom Bettinelli also has a good piece on this from another periodical.

I was asked to post this.

To St. Blog's Parishioners:

For two years, we in Delaware have been fighting legislation that would allow the destruction of existing frozen human embryos as well as the cloning and then destruction of new human embryos, all for research purposes. Our opponents expected to pass this legislation easily, but have been defeated at each stage by unexpectedly strong opposition.

On January 12, the proponents of Senate Bill 80 (SB80) postponed what was to have been the final vote on this bill in the wake of our Rose and a Prayer campaign. Through this campaign, made up of Catholic and non-Catholic Christians throughout the state, 1000+ Delawareans committed to one hour of prayer each during the eight days preceding the vote. The prayer was intercessory, to ask the Lord to keep destructive embryonic research from Delaware. This campaign also sent a rose to the representative of each of the citizens who took part in that prayer commitment, asking them to vote against the bill.

An interesting article in the Massachusetts News reveals that condoms are not effective at stopping the spread of human papillomaviruses (HPV) or genital warts, which are spreading at epidemic proportions. HPV is an incurable disease, often asymptomatic, linked as strongly to cervical cancer as cigarette smoking is linked to lung cancer. It lives all over the pubic area, which is why condoms cannot stop it. Yet Planned Parenthood, CDC, and other organizations insist on stating or implying that condoms will protect you from HPV, and from the media reaction you'd think there wasn't a problem. As Dr. Stephen Curry, of the New England Medical Center in Boston, said in Time in 1988, "This virus is rampant. If it were not for AIDS, stories about it would be on the front page of every newspaper."

When will the truth be told?

Thanks to Matt K. for the link.

The following news comes from Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor:

December 21, 2005
Amarillo, TX (LifeNews.com) — The first official pro-life society for Catholic religious has been officially formed. Bishop John Yanta has signed the Constitutions of the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, a new Society of Apostolic Life founded by Father Frank Pavone, the head of Priests for Life.

"But now, by God's grace, we can say that there exists — for the first time in Church history — a Society of Apostolic Life that will train priests, deacons, and lay missionaries to work full time to end abortion in America and worldwide!" said Fr. Pavone.

Pro-Life Bumper Sticks Prompts Teenage Mom to Reconsider Abortion

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 15, 2005

Millinocket, ME (LifeNews.com) -- When pro-life advocates Dave and Mary Labun left their house, they didn't expect to see a note on their car. What they found surprised them. In their hands they held not a complaint from a neighbor or a police citation. Instead, a teenager told them their pro-life bumper sticker prompted her to reconsider a decision to have an abortion.

Maine residents Dave and Mary Labun sport a sticker with the phrase "Abortion Stops a Beating Heart," on their vehicle.

The unnamed girl left the couple the following note:

Hello,

This might be very weird, but I wanted to thank you. I'm not sure what you believe in, but I'm a strong believer in God, and right now I am 17 and pregnant. And on my way to school one day, I was really wondering what to do – I was really thinking about abortion, because I was scared.

As that thought came to mind, I walked past your car, and happened to look over and saw your bumper sticker, “Abortion Stops a Beating Heart.”

My heart dropped. I believe God was talking to me, through that sticker, and I also believe I will never think about it again. I'm going to keep my baby, and I'm not that scared any more.

Thank you so much for helping me make the best choice of my life. God bless – a very happy mother-to-be.

I just received this from a reader. He received it from C-FAM. I can neither confirm nor deny it but it's alarming if true.

Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2005 5:30 PM
Subject: Urgent Global Alert: Pro-Abortion UN Speaker at World Youth Day

Dear Colleague,

I write to you on a matter of grave urgency.

It has come to my attention that a high-ranking pro-abortion bureaucrat from
the United Nations will be addressing the opening ceremony of World Youth
Day in Cologne, Germany in a few days.

The speaker is Eveline Herfkens and she heads the UN Millennium Campaign.
Ms. Herfkens comes from Holland where she held many high-ranking
governmental positions including the Netherlands Minister for Development
Cooperation.

SUPPORTED THE ABORTION SHIP

During her term there, Ms. Herfkens supported the notorious abortion ship
that drops anchor off the shores of pro-life countries and performs illegal
abortions. Herfkens was quoted as saying the ship "a concrete answer to an
awful problem." She also suggested that the Dutch government financially
support the abortion ship.

What in the world is this woman doing speaking anywhere near World Youth
Day?

SUPPORTS UN ABORTION EFFORTS

Herfkens runs the Millennium Development Campaign of the United Nations,
which is problem enough. The Millennium Development Goals, which are about
to be approved by the UN will include a call for "reproductive rights,"which
includes the right to abortion.

We must stop her appearance at World Youth Day. You can help but only if you
act right now. Time is running out.

Please send the following message to Cardinal Meisner of Cologne who is the
president of the WYD Diocesan Management Board. Cardinal Meisner likely does
not even know of this woman's dubious political pedigree, so we urge you to
be nice to him when you write.

Here is where to write:

presse@erzbistum-koeln.de

Here is what you should say (just cut and paste and add whatever personal
touch you see fit, but be polite and respectful!):

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

"Dear Cardinal Meisner:

A pro-abortion speaker from the UN named Eveline Herfkens is speaking to
World Youth Day in support of the Millennium Development Goals. Among other
things, Ms. Herfkens supported the abortion ship that prowls the waters of
pro-life countries intending to commit illegal abortions. We urge you to
cancel her invitation. Her presence will only sully this grand event.

Yours sincerely,

Sign your name, or not...but be polite!!!

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

World Youth Day is too important an event to be sullied by the presence of
pro-abortion UN bureaucrats. We must act globally to stop this now. Please
act immediately to stop this outrage. Act now.

Yours sincerely,

Austin Ruse
President
Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute

An impressive graphic.

Just got this piece after posting my previous one:

Planned Parenthood Abortion Video Backs Violence Against Pro-Lifers

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — An online cartoon video sponsored by a Planned Parenthood affiliate in California is drawing sharp criticism because it advocates violence against pro-life advocates. The video is sponsored by Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, the abortion business that distributed the dangerous abortion pill to teenager Holly Patterson — ultimately killing her. The PPGG video features a cartoon superhero who travels the globe to promote abortion and oppose abstinence education. Music reminiscent of doomsday booming introduces the cartoon and Planned Parenthood’s self-described mission. An African-American woman dressed as a superhero begins her journey in California promoting contraception and birth control. She tells viewers that pro-life people often protest outside Planned Parenthood and claims they "can sometimes become unruly." “But mostly, I just wish they would disappear," the character says. Next, the "Superhero for Choice" shoots each protester with a gun that envelopes the pro-life person in a condom. The condoms explode and the protesters die. The abortion activist cartoon character happily explains that, with the death of the protesters, people can now visit the abortion business "without intimidation or violence." At the end of the video, during the rolling of the credits, a pro-life person is decapitated.

UPDATE: Here is a summary of the plot with snapshots and a link to the whole video.

The Wall Street Journal reported* that Planned Parenthood is desperate pin something on Judge Roberts; so desperate, that they've released a vicious attack ad that may backfire.

At issue is Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic, a 1991 Supreme Court case. Roberts was Solicitor General, and filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of Operation Rescue. PP claims he was siding with "violent fringe groups and a convicted clinic bomber" and concludes: "America can't afford a justice whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans."

That's a misrepresentation of the facts. The case pertained to using an 1871 civil rights law enacted to fight the Klu Klux Klan to convict peaceful participants in clinic blockades. Roberts argued that such a protest did not constitute discrimination against women, and the Supreme Court agreed. In fact, it had nothing to do with violence, &mdash much less the kind of violence they suggest in the ad (Eric Rudolph's murder).

Why Planned Parenthood associates peaceful clinic blockades and Operation Rescue with violence is beyond me. One wonders if they think the same thing of civil rights pioneers that engaged in sit-ins and so forth.

This reminds me of a good Newsweek article on how desperate pro-choicers are, how they are losing the battle, and how they are having to redefine themselves to attract support. Thanks be to God! They admit that they need to "reconnect" with voters on abortion. And here is an interesting quote from the article: Meanwhile, the pro-life movement got an unwitting boost from Clinton, who decreed abortion should be "safe, legal and rare," says Emory University legal historian David Garrow. "Once the pro-choice movement sent the message that abortion was undesirable, we were on a slippery slope headed downhill." Wow — talk about a damning admission.

*Only available until around 8/16