Monday, January 31, 2011

Judge Declares Pro-Abortion ObamaCare Unconstitutional

Judge Declares Pro-Abortion ObamaCare Unconstitutional | LifeNews.com: A federal judge in Florida has issued a new ruling in what is the largest lawsuit filed against the Obamacare health care law. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson says the individual mandate is unconstitutional and, therefore, the entire law is as well.

My Parent’s Choice

Depraved Wretch – My Parent’s Choice: "I am just a young woman from California telling my parents' story. My birthday is on March 3, 1987 but that day would never have arrived had my parents listened to the 'advice' given by some specialists. The Lord has guided my parents through a difficult and unpredictable journey. Their faith held them together while professionals were delivering bad news concerning their unborn child. God truly worked in their lives and displayed His abundant mercy towards them during their ordeal."

Next Two Years Critical For Pro-life Movement

Next Two Years Critical For Pro-life Movement - American Life League: The Nation's Largest Grassroots Catholic Pro-Life Organization: Social Security and Medicare aren’t in crisis because a lot of old people showed up all of a sudden. We knew how many of them there were 60 years ago. These programs are in crisis because the Baby Bust cut our birth rate in half, and in the process eliminated over 100 million future workers, producers, and taxpayers. That changed the whole equation on which these programs are based. The economic cost of abortion is just the tip of the iceberg. The broader moral and social upheaval of the last 50 year has also wreaked havoc on the fundamentals of our economy.

Bill Banning Tax-Funded Abortions Attacked Over Rape Issues

Bill Banning Tax-Funded Abortions Attacked Over Rape Issues | LifeNews.com: Leading pro-abortion activists are using the issue of rape as a method of attacking a new bill in Congress that would ban taxpayer funding of abortions across all governmental programs and agencies. The measure, which is a number one priority for pro-life groups, would roll into one permanent law all of the many provisions and riders attached to the various bills funding the federal government that are passed each year. Instead of having to fight numerous battles – which don’t always result in pro-life victories – every year with new members of Congress, the bill would ensure federal taxpayer funds don’t pay for abortions in programs ranging from health insurance for federal employees to abortions in the District of Columbia to health programs at Indian reservations.

High Court allows surrogate mother to keep baby

BioNews - High Court allows surrogate mother to keep baby: A UK surrogate who changed her mind about handing over a baby to a couple has been allowed to keep the child, the High Court has ruled. The baby girl born last July, known as T, was said to be 'thriving in her mother's care'. In ordering that the child continue to reside with the mother, Mr Justice Baker said that the paramount consideration for the court was the welfare of the child. Despite the clear evidence of affection towards the child by all parties, the judge had doubts the couple, known as Mr and Mrs W, would meet 'all of her emotional needs'. He said the couple demonstrated an 'alarming lack of insight' over the relationship between the mother and child, and that removing T from her mother would cause the child 'emotional harm'.

Related IVF stories:

Puzzling Times

Puzzling Times - By Michael New - The Corner - National Review Online: The Sunday edition of the New York Times featured a shrill house editorial complaining about ongoing efforts to enact state level pro-life laws. Pro-life proposals to regulate abortion clinics and protect unborn children were deemed “ominous” “big brother measures” and “outrageous government intrusions.” Both the timing and tone of this editorial are puzzling. Just last week Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell was charged with eight counts of murder for using scissors to kill babies delivered alive in his abortion mill. His clinic was described by regulators as a “filthy, foul smelling house of horrors.” In light of this, the New York Times must be the only newspaper in the country which believes that abortion clinics are somehow over-regulated.

Egg donation: The way to happy motherhood, with risks and side effects

Egg donation: The way to happy motherhood, with risks and side effects: Women who have become pregnant after egg donation should be categorized as high-risk patients. Why that is the case, and which consequences egg donation may have for women is the subject of a review article.

Q&A with Rep. Chris Smith

Baptist Press - Q&A: pro-life Rep. Chris Smith says pro-choice position has become 'acceptable bigotry' - News with a Christian Perspective: It's time for America to re-enfranchise the unborn child. The abortionists have gotten away for decades with what is prejudice, acceptable bigotry ... bigotry against the unborn child -- taking an unmistakable member of the human race, boy or girl, but because of their dependency and immaturity, calling them persona non grata and violently destroying them. We need to utilize the language of bigotry and prejudice that is inherent in this animosity toward the unborn child.

PURITY – The Will of God

Metro News: PURITY – The Will of God:
Patiently wait on God’s timing – it is always perfect (Isaiah 40:31)
Understand God’s purpose/place (Gen. 2:18-24; John 10:10; Heb. 13:4)
Run from lust and temptation (Psalm 101:3; Rom. 13:14; 2 Timothy 2:22)
Intimacy with God first (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:28-30)
Trust GOD! (Psalm 56:11; 118: 8-9; Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 10:13)
Yield thoughts, plans, actions to God (Jer.29:11; Rom.6:12-13; 12:1)"

Fighting Planned Parenthood

Fighting Planned Parenthood: the author of the TooManyAborted campaign, in his own words | LifeSiteNews.com: Ryan Bomberger is a black pro-life leader, who, with his wife Bethany, has set his sights on exposing an organization he would probably call “Enemy Number One” of the Black community: Planned Parenthood Federation of America. www.toomanyaborted.com

Alien Life Deemed Impossible by Analysis of 500 Planets

News to Note, January 29, 2011 - Answers in Genesis: Amid the feverish search for extrasolar planets that could harbor life, a scientist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has spoken up about what seems obvious to us: the earth is uniquely suited for life.

The Impact of Black Abortionists

The Impact of Black Abortionists «: In 1st Timothy the Apostle Paul is writing to his spiritual son Timothy who is pastoring the Church in Ephesus. Paul tells Timothy that there will come a day when men will speak lies disguised as truth because their consciences have been seared as if branded by a red-hot iron (1st Timothy 4:2). As I review the case of Black Abortionist Kermit Gosnell, where the record reports: “Over the years, many people came to know that something was going on here. But no one put a stop to it,” and mourn the women and children slaughtered in his filthy Philadelphia abortion clinic, I am not seeing or hearing moral outrage over the death of our women and children from the barbaric practices of abortion procedures in our neighborhoods or over the genocidal rate of abortion in Black America. Perhaps the words of Paul are prophetic. Could it be, that a red-hot iron has been applied to the consciences of some of us today?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Get to Know: Anonymous Us Project

About the Anonymous Us Project: "The Anonymous Us Project is a safety zone for real and honest opinions about reproductive technologies and family fragmentation. We aim to share the experiences of voluntary and involuntary participants in these technologies, while preserving the dignity and privacy for story-tellers and their loved ones."

Thursday, January 27, 2011

New Answers DVD available for FREE download

New Answers DVD 3 (The) - Video Download - Answers Bookstore: We live in a culture with more questions than ever—questions that affect one’s acceptance of the Bible as authoritative and trustworthy. This video download features 18 easy-to-understand answers from among the 35 questions posed and answered in the book version. These are some of the most-important apologetics quandaries of today. You’ll love these stylized mini-interviews, featuring authors from the hot-selling book.

More church websites invite posting of prayers

More church websites invite posting of prayers - USATODAY.com: People can post a prayer publicly. Or they can be private, seen only by staff and the volunteer prayer team at Mobberly Baptist Church. The 2,500-member church in Longview, TX, added online prayer requests to its website six weeks ago. Other church sites keep Web-submitted prayer requests private, as if you were clasping hands with a pastor or volunteer in person.

Post-abortive mothers share stories of grief, redemption on Supreme Court steps

Post-abortive mothers share stories of grief, redemption on Supreme Court steps | LifeSiteNews.com: In a bittersweet ending to a joyful March for Life this year, dozens of post-abortive mothers took to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Monday afternoon to tell their stories of fear, anguish, and redemption, giving a rare glimpse into the terrible human cost of Roe v. Wade.

Of the 45 who spoke, 40 were newcomers, according to Georgette Forney of Silent No More Awareness, including a group of twelve that had traveled from Arizona to brave the blustery January weather. Over 100 post-abortion sufferers walked together in the March for Life.

Some described in detail the “horrendous” pain of the abortion procedure itself, which was to leave many with health problems and permanent loss of fertility. But even worse was the emotional devastation that followed: feelings of desolation, loneliness, and despair overwhelmed some mothers only moments after losing their child to abortion.

Many women said they suffered for years - 20, 25, 30, or more - with a painful burden of guilt, buried deep inside them. They described the years of drug addiction, dysfunctional relationships, sexual promiscuity, and depression that resulted. Several said that the rejection of their baby also led to the ruin of other relationships - with lovers, parents, and living children.

Democrat Rep. Lipinksi: there was ‘never any question’ of supporting pro-abort health bill

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois, one of only three House Democrats to turn against the health care bill based on its abortion funding, said that it was “extremely difficult” to contradict the party bosses, and that many of his own party now want him gone because of the strength of his pro-life conviction. “It was very difficult for me, what I went through with the health care bill. But there was never any question for me what I was going to do. I was not going to support a bill that provided taxpayer funding of abortion.”

In March of last year, Lipinski joined Marion Berry of Arkansas and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts as the only Democrats to change their vote from “yes” to “no” over the lack of Hyde-like restrictions barring taxpayer funding of abortion. Berry and Lipinski also supported a motion to recommit the bill back to the Senate with the Stupak ban included.

Some pro-life Democrats, who had resisted supporting the bill until the eleventh hour, claimed that President Obama’s Executive Order placing Hyde-amendment restrictions on the bill provided adequate protection. However, like Lipinski, top pro-life groups disagreed and continued to vehemently oppose the bill. LifeSiteNews

More than one third of U.S. women will have had an abortion by age 45

Some 35 per cent of women will have had an abortion by the time they are aged 45, a new report has claimed. The pro-abortion rights Alan Guttmacher Institute also reported that 93 per cent of all abortions occur for 'social reasons.' Those include instances such as the mother deciding the child is unwanted or 'inconvenient.' And, surprisingly, the institute claimed that 31 per cent of all abortions performed nationwide are on Catholic women. It also said 18 per cent are performed on born-again Christians or evangelicals. Both religious groups preach against terminating pregnancies.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Black Pro-Life Leaders: Santorum ‘Absolutely Right’

Black Pro-Life Leaders: Santorum ‘Absolutely Right’ to Wonder How Obama Could Support Abortion | CNSnews.com: Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), touched off a media storm when he said that he agreed with the argument Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., made in his 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that a just law is a manmade law that comports with the natural law or the law of God, and that he finds it “almost remarkable” that a black man like President Barack Obama would want to deny legal recognition for the human rights of an unborn child.

“I have to agree with him and say that I find it remarkable, also,” said Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union in Washington, D.C. “In light of the fact that coming out of slavery, we were not considered full human beings. We were treated as no better than pack mules, working in fields, without any rights at all.”

Why Does Scripture Correlate a Husband and Wife with Christ and the Church?

Why Does Scripture Correlate a Husband and Wife with Christ and the Church? - Answers in Genesis: This perfect union of Christ and the church is the reason Paul uses it as the ultimate example when discussing the roles of the husband and wife. The best way to realize what it means to become one flesh is to look at Christ and the church.

Prolife Ministry Is a Door to Share the Gospel

Prolife Ministry Is a Door to Share the Gospel - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries: A seminary student at my church once said something I’ve often heard in one form or another: “Issues like abortion are just a distraction from the main thing.”

“What’s the main thing?” I asked.

“The Great Commission,” he said. “Winning people to Christ. That’s what we’re supposed to do. Everything else is a distraction.” He was referring to Christ’s words in Matthew 28:19–20.

Was he right? Is pro-life action a distraction from the Great Commission...or part of it? We need to consider three perspectives to understand the relationship between pro-life efforts and the Great Commission.

Religiously demanding abortion funding

Just in time for the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Washington-based Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) pledged to bring its "moral force to bear" to ensure "full coverage of abortion services" through Obamacare.

Mostly Mainline Protestant groups founded RCRC (originally less euphemistically called the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights) in 1973 in the immediate wake of Roe v. Wade to ensure widespread religious backing for the U.S. Supreme Court's overthrow of state restrictions on abortion. RCRC in its early years got funding form the Playboy Foundation and later from philanthropies like the Ford Foundation. 

In recent years RCRC has been headed by a black Baptist pastor and has emphasized outreach to historic black denominations. But revealingly, no historic black denominations belong to RCRC, whose membership primarily includes nearly all white denominations like the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). American Spectator

New Political Tone Should Demand Honesty on Abortion

New Political Tone Should Demand Honesty on Abortion, Health Care | LifeNews.com: As pundits encourage us to engage in a national examination of conscience on the tone of our civil discourse, hundreds of thousands of students, young adults and pro-life veterans demonstrated civility in action over the past few days.

At Marches for Life at the Capitol, on the West Coast, and at statehouses across the nation, the violence of abortion was met with a message of care and concern for both the woman and her unborn child.

The tone that we take in the public square is a legitimate topic of discussion. Yet some pundits and politicians have long overlooked the prerequisite condition of authentic civil discourse; namely, honesty about the terms of the debate.

In his own words: a radical pro-abortion president

In his own words: a radical pro-abortion president | LifeSiteNews.com: Ever since Barack Obama emerged on the national political scene, he has been promoted and protected by a corps of preachers and religious leaders who have tried their best to explain that he is not so pro-abortion as he seems. Nevertheless, his record is all too clear — as is this most recent statement. There was not one expression of abortion as a national tragedy, even as a report recently indicated that almost 60 percent of all pregnancies among African American women in New York City end in abortion.

End the violence that is abortion

End the violence that is abortion | freep.com | Detroit Free Press: While abortion may be legal, it is violent. Every abortion cruelly ends the life of an innocent human being. It is time for communities, state and nation to respond with love, thoughtfulness and prayers.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Scandal of Bioethics: Reclaiming Christian influence in technology, science, & medicine

The Scandal of Bioethics | About / Speakers | powered by RegOnline: Originally conversant with Christian moral reflection, bioethics has emigrated from bedside consultations to interdisciplinary research, public policy debates, and wider cultural and social conversations that all privilege secular discourse.

The Scandal of Bioethics glances backward to ask questions about the legacy of Christian thought in bioethics, while facing the future, the purpose, and the place of Christian thought in bioethics. The time has come to address the tough questions: Has ‘Christian bioethics’ made any difference? Will Christians lead with moral courage and imagination? Is there a future for right of conscience in medicine and research?

This conference will also address related trends in women’s health and reproductive ethics, the growing role of empirical research, global health, and a vision of biotechnology that affirms both human dignity and human flourishing.

How Christians should rethink sex

My Take: How Christians should rethink sex – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: Chastity isn’t firstly about rules and guilt, but about intimacy and joy - at the right time and in the right way. It’s an expression of being created in the image of a relational God.

China’s One Child Policy still in effect as voluntary abortion rates soar

China’s One Child Policy still in effect as voluntary abortion rates soar | LifeSiteNews.com: Yang Zhizhu was fired from his position as an associate professor of law at the China Youth University for Political Sciences because of his violation of the One Child policy. Yang is suing the Beijing commission, claiming that there is in fact no law restricting Chinese couples to one child each. The penalty for having a second child, which the authorities referred to as a “social maintenance fee,” is more than the equivalent of nine times the average disposable income earned by urban residents.

Teaching Sunday School is Child Abuse?

Teaching Sunday School is Child Abuse? | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: Dr. Georgia Purdom of Answers in Genesis writes, "I’m practicing child abuse by teaching children the truth of God’s Word in church! This is a very serious charge that we are hearing more and more when it comes to teaching children about biblical authority and its application to historical science."

Twilight: Pro-chastity? Pro-life?

Twilight: Pro-chastity? Pro-life? | LifeSiteNews.com: Abstinence is just strictly, technically not having sexual intercourse before marriage. Chastity is a whole way of life, a whole mentality, and it has a spiritual dimension. It involves recognizing the other person as a creature of God deserving of respect. It also involves recognizing the gift of sexuality as a gift from God that has a right to be treated properly. When you look at the Twilight series and scratch beneath the surface, you find that although this couple is basically abstinent before marriage, they don’t have a chaste mentality.

Nearly 50% of top colleges’ health plans cover abortion

Nearly 50% of top colleges’ health plans cover abortion: Students for Life | LifeSiteNews.com: A survey of the top 200 largest U.S. universities has revealed that 91 have school-sponsored insurance that covers elective abortions, according to the pro-life group Students for Life of America. In addition, 40 of the 91 abortion-covering plans were found to automatically charge abortion coverage to the students’ tuition bill.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Pro-life video from Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA

Pro-Life to the Core

Pro-Life to the Core
Get this and other PowerPoint presentations with music and full animations from our online store.

Church launches colorful abortion awareness campaign


Philema Road Baptist Church kicked off their second annual pro-life awareness campaign Sunday with a mock funeral for an unborn baby.

After the funeral about a dozen church members planted 3,300 pink and blue flags in front of the church to bring awareness that roughly the same number of abortions are carried out in the United States every day.

The church is planning to host a silent stand in downtown Albany every three months to continue to raise pro-life awareness in Southwest Georgia. Fox31

Report: Abortion Numbers Essentially Unchanged

Report: Abortion Numbers Essentially Unchanged: A recent report by the Guttmacher Institute (formerly a special research affiliate of Planned Parenthood), 'Abortion Incidence and Access to Services in the United States, 2008,' found that for 2008, the annual number of abortions remained essentially level with the numbers it reported for 2005 in its last published survey. The report found 1.212 million abortions in 2008, compared with 1.206 million abortions in 2005, the difference accounted for by abortions from previously uncounted abortion 'providers' discovered since the 2005 survey. The total is still far below the peak of 1.6 million abortions reported for 1990. More than 100,000 unborn children are aborted monthly.

Kermit Gosnell late-term abortion scandal: How late in pregnancy is too late to choose?

Kermit Gosnell late-term abortion scandal: How late in pregnancy is too late to choose? - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine: Should abortion be allowed late in pregnancy? Some feminists say yes. In recent months, several have stepped forward to condemn talk of compromise between pro-choice and pro-life moderates. Women's autonomy, they argue, must be absolute. Now these absolutists face an awkward discovery.

Philadelphia Abortion/Infanticide Abattoir Consistent With Peter Singer Values

Philadelphia Abortion/Infanticide Abattoir Consistent With Peter Singer Values » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Let us assume that the Philadelphia clinic was run with proper sanitary methods, employed painless killing techniques, and exercised clinical excellence to care for the women: How is what “Dr” Gosnell and staff are alleged to have done–late term abortions and induced-premature-birth-and-kill infanticides–any different than what Peter Singer’s “practical ethics” would allow? Recapping: Singer supports late term abortion if the the reason to kill is “good,” which . . . is a very low standard indeed.

Roundup of news on the butcher of Philadelphia

Are you wondering why you haven't seen news on Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist indicted for murder last week, in this space? It's because I have it posted over at our other blog, the PCC List.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Clarity Not Gadgetry: Pro-Life Apologetics for the Next Generation

Clarity Not Gadgetry: Pro-Life Apologetics for the Next Generation – The Gospel Coalition Blog: Students appreciate clear thinking presented in a winsome manner. Here are four ways Christian leaders can help them think clearly about the most pressing moral issue of our day.

In-the-Womb Transplants with Adult Stem Cells

FRC Blog » In-the-Womb Transplants with Adult Stem Cells: Transplanting adult stem cells into babies while still in the womb could potentially treat numerous genetic problems. But despite the fact that the immature immune system of an unborn baby can tolerate donor transplants, with little risk of graft rejection, most previous attempts to transplant blood stem cells into a human fetus have been unsuccessful. Now researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have an answer–match the transplant to the mother.

A Woman, Not a 'Gestational Carrier'

Her.meneutics: A Woman, Not a 'Gestational Carrier': Pregnancy has been reduced to a 'bits and pieces' brokered industry: sperm from a handsome Scandinavian stud, eggs from a beautiful Ivy League graduate, a womb-for-rent from a poor woman in India trying to provide food and education for her children, and brokers in the middle setting up the legal transactions to build a better baby the 21st-century way.

The good news about evangelicalism

Article | First Things: Evangelicalism isn't what it used to be. Looking at the supposed repudiation of “the religious right” in the 2008 election, many pundits chortled gleefully that evangelicalism is smaller than most have thought, and that the evangelical young have morphed into social liberals. In other words, evangelicals are not as powerful a cultural force as previously thought, and in the future they will be even less so. Neither of these claims is true. The evangelical movement is undergoing a sea change, to be sure, but it is not the sort most observers imagine.

Christianity is conservative

Christianity is conservative | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment: Christianity is a propositional faith grounded in the claim that the historic person Jesus of Nazareth was also God incarnate. Its influence on America’s founding was pronounced and its benefits to the world — social, economic, political — have been and remain immense. It recognizes that man is fallen, and that liberty must be both active and ordered. It teaches that property is to be respected, that government and the church have distinct duties, and that these duties are specific.

The Fatal Position

The Fatal Position « Public Discourse: Chris Meyers’ recent book, The Fetal Position: A Rational Approach to the Abortion Issue, seeks to lay out in the most charitable way all the chief arguments for and against the moral permissibility of abortion. Meyers addresses various aspects of the debate including ensoulment, the pregnant woman’s responsibility for the unborn child, the golden rule argument against abortion, and Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist analogy. Meyers declines, both at the beginning and end of the volume, to explicitly state his own conclusions about the issue, but consistently the pro-choice perspective is presented as if it were the most rationally compelling.

For African Youth, True Love Really Waits

For African Youths, True Love Really Waits | Christianpost.com: Since launching its first initiative in Uganda in 1994, True Love Waits – a ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention – testifies to the remarkable decline of the HIV/AIDS infection rate in Africa.

More than 1.6 million African youths have heard the TLW message promoting sexual abstinence until marriage. Additionally, nearly 46,000 married adults have committed to faithfulness, and more than 41,600 decisions to follow Jesus Christ have been recorded.

What makes the TLW ministry unique from other HIV prevention programs all over the world is their biblical approach to sex – it’s about following God’s plan for purity.

Western countries ‘accomplices’ in China’s brutal One Child Policy

China Aid Director: U.S., Western countries ‘accomplices’ in China’s brutal One Child Policy | LifeSiteNews.com: By funneling tens of millions of dollars to organizations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which support China’s brutal One Child Policy, the United States and other Western countries are “accomplices” to “murder on a massive scale,” said the Director of China Aid, Bob Fu. Fu said that the Chinese government carries out “birth control” or the One Child Policy based on the theory that there are limited resources and “the only way to make the existing population achieve economic wealth is to limit the size of the population.”

Related:

Population growth challenges can be met with human ingenuity

Population growth challenges can be met with human ingenuity, say engineers | LifeSiteNews.com: A report by the UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers, titled, “One Planet; Too Many People?” acknowledged that a potential human population of 9.5 billion by 2100 will present governments with “significant challenges,” but “the evidence shows that sustainable engineering solutions largely exist for many of the anticipated challenges. What is needed is political and social will, innovative financing mechanisms, and the transfer of best practice through localisation to achieve a successful outcome.”

The report examined four areas which governments need to address and which engineers in particular will play a role: food, water, urbanization and energy. In these areas, engineers have “the knowledge and skills to help meet the challenges that are projected to arise.”

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Religious makeup of Congress unfazed by 2010 election

The religious makeup of Congress is unfazed by the 2010 election | Deseret News: Despite heavy midterm election shifts in favor of the Republican Party, the religious backgrounds of members of the new 112th Congress remain predominantly unchanged. According to the study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, the religious affiliation of Congress is predominantly Protestant and about a third Catholic — similar to the general U.S. public.

Report: Oklahoma Most Pro-Life, Washington Most Pro-Abortion

Report: Oklahoma Most Pro-Life, Washington Most Pro-Abortion | LifeNews.com: For the sixth year in row, AUL’s new “Life List” ranks all 50 states based on the way each deals with a comprehensive list of life issues from euthanasia to abortion. The report follows one from the pro-abortion group NARAL that had states ranked based on grades and a cluster of states leading the pack as the most pro-life or pro-abortion. The report found Oklahoma the most pro-life state in the country and Washington the most pro-abortion.

35,000 forced abortions per day in China as Chinese president visits U.S.

35,000 forced abortions per day in China as Chinese president visits U.S. | LifeSiteNews.com: Victims who have lived through imprisonment and harassment by the Chinese government, including the government’s vicious one-child policy, gathered together with human rights leaders on Capitol Hill yesterday to speak out on the arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao in the United States.

One activist, former Tiananmen Square student leader Chai Ling, pointed out, “As we gather here in Washington, over 35,000 forced and coerced abortions are taking place today in China.” Ling called the “brutal” enforcement of the one-child policy “the largest crime against humanity.”

Rahm Emanuel: Pro-abort-praised Exec. order that broke pro-life resistance

Rahm Emanuel: Pro-abort-praised Exec. order broke pro-life resistance | LifeSiteNews.com: A new interview of former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has cast into doubt the explanations of some pro-life Democrats for giving last-minute support to the abortion-expanding health care law last year.

Grand jury report exposes the evil of abortion

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful to even speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light." Ephesians 5:11-13

Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams recently released a 281 page Grand Jury Report that is the basis for murder charges against abortionist Kermit Gosnell and nine of his associates. The report exposes the depravity of abortion in stark detail. In one instance, recorded on page 104, the abortionist is described as delivering a live baby and placing him or her on a table. One associate called another over to look at the baby because he or she was breathing and moving his or her arms and legs. Then, chillingly, "after playing with the baby, [the first associate] slit its neck." Operation Rescue

Another group exposing the darkness of abortion is The Grantham Collection - "a non-partisan catalyst for action that brings about change through graphically awakening the consciousness through visual facts. . . . We will show you what the abortion industry does not want you and the world to see," including videos of abortions obtained in working abortion clinics, and a collection of photos of abortion tools.

Editor: Caution! This collection is extremely graphic. You will think you're looking at something out of the Dark Ages, weapons used in Medieval warfare and torture chambers . . . which is not too far off.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

How Old is Our Solar System?

Chapter 5: Age of the Solar System - Answers in Genesis: Evolutionists and young earth creationists both agree that the earth is about the same age as the solar system. Evolutionists believe that both formed spontaneously about 4.5 billion years ago. Young-earth creationists believe that the earth was formed on Day One and the rest of the solar system and universe on Day Four. Ultimately, these two positions are based on foundational beliefs— man’s authority versus God’s authority.

Made in India: Movie trailer


"Made in India" is a feature length documentary film about the human experiences behind the phenomena of "outsourcing" surrogate mothers to India. The film shows the journey of an infertile American couple, an Indian surrogate and the reproductive outsourcing business that brings them together. Weaving together these personal stories within the context of a growing international industry, "Made in India" explores a complicated clash of families in crisis, reproductive technology, and choice from a global perspective.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

NARAL Report Gives America D Grade For Limiting Abortions

NARAL Report Gives America D Grade For Limiting Abortions | LifeNews.com: The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights in the United States, is a “report card” grading the states and NARAL gives its top marks to California and Washington, which aggressively fund abortions and the Planned Parenthood abortion business with taxpayer dollars. They received A+ grades while Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, and Oregon received A grades from the pro-abortion group.

A large collection of states received F grades because they have become havens for pro-life legislation that is helping women and preventing abortions. They include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

Stopping Abortion Starts With Focus on African-Americans

Stopping Abortion Starts With Focus on African-Americans | LifeNews.com: Abortion is a plague on the whole nation. But, as with all problems, the most vulnerable communities get hit the hardest.

A widely held assumption in our national discourse today is that there is “economic issues” and “social issues” that are separate, unrelated concerns. The fact that many actually believe that our nation’s economic vitality has nothing to do with the condition of the American family or our general attitudes toward life and personal responsibility is a symptom of rather than an answer to our problems.

Realities in black America speak to this issue. The 25 percent of this population in which poverty is entrenched and passed on from generation to generation is the portion of the population in which traditional family structure has been most broken and lost.

Pro-Life People Care for Women and Children After Birth, Too

Pro-Life People Care for Women and Children After Birth, Too | LifeNews.com: In the United States there are some 2,300 affiliates of the three largest pregnancy resource center umbrella groups, Heartbeat International, CareNet, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates. Over 1.9 million American women take advantage of these services each year. Many stay at one of the 350 residential facilities for women and children operated by pro-life groups. In New York City alone, there are twenty-two centers serving 12,000 women a year. These centers provide services including pre-natal care, STI testing, STI treatment, ultrasound, childbirth classes, labor coaching, midwife services, lactation consultation, nutrition consulting, social work, abstinence education, parenting classes, material assistance, and post-abortion counseling.

Talking With Children About Sperm Donation

Talking With Children About Sperm Donation: Starting a family the 'old-fashioned way' is becoming less common. Only 25% of American households are made up of a husband, wife, and a child. The fertility field is continually growing with advances in scientific technology, and infertile patients have more options for conceiving -- including the use of donor sperm. Along with the medical advances comes the continual need for emotional support for both the parent and children.

Ignoring abortion's toll

Ignoring abortion's toll--Michael Benjamin - NYPOST.com: Former NY assemblyman regrets abortion votes: "The NOW/Planned Parenthood-endorsed regime of 'comprehensive' sex education, condoms and birth control has been in place for decades in New York City -- yet the abortion rate stands at 48 percent in The Bronx. The city is in the pregnancy-prevention business as well, having distributed 40 million free condoms in 2009.

"None of this seems to be having the intended effect. It may be time for a different approach.

"The 87,000 abortions performed in 2009 have caused me to question my pro-choice votes in the state Assembly in support of Medicaid-funded abortions. Was I an enabler of abortion as a family-planning tool?"

Friday, January 14, 2011

Did global warming cause the decline of the Roman empire?

2500 Years of European Climate Variability and Human Susceptibility | Science/AAAS: Recent warming is unprecedented, but modern hydroclimatic variations may have at times been exceeded in magnitude and duration. Wet and warm summers occurred during periods of Roman and medieval prosperity. Increased climate variability from ~AD 250 to 600 coincided with the demise of the Western Roman Empire and the turmoil of the Migration Period.

Ronald Reagan Endorses Personhood for the Unborn

The Ethics of Assisted Suicide

OrthodoxyToday.org | The Ethics of Assisted Suicide: The present article surveys the teachings of the earliest Christians, Christians removed at most only a few generations from Christ and who preserved His spirit and words and Bible interpretations, to ascertain whether suicide and assisting suicide conform to Jesus’ way of love for all humankind. This article is therefore relevant to all people interested in Christian ethics, and to people who believe that if they kill themselves they will be mercifully welcomed into a better existence in heaven.

The First Christian Voices Against Euthanasia

OrthodoxyToday.org | The First Christian Voices Against Euthanasia: The authors cited in this article are all of such early date and are so united in their positions that their teachings could have come only from Jesus or the apostles. Granted, much of their teaching concerns specifically Christian ethics, but they wrote in a vein that suggests that the types of killing they describe are objective, absolute, and universal evils, regardless of the perpetrator’s religion.

The Early Christians and Abortion

OrthodoxyToday.org | The Early Christians and Abortion: This article presents the Christian attitude toward abortion before the first ecumenical council, that is, until A.D. 325. Because the New Testament does not comment on the morality of abortion, this article considers the writings of the first generations of Christians after the apostles in order to find teachings that were handed on outside the Bible.

Albert Mohler: Chilling Almost Beyond Belief

AlbertMohler.com – Chilling Almost Beyond Belief: Americans generally know that abortions happen, but the reality of abortion is kept out of sight and, for most, largely out of mind. To acknowledge that abortions do occur does not require any actual knowledge of the numbers of abortions performed and the scale of the catastrophe. News reports that emerged in recent days will make that evasion harder to justify.

Tree of Failure

Tree of Failure - NYTimes.com: Civility comes from a sense of personal modesty and from the ensuing gratitude for the political process. Civility is the natural state for people who know how limited their own individual powers are. . . . The problem is that over the past 40 years or so we have gone from a culture that reminds people of their own limitations to a culture that encourages people to think highly of themselves.

The nation’s founders had a modest but realistic opinion of themselves and of the voters. They erected all sorts of institutional and social restraints to protect Americans from themselves. They admired George Washington because of the way he kept himself in check. But over the past few decades, people have lost a sense of their own sinfulness.

Study: 98% of parents want to be primary sex educators

Study: 98% of parents want to be primary sex educators | LifeSiteNews.com: While schools, friends, and the media take a dominant role in informing children about sexuality, a new study has found that nearly all parents believe they should be their children’s primary educators on things sexual. The study, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that 98% of parents said kids should get most information on sexuality from parents.

Editor: The article goes on to say that despite this strong desire to be the main educator in their children's lives, "parents are routinely deprived of this right in many Western jurisdictions." Could it be they aren't pro-active enough in taking that responsibility? Some parents seem to wait too long or avoid "the talk" altogether. What do you think?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Model of Christian Charity --- by Gov. John Winthrop, 1630

A Model of Christian Charity --- by Gov. John Winthrop, 1630: "We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body." Written board the Arbella, en route to America

Commemorating Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

Commemorating Sanctity of Human Life Sunday - Life International: LIFE International has created a bookmark that you can use as a tool to help raise awareness about the global mission field created by abortion at your church or school. See samples and email to request copies, available free of charge.

As Roe Turns 38 Millennials Join Pro-Life Side

As Roe Abortion Case Turns 38 Millennials Join Pro-Life Side | LifeNews.com: A poll conducted last year found that 58 percent of people age 18 to 29 believe abortion is morally wrong. Students for Life of America chapters on college campuses have skyrocketed from 181 in 2006 to the current total of more than 570. It’s also been estimated that at least half of the thousands of people who participate each year in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., are under the age of 30.

And down will come baby . . .

Family Research Council: There are times in the pro-life movement when words are just inadequate. Yesterday, when the Guttmacher Institute announced a spike in U.S. abortions, reporters hurried to file their stories. And while most of them managed to communicate the data--almost none conveyed the loss. Instead of reflecting on the 1,212,350 unique members of society that America will never know, the headlines all minimized the tragedy that is 'choice.' Papers from the Wall Street Journal to the Washington Post explained the news with the sensitivity of a sports column. It's 'just 1%,' the Journal reported, or a 'slight rise,' said the AP. Factually, they're both right. But in terms of casualties--real human victims--this 'slight rise' means that our country dug 6,150 new [additional] graves in 2008. That's more than the entire student population at Yale, Princeton, Brown, or Dartmouth.

Genetic abnormalities identified in pluripotent stem cell lines

Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency A multinational team of researchers has documented specific genetic abnormalities that occur in human embryonic (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. The published findings highlight the need for frequent genomic monitoring of pluripotent stem cells to assure their stability and clinical safety. "We found that human pluripotent cells (hESCs and iPSCs) had higher frequencies of genomic aberrations [often associated with cancers] than other cell types," said Louise Laurent, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the UCSD Department of Reproductive Medicine and first author on the study. "Most strikingly, we observed a higher frequency of genomic duplications in hESCs and deletions in iPSCs, when compared to non-pluripotent samples."

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Lost Virtue of Courtesy

The Lost Virtue of Courtesy | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction: Could it be that, as a post-Christian society, we no longer have any clear notion of why we should be considerate of other people? ... Christian courtesy is rooted and grounded in the idea that every person—however much we may dislike him or her—is made in the image of God and precious in his sight.

Cohabiting couples more likely to suffer from partner abuse,

Cohabiting couples far more likely to suffer from partner abuse, statistics show | LifeSiteNews.com: Increasing rates of violence between couples in the United States and Europe have been widely attributed to the global recession, but the problem has another dimension that is often ignored: it is far more likely to occur between unmarried, cohabiting couples than married couples.

A right to a child?

A right to a child? | LifeSiteNews.com: This weekend the world was treated to the spectacle of a couple in Australia who, having already aborted twin boys because they were the wrong sex, are now petitioning the government of the state of Victoria to waive the rules on “sex-selection” to allow them to acquire a baby girl to replace one who died. That is, they want to create an unspecified number of embryonic children in a lab, and implant only the females, destroying their other male offspring.

Reaction to new US abortion statistics

Family Research Council: A new report released this morning by the Guttmacher Institute finds an abortion rate increase of 1 percent, to 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women of child-bearing age in 2008.

The nation's abortion rate has declined for many years because of the tireless work of and growth of pregnancy resource centers, pro-life educational campaigns, and the enactment of state laws such as parental notification and informed consent. Recent polls indicate that a majority of Americans now describe themselves as pro-life, and are overwhelmingly opposed to their hard earned dollars going to pay for abortions. However, this report indicates that much work remains to be done in Congress and in state legislatures to protect mothers and their unborn children.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Human embryos may lose legal protection, UK fertility watchdog claims

BioNews - Human embryos may lose legal protection, UK fertility watchdog claims: Professor Lisa Jardine warned the ''safeguarding of the 'special status of the embryo'' could be lost if the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's power to grant licences for embryo research is transferred to a centralised body. The HFEA is at risk of being scrapped or amalgamated under UK Government proposals. The safeguards prevent researchers using embryos in trivial or non-vital research due to ethical considerations.

Editor: Um, I thought embryos had already lost "special status" long ago.

Patients, speak up for your doctors!

Sign the petition on behalf of physicians' conscience rights.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Illegal trade in babies

Illegal trade in babies | The Daily Telegraph: The internet-based baby-making business has boomed since laws introduced in 2005 banned sperm donors from remaining anonymous.

Although the number of donors registered with legitimate sperm banks has fallen to just 20 - and waiting lists range from 12 to 24 months - dozens of websites and online businesses are offering the sperm from hundreds of men directly to women.

Australian authorities say the practice is dangerous, as no medical checks are performed on the donors, but they are powerless to crack down on the practice because the businesses are classified as 'social networking sites.'

Get Ready for Gender-Neutral Passports

Get Ready for Gender-Neutral Passports « FOX News Radio: The words “mother” and “father” will be removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with gender neutral terminology, according to the State Dept. “The words in the old form were ‘mother’ and ‘father’,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services Brenda Sprague. “They are now ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two.’”

A statement on the State Department website noted: “These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child’s parents and in recognition of different types of families.” Sprauge said the decision to remove the traditional parenting names was not an act of political correctness.

Jim Wallis and the Folly of “Progressive” Christianity

Jim Wallis and the Folly of “Progressive” Christianity: Newsroom: The Independent Institute: The unfortunate support for years by some Christians of what is commonly called “Progressivism” reflects the modernist folly since the nineteenth century of deferring intellectual and moral authority to the utilitarianism and moral relativism of the secular world (“the end justifies the means”). It comports neither with the teachings of Jesus nor with the Judeo-Christian tradition of natural law, either in moral ethics or economics.

Is Evangelicalism Standing the Test of Time?

Is Evangelicalism Standing the Test of Time? "The Fundamentals" at 100: It is the 100th anniversary of The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth (1910-1915). This was a series of ninety essays in twelve volumes that is widely considered a foundation of the modern evangelical movement, or what in those days came to be called 'fundamentalism.' Today very few Christians accept the label 'fundamentalist,' but the 1910s were the era of the fundamentalist/modernist controversy within major Protestant denominations. In the face of growing doubts about traditional Christian doctrines and the Bible's authority, an all-star cast of pastors and theologians from across the English-speaking world contributed essays to The Fundamentals to bolster the essentials of the faith.

Stem cell research

Articles by Dr. David Prentice
  Stem Cells Explained, Dr. David Prentice, Columbia
  Sewing in Healing Adult Stem Cells, David Prentice, Family Research Council
  Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a Stem Cell Disease, David Prentice, Family Research Council
  Gone to the Dogs: Adult Stem Cells Help Pets, David Prentice, Family Research Council
  Quadriplegic Donkey Walks Again with Adult Stem Cells, David Prentice, Family Research Council
  Adult Stem Cells from Cord Blood Enhance Aging Brain Cells, David Prentice, Family Research Council
  Men Might Produce Their Own Insulin-Secreting Cell Transplants, David Prentice, Family Research Council 

Tests of 'Roe' more frequent since 2007 decision

Tests of 'Roe' more frequent since justices upheld late-term abortion ban in '07: Mike Flood, the 35-year-old speaker of Nebraska's legislature, had a problem: He wanted to stop the state's well-known abortion provider from offering late-term abortions. A long line of Supreme Court precedents seemed to stand in his way. But Flood believes that a 2007 decision offers hope for him and other state legislators looking for ways to restrict abortion.

The Sanctity of Human Life

The Sanctity of Human Life : David P. Gushee: What is the sanctity of human life? Should Christians of all stripes assert it and in what ways? Or should we abandon the term as either politically motivated or too limited in its application?

Defund the abortion industry

FRC Action: The American taxpayer is forced daily to subsidize this atrocity to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Click the link to ask your members of Congress to support three pieces of legislation that will help get American taxpayers out of the abortion business.

40% Abortion Rate in City Prompts Meeting of Clergy

40% Abortion Rate in City Prompts Meeting of Clergy - NYTimes.com: Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York joined other local religious leaders on Thursday in calling for a new effort to reduce the number of abortions in the city. The annual figure has averaged 90,000 in recent years, or about 40 percent of all pregnancies, twice the national rate. The archbishop, at a news conference in Manhattan, called the citywide statistics “downright chilling.”

But while holding to the conviction that abortion is morally wrong, Archbishop Dolan and the others said they were adopting a more pragmatic goal for New York than abolishing abortion: “Let’s see to it that abortion is rare,” he said.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Why Should Children Obey Their Parents?

Why Do Children Have to Obey Their Parents? - Answers in Genesis: The boundaries and responsibilities parents set up for their children are not meant to be burdensome but to train. To succeed in life, children must learn boundaries, distinguish between right and wrong, and take on responsibilities. The rules and chores are not a cruel hindrance, but they are the building materials that make for a sound and complete structure in life.

Repeal Doesn’t Increase the Deficit

Morning Bell: Repeal Doesn’t Increase the Deficit | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.: Nancy Pelosi claimed that repealing Obamacare would do “very serious violence to the national debt and deficit.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Odds of an IVF baby? There's an app for that

Odds of an IVF baby? There's an app for that | Reuters: British researchers have devised a formula which they say gives a highly accurate prediction of the potential success of IVF, to help couples decide whether to try the treatment. They have made it available online as a simple computer calculator application, and say it will soon be available for download on Apple's iPhones and other mobiles.

Religious belief dramatically lowers probability of adolescent sexual activity: study

Religious belief dramatically lowers probability of adolescent sexual activity: study | LifeSiteNews.com: Higher levels of religiosity in adolescents dramatically increase the probability that they will remain virgins during high school and college, a new study has concluded. The study, entitled “Religiosity, Self-Control, and Virginity Status in College Students from the ‘Bible Belt’,” and published in the September 2010 Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, found that for every unit increase on its scale of religiosity, the odds of a male remaining a virgin increased by a factor of 3.86. For a female, the odds jumped by a factor of 4.13. To determine “religiosity,” the study asked participants to rate their frequency of religious service attendance, frequency of prayer, frequency of reading of religious texts, and the importance of religion in their lives.

‘Most pro-life’ Congress sworn in

‘Most pro-life’ Congress sworn in today | LifeSiteNews.com: And they’re not wasting any time. On January 7, the House will vote on a resolution to move forward with repeal of the pro-abortion health care reform law. In coming days the House will also be considering the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” sponsored by Rep. Smith, which will create a government-wide statutory prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion. They will also be considering the “Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act,” sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), which would ensure that tax dollars are not sent to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood under Title X family planning funds.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Obama Admin Removes Death Panels

Obama Admin Removes Death Panels After Pro-Life Backlash | LifeNews.com: The “death panels” caused considerable concern for pro-life groups, which believe they would have given financial incentives to doctors to hold end-of-life discussions with patients that will lead to the rationing of their medical care.

All the Women of the Bible: Delilah

The record of Delilah, the heartless wrecker of a mighty man, is given in eighteen verses; and the description of Samson's betrayal, fall, bondage and death is one of the most graphic in the Bible. What a contrast they present, and how symbolic they are of characters in the world today!

Samson was physically strong but morally weak. Although able to rend a lion, he could not fight his lusts. He could break his bonds, but not his habits. He could conquer Philistines but not his passions.

Delilah was a woman who used her personal charm to lure a man to his spiritual and physical destruction, and she stands out as one of the lowest, meanest women of the Bible - the female Judas of the Old Testament. Bible Gateway

Editor: Lockyer goes on to note that while Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, Delilah got 1,000.

New York Aborts Three Times as Many Citizens as it Gains

Census 2010: New York State Aborts Three Times as Many Citizens as it Gains « Coming Home: New York State grew by an extremely modest 2.1% over the past ten years, from 18,976,457 to 19,378,102, a gain of only 401,645 citizens. A review of New York State’s Vital Statistics from 2000-2009 shows we aborted 1,206,652 babies statewide. That number is three times greater than the number of citizens by which the state population grew. (2009 data not yet available.)

Editor: Check out census data for your state and then compare it to your state's health department abortion statistics.

Scalia: Abortion not in the Constitution

Scalia: Abortion not in the Constitution | LifeSiteNews.com: In a recent interview with California Lawyer, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stated that abortion is not included in the U.S. Constitution. “You want a right to abortion? There’s nothing in the Constitution about that,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you cannot prohibit it. Persuade your fellow citizens it’s a good idea and pass a law. That’s what democracy is all about."

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Church sign says it all

As seen on Facebook

Night: God saw that it was good

City Lights Spike Air Pollution : Discovery News: The glow of city lights obliterates light-sensitive molecules that scrub the atmosphere by night, adding to the problem of air pollution, a new study shows. The lights prevent production of a particular type of nitrogen-oxide molecule known as a nitrate radical, which forms from reactions of nitrogen dioxide with ozone. It bonds well with pollutants in the atmosphere, but breaks down quickly in the presence of light. 'It doesn't exist during the day. At night, it shows up. It reacts with pollutants and cleans them up.

Editor: One more marvel of God's creation.

Where did I come from? – no longer a simple question

Where did I come from? – it’s no longer a simple question | LifeSiteNews.com: At some point, anticipated and even feared by some parents, every child asks the inevitable question: “Where did I come from?” That question is endemic to humanity. The question of our own biological origins is eventually inescapable. Our existence requires an explanation, and the question takes bold form. The answer used to be easy.

But, it’s my body!

But, it’s my body! | LifeSiteNews.com: Being pregnant when you don’t want to be can be frightening and humiliating. Even a wanted pregnancy can be rather scary. Pregnancy profoundly affects your body and emotions as well as the way others see you. Is a woman morally obligated to bring a pregnancy to term when she got pregnant by mistake and really doesn’t want a baby?

Monday, January 3, 2011

Billboard campaign claims Jesus will return in May

Billboard campaign claims Jesus will return in May | ajc.com: Save the date: Jesus is coming on May 21, 2011. A Christian group is proclaiming Jesus' impending return in billboards in Omaha, Neb. and other U.S. cities for the holiday season. The billboards show three wise men on camels and the star of Bethlehem with the message, 'He is coming again.'

Allison Warden of Raleigh, N.C.-based WeCanKnow.com said the Christian Web site plans to place 50 billboards in the metro area proclaiming the rapture and Jesus' imminent return, based on analysis of Scripture and biblical genealogy. 'The Bible teaches that Christ is returning on May 21 and we want to encourage people to go to Scripture and investigate for themselves,' said Warden, who insists the Christmas-timed campaign is not a gimmick. 'All information in the Bible points to this date. God is going to be saving people right up until the last moment.'

Day of Purity: February 14, 2011

The Day of Purity Headquarters is looking for volunteers nationwide to help get this positive message out by working to reach out to churches and organizations in all 50 states. If you are interested in volunteering for the DOP or want to designate your school or church as a participant, email DayOfPurity@LC.org. DayofPurity.org offers a planning manual, purity wristbands, T-shirts, informative flyers, and other resources. Join our Facebook Group and FanPage, and follow DoPurity on Twitter, or the Freedom Federation group called Day of Purity.

Behavior tied to nurture not nature, says IVF children study

BioNews - Behaviour nurture not nature, says IVF children study: A long-term study following 1,000 families with children born using IVF between 1994 and 2002 in the UK and US has shown the importance of parenting in the outcome of a child's behavior. In the study, which investigated the mental well-being of both the parents and children, some of the children were biologically related to their parents, while others were unrelated and conceived using either donor sperm or eggs, or both. This gave the researchers a unique opportunity to compare the role of nature (genes) and nurture (the environment) in the development of a child's behaviour.

So, why is incest wrong?

So, why is incest wrong? | LifeSiteNews.com: There are certain questions now pressed upon us that previous generations would never believe could be asked. One of these is thrust upon us by events in New York City, where a well-known Ivy League professor has been arrested for the crime of incest. Though the story was ignored by much of the mainstream media, it quickly found its way into the cultural conversation. William Saletan of Slate.com, jumped on the story with a very interesting essay that openly asked the question many others were more quietly asking: “If homosexuality is OK, why is incest wrong?”

Population Control, Abortion Doesn't Protect the Environment

Population Control, Abortion Doesn't Protect the Environment | LifeNews.com: People devoted to protecting the environment are exploring new ways to shape and communicate their message. Grist editor Lisa Hymas’s fresh new idea for protecting the environment is “Fight for Free Birth Control.” Or as she puts it: “For the moment, forget about carbon caps and start thinking about cervical caps – and the Pill, IUDs, and Depo-Provera.” It’s a “no-brainer,” she says, that this will produce fewer unintended pregnancies, hence fewer births (and abortions), hence “fewer greenhouse gases.”

British royal speaks out on abortion

Article | First Things: "Didn’t Europeans think they could never and must never kill again on an industrial scale? What a cruel deceit, then, that has led us to this mass killing of children, for a theoretical greater good, which in this case is simply the wish not to be bound by a pregnancy unless it is fully and freely chosen and which, outside of that parameter, is declared, by fiat, to be null and void." Lord Nicholas Windsor, great-grandson of King George V

Latin Patriarch underlines value of life

The birth of Christ teaches the faithful many lessons, including the importance of family and the value of life, says the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Patriarch Fouad Twal reflected on the lessons to be learned from the Incarnation during Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which was attended by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, as well as its prime minister, Salam Fayad.

He noted as well that "Christmas presents us with the unique value of human life, a gift of God. Every child born or unborn, has a distinctive dignity and deserves the greatest respect, because it is created in the image of the Divine Child in the manger. It is sad to note and heartbreaking to see that in our world millions of abortions are performed each year because of selfishness, hardness of hearts, ignorance, lack of preparation to accept and foster life, and the outright rejection of a life that begins from the first moment of conception." Zenit

Chief Rabbis in Israel Oppose "Abortion Epidemic"

Chief Rabbis in Israel Oppose "Abortion Epidemic" | LifeNews.com: Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar, the chief rabbis in Israel, are calling on Israelis to fight the “abortion epidemic” they say is ravaging the country. The two Jewish leaders sent a letter to all rabbis across the country, citing a portion of the Torah from Exodus that relates the story of Hebrew midwives refusing an edict from Pharaoh to drown newborn children by throwing them in the Nile River. The pair called on religious teachers to inform citizens of Israel that “biblical prohibition to kill fetuses in their mothers’ wombs.”

Stem cell cure news


Cord blood saves a child's life 
A 6-year-old boy who had spent more than 700 days in the hospital due to a mysterious condition was successfully treated with a cord blood stem cell transplant. Doctors had to sequence the boy's entire genetic code to discover his ailment.
FULL STORY
Doctors claim cure of HIV with adult stem cells
The identity of a patient who was seemingly cured of HIV infection in 2007 after a stem cell treatment has been made public. Timothy Ray Brown received a bone marrow transplant from a donor who was genetically resistant to HIV, and is still virus-free three years later.
FULL STORY
More headlines

Black pastors to celebrate civil rights of unborn on Martin Luther King Day

Black pastors to celebrate civil rights of unborn on Martin Luther King Day | LifeSiteNews.com: The annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday - also known as “Civil Rights Day” in some states - marks a time to recall the injustice directed against a minority population that were once deemed less than human. Now, a group of black pastors are planning a celebration to draw attention to the next step in the civil rights movement: dignity and equal protection for unborn children.

Pastor Lynberg Nelson


Pastor Lynberg Nelson urges Christians, especially black and African American pastors, to stand up for the unborn who are persons and need to be protected from this murder. We plead with America: support Personhood.

So how much does IVF cost, anyway?

So how much does IVF cost, anyway? | Reuters: Couples who turn to fertility clinics for help getting pregnant might expect to pay more than $24,000 out-of-pocket for in vitro fertilization, California researchers find. Yet success rates hover around only 50 percent.

First successful saviour sibling treatment for UK

BBC News - First successful saviour sibling treatment for UK: Megan Matthews would have died but for tissue donated by her baby brother Max. It's the first time that the entire treatment has been successfully conducted in the UK.

CARE Fertility in Nottingham carried out IVF treatment, taking cells from the three day old embryos and testing each one for the disease and also checking if it was a suitable match for the transplant. Two embryos were implanted and a single baby boy, Max, was born 18 months ago.

Max's umbilical cord blood was preserved and he later needed an operation to recover bone marrow. The cells were used in Megan's transplant in July.

Babymaking: Meet the Twiblings

Meet the Twiblings - NYTimes.com: Infertility feels like a death, but because it’s not the death of a person but the death of a hope — a fantasy about the children that our dead embryos might have become — that grief vanishes when you first hear the beating of real hearts.

Plan A faded into the background, and Plan B became foreground. I can count the ways Plan B is a less-desirable way to have children. But when you actually go there, the map shifts. The brain’s ability to rewrite the birth story and turn a barn into a manger is so powerful that Plan B became the best plan, because Plan B created the children that we have and are convinced we had to have.