Rep. Chris Smith tries to keep the pressure on for Chinese activist

PHILLY.COM: U.S. Rep. Chris Smith has never met the blind Chinese dissident whose dramatic escape from house arrest to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing dominated international news for days. On Tuesday, Smith has scheduled a hearing before a House human rights subcommittee he chairs to discuss Chen and the fate of his family and friends, who have faced beatings, arrests and surveillance since Chen's escape in late April. "There's no safe place for a dissident in China," Smith, said in an interview last week. "It's an oxymoron; it does not exist. They have myriad ways of exacting revenge."

Evangelical leader tells Canadians: ‘We cannot afford’ to avoid abortion debate

LifeSiteNews: Canada “cannot afford not to have the conversation” about abortion and the protection of human life, urged Bruce Clemenger, President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, on Parliament Hill at the National March for Life on Thursday.

“You have heard it said that the debate about legal protection for the unborn is over. I say look at this crowd,” Clemenger told the nearly 20,000 pro-lifers gathered. “Consistently each year we have gathered here to say it is not over. You have heard it said that the Supreme Court has ruled that a woman has a right to an abortion. I say to you, read the decision. That is not what the Court ruled. I was in the court years after the decision when an abortion advocate mentioned a woman’s right to choose and the then Chief Justice Lamer cut her off and said the court never said such a thing.”

Related: Canadian Bishops: Abortion Threatens Religious Freedom

Editor: It's exciting to see the pro-life movement growing in places that have been so blase about abortion for so long -- Canada, Europe -- and spiritual leaders taking part.

Methodist Conference Continues Ties to Pro-Abortion Religious Group

Methodist Pro-Life Leader Blasts UMC Conference’s Continued Ties to Pro-Abortion Religious Group | LifeSiteNews.com: The United Methodist Church General Conference 2012 ended May 4 with no change to the church’s association with a pro-abortion religious group, earning a sharp rebuke from Lifewatch president and editor Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth. A petition to end the church’s membership in the coalition passed a legislative committee and sub-committee, but was not given a floor vote.

The 12 million-member church is currently a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, a self-described “leading religious voice for reproductive justice” founded in 1973 to “safeguard the newly-won” legal right to abortion. The RCRC trains and educates abortion advocates from many religious backgrounds. The United Methodists do not donate money to the organization, but their affiliation lends support to its mission statement, and several of the church’s board members attend RCRC meetings.

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Nietzsche vs. Intrinsic Human Worth

Nietzsche vs. Intrinsic Human Worth « Commentary Magazine: "It’s still unclear to me, then, on what basis we can argue that people can have intrinsic or attributive worth if we deny God and transcendent truth. I’m not claiming it can’t be done; I’m simply asking what a non-theistic moral code would be grounded in. Those who embrace atheism/anti-theism and the philosophy of Nietzsche would do well to understand, as he did, just how ugly and terrifying a world after moral absolutes would be."

Editor: The author of this article and the blogger of the following post should get together.

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Human Exceptionalism Without God?

Human Exceptionalism Without God? » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Can human exceptionalism be defended from a non religious perspective? Join the discussion.

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Pro-life Awareness Campaign at T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen conference

Pro-life Awareness Campaign at T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen conference in Orlando, Florida - 5/5/2012 - YouTube: This was a Pro-life Awareness Campaign at the International Pastors Leadership Conference with T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen in Orlando, Florida on June 5, 2012 (sic). Both Jakes and Osteen have stated that they believe Barack Obama is a sincere Christian despite his support for legalized infanticide and abortion on demand. However, the event was about creating awareness about abortion and the need for pastors and leaders to stand up against this modern holocaust, not protesting or opposing the speakers or pastors at the conference.

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The horror behind Chen's great escape

The horror behind Chen's great escape | McClatchy: The thrill of Chen's great escape and the ongoing suspense about his situation shouldn't overshadow the cause for which he has risked so much. U.S. policymakers have long expressed concern over China's security and economic challenges to global stability. They ought to be equally concerned about the chilling long-term consequences of gross abuse of human dignity and the destruction of civil society. It's time for China to end the barbarism of its One-Child Policy. And when Hollywood makes a movie about Chen movie, it must expose the horror behind the headlines.

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7 Reasons to Remember an Unborn Life

7 Reasons to Remember an Unborn Life | Counseling One Another: Why have a memorial service for an unborn child? Here are seven reasons.

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Be reconciled to God . . . NOW!

We won't solve the world's problems until we solve the Christian problem: audio message by Jim Harden of CompassCare

Study: Pro-life parental involvement laws reduce teen-suicide rates

Study: Pro-life parental involvement laws reduce teen-suicide rates | LifeSiteNews.com: This spring the journal Economic Inquiry published a study which found very solid evidence that pro-life parental involvement laws reduce the suicide rate for teen females. Analyzing state-level suicide data from 1987 to 2003 and holding constant both state-level trends and a range of economic and demographic factors, it finds that parental involvement laws reduce the suicide rate for teen females anywhere from 11 to 21 percent. The authors argue that this is because parental involvement laws reduce the incidence of stressful life events. These include unprotected sexual intercourse, STDs, pregnancies, and abortions.

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Website Uses Tax Dollars to Give Condoms to 12-Year-Olds

Website Uses Your Tax Dollars to Give Condoms to 12-Year-Olds: Parents, beware: the California Family Health Council runs a website where your teen can go to “score free condoms” without your knowledge. It’s called TeenSource.org, and they brag about being able to give condoms to children as young as twelve years old in the state of California. There’s even a number your teen can text to get a weekly “hook up tip of the week.”

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Hollywood rewards Obama: Quid pro quo?

Head Of Shrek's Studio Puts Millions Behind Obama : NPR: Earlier this year, movie mogul Katzenberg got some quality face time with one of China's top leaders, who was in Los Angeles with Vice President Joe Biden. Katzenberg and other Hollywood studio heads have been lobbying for better access to China's huge movie market. Just before Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping left L.A., the White House announced China would allow 14 more foreign films into the country each year. That's as long as the movies are IMAX or 3-D — something Katzenberg's DreamWorks makes plenty of.

Editor: Hmmmm. Did the U.S. government short-shrift Chen Guangcheng in order to get access for Hollywood studios in China? Judging by appearances, not only did Obama's sudden openness on same-sex marriage open the purse-strings, but also possibly his blindness to the dissident's predicament.

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Beware the creeping cracks of scientific bias

Beware the creeping cracks of bias : Nature News & Comment: Alarming cracks are starting to penetrate deep into the scientific edifice. They threaten the status of science and its value to society. And they cannot be blamed on the usual suspects — inadequate funding, misconduct, political interference, an illiterate public. Their cause is bias, and the threat they pose goes to the heart of research.

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Doctors say heterosexual marriage better for kids

Doctors group says heterosexual marriage better for kids - ABC Melbourne - Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Around 150 medical practitioners from the group Doctors for the Family, including a member of Victoria's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, say children raised in heterosexual relationships "do better in all parameters." The Australian Medical Association has distanced itself from this position.

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Making a Name for Yourself in the Ethics Business

Making a Name for Yourself in the Ethics Business - Brainstorm - The Chronicle of Higher Education: Pfizer has a rap sheet filled with felonies; yes, the company exploited Nigerian children in one of the deadliest research scandals in recent memory;  and yes, in 2009 it paid out the (then) largest criminal fine in American history. But what better way to atone for past wrongdoing than a generous cash award to a bioethicist? The Pfizer Fellowship in Bioethics is a $100,000 grant that allows “researchers to explore ethical issues that arise in the everyday practice of contemporary medicine,” such as “conflicts of interest.”

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Pills filled with powdered human baby flesh found by customs officials

Pills filled with powdered human baby flesh found by customs officials - Telegraph: The capsules were made in northeastern China from babies whose bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder, the Korea Customs Service said. The customs office has discovered 35 smuggling attempts since August of about 17,450 capsules disguised as stamina boosters, and some people believe them to be a panacea for disease, the customs service said in a statement. The capsules of human flesh, however, contained bacteria and other harmful ingredients.

Related: The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine

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Mom of baby with no eyes deflects cruel taunts with love

Mom of baby with no eyes deflects cruel taunts with love - msnNOW: In this so-inspiring-we-feel-dizzy video, a young mother describes her experience as the mom of Christian, a baby born with severe disabilities, including no eyes. What takes our breath away is the love she shows for her child as she shares her heartwrenching story, and how that love for her "miracle" has helped deflect the taunts from heartless strangers.

Editor: Amazing to hear "Give Me Jesus" and "How Great Is Our God" in a video hosted on MSN.com.

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Chen's nephew arrested, charged with manslaughter

All Girls Allowed: The nephew of the Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has been charged with voluntary manslaughter, amid growing concerns about reprisals and intimidation of lawyers. The arrest comes as a senior lawyer defending Chen described to the Guardian how he lost his hearing in a beating by a senior state security official after he tried to visit his client in hospital last week.

The activist's nephew Chen Kegui faces a sentence ranging from 10 years in prison to the death penalty after he brandished a meat cleaver at intruders who burst into his home in Linyi, Shandong province, during the search for his uncle. Lawyers say he acted in self-defence and only wounded the intruders, but his legal team have come under intense pressure from the local authorities to drop what looks set to become one of China's most politicised criminal cases in recent years.

Self-professed pro-choice ‘terrorist’ pleads guilty to issuing death threats

Self-professed pro-choice ‘terrorist’ pleads guilty to issuing death threats: cyanide found in home | LifeSiteNews.com: A pro-abortion activist from New York pled guilty yesterday to making death threats against two high-profile pro-life leaders. He could face up to 51 months in federal custody. Sentencing is scheduled September 12. Ted Shulman reached an agreement that allowed him to plead guilty to making the death threats against Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and Prof. Robert George of Princeton University.

Shulman has also repeatedly threatened the lives of Operation Rescue’s Troy Newman and Cheryl Sullenger and other pro-life leaders across the country, including Jill Stanek. In one audio recording, Shulman told Sullenger to “convert” to pro-choice “during the few months you have left on this earth,” or else “you will go to hell and burn.”

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Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell calls us 'forces of darkness'

See who Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell called 'forces of darkness' at event that had condom in press kit | MLive.com: Heartwell, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, credited Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan with giving more than 6,000 Grand Rapids women access to health care and 8,300 coming-of-age teenagers information and tools to prevent pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases last year. In other words, shedding light in a dark world.

"What's not to love about that?" said Heartwell, also a former Planned Parenthood board chairman. "Yet every year the forces of darkness seek to deprive women" of the health care and reproductive education they get through Planned Parenthood."

Editor: Here's what I sent the mayor: 

Dear Mayor Heartwell,

It was jarring to hear you call me ‘a force of darkness’ on the evening news. I think it’s really disrespectful of you to label me that way. I’m not some evil entity ‘out there.’ I live in this community. Your characterization was offensive. I hope you extend a public apology.

You can promote Planned Parenthood all you want, but I think it’s foolish of to alienate such a large segment of your constituency. For what it’s worth, the pro-life organization I work for recently held a banquet at the same venue and had more people in attendance, as did another pro-life group just a few nights before the PP banquet. We are the ones who sacrificially fund pregnancy care centers, and volunteer our time and skills so that women have alternatives to the lies and bondage of Planned Parenthood. We don’t get any tax funding. We don’t expect it or seek it.

Planned Parenthood has been called into account recently for good reason. Look beyond their spin. I urge you to read Abby Johnson’s book Unplanned for her detailed record of what went on in one of their Texas clinics. Find out whether they are really the honorable organization they profess to be.

According to Isaiah 59, the real forces of darkness are those who "trust in confusion and speak lies," who "hasten to shed innocent blood." If that doesn't describe Planned Parenthood, I don't know what does. No wonder they (and you) "look for light . . . but walk in blackness."

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Respectfully,

Michele D. Shoun

Related: Mayor's Planned Parenthood speech draws rebuke from MLive readers, old political foe

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Gay marriage is not inevitable

Rich Lowry: Gay marriage is not inevitable: History is littered with the wreckage of causes pronounced inevitable by all right-thinking people. The failed Equal Rights Amendment looked inevitable when it passed Congress in 1972 and immediately 30 states ratified it. Opposition to abortion that was supposed to inevitably wither away is as robust as ever.

Related: Analysis from across the pond -- ‘Obama only backed gay marriage for the money’

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Young pro-lifers vow to give up something they enjoy Until Abortion Ends

Young pro-lifers vow to give up something they enjoy Until Abortion Ends | LifeSiteNews.com: They care about the dignity of all human life, especially the dignity of unborn children. They . . . can be found in practically every humble town or great metropolis that spreads across the North American continent. And they have united together under a common cause to deny themselves something they like until the day comes when babies in the womb can no longer be legally killed.

Until Abortion Ends is a movement from a new generation of pro-lifers who are aware of the spiritual merit of personal sacrifice in the battle for the lives of the unborn. . . . The pro-lifers in the group say they believe their sacrifice will make a difference in the fight over the greatest humans rights issue in history.

. . . Founder Marion Jones, age 20, noted that the beauty of the Until Abortion Ends movement is how it has united the pro-life movement in “prayer and sacrifice. As a Christian, I believe in the power of prayer.” The group has received the ridicule of abortion proponents in the liberal media.

Editor: I'm touched by the sincerity and willingness to sacrifice of these young people. It is certainly impressive and humbling. I don't want to come off as critical, but I can't find accord with the idea that personal sacrifice accrues "spiritual merit." If foregoing Facebook or one's iPod results in more prayer for abortion to end, well and good. But is it fasting that makes a prayer more righteous?

I would point them to Isaiah 58-59 for the kind of fasting and prayer that holds God's attention. And I would pray for them to uphold and maintain the power of purity in their own lives and before their peers (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8). 

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Venerable Royal Society issues report calling for population control

Venerable Royal Society issues report calling for population control | LifeSiteNews.com: One of the world’s oldest and most venerated scientific institutions has joined the chorus of the population control movement, calling for a “stabilisation” of the human population, “reduction of fertility” in Africa and reduced consumption of energy in the developed world. Meanwhile, the report is being blasted by critics who say it is nothing more than the same population-paranoia that has been sold for decades by the radical environmentalist movement, fueled by bad science.

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Canadian March for Life smashes previous attendance records: 19,500 | LifeSiteNews.com

Canadian March for Life smashes previous attendance records: 19,500 | LifeSiteNews.com: Under the constant threat of rain that failed to materialize, an exuberant and record-breaking crowd of nearly 20,000 pro-life activists gathered on Parliament Hill today in Ottawa. The annual event marks the passage of Trudeau’s infamous “Omnibus Bill” in 1969, which struck down Canada’s ban on abortion and paved the way for abortion-on-demand.

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A Muslim looks at respect for life

How I lost two unborn children: a Muslim looks at respect for life | LifeSiteNews.com: "In the pre-Islamic period, the practice of female infanticide was widespread in much of Arabia, but it was immediately forbidden through Islamic injunctions. Several verses of the Quran were revealed that prohibited this practice to protect the rights of the unborn and of the newborn child."

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