A pastor talks to pastors about defending the sanctity of human life

Jer 22:16 says about the king, “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD. Personhood FL

In Iowa, Social Conservatives May Shape 2012 Race

In Iowa, Social Conservatives May Shape 2012 Race - NYTimes.com: The ailing economy and the Tea Party’s demand for smaller government have dominated Republican politics for two years, but a resurgent social conservative movement is shaping the first stage of the presidential nominating contest, complicating the strategy for candidates who prefer to focus on fiscal issues over faith.

Editor: I hate to mention the presidential contest so soon, but here's a good general article.

The Young Person's Guide to Personal Success & Happiness or How Not to Screw Up the Rest of Your Life

Amazon.com: The Young Person's Guide to Personal Success & Happiness or How Not to Screw Up the Rest of Your Life. eBook: Bryan Yeager, Terry Beh: Books: This book is designed to help teach biblical values to tweener's & teenagers who are making crucial, life-changing moral decisions about their lives that will affect their futures into eternity. Its 52 entries can be used by parents and youth leaders on a weekly basis to introduce youth to teachings from the Bible as drawn from Proverbs. The format is intended to facilitate discussion, accountability and action, an deals with topics such as peer pressure, wisdom, sexual purity, compassion, courage, etc.

Officials Close ‘Maternity Tourism’ House in California

Officials Close ‘Maternity Tourism’ House in California - NYTimes.com: Officials say the house was home to “maternity tourists,” in this case, women from China who had paid tens of thousands of dollars to deliver their babies in the United States, making the infants automatic American citizens. Officials shut down the home, sending the 10 mothers who had been living there with their babies to nearby motels.

Battling Big Abortion

Battling Big Abortion - Rep. Mike Pence - National Review Online: Advocates for the abortion industry have sought to portray efforts to defund Planned Parenthood as a “War on Women,” but the issue is big business, and that business is abortion. This legislative battle is about Big Abortion vs. American taxpayers. As Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director, recently said, “Planned Parenthood’s mission, on paper, is to give women quality and affordable health care and to protect women’s rights. In reality, their mission is to increase their abortion numbers and in turn increase their revenue.”

Oxford ethicist: keep clever embryos, destroy the rest

In shocking remarks, Prof Julian Savulescu says embryos that do not pass the intelligence test should be destroyed for the good of society. The Australian Professor is the Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, and claims that it is our “moral obligation” to use IVF to choose the most intelligent embryos. Christian Institute

Day of Dialogue April 18

Day of Dialogue | Join the Dialogue: The Day of Dialogue gives you, as a student, the opportunity to express the true model of sexuality presented by Jesus Christ in the Bible—who didn't back away from speaking truth, but neither held back in pouring out His incredible, compassionate love for hurting and vulnerable people. His example calls us to stand up for those being harmed or bullied while offering the light of what God's Word says.

Biblical World View Summit in Cape Town, South Africa on 24 June - 1 July 2011

The Summit is being organized by Frontline Fellowship (http://www.frontline.org.za/, E-mail, Phone: 021-689-4480 Fax: 021-685-5884).

The subjects covered in a Summit course include:

- The Battle for the Mind in the News Media
- Understanding the Times
- Understanding the ideas that rule the world
- Answering Skeptics and Effective Evangelism
- Creation vs. Evolution
- Love, Courtship and Marriage
- Biblical Answers to Ethical Problems
- Leadership and Conflict Resolution Skills
- Music and the Arts
- Free Market Economics vs. Socialism
- The Christian Heritage of Freedom
- Public Speaking and Debating Skills
- Crime and Punishment
- Self-defence
- Evaluating Films
- Hollywood and Humanism
- Hunger for Revival

Learn more about the Summit.

Arizona Gov Signs Ban on Sex-Selection, Race-Based Abortions

Governor Jan Brewer signing a bill that would ban abortions that are sex-selection or race-based in nature by targeting girls or ethnic minorities. The legislation would ban sex-selection abortions and require women seeking abortions to sign a statement saying they are not obtaining the abortion because of the gender of the unborn baby. The bill also prohibits abortions based on the race of the unborn child. The father of the unborn child or the parents of a minor girl would be able to file a lawsuit for civil damages against abortion practitioners that do race-based or sex-selection abortions.

The bill makes it a felony to provide financing for such an abortion and supporters of the measure say it is important to root out discrimination that comes in the form of destroying unborn children for gender or racial reasons. The practice of sex-selection is frequently seen in Asian nations such as China, India and Vietnam and has crossed the Pacific Ocean as Asian immigrants have come to the United States and brought with them their cultural preference for sons. LifeNews

Any other Gospel

Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Texan: The Bereans of Acts 17 examined the Scriptures to see if Paul’s preaching was true before they believed. They were more open-minded than those who rejected the gospel outright. Those who accept the message of a preacher without testing him are closed-minded. Unthinking tolerance seems similar to knee-jerk rejection. Those who have a reason for accepting or rejecting the assertions of another will be stronger in their beliefs than those who respond without thinking.

Flipping the fear about preaching on abortion

Flipping the fear about preaching on abortion | LifeSiteNews.com: A woman wrote, “I can’t help but think that if twenty years ago I heard a sermon in my church against abortion, I would have found the strength to keep my baby instead of killing my baby.” Since then, countless women, as well as men, have said the same to Frank Pavone of Priests for Life. He goes on to write about how if nothing is said about abortion from the pulpit, congregants may conclude [paraphrasing to fit our context]:

a) My pastor doesn't know about the pain I have from my abortion;

b) My pastor knows my pain, but doesn't care;

c) My pastor knows and cares about my pain, but there's no hope. Nothing can be done to heal it.

Editor: BFL highly recommends the book Living in His Forgiveness (by Sandy Day) as a resource for post-abortion ministry and healing.

Spend foreign aid on malaria relief, not condoms

New video: spend foreign aid on malaria relief, not condoms | LifeSiteNews.com: A new video by the Population Research Institute is taking the government to task for failing to keep a promise to aid the fight against the malaria epidemic, and instead increasing money for population control programs abroad.

Killing an unborn child is never the solution

Killing an unborn child is never the solution say 78 Argentinean obstetricians | LifeSiteNews.com: A group of 78 Argentinean obstetricians and gynecologists have signed a public declaration in favor of the right to life and against proposed legislation to legalize the killing of the unborn in their country, basing their position on the science of human development.

The declaration, called the Manifesto for Life, affirms: “Science teaches that life begins with conception. To deny this certainty of biology is not an expression of lack of faith, but rather a lack of fundamental knowledge of human genetics.” It adds: “If this truth is also affirmed by religions, it does not for that reason cease to be a strictly scientific truth.” Read it here in Spanish.

WikiLeaks cable: US government considered grants for Mexican pro-abortion groups

A leaked State Department cable shows the U.S. government has considered granting money to pro-abortion groups in Mexico. The Feb. 22, 2010, cable from the U.S. Embassy to Mexico was published by WikiLeaks and lists four grant applications for the small grants initiative of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.Critics warned that the grants would fund “radical” organizations seeking to change Mexican society and legalize abortion under the guise of combating violence against women. U.S. funding would strengthen organizations that are “far outside the mainstream of Mexican and Latin American society in general,” said Joseph Meaney, director of international coordination at Human Life International, on March 18. “It is clearly aimed at changing their culture in a more liberal direction through outside funding.” CNA

Santorum: Abortion to Blame for Some Social Security Problems

Santorum: Abortion to Blame for Some Social Security Problems | LifeNews.com: Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who is eying a bid for the Republican nomination for president, says the social security system would be stronger were it not for the 53 million abortions that have robbed the nation of potential workers who would be contributing to the program.

PETA calls for more animal-friendly language in Bible

PETA: Don't call animals 'it' in the Bible – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is calling for a more animal-friendly update to the Bible.
The group is asking translators of the New International Version to remove what it calls 'speciesist' language and refer to animals as 'he' or 'she' instead of 'it.'

Children Conceived After Death of Parent Face Uphill Battle for Inheritance Rights

Children Conceived After Death of Parent Face Uphill Battle for Inheritance Rights - FoxNews.com: Melissa Amen conceived her 3-year-old daughter, Kayah, seven days after Kayah's father died of cancer. Now Amen faces her own battle: Winning Social Security benefits for Kayah from a federal government that, in essence, doesn't recognize Joshua as the father.

Europe rules against stem-cell patents

Europe rules against stem-cell patents : Nature News: Stem-cell researchers in Europe are reeling after the Court of Justice of the European Communities issued an opinion last week questioning the ethics of their work and threatening to ban them from patenting procedures that involve human embryonic-stem-cell lines. Some scientists fear that the opinion could also prompt European countries to tighten their legislation on such research, or ban it altogether.

Biotech company using aborted fetal cell lines to test its flavor enhancers

Children of God for Life is calling on the public to boycott products of major food companies that are partnering with Senomyx, a biotech company that produces artificial flavor enhancers, unless the company stops using aborted fetal cell lines to test their products.

In 2010, the pro-life organization wrote to Senomyx CEO Kent Snyder, pointing out that moral options for testing their food additives could and should be used. But when Senomyx ignored their letter, they wrote to the companies Senomyx listed on their website as "collaborators" warning them of public backlash and threatened boycott. Food giants Pepsico, Kraft Foods, Campbell Soup, Solae and Nestlé are the primary targets of the boycott, though Senomyx boasts other international partners on their website.

Senomyx notes their collaborators provide them research and development funding plus royalties on sales of products using their flavor ingredients. “What they do not tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors”, stated Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director for Children of God for Life, a pro-life watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years.

UPDATE: Within hours of the press release, Children of God for Life received notice from Campbell Soup that they have severed their ties with Senomyx. Stated Juli Mandel Sloves, Senior Manager of Nutrition & Wellness Communications at Campbell Soup Company, "We are no longer in partnership with Senomyx. This fact was discussed during the Senomyx conference call with its investors earlier this month." If you choose to write to Campbell Soup, please thank them for their decision. Mmmm good!

The case against abortion: prenatal development video

‘Abominable’ pressure to abort on poor Mexican women

Mexican cardinal denounces ‘abominable’ pressure on poor women to abort | LifeSiteNews.com: The Cardinal Archbishop of Mexico City, Norberto Rivera, has denounced the “abominable” pressure placed on women, especially poor women, to receive abortions or be sterilized. He criticized the fact that instead of being offered help, “women are being left in an alley without an exit: divorce or abortion.”

The Philippines Under Fire

The Philippines Under Fire | LifeSiteNews.com: There is a battle royal underway in the Philippine Congress. On the one side are the Planned Parenthood types, backed by well-funded international organizations, who are attempting to ram through legislation that would cripple the Filipino birth rate. On the other side stand those who believe that the most precious resource of the Philippines is its people, and who object to the use of what some call “human pesticides” to control the Filipino population. The U.S. foreign aid establishment, emboldened by the anti-people mentality of the Obama administration, is on the wrong side.

Analyzing the effect of pro-life legislation

In this study, a series of regressions on a comprehensive time series cross-sectional data set provides evidence that several types of state-level anti-abortion legislation result in statistically significant declines in both the abortion rate and the abortion ratio. Furthermore, a series of natural experiments provide further evidence that abortion restrictions are correlated with reductions in the incidence of abortion. State Politics & Policy Quarterly

His findings included that parental involvement laws reduce in-state abortion rates for minors by approximately 15 percent. LifeNews

Is sex selection immoral?

BioNews - Is sex selection illegal and immoral?: The use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for sex selection has proven extremely controversial in the UK, where the procedure is illegal unless medically justified to avoid producing a child with a sex-linked genetic disorder, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. One reason often given for the restrictions is the fear that the technology will be used mainly to select male embryos. Research from the US, where sex selection for 'social reasons' is legal, suggests that its most frequent use would be for 'family balancing', or to select a child of the opposite sex to those a couple may already have. . . . Sex selection via PGD for purely social reasons requires a healthy woman with no infertility problems to undergo IVF and to undergo the pain, expense and danger of egg collection and embryo transfer only for the purpose of choosing the baby's sex.

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Eugenics

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Eugenics Oxford Handbooks in History: Amazon.co.uk: Alison Bashford, Philippa Levine: Books: Eugenic thought and practice swept the world from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century in a remarkable transnational phenomenon that informed social and scientific policy across the political spectrum, from liberal welfare measures in emerging social-democratic states, to feminist ambitions for birth control, to public health campaigns, to totalitarian dreams of the 'perfectibility of man.' This book dispels for uninitiated readers the automatic and apparently exclusive link between eugenics and the Holocaust: the popularity of eugenics in Japan, for example, comes as a surprise.

Lesbian couple set up first UK same-sex fertility clinic

Lesbian couple set up first UK same-sex fertility clinic | News | The Christian Institute: A lesbian couple are set to open Britain’s first same-sex fertility clinic today. Natalie Drew and Ashling Phillips, who themselves have two children by a sperm donor, started the fertility centre online in 2007, but following a surge in demand, they have decided to set up an office. But critics say the move caters to adults’ desires rather than children’s interests.

3-Month Pregnancies for Hire: A Pure Fantasy?

CGS : 3-Month Pregnancies for Hire: A Pure Fantasy?: 'In a world where you shouldn't have to wait for anything, why wait nine months for your child to be born?' Silver Sling, an 11-minute film by director Tze Chun, presents a future scenario in which affluent couples hire young women, some of them immigrants, to undergo 'accelerated pregnancies' lasting only three months. Surrogates can undergo three such pregnancies before becoming sterile.

Why Is Scripture the Ultimate Standard for Morality and Ethics?

Why Is Scripture the Ultimate Standard for Morality and Ethics? - Answers in Genesis: Many secularists and liberal scholars acknowledge that the Bible is full of excellent moral teaching, yet ultimately they reject the inspiration or inerrancy of Scripture. This is just another example of how people want to pick and choose what parts of God’s Word they think are true and apply that to their lives as they see fit.

What about the “Gray Areas” of Morality?

What about the “Gray Areas” of Morality? - Answers in Genesis: When faced with a moral dilemma that isn’t directly addressed in Scripture, we need to consider what Jesus would have us do in light of His Word.

Editor: 'What Would Jesus Do?' is more than an abstract, hypothetical exercise.

Why Do We Let Girls Dress Like That?

Why Do We Let Girls Dress Like That? - WSJ.com: So here we are, the feminist and postfeminist and postpill generation. We somehow survived our own teen and college years (except for those who didn't), and now, with the exception of some Mormons, evangelicals and Orthodox Jews, scads of us don't know how to teach our own sons and daughters not to give away their bodies so readily. We're embarrassed, and we don't want to be hypocrites.

California company to use stem cells from aborted babies to treat paralysis

California company to use stem cells from aborted babies to treat paralysis | LifeSiteNews.com: California-based StemCells, Inc. announced last week a new experimental clinical trial that will use stem cells from aborted fetuses to treat paralysis. Dr. Armin Curt, Medical Director of the Paraplegic Center at Balgrist University Hospital in Switzerland where the trial will take place, called the experimental therapy “landmark.” The research will use fetal neural stem cells which are differentiated as central nervous system cells, rather than undifferentiated embryonic stem cells.

Editor: Aborted in the US to be taken to Switzerland? It's unclear.

Appeals seek stop 2nd prison term for father who kept kids out of sex-ed

Appeals seek stop 2nd prison term for father who kept kids out of sex-ed | LifeSiteNews.com: Arthur and Anna Wiens, along with Eduard and Rita Wiens, chose to keep their children from attending a mandatory play and four school days of “sexual education” that taught students an unbiblical view of sexuality. They were subsequently fined and sentenced to prison after they refused to pay.

Idaho moves to ban abortions after 20 weeks

Idaho moves to ban abortions after 20 weeks - Spokesman.com - March 23, 2011: The Idaho Senate has voted 24-10 in favor of banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy on grounds of fetal pain, despite an attorney general’s opinion warning that the bill is likely unconstitutional. The bill makes no exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or severe fetal abnormalities, nor would it permit consideration of the mother’s mental or psychological health; it would allow post-20 weeks abortions only to save the mother’s life or physical health.

Breakdown of Black Families in U.S. Linked to Planned Parenthood’s Birth Control Campaign

Breakdown of Black Families in U.S. Linked to Planned Parenthood’s Birth Control Campaign, Experts Say | CNSnews.com: Patrick Fagan, director of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute at the Family Research Council, a conservative group, said people do not like to talk about it but the decline of the intact black family dates back to the 1930s when the pro-abortion, family planning agenda was being pushed by groups such as the American Birth Control League, which was renamed the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in the early 1940s. “The first family targeted by Planned Parenthood in the late 30s, early 40s was the black family.”

Forced Abortion Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz Take the UnChoice challenge!

The Flipside of Feminism

Suzanne Venker: Feminism Doesn’t Liberate Women | Radio Boston: Author Suzanne Venker doesn’t think the feminist movement liberated women. In fact, she thinks the movement has sabotaged American women’s happiness. Venker writes “according to a 2007 report from the National Bureau of Economic Research, as women have gained more freedom, more education, and more power, they have become less happy.”

Growing evangelical clout shaping GOP debate

Unlike at the national level where social issues are taking a backseat to the economy, there's no sign that Iowa Republicans are moving away from discussing topics like gay marriage and abortion. Daily Sentinel

Why Do Naturalistic Ethics Fail? (Part Two)

Why Do Naturalistic Ethics Fail? (Part Two) - Answers in Genesis: No matter how logical some might sound, none can really give a reason why we must be ethical. They can suggest that we improve ourselves or others by following a system, but they provide no ultimate foundation for doing so. One is free to choose simply to reject the principles of a given system. This is not the case with the Bible.

Friends can be risky business for teens

Susan Reimer: Teens, more than college students or young adults, are likely to engage in risky behavior if they know their peers are watching.

‘Human Footprint’ gives capitalism the boot

Then Again ... by Marybeth Hicks: All over the U.S., schools are using films produced by groups like the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club and the Tides Foundation that all tell essentially the same story: America is bad, consumerism is bad, capitalism bad and the human footprint is bad. [The Human Footprint] also challenges children to come up with ways to counter all that bad behavior, including references to population control. Unfortunately, American children aren't being educated on the whole issue.

AZ could be first state to outlaw sex-selection abortions

Senate passes bill to deter some abortions: The Arizona Senate has passed a measure that would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion sought based on the sex or race of the fetus, despite ongoing debate over whether such a thing is occurring in Arizona.

The House already has passed House Bill 2443, but because it was amended on the Senate floor to toughen the penalties against the doctor, it must go back to the House for a final vote before heading to Gov. Jan Brewer for consideration. If it becomes law, Arizona would become the first state in the nation to make sex- or race-selection abortions a crime.

Fiscal groups call for Planned Parenthood defunding

Fiscal groups call for Planned Parenthood defunding - The Hill's On The Money: A group of 29 fiscally conservative organizations have written to Congress calling for the immediate defunding of Planned Parenthood, adding to the chances the GOP will push for this in negotiations with Democrats over a 2011 funding bill. Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, Americans for Prosperity and 26 other organizations joined the letter sent Monday.

Publicity Kit Materials for Coerced Abortion Awareness Week

Publicity Kit Materials for Coerced Abortion Awareness Week/Project Candlelight | Church Awareness Project: Here are tools and resources that will help you tell your church and the community at large about your Project Candlelight activities. Whether you’re planning a prayer breakfast, a candlelight vigil, a Sunday sermon, a day-long event or a week of activities in your church or faith community, you can reach many with a simple press release or a letter to the editor.

South Dakota 3-day abortion waiting period now law

South Dakota 3-day abortion waiting period now law | LifeSiteNews.com: South Dakota’s new pro-life Republican governor signed into law Tuesday legislation that requires a three-day waiting period for women seeking abortion. HB 1217 is aimed at preventing mothers from feeling coerced or pressured into having an abortion, and requires that women have a one-on-one session with a crisis pregnancy center counselor during the 72-hour waiting period.

Why women are Feminists for Life

During Women's History Month it's good to be reminded that not all feminists share the view that abortion (violence) liberates anyone. FFL

Planned Parenthood’s Assault on the Public Health

Planned Parenthood’s Assault on the Public Health | LifeNews.com: In the Congressional battle to defund Planned Parenthood, the predictable narrative of abortion, Roe v. Wade, women’s rights, and the separation of church and state has given way to a new web of lies. According to Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards:

“In attacking Planned Parenthood, the House Republican leadership has launched an outrageous assault on the millions of Americans who rely on Planned Parenthood for primary and preventive health care, including lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings, annual exams, family planning visits, birth control, HIV testing, and more.”

In truth, Planned Parenthood’s disastrous targeting of children leads to the very diseases for which they test.

Why Do Naturalistic Ethics Fail?

Why Do Naturalistic Ethics Fail? (Part One) - Answers in Genesis: The Bible is the ultimate standard for morality. Those who do not believe in God claim a number of different “ethical” systems as their standards. In this and the next devotional, we will examine seven of the most common naturalistic systems to see what they believe and to understand why they ultimately fail.

State of Sex Trafficking In the States

State of Sex Trafficking In the States: This tragic form of slavery is not just a problem “over there,” in third world countries far removed from us. On the contrary, it is happening right in our own backyard. Despite laws criminalizing it, sex trafficking is a huge problem in America.

Embryo ethics: Finding a home for Canada’s frozen 'orphans'

Embryo ethics: Finding a home for Canada’s frozen 'orphans': Tens of thousands of human embryos hang in cold storage in Canada’s fertility clinics, an unknown number of which are “orphans.” Increasingly, however, clinics are preparing to match these embryos — which could survive for decades in suspended animation — with infertile couples who long for a child of their own.

More Than 100 Babies Saved From Abortion During 40 Days for Life

More Than 100 Babies Saved From Abortion During 40 Days for Life | LifeNews.com: Here are just a few of the blessings that God has provided in answer to your prayers.

Abortion battles spring up nationwide as states test the limits of Roe v. Wade

Abortion battles spring up nationwide as states test the limits of Roe v. Wade - Political Hotsheet - CBS News: State bills are currently pending all over the country, and many states are considering multiple abortion-related bills. (Americans United for Life has a map on its website showing how widespread the anti-abortion efforts are.)"

Legacy of Dr. Mildred Jefferson

Conflict Of Interest: Dr. Jefferson felt the 1973 Supreme Court's Doe and Roe decisions gave doctors a license that could impair the right of doctors to refrain from killing. In her own words, Dr. Jefferson spoke clearly to the heart of this matter: 'U.S. Supreme Court Justices, don't have to see the impact or consequences of their decisions but then without consulting us they want us to carry out these socially destructive missions and I SAY NO AND I AM NOT WILLING to give up the role of doctor as healer to become the new social executioner.'

Top 10 harms of same-sex marriage

Family Research Council: Some advocates of same-sex 'marriage' scoff at the idea that it could harm anyone. Here are ten ways in which society could be harmed by legalizing same-sex 'marriage.' Most of these effects would become evident only in the long run, but several would occur immediately. Download the brochure free of charge.

Houston church hosts girls’ purity event

The Pink Lid is an all-out girls' event of beauty, purity, fashion, prizes, food, speakers, music and much more. It's at First Baptist Church in Houston. Girls ages 12-18 are invited. Cost is $23 at the door. ‘Get Flushed' is the theme -- to flush the girls' minds of what media is trying to tell them about how they should look, act and speak.

The Pink Lid ladies, who tour the country and host conferences, deal with topics relevant for today's teenage girl. Friday is all about what it means to be a beautiful woman inside and out, including makeup tips and a fashion show. On Saturday, girls find out how to walk in purity in today's culture and what it means to live passionately for God. Houston Herald

Human Exceptionalism: It is Wrong to Pose With Dead Humans As If They Were Hunted Animals

Human Exceptionalism: It is Wrong to Pose With Dead Humans As If They Were Hunted Animals » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: There is a story in the news about army soldiers on trial for murdering civilians in Afghanistan. Awful, if true. But this post focuses on something else. The soldiers are accused of posing with the cadavers of those they killed–in much the same way that hunters often pose with the animals they have taken.

Does 'mensrea' apply to abortion?

Alan Douglas: If you shoot what you think is a tree stump, and it turns out to be someone's head, are you guilty of murder? You caused their death but the law defines murder as requiring that you intended to kill them. That intent, called 'mensrea', is an essential element of the crime of murder. Without mensrea you are not guilty (responsible) for the crime of murder. You might be guilty of gross and reckless behavior as in manslaughter, etc.

Editor: If you rid yourself of what you think is a 'blob of cells' are you guilty of murder?

Neanderthals controlled fire

News to Note, March 19, 2011 - Answers in Genesis: Neanderthals were no novices when it came to wielding fire, new evidence suggests . . . evidence that adds to our understanding of them as intelligent, modern humans. Abundant evidence from this study and others is that Neanderthals, like all our human ancestors, were not fundamentally different from any other Homo sapiens, and created in the image of God.

Killing babies: it’s what [fallen] humans do

Killing babies: it’s what humans do | LifeSiteNews.com: There will come a time in America as it has elsewhere when pro-life sentiment, fully unmoored from Christian grounding, stammers to explain why we must save every unwanted, unloved baby. Asked to defend the inviolable worth of the less cute, more irritable, costly, depressed and elderly victim of euthanasia, we’ve already begun to.

This is why the whole pro-life idea cannot be an agnostic endeavor, or even a theist endeavor - it’s an inescapably Christian one. To the extent we now reap the fruits of Christian civilization, we must sow with equal vigor, even if it must be elsewhere in the field.

Editor: Sadly, the author goes on to mention post-abortion ministries that employ mystical, rather than biblical, assurances of forgiveness. God's word teaches that forgiveness is based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and is not nor ever can be granted by aborted babies.

Harry Reid: We’ll shut down government before we shut down Planned Parenthood funding

Harry Reid: We’ll shut down government before we shut down Planned Parenthood funding | LifeSiteNews.com: Reid and 19 other Democrats say that if House Republicans include an amendment to defund Planned Parenthood in their long-term CR, then the measure will be dead on arrival in the Senate. Without funding authorization, the U.S. federal government will then shut down – a scenario Republicans say they want to avoid desperately.

The end of the one-child policy in China?

The end of the one-child policy in China? : The Lancet: Last week, in the plenary sessions of the annual Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the National People's Congress, a two-child policy was proposed, to start in 2015. Experts have suggested that the one-child policy has resulted in an increase in older people and a decrease in younger workers, as well as a sex-ratio imbalance, which might threaten China's economic growth.

Australian PM Cold to Legalizing Euthanasia

Australian PM Cold to Legalizing Euthanasia » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: "During the time I was [in Australia], I learned that [Prime Minister Julia ]Gillard is an open atheist, that she lives with her hairdresser boyfriend, and that she came out of the left wing of the Labour Party. I only bring the atheism and apparent social liberalism up because we are often told by euthanasia proponents that only right wing religious fundamentalists oppose legalizing euthanasia–which has never been true, but it sometimes works as an advocacy approach, such as in the Netherlands. (Only religious fundamentalists oppose, so to prove you are not a religious fundamentalist, you had better support.) But that meme won’t hunt Down-Under now that Gillard has concluded she does not want a law legalizing euthanasia."

Are biblical ethics cultural?

I hope you don't miss this. Toward that end, I'm going to refrain from adding any other posts until Monday so this remains at the top all weekend. Please take a moment to respond.

Yesterday I posted an interview by Desiring God about LIFE International, in which Kurt Dillinger said,

Cultural attitudes and worldviews that devalue human life have infected the global culture in general and the Christian culture as well. For example, in places around the world, we have seen married pastors carry on with multiple mistresses. Church leaders send their wives and daughters to have abortions. Some Christian husbands even abuse their wives to enforce submission. Christian women may have dozens of abortions during their childbearing years. Each of these examples demonstrates how every nation has a flawed theology of life.

Isn't this disturbing? Baptists for Life has seen the same thing in our travels around the world. It's surprising to us that the sanctity of human life -- and, apparently, the sanctity of marriage -- have not been taught as biblical principles even though strong churches exist. What accounts for this? How does the body of Christ in other parts of the world -- Spirit-filled and equal in every way to the Church in America -- miss such significant doctrines?

I hasten to add another question -- what biblical principles might American Christians be missing or overlooking that a Christian from another culture could readily point out? It's scary to think we'd have as glaring a blind spot, but it must be admitted that we could. I'm willing to learn from our non-American brethren.

But let's go back to this issue. I can remember a day pre-Roe, when the American church did not mention abortion, when the sanctity of human life was not the "big deal" it is now on the cultural landscape. Indeed, I don't remember the Supreme Court decision having any affect on my life, ever crossing my awareness, even though I attended a Baptist high school. I was 15 years old when Roe was decided, and even though I have no recollection of ever hearing the word abortion mentioned (let alone preached about) before that time, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that I would have recognized it as evil right away.

If you had said to me then, "What about abortion in cases of rape? What about incest? What about abortion for babies who are going to die anyway? What if a continued pregnancy will devastate a family?" you would have caused me to pause. In my heart of hearts I would have not wanted to approve abortion in those instances, but I would have had difficulty explaining why.

When I first got involved with Baptists for Life, I needed a great deal of education on the issue, but I didn't need convincing abortion was wrong, or that it was a biblical issue. Thanks to our first executive director, Mark Blocher, my understanding of the "hard cases" matured; I'm sure most of us who've been involved in the American pro-life movement have experienced a similar learning curve.

So how is the sanctity of human life (and marriage) not readily apparent to brothers and sisters in other parts of the world where the Gospel has been preached and accepted? Is it a matter of biblical illiteracy? Is it a matter of missionaries not "teaching the whole counsel of God"? Is it a matter of multiculturalism run amok?

I know I could be stepping on toes here, but I beg to be enlightened. I really don't know and want to learn. I do not want to offend. Nevertheless, the questions remain to be answered in the hope of improving our partnership with missionaries and nationals: Is Kurt's assessment accurate? If so, what is the biblical or theological explanation?

GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits

GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits | Mother Jones: Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives, the Internal Revenue Service would be forced to police how Americans have paid for their abortions. To ensure that taxpayers complied with the law, IRS agents would have to investigate whether certain terminated pregnancies were the result of rape or incest. And one tax expert says that the measure could even lead to questions on tax forms: Have you had an abortion? Did you keep your receipt?

In testimony to a House taxation subcommittee on Wednesday, Thomas Barthold, the chief of staff of the nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee, confirmed that one consequence of the Republicans' 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act' would be to turn IRS agents into abortion cops—that is, during an audit, they'd have to detemine, from evidence provided by the taxpayer, whether any tax benefit had been inappropriately used to pay for an abortion.

Bioethics at midlife

Bioethics at midlife - 2011 SPRING - Stanford Medicine Magazine - Stanford University School of Medicine: No longer relegated to the background, bioethics has become a strong team player in the medical establishment as society wrestles with such high-profile issues as the role of stem cell research and how to handle end-of-life care. And in these situations, bioethicists wear many hats. They give scientists and clinicians practical tools and advice for dealing with the ethical, legal and social ramifications of their work. They also play roles in educating the public, protecting the rights of patients and giving a voice to vulnerable populations.

Activists Exploit Political Chaos to Promote Abortion Worldwide

Activists Exploit Political Chaos to Promote Abortion Worldwide | LifeNews.com: “Strategic moments can surface in chaos,” said Melissa Upreti, a legal advisor of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She advised audience members at the UN Commission on the Status of Women event to seize those moments as opportunities to advance abortion and “reproductive rights.”

Abortion and Intergenerational Justice

Abortion and Intergenerational Justice | Acton Institute PowerBlog: How can a call for intergenerational justice in particular, or social justice more broadly, have any plausibility without addressing the fundamental social problem of abortion? If intergenerational justice is about the duties and responsibilities from one generation to another, it seems obvious that the starting point of the discussion, from a particularly evangelical and even more broadly Christian perspective, should be on the question of whether that next generation has a right to come into existence in the first place.

Family breakdown was elephant in the room at anti-bullying circus

Family breakdown was elephant in the room at anti-bullying circus | The Examiner | Op Eds | Washington Examiner: By hosting an all-day White House conference on adolescent bullying last week, President Obama elevated a schoolyard issue to the level of public enemy No. 1, perhaps on a par with the first lady's labors on behalf of childhood obesity. Typical of all federal 'preventions' that mobilize the Departments of Education or Health and Human Services on behalf of some perceived crisis, none of the players of the conference had the guts to yank at the underlying root of the bullying culture: family breakdown.

In a national study of nearly 2,500 Norwegian boys and girls ages 12 to 15 published in the November issue of European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, researchers found a substantial statistical correlation between both victims and aggressors of bullying and parental divorce.

Christians question divorce rates of faithful

Christians question divorce rates of faithful - USATODAY.com: 'It's a useful myth,' said Bradley Wright, a University of Connecticut sociologist who recently wrote Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ... and Other Lies You've Been Told. 'Because if a pastor wants to preach about how Christians should take their marriages more seriously, he or she can trot out this statistic to get them to listen to him or her.' The various findings on religion and divorce hinge on what kind of Christians are being discussed.

Why monogamy matters

There are different kinds of premarital sex. There’s sex that’s actually pre-marital, in the sense that it involves monogamous couples on a path that might lead to matrimony one day. Then there’s sex that’s casual and promiscuous, or just premature and ill considered. . . . [E]arlier generations of Americans waited longer to have sex, took fewer sexual partners across their lifetimes, and were more likely to see sleeping together as a way station on the road to wedlock. And they may have been happier for it.

That’s the conclusion suggested by two sociologists, Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker, in their recent book, “Premarital Sex in America.” Their research, which looks at sexual behavior among contemporary young adults, finds a significant correlation between sexual restraint and emotional well-being, between monogamy and happiness — and between promiscuity and depression.

. . . When social conservatives talk about restoring the link between sex, monogamy and marriage, they often have these kinds of realities in mind. The point isn’t that we should aspire to some Arcadia of perfect chastity. . . . Successful abstinence-based programs (yes, they do exist) don’t necessarily make their teenage participants more likely to save themselves for marriage. But they make them more likely to save themselves for somebody, which in turn increases the odds that their adult sexual lives will be a source of joy rather than sorrow. NYTimes

Why Cohabitation Doesn't Work

RELEVANT Magazine - Why Cohabitation Doesn't Work: Christians used to refer to cohabitation as “living in sin” and Church teaching has always disapproved the practice. But now, many American Christians in their 20s and 30s consider cohabitation morally acceptable. Young couples believe they can better gauge their prospects for long-term success by experiencing intimate life together before they exchange vows, building their relationships free from the burdens of marriage and parenthood.

Editor: So now we base our convictions on scientific studies aside from the Bible?

The Cross: The Greatest Pro-Life Initiative Ever Taken

The Cross: The Greatest Pro-Life Initiative Ever Taken - Desiring God: The greatest and most profound pro-life initiative ever to take place in the history of mankind was when God sent his Son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16-17). That is the pro-life movement we've joined and the one we've invited others to join with us. At the cross we see that people are of inestimable value and worth to God. His message of unconditional love and forgiveness is what the world needs to hear.

Cultural attitudes and worldviews that devalue human life have infected the global culture in general and the Christian culture as well. For example, in places around the world, LIFE International has seen married pastors carry on with multiple mistresses. Church leaders send their wives and daughters to have abortions. Some Christian husbands even abuse their wives to enforce submission. Christian women may have dozens of abortions during their childbearing years. Each of these examples demonstrates how every nation has a flawed theology of life.

From choice, a world of possibilities

Sexual rights: an IPPF declaration (Resource)

Editor: Here are links to the International Planned Parenthood Federation's declaration on sexual rights, in multiple languages.

Consequences of sex-selective abortion: ‘increased aggression, violence and crime’

Consequences of sex-selective abortion: ‘increased aggression, violence and crime’ | LifeSiteNews.com: An analysis of sex-selective abortion in China, India and South Korea by Dr. Therese Hesketh of the UCL Centre for International Health and Development points to significant societal repercussions of the practice. According to Hesketh, these include increased violence and crime due to a 10% to 20% imbalance between the number of males and females born in these countries.

The authors point to the expansion of the sex industry and human trafficking as another consequence, citing a study by JD Tucker published in the AIDS Journal, titled “Surplus men, sex work and the spread of HIV in China.”

Abortions give rise to Asia's 'lost boy' generation

AFP: Abortions give rise to Asia's 'lost boy' generation: Abortions of female fetuses have led to a massive surplus of young unmarried men in India and China, raising fears of an outcast group that could threaten the social fabric. The trend took root in the 1980s when ultrasound technologies made it easier for families to detect fetal sex early and to abort if it was not what the parents desired, said the analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Sons have traditionally been preferred over daughters in many parts of China, India, and South Korea due to social, cultural and financial motivations. Sex-selective abortion is outlawed but can be difficult to enforce.

Are We Willing to Suffer the Consequences of Being Pro-Life?

Are We Willing to Suffer the Consequences of Being Pro-Life? | LifeNews.com: An 11-year old supporter of sent Priests for Life the following email recently: “My mother and I are taking a bus and will be coming to the March for Life. My teacher said that I will receive zeroes on any work that I miss and it can’t be made up. I told her missing a day at school in order to stand up for life is more important and I’m willing to suffer the consequences.”

That’s what the pro-life movement needs most – people willing to suffer the consequences.

The children living and growing in the womb right now endure a great risk without having chosen it. They live in a place that has become more dangerous than any battlefield or terrorist target, and their lives hang in the balance at every moment. They did not choose this risk; someone else chose it for them.

We who defend these children have to choose to accept a share in that risk. That is solidarity. We bear willingly the risk that they bear unwillingly. Many ask what they need to do to stop abortion. But most know the answer already. They see the next step they can take, but are just trying to muster up the courage to do it. Risk is involved, and there’s no way around it. We’re afraid to speak and to act.

Are Christians Obsessed With Gays and Abortion?

Are Christians Obsessed With Gays and Abortion?: I chuckle when I hear the common critique of the religious and secular left: 'Evangelicals are obsessed with gays and abortion.' The criticism is so common that it's often internalized and adopted by the church itself. Similar to our reaction to another leftist refrain ('Christians care about children until they're born'), we act as if the critique is legitimate—as if it's the result of some kind of empirical, good-faith analysis of Christian action in America. But it's not. It is, pure and simple, a talking point. And it's false. Demonstrably false.

Doctor disputes pro-abortion claims

Mainstream media in Nebraska and neighboring Iowa have used one heart-wrenching story as a way to try to pour cold water on the success of a Nebraska law that prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Danielle and Robb Deaver shared their story of how they were denied an abortion under the new Nebraska law, even though pregnancy complications reportedly made it unlikely their child would be able to breathe on his own. The couple ironically asked for an abortion to kill their baby as opposed to supposedly letting the child suffer. But Sean Kenney, M.D., a maternal-fetal specialist from Lincoln, responded to the story with an opinion column the Omaha World-Herald newspaper printed:

Danielle Deaver was diagnosed with pre-viable premature rupture of the membranes (Pre-viable PPROM) at 22 4/7 weeks. . . . What most specialists try to do in these situations is maintain the pregnancy for as long as possible. If Mrs. Deaver had delivered two days later at 24 weeks, the baby’s chance of survival without profound neurodevelopmental impairment would have increased to 50 percent, 65 percent if she had received steroids. . . . Tragic as the outcome was, the pessimism that predicted inevitable death for the baby was certainly unwarranted. One of my greatest success stories is a 22 6/7-week infant whom I wasn’t planning on resuscitating, but at delivery I heard him cry and ran him to the neonatal intensive care unit. Several years later, he was helping to translate for his mother, looking very neurologically intact.

Editor: The moral of the story is, when given a poor prenatal prognosis, seek a second (pro-life) opinion.

One thing a day to abolish abortion

http://www.abolishabortion.com/

Men Launched the Movement to Legalize Abortion

Men Launched the Movement to Legalize Abortion - Feminists for Life of America: It has become common to view a right to abortion as the centerpiece of women's rights in general. The push to legalize abortion is popularly considered the vanguard of the women's rights movement that emerged in the early seventies. The death last week of Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the one-time abortion advocate who had an excruciating change of heart, reminds us that this view, while it may be commonplace, is nonetheless wrong.

Americans favor laws reducing abortion

Americans favor laws reducing abortion, shy away from outlawing procedure: polls | LifeSiteNews.com: When faced with a black-and-white choice, the majority of Americans favor keeping abortion legal, but otherwise largely support specific laws limiting the procedure, according to two polls released this month.

21st century abolitionists

1850 Boston Slave Notice

As was the case in Harriet Tubman’s day when slaves were legally recognized as property and not persons, so is the case today for children inside the womb of their mothers. Just like slave owners justified slavery by arguing for “property rights,” today Planned Parenthood justifies taking the God given life of a pre-born child by arguing for “reproductive rights.” Issues4Life

Pulpits Addressing Promiscuity: The Future of the Black Family and the Church

FRC Event: Friday, March 18, 2011 - Frederick Douglass Foundation Leadership Summit

Highlighting the need for African-American pastors to call on their congregations to remain sexually pure and stand against the promiscuity which causes the widespread pattern of unmarried pregnancy, abortion and fatherlessness and the resulting social pathologies in the black community.

News from Israel

Israel Pro-Life Association writes, "Recently, we sent out an e-mail calling our partners to pray against a law that would permit free access to abortions, abolishing the need to get a government committee approval. The law was sent in writing to the [members of the Knesset] and was presented this past Sunday, the 6th of March, to the Government Committee on Legislature. It has been difficult for us to get access to the minutes from the meeting, but the MK who presented the law - a liberal MK called Nitsan Horovitz, just published on his website that the suggested law was rejected categorically. We wish to praise God for His hand in this meeting, and to ask you to pray for wisdom for us as we pursue different avenues of influencing our government ministers to stand strong against abortion."


They continue to pray that illegal, private abortions would be stopped. It is estimated that between 20-30 thousand illegal abortions (without government committee approval) are done annually.

Looking at the World Through Biblical Glasses

Helping Children Wear Biblical Glasses | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: We are using the Answers for Kids curriculum in Sunday school class and have been talking a lot about viewing the world beginning with the Bible. When I point to my eye, they tell me that God was the only eyewitness to creation so we should trust His account given to us in Genesis. I often hold up the Bible to my face and talk about looking at the world starting with the Bible. However, since the Bible is solid and you can’t “see” through it, I thought of a fun way to illustrate this concept.

Voices of Exceptions

2 pm today: Webcast on sex trafficking in America

Each year, right under our noses, 100,000 American children each year are victimized by sex traffickers. Make no mistake, this is not a problem that's just "over there." These heinous crimes are happening in our own backyards. A special live video webcast hosted by Family Research Council on Tuesday, March 15 at 2:00 p.m. ET will bring together leading experts shed light on this growing problem that affects every corner of our nation -- from neighborhoods, playgrounds, and malls to the local Planned Parenthood clinic. You will also learn what actions you can take to help restore these victims, and stop those who prey on them.

Look, no embryos! The future of ethical stem cells

For years, ethical issues hampered progress in stem cell research. Now, experts believe that developments in reprogrammed 'iPS' cells will truly revolutionise the treatment of life-threatening illnesses. Guardian

Catholic priest who finances abortions goes unpunished by bishop

 For three years, the Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona has refused to act against a priest in his diocese who boasts openly of having financed abortions. Now, the priest is a subject of a new book: Fr. Manel: Closer to earth than to heaven, which describes the ever-growing popularity of his charitable work with Spanish celebrities. In addition to repeating his claim of having paid for abortions, Fr. Manel Pousa says he has performed “blessings” of homosexual unions, and endorses the creation of female “priests.” LifeSiteNews

Top academic: ‘More sex education is not the answer’

Professor Brenda Almond said that most five-year-olds have no interest in matters to do with sex and “wouldn’t even recognise the word.” And she believes that teenage pregnancies and other related problems “will not be solved” by more sex education. She went on to argue that children aged five to eight are “simply not emotionally ready for this sort of information.” Not only are their bodies not ready for sex, she said, but neither are their minds. “It plays no part in their lives and that, in my opinion, is exactly how it should stay.” Christian Institute

Abortion May Stall Next Continuing Resolution

The focus of the spending debate on Capitol Hill may be over how big the cuts should be, but House conservatives are threatening to sink a final deal on other grounds. More than a dozen House Republicans confirmed Wednesday that their vote on any long-term continuing resolution could well hinge on whether it includes language to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which offers abortion services. Roll Call

Later: New Continuing Resolution Funds Abortion, Planned Parenthood

President Barack Obama’s Pro-Abortion Record

Follow the link to a compilation of bill signings, speeches, appointments and other actions that President Barack Obama has engaged in that have promoted abortion before and during his presidency. While he promised to reduce abortions and some of his supporters believe that will happen, this long list proves his only agenda is promoting more abortions. LifeNews

The Cost of Abortion

Cost of Abortion. View more presentations from Baptists for Life, Inc.

Britain considers allowing 3-parent IVF technique

Britain is considering whether to approve a fertility treatment designed to prevent some incurable inherited diseases under which babies would be conceived from three biological parents. The method, developed by scientists at Newcastle University, swaps DNA between two fertilized human eggs. It involves intervening in the fertilisation process to remove malfunctioning mitochondrial DNA, which can lead to a range of conditions including fatal heart problems, liver failure, brain disorders, blindness and muscular weakness. Reuters

New Laws Work to Curb Teen Abortion Rates

A stunning new report that is sure to spur on GOP efforts in states and Washington to push for greater limits on abortion funding and availability finds that anti-abortion laws enacted since 1990 in some 34 states have helped to slash abortion rates by over 22 percent. The report, published in the scholarly State Politics & Policy Quarterly, found "solid evidence that anti-abortion legislation has an impact on the childbearing decisions of women." US News

Graphic sex ed needed, according to NEA

Graphic sex education for youth is the new battleground at the UN, as evidenced by side events during the past week at the Commission on the Status of Women. Diane Schneider, representing the National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the US, advocated at the UN for more “inclusive” sex education in US schools, with curricula based on liberal hetero and homosexual expression. She claimed that the idea of sex education remains an oxymoron if it is abstinence-based, or if students are still able to opt-out. C-Fam

Focus on the Family quiet on cooperative efforts to reduce abortions

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly has called his Feb. 11 broadcast — when he asked abortion-rights supporters to work with his conservative Christian ministry on the shared goal of making abortion rare — his "least favorite but most important." Three weeks after that call to action, Focus officials won't say how outreach is progressing on one of the country's most divisive issues.

"Because we're at the first stages of our efforts, we're not ready to talk publicly about the meetings we've had," Focus spokeswoman Monica Schleicher said late Thursday. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains' spokeswoman Monica McCafferty said Friday there have been no overtures to her organization. Denver Post

Mitch Daniels Further Explains Social Issues-Abortion Truce

In an interview, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels called his suggestion that potential Republican presidential candidates put social issues on the back burner “a tactical suggestion.” He said the truce is meant to rally Americans around the notion that the next president must first and foremost address the national debt that greatly affects the nation’s economic future. Daniels also wants that commitment to be something that rallies Americans around the next Republican presidential candidate. LifeNews

Medicaid Is Worse Than No Coverage at All

Scott Gottlieb: Medicaid Is Worse Than No Coverage at All - WSJ.com: Federal rules say that everyone has to get the same package of benefits, regardless of health status, needs or personal desires. These rules reflect the ambition of liberal lawmakers who cling to the dogma that Medicaid should be a 'comprehensive' benefit. Because states are forced to offer everyone everything, the actual payment rates are driven so low that beneficiaries often end up with nothing in practice. Dozens of recent medical studies show that Medicaid patients suffer for it. In some cases, they'd do just as well without health insurance.

Latest news on ethical stem cell research

FRC Blog » David Prentice

The Prince of Wales records a passage for the YouTube Bible

The YouTube Bible is intended to create a complete and varied archive of readings from the KJB that are easily accessible online. Its creation was an ambitious project lasting five days, during which 400 actors, writers and volunteers read a passage from the KJB. Christian Institute

Senate Rejects House Bill De-Funding Planned Parenthood | LifeNews.com

Senate Rejects House Bill De-Funding Planned Parenthood | LifeNews.com: The Senate rejected, on a 44-56 vote, the House-approved long-term budget bill that contains the Pence Amendment de-funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business. H.R. 1, the long-term Continuing Resolution that the House approved in February that contains the Pence Amendment and pro-life riders that reinstates the Mexico City Policy, stops abortion funding in the District of Columbia, and de-funds the pro-abortion UNFPA, which works hand-in-hand with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions to enforce the one-child policy.

Why Compensating Surrogate Mothers is the Right Thing to Do

Bioethics Forum blog - Why Compensating Surrogate Mothers is the Right Thing to Do: Should surrogates be paid for their work in gestating the children of others? In the United States, some states have banned surrogacy; others permit it, allowing nominal payment to cover only medical and incidental expenses. Why the resistance to actual compensation?

Charlie Rose Talks to Ray Kurzweil

Charlie Rose Talks to Ray Kurzweil - BusinessWeek: The author, inventor, and futurist says accelerating technology will soon bring us immortality—and all the energy the earth requires.

Colombians unite to support pro-life constitutional amendment

Colombian religions unite to support pro-life constitutional amendment | LifeSiteNews.com: Catholics, Evangelical Protestants, Jews, and Muslims are uniting to support a proposed pro-life amendment to Colombia’s constitution. This past November the Conservative Party promised to “introduce a constitutional reform bill to do away with abortion in Colombia.”

Obama Names Abortion Backer Ambassador to China

Obama Names Abortion Backer Gary Locke Ambassador to China | LifeNews.com: President Barack Obama nominated pro-abortion Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as ambassador to China. Locke is a former two-term governor of the state of Washington, where he supported abortion, opposed legislation to ban partial-birth abortions and opposed legislation to allow parents to know when their daughters were considering one.

The appointment of an abortion advocate to the nation with the highest abortion figures in the world and a one-child policy that prohibits couples from having a second baby, comes at a time when the Obama administration is facing criticism for not taking the Asian nation to task over its poor human rights record.

40 Days for Life Campaign Starts Wednesday

40 Days for Life Campaign Closing Abortion Centers Starts Wednesday | LifeNews.com: The 40 Days for Life prayer campaign that organizers say has helped close down nine abortion centers starts on Wednesday in hundreds of cities and towns across the U.S. with people praying at abortion facilities. The campaign also stretches to parts of Canada, England, and Australia as pro-life advocates in other nations have hopped on board after seeing the success in the United States.

Federal Legislative Alert

Federal Legislative Alert: Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and President Obama are engaged in negotiations about which federal programs should be reduced or eliminated for the remainder of the current federal fiscal year. In the wake of the February 18, 2011, U.S. House vote (240-185) adopting the Pence Amendment, Planned Parenthood has launched a massive campaign to try to save its federal funding, complete with TV ads and lobbying by entertainment celebrities.

The slick, expensive Planned Parenthood public relations campaign can only be countered by one thing: Contacts from real voters with the message: I do not want federal funds going to Planned Parenthood.

Right to Life of Michigan on Rep. Amash's "present" votes

Right to Life of Michigan: "Rep. Amash explained that he could not vote for the bill as written because it expressly mentioned a particular organization - Planned Parenthood - which he felt was not lawful, and in voting 'present,' he felt he was taking a principled position. Prior to the Pence Amendment vote, National Right to Life provided information to Rep. Amash on the legality of this amendment approach."

Planned Parenthood guilty of deception

Opinion: Defund Planned Parenthood: Abby Johnson says, "I don't claim to be an expert on the government's fiscal priorities, but I do know from lengthy experience that the last place any taxpayer money should be going is to Planned Parenthood."

Over 60 Percent of Unwed Births Occur to 20-Somethings

While 21 percent of children born outside of marriage are to teen mothers, more than 60 percent of unwed births occur to women in their 20s. It is not the young girls studying for the SAT or fretting over their prom prospects that make up the majority of women bearing the 40 percent of children born outside marriage. It is women in their 20s and 30s, demonstrating the impact of increasing cohabitation and the collapse of marriage, who are putting cradles before wedding bands. Heritage Foundation

Save the Tree Octopus?

Save the Tree Octopus? | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: "In our home the phrase 'Bible story' is not used. Instead, we talk about Bible accounts, events, and history to emphasize the historical, truthful nature of Scripture. We need to show our kids that what we believe is not based on some blind faith like the concepts of millions of years and evolution are. Instead, we have a reasoned faith based on the Word of God, the history book of the universe, that has only been confirmed and never falsified by science."

SD's new 72-hour informed consent law

Liberty Counsel: The South Dakota state legislature has passed House Bill 1217, which requires women seeking an abortion to wait seventy-two hours and undergo counseling with a licensed physician before having the abortion. This will be the longest wait-time in the nation. The bill is now sitting on the desk of pro-life Governor Dennis Daugaard. The law is designed to allow time for women thinking about having an abortion, to provide them the material to make informed choices, and to prevent them from being coerced into having an unwanted abortion.

The plight of the weaker gender

Rich Lowry: The subtext of the culture's permissiveness toward the 'child-man' is that he isn't that important. 'With women moving ahead in an advanced economy,' Kay Hymowitz writes in her new book, Manning Up: How the Rise of Women has Turned Men into Boys, 'provider husbands and fathers are now optional, and the character qualities men had needed to play their role -- fortitude, stoicism, courage, fidelity -- are obsolete and even a little embarrassing.'

Minnesota Fetal Pain-Based Late Abortion Ban Introduced

Minnesota Fetal Pain-Based Late Abortion Ban Introduced | LifeNews.com: Minnesota legislators today introduced a bill in the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives that would stop abortions after the point at which it is known the unborn child can feel pain.

Just say no to feminists' boot camp

Just say no to feminists' boot camp: If someone approaches you in a shopping center parking lot and asks you to finance a boot camp for radical feminists, would you:

a) laugh, thinking it was a joke?
b) respond, 'You've got to be kidding'? or
c) run the other way?

Now let's put some meat on the bones of the solicitor: a little girl, somewhere between the ages of 5 and 16. She is looking up at you, smiling sweetly with a look of expectation. She is dressed in a Daisy, Brownie or Girl Scout uniform – yes, a Girl Scout uniform!

Baby Bottle Boomerang at Rustic Hills

Pastor Stan Lightfoot of Rustic Hills Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, presents a check to BFL executive director Tom Lothamer. The check represents funds collected during the church's Baby Bottle Boomerang campaign for 2011.

Spiritual pride and abortion

Why do some people take up the cause of abortion "rights" so passionately? What is the root cause of abortion? Psalm 94 pegs it on spiritual pride.

This psalm is a lament and a plea for justice on the part of people who are being oppressed by ungodly people. They're specifically identified in verse 2 as the proud, and verse 4 as those who "vaunt" themselves. They're further characterized by their speech in verse 7, saying, "The Lord does not see."

This is like saying, "There is no God" (Ps. 10:4, 14:1, 53:1) or "God is dead." It reflects the mindset that I can do whatever I want with impunity. It's a direct denial of Hebrews 4:13 - "There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."

This type of thinking inevitably leads to violations of the sanctity of human life. The psalmist links it to murder of the widow, foreigner, and orphan (verse 6), and to the shedding of innocent blood in verse 21. It's not too much of a stretch to link it to abortion.

Widows, foreigners (aliens or sojourners), and orphans are linked throughout scripture as being weak and vulnerable to abuse. In Deuteronomy 10:18, God is shown as being particularly concerned for this trio, and it's borne out in various commands such as found in Dt. 14:28-29 and 24:19-20. We who follow God must be like God in His concern and compassion for the weak and vulnerable.

Widows, foreigners, and orphans can die by overt action or neglect. In verses 20 and 21 of Psalm 94, the psalmist hints at governmental structures that "band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death." There's a "throne of destruction" that "devises mischief by decree." It's not just individual acts of violence or murder, but systemic and approved societal norms. Associations are formed -- such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights -- to institutionalize abortion. These are very real threats that we see occurring today as leaders pass and uphold laws establishing abortion-on-demand as the law of many lands around the globe.

What does Psalm 94 say to the righteous? How should the humble in heart respond?

Taking the attitude of the psalmist, we should first of all pray (vss. 1-7). Ask for justice; long for it, wait for it. (And, certainly, act upon it when you are able.)

Second, appeal to the wicked (vss. 8-11). Persuade them to pay attention. Despite what they think, God sees what they're doing and hears what they're saying.

Third, expect relief from God (12-16). There will come a day of reckoning; until that time, look to the word of God for correction and instruction.

Fourth, place your trust in God (17-23). He helps and sustains the weary and oppressed. He is our shelter. He doesn't compromise with evil, but is utterly trustworthy.

Economic and Social Conservatives Agree: Cut Planned Parenthood

Economic and Social Conservatives Agree: Cut Planned Parenthood - By Grover Norquist & Marjorie Dannenfelser - The Corner - National Review Online: "Across the country, courageous Republican governors are doing the right thing and taking on tough budget fights. They are asking government workers to pay more for their pensions and health-insurance plans. They are laying off public employees, reducing the number of patrol cars and fire crews, and cutting basic services. Leaving Planned Parenthood at the federal trough, under lobbying pressures that are a fraction of what the Left has thrown at conservative state legislators, sends up a white flag of surrender that will signal the beginning of a fiscal rout."