Nobody's Child

Zondervan - Nobody's Child - Austin Boyd: For Laura Ann McGehee, her body represents the one remaining financial resource that can save the family farm. For Sophia McQuistion, Laura Ann’s unusual sacrifice fulfills her own dream of having a child. Weaving together bioethics and faith in a heart-rending tale of love lost and loves found, Nobody’s Child dramatizes the ethical question we can no longer ignore in medicine: Just because we can do something … should we?

Democrats Not as Strongly Pro-Abortion as the President

Democrats Not as Strongly Pro-Abortion as Barack Obama | LifeNews.com: While President Barack Obama has stopped at nothing to advance abortion and taxpayer funding of abortion, this Gallup poll shows Democrats nationwide are not as strongly pro-abortion as the president. In fact, a majority of Democrats support some key pro-life laws and large minorities support others.

The Abortion Trap: How America's obsession with abortion hurts families everywhere

Responding to criticism of her book Unnatural Selection, Mara Hvistendahl comes close to blaming the pro-life movement for the missing 160 women. It's a bit ridiculous that she tries to say we've focused too much on abortions done after ultrasound reveals a baby's sex and not enough on embryos that are discarded after PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis, done in the course of IVF). It's simply not true. We've harped on both all along. Still, here's some food for thought from her Foreign Policy rebuttal:

The anti-abortion movement should agree that sex selection, along with many other forms of selection, is wrong, and indeed many in the religious community see what happens today as tampering with God's work. . . . But unfortunately the same people who would ban abortion in the United States are often allied with the very ones who advocate for free-market health care and lax oversight of industry -- the very ingredients that have made the United States a destination for the hyper-controlling parents of the world intent on getting a certain type of child. Conservatives who object to tampering with reproduction are rivaled in strength by those who favor letting market forces govern health care. 

The result is nothing less than consumer eugenics. . . . Activists on both the right and the left might now be wise to abandon the abortion fray and consider speaking out for restraint in other areas. Governments in Asia have introduced measures to address sex selective abortion, and Western support for those measures is critical. But beyond that, the United States should now lead in addressing the new technologies emerging from within its borders. We owe as much to the world and to future generations -- so that next time it can't be said that we knew and yet chose not to act.

For the record, there's no way we're going to "abandon the abortion fray."

Related:
"I Know It's a Girl, and I Need Your Help To Get It Out of Me."
Review of Unnatural Selection

Government to Foot Half of Nation's Health Bill

Government to Foot Half of Nation's Health Bill - WSJ.com: Almost half the nation's health-care spending will come from government coffers by 2020, up four percentage points from 2010, according to new federal spending figures to be released Thursday. The data shows how President Barack Obama's 2010 health-overhaul law will reshape who foots the bill for the nation's medical expenses by the end of the decade. Private employers will pay for a slightly smaller portion of the nation's health care because some large employers with low-wage workers are expected to stop offering health insurance.

John Stott Has Died

John Stott Has Died | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction: In an evangelical world tempted to rely on proof texts and emotive stories, Stott drilled down deep into Scripture to display its power. Many people, hearing Stott preach for the first time, said they had never heard the Bible expounded with such clarity and depth. His passion was to learn what God said, and to let it shape life. Stott's preaching and writing renewed faith in the inspiration of Scripture—not only because he defended it, but because he displayed it.

At the same time, his practice of evangelism demonstrated that 'plain, ordinary Christianity' could appeal to all classes of people. What evangelicals most treasured—the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures that testified to them—he showed to be potent resources for winning the world.

As Stott probed the Scriptures, he came to believe that Jesus' Great Commission commanded Jesus' servants to carry on his entire mission, which included practical concern for life and health. One of Stott's most significant works—and one that carried him far out of his own expertise—was the book Issues Facing Christians Today (1984), in which he attempted to address crucial concerns of contemporary society such as abortion, industrial relations, and human rights.

"Here then are two instructions, 'love your neighbor' and 'go and make disciples.' What is the relation between the two? Some of us behave as if we thought them identical, so that if we have shared the gospel with somebody, we consider we have completed our responsibility to love him. But no. The Great Commission neither explains, nor exhausts, nor supersedes the Great Commandment. What it does is to add to the command of neighbor-love and neighbor-service a new and urgent Christian dimension. If we truly love our neighbor, we shall without doubt tell him the Good News of Jesus. But equally, if we truly love our neighbor, we shall not stop there."

Hillary Clinton Opposes Abortion $ Cuts

Hillary Clinton Opposes State Dept Bill Over Abortion $ Cuts | LifeNews.com: The Secretary of State is warning members of the U.S. House that she will personally urge President Barack Obama to veto a State Department funding bill over cuts to groups that perform and promote abortions.

Arctic scientist under investigation

APNewsBreak: Arctic scientist under investigation - CBS News: A federal wildlife biologist whose observation in 2004 of presumably drowned polar bears in the Arctic helped to galvanize the global warming movement has been placed on administrative leave and is being investigated for scientific misconduct, possibly over the veracity of that article.

State of Public Opinion on Pro-Life Laws

FRC Blog » State of Public Opinion on Pro-Life Laws: Are pro-life legislators out of touch or do they reflect the feelings of the majority of Americans? Are women feeling attacked and fighting back, or do they support and advocate bills that require their doctor to fully inform them of potential abortion risks, show them an ultrasound, and get parental consent for minors to receive an abortion?

Obama's culture of death

KUHNER: Obama's culture of death - Washington Times: Liberals want to create a world without God and sexual permissiveness is their battering ram.

Are Christians Contributing to Unbelief?

Are Christians Contributing to Unbelief?: Growing interest in questions about God’s existence may be the result of a backlash against the mingling of religion, politics and public policy and the idea that Jesus was about a particular conservative political agenda. The actions of some Christians may be encouraging the spiritual seeker to further doubt the existence of God.

The Doorknob Chronicles of Dan Savage

The Doorknob Chronicles of Dan Savage by Joe Carter | First Things: “Our bodies are our own,” he has said, “they’re ours to use, abuse, and since we’re all going to die one day, they’re ours to use up.” Savage’s message to teens and young adults is that before they end their lives they need first to experience diseases, divorces, and drug overdoses. Your bodies are still young and supple, he implies, it would be a waste to shuffle off this mortal coil before you have a chance to trash it.

What is most depressing is not Savage’s message—that is standard hedonist propaganda—but rather the respect he is given despite being an amoral cretin. Savage is no longer just a guy who writes for the weekly tabloids. Now he’s taken seriously by political leaders, business executives, actors, and pastors. His influence extends from Hollywood to the White House.

Mobile ultrasound unit rescues '2 babies & 2 souls' in 1 day

Baptist Press - Mobile ultrasound unit rescues '2 babies & 2 souls' in 1 day - News with a Christian Perspective: A mobile pregnancy care resource center may be relatively new for the Florida Baptist Children's Homes, but it already has become a strategic advocate for life and the health of the unborn.

'Two babies and two souls were saved' when the unit was stationed next door to a Planned Parenthood clinic in downtown Orlando in late June. The two women intended to get abortions but instead, by divine appointment, each was able to see her baby on an ultrasound machine screen provided by gifts to the Psalm 139 Project of Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

What passes for parenting

Teaching Teenagers About the Joy of Sex - NYTimes.com: I thought, “If this has to happen, she is doing this right, and this is the right boy.” But does it have to happen so soon? Does it have to happen now?

Editor: Uh, no! It doesn't! Think how much better you would feel if she waited until her wedding day.


Related: The sleepover question

Fact checkers need to check their facts

CBO Torpedoes Speaker's Debt Plan: PolitiFact analyzed former Gov. Tim Pawlenty's recent statements on the origins of homosexuality. Meet the Press host David Gregory had asked: 'Is being gay a choice?' Pawlenty began his response by saying, 'Well, the science in that regard is in dispute.' PolitiFact rated that lone sentence as 'false.' But the 'choice' question is meaningless unless you also define what you mean by 'gay.' Same-sex attraction is not a choice, but homosexual conduct and homosexual self-identification are choices. Pawlenty ignored the silly 'choice' question and answered the more relevant one--what causes homosexuality?--accurately. He went on to say, 'There's no scientific conclusion that [homosexuality is] genetic.' PolitiFact rated this statement 'mostly true'--but grudgingly.

The terror of evil and sin: the tragedy in Norway

The terror of evil and sin: the tragedy in Norway | LifeSiteNews.com: There are two root causes of this horrible act that few in Norway, or the rest of the Western world for that matter, will acknowledge: Evil and sin.

You see, Norway is one of the most secular countries in Western Europe. Hardly a shred left of the Christian faith that once dominated the country. So, without that Christian understanding of fallen human nature, the people of Norway are left in mourning, but without an explanation for the horror that has befallen them.

Editor: Chuck Colson goes on to describe how the therapeutic model has affected Norway. People are basically good, the theory goes, and so anyone who does a terrible act must be mentally ill, not evil. And we've already seen the terrorist's defense attorney label him insane.

Children as young as 10-weeks-old rescued from clutches of Chinese people traffickers

Children as young as 10-weeks-old rescued from clutches of Chinese people traffickers | Mail Online: Children as young as ten days old were among 89 youngsters rescued as police smashed two huge child-trafficking rings in China. Authorities made 369 arrests in the latest crackdown on the country's thriving black market in child slaves.

Despite traffickers in China potentially facing the death penalty, they want growing numbers of children to exploit for slave labour or sex work. It was not clear from the reports posted on the Ministry of Public Security website today whether sexual abuse might also have been a motive.

Liu Ancheng, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security Criminal Investigation Bureau, said if the buyers have not abused the children, they cannot be held criminally responsible. Mr Liu said the 'dreadful practice of buying and selling children' is a result of ignorance of the law in rural areas as well as traditional Chinese social norms that call for people 'to have both sons and daughters' and children who will look after a parent in old age.

U.S. lawmakers support Chinese pro-life activist

U.S. lawmakers pass amendment supporting blind pro-life Chinese activist after vicious beatings | LifeSiteNews.com: The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted unanimously to pass U.S. Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) amendment to the State Department 2012 appropriation bill, supporting Chen Guangcheng and his wife, who have been punished for Chen’s pro-life activities and are currently under house arrest.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Opposed Abortion

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Had Pro-Life View Opposing Abortion | LifeNews.com Article sets the record straight.

When Will We Be Transhuman? Seven Conditions for Attaining Transhumanism

When Will We Be Transhuman? Seven Conditions for Attaining Transhumanism | Science Not Fiction | Discover Magazine Society will be different if transhumanism gets traction.

30 embryos created for every baby born by IVF

Hundreds of thousands have been simply thrown away or destroyed in the name of scientific research over the past 20 years. The figures show that British scientists have created more than three million human embryos by IVF since 1991. But fewer than 100,000 have been successfully implanted into women to result in live births in that period. Nearly a million and a half were discarded in the course of treatment and more than 100,000 were given for research in destructive experiments.

Lord Alton of Liverpool, a veteran pro-life campaigner, said he found the Department of Health figures ‘staggering.’ He said: ‘We are creating and destroying human embryos on an industrial scale.’ Daily Mail

Related:
Israel leads the world in IVF
Hong Kong clinic admits embryo blunder

No escaping slavery

Conflict Of Interest: In 1662 the American Colony of Virginia enacted a law of hereditary slavery meaning that a child born to an enslaved mother inherits her slave status. This law would have a profound effect on the continuance of slavery, even after the slave trade was abolished in 1863. . . . While slavery has existed for all times, this law officially recognized slavery as an institution that needed to be defined, controlled and regulated.

"I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves." — Harriet Tubman

Seven reasons to be wary of British scientists’ call for expert body to advise on animal-human hybrids

Christian Medical Comment: Seven reasons to be wary of British scientists’ call for expert body to advise on animal-human hybrids: Using an animal as a biological factory to produce human proteins or as a living laboratory to examine the behaviour of human cancer cells is one thing. Such research is limited in scope and has a specific human benefit in mind. But enhancing an animal with uniquely human characteristics in order to produce a new trans-species organism for other purposes is something altogether different.
So what concerns should we have about this new development?

More states crack down on late-term abortions

More states crack down on late-term abortions - The Boston Globe: Kansas is one of five states - along with Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, and Oklahoma - that enacted abortion bans this year modeled after the groundbreaking fetal-pain bill passed in Nebraska in 2010.

Men Should Be Allowed to Veto Abortions

Men Should Be Allowed to Veto Abortions - FoxNews.com: "Giving would-be fathers a lack of veto power over abortions is connected psychologically to the epidemic of absentee fathers in this country. We can’t, on the one hand, be credible in bemoaning the number of single mothers raising their children, while, on the other hand, giving men the clear message that bringing new lives to the planet is the exclusive domain, and under the exclusive control, of women.

"Whether stated or not, the underlying message of withholding from men their proper rights to father the children they create is that they are not proper custodians, nor properly responsible, for their children.

"The notion that there is no emotional injury done men by depriving them of decision-making power as to whether the children they father are aborted is naïve.

"Just in my own practice of psychiatry, I have listened to dozens of men express lingering, sometimes intense, pain over abortions that proceeded either without their consent, or without them having spoken up about their desires to bring their children to term and parent them."

Siblings of People Dying in Abortions Suffer Depression

Siblings of People Dying in Abortions Suffer Depression | LifeNews.com: Knowledge of the signs and symptoms of people suffering the effects of being alive when a sibling was aborted is vitally important to physicians and politicians. The resulting syndrome is so deeply damaging and difficult to treat it can help explain many psychiatric and medical illnesses. PASS affects such a large numbers of people, it helps explain voting and economic trends.

Norway shooter supported abortion for disabled babies

Norway shooter supported abortion for disabled babies | LifeSiteNews.com: Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto paints a picture of a hate-filled and confused man with little to no personal religious faith, who holds bizarre and contradictory views that most Christians would conceive as abhorrent, even as he shares some views in common with them." He did not consider himself a Christian believer, but was a mason, held such anti-Christian views as supporting abortion for disabled babies, and also said he would hire a prostitute prior to his killing rampage.

Sperm bank to offer new online catalogue offering 'well-dressed' donors

Sperm bank to offer new online catalogue offering 'well-dressed' donors | Marie Claire: Mothers-to-be will soon be able to pick a sperm donor from a catalogue listing their personality traits, hobbies and even fashion sense from the comfort of their own homes.

The London Sperm Bank is compiling an Internet database including detailed notes on donors’ characters and appearance. The database will include statements from the men about why they are donating, as well as staff assessments of what the men are like.

Atlantis Carries Adult Stem Cells Into Space

Shuttle Atlantis Carries Adult Stem Cells Into Space – Pioneering Experiments for NASA: On its 135th and final flight in NASA’s shuttle program, the shuttle Atlantis carried the stem cells of six adults to the International Space Station. Alberto Sant Antonio, MD, a Weston, Florida general surgeon, was selected to obtain the tissue samples from the six adults. NASA is hopeful the Human adult stem cell experiments will lead to the reversal of the rapid aging process that zero gravity has on astronauts.

Bachmann: Francis Schaeffer Shaped Pro-Life Views

Bachmann: Christian Writer Francis Schaeffer Shaped Pro-Life Views | LifeNews.com: In a campaign stop to speak to local residents at a church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bachmann shared her testimony and talked about the Christian faith she and her husband share. That faith, which has matured thanks to the writings of Schaeffer, has led Bachman to a pro-life view that has seen her compile a 100% pro-life voting record in Congress and adopt dozens of foster children.

Abortion Doc Told Patient "I Will Take Your Sin"

Abby Johnson: Abortion Doc Told Patient "I Will Take Your Sin" | LifeNews.com: The abortionist took her hand and began talking to her. “Why the tears?” he said. “I just feel really guilty about doing this,” she responded. He asked her why she felt guilty. She said, “Because I just know this is a sin.” He paused for a minute and looked at her…he was looking at her so carefully…so cautiously…I had never seen one of our doctors treat a patient like this before. He smiled gently at her and said, “No. It is not your sin. It is mine. I will take on your sin. I commit the sin. Not you.”

Expediency Over Principle

Expediency Over Principle: Embryonic Stem Cell Federal Funding Lawsuit Dismissed » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s funding of stem cell research. The lawsuit, filed by Boston biological engineer James L. Shirley, asserted that the funding violated a 1996 law prohibiting federal taxpayer money from being directed to work that harms an embryo. The Obama administration policy allows research on embryos that were harvested long ago through private funding.

150 human animal hybrids grown in UK labs

Scientists have created more than 150 human-animal hybrid embryos in British laboratories. The hybrids have been produced secretively over the past three years by researchers looking into possible cures for a wide range of diseases. The revelation comes just a day after a committee of scientists warned of a nightmare ‘Planet of the Apes’ scenario in which work on human-animal creations goes too far. Daily Mail

Gallup: majority of Americans support new pro-life laws

Gallup: majority of Americans support new pro-life laws | LifeSiteNews.com: According to Gallup, 87 percent favor laws requiring abortionists to inform their clients about the potential risks involved with having an abortion before undergoing the procedure. Just 11 percent oppose those laws.

Seventy-one (71) percent favor laws requiring minors under 18 to get parental consent before having an abortion, while 27 percent say they are opposed.

Americans also favor 24-hour waiting period laws, 69 - 28 percent.

Another 64 percent also support laws banning “partial birth abortion” in the last six months of pregnancy, except to save the mother’s life. Just 31 oppose such laws.

Half of those polled (50 percent) said they support laws requiring women to be shown an ultrasound of their unborn child at least 24 hours before an abortion.

Americans are more narrowly divided over other abortion restrictions.

Britain’s youngest premie narrowly dodges abortion

Britain’s youngest premie narrowly dodges abortion, now healthy and going home | LifeSiteNews.com: Follwing their daughter’s birth and death, doctors advised them to abort twin Jacob before he reached the legal upper limit for abortion at 24 weeks.

Jacob was born twelve hours before doctors would have demanded a decision from his parents on whether to act on their advice and abort him. “We couldn’t believe it when doctors told us we had to consider abortion. They told us I had an infection and that he wouldn’t survive. They gave us 24 hours to decide whether we wanted to take a tablet that could stop his heart,” Sarah said.

Goats given human cells

Goats given human cells | Metro.co.uk: Scientists have created goats with human genetic characteristics after injecting the animal embryos with stem cells. A team in Shanghai spent five years transplanting stem cells from human umbilical cords into goat embryos. 'Our eventual purpose is to use stem cells to treat hereditary human diseases such as haemophilia and Huntington's disease,' Prof Huang said.

Fatal choice

Doctors face horrendous decision after Siamese twins born in Italy share the same heart | Mail Online: Conjoined twins born in Italy with one heart between them - and now doctors face agonising choice of which one to save.

My Fertility Crisis

My Fertility Crisis - WSJ.com: "The first thing I'd like to tell women ages 26 to 34 is: Start having babies. I know it's not polite or funny. But I don't want others to go through what I'm going through now.

"I recently mentioned to an old friend how nobody talked to me in my early 30s about children. Earthquake kits? Sure. Fertility preparedness? Nope. She said she and her married friends had gabbed about it all the time. Their presumption, it seems, was that if you weren't married, you weren't maternal.

". . . How can you tell when you're destroying your own life to create another?"

Yield to the Right Way

Terre K. Ritchie - Conservative views on spiritual growth, kids & family: The Recommendation Series – Yield to the Right Way: "Successful relationships and healthy cultures are not built on the claiming of rights but on the yielding of rights. Even our traffic laws reflect this principle. You’ll never see a sign that says, 'You have the right of way.' Instead, the signs instruct us to 'Yield the right of way.' That is how traffic flows best; it is also how life works best."

Editor: I've often said one of the things I love about America are 4-way stops and they way most everyone observes them.

Governor signs Ohio late-term abortion ban

Governor signs Ohio late-term abortion ban | LifeSiteNews.com: Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed into law Wednesday legislation banning abortion in most cases after the unborn child has reached the age of viability. Kasich, a pro-life Republican, approved The Viable Infants Protection Act (HB 78), banning abortion generally after 20 weeks gestation. The law had passed both the Ohio House and Senate with bipartisan majorities.

July 21, 1796: Newton urged Wilberforce to keep going

On this day: Newton urged Wilberforce to keep going | News | The Christian Institute: On this day in history the famous clergyman and hymn writer John Newton wrote to Christian MP and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce urging him not to give up his campaign against slavery.

Debt Hurts Poor Most

Debt Hurts Poor Most: In the wake of President Obama's promise to decrease America's dependence on fossil fuels, the poor are being hit the hardest as a higher proportion of their limited income is going for gasoline and electricity. . . .The more government intervention and regulation the fewer jobs that are created.

The Cost of Abortion: $202 Billion in Lost Taxes

The Economic Cost of Abortion: $202 Billion in Lost Taxes | LifeNews.com: The murder of millions of babies since Roe has had a profound impact on the demographics of the United States. As a result of removing that staggering number of lives, the population – and tax base – are far smaller. If we assume a fairly steady rate of abortions since the last year of reporting (2008), then there have been almost 56M aborted babies in this country – nearly the population of California and Texas combined. Given an average federal tax revenue of approximately $8500/citizen, and assuming that those aborted between 1975 and 1990 (approx 23,782,000 lives, based on Guttmacher estimates) would now be productive taxpayers, the U.S. economy is losing roughly $202 billion per year in tax payments as of 2012.

Perry Signs Bill De-Funding Planned Parenthood

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Signs Bill De-Funding Planned Parenthood | LifeNews.com: Texas Governor Rick Perry, a pro-life Republican, on Monday ceremonially signed SB 7, a health care measure containing language that would revoke the taxpayer funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

IOM Obamacare Decision Wrongly Assumes Pregnancy a Disease

IOM Obamacare Decision Wrongly Assumes Pregnancy a Disease | LifeNews.com: "Contraception does not fall within the category of preventative health services. These drugs, devices, and procedures prevent the bringing of children into the world. Contraception only prevents disease or serious illness if one considers pregnancy to be a disease or serious illness. Pregnancy is not an illness or disease, nor are children the side effect or the unintended by-product of disease."

"Anti-Choice" a Dishonest, Inaccurate Term in Abortion Debate

"Anti-Choice" a Dishonest, Inaccurate Term in Abortion Debate | LifeNews.com: The essence of opposition to human abortion is not an opposition to choices, but an opposition to killing human life.

Dems pro-choice on abortion but little else | ScrippsNews

Murdock: Dems pro-choice on abortion but little else | ScrippsNews: "Elsewhere, Democrats sabotage a woman's right to choose. Instead, they demand to make that choice for her, as they do for men."

Birth control coverage proposed for most health insurance plans

Birth control coverage proposed for most health insurance plans - The Washington Post: Virtually all health insurance plans could soon be required to offer female patients free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests as a result of recommendations released Tuesday by an independent advisory panel of health experts.

Planned Parenthood and Tucker Max — Friends With Benefits

Planned Parenthood and Tucker Max — Friends With Benefits: According to his book, Tucker Max's life revolves around getting drunk and having sex with strangers. He goes into detail about how he “erases” the consequences of his conduct. Whereas his enablers in Washington employ euphemisms such “choice” and “privacy,” Max offers a more forthright description of abortion: it allows him to “kill babies.” Indeed, one chapter is labeled, “Tucker Max: Baby Killer,” and it basically consists of Max recounting instances in which he has convinced women to abort his children.

He makes clear that his reflections are in no way somber or regretful. Instead, they recall what he considers to be hilarious personal triumphs. He also harbors no illusions about life beginning at birth. In "Baby Mama Drama," he describes the way a fetus' heart beat appears on an ultrasound monitor. He is fully cognizant these children are alive and that he is literally paying to have them killed.

People. People who don't like people.

Malthus, Ehrlich, Gore And Other Population Control Mystics | LifeNews.com: "They long for a pristine world where everyone has a few hundred acres of land, replete with all kinds of cute, cuddly animals, and they and their friends can have their solitude, while still enjoying the benefits of an advanced industrial civilization, including central air-conditioning, plasma TVs and cappuccino-makers."

Mexican politicians seek to redefine embryo

Mexican politicians seek to redefine embryo to allow commercialization | LifeSiteNews.com: A coalition of Mexican liberal and socialist parties are proposing to redefine human life to allow the commercialization of human embryos, including their importation and exportation, according to major national news agencies.

The initiative would redefine an embryo or zygote in the earliest stages of life as a “fertilized ovum,” meaning that the embryo would only be regarded as a “human cell” and not a “life.”

The new term, according to the Mexican state news agency Notimex, will allow the mass production and destruction of human embryos, without legal consequences, although the provisions for such processes are not yet specified.

A Short, but Important History of Abortion in America

A Short, but Important History of Abortion in America |: Beginning today, on Pro-Life Perspective, National Right to Life president Carol Tobias will examine the contemporary history of Abortion in America, beginning in 1959. Why 1959?

That was the year that The American Law Institute proposed changes in the nation’s abortion laws which, to that point, were very protective. The model ALI legislation would have permitted abortion if the pregnancy impaired the physical or mental health of the woman, for fetal deformity, and in cases of rape and incest.

Global Warming Hysteria: Could Computer Model Presumptions Be Wrong?

Global Warming Hysteria: Could Computer Model Presumptions Be Wrong? » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Climatologist warming skeptic and libertarian think tank senior fellow at the Cato Institute, Patrick Michaels, wrote an intriguing blog at Forbes. Most of the predicted changes from climate computer models haven’t panned out–and warming itself seems to have stalled despite increased CO2 in the atmosphere. The question is why.

Too much of a Good Thing?

Thomas Sowell: Life has many good things. The problem is that most of these good things can be gotten only by sacrificing other good things. We all recognize this in our daily lives. It is only in politics that this simple, common sense fact is routinely ignored. In politics, there are not simply good things but some special Good Things — with a capital G and capital T — which are considered always better to have more of.

Scientists find 'better way' to grow adult stem cells

BBC News - Scientists find 'better way' to grow adult stem cells: A new plastic surface which overcomes the difficulties associated with growing adult stem cells has been developed, according to scientists.

Embryonic Stem-Cell Approvals Rise

Embryonic Stem-Cell Approvals Rise - Bloomberg: Research using human embryonic stem cell lines approved under President Barack Obama is accelerating. At issue is the use of taxpayer funds to support the work, spending that’s grown more than 16-fold since 2002.

'Frankenstein mentality' has got to go

'Frankenstein mentality' has got to go (OneNewsNow.com): A bill banning the sale and use of body parts of aborted babies is being offered before the Wisconsin legislature. Pro-Life Wisconsin has known for years of research done at the University of Wisconsin on human fetal brain and pancreatic tissue -- research conducted with the assistance of an abortionist who now operates in other states.

Chuck Colson: Worldview blinders

Worldview blinders: ‘missing’ women and abortion on demand | LifeSiteNews.com: It’s hard to imagine a clearer example of the blinding power of a false worldview. Having documented the role of abortion-on-demand in wiping 160 million women out of existence, [Mara] Hvistendahl takes offense when people suggest that abortion on demand may not be such a good thing after all.
Incredible, but a classic example of the post-modern impasse. In a society that worships self-autonomy over all else, when we get what we want, we discover we can’t live with it.

Planned Parenthood and Stockholm syndrome

Conflict Of Interest: Not only is Stockholm Syndrome viewed as a natural response or defense mechanism, it is also viewed as a simple brainwashing technique. Antebellum slavers and modern day sex traffickers are examples of both past and present captors that create conditions where Stockholm Syndrome can develop. As a brainwashing technique the goal is to convince the hostage that.

Walter Hoye muses, "At times, I wonder if Planned Parenthood knows anything about the potential power, purpose and profit of creating conditions where Stockholm Syndrome can be developed. Because abortion is still legal in America, I also wonder if our church leaders, publicly elected representatives and pro-Life organizations are suffering from it?"

Human history is written in everyone's genome

BioNews - Human history is written in everyone's genome: Two scientists claim to have pushed the boundaries of what can be learned about the ancestral history of the human race from one person's genome. Dr Richard Durbin and Dr Heng Li used information from the genomes of only seven people to show that humans living in Europe and China endured a severe population bottleneck between 10,000 and 60,000 years ago. 'Each human genome contains information from the mother and the father, and the differences between these at any place in the genome carry information about its history', Dr Li said.

Radical Environmentalism: Harming People

Radical Environmentalism: Harming People » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: "The once noble environmental movement is going mad. Human hunger is a terrible scourge, and genetically altered wheat and other agricultural products could help substantially alleviate much human misery. But radical environmentalists loathe such experiments and try to stifle them in any way they can–whatever the cost in human suffering."

Eve: Woman of unique distinction

Both Eve and her husband are called 'Adam.' 'Male and female created he them ... and called their name Adam' (Genesis 5:2 ). This inclusive name implies that the divine ideal for man and wife is not merely that of association but an indissoluble unity. God made them 'one flesh' and gave them one name. All the Women of the Bible

Who's extreme?

Anti-abortion views first entered presidential politics in 1980, seven years after Roe v. Wade, when Ronald Reagan embraced a “family values” agenda to run against Jimmy Carter. They’ve been the stock-in-trade of Republican candidates ever since, and, this year, a pro-life group called the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List has instituted an early gut-check, a “Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge.” . . . But the news isn’t only that most of the candidates signed the pledge; it’s what they’ve signed. The SBA pledge signifies a radical escalation of the war against abortion by aiming to mobilize all three branches of government to subvert and overturn Roe. The New Republic

Commentary: National Review article

State Laws Restricting Abortion at an All-Time High

Guttmacher Institute: State Laws Restricting Abortion at an All-Time High, Christian News: A report by the Guttmacher Institute shows that 19 state governments have enacted 162 abortion regulations so far this year. Eighty, almost half, of those regulations, a new record, are pro-life regulations. The previous record was set in 2005 when 34 similar regulations were enacted.

The Powerful Documentary “Bloodmoney” Now Available on DVD

Special Offer: The Powerful Documentary “Bloodmoney”, featuring Troy Newman, Now Available on DVD :Operation Rescue: The powerful documentary “Bloodmoney” that explores the business of abortion is now available on DVD. The film delves into the history of abortion and takes a critical look into the dark origins of abortion, then returns with a deeply disturbing picture: how a movement based on racism and population control usurped the momentum of the women’s rights movement to create something truly despicable– a multi-billion dollar industry that literally thrives on the destruction of unborn babies and the traumatizing of young pregnant women.

Transhumanism’s Solipsistic Utopianism

Transhumanism’s Solipsistic Utopianism » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Transhumanism is a nihilistic and solipsistic rebellion against the existing social order, personal behavioral restraint, and the unique dignity of every human being. More dangerously, it is thoroughly Utopian. As the French Revolution and its many and bloody progeny have repeatedly demonstrated, even the most well meaning Utopian enterprises rarely end well.

The Right Way to Talk About Casey Anthony and Abortion

The Right Way to Talk About Casey Anthony and Abortion | LifeNews.com: To say that abortion advocates are inconsistent by feeling outrage over Caylee Anthony’s murder and not about abortion is the ultimate example of an informal logical fallacy called “begging the question,” or assuming what you’re trying to prove.

Medvedev Signs Pro-Life Bill for Russia

Russian President Medvedev Signs Pro-Life Bill on Abortion Risks | LifeNews.com: Russia has its first pro-life law since it fell under communist rule. The law is a reaction to the country's alarmingly high abortion rate, which has sparked an underpopulation crisis.

Thursday, President Dmitry Medvedev signed into law a measure that informed women of the risks associated with an abortion prior to her having one. Russia has some of the highest abortion rates in the world, with some women having as many as six or more abortions. The risks associated with abortion, such as increasing the risk of breast cancer or premature birth in subsequent pregnancies, need to be made known.

Related: New York Times article

David Brooks: Death and Budgets

Death and Budgets - NYTimes.com: "Life is not just breathing and existing as a self-enclosed skin bag. It’s doing the activities with others you were put on earth to do."

Related: Wesley J. Smith takes issue with this characterization

Humanists and gays fear EHRC intervention

Humanists and gays fear EHRC intervention | News | The Christian Institute: Humanist and homosexual groups have reacted strongly against the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s move to defend religious liberty of Christians. The commission is intervening in four legal cases heading for Europe, believing that British courts have not done enough to defend the rights of Christians.

Kids lash out at parents in rise of ‘little emperors’

Kids lash out at parents in rise of ‘little emperors’ | News | The Christian Institute: Parent abuse and parent battery appear to be on the rise and what seems to underlie this is to do with parenting, the lack of boundaries and the reversal of authority. It’s the extreme end of the spoilt generation where they actually lash out at parents, almost exclusively their mothers. There’s a lack of impulse control, demands for instant gratification and not accepting deferred gratification.

IVF child to have grandma, but no mom or dad

Broken-hearted mother Marissa Evans watched her beloved 21-year-old son slowly die in hospital she thought her life was over. But when doctors told her it was time to turn off his life support, the 44-year-old made a controversial decision to harvest his sperm - to try and see through one of his dreams to have a son. This summer the divorced single woman is hoping her dreams to have her grandson will come true when a surrogate gets pregnant using her son's sperm - and an egg from a donor she hand-picked. Daily Mail

Planned Parenthood’s Lawless Policies

Planned Parenthood’s Lawless Policies « Public Discourse: Planned Parenthood must account for its disregard for the law if it wishes to retain state funding.

Demand Continues for More Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines

FRC Blog » Demand Continues for More Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines: The list of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines approved to receive federal taxpayer funding has reached a total of 128 hESC lines. Previously NIH Director Francis Collins had been approving lines slowly, but on a regular basis. There were only 93 approved hESC lines on June 3, 2011. But June has been a banner month to approve hESC lines for the federal funding trough.

US, Russia Agree on Adoption Safeguards

US, Russia Agree on Adoption Safeguards « VOA Breaking News: The deal calls for improved monitoring of families after adoption, as well as for limiting adoption services to agencies authorized by the Russian government. The agreement also includes provisions seeking to ensure, before the adoption, that parents receive more complete social and medical histories, to better understand the true condition of the prospective adoptive child.

The man who inspired the Declaration of Independence

The man who inspired the Declaration of Independence: Most Americans know that Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, but few know that the foundational concepts of freedom from which Jefferson drew came from the pulpit and pen of a pastor who served decades before the War of Independence: the Rev. John Wise.

Wise (1652-1725) served a Congregational church in Chebacco Parish in the southeastern part of Ipswich, Massachusetts for most of his ministry. He was the first son of an indentured servant to graduate from Harvard, and was an impressive preacher and a forceful writer.

New UN campaign proves old population fears were unfounded

Friday Fax: Unfounded Population Fears Result in New UN Campaign Messaging: The pro-abortion UN Population Fund launched the 7 Billion Actions campaign this week on World Population Day with many new corporate and social media partners. The new campaign is notable for its more optimistic tone and its dramatic shift in how the agency approaches population issues.

Landmark evangelical survey finds both unity and division

Landmark evangelical survey finds both unity and division | Deseret News: 'American evangelical Protestants, both in popular American media and even in their own minds, are often reputed for anything and everything but intellectualism,' notes the website for the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs. 'However, this perception fails to account for the development of an increasingly sophisticated, self-assured, and productive class of intellectuals – an emerging 'evangelical intelligentsia.'

Local church confronts abortion issue with lawn display

Local church confronts abortion issue with lawn display - southbendtribune.com: The California Road Missionary Church looks quite a bit different than usual. It has 500 crosses staked on its lawn. Each cross memorializes 12 Elkhart County babies aborted since 1982.

Unrealistic expectations: gay ‘marriage’ and fidelity

Unrealistic expectations: gay ‘marriage’ and fidelity | LifeSiteNews.com: 86 percent of married women and 80 percent of married men have kept their vows. That suggests that the problem may lie with the 14 and 20 percent, not our expectations. There is one group, as the article acknowledges, where monogamy is neither expected nor practiced: “the sizable group of gay men in open, or [semi-open], long-term partnerships.”

Nixon and Reagan: By Their Fruits You Will Know Them

FRC Blog » Nixon and Reagan: By Their Fruits You Will Know Them: Nixon appointed a population commission stacked with liberals who recommended abortion on demand. He signed Title X legislation that began to sluice billions to Planned Parenthood.

Reagan recommended giving no money–zeroing out–Title X and issued the Mexico City policy that said human life is the source of all wealth for advanced countries and the key to development for poorer countries.

Some womens' choices more equal than others

For liberals, some womens' choices more equal than others | Noemie Emery | Columnists | Washington Examiner: Liberals have surrendered the right and the standing to make moral judgments. They have found a choice they despise, and they can't rail against it.

Genome Revolution Is Skipping Nonwhites

Genome Revolution Is Skipping Nonwhites | Wired Science | Wired.com: The gold standard of modern genomics studies, the results of which guide thousands of investigations into the genetic roots of disease and development, are based almost exclusively on people of European ancestry. Unless that changes, most of humanity might miss out on the genomic revolution.

The New Answers DVD 1 - Free Video Download

The New Answers DVD 1 - Video Download - Answers Bookstore: We live in a culture with more questions than ever—questions that affect one’s acceptance of the Bible as authoritative and trustworthy. This video features easy-to-understand answers to some of the most-important apologetics quandaries of today. You’ll love these highly stylized mini-interviews, featuring authors from the best-selling books. This video contains twelve answers, each about 4-minutes in length.

Poll: Obama Loses 1/3 of Hispanic Support

Poll: Obama Loses 1/3 of Hispanic Support, Abortion a Reason | LifeNews.com: Obama hosted a meeting at the White House for Latino groups that focus on political advocacy, but, on the same day, Gallup released a new poll showing his Hispanic support down about 30 percent over the course of the last 18 months. In December 2009, Obama received a 73 percent favorable rating from Hispanics, but that dropped to 52 percent at the end of June.

The poll cites economic issues as turning off Latino voters, but the Hispanic outreach director for National Right to Life says Obama's aggressive promotion of abortion is also playing a key role.

Editor: An earlier headline touted abortion as THE reason. I later realized that was misleading.

Beatings Jeopardize Health of Chinese Activist

Beatings Jeopardize Health of Chinese Forced Abortion Opponent | LifeNews.com: Chen Guangcheng’s health is in serious jeopardy because of repeated beatings and malnutrition he suffers in house detention following his release from prison on trumped of charges after he exposed a campaign of forced abortions. The blind attorney is credited with further exposing the brutal forced abortion and sterilizations campaigns that took place in his home city.

An ugly reality only the most enlightened refuse to concede

Rabbi Berel Wein: An ugly reality only the most enlightened refuse to concede: This past century, the bloodiest in all of human history, should have lain to rest two of the most cherished theories about mankind postulated by the Enlightenment and Secular Humanism.

One was the idea that all moral questions, all issues of right and wrong, good and evil, were subject to being correctly decided on the basis of man's reason alone, without the necessity (better put, without the interference) of divine revelation or organized religion. This second idea of man's innate choice of goodness was aided and abetted by an arrogant belief that an educated person was more likely to do good than an illiterate one — that a Ph.D. graduate would be less likely to kill, harm, maim and destroy than a poor, hardscrabble, backwards farmer.

U.S. not far behind U.K. abortion stats

U.S. not far behind U.K. abortion stats (OneNewsNow.com): According to the leader of a public policy women's organization, abortion figures in Great Britain reflect the recurrence of a 'vicious circle' that likely results from 'comprehensive sex education.'

'Sixty years ago, America and England defeated a cruel regime that exterminated the disabled and those who were politically incorrect,' notes Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America, referring to Nazi Germany. 'Now our societies are eliminating the disabled before they're even born. So it appears that we have adopted the same kind of mentality.'

Did Feminism Really Free Women?

CBLPI Reflections: Did Feminism Really Free Women?: "It has become clear that formerly unquestioned radical feminist ideas are being shattered by the failure of liberal policies and the rise of strong conservative women leaders."

That Which Undercuts Human Exceptionalism Should be Considered Immoral

That Which Undercuts Human Exceptionalism Should be Considered Immoral » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: What constitutes “immoral” in the context of bioethical discourse and debate? If we can’t peg that down, how can we ever distinguish between what is truly “right” and “wrong?” Or is that concept too 19th Century for our postmodern sensibilities?

. . . That which undermines human exceptionalism and the equal moral worth of all people by treating any human being as an object instead of subject, is properly termed “immoral.”

. . . I am entitled to make prudential and judicious use the I-word, not as a personal attack on those who disagree (“You are immoral!”) but as a characterization of outcomes (“That would be immoral. Here’s why.”) And that is true even if I am the only person in the world holding that ethical view.

Shocking: Indian docs turn baby girls into boys!

Docs turn baby girls into boys - Hindustan Times: Girls are being 'converted' into boys in Indore - by the hundreds every year - at ages where they cannot give their consent for this life-changing operation. This shocking, unprecedented trend, catering to the fetish for a son, is unfolding at conservative Indore's well-known clinics

The process being used to 'produce' a male child from a female is known as genitoplasty. Each surgery costs Rs 1.5 lakh. Moreover, these children are pumped with hormonal treatment as part of the sex change procedure that may be irreversible. The low cost of surgery and the relatively easy and unobtrusive way of getting it done in this city attracts parents from Delhi and Mumbai to get their child surgically 'corrected'.

Betty Ford's abortion advocacy

Mrs. Ford was the first First Lady to publicly voice her opinions and ideologies even when they clashed with her husband’s. Her frank and outspoken nature earned her high approval ratings — and plenty of critics. A protest occurred after a “60 Minutes” interview with Morley Safer in which she stated premarital sex might lower the divorce rate, she probably would have tried marijuana had she been growing up in the 1970s and “... the best thing in the world was when the Supreme Court voted to legalize abortion, and in my words, bring it out of the back woods and put it in the hospitals, where it belonged. I thought it was a great, great decision.” Grand Rapids Press

Gene editing success for haemophilia

BioNews - Gene editing success for haemophilia: Scientists have, for the first time, successfully treated a blood disorder by repairing errors in the DNA of a living animal. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, together with California-based Sangamo BioSciences, have applied an innovative genome editing technique to treat haemophilia B, which affects around one in 30,000 boys and men.

Editor: The operative words are "for the first time." I imagine everyone thinks this is the purpose of genetic testing -- to treat genetic errors -- but it's not. Not so far. The purpose of genetic currently is to eliminate the bearers of defective DNA.

Eugenics returns to Germany

Eugenics returns to Germany: controversial ‘pre-implantation’ genetic testing approved | LifeSiteNews.com: A controversial form of “pre-implantation” embryonic testing for genetic disorders was approved by German parliament last Thursday. Members of Parliament voted 326-260 in favor of the bill, with eight abstaining.

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) extracts up to two cells from a human embryo obtained through in vitro fertilization for testing for severe genetic disorders that could result in stillbirth or miscarriage. Such testing is a highly sensitive subject in Germany, where the memory of the atrocities committed in the name of eugenics under the Nazis remains fresh in the national consciousness.

The tragedy of sex-selection abortion

The tragedy of sex-selection abortion | LifeSiteNews.com: June 26, CNN aired a heart-breaking report, “Nepal’s Stolen Children.” The documentary, narrated by actress Demi Moore, told the story of Nepalese girls who were sold into slavery and turned into prostitutes in neighboring India. During the broadcast Moore broke down and cried and spoke about making sure this kind of thing never happens again.

While no one can disagree with that, the problem is that we are ignoring an important part of what is driving this inhumane traffic in innocence. That “part” was the subject of a New York Times column the day after the broadcast. The title, “160 Million and Counting,” referred to the number of “missing” women in the world. Not “missing” as in “disappeared,” rather, as in “never born in the first place.”

South Korea back in stem cell spotlight with new adult stem cell treatment

South Korea back in stem cell spotlight with new treatment | Reuters: More than five years after South Korea's scientific reputation was shattered by a cloning research scandal, the country has approved stem cell medication in the form of a treatment for heart attack victims for the world's first clinical use.

Related: Stem Cell Shots Into the Heart Could Stave Off Chest Pain

Adult Stem Cell Success: Cells Relieve Heart Pain in Patients

Adult Stem Cell Success: Cells Relieve Heart Pain in Patients | LifeNews.com: The results, published in the journal Circulation Research, showed that patients who received their adult stem cells experienced significant improvements in angina frequency and exercise tolerance. Dr. Douglas Losordo, lead author on the study, says the improvements in the patients treated with adult stem cells were life altering for many patients.

Related: Lab-Made Trachea Saves Man

Bioethics Hitting a Wall of Moral Pluralism?

Bioethics Hitting a Wall of Moral Pluralism? » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: H. Tristram Engelhardt has an article in the current Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, in which he discusses different approaches to morality that are seen in the real world, e.g. religious, Rawls liberalism, Confucian, etc., doing his usual splendid job of explaining different perspectives.

When God Abandons a Nation

When God Abandons a Nation (8/20/2006): John MacArthur -- "The first indication in a society of the wrath of abandonment is sexual immorality. When a society becomes pornographic, when the general character of a society can be seen to be immoral, this wrath is in effect. When man is abandoned by God, when a society is abandoned by God, it operates only out of the passions of its own impure heart. It operates in the lusts of the heart, leading to impurity. The heart is wretched, the heart is immoral and the body follows. . . . First the lusts dominate the heart, leading to impurity and the bodies follow in most dishonorable ways. The heart is wicked and unrestrained and the body follows and you have a pornographic culture."

Nurses in churches

Nurses in churches: Growing number of nurses now assigned to church congregations - Orlando Sentinel: A growing number of congregations are hiring nurses to help inspire churchgoers to eat better, exercise, manage chronic medical conditions and in general regard their physical bodies as a gift from their creator.

Pro-life ‘more than just words'

Pro-life ‘more than just words’: Jindal signs abortion alternatives law | LifeSiteNews.com: Louisiana’s pro-life governor Bobby Jindal said the new abortion alternatives bill he signed into law Wednesday is proof that “creating a culture of life is more than just words.” He signed HB 636, known as the Signs of Hope Act, at the First Baptist Church.

The bill requires signs posted in abortion clinics that inform women they have the right not to be coerced into having an abortion, that the father must pay child support, that agencies are available to help them during and after pregnancy, and that parents seeking to adopt may be able to defray some of the costs of pregnancy. It also requires abortion providers to inform women about alternatives to abortion and give them a link to the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals website with more information.

Who’s on the Family Tree? Now It’s Complicated

Who’s on the Family Tree? Now It’s Complicated - NYTimes.com: Genealogists have long defined familial relations along bloodlines or marriage. But as the composition of families changes, so too has the notion of who gets a branch on the family tree. Some families now organize their family tree into two separate histories: genetic and emotional. Some schools, where charting family history has traditionally been a classroom project, are now skipping the exercise altogether.

Frozen embryo babies 'oversized'

Frozen embryo babies 'oversized' - Yahoo! News: In vitro fertilisation babies grown from frozen embryos are more likely to be oversized, research has shown. Frozen embryos increase the risk of a baby being born too heavy 1.6-fold compared with 'fresh' embryos.

The same study found the use of frozen embryos greatly reduced the risk of having a baby that is too small. High birth weight babies are more likely to be delivered by Caesarean section or need other kinds of intervention that may lead to complications.

Non-invasive embryo gene screen

BBC News - Non-invasive embryo gene screen: Fertility doctors say they have found a non-invasive way to screen IVF embryos for genetic abnormalities. The current method involves taking cells from the embryo itself, which experts fear may be harmful.

Now UK researchers say it is possible to run the same checks on cells surrounding the fertilised egg that are normally thrown away. The test could tell a woman if her baby was likely to have a condition like Down's syndrome. It would not only be less invasive, but cheaper too.

Editor: Aha! They admit now that prenatal genetic diagnosis may have been harmful all along!

Gore promotes population control as answer to climate change

Al Gore promotes population control as answer to climate change | LifeSiteNews.com: Speaking at the Games for Change Festival in New York City on Monday, the leading environmental activist reiterated his demand for the promotion of “fertility management” among the poor to reduce the world’s population.

‘Gay marriage is the lie that will create the next Gulag’

‘Gay marriage is the lie that will create the next Gulag’: Dr. Jeff Mirus | LifeSiteNews.com: In the battle to uphold true marriage in the face of increasing social and political pressure to endorse and approve gay “marriage,” Christians are likely to go to jail for their stance, says Dr. Jeff Mirus.

Cars for sterilisation

BBC News - India: Rajasthan in 'cars for sterilisation' drive: Health officials in the Indian state of Rajasthan are launching a new campaign in an effort to reduce the high population growth in the area. They are encouraging men and women to volunteer for sterilization, and in return are offering a car and other prizes for those who come forward.

Doctors vote against cutting abortion time limit

Doctors vote against cutting abortion time limit from 24 to 20 weeks | World news | guardian.co.uk: Doctors in the UK have rejected calls for the British Medical Association to start campaigning for a cut in the legal time limit for abortion from 24 to 20 weeks. The switch was proposed by a GP in Worcester who said technological advances meant it was time to rethink the definition of foetal viability, a baby's chances of surviving if born before 24 weeks.

Fertility drugs lead to embryo problems

Fertility drugs may raise the risk of older women having babies affected by Down’s syndrome, warn doctors. Research shows that using powerful drugs to boost the number of eggs a woman produces may lead to problems in embryo development for women aged 35 and over. These could result in failure to get pregnant, or losing the baby, and more rarely the birth of children with conditions such as Down’s. Daily Mail

Rush Limbaugh On Casey Anthony Verdict, Abortion

Rush Limbaugh On Casey Anthony Verdict | Abortion | RealClearPolitics: "'You know, what I don't understand about it is they're [the media] all card-carrying liberals. When does the death of a child bother them? I've never seen them get so upset over the death of a child,' Rush Limbaugh said about the Casey Anthony verdict in his monologue on Wednesday.

'If the child had died, what, two years earlier in the womb this woman would be a star. She'd be a hero. And folks, I don't think that is a cliche to say. And I don't think it is as cheap attempt at humor. I think that while it may be uncomfortable to hear -- one of the reasons it is uncomfortable to hear is that there is an element of truth in it,' Limbaugh added.

Polish MPs give moving testimony before voting for total abortion ban

Polish MPs give moving testimony before voting for total abortion ban | LifeSiteNews.com: MP Wojciech Kossakowski called abortion the “modern day slaughter of the innocents.” “How monstrously egotistical, devoid of the smallest drop of humanity, you have to be to agree to murder under the auspices of law,” he said.

Can pro-abortion politicians be ‘rooted’ in the Gospel?

Can pro-abortion Catholic politicians be ‘rooted’ in the Gospel? | LifeSiteNews.com: The “social” Gospel is robbed of its meaning if it is not founded on the Gospel’s total commitment to the sanctity of all human life. Can we actually say that a man who feeds the hungry while defending murder is promoting the “Gospel” – the good news of Jesus Christ? Is it not merely philanthropy?

Christians issue rule book for spreading faith

Christians issue rule book for spreading faith | Reuters: A coalition of major Christian churches including the Vatican launched a rule book on Tuesday for spreading their faith that aims to reduce hostility from Islam and other religions to efforts to convert their followers. The five-page code of conduct, which has been under negotiation since 2005, was unveiled at a Geneva news conference by the World Council of Churches (WCC), a senior Roman Catholic prelate and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).

Bachmann: pro-life convictions formed by ‘devastating’ miscarriage

Bachmann: pro-life convictions formed by ‘devastating’ miscarriage | LifeSiteNews.com: Michele Bachmann miscarried her third pregnancy. Although the pregnancy was unexpected, Bachmann said that she and her husband welcomed their third child and were “devastated” when the baby died.

“At that moment, we didn’t think of ourselves as overly career-minded or overly materialistic but when we lost that child, it changed us, and it changed us forever.” Bachmann went on to have three more children, and to care for 23 foster children. She credits the miscarriage for shaping her pro-life convictions and helping her to embrace the gift of life in her own family.

Sex offender to challenge IVF ban - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Sex offender to challenge IVF ban - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): In an Australian-first case that will go to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Monday, the Melbourne man and his partner will try to overturn a review panel ruling that bars them from accessing IVF.

The man who was a teacher's aide was sentenced to 12 months' jail for having sex with a 16-year-old student. Under Victorian law, sex offenders who want IVF must appear before a review panel and argue why they should be able to access the treatment. He said it's unfair to deny him the chance to have children.

Russia Boasts More Faith Healers Than Real Physicians

Russia Boasts More Faith Healers Than Real Physicians | Europe | English: A new Russian study has found that only about 44 percent of Russians actually went to the doctor last year. But what is more interesting than that is when people from the former Soviet Union finally do seek help, they usually avail themselves of alternative medicine.

Google Baby: A lesson in global capitalism

BioNews - Google Baby: A lesson in global capitalism: The documentary 'Google Baby' gives us a fascinating insight into the global business of making babies. The programme follows an Israeli business man as he recruits commissioning parents via the internet, US brokers and egg donors, Indian assisted conception clinics and gestational surrogates

Linda Gibbons: ‘The end of abortion is Armageddon’

Linda Gibbons: ‘The end of abortion is Armageddon’ | LifeSiteNews.com: The mild-mannered yet stalwart pro-life activist, who has spent ten of the past 17 years in prison for life, encouraged her fellow pro-lifers, saying, “We may not always win, but we always fight.”

Hearing from God, part 2

To claim to have received direct revelation of some sort from God is a weighty matter. It’s a claim Old Testament prophets staked their lives on, literally (“But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak…that prophet shall die.” Deut. 18:20). Read more from Greg Koukl

Download July Life Matters from BFL

The legalization of abortion in the Soviet Union emerged as but one important facet of a systematic extermination program of a theologically-grounded social morality. Download this copy-ready file for your church bulletin and educate your congregation about how the denial of God is linked to abortion. Latest edition -- Early Evil: The Legalization of Abortion in Russia (1920).