British court rules Catholic midwives can be forced to participate in abortions | LifeSiteNews.com: The midwives have been told that they must accept the decision of their hospital management that they must oversee other midwives performing abortions on the labour ward.
Lady Smith, judge in the Court of Session in Edinburgh, ruled that the senior midwives’ role is not covered by the conscience clause in the Abortion Act.
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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Blob or Baby?
Blob or Baby? - Answers in Genesis: Recent research has found that differentiation of the embryonic cells begins on the day of conception and may even be initiated by the point of entry of the sperm into the egg. When egg and sperm unite, they produce a single new cell, called the “zygote,” and the zygote is the first cell in the body of the new baby. When the zygote undergoes its first cell division to produce a two-celled embryo, it now appears that these two cells form the top-tail axis for all subsequent development. In other words, which part will be the head, for instance, is determined “up front.” And similar processes of orientation appear to continue during all subsequent cell divisions.
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Is the unborn human less than human?
ABORTION - Is the unborn human less than human? • ChristianAnswers.Net: In order to understand decisive moment and gradualist theories, it is important that we carefully go over the biological facts of fetal development. While going over the facts of prenatal development, Francis Beckwith presents the case for the pro-life view that full humanness begins at conception. "I will deal with objections to this view when I critique the decisive moment and gradualist views."
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Man: The Image of God
Man: The Image of God - Answers in Genesis: The main impact of the image is that God endues man with some of his divine attributes, thereby separating and making him different from the beasts. What are these special Godlike qualities which man is permitted to share?
Related: The attributes of God chart by Tim Challies, helpfully arranged to indicate which are incommunicable (not shared with anyone or anything else) and those which are communicable.
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The Bible and Birth Control: Tim Challies
The Bible and Birth Control | Challies Dot Com: The Bible is silent on any explicit discussion of the subject of birth control. Nowhere in the Bible does God command that a couple must or should use birth control at any stage in their marriage. Likewise, nowhere in the Bible does God explicitly forbid the use of birth control. It’s not that birth control did not exist in the day the Bible was written, but simply that God, for his own good purposes, chose not to give us explicit direction. However, the Bible has so much to say about marriage and sexuality and family and human life that we are not simply left guessing and hoping for the best.
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Unthinkable Thoughts
Unthinkable Thoughts - WSJ.com: Rick Santorum's argument posits that the availability of birth control changed the culture in ways that encouraged illegitimacy. There is scholarly support for this hypothesis, in the form of a 1996 study in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, which served as the basis for a brief written by George Akerlof and Janet Yellen and published by the centrist-liberal Brookings Institution.
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Activists to bring pro-life message to American Atheists convention
Activists to bring pro-life message to American Atheists convention featuring Richard Dawkins | LifeSiteNews.com:
Secular Pro-Life, an organization of atheists and agnostics who defend the rights of the unborn, will set up a booth, distribute literature, and speak one-on-one with the convention’s attendees next month. The American Atheists National Convention takes place March 25-26 in Bethesda, Maryland. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Richard Dawkins.
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Secular Pro-Life, an organization of atheists and agnostics who defend the rights of the unborn, will set up a booth, distribute literature, and speak one-on-one with the convention’s attendees next month. The American Atheists National Convention takes place March 25-26 in Bethesda, Maryland. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Richard Dawkins.
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Answering Planned Parenthood's Grand Deception
Answering Planned Parenthood's Grand Deception - Alan Sears - Townhall Conservative Columnists: At Planned Parenthood’s Teenwire.org, the assumption is that young mothers will choose abortion. So, after a little lip service to those who “think [they] might continue the pregnancy,” the tone on the site quickly switches to, “If you’re considering abortion, you should make a decision as soon as possible. Abortion is very safe, but the risks increase the longer a pregnancy goes on.”
In that one sentence, vulnerable, young women, desperate for truth and open to the power of suggestion, are essentially told carrying a live child is risky but “abortion is safe” without any caveats or stipulations.
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In that one sentence, vulnerable, young women, desperate for truth and open to the power of suggestion, are essentially told carrying a live child is risky but “abortion is safe” without any caveats or stipulations.
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? A Review
Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? A Review - Reformation21: Dr. C. John Collins, professor of Old Testament at Covenant Seminary, has written a book that deals with a subject that may turn out to be a watershed issue for many within evangelical and reformed groups. Although Collins argues for the historicity of Adam and Eve, the way the argument is presented raises significant concerns not only for the interpretation of Scripture, but also for the character and authority of Scripture.
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Baby Abby given a ‘slim chance’ of survival, but abortion not an option
‘Choosing Joy’: Baby Abby was only given a ‘slim chance’ of survival, but abortion wasn’t an option | LifeSiteNews.com: “The doctor who was supposed to be fighting for her life obviously felt that her life had little value. We were told that if she survived, she would be little more than a vegetable. While this is certainly not news that parents want to hear, we knew that God had a plan for her life and that we would love her just the way she was.”
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Wash. could be first to require abortion coverage
Wash. could be first to require abortion coverage - CBS News: Fifteen states have passed laws restricting insurers from covering abortions and 12 others are considering similar measures. By contrast, a bill that has passed Washington's House and is working its way through the Senate would make the state the first to require all health insurance plans under its jurisdiction — except those claiming a conscience-based exemption — to include abortion coverage.
Related: The Heart of Obama's 'Contraception Mandate' is Abortion
Related: The Heart of Obama's 'Contraception Mandate' is Abortion
Late-term abortion and fetal development: My debate with Ann Furedi.
Late-term abortion and fetal development: My debate with Ann Furedi. - Slate Magazine: In Furedi's remarks about women, I saw compassion. But in what she has said and written about human life in the womb (“Is there anything qualitatively different about a fetus at, say, 28 weeks that gives it a morally different status to a fetus at 18 weeks or even eight weeks?"), we have a chilling portrait of subjectivism run amok. No stage of fetal development is meaningful in a way that merits interference in the right to abortion.
Documentation that Will Saletan used in his debate with Furedi --
Medline: Fetal Development (US National Institutes of Health)
Fetal Awareness (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - UK)
Fetal development: The second trimester (Mayo Clinic)
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Documentation that Will Saletan used in his debate with Furedi --
Medline: Fetal Development (US National Institutes of Health)
Fetal Awareness (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - UK)
Fetal development: The second trimester (Mayo Clinic)
The Emergence of Human Consciousness: From Fetal to Neonatal Life, PDF (Pediatric Research)
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Eugenics, American Style
Slate reprint of article written by Tucker Carlson in 1996: Jeffrey Greenspoon, M.D. is the director of the high-risk obstetric unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In the summer of 1995, during the beginning of the debate over partial-birth abortion, Greenspoon passionately defended the procedure, especially in cases where a child might be born with "problems ... incompatible with a normal life," such as Down Syndrome. "A pregnancy that is desired and planned is the foundation for the next generation of productive, healthy Americans," Greenspoon wrote. "The burden of raising one or two abnormal children is realistically unbearable."
He admits that he approves of eugenics—weeding out "babies who don't have much of a viable life." What makes him uncomfortable, he says, is the word "eugenics," which somehow has assumed "bad connotations over time. I think the better terms would be 'genetic counseling' and 'prenatal diagnosis' and 'having a country in which the option to exercise choice in whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy is a right of the people.'" After all, he says, "Sometimes you need to abandon words that have common meanings that connote the wrong ethics or morals."
But only the words have changed.
He admits that he approves of eugenics—weeding out "babies who don't have much of a viable life." What makes him uncomfortable, he says, is the word "eugenics," which somehow has assumed "bad connotations over time. I think the better terms would be 'genetic counseling' and 'prenatal diagnosis' and 'having a country in which the option to exercise choice in whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy is a right of the people.'" After all, he says, "Sometimes you need to abandon words that have common meanings that connote the wrong ethics or morals."
But only the words have changed.
Dawkins not entirely sure God doesn’t exist
Religion News Service | Culture | Science | Richard Dawkins says he’s not entirely sure God doesn’t exist: In a 100-minute debate with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on Thursday (Feb. 23), Richard Dawkins surprised his online and theater audiences by conceding a personal chink of doubt about his conviction that there is no such thing as a creator. But, to the amusement of the archbishop and others, the evolutionary biologist swiftly added that he was "6.9 out of seven" certain of his long-standing atheist beliefs.
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Monday, February 27, 2012
Is Conservative Philanthropy Ignoring the Poor?
Is Conservative Philanthropy Ignoring the Poor? - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Beyond the problem of political image lies the more substantial issue of conservatism’s enduring charitable obligation to the poor. Ardent advocacy for reduced government spending is fine, but it must be matched with serious regard for the needs of those affected. This is a moral demand upon a movement that takes moral demands seriously.
Muslims Should Take Pro-Life View Opposing Abortion
Muslims Should Take Pro-Life View Opposing Abortion | LifeNews.com: "In the pre-Islamic period, the practice of female infanticide was widespread in much of Arabia, but it was immediately forbidden through Islamic injunctions. . . . Indeed, there are many verses in the Quran that remind us of the sanctity of life."
Editor: Meanwhile, 12 people have been killed in outrage over the burning of the Koran. Where's the sanctity of human life in all of this?
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Latest scientific 'game-changer' in abortion debate, out this week, will send ended pregnancies soaring but prevent heartache, suffering
Latest scientific 'game-changer' in abortion debate, out this week, will send ended pregnancies soaring but prevent heartache, suffering: The $1,200 test, which analyzes fetal DNA in a mother who is 10 weeks pregnant, is being offered to doctors March 1 by Verinata Health, a biotechnology company in Redwood City, Calif. It licensed a technique designed by Stanford biophysicist Stephen Quake. "It's a game changer," said Stanford University law professor Hank Greely, who studies the legal and ethical implications of emerging technologies. The controversy over abortion "is about to be hit by a tsunami of new science."
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Why Baptists stand with Catholics on birth control mandate
Why Baptists stand with Catholics on birth control mandate - Guest Voices - The Washington Post: Richard Land writes --
Most Baptists have a different perspective than do Catholics on the use of contraceptives by a married couple, because we believe Scripture does not condemn it, yet we hold an almost identical perspective on abortion because of the Bible’s clear teaching on the sanctity of every human life.'via Blog this'
Despite our theological differences, we cannot remain silent while others find their First Amendment freedom of religion rights trampled.
As Baptists we defend Catholics’ right to not have their consciences coerced by government edict on the issue of contraception.
Gingrich rips Obama for ‘infanticide’ vote
Gingrich rips Obama for ‘infanticide’ vote | LifeSiteNews.com: At the last Republican presidential debate before voters in Michigan and Arizona cast their votes, Newt Gingrich labeled Barack Obama the real abortion “extremist” because of his opposition to a bill that would have required doctors to care for babies who were born alive after failed abortions - a vote Gingrich said condoned “infanticide.”
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The Philosophical Argument Defending the Pro-Life View
The Philosophical Argument Defending the Pro-Life View | LifeNews.com: Back in the 1990’s Professor Michael Pakaluk (Department of Philosophy, Clark University) created a list of nineteen questions for pro-choice people. I challenge you to go read and answer them. Can you?
Professor Pakaluk also wrote a list of questions for pro-life people. Since he is pro-life, he provided answers to these questions that I’m positive you would find fascinating.
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Professor Pakaluk also wrote a list of questions for pro-life people. Since he is pro-life, he provided answers to these questions that I’m positive you would find fascinating.
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Men might escape extinction according to monkey Y chromosome study
BioNews - Men might escape extinction according to monkey Y chromosome study: Previous research has suggested that the Y sex chromosome, carried only by men, is decaying genetically at such a rate that men would become extinct in five million years' time. However the study, carried out by Dr Jennifer Hughes and her team at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Massachusetts in the US, suggests that the Y chromosome may not vanish after all.
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Eugenics here at home
Michigan is breeding poverty | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com: Nolan Finley writes --
"If we want to fight poverty, reduce violent crime and bring down our embarrassing drop-out rate, we should swap contraceptives for fluoride in Michigan's drinking water.
"We've got a baby problem in Michigan. Too many babies are born to immature parents who don't have the skills to raise them, too many are delivered by poor women who can't afford them, and too many are fathered by sorry layabouts who spread their seed like dandelions and then wander away from the consequences.
"Michigan's social problems and the huge costs attached to them won't recede until we embrace reproductive responsibility."
Editor: Margaret Sanger would be so proud. But tell me, how does putting contraceptives in the drinking water breed "reproductive responsibility"?
After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?
After-birth abortion: why should the baby live? -- Giubilini and Minerva -- Journal of Medical Ethics: Abortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus' health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.
Editor: Why should the baby live? Because he or she is a human being! Infanticide by any other name is NOT as sweet.
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Religious leaders and scholars resist Obama Mandate at Congressional Hearing
“Unilaterally redefining what it means to be religious”: Religious leaders and scholars express their resistance to Obama Mandate at Congressional Hearing | NRL News Today: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Yeshiva University, said:
In refusing to extend religious liberty beyond the parameters of what the administration chooses to deem religious conduct, the administration denies people of faith the ability to define their religious activity. Therefore, not only does the new regulation threaten religious liberty in the narrow sense, in requiring Catholic communities to violate their religious tenets, but also the administration impedes religious liberty by unilaterally redefining what it means to be religious.'via Blog this'
Study Suggests Way To Create New Eggs In Women
Study Suggests Way To Create New Eggs In Women : Shots - Health Blog : NPR: In 2004, Jonathan Tilly shocked the scientific world when he claimed he had found primitive "stem" cells hiding in the ovaries of adult female mice that could generate new eggs. That raised the possibility that it might be true for women as well.
But that claim was challenged by other scientists. And Tilly had only found the cells in mice. No one knew whether humans had them, too. In a series of experiments being published in the March issue of the journal Nature Medicine, Tilly and his colleagues say they have proved young adult women have the same cells.
Not everyone thinks the focus on enabling women to have children late in life is necessarily a good idea. "What are we creating as a world? We're creating as a world one in which it's increasingly hard for people to have children when they're young, and then saying, 'But wait, we have solutions, technology — we can do it when you're older,'" said Barbara Katz Rothman, a sociologist at the City University of New York. "And that's the part that disturbs me."
But that claim was challenged by other scientists. And Tilly had only found the cells in mice. No one knew whether humans had them, too. In a series of experiments being published in the March issue of the journal Nature Medicine, Tilly and his colleagues say they have proved young adult women have the same cells.
Not everyone thinks the focus on enabling women to have children late in life is necessarily a good idea. "What are we creating as a world? We're creating as a world one in which it's increasingly hard for people to have children when they're young, and then saying, 'But wait, we have solutions, technology — we can do it when you're older,'" said Barbara Katz Rothman, a sociologist at the City University of New York. "And that's the part that disturbs me."
Improved testing gives parents control of 'family balancing’
Abortion investigation: Improved testing gives parents control of 'family balancing’ - Telegraph: In Britain, sex selection can be done only for medical reasons, such as a parent being a carrier of a sex-linked genetic condition. Fertility doctors also have the ability to offer “family balancing” by biopsy testing IVF embryos for their sex before implantation, called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Rich couples can opt to go abroad for this, but it costs. One Californian clinic offers an “all-in” service for about £25,000.
Related: Dear England, I’m very confused. Is abortion a ‘woman’s choice’ or is it ‘morally repugnant’?
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Related: Dear England, I’m very confused. Is abortion a ‘woman’s choice’ or is it ‘morally repugnant’?
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
Christian fiction: Deadly Disclosures
Deadly Disclosures: Thomas Whitfield, proud Secretary of the Smithsonian and its extensive scientific influence, has disappeared from his office with foul play suspected. Dinah Harris, an FBI agent struggling with alcohol and depression, is seeking answers amidst the fallout of her own personal issues. Whitfield’s body is eventually found, and other people connected to him begin dying as well, ultimately exposing a broader conspiracy connected to Whitfield’s recent conversion to Christ and promotion of a biblical worldview in an academic world of financial gain hostile to this concept. Will Dinah be able to experience the redemptive power of Christ before it’s too late? Or will the ominous danger stalking her investigation claim another victim?
Julie Cave is also the author of The Shadowed Mind and Pieces of Light.
Global Warming Hysteria: Breaking the Monopoly
Global Warming Hysteria: Breaking the Monopoly » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: The movement went wrong when it morphed from a scientific inquiry into an ideology–and often an anti human one at that.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Chinese couples come to U.S. to have children through surrogacy
Chinese couples come to U.S. to have children through surrogacy - chicagotribune.com: Americans have long gone to China to adopt babies. In a twist, Chinese couples are now coming here to become parents — through surrogacy.
China does not permit surrogate parenting, but that country's rising affluence has given many couples the option of coming to U.S. surrogacy clinics. California, with its large Chinese American community and its courts' liberal attitude toward surrogacy, is a prime destination.
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China does not permit surrogate parenting, but that country's rising affluence has given many couples the option of coming to U.S. surrogacy clinics. California, with its large Chinese American community and its courts' liberal attitude toward surrogacy, is a prime destination.
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Take action!
National Right to Life: Phone calls to U.S. senators are urgently needed in support of a vital pro-life amendment that will protect conscience right and is likely to be voted on around February 28, or within a few days thereafter.
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Characteristics US abortion patients, 2008: Religion
Guttmacher Institute: Almost three-quarters of women obtaining abortions in 2008 reported a religious affiliation. The largest proportion were Protestant (37%),* and most of the rest said that they were Catholic (28%) or that they had no religious affiliation (27%). One in five abortion patients identified themselves as born-again, evangelical, charismatic or fundamentalist; 75% of these were Protestant (not shown).†
The proportion of abortion patients lacking a religious affiliation increased significantly, from 22%, in 2000.
Protestants were underrepresented among abortion patients, and the relative abortion rate for this group was
lower than the rate for all women (abortion index, 0.75). While the Catholic Church has strong proscriptions against abortion, the relative abortion rate for Catholic women was no different from that for all women (1.04). Women with no religious affiliation had a relative abortion rate one and one-half times that of all women (1.59). The abortion indices for Protestant and Catholic women changed little between 2000 and 2008.
Attendance at religious services is sometimes regarded as an indicator of an individual’s adherence to religious doctrines. In 2008, 15% of women having abortions reported attending religious services once a week or more, 13% attended 1–3 times a month and 32% attended less frequently; 41% never attended religious services (not shown). According to the General Social Survey (see Appendix 1), 23% of U.S. women aged 18–44 in 2006 and 2008 reported that they never attended religious services, and 24% that they attended once a week or more. Thus, tentative evidence suggests that women obtaining abortions attend religious services less frequently than all women.
*As in the previous surveys, Protestants include women who wrote in that they were Christian and did not specify a denomination (8% of abortion patients in 2008).
†In 2000, some 13% of abortion patients aged 18 and older identified as born-again or evangelical. However, the item was reworded slightly for the 2008 survey, and we therefore cannot compare changes according to this characteristic over time.
Editor: The same research shows that while cohabiting women are roughly 8% of the population (of women of childbearing age), they are almost 3.5 times more likely to get an abortion.
The proportion of abortion patients lacking a religious affiliation increased significantly, from 22%, in 2000.
Protestants were underrepresented among abortion patients, and the relative abortion rate for this group was
lower than the rate for all women (abortion index, 0.75). While the Catholic Church has strong proscriptions against abortion, the relative abortion rate for Catholic women was no different from that for all women (1.04). Women with no religious affiliation had a relative abortion rate one and one-half times that of all women (1.59). The abortion indices for Protestant and Catholic women changed little between 2000 and 2008.
Attendance at religious services is sometimes regarded as an indicator of an individual’s adherence to religious doctrines. In 2008, 15% of women having abortions reported attending religious services once a week or more, 13% attended 1–3 times a month and 32% attended less frequently; 41% never attended religious services (not shown). According to the General Social Survey (see Appendix 1), 23% of U.S. women aged 18–44 in 2006 and 2008 reported that they never attended religious services, and 24% that they attended once a week or more. Thus, tentative evidence suggests that women obtaining abortions attend religious services less frequently than all women.
____
*As in the previous surveys, Protestants include women who wrote in that they were Christian and did not specify a denomination (8% of abortion patients in 2008).
†In 2000, some 13% of abortion patients aged 18 and older identified as born-again or evangelical. However, the item was reworded slightly for the 2008 survey, and we therefore cannot compare changes according to this characteristic over time.
Editor: The same research shows that while cohabiting women are roughly 8% of the population (of women of childbearing age), they are almost 3.5 times more likely to get an abortion.
Already Gone - Low Cost Download
Already Gone - Video Download - Answers Bookstore: The trends are frightening, but this DVD shows how to win back our families, our churches, and our world!
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What Is Life?
Opinion: What Is Life? | The Scientist: The definition of life is as enormous a problem as the phenomenon of life itself. . . . The border between life and nonlife may, actually, be placed anywhere within the realm of the abiotic processes.
Voter guide from FRC
Voters should have all the resources they need to make a prayerful, informed decision on election day. For this reason we want to share with you the non-partisan 2012 Values Voter Republican Presidential Voter Guide produced by FRC Action. Our guide will provide you with a simple overview and documentation of where the candidates stand on the issues.
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Margaret Sanger: The Pivot of Civilization
If you ever care to read her book on population, birth control, and eugenics, you can do so here online. She writes:
Birth Control is an ethical necessity for humanity to-day hecause it places in our hands a new instrument of self-expression and self-realization. It gives us control over one of the primordial forces of nature, to which in the past the majority of mankind have been enslaved, and by which it has been cheapened and debased. It arouses us to the possibility of newer and greater freedom. It develops the power, the responsibility and intelligence to use this freedom in living a liberated and abundant life.. . . The Kingdom of Heaven is in a very definite sense within us. Not by leaving our body and our fundamental humanity behind us, not by aiming to be anything but what we are, shall we become ennobled or immortal. By knowing ourselves, by expressing ourselves, by realizing ourselves more completely than has ever before been possible, not only shall we attain the kingdom ourselves but we shall hand on the torch of life undimmed to our children and the children of our children.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Statistics on religion and sexual activity, ages 20-29
The DCR Report | The National Campaign: The DCR Report (Data, Charts, Research) provides in depth answers to some critical questions about teen and unplanned pregnancy. Section J offers data and charts on Religiosity and its Association with Sexual Activity, Childbearing, and Marriage Among Young Adults Age 20-29.
Editor: It's alarming to find that attendance at religious services 1-3 times a month means little to never-married young adults in terms of sexual activity. They report having sex within the past year at a higher rate than those who never or rarely attend. The statistics could be skewed by respondents who do not practice the tradition into which they were were born (or baptized as infants). Let's hope that's the case.
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Editor: It's alarming to find that attendance at religious services 1-3 times a month means little to never-married young adults in terms of sexual activity. They report having sex within the past year at a higher rate than those who never or rarely attend. The statistics could be skewed by respondents who do not practice the tradition into which they were were born (or baptized as infants). Let's hope that's the case.
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From the beginning: Life is not a 'parasite'
Chicago Tribune: The analogy between fetus and parasite fails on a couple of important counts. A fetus, unlike a tapeworm, is not an organism of one species living in another. Fetus and mother, I dare point out, are of the same species. A fetus, unlike a parasite, does not die once separated by birth from the "host organism." It thrives and continues in a positive and healthful relationship with the mother.
. . . The idea that the fetus is a parasite is a measure of where we have come in a culture that is a captive of radical individualism of both the left and the right. It lays open the true picture of what motivates hard-core pro-choicers who reject any suggestion the society has an interest in protecting and preserving life in the womb.
. . . The idea that the fetus is a parasite is a measure of where we have come in a culture that is a captive of radical individualism of both the left and the right. It lays open the true picture of what motivates hard-core pro-choicers who reject any suggestion the society has an interest in protecting and preserving life in the womb.
The Scientific Basis for Defending Life
The Scientific Basis for Defending Life, Opposing Abortion | LifeNews.com: Christopher Franceschelli has written a cute book about Oliver, who is really a chick growing inside of an egg. It completely misses the boat on science. It’s patently untrue to say that, before hatching, a chick is “simply an egg.” Uh, no. It’s an unhatched chick inside an egg.
Oliver serves to illustrate the general lack of scientific and medical knowledge that many people and some pro-lifers have about the beginning of human life.
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Oliver serves to illustrate the general lack of scientific and medical knowledge that many people and some pro-lifers have about the beginning of human life.
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Pro-life and Protestant
Over on Facebook, Pro-Life Rocks makes an interesting point:
Protestant parents need to be aware of the belief systems of those who are leading our youth in the Pro-Life movement. To think that Lila [Rose of Live Action] (and others) [in the pro-life youth movement] might influence your children into believing that they must subscribe to Roman Catholic beliefs and practices to be a part of Gods "One True Church" to many is a very disturbing thought indeed. . . . 2/3rds of all who consider themselves Pro-Life are Protestant Christians.
Something to think about. You don't have to be Roman Catholic to be truly pro-life either.
Lying for life?
A. Barton Hinkle: Culture warriors resort to propaganda: Coercion and deception are each efforts to make an end run around the free will of others. Like war, they happen when we become too impatient with obtaining consent through persuasion and truth — when we decide other people's consent need no longer concern us. The lies of war are especially handy, because they do double duty. When we tell them to others, we can also tell them to ourselves — thereby easing our consciences for having steamrollered theirs.
Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth
CBMW » Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: Has the modern church suffered a tragic loss of the beauty of manhood and womanhood as created by God? Has the feminist influence within today's evangelical church led to a rejection of the effective authority of the Bible? In this reasoned, comprehensive response to more than one hundred controversial claims from evangelical feminists, biblical scholar Wayne Grudem answers these questions and examines the egalitarian perspective on every major doctrinal issue, including:
- What the Bible says about the roles of men and women in marriage
- Women in the church and in church leadership
- Theology and the concepts of equality, fairness, and justice
- Claims that a complementarian view as harmful
Baptist ethicist on mandate: We'd rather go to jail, pay fines
Baptist Press - Baptist ethicist on mandate: We'd rather go to jail, pay fines - News with a Christian Perspective: C. Ben Mitchell of Union University and Craig Mitchell of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary added their voices to the growing public dissent by Southern Baptists against the "contraceptive mandate," as it has become known. Southern Baptist leaders have joined the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, other Protestant bodies and some Jewish organizations in opposition to the rule since the Department of Health and Human Services announced Jan. 20 that health plans must cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services for employees.
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HHS mandate means ‘ongoing, comprehensive government surveillance’: two Protestant colleges sue
Louisiana College, which is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, describes itself as “a private Baptist co-educational college of liberal arts” with a “dedication to academic excellence to the glory of God.” Its doctrinal statement declares everyone associated with the college “should contend for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.”
“The Obama administration has purposely transformed a non-existent problem – access to contraception – into a constitutional crisis,” said Mike Johnson, dean of Louisiana College’s Pressler School of Law.
“They’re really concerned about the requirement that they would cover drugs that are abortifacients. That violates their sincerely held belief to protect life at all stages, even at the embryonic stage,” according to Kevin Theriot, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund.
Tomorrow, the Baptist institution will be followed into court by Geneva College, an institution of higher learning in the Reformed tradition, based in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. LifeSiteNews
“The Obama administration has purposely transformed a non-existent problem – access to contraception – into a constitutional crisis,” said Mike Johnson, dean of Louisiana College’s Pressler School of Law.
“They’re really concerned about the requirement that they would cover drugs that are abortifacients. That violates their sincerely held belief to protect life at all stages, even at the embryonic stage,” according to Kevin Theriot, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The secret sexual revolution
Relavent: As young Christians mature into their 20s, itʼs natural for them to reevaluate their beliefs as they strive to figure out how faith fits into their expanding worldview. If they determine they can drink responsibly and watch movies and listen to music with a discerning spirit, is it possible the “donʼt do it because itʼs wrong” message gets tossed aside along with all those other “legalistic” messages of youth? That they start to believe they can also have sex “with discernment”?
. . . If the statistics are correct and 80 percent of unmarried evangelicals between the ages of 18-29 have already had sex, then what does this mean for the majority of Christians in their 20s? If chastity is understood as “one strike and youʼre out,” what hope is there for the large percentage of Christians who have essentially “failed” by having sex outside of marriage?
Research: The DCR Report (basis of the statistics); Religious characteristics of women getting abortions (Guttmacher Institute)
Related: NYTimes article on the "new normal"
. . . If the statistics are correct and 80 percent of unmarried evangelicals between the ages of 18-29 have already had sex, then what does this mean for the majority of Christians in their 20s? If chastity is understood as “one strike and youʼre out,” what hope is there for the large percentage of Christians who have essentially “failed” by having sex outside of marriage?
Research: The DCR Report (basis of the statistics); Religious characteristics of women getting abortions (Guttmacher Institute)
Related: NYTimes article on the "new normal"
Heart attack scars healed in stem cell safety trial
BioNews - Heart attack scars healed in stem cell safety trial: Seventeen heart attack patients were treated with an infusion of cardiac stem cells grown from their own heart cells and their hearts regrew healthy muscle. The scars from the attack shrank significantly in size.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
The ‘Safe, Legal, Rare’ Illusion
The ‘Safe, Legal, Rare’ Illusion - NYTimes.com: If liberal social policies really led inexorably to fewer unplanned pregnancies and thus fewer abortions, you would expect “blue” regions of the country to have lower teen pregnancy rates and fewer abortions per capita than demographically similar “red” regions.
But that isn’t what the data show. Instead, abortion rates are frequently higher in more liberal states, where access is often largely unrestricted, than in more conservative states, which are more likely to have parental consent laws, waiting periods, and so on. “Safe, legal and rare” is a nice slogan, but liberal policies don’t always seem to deliver the “rare” part.
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But that isn’t what the data show. Instead, abortion rates are frequently higher in more liberal states, where access is often largely unrestricted, than in more conservative states, which are more likely to have parental consent laws, waiting periods, and so on. “Safe, legal and rare” is a nice slogan, but liberal policies don’t always seem to deliver the “rare” part.
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Alabama Supreme Court in landmark ruling: ‘each person has a God-given right to life’
LifeSiteNews: Amy Hamilton sued after doctors repeatedly failed to administer ultrasounds. When an eventual ultrasound showed her child was unusually small and had developed a small fold at the back of his neck – a possible sign of severe anemia and hydrops, which can cause congestive heart failure – she requested to be referred to a perinatologist at another clinic but was refused. On March 10, 2005, her son was stillborn.
A lower court had ruled that, since the child had not yet reached the stage that it could survive outside the womb, she could not pursue a wrongful death claim “for the death of [her] non-viable fetus.” Today, the Alabama Supreme court’s Hamilton v. Scott ruling rejected that understanding, which was based on Roe v. Wade. Instead, it cited the 1973 Alabama Supreme Court decision Wolfe v. Isbell, which ruled “that from the moment of conception, the fetus or embryo is not a part of the mother, but rather has a separate existence within the body of the mother.”
A lower court had ruled that, since the child had not yet reached the stage that it could survive outside the womb, she could not pursue a wrongful death claim “for the death of [her] non-viable fetus.” Today, the Alabama Supreme court’s Hamilton v. Scott ruling rejected that understanding, which was based on Roe v. Wade. Instead, it cited the 1973 Alabama Supreme Court decision Wolfe v. Isbell, which ruled “that from the moment of conception, the fetus or embryo is not a part of the mother, but rather has a separate existence within the body of the mother.”
Studies: Birth Control, Contraception Don't Cut Abortions
Studies: Birth Control, Contraception Don't Cut Abortions | LifeNews.com: One study, based on Centers for Disease Control data, established clear links between birth control and increases in sexually transmitted diseases. STD increases are a very reliable indicator of increased sexual activity and show that contraception is wrongly perceived as low-cost insurance — a perception that motivates increased sexual activity. And more sex means more pregnancies.
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Sign the letter to President Obama on the contraceptive mandate
Watchmen on the Wall - Join the Movement: The contraceptive mandate with the requirement that there will be no co-pay to the patient means millions of Americans will incur the additional cost for these drugs and devices. Forcing religious entities to do the same, despite objections of good conscience, is a severe blow to our religious liberty.
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Birth Control Coverage Rule Debated at House Hearing
Birth Control Coverage Rule Debated at House Hearing - NYTimes.com: Lutheran and Baptist clergymen and an Orthodox rabbi joined a Roman Catholic bishop in telling lawmakers that Mr. Obama’s latest policy of shifting the responsibility for paying for the contraceptives from religious institutions to their health insurers was unworkable and did not allay concerns about government entanglement with religion.
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Priest defends pro-life movement with secular philosophy
Priest defends pro-life movement with secular philosophy: Author and philosopher Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., released a new book that defends the pro-life stance with secular principles and argues for a fresh approach to the abortion debate.
“The pro-life movement needs a comprehensive philosophy that makes a case – a very logical case – based on principals which are completely accepted by a secular society that shows that the pro-life position is correct, and ethical, and objectively true,” Fr. Spitzer told CNA.
The book, titled Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues, was released on Oct. 1, 2011 by Ignatius Press and has already been hailed by scholars and average readers alike.
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“The pro-life movement needs a comprehensive philosophy that makes a case – a very logical case – based on principals which are completely accepted by a secular society that shows that the pro-life position is correct, and ethical, and objectively true,” Fr. Spitzer told CNA.
The book, titled Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues, was released on Oct. 1, 2011 by Ignatius Press and has already been hailed by scholars and average readers alike.
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For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage
NY Times: It used to be called illegitimacy. Now it is the new normal. After steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried women has crossed a threshold: more than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside marriage.
Once largely limited to poor women and minorities, motherhood without marriage has settled deeply into middle America. The fastest growth in the last two decades has occurred among white women in their 20s who have some college education but no four-year degree, according to Child Trends, a Washington research group that analyzed government data.
Commentary: The 'New Normal' of Rampant Illegitimacy
Editor: Sadly, Christians are no different.
Once largely limited to poor women and minorities, motherhood without marriage has settled deeply into middle America. The fastest growth in the last two decades has occurred among white women in their 20s who have some college education but no four-year degree, according to Child Trends, a Washington research group that analyzed government data.
Commentary: The 'New Normal' of Rampant Illegitimacy
Editor: Sadly, Christians are no different.
Biological Colonialism: Dutch Controversy Over Anything-Goes IVF
Biological Colonialism: Dutch Controversy Over Anything Goes IVF » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: IVF was promised as a generally minor matter that would be available for married couples, otherwise unable, to have biological children. Of course, that relatively conservative agenda held for about two seconds. It is now a huge industry, with unmarried people using it to get pregnant, people renting wombs from objectified “gestational carriers,” embryos being made for experimentation, hundreds of thousands stored for future use, buying eggs, eugenically testing and discarding embryos as if they were cuts of meat, and turning procretion generally into a consumer activity about not having a baby, but the baby we want and to which we are entitled.
Surprisingly, the Dutch–of all people–have held a much firmer line.
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Surprisingly, the Dutch–of all people–have held a much firmer line.
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Self-Insurance Complicates Deal on Birth Control
Self-Insurance Complicates Deal on Birth Control - NYTimes.com: The Obama administration thought it had found a way to ease mounting objections to a requirement in the new health care act that all employers — including religiously affiliated hospitals and universities — offer coverage for birth control to women free of charge.
It would make the insurers cover the costs, rather than the organizations themselves.
But the administration announced the compromise plan before it had figured out how to address one conspicuous point: Like most large employers, many religiously affiliated organizations choose to insure themselves rather than hire an outside company to assume the risk.
Now, the organizations are trying to determine how to reconcile their objections to offering birth control on religious grounds with their role as insurers — or whether there can be any reconciliation at all. And the administration still cannot put the thorny issue to rest.
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It would make the insurers cover the costs, rather than the organizations themselves.
But the administration announced the compromise plan before it had figured out how to address one conspicuous point: Like most large employers, many religiously affiliated organizations choose to insure themselves rather than hire an outside company to assume the risk.
Now, the organizations are trying to determine how to reconcile their objections to offering birth control on religious grounds with their role as insurers — or whether there can be any reconciliation at all. And the administration still cannot put the thorny issue to rest.
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5 Things Infertile Couples Want Others to Know
5 Things Infertile Couples Want Others to Know | Biblical Counseling Coalition Blogs: Keep them accountable. Ask questions like, “how are you and your spouse doing? Are you praying together about these decisions (Philippians 4:6)? Are you showing submission to one another in the ways outlined in scripture?” Help them remember that God has a plan—not simply for their own temporary satisfaction, but for his glory and kingdom (Isaiah 55:8-9). They may need to take a hard look at whether their shared desire is indeed what God wants for them. Infertility isn’t a blank check for self-pity or lack of accountability. We need to be encouraged, but also exhorted.
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Friday, February 17, 2012
The fight over Obama’s mandate is the fight of a lifetime for religious freedom
The fight over Obama’s mandate is the fight of a lifetime for religious freedom | LifeSiteNews.com: Chuck Colson asks, "Why is it really such a big deal? The Administration is hoping you will think this is all about contraception, which not many people, even the majority of Catholics, care that much about. But this is not about contraception. This battle is all about religious freedom—the first and most important of all our freedoms."
Janet Parshall commentary
Editor: Here's a good rallying cry -- "Remember, the issue is conscience rights, not contraceptive rights."
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Janet Parshall commentary
Editor: Here's a good rallying cry -- "Remember, the issue is conscience rights, not contraceptive rights."
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Religion and the Communist Party: Render unto Caesar
Religion and the Communist Party: Render unto Caesar | The Economist: Although people join the party more for career reasons these days than for ideological ones, it still officially forbids religious belief among its members. In practice, this has for some years been a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. But signs are now growing that the party is about to become tougher on believers within its ranks. And behind it might be the notion of Christianity as a Trojan horse.
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Amish man's letters sway lawmakers on buggy issue
Amish man's letters sway lawmakers on buggy issue - San Antonio Express-News: Jacob Gingerich, who has spent more than two weeks in jail for refusing to attach the bright orange slow-moving vehicle sign to the back of his drab horse-drawn buggy, explained in his hand-written letters to Kentucky lawmakers that the three-sided emblem represents the Holy Trinity. The Amish, he wrote, don't display religious symbols, and neither do they flaunt bright colors, including those of slow-moving vehicle emblems.
"The color of the emblem is fluorescent orange, and our church forbids the bright, loud and gaudy colors," he wrote. "Therefore, we cannot in good conscience use the slow-moving vehicle emblem."
Senators last week voted unanimously to pass a bill that would allow the Amish to outline their buggies in reflective tape, an accommodation already in place in several other states.
"The color of the emblem is fluorescent orange, and our church forbids the bright, loud and gaudy colors," he wrote. "Therefore, we cannot in good conscience use the slow-moving vehicle emblem."
Senators last week voted unanimously to pass a bill that would allow the Amish to outline their buggies in reflective tape, an accommodation already in place in several other states.
Editor: There's a lesson in this in relation to the contraception mandate. Note that the legislators learned to accommodate, rather than sit in judgment on a belief.
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Performing abortions is ‘extremely gratifying’ - leading UK abortionist
Performing abortions is ‘extremely gratifying’ - leading UK abortionist | LifeSiteNews.com: Killing children by abortion is “extremely gratifying” according to a leading UK abortionist. Dr. Patricia Lohr told an audience of abortion advocates meeting in London in September that she could never have fully understood or agreed with the abortionist philosophy until she actually started committing abortions herself.
Lohr said that abortion is “self-evidently” moral and explained that she began to conduct 2nd trimester surgical abortions during her training as a physician. She said that she performs abortions “as early as possible and as late as necessary” and that she was unapologetic about being “pro-choice, pro-child and pro-abortion.”
Dr. Lohr, the medical director of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of the UK’s busiest abortion organizations, said that all medical practitioners should be willing to refer for abortions, even if they would not conduct the practice themselves for moral reasons. “It’s crucial for abortionists to talk about abortion as a good thing.”
Lohr said that abortion is “self-evidently” moral and explained that she began to conduct 2nd trimester surgical abortions during her training as a physician. She said that she performs abortions “as early as possible and as late as necessary” and that she was unapologetic about being “pro-choice, pro-child and pro-abortion.”
Dr. Lohr, the medical director of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of the UK’s busiest abortion organizations, said that all medical practitioners should be willing to refer for abortions, even if they would not conduct the practice themselves for moral reasons. “It’s crucial for abortionists to talk about abortion as a good thing.”
Zombies OK, but not pro-life posters
School OK with zombies, but not pro-life posters: A district in Missouri has decided to allow images of zombies on its school walls but not posters promoting the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, which focuses on the abortions inflicted on American girls and women daily.
In response, a lawsuit that has been filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, southern division, by the Alliance Defense Fund that alleges violations of the First and 14th Amendments as well as the Missouri Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
'via Blog this'
In response, a lawsuit that has been filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, southern division, by the Alliance Defense Fund that alleges violations of the First and 14th Amendments as well as the Missouri Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
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Sex and the Christian Worldview
Sex and the Christian Worldview | Boundless Line: What is the purpose of sex? And who gets to decide?
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CNN desperate to explain away results of its own poll
CNN Desperate to Explain Away the results of its own poll | NRL News Today: A poll released by CNN finds that exactly half of all Americans—50%–oppose President Obama’s mandate that compels religiously-affiliated universities, hospitals, and charities to pay for health insurance that covers sterilization and contraception. Forty-four percent say they support the mandate.
The results were spun every which but up in the accompanying CNN story since they did not conform with the narrative that the public supports Obama and that last Friday’s “accommodation” was a stroke of political genius.
'via Blog this'
The results were spun every which but up in the accompanying CNN story since they did not conform with the narrative that the public supports Obama and that last Friday’s “accommodation” was a stroke of political genius.
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In Israel, a New Approach to Organ Donation
New York Times: The unfairness of a segment of society unwilling to donate organs, but happy to accept them, nagged at Dr. Lavee. After he operated on both patients, giving each a new lease on life, he put together a proposal that would give priority to those patients willing to donate their organs.
Working with rabbis, ethicists, lawyers, academics and members of the public, he and other medical experts worked to create a new law in 2010, which will take full effect this year: if two patients have identical medical needs for an organ transplant, priority will be given to the patient who has signed a donor card, or whose family member has donated an organ in the past.
. . . [I]n the Talmud, saving a life supersedes most everything, and many commandments may be transgressed if the goal is to save a life. Based on this, the argument could be made that organ donation fulfilled one of the highest religious virtues. The lawmakers also agreed on a definition of brain death that was acceptable to the vast majority of rabbis (though not the ultra-Orthodox Haredi), as well as local imams, making organ donation kosher to a large segment of the population.
Working with rabbis, ethicists, lawyers, academics and members of the public, he and other medical experts worked to create a new law in 2010, which will take full effect this year: if two patients have identical medical needs for an organ transplant, priority will be given to the patient who has signed a donor card, or whose family member has donated an organ in the past.
. . . [I]n the Talmud, saving a life supersedes most everything, and many commandments may be transgressed if the goal is to save a life. Based on this, the argument could be made that organ donation fulfilled one of the highest religious virtues. The lawmakers also agreed on a definition of brain death that was acceptable to the vast majority of rabbis (though not the ultra-Orthodox Haredi), as well as local imams, making organ donation kosher to a large segment of the population.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Attorney: Forced abortion coverage could be next
Attorney: Forced abortion coverage could be next (OneNewsNow.com): Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) points out that exemptions are being granted to various organizations, including unions, but religious ones still face a mandate. "It seems like the only people who don't get some type of special treatment under ObamaCare are groups that want to exercise their God-given first freedom of religious liberty," Bowman notes.
And he suggests that imposing contraception and sterilization coverage on people of faith could be a stepping stone to mandating coverage for abortion.
'via Blog this'
And he suggests that imposing contraception and sterilization coverage on people of faith could be a stepping stone to mandating coverage for abortion.
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Review: The Evolution of Adam
Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis: [Dr. Peter] Enns’s approach to Scripture is captured in his own words on page 7: “Now the one-two-three-punch of biblical criticism, biblical archaeology, and science demanded a fresh synthesis of new and old.” Note, that all three of these areas come under the heading of “historical science”—that is, man’s fallible attempts to interpret the past based on fallible assumptions.
So here is the book’s bottom line. Enns puts his trust in man’s fallible ideas and then totally reinterprets the Word of God (and ultimately distorts it). He wants to adopt the philosophies of the world instead of bowing his knee to a Holy, infinite, infallible God. Indeed, his is a low view of Scripture.
I will leave you with a challenge. There are Christian college and seminary professors who are enamored with academics like Dr. Enns with their new ideas attempting to fit man’s religion of evolution and millions of years into the Bible. In some respects, I think this view of scholarship is akin to Gnosticism. Gnostics believe they possess some special knowledge to share with the world. And despite all the great men and women of God in the past who have treated Genesis as straightforward, literal history, it wasn’t until this era that we now have new, special knowledge that will supposedly give us a correct understanding of the Word of God. In essence, this academic is telling us that his approach is the new way to understand God’s Word and what it means. Apart from using this novel approach to the Bible, argues Dr. Enns, you can’t discern what the Scriptures teach.
It appears we have a dire situation in the church today. There is a new “magisterium”—a group of theologians like Dr. Enns who want to tell us how and what to believe in regard to what God’s Word states in Genesis (and now Romans too).
So here is the book’s bottom line. Enns puts his trust in man’s fallible ideas and then totally reinterprets the Word of God (and ultimately distorts it). He wants to adopt the philosophies of the world instead of bowing his knee to a Holy, infinite, infallible God. Indeed, his is a low view of Scripture.
I will leave you with a challenge. There are Christian college and seminary professors who are enamored with academics like Dr. Enns with their new ideas attempting to fit man’s religion of evolution and millions of years into the Bible. In some respects, I think this view of scholarship is akin to Gnosticism. Gnostics believe they possess some special knowledge to share with the world. And despite all the great men and women of God in the past who have treated Genesis as straightforward, literal history, it wasn’t until this era that we now have new, special knowledge that will supposedly give us a correct understanding of the Word of God. In essence, this academic is telling us that his approach is the new way to understand God’s Word and what it means. Apart from using this novel approach to the Bible, argues Dr. Enns, you can’t discern what the Scriptures teach.
It appears we have a dire situation in the church today. There is a new “magisterium”—a group of theologians like Dr. Enns who want to tell us how and what to believe in regard to what God’s Word states in Genesis (and now Romans too).
Related: Was Jesus Wrong?
Campaigners question ethics of Britain's first 'male mother'
Telegraph: Although he has legally changed his gender to male, the man in question was able to give birth last year because his womb was not removed during the original sex change procedure. It is possible for transgender men who were born women, who still have functioning ovaries and a uterus, to become pregnant while still identifying and living as men.
. . . Earlier this month the Create Fertility Centre in Toronto revealed that it was providing hormone treatment for a number of male sex change patients with intact wombs who are hoping to become mothers. Clifford Librach, the clinic's medical director, would not confirm how many men are pregnant or when any babies are due to be born, but he has defended his stance in the Canadian media.
The [UK's] Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority . . . does not keep any data on female to male transsexuals who have become mothers but a spokesman said that it may start collecting statistics in the future.
Gedis Grudzinskas, editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online, said he believed many patients would go to India because ethical scruples would make most British doctors reluctant to help.
. . . The cancer risk associated with retaining a uterus and ovaries that are exposed to high levels of the male hormone testosterone means that most women changing sex choose to have them removed.
. . . Earlier this month the Create Fertility Centre in Toronto revealed that it was providing hormone treatment for a number of male sex change patients with intact wombs who are hoping to become mothers. Clifford Librach, the clinic's medical director, would not confirm how many men are pregnant or when any babies are due to be born, but he has defended his stance in the Canadian media.
The [UK's] Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority . . . does not keep any data on female to male transsexuals who have become mothers but a spokesman said that it may start collecting statistics in the future.
Gedis Grudzinskas, editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online, said he believed many patients would go to India because ethical scruples would make most British doctors reluctant to help.
. . . The cancer risk associated with retaining a uterus and ovaries that are exposed to high levels of the male hormone testosterone means that most women changing sex choose to have them removed.
Love (?) American Style
Love (?) American Style: Sex in dating has become divorced from a committed relationship. We live in a culture that expects men and women to be sexually active, in or out of a relationship, and it's strange if they aren't. . . . Millennials want to do better at marriage and parenting than they perceive their parents did. That's why they're taking their time; they want to get the commitment part right.
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Many Chinese giving birth in CNMI to skirt one child policy
Many tourists from mainland China who come to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to give birth to U.S. citizen children wanted to get around the Chinese government's “one child policy.” “Most of the pregnant Chinese who come here give birth to their second child, not first child. Depending on how rich they are, they stay at a three-bedroom hotel room or apartment, or just one bedroom apartment,” the translator told Saipan Tribune. He said because children born here are U.S. citizens, the birth tourists coming here won't have two Chinese children when they go back to their country “so they are not violating the one child policy. But more important, they want their children to be able to leave China when they grow older and they don't want their children to be communists.
Birth-Control Mandate—Unconstitutional and Illegal
Rivkin and Whelan: Birth-Control Mandate—Unconstitutional and Illegal - WSJ.com: The birth-control coverage mandate violates the First Amendment's bar against the "free exercise" of religion. But it also violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
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Protecting the Unborn and the Pro-Life Movement from a Misleading Environmentalist Tactic
Cornwall Alliance :: Articles :: Protecting the Unborn and the Pro-Life Movement from a Misleading Environmentalist Tactic: Recently some environmentalists have portrayed certain of their causes as intrinsic to the pro-life movement. The tactic often involves appealing to a “seamless garment” of support for life, or to being “consistently pro-life” or “completely pro-life.” Leaders of the pro-life movement reject that portrayal as disingenuous and dangerous to efforts to protect the lives of unborn children.
Global warming now a new kind of morality
Global warming now a new kind of morality: Each day the news reports grow more fantastically apocalyptic. Politicians no longer dare to express any doubt about climate change. Global warming has gone beyond politics, it is a new kind of morality. Yet, as the frenzy over manmade global warming grows ever shriller, many senior climate scientists say the actual scientific basis for the theory is crumbling.
Related: Two more scientists change sides in AGW debate
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Related: Two more scientists change sides in AGW debate
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
ABC News: President’s top advisers on contraception mandate included Planned Parenthood CEO
Jill Stanek: "Surprising to me was [PP CEO Cecile] Richards’ unquestioned prominence at the White House. Why did the mainstream media not question an obvious benefactor of the contraceptive mandate being in on the conversation? Richards is truly in the inner circle. Pro-lifers knew Richards had influence, but to see in writing just exactly how much weight she carries is informative."
The Contraceptive Mandate’s Shaky Justification
National Review: It is a black-letter legal principle that the existence of a right, even a right of constitutional magnitude, does not imply a companion right to have the government or any third party pay for its exercise — you don’t hear anyone claiming that Catholic organizations need to provide firearms for their employees. So, while the courts have invented a constitutional right to abortion and constitutional protections for birth control, there is no right to have subsidized birth control.
Related: Opponents launch new White House petition rejecting Obama rewrite of birth control mandate
Related: Opponents launch new White House petition rejecting Obama rewrite of birth control mandate
Monday, February 13, 2012
Right to Induce Early Birth So Dying Father Can See Baby?
Right to Induce Early Birth So Dying Father Can See Baby? » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: An imminently dying man and his pregnant wife wanted him to be able to hold their baby before passing. And so, doctors agreed to induce a two-week early birth to make that happen. My heart is very glad Mark was able to hold his baby. My head says that doctors were wrong to induce an early birth for a wholly non medical reason.
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Are We Ready for a 'Morality Pill'?
Are We Ready for a 'Morality Pill'? - NYTimes.com: If continuing brain research does in fact show biochemical differences between the brains of those who help others and the brains of those who do not, could this lead to a “morality pill” — a drug that makes us more likely to help? Given the many other studies linking biochemical conditions to mood and behavior, and the proliferation of drugs to modify them that have followed, the idea is not far-fetched. If so, would people choose to take it? Could criminals be given the option, as an alternative to prison, of a drug-releasing implant that would make them less likely to harm others? Might governments begin screening people to discover those most likely to commit crimes?
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Pro-Life Leaders Call for End to Misleading Environmentalist Campaign
Cornwall Alliance :: Press Releases :: Pro-Life Leaders Call for End to Misleading Environmentalist Campaign: More than 30 of the nation's most prominent pro-life leaders have come together as one voice and issued an official statement against an environmental campaign spearheaded by the Evangelical Environmental Network calling mercury regulations “pro-life.”
In the statement “Protecting the Unborn and the Pro-Life Movement from a Misleading Environmentalist Tactic,” the pro-life leaders said,
In the statement “Protecting the Unborn and the Pro-Life Movement from a Misleading Environmentalist Tactic,” the pro-life leaders said,
Recently some environmentalists have portrayed certain of their causes as intrinsic to the pro-life movement … As leaders of the pro-life movement, we reject that portrayal as disingenuous and dangerous to our efforts to protect the lives of unborn children.'via Blog this'
Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage
Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: The latest polling on the issue of same-sex marriage by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that the public divides almost evenly: 46% favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 44% are opposed. The public has gradually become more supportive of granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages over the past 15 years, with support increasing more steeply in recent years.
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162 reasons to marry
MARRI Research: The future strength of our nation depends on good marriages to yield strong revenues, good health, low crime, high education, and high human capital. As the linked enumeration shows, smart parents and smart societies pay attention to the state and strength of marriage.
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'via Blog this'
Mitochondrial transfer
BioNews - Why we should back a law change to allow mitochondrial transfer into the clinic: This technique involves replacing the faulty mitochondria with healthy mitochondria from a donated egg. This is done as part of the IVF process, either before an egg is fertilised (using a technique called maternal spindle transfer) or after fertilisation (pronuclear transfer). These techniques have proven successful at replacing the mitochondria in the laboratory.
If these techniques were to come into clinical practice they would give families affected by mitochondrial disease the opportunity to have healthy children. However, there is still work to be done before this could happen because although research on these techniques is allowed in the laboratory, the law currently prohibits implantation of any resulting embryos into the mother.
Related: Beyond the treatment of infertility
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If these techniques were to come into clinical practice they would give families affected by mitochondrial disease the opportunity to have healthy children. However, there is still work to be done before this could happen because although research on these techniques is allowed in the laboratory, the law currently prohibits implantation of any resulting embryos into the mother.
Related: Beyond the treatment of infertility
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Why abortion groups opposed the religious exemption but support the “compromise”
Why abortion groups opposed the religious exemption but support the “compromise” - Jill Stanek: Whereas [in Obama's original directive] at least churches were exempted from providing insurance coverage for contraception, abortifacients, and sterilization, now even church insurance policies will have to cover them.
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Justice Ginsburg suggests high court mistimed milestone Roe-Wade ruling on abortion
Justice Ginsburg suggests high court mistimed milestone Roe-Wade ruling on abortion - The Washington Post: Alluding to the persisting bitter debate over abortion, Ginsburg said the justices of that era could have delayed hearing any case like Roe while the state-by-state process evolved. Alternatively, she said, they could have struck down just the Texas law, which allowed abortions only to save a mother’s life, without declaring a right to privacy that legalized the procedure nationwide.
“The court made a decision that made every abortion law in the country invalid, even the most liberal,” Ginsburg said. “We’ll never know whether I’m right or wrong ... things might have turned out differently if the court had been more restrained.”
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“The court made a decision that made every abortion law in the country invalid, even the most liberal,” Ginsburg said. “We’ll never know whether I’m right or wrong ... things might have turned out differently if the court had been more restrained.”
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Southern Baptist leader: Obama gave Christians ‘the dismissive back’ of his hand
Southern Baptist leader: Obama gave Christians ‘the dismissive back’ of his hand | LifeSiteNews.com: “Mr. President, mere accounting tricks will not suffice,” Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission wrote in a statement e-mailed to LifeSiteNews.com. “You have given your fellow citizens’ cry of conscience the dismissive back of your hand by offering them not a solution.” He called the new policy, which would not force parachurch groups to provide such pharmaceuticals “directly,” as “a distinction without a difference.”
- More reaction
- Health insurers question Obama birth control plan
- The Contraception Coverage Debate Isn't Just About the Bishops
- ‘Birth control pills don’t fall out of the sky like manna’
- If Obama mandate isn’t changed, Christians will go to jail
- Pastor Rick Warren: I’d Rather Go to Jail Than Obey Mandate
Anti-abortion proposals await votes in Michigan
Anti-abortion proposals await votes in Michigan | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Rallied by the approval last fall of a state law banning so-called "partial birth" abortion, Michigan abortion opponents are pushing for more in 2012 — from a "Choose Life" fundraising license plate to a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Those proposals are among a number that could gain traction in a state Legislature where nearly two-thirds of the lawmakers have been endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan.
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President Obama's Scheme: "You Must Pay, But Nobody Pays" Lays Groundwork for Future National Abortion Mandate
New Obama Scam (You Must Pay, But Nobody Pays) Lays Groundwork for Future National Abortion Mandate | NRL News Today: In response to criticism of its recent regulation requiring coverage of FDA-approved birth control drugs and devices, the White House announced a purported “compromise” under which insurance plans will be required to provide the coverage in all plans, without charging anything additional for it.
The Administration position is that insurers can be required to provide the coverage for “free” because birth control is less expensive than childbirth.
“President Obama today promulgated a scam that, if he is re-elected, will allow him to mandate that every health plan in America cover abortion on demand,” said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. “The same twisted logic will be applied: By ordering health plans to cover elective abortion, health plans would save the much higher costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and care for the baby — and under the Obama scam, if a procedure saves money, then that means that you’re not really paying for it when the government mandates it.”
Other reactions to the Obama compromise
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The Administration position is that insurers can be required to provide the coverage for “free” because birth control is less expensive than childbirth.
“President Obama today promulgated a scam that, if he is re-elected, will allow him to mandate that every health plan in America cover abortion on demand,” said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. “The same twisted logic will be applied: By ordering health plans to cover elective abortion, health plans would save the much higher costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and care for the baby — and under the Obama scam, if a procedure saves money, then that means that you’re not really paying for it when the government mandates it.”
Other reactions to the Obama compromise
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Thursday, February 9, 2012
China's surrogate mothers see business boom in year of the dragon
Gao is one of China's surrogate mothers working underground for vast sums of money to deliver children to wannabe parents. The "rent a womb" industry, which inhabits a legal grey area, came under fire in December when it emerged a wealthy couple in the southern city of Guangzhou paid nearly 1m yuan (£100,000) to have eight babies simultaneously, using two surrogates. For a country that limits families to one child, the babaotai chuanwen or "eight baby scandal" – unearthed when the babies' portrait was used to advertise a photography studio – made national headlines.
Global Warming Hysteria: Another Dire Prediction Bites the Dust
Global Warming Hysteria: Another Dire Prediction Bites the Dust » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: As projection after dire prediction has failed to materialize, the credibility of the sector continues to plummet, and for good reason.
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New Head of Biggest Planned Parenthood Says Abortion Sacred
New Head of Biggest Planned Parenthood Says Abortion Sacred | LifeNews.com: Melaney Linton, who will now oversee Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, is determined to further the life-ending work of Planned Parenthood:
“I am honored and humbled to be entrusted with such a sacred duty…I pledge to do everything in my power to fight back against the ideological attacks on Planned Parenthood and women, so that no teen will ever say she didn’t know how she got pregnant, no one will ever be denied basic reproductive health care, and no woman will ever be forced to bear children she cannot adequately support.”
Starting March 1st, Linton will manage 13 abortion and abortion-referring centers in Southeast Texas and Louisiana, as well as the largest abortion mill in America, located in Houston, Texas.
“I am honored and humbled to be entrusted with such a sacred duty…I pledge to do everything in my power to fight back against the ideological attacks on Planned Parenthood and women, so that no teen will ever say she didn’t know how she got pregnant, no one will ever be denied basic reproductive health care, and no woman will ever be forced to bear children she cannot adequately support.”
Starting March 1st, Linton will manage 13 abortion and abortion-referring centers in Southeast Texas and Louisiana, as well as the largest abortion mill in America, located in Houston, Texas.
Obama administration struggles to contain uproar over birth-control rule
Obama administration struggles to contain uproar over birth-control rule - The Hill's Healthwatch: “It’s becoming a thorny problem for the White House and it appears to only be getting worse,” said one Democratic strategist. “The politically astute move would be to modify this thing, and quick.” Asked if the administration should shift course, a former senior administration official said, “I don’t see how they couldn’t. It’s pretty bad.”
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
‘The single biggest mistake of my entire life’: a letter from a post-abortive woman
‘The single biggest mistake of my entire life’: a letter from a post-abortive woman | LifeSiteNews.com: "If your child comes to you and tells you that she is pregnant, or that he got someone pregnant, please reach out and hug your child. Hug her with depth, sincerity and love. Hold her and let her cry. Cry with her and let her know everything will be okay and that you will stick by her and make the right choices with her. Most importantly, remind her that she is loved by you and God, no matter what."
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Controversy Over Stem-Cell Research Keeps Charities On Sidelines
Controversy Over Stem-Cell Research Keeps Charities On Sidelines : Shots - Health Blog : NPR: Another aspect of Komen's activities hasn't received much attention: Komen's position on research using human embryonic stem cells. Despite raising millions of dollars for breast cancer research, Komen hasn't funded any of this work, prompting questions about whether that decision is rooted in politics.
Officials from Komen maintain that while the group doesn't have a formal ban on research involving human embryonic stem cells, they say they just haven't found anything worth funding yet.
Komen isn't alone. Neither the American Center Society nor the American Heart Association funds research with human embryonic stem cells.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Understanding Islam - Audio Download
Understanding Islam - Audio Download - Answers Bookstore: Daniel Shayesteh journeyed from the darkness of godlessness to the light of Christ-centeredness. As a former radical Muslim who was heavily involved in the Iranian fundamentalist revolution and co-founded the terrorist group Hezbolah in Iran, Daniel was once committed to exterminating Jews, Christians, and other “infidels.”
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Will Creation Be Taught in Indiana Schools?
Will Creation Be Taught in Indiana Schools? | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: The Indiana Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 in favor of a bill stating the following:
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The governing body of a school corporation may require the teaching of various theories concerning the origin of life, including creation science, within the school corporation.The Indiana Senate voted 28-22 in favor of an amended bill stating the following:
The governing body of a school corporation may offer instruction on various theories of the origin of life. The curriculum for the course must include theories from multiple religions, which may include, but is not limited to, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Scientology.What does a creation scientist think of these proposals?
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The Pink Ribbon and the Dollar Sign
The Pink Ribbon and the Dollar Sign | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction: Some pro-life persons might wish that the Christian churches had as much influence in the public arena as Planned Parenthood, that we were able to mobilize as many callers and threaten as many boycotts. Some might see this as a sign that we need more money and respect. After all, if some Christian foundation had more financial firepower than Planned Parenthood, Komen might have stood firm.
In all of this, though, we can gain an opportunity to see what the abortion culture is all about: cash. No one, Russell Moore reminds us, can serve both God and Mammon.
Planned Parenthood's Hostages
Robert George and Carter Snead: Planned Parenthood's Hostages - WSJ.com: Planned Parenthood is very far from the uncontroversial organization the Susan G. Komen Foundation aspires to be. According to its most recent annual report, for 2010, Planned Parenthood sells abortions to nine out of every 10 pregnant women who come to its clinics. And it's known throughout the country as an implacable and aggressive opponent of any meaningful restrictions on deliberate feticide.
Planned Parenthood has spent millions fighting even those legislative initiatives that command extremely wide public support, such as laws requiring parental notification and informed consent for abortions, and those banning late-term abortions when the child developing in the womb is fully viable. Planned Parenthood even opposes a bill recently introduced in Congress to ban abortions for the purpose of sex selection.
It is easy to see why Komen might not wish to be associated with Planned Parenthood. Fighting breast cancer is something all Americans can and do agree on; promoting and performing abortions is something that divides us bitterly.
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Planned Parenthood has spent millions fighting even those legislative initiatives that command extremely wide public support, such as laws requiring parental notification and informed consent for abortions, and those banning late-term abortions when the child developing in the womb is fully viable. Planned Parenthood even opposes a bill recently introduced in Congress to ban abortions for the purpose of sex selection.
It is easy to see why Komen might not wish to be associated with Planned Parenthood. Fighting breast cancer is something all Americans can and do agree on; promoting and performing abortions is something that divides us bitterly.
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Monday, February 6, 2012
The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World
Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World - The Daily Beast: "Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm.
"The conspiracy of silence surrounding this violent expression of religious intolerance has to stop. Nothing less than the fate of Christianity—and ultimately of all religious minorities—in the Islamic world is at stake."
Editor: The writer, though sympathetic to Christians, is not known for being a Christian. And her concern, while appreciated, is not well-placed. Christians are not a genetic, ethnic, or racial group in danger of annihilation.
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