Will we ever correct diseases before birth?

BBC - Future - Health - Will we ever… correct diseases before birth?: Some genetic conditions cause irreparable damage at such an early age that scientists are trying to develop ways of treating them in the womb.

'via Blog this'

Homosexuality is ‘less fixed’ than most people think

Homosexuality is ‘less fixed’ than most people think | News | The Christian Institute: Homosexuality is “less fixed” than many people may think, a prominent gay commentator at The Times has said .And while Matthew Parris insisted that he does not think “everyone is alterable” he said that “male sexual orientation is less fixed than we suppose. It may alter. We gays fought that idiotic ‘section 28’ on dishonest grounds. Homosexuality can, as the statute implied, be ‘promoted.’"

'via Blog this'

Human Biology 101 – a human zygote is not a “fertilized egg”

Human Biology 101 – a human zygote is not a “fertilized egg” | NRL News Today: Contrary to how the media repeatedly portrays the beginning of life, when a single sperm enters the mother’s egg cell, the resulting cell is called a zygote. The zygote is full of life and bearing the unique genetic imprint of a human being who has heretofore never existed. The DNA in the 46 HUMAN chromosomes of that tiny cell contain full instructions about that new individual’s sex, eye color, shoe size, brain capacity and other physical traits.

This is how every single person’s life begins – a living cell to which nothing new is added except oxygen and nutrition. By the end of the first week of this tiny human’s existence the cells of human organism separate into those that will form the baby’s body and organ systems. By as early as 18 days after the sperm entered the mother’s egg the human heart begins to beat.

'via Blog this'

China's demographics disaster

China's demographics disaster - Economic Impact - Mindful Money: China's looming demographic problem is not new news. Its one child policy was always likely to create a situation where, ultimately, a smaller working population was supporting a larger pensioner population. But the Economist suggests that the situation may be worse than originally thought.

'via Blog this'

When Killing Your Child is Called “Pregnancy Management”

When Killing Your Child is Called “Pregnancy Management”: Dr. Mark I. Evans is known around the world for his work in genetics, prenatal screening and diagnosis, and the selective reduction of pregnancies. Of course, “selective reduction” is code for the choosing and killing of one or more babies in a multiple pregnancy. You don’t reduce children – you kill them. But Dr. Evans prefers to refer to this procedure as “pregnancy management.”

'via Blog this'

China Dissident Chen Guangcheng Escapes House Arrest

China Dissident Chen Guangcheng Escapes House Arrest - YouTube: Blind activist Chen Guangcheng, who exposed China's brutal forced abortions, has escaped from house arrest, is now in hiding in Beijing, and released a video addressed to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. In it he makes three demands, including one that Mr Wen investigate what Mr Chen calls the brutal beating of his family members.

'via Blog this'

Why A Principled-Conservative, Bible-Believing Protestant, and Counter-cult Expert Will Vote for Mitt Romney

The Constructive Curmudgeon: Why A Principled-Conservative, Bible-Believing Protestant, and Counter-cult Expert Will Vote for Mitt Romney: Douglas Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, explains his choice.

'via Blog this'

The temptation of Tim Tebow

The temptation of Tim Tebow - Guest Voices - The Washington Post: AshleyMadison.com, a Web site whose sole contribution to the greater cultural good is helping married men and women arrange secret adulterous affairs. You may have heard how Ashley Madison has offered a bounty of $1 million to anyone who can offer proof of having had sex with Tebow, the famously and unapologetically Christian athlete who has publicly declared – because the media have been rude enough to ask him the question – that he is, at age 24 and single, a virgin.

“Sports and sex (and of course, infidelity) go hand in hand,” said AshleyMadison.com founder and CEO Noel Biderman in a news release. “If Mr. Tebow is indeed abstaining from adult relationships, I would encourage him to find a nice lady or two and enjoy his youth and fame as much as possible. We are beyond the days where pre-marital sex has a social stigma, and it is my hope that soon we will also feel the same about infidelity.”

Related: The Real Bounty On Tim Tebow (+ a way to encourage Tim)

'via Blog this'

Infertile Canadians buy frozen human eggs from U.S.

Infertile Canadians buy frozen human eggs from U.S. - Health - CBC News:"It is technically illegal to buy human eggs from a donor in Canada. But people can chose an egg donor from an online catalog full of hair and eye colour options, send up to $12,000 to an egg bank in the U.S. and have a frozen egg couriered to a Canadian fertility clinic, CBC News has learned.

'via Blog this'

IVF drugs linked to childhood cancer

IVF drugs linked to childhood cancer - Telegraph: No study has yet found convincing evidence suggesting that fertility treatment leads to babies that are any less healthy than those conceived naturally. However, French researchers will tell a conference in London today they believe there is an association between the use of ovarian stimulation drugs and two types of childhood leukaemia.

'via Blog this'

New fertility microscope allows parents to watch baby from conception

New fertility microscope allows parents to watch baby from conception - Telegraph: A sophisticated new microscope makes it possible for fertility doctors to monitor the developing fertilised egg continuously for up to five days. It means any abnormal changes can be spotted and the egg discarded so only the best quality ones with the best chance of creating a healthy pregnancy are transferred to the womb. The technique has led to one in every two couples achieving a successful pregnancy, doctors said.

Editor: Hate to quibble, but after fertilization, it's no longer an egg. Five days in, it's more accurate to say the new human being is at the blastocyst stage. Learn more from the Prenatal Timeline.

'via Blog this'

Homosexuality, Christianity, and the Gospel – Part 4

Homosexuality, Christianity, and the Gospel – Part 4: "What should the attitude of the Summit Church be Towards Homosexuals and Homosexuality?" This is the last in a four-part series about homosexuality. The first part was “What Does The Bible Say About Homosexuality?” The second part was “Frequently Asked Questions,” and the third part was “Politically, Should The Church Just Stay Out Of This Issue?”

'via Blog this'

Congress Should Make Secret Abortions Illegal

Congress Should Make Secret Abortions Illegal - By Jeanne Monahan & Robert Schwarzwalder - The Home Front - National Review Online: When a parent learns his or her daughter has had major surgery, say, an open-heart operation or removal of a cancerous growth without being told — and has been transported across state lines to have it done — indignation and concern are fully warranted. But some on the left want to keep parents and guardians in the dark regarding just such a significant procedure: abortion. Why? Because for abortion absolutists, access to abortion trumps the health of young women and the rights and responsibilities of parents.

'via Blog this'

Families race to adopt before U.S. tax credit ends

Families race to adopt before U.S. tax credit ends | Reuters: Unless Congress acts, the federal adoption tax credit, which allows a non-refundable $12,650 credit, will expire on December 31, 2012. The 2011 credit allowed tax savings of as much as $13,360 per child.

'via Blog this'

Latino Evangelicals Rally Voters Around Complex Election 2012 Agenda

Latino Evangelicals Rally Voters Around Complex Election 2012 Agenda: When the Rev. Gabriel Salguero stands to talk politics with rooms full of Latino evangelical ministers, he often starts by mentioning his concern about the state of the family, including the unborn. But when Salguero stood, Bible in hand, in a Cleveland meeting space Saturday filled with about 500 people, he quickly moved on to his expectation that people of faith will aggressively support public policies that address poverty, immigration and yawning education disparities.

'via Blog this'

CNN Poll: 62% Want All or Most Abortions Illegal

CNN Poll: 62% Want All or Most Abortions Made Illegal | LifeNews.com: CNN asked the question, “Do you think abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal under only certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?” The survey found 25 percent of Americans want all abortions legal while 21 percent want all abortions illegal, and it had a large group of 53 percent of Americans saying abortions should be legal only under certain circumstances.

Related: In Reasons US Women Have Abortions, researchers said

The reasons most frequently cited were that having a child would interfere with a woman's education, work or ability to care for dependents (74%); that she could not afford a baby now (73%); and that she did not want to be a single mother or was having relationship problems (48%). Nearly four in 10 women said they had completed their childbearing, and almost one-third were not ready to have a child. Fewer than 1% said their parents' or partners' desire for them to have an abortion was the most important reason. Younger women often reported that they were unprepared for the transition to motherhood, while older women regularly cited their responsibility to dependents.

All of these are valid reasons for abstaining from sexual activity or using birth control, not -- according to most Americans -- for having an abortion. The "certain circumstances" usually cited as permitting abortion include those not mentioned in the summary above: Rape (1%), incest (less than .5%), possible problem with the health of the baby (13%), or the mother's health (12%).

'via Blog this'

Attitudes toward adoption: It's immoral?

In the Guttmacher Institute's "Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives" (Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2005) I came across this little disturbing nugget:

While fewer than 1% of women in the quantitative survey volunteered that they would not consider or did not favor having a baby and giving it up for adoption, more than one-third of interview respondents said they had considered adoption and concluded that it was a morally unconscionable option because giving one's child away is wrong.

We have our work cut out for us.

Related: Pastors Conference 2012: Together for Adoption

The Frank Schaeffer mystery

WORLDmag.com | The Frank Schaeffer mystery | Marvin Olasky:  In a recent blog post, Frank Schaeffer argues that Chuck Colson and Richard John Neuhaus fronted for “oppressive ideas rooted in an anti-constitutional theocratic far right wish list for changes that were supposed to roll back the parts of the democratic processes—say Roe v. Wade, women’s rights and gay rights—that far right Catholics and Protestants didn’t approve of.”

Editor: Never mind, as Olasky says, there was nothing democratic about Roe. If you read the blog post, you'll see the reason for his rant. He says he's long ago given up his old "evangelical shtick" and responds to a commenter, asking, "Do you mean that God and what the Bible 'says' about God are one and the same? The Bible is a book filled with good things and lots of nonsense too. God -- if there is one -- is the creator of everything you see in the Hubble plus more. What some collection of Bronze Age mythology says and what is really out there (and in us) isn't the same thing. Don't blame the creator for religion or religious books." Wow.

'via Blog this'

Crises of Competence and Character In Science Too?

Crises of Competence and Character In Science Too? » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: "I am concerned that Western society is threatened with two metastasizing twin crises of competence and character.  Science is not immune from larger cultural forces, and thus two recent stories worry me that the dual afflictions have spread to science too."

'via Blog this'

Eminient IVF doc quits creating babies in Petri dishes

Change of heart: Eminient Chicago IVF doctor quits practice of creating babies in Petri dishes | LifeSiteNews.com: I was a member of several infertility practices since joining the field in 1995. In 2008 I was increasingly concerned about the kind of procedures we were doing. Initially it was the demands of same-sex couples. Then it was the way in which everybody looked at the embryos that had undergone pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Finally, it was the realization that the embryos that we were producing were just as important as the embryos that were transferred. I could not change my practice to accommodate the way I was looking at the process.

'via Blog this'

My daughter, Cystic Fibrosis, and stem cell research

My daughter, Cystic Fibrosis, and stem cell research | LifeSiteNews.com: If a cure for CF came from stem cells from aborted babies, would I allow it to be used on my daughter?

'via Blog this'

Exchanging the Truth of God for a Lie

Cornwall Alliance: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” That short sentence is the bedrock of the whole of Biblical faith. Grant it, and all else follows: God’s ownership of all things (“The earth is Jahweh’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it …”—Psalm 24:1–2), and thus His rule and judgment over all things (“Jahweh is our Judge, Jahweh is our Lawgiver, Jahweh is our King”—Isaiah 33:22), and His right to make of anything precisely what He wills (“Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?”—Romans 9:21).

God as Creator, the heavens and the Earth, and everything in them, as His creatures, under His rule and judgment—that is the starting point of Biblical faith and, because life follows from faith, of Biblical life.

Deny that, and all else falls—all else in faith, and all else in life. If God is not Creator of all, then He is not owner of all; He is not Judge, Lawgiver, or King over all; He has no right to make of anything what He wills; and no one, nothing, has any obligation to do as He wills.

That is why the unbelieving world cannot live with the first three chapters of Genesis. It wants autonomy. It wants, as the Serpent tempted Eve in the Garden, to be its own judge, lawgiver, and king.

When Does Helping Hurt? Celebrating 'Earth Day' to Death

When Does Helping Hurt? Celebrating 'Earth Day' to Death - Christian News, Conservative Commentary: Where do hippies get together to celebrate “Earth Day,” pretend Jesus and Muhammad were best buds and eco-freaks, and sing “Kumbaya”? Try the week-long series of events sponsored by Interfaith Moral Action on Climate.

'via Blog this'

Why Churches Shouldn't Push Contraceptives to Their Singles

Christianity Today: Reducing abortion is a noble and urgent goal. This is the wrong way to do it.

Two weeks ago, younger evangelical leaders gathered in Washington D.C. to reflect about the shape Christianity should take in the world. Q . . . is one of the more interesting spots in the evangelical landscape. . . . [C]onference attendees are an interesting cross-section of the evangelical world. Some might be emergent, others might be Reformed, but no one talks much about all that. It's concern about social issues, rather than distinctive theological ones, that attendees seem to gather around. In a breathtaking moment of unity, however, conference attendees affirmed that churches should advocate for contraceptives for the single people in their midst.

Why Jane Goodall Thinks Chimps May Have Souls

Interview: Why Jane Goodall Thinks Chimps May Have Souls | Movies & TV | Christianity Today: In [Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park] there are fantastic waterfalls where the water drops eighty feet through a natural gorge. There's a wind caused by the displacement of air with the dropping water, and ferns waving and vines hanging down. And this spectacle causes what we call an incredible "waterfall dance." The chimpanzees will sway rhythmically from foot to foot, and sometimes sit and look at the waterfall. That makes me feel that if the chimpanzees could speak, if they could share the behavior that makes them perform these displays, which I think must be related to awe and wonder, that could lead to one of those early animistic religions where people worship water and sun and elements they can't understand.

Read more about how she thinks chimps and humans differ.

'via Blog this'

Loving Them

Loving Them: Eric Metaxas of Breakpoint writes, "While I believe that Christians must speak out passionately on this issue, how we speak about it is as important as the points we make. Actually, it might be more important because what’s missing in some of what I hear coming from pro-life activists is an appreciation that, apart from the grace of God, chances are we would be on the other side of the issue. There’s a tendency sometimes to demonize our enemies instead of loving them and, more to the point, showing them that we love them."

Editor: Amen! I've been wondering whatever happened to "hate the sin, love the sinner." It must apply to everyone but our president. I've cringed more over so-called Christian responses to him than over anything he's done in office. And he's done a lot that's cringe-worthy.

If President Obama does something we objectionable or harmful to Christians, ought we respond in kind? Where is the turn of the cheek? Where is the blessing for those who curse? Where is the prayer for those who spitefully use us? Where is mercy for the misguided?

'via Blog this'

The Ugly American — Sex Trafficking and Our National Humiliation

AlbertMohler.com – The Ugly American — Sex Trafficking and Our National Humiliation: When a congressman can admit for us all that women and girls are being forced into the sex trade for a clientele “consisting largely” of American government officials and contractors along with the U.S. military, that problem becomes the responsibility of every American.

American Christians, who understand the incomprehensible scandal and moral horror of sex trafficking must recognize that this is an issue of high moral priority.

We must demand the enforcement of laws meant to protect human beings from being sold into sexual slavery and the vigorous prosecution of those who are engaged in sex trafficking. We must demand that any American involved in such activities be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that every effort be made to release women and young people from sexual slavery.

Related: Colombia scandal exposes sex trafficking growth
In a Culture Without Virtue, We Have Men Without Chests
'via Blog this'

Pastors Conference 2012: Together for Adoption

Pastors Conference 2012 « Together for Adoption: Southern Seminary, Hope for Orphans, and Together for Adoption believe that nothing can mobilize churches to carry out the practice of true religion (“visit orphans and widows in their affliction” – James 1:27) like a robust understanding of our adoption through Christ. Scripture’s story of adoption is the story of God visiting us in our affliction (Romans 8:3-4, 18-23) in order to deliver us from it.

We visit orphans and widows in their affliction because God first visited us in ours. If any group of people should be passionate about visiting orphans in their affliction, it should be the children of God. There is no other group of people that should be more easily mobilized to care for orphans. Period. Visiting orphans in their distress mirrors what God has done for us in ours.

'via Blog this'

Why Children Matter, a free ebook by Johann Christoph Arnold

Why Children Matter, a free ebook or paperback by Johann Christoph Arnold: In a world that is increasingly hostile to children, it is vitally important to give each one the childhood they deserve. In his latest book, pastor Johann Christoph Arnold offers an approach to parenting that is grounded in faith and old-fashioned in the best sense. It won't be easy, but parents can still welcome children, raise them the right way, and prepare them to stand their ground in these challenging times.

Arnold doesn't mince words, but he shows genuine concern for the plight of parents faced with difficult parenting decisions. As the fabric of family and society is torn apart, this book offers concrete advice for parents who want to pass on to their children the values their parents gave them.

'via Blog this'

Where Are the Dads? Treating Richmond's Fatherless Epidemic

Where Are the Dads? Treating Richmond's Fatherless Epidemic | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction: "There is a crisis in gender relations in the African American community. This is a painful reality." Should a public health department—perceived as a government monolith unqualified to counsel individual men and women—try to change citizens' gender relations, encouraging fidelity, responsibility, and stable two-parent families? When it costs a city $205 million every year in taxpayer dollars, public health director Donald Stern and a number of Christians in Richmond, say the answer is clear.

'via Blog this'

Just 1 Click Away

Just 1 Click Away: Sex and temptation are waiting online just 1 click away, invading our homes and our schools, fighting for the hearts and minds of young people, perhaps even yourself. God, faith, and strong moral values can protect hearts and minds against a slippery downward slope. But we must wake up and act now and instill moral strength in our youth! Truth and facts can set us free. These are also just 1 click away. Begin your journey with the resources on this website; share them with those you love. From Josh McDowell Ministries.

'via Blog this'

World abortion statistics

Poodwaddle.com

Check out this World Clock, that keeps track of world population and deaths -- including abortions (lower left of death feature).

Let Me Tell You How to Vote

Let Me Tell You How to Vote - centralseminary.info: While churches should not tell their members who to vote for, they should teach them how to vote. In every political race, many issues will surface that are not moral in nature. Christians may certainly take account of these issues, but non-moral issues should never be allowed to take priority over moral ones. For example, a candidate’s religious beliefs and affiliation may be matters of interest, but they do not typically determine how well an elected official will govern. Christians might better vote for an unbeliever with just policies than to vote for a fellow-saint whose policies are naïve or misguided.

By Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary
'via Blog this'

Protecting Unborn Children from Pain

Protecting Unborn Children from Pain « Public Discourse: Objections to Pain-Capable Child Protection Acts generally fall into two categories. First, some philosophers and doctors dispute that the unborn child can “feel” pain prior to birth. Second, many abortion-rights advocates argue that, even if fetal pain exists, the Constitution does not permit states to limit access to abortions merely to prevent inflicting pain on a pre-viable fetus. Upon close examination, neither of these objections is persuasive.

'via Blog this'

Time Capsule: Mike Wallace tells truth about homosexuality in 1967 documentary

Time Capsule: Mike Wallace tells truth about homosexuality in 1967 documentary | LifeSiteNews.com: Wallace’s documentary, The Homosexuals, is a frank examination of the self-destructive behavior of sexually-active homosexuals, the underlying psychological causes of their impulses, and their troubling influence on American culture. It also discusses curative therapy for homosexual orientation, which had a success rate in the 1960s of about one third, a result similar to that yielded by modern therapeutic methods.

'via Blog this'

Pro-Life Leaders Remember Christian Activist Chuck Colson

Pro-Life Leaders Remember Christian Activist Chuck Colson | LifeNews.com: Leading pro-life advocates are remembering pro-life advocate and Christian activist Chuck Colson, who passed away over the weekend. Colson, who was know for insightful analysis and opinion on life issues, was in critical condition following emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Related: Chuck Colson and the Conscience of a Hatchet-Man

'via Blog this'

Wisconsin Planned Parenthood Halts Medication Abortions While Bans March Through States

Planned Parenthood announced last week that it would stop dispensing abortion pills at all of its Wisconsin locations after Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill into law banning the dangerous drugs without the presence of a license physician. This law virtually bans the practice of telemed, or webcam abortions. Medication abortions account for about 25% of all abortions in Wisconsin.

Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, said, “This has been a textbook example of how activism encourages legislation. Once we discovered the webcam abortions in Iowa, we worked with other organizations to create legislation. That legislation has been picked up by other groups and guided through the legislative process. The result is positive change and increased protections for women that will result in fewer abortions.”

Since then several states have worked to prevent the expansion of the dangerous abortion process. Wisconsin joins Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota in banning webcam abortions. North Dakota and Oklahoma have also passed webcam bans that are currently in the process of litigation. Elsewhere, a ban on webcam abortions passed its final hurdle in the Minnesota Legislature last Wednesday, and now heads to the desk of Gov. Mark Dayton, a pro-abortion Democrat. It is unknown whether he intends to sign the bill or exercise his veto.

Planned Parenthood spends $100,000 on election commercial

Planned Parenthood spends $100,000 on election commercial: Voice of Russia: Planned Parenthood has spent an unexpected $100,000 on running an ad which took on the state's representative in Northern Pennsylvania. It might be seen as a precursor of the 2012 election campaign. The ad highlights the amount of political advertising we can expect to see in the near future but also the amount of attention which will be given to so-called 'women's issues' such as access to abortion.

Editor: Weirdly enough, this item appeared on the Voice of Russia news site.

'via Blog this'

Twins born after mom stays on respirator

Twins born after mom stays on respirator | wzzm13.com: A western Michigan hospital says a woman who was considered dead from brain aneurysms was kept on a respirator for a month to allow the birth of twin boys. The boys were born by cesarean section at 25 weeks on April 5. A spokesman for Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids says Nicholas and Alexander remain in critical condition Monday.

'via Blog this'

Abortion rates contribute to Baltimore's population decline

Baltimore population: Abortion rates contribute to Baltimore's population decline - baltimoresun.com: The decline of marriage, particularly among African-Americans, is all too familiar. Not as well-known is that Maryland has a very high abortion rate (third highest among the states in 2005, the year that the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stopped collecting abortion statistics). The breakdown by jurisdiction reveals that Baltimore City is driving those deadly numbers, and also that the abortion rate among African-American women is at least triple the white rate.

'via Blog this'

Did God Use Evolution?

Did God Use Evolution? - Answers in Genesis: Evolutionary ideas have been carried into biblical exegesis. In his book, Did God Use Evolution?, Dr. Werner Gitt shows why evolutionistic thought is completely foreign to the Bible. "This book is aimed predominantly at Christian readers who might be inclined to accept some version of theistic evolution. Over and above that, the book is set out in such a way that skeptical readers may also be guided to some decision."

'via Blog this'

Why can't we achieve ‘common ground’?

How can we achieve ‘common ground’ if pro-aborts believe the fetus is a ‘parasite’? | LifeSiteNews.com: Why can’t we achieve any common ground with our foes, so we can at least reduce the number of babies that have to die, and the mothers who have to go through the trauma of abortion. Why can’t we work together in the most basic way to make abortion “rare”? First and foremost is the complete and total incompatibility of the pro-life and the pro-abortion worldviews.

'via Blog this'

Ireland Takes Up Bill on Abortion Access

Ireland Takes Up Bill on Abortion Access - NYTimes.com: As in the United States, it was the Supreme Court here that legalized abortion, although in strictly limited circumstances. But in the 20 years since the decision in the “X Case,” successive governments have shied away from enacting the legislation needed to carry out the order.

'via Blog this'

Oklahoma personhood bill fails in Legislature

Oklahoma personhood bill fails in Legislature | Reuters: The bill, which backers hoped would provide a path to roll back the constitutional right to an abortion, had sailed through the Oklahoma Senate in February by a 34-8 vote. Many thought the Republican-dominated House would rubber-stamp the bill. But Republican lawmaker Sally Kern said the measure failed before reaching the floor of the House.

Related: Lawsuit seeks to overturn controversial Oklahoma law restricting abortion drugs

'via Blog this'

Ukrainian bishops demand government make abortion illegal

In strongly-worked statement, Ukrainian bishops demand government make abortion illegal | LifeSiteNews.com: “We call upon the Government of Ukraine to make legal reforms that both guarantee the right to life of the pre-born human being and make abortion illegal,” the statement said. “Inasmuch as women feel coerced into abortion due to difficult material and social predicaments, we exhort Ukrainian society to construct effective mechanisms for the protection of mothers.” The statement made in March by Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Head and Father of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, has gained national attention, with many in the media accusing the Church of sparking a needless abortion debate.

'via Blog this'

Birth defects more common in IVF babies

Birth defects more common in IVF babies: study | Reuters: Babies conceived through certain fertility treatment techniques are about one-third more likely to have a birth defect than babies conceived without any extra help from technology, according to a new review of several dozen studies.

'via Blog this'

Women should not trick the biological clock

Women should not trick the biological clock - Telegraph: Soon women will be able to 'bank’ tissue from their ovaries, to be used at a later date. But is it a good idea?

'via Blog this'

The New Conversion: Why We 'Become Christians' Differently Today

The New Conversion: Why We 'Become Christians' Differently Today | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction: Evangelicals are experiencing a "sea change"—a paradigm shift—in their understanding of conversion and redemption, a shift that includes the way in which they think about the salvation of God, the nature and mission of the church, and the character of religious experience. Although there is no one word to capture where evangelicals are going in this regard, there is a word that captures what they are leaving behind: revivalism.

'via Blog this'

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Has Stopped 11,000 Abortions

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Has Stopped 11,000 Abortions | LifeNews.com: The Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood’s research arm, claimed that roughly 2,200 partial-birth abortions occurred in a representative year prior to the ban – almost all of which were performed because they were necessary to protect a woman’s health. Just over 5 years ago, the US Supreme Court upheld the ban.

'via Blog this'

Consumerist Reproduction

Consumerist Reproduction » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: A Canadian pundit has a good critique of how IVF has devolved procreation into consumerist reproduction. He writes in reaction to an American IVF clinic advertising sex selection to Indian couples living in Canada. This means all embryos of the “wrong sex” become medical waste based on eugenic calculations.

'via Blog this'

Churches embrace social media

York County churches embrace social media - The York Daily Record: When the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) needed to create buzz for its Togo mission, officials knew where to turn. Call it the Facebookosphere - the online, social-media world where the buzz lives 24/7 on any and all topics.

"We wanted to be where people are," said Leah Farr, director of strategic communications for ABWE, based in Fairview Township. "If the church wants to impact culture, we need to be living, playing and conversing in the arenas where other people are spending a lot of their time." At the start of March, the organization created a unique social media campaign - around a free mission trip to Africa - that far exceeded expectations.

Not all churches and faith-based organizations are rushing to get online. Less than half of Protestant churches - about 47 percent - actively use Facebook, according to a survey conducted last year by LifeWay Research, an arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Far fewer (3 percent) use MySpace or church-specific social networks like The City. Fully 40 percent of churches use no social networking tools at all, the research found."

'via Blog this'

How four people changed abortion debate in Ohio

ENQUIRER IN-DEPTH: How four people changed abortion debate in Ohio | Cincinnati.com | cincinnati.com: Three women dressed in pajamas at a sleep over in November 2010 used a whiteboard to draft an anti-abortion measure that split the anti-abortion movement, backed Republican lawmakers into a corner - and could make Ohio’s abortion laws the strictest in the nation. If nothing else, those three women, plus a doctor in Zanesville pushing an even more restrictive measure, have transformed the abortion debate in Ohio and the nation. The bill scrawled on the whiteboard was the so-called “heartbeat bill,” now House Bill 125.

'via Blog this'

What about rape?

Feminists for Life of America - Pro Woman Pro Life: What if it was your daughter who was raped? Out of our desire to save someone from suffering, it is normal to wish we could erase a painful memory such as rape. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that as much as we want to, we can't.

Abortion doesn't erase a memory. Abortion is a second act of violence against a woman who is raped. Abortion is worse than rape. Both victims—the woman and her child—deserve our unconditional support.

Related: Rape survivor speaks to men

'via Blog this'

That Unrepentant Bigotry

Discovery Institute - Bioethics - Articles/News - That Unrepentant Bigotry: Many of our brothers and sisters remain the victims of a pervasive but nearly invisible bigotry — and indeed subjected continually to profoundly demeaning and hateful characterizations — mostly without social protest, cultural opprobrium, or even notice by the usual enforcers of cultural comity.

. . . Ironically, this still-discriminated-against group is also our most diverse. Its membership comes in all races, ages, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, and any other human identifier one can conjure. In fact, if not already within this scorned cadre, any one of us could become a member at any time, and all of us have — or had — loved ones who could be so identified.

So, who are these despised unfortunates? People with profound cognitive disabilities and catastrophically debilitating diseases, against whom it remains respectable to employ profoundly demeaning descriptives both in public discourse, public policy advocacy, and private conversation.

'via Blog this'

Thirty-One Gifts, marketed with scripture, helps fund Planned Parenthood

Thirty-One Gifts, marketed with scripture, helps fund Planned Parenthood | Bound4LIFE: Thirty-One Gifts is a company based on principles from Proverbs 31 and is much lauded by ladies  across the nation as being a “Christian” organization because of this. Many of its consultants are Christian women, even ministry leaders. On the outside it looks like a worthy place to build a business with biblical values; however, it’s funding arm, Thirty-One Gives is giving money to abortion providers.

Among its contributions to Planned Parenthood affiliated organizations are the YWCA, consistently on the Life Dynamics Planned Parenthood funding list, Girl Scouts, which has close ties to Planned Parenthood and some very explicit sexual teaching, and the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio which not only funds Girl Scouts but also brags about its Planned Parenthood funding.

'via Blog this'

NBA giant JaVale McGee: A life spared from abortion

Sports Illustrated: On a Saturday morning in the spring of 1987, Pamela McGee sat on the shore at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, 72 hours from a scheduled abortion. "Do you want to be pregnant?" the counselor at the clinic had asked her. "No," McGee replied. She was a single, 24-year-old professional basketball player, and she could not take maternity leave. And even if she could, she couldn't imagine hauling an infant to Italy and parking the stroller next to the bench. But as McGee looked out over the Pacific, she began to reconsider. "I prayed and prayed and prayed and felt like I heard a voice from God," McGee says. "He was telling me, 'This is your gift.' " The next day she went to Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, and the pastor delivered a sermon about not aborting one's blessings. O.K., God, McGee thought. You don't have to beat it into my head. She called the clinic to cancel, and on Jan. 19, 1988, gave birth to a boy with physical abilities that would border on the supernatural.

Tiny, Happy People

Tiny, Happy People | First Things: According to three ethicists writing in the journal Ethics, Policy and the Environment, because geoengineering might be too risky a way to combat global climate change, we should alter the human species instead.

'via Blog this'

She Had A Dream

Between 2 Thieves: She Had A Dream: She was nineteen, pregnant, and scared. Single and unable to support herself and a baby, the thought of having to tell her parents was more than she could bear. The baby's father had given an ultimatum; either the baby goes or he does. So she scheduled an appointment to "have it taken care of." But as she drifted off to sleep on the night before her scheduled abortion, she had a dream.

'via Blog this'

Ashamed and Disappointed | Challies Dot Com

Ashamed and Disappointed | Challies Dot Com: "Last week in Louisville I ended up staying in a hotel that was a little bit off the beaten path, so to speak, just outside the downtown core, out where most of the storefronts were boarded up and only fast food restaurants and strip clubs kept their lights on at night. Every time I walked from my hotel to the conference or from the conference to the hotel, I had to pass by an abortion clinic, a building with a sign that declared it a 'Women’s Surgical Center.'"

'via Blog this'

Mississippi Genius: Non-Ban May Ban Abortions

Mississippi Genius: Non-Abortion Ban May Ban Abortions | LifeNews.com: The state of Mississippi is down to one abortion facility and the governor signed a bill yesterday that exemplifies the kind of genius seen nowadays in pro-life legislation. A measure that protects women from unscrupulous abortion practitioners who have no ability to admit them to a hospital in cases of botched abortions may be the ticket to essentially shutting down the last remaining abortion clinic in the state.

'via Blog this'

Reproductive Coercion and the New Eugenics

Reproductive Coercion and the New Eugenics » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: We have been told that the proposed new eugenics would be okay, unlike the bad old eugenics, because it would be based on “choice” rather than societal coercion. Right.

Bottom line: Once we deny human exceptionalism and presume the right to “improve” the human herd, it may start with “choice” but that is not where it ends. Nor, would the practice be limited to extreme genetic conditions. That’s just the launching pad. Indeed, in matters such as this, diversity, true equality, and freedom are the last things that matter.

'via Blog this'

The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage

The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage - NYTimes.com: Couples who cohabit before marriage (and especially before an engagement or an otherwise clear commitment) tend to be less satisfied with their marriages — and more likely to divorce — than couples who do not. These negative outcomes are called the cohabitation effect.

. . . [R]esearchers call [it] “sliding, not deciding.” Moving from dating to sleeping over to sleeping over a lot to cohabitation can be a gradual slope, one not marked by rings or ceremonies or sometimes even a conversation. Couples bypass talking about why they want to live together and what it will mean.

. . . Women are more likely to view cohabitation as a step toward marriage, while men are more likely to see it as a way to test a relationship or postpone commitment, and this gender asymmetry is associated with negative interactions and lower levels of commitment even after the relationship progresses to marriage. One thing men and women do agree on, however, is that their standards for a live-in partner are lower than they are for a spouse.

Founding relationships on convenience or ambiguity can interfere with the process of claiming the people we love. A life built on top of “maybe you’ll do” simply may not feel as dedicated as a life built on top of the “we do” of commitment or marriage.

. . . [T]he most recent research suggests that serial cohabitators, couples with differing levels of commitment and those who use cohabitation as a test are most at risk for poor relationship quality and eventual relationship dissolution. . . . [F]ar from safeguarding against divorce and unhappiness, moving in with someone can increase your chances of making a mistake — or of spending too much time on a mistake.

'via Blog this'

Women's long life linked to children - lots of them

Women's long life linked to children - lots of them: The study of older Australians, found women with six or more children were about 40 per cent less likely to die during the 16-year follow-up than women with no children. The study leader, Leon Simons, of the University of NSW, said some had up to 14. ''I'm not advocating for you to have six or 14 kids, but it does seem having a few children is good for survival,'' he said. The study used information collected from more than 1200 men and 1500 women who were aged over 60 when the researchers first examined them in 1988 and 1989. ''They were having kids in the '40s and '50s, pre-oral contraceptive pill,'' Associate Professor Simons said. ''In this age group, large numbers of children were quite common.''

'via Blog this'

God's handiwork: The heavenly assignment of a special child

Celebrate Life Magazine: Thirteen hospital specialists each had provided us with a long list of dire predictions for Joseph, such as “He will only eat through a tube and won’t be able to breathe on his own,” and “Oh yes, Mrs. Pierce, did I mention he probably will be blind, deaf, unable to communicate, and severely retarded?”

The geneticist had handed us information from a medical book that was 25 years out of date. Its description of   Wolf-Hirschhorn  syndrome was accompanied by a picture of a wild-eyed, severely disfigured child. My obstetrician had encouraged us to institutionalize Joseph before we “bonded” with him. She was annoyed at any contact I had with him and believed he was an “inappropriate” child for us; she called him a “freak of nature.” Another hospital specialist claimed that if Joseph managed to reach an unlikely second birthday, he’d require “numerous unsuccessful, painful surgeries.”

That was 14 years and several Special Olympics trophies ago.

'via Blog this'

Race and the Horrific Frequency of Abortion

Race and the Horrific Frequency of Abortion - Desiring God: When there are historic and contemporary evidences that certain minorities are targeted by the abortion industry, the loss is compounded by the lurking sin of racism. Let these numbers for Minnesota (these persons, these babies) sink in. Compare the percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion to the percentage of the total population. Then do the research for your own state or vicinity.

Editor: To find data, go to your state's website (usually something like "michigan.gov"). Search for "abortion statistics" or find the section for "health." Abortion data could be under vital statistics and/or pregnancy statistics.

'via Blog this'

Christians and storytelling

WORLDmag.com | Christians and storytelling | John Erickson: On a typical Sunday morning, my pastor preaches a Christian message to 150 people. The CBS cartoon probably entered 10-15 million living rooms, where unsuspecting children absorbed hidden messages along with their chips and soda pop.

This is the challenge Christians face in today’s media-drenched world. We preach. We present well-reasoned arguments and back them up with Scripture. We organize boycotts and sign petitions. And in the arena of popular culture, we’re getting creamed, because we have allowed someone else to tell our stories.

'via Blog this'

Abortion surcharge in Obamacare? Here’s the evidence

Abortion surcharge in Obamacare? Here’s the evidence | LifeSiteNews.com: In recent weeks there have been reports about an abortion surcharge contained within President Obama’s signature healthcare law. Pro-abortion activists have been desperate to shove the issue under the carpet. They know full well public outrage will ensue if the law’s hidden agenda is fully exposed to the American people in broad daylight.

Related: What Rules Us?

'via Blog this'

Informed consent for preimplantation genetic diagnosis may be inadequate -- LaBonte -- Journal of Medical Ethics

An analysis of US fertility centre educational materials suggests that informed consent for preimplantation genetic diagnosis may be inadequate -- LaBonte -- Journal of Medical Ethics: While some human studies have concluded that PGD is safe, animal studies and a recent human study suggest that the embryo biopsy procedure may result in neurological problems for the offspring. 86.6% of PGD-performing centres state that PGD is safe and/or fail to disclose any risks on their websites despite the fact that the impact of the procedure on the long-term health of offspring is unproven.

'via Blog this'

Do parents have a duty to use IVF and PGD?

BioEdge: Two bioethicists contend that some parents are morally obligated to use pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to create a healthy baby. Janet Malek, of East Carolina University, and Judith F. Daar, of Whittier Law School, in California, argue that eventually the law should and will impose “a duty on IVF-reproducing parents to maximize the well-being of their future offspring by all reasonable means.” Why? The authors cite three reasons: increasing the child’s well-being, expanding his or her self-determination, and reducing inequalities.

Malek and Daar’s article was critiqued by a number of other bioethicists in the same issue of American Journal of Bioethics. Some felt that they did not go far enough. All parents at risk of conceiving a sick child have a duty to use IVF and PGD, argue bioethicist Rosalind Ladd, of Wheaton College, and Edwin Forman, of Mt Sinai Medical School.

Related: Is PGD safe?

Planting Confusion: Plants created on day 3 or 6?

Contradictions: Planting Confusion - Answers in Genesis: Critics have charged that the first two chapters of the Bible contain a contradiction regarding the creation of the vegetation. Some old-earth creationists have pointed to the same passages to bolster their claim that the early chapters of Genesis need not be interpreted as historical narrative.

via Blog this'

"Some people are going to get hurt"

Prolife legislation on the move in Michigan

Right to Life of Michigan's Blog: Prolife legislation on the move in Michigan: In Michigan, an unprecedented numbers of prolife bills are making their way through the state legislature. After dealing with eight years of former Governor Jennifer Granholm’s veto, prolife legislators are eager to bring their efforts to fruition.

'via Blog this'

Mum with two Down’s children challenges abortion culture

Christian Institute: A couple who have two children with Down’s syndrome, including one they adopted, have spoken of the joys of bringing them up – but criticised the culture of aborting children with the condition. Amanda Hazell, who is also a GP, criticised the “negativity” about Down’s in the medical profession.

“As a GP, I see it first hand. The very fact that expectant mothers can be tested for it is suggestive of it being a bad thing; that if your test is positive, the ‘difficulty’ can be ‘sorted’ with a termination.” Their children, Freddie and Mimi, “bring us a richness, a fulfilment we wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t come into our lives. Mimi lives for swimming and painting and Freddie loves acting out scenes with his toys.”

She also criticised the language used in the medical profession – saying Down’s Syndrome is talked about as “a ‘risk’ rather than a possibility.”

David Whiting Live: The Burden of Abortion - part 2

David Whiting Live: The Burden of Abortion - part 2: This pastor suggests two small ways for making a difference. There are some more great suggestions in the comments below.

'via Blog this'

British sperm donor ‘fathered 600 children’

British sperm donor ‘fathered 600 children’ | The Sun |News: A British scientist may have fathered 600 children after making donations to a fertility programme he ran with his wife. And one of his biological children has suggested the number may even be as high as a thousand.

'via Blog this'

No Difference Between Romney and Obama?

Escaping the Cave: Both sides employ shallow sentimentalities in their arguments thereby demeaning the intellect of both their supporters and their detractors as they attempt to garner support by manipulating emotions rather than encouraging free intellectual assent (the medical community calls this patient autonomy). What is sinister about this is the fact that we actually think we are appealing to reason when we do this. 

. . . The deeper moral issue even before you get to the abortion question is, "What is a human being?" That question and that question alone informs all our actions and interactions with other human beings (also known as ethics). Do we differ on the question of man? For there to be such a divide as the one America and the rest of the modern world are experiencing that answer is, "Yes."

David Whiting Live: The Burden of Abortion - part 1

David Whiting Live: The Burden of Abortion - part 1: "I have wondered if my grandchildren will look at me in twenty years and say, "Grandpa, I can't believe abortion used to be legal! What did YOU DO to stop abortion from happening?" I imagine that question all the time. Frankly, I fear that question. And I only have a few things I do and have done:

• I support some great pro-life organizations fiscally
• I preach about it whenever it comes up in the texts I'm teaching
• We direct attention and funds from our church budget to a great, local pro-life ministry
• I won't vote for a pro-abortion candidate (any more than I'd vote for a candidate in favor of genocide) regardless of their party affiliation
• I make sure my daughters understand the moral atrocity of abortion

My fear is that my grandchildren will say, "That's it? That's all you did?" And I will have to look at them with shame and say, "Yes" or I will have to try to justify why it was "enough."

'via Blog this'

More children born to unmarried parents

USA Today: A growing number of firstborns in the USA have unmarried parents, reflecting dramatic increases since 2002 in births to cohabiting women, according to government figures out today. The rise in first births to cohabiting women parallels increases in first births to unmarried women overall, according to a report

The percentage of first births to women living with a male partner jumped from 12% in 2002 to 22% in 2006-10 — an 83% increase. The percentage of cohabiting new fathers rose from 18% to 25%. The analysis, by the National Center for Health Statistics, is based on data collected from 2006 to 2010.

"We were a little surprised in such a short time period to see these increases," says demographer Gladys Martinez, lead author of the report, based on face-to-face interviews with 12,279 women and 10,403 men ages 15-44.

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

Do Pets Go to Heaven? | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction: An author, a professor, and an animal advocate weigh in.

'via Blog this'

Couple sue over Down syndrome child

Couple sue over Down syndrome child - Post | IOL.co.za: A Johannesburg couple is claiming several million in damages from two gynaecologists and from a pathologist company after their daughter was born with Down syndrome. Frederick and Joanita Lange of Sharonlea said that if they had known before the birth of their daughter five and a half years ago that she would suffer from Down syndrome, they would have considered the option of terminating the pregnancy. The court will at this stage only determine whether the medical practitioners were at fault.

'via Blog this'

Religion has an important role in politics

ERLC: Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, appeared in an Easter Day showing of the CBS News program “Face the Nation.” He said he had read President Kennedy’s speech on religion in politics “about 30 times” and explained there is a role for religion in politics but that it shouldn’t be an “institutional role.”

Cardinal Dolan expressed concern that the notion of separation of church and state has been misinterpreted to also mean a “wall between one’s faith and one’s political decisions, between one’s moral focus and the way one might act in the political sphere.” He said it was incorrect to suggest that faith has no place in the public square. “I think the public square is impoverished when people might be coerced to put a piece of duct tape over their mouth.”

Land agreed, noting it was an early Baptist, Roger Williams, who contributed the concept of religious liberty as a major plank in America’s founding. “We believe absolutely in the separation of church and state to protect the church from the state,” Land said. “There are many of us who are concerned about government intrusion on the free exercise of faith. It never was intended to mean the separation of religiously informed morality from public policy.”

NRLC Endorses Mitt Romney

NRLC Endorses Mitt Romney: Determined to secure a pro-life victory in the November election, which will decide the fate of unborn children for decades to come, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of 50 state right-to-life affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, today endorsed Mitt Romney for President of the United States.

“On pro-life issues, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama provide a stark contrast. As the country's most pro-abortion president, Barack Obama has pursued a radical pro-abortion agenda,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “It is now time for pro-life Americans to unite behind Mitt Romney. For the sake of unborn children, the disabled, and the elderly, we must win.”

'via Blog this'

Baptist group rescinds grant to women’s clinic

RN-T.com - Baptist group rescinds grant to women’s clinic: The Women of Worth clinic’s main goal is to provide Pap smears and cervical cancer screenings for women who cannot afford them — it does not provide abortions, said Executive Director Marilyn Ringstaff. When a representative from the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation called last year during the application process for a $42,000 grant to ask if they were an abortion clinic, a volunteer told them “no,” she said. But they do offer the morning after pill.

And when an unidentified pastor saw that the Baptist group had awarded WOW the grant he called the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry, accusing the local clinic of providing abortions, she alleged. On Tuesday, Ringstaff received a letter from Will Bacon, vice president of development for the ministry, officially rescinding the grant offer.

Editor: The question that should have been asked is, "Do you provide abortions or refer women to doctors who will perform them?" I would also like to know how this Baptist group justifies supporting a clinic that facilitates the sexual activity of unmarried women? Were there no pregnancy centers they could support? We could have helped them find several.


Update: Baptist charity pulls grant from clinic that distributes the morning-after pill -- Will Bacon, the ministry’s vice president of development, sent the clinic a letter last Tuesday asking for the funds to be returned. But Women of WORTH executive director Marilyn Ringstaff has said she will not comply. “We have no intention of giving a dime back. They are going to have to file suit to get it.”

. . . Funding abortion would be at odds with the Baptist charity’s history and faith. According to its most recent annual report, GBHCM assigns all grants with “reverence for the dignity of each person,” based on “Christian life and family values.” Many of its expenditures have underwritten alternatives to abortion, such as crisis pregnancy centers.

'via Blog this'

Jimmy Carter’s pro-life rhetoric ‘a political decision,’ Baptist leaders say

LifeSiteNews: “I never have believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortions,” Carter told talk show host Laura Ingraham, while promoting his new study Bible. “I’ve signed a public letter calling for the Democratic Party at the next convention to espouse my position on abortion which is to minimize the need…and limit it only to women whose life are in danger or who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest. I think if the Democratic Party would adopt that policy that would be acceptable to a lot of people who are now estranged from our party because of the abortion issue.”

The political context, and the shift in Carter’s views since leaving the presidency, have made Southern Baptist leaders question his sincerity. “What he’s doing is making a political calculation,” Dr. Richard Land, who has served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission since 1988, said the issue “is killing the Democrats in the South” and that “Jimmy understands this. He understands the reason they lost the South is not the civil rights movement; it’s the abortion movement. It isn’t a moral decision about abortion. This is a political decision.”

Paintings depict loneliness of China's one-child policy

LifeSiteNews: The little boy’s face is that of 38 year-old Chinese painter Li Tianbing, taken from photos of himself as a child; the other little boys are his imaginary playmates, brothers and sisters who were never born, who populated his solitary life. Li’s work focuses consciously on the impact on individual lives of the country’s One Child Policy. He was five when the government issued it in 1979.

An exhibition of Li’s paintings, titled “A Game as Pretense of Being,” is currently in Paris, but could perhaps more appropriately have been titled, “A Childhood of One.” The focus is not on the large statistics whose immense scale can depersonalise, but on the policy’s impact on individual human lives. Children in China now, for the first time in the country’s history, know only the life of solitude. No one is allowed to have brothers and sisters, and there are no large families in a country where for thousands of years family was all.  See more of Li’s paintings here.

Bill links abortion, homicide

Bill links abortion, homicide | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com: An amended bill passed in the Mississippi House Tuesday equates abortion of a fetus with a detectable heartbeat to child homicide.

House Judiciary B Chairman Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, successfully resurrected his "heartbeat" bill by amending a Senate bill to broaden its definition of child homicide to include some abortions. "It would be disingenuous to say if you kill a 1-year-old child, it's a crime, but it's not a crime to kill a child that's in the womb," Gipson said. "I think there is a logical disconnect there."

'via Blog this'

Planned Parenthood bypassing parents and school boards by texting kids

STOPP - Stop Planned Parenthood - Planned Parenthood bypassing parents and school boards by texting kids: Cecile Richards says teens are looking for information that they don’t want to seek from their parents. To that end, she claims that Planned Parenthood employees have communicated via texting with over 65,000 young people over the past year. PP is exploiting the opportunity to reach children under their parents’ radar by using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Via advertising and media outlets such as MTV, teens are made aware of the availability of texting Planned Parenthood. In fact, in answer to a question about what area she would like the most to expand, Richards very quickly pegged text and chat areas.

'via Blog this'

Should Ministers Officiate at the Weddings of Unbelievers?

Should Ministers Officiate at the Weddings of Unbelievers? No – The Gospel Coalition Blog: Even though they may have little connection to a church, many couples today still want a traditional wedding ceremony with a pastor officiating. If you were the pastor, how would you respond?

'via Blog this'

Stem-Cell Rules Go Unheeded

Stem-Cell Rules Go Unheeded: Scientific American: Three months after the Chinese health ministry ramped up its efforts to enforce a ban on the clinical use of unapproved stem-cell treatments, a Nature investigation reveals that businesses around the country are still charging patients thousands of dollars for these unproven therapies.

'via Blog this'

Doughnut-shaped religion

WORLDmag.com | Doughnut-shaped religion | Marvin Olasky: NY Times writer Nicholas Kristof likes te “latest wave of respectful atheist writing” and calls it “a healthy step toward nuance.” He concludes “this new attitude can eventually be the basis for a truce in our religious wars.”

That’s the view from 35,000 feet. It doesn’t work at street level. America tried this in the 1950s, when mainline religions were at their attendance peak and many leaders spoke about the useful social effects of “Judeo-Christianity.” They suggested we not bother with truth claims. That didn’t work. The 1950s led to the 1960s because many people, including many teenagers, including myself, were not impressed with doughnut-shaped religion. We needed reality in the middle.

'via Blog this'

Children are America’s Greatest Resource, Part II

Children are America’s Greatest Resource, Part II: "The numbers of Americans who are not here today due to human choice are staggering. Since abortion was legalized in 1973, more than 50 million children have been discarded through that procedure as unwanted. Add to that the estimated 100 million more children that would have been born to American women if they had the continued having children at the same rate that existed during the 1950s. We’re talking about a much younger, more vibrant American population of close to 450 million creators, consumers, builders, dreamers."

'via Blog this'

Postmodernism and Disability?

Joni & Friends: Everyone seems to be talking about the dangers of postmodern thought and its influence on our world, but how is it impacting special-needs families? What difference does it make to a person with a disability? Your elderly parent with Alzheimer's? Or your granddaughter born with multiple disabilities? Listen in on Joni Eareckson Tada's perspective on this special interview recently aired on Chuck Colson's Breakpoint.

When we think of the pro life movement, abortion is usually the first topic that comes to mind. But people with disabilities are also targets of an increasingly utilitarian society that's turned its back on biblical truth. During this half-hour interview, BreakPoint welcomes a tireless and brilliant defender of disability dignity, Joni Eareckson Tada, the recipient of this year's William Wilberforce Award

The Difference Between Medical Ethics and Bioethics

The Difference Between Medical Ethics and Bioethics » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: "Traditional medical ethics focuses on the physician’s duty to the individual patient, whose life and welfare are always sacrosanct. The focus of bioethics is fundamentally utilitarian, centered, like other utilitarian disciplines, around maximizing total human happiness."

'via Blog this'

Planned Parenthood Sets Up 40 Days of Prayer for Abortion

LifeNews: A Planned Parenthood in California is copycatting the 40 Days for Lifecampaign, which recently resulted in saving the lives of more than 700 unborn children from abortion. The abortion business has set up its own 40 Days of Prayer for the local abortion center.

“We trust you to decide about your sexuality, having your children, and planning your family,” says a flier promoting the Humbolt County Clergy for Choice event. “We are religious leaders who value all human life. We accept that religions differ about when life begins. We are here to help.”

“We believe that human life is holy. That’s why we believe in your right to choose to be a parent or not,” the pro-abortion religious leaders continue. “It can be helpful to talk with friends you trust, with licensed counselors, and with whatever religious person you choose. Humboldt County Clergy are available to talk with you about the spiritual aspects of choice. Find out more by calling Six Rivers Planned Parenthood.”

“Humboldt County Clergy for Choice invite you to set aside time with your family and community to support women and reproductive justice for 40 days from March 18th through April 27th,” they say. The flyer promotes specific prayers for abortion for each day.

Editor: Wonder what they mean by saying "human life is holy." Certainly not the same as when we say human life is sacred. "Reproductive justice" is a new one.

I'm reminded of Isaiah 1:15, which says, "When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood."

Related: Dancing Sufis for abortion

Scientists rewrite rules of human reproduction

Scientists rewrite rules of human reproduction - Health News - Health & Families - The Independent: The first human egg cells that have been grown entirely in the laboratory from stem cells could be fertilised later this year in a development that will revolutionise fertility treatment and might even lead to a reversal of the menopause in older women.

Scientists are about to request a licence from the UK fertility watchdog to fertilise the eggs as part of a series of tests to generate an unlimited supply of human eggs, a breakthrough that could help infertile women to have babies as well as making women as fertile in later life as men. Producing human eggs from stem cells would also open up the possibility of replenishing the ovaries of older women so that they do not suffer the age-related health problems associated with the menopause, from osteoporosis to heart disease.

Some scientists are even suggesting the possibility of producing an “elixir of youth” for women, where the menopause is eradicated and older women will retain the health they enjoyed when younger.

'via Blog this'

Pursue Mature Manhood and Womanhood

CBMW » Pursue Mature Manhood and Womanhood: "I encourage you to be like a dolphin in the sea of our egalitarian, gender-leveling culture. Don't be like a jellyfish. The ocean of secularism that we swim in (including much of the church) drifts toward minimizing serious differences between manhood and womanhood. The culture swings back and forth as to whether women are mainly sex objects or senior vice presidents. But rarely does it ponder the biblical vision that men are called to humbly lead and protect and provide, and women are called to come in alongside with their unique gifts and strengths and help the men carry through the vision."

'via Blog this'

Mothers protest against abortion ads

Mothers protest against abortion ads|Hot Issues|chinadaily.com.cn: "What is painless abortion?" a two-year-old girl asked her mother after seeing some advertisements. Embarrassed by questions like this, a group of mothers have organized an exhibition to show tens of thousands of brochures advertising abortion, accusing them of "misleading children," in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei province. The mothers, from successful entrepreneurs to ordinary wage earners, protested in a public letter that hospitals aggressively advocated abortions in buses, newspapers and outdoor posters "without any moral sense," China Youth Daily reported.

'via Blog this'

The anthropic principle

WORLDmag.com | The anthropic principle | John Erickson: The anthropic principle isn’t exactly an admission that the Bible had it right all along, but it does make it awkward for thoughtful people to believe that the universe is the result of Dumb Luck. If science is becoming aware of design, that is cause for celebration. It validates the intuition of common folk and children who, over the centuries, have gazed up into a diamond sky and thought, “Surely this must be the work of God.”

'via Blog this'

'When God Talks Back' To The Evangelical Community

'When God Talks Back' To The Evangelical Community : NPR: Poll numbers show that more Americans are experiencing God through personal relationships. The Pew Foundation found that nearly a quarter of Americans are what they call "renewalist" Christians, which means they have an interactive sense of God's presence. Another study found that 26 percent of all Americans say they have been given a direct revelation from God.

'via Blog this'

Pro-life senators say prenatal care for illegals good fiscally, ethically

Pro-life Hub-area senators say prenatal care for illegals good fiscally, ethically - KearneyHub.com - Kearney, NE: Nebraska soon could restore state-funded prenatal care for pregnant illegal aliens, and three Hub Territory lawmakers are backing the legislative push. All three lawmakers — state Sens. John Wightman of Lexington, Galen Hadley of Kearney and Tom Carlson of Holdrege — said today they support the controversial prenatal care measure, LB599, because they view it as pro-life legislation. “I’m not supporting illegal aliens, but I cannot turn my back on these innocent, helpless babies,” Carlson said today.

'via Blog this'

Justice Department Agrees: “The power of the courts to review the constitutionality of legislation is beyond dispute”

Justice Department Agrees: “The power of the courts to review the constitutionality of legislation is beyond dispute” | NRL News Today: Faced with no alternative, the Obama Justice Department dutifully submitted (as ordered by U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jerry Smith) a three-page, single-spaced letter affirming that “The power of the courts to review the constitutionality of legislation is beyond dispute.” The letter was signed by Attorney General Eric Holder.

Judge Smith ordered the response in the midst of oral arguments in Houston on Tuesday in a separate challenge to another aspect of ObamaCare. Alluding back to President Obama’s controversial remarks made Monday, Judge  Smith said Obama’s comments troubled a number of people who have read them as a challenge to the authority of federal courts.

'via Blog this'

Scientists warn of dangers in delaying motherhood

Scientists warn of dangers in delaying motherhood: More women are coming to the fertility clinic at age 43 or older expecting that pregnancy can be instantly achieved, and they're disappointed to learn that it can't be done easily, the journal Fertility and Sterility reported.

'via Blog this'

America: Heading Towards Zero Population Growth?

America: Heading Towards Zero Population Growth? - Seeking Alpha: Many, or possibly most, commentators mistakenly believe that US demographic growth will be robust for decades to come. This misconception is due in part to the fact that Europe and Japan have very poor demographics in comparison to the US. The number of Europeans and Japanese is indeed expected to decline while the American population continues to grow. But the rate of US population growth will also be declining for the next several decades.

It is widely known that immigration has been and will continue to be a key component of growth for the US population, but immigration is seen by many as an addition to the organic growth of the existing population, when in reality it will be the only source of growth in the 2030s and 2040s when organic growth will be flat or negative.

'via Blog this'

The virtue of questioning ‘science’

WORLDmag.com | The virtue of questioning ‘science’ | James A. Wanliss: It is not that Christians reject science, but that they, who are lovers of truth, increasingly recognize that what is sold as “science”—a search for truth—really isn’t any longer; it’s bogus post-normal science. That is what conservatives and Christians distrust, and what anyone who cares about science should also distrust.

'via Blog this'

Churches step up environmental activism

Washington Times: Stewardship of the Earth is hardly a new concept in Christian thought — it’s mentioned in Genesis — but a growing school of theological thought leaders are getting out of the pew, marching on the picket line, and becoming specific-issue activists. The movement has also led to a rift among Christians, as some high-profile leaders fear that churchgoers are letting themselves be used by secular activists.

European Court to consider ‘unprecedented’ number of abortion cases in coming months

European Court to consider ‘unprecedented’ number of abortion cases in coming months | LifeSiteNews.com: Among the cases that the European Court must now judge on, there is the case of a Polish mother who complained of difficulties in obtaining permission for her minor daughter to have an abortion. There is also the case of a woman who died during pregnancy, (allegedly) due to conscientious objection exercised by doctors. In another case, a woman who became sterile following an abortion complained of not having been properly informed of the risks. In two other cases before the Court, the women who gave birth to children with disabilities complain of not being able to have abortions. Finally, on a related topic, the Court also has before it a case involving a ban by the Italian legislature of pre-implantation diagnosis.

'via Blog this'