“How Has Being a Young Earth Creationist Affected Your Career as a Scientist?” | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: As judged by the world’s perception, Georgia Purdom is an “embarrassment” to an entire university science department and a “science-denying kook.”
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Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Obama Mandate Could Fine Religious Groups $2,000 Per Employee
Obama Mandate Could Fine Religious Groups $2,000 Per Employee | LifeNews.com: Recently, Republicans in Congress asked the Congressional Research Service to examine the new mandate and the consequences for employers that do not want to follow it because it would violate their consciences and CRS issued a document finding noncompliant employers could face federal fines of $100 per day (or $2,000) per employee.
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After-Birth abortion: A Modest Proposal?
After-Birth abortion: A Modest Proposal? | LifeSiteNews.com: As reprehensible as their conclusions are, Giubilini and Minerva agree with pro-lifers on two key points. First, they fully accept that the unborn and the newborn are both living human beings, accepting without argument the scientific reality that a biological human being begins at conception. Thus, they forthrightly acknowledge that both abortion and infanticide involve the taking of human life.
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Something deadly this way comes: the insatiable appetite of the Culture of Death -- Albert Mohler
Something deadly this way comes: the insatiable appetite of the Culture of Death | LifeSiteNews.com: This article in the Journal of Medical Ethics is a clear signal of just how much ground has been lost to the Culture of Death. A culture that grows accustomed to death in the womb will soon contemplate killing in the nursery. The very fact that this article was published in a peer-reviewed academic journal is an indication of the peril we face.
For years now, pro-life activists have been lectured that “slippery slope” arguments are false. This article makes clear the fact that our warnings have not been based in a slippery slope argument, but in the very reality of abortion. Abortion implies infanticide. If the unborn child lacks sufficient moral status by the fact that it is unborn, then the baby in the nursery, it is now argued, has also not yet developed human personhood.
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For years now, pro-life activists have been lectured that “slippery slope” arguments are false. This article makes clear the fact that our warnings have not been based in a slippery slope argument, but in the very reality of abortion. Abortion implies infanticide. If the unborn child lacks sufficient moral status by the fact that it is unborn, then the baby in the nursery, it is now argued, has also not yet developed human personhood.
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When Being Pro-Life Isn’t Enough to Stop Abortion
When Being Pro-Life Isn’t Enough to Stop Abortion « Public Discourse: The challenge in preventing abortion of Down syndrome fetuses is not convincing mothers that their child is a human being with a right to life, but of assuring expectant mothers there will be support for their children after they are born.
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The Truth Behind Rush Contraceptive Uproar
Stoll: The Truth Behind Rush Contraceptive Uproar: Under Obamacare, if you have health insurance, contraceptives have to be not just inexpensive, but free. . . . This idea that something which costs money to make can really be “free” to taxpayers or to anyone else is a deeply held left-wing belief.
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The War on Fertility
The War on Fertility - WSJ.com: Contemporary feminism does not actually value choice, except as a means to an ideological end, which is the obliteration of differences between the sexes. The biggest such difference consists in the distinct and disparate demands that reproduction makes on women. Thus in order to equalize the sexes, it is necessary to discourage fertility. Implicit in contemporary feminism is a normative judgment that having children is bad.
If this were made explicit, of course, the whole project would fall apart. Feminism is politically unviable without the support of at least a substantial minority of women, and women (or at least most women) do have a maternal instinct. So feminism has to wage its war against fertility covertly, rationalizing it in terms of other goals.
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If this were made explicit, of course, the whole project would fall apart. Feminism is politically unviable without the support of at least a substantial minority of women, and women (or at least most women) do have a maternal instinct. So feminism has to wage its war against fertility covertly, rationalizing it in terms of other goals.
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Scientists use artificial womb for research into embryos
The Engineer: Scientists at Nottingham University have developed an artificial womb to aid research into how early embryos develop. The new device is effectively a soft polymer bowl that mimics the tissue of a mammal’s uterus in order to grow mouse embryos outside the body for long enough to observe the embryo developing in the vital first eight days of life.
Research leader and professor of tissue engineering Kevin Shakesheff said studying the way the body generates new cells at an early stage could lead to treatments for otherwise untreatable conditions. ‘There are a lot of diseases that involve adult patients losing the functions of certain tissues, for example, after a heart attack and, as adults, we can’t repair that spontaneously. ‘But everybody did grow those tissues themselves when they were an embryo in a matter of a few weeks. We want to know what’s happening in the embryo better and see if we can use that as a way of growing adult tissue from adult stem cells.’
Research leader and professor of tissue engineering Kevin Shakesheff said studying the way the body generates new cells at an early stage could lead to treatments for otherwise untreatable conditions. ‘There are a lot of diseases that involve adult patients losing the functions of certain tissues, for example, after a heart attack and, as adults, we can’t repair that spontaneously. ‘But everybody did grow those tissues themselves when they were an embryo in a matter of a few weeks. We want to know what’s happening in the embryo better and see if we can use that as a way of growing adult tissue from adult stem cells.’
Editor: What happens to the embryos when they've completed their observations?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Obama: End Funding for Snowflake Embryo Adoption Program
Obama: End Funding for Snowflake Embryo Adoption Program | LifeNews.com: The Obama administration proposes to defund the Embryo Adoption Awareness Campaign in its fiscal 2013 budget. As the Washington Times reports, “The Department of Health and Human Services “is not requesting funds for this program” because “the Embryo Adoption program will be discontinued in FY2013,” HHS officials said in a February funding report to Congress.”
Ron Stoddart, executive director of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, one of the top embryo adoption programs, told the newspaper he is disappointed with the decision, saying, “I think that daily we talk to people about … embryo donation and adoption, and we hear the response, ‘Really? I didn’t know that was even possible.’”
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Ron Stoddart, executive director of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, one of the top embryo adoption programs, told the newspaper he is disappointed with the decision, saying, “I think that daily we talk to people about … embryo donation and adoption, and we hear the response, ‘Really? I didn’t know that was even possible.’”
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Abortion: A Crime Against the Black Community
Abortion: A Crime Against the Black Community | LifeNews.com: Since 1973, legal abortion has killed more African Americans then AIDS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and violent crime combined. Every week more blacks die in American abortion clinics then were killed in the entire Vietnam War. With this much murder taking place amongst a group of people, it is clearly a crime, is it not? A crime against humanity?
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Stem Cell Discovery Could Put Cloning on the Fast Track
LifeNews: Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have announced they have found stem cells in ovaries that may be able to generate egg cells. It was previously thought that women are born with all the eggs they will ever have in a lifetime. But this research suggests that more eggs can be made by extracting these stem cells from ovaries. . . . this discovering has much greater ramifications than simply slowing a woman’s biological clock. If successful, this technique may put the push for cloning back on the fast track.
What we gained through infertility
What we gained through infertility - Salon.com: "The realization that a biological child wasn’t in the cards alighted unexpectedly on my shoulder, like a butterfly. It happened the moment my sister [their surrogacy volunteer] called to say the fifth round of artificial insemination didn’t work. The news that another fertility treatment had failed was no surprise, but I was shocked by my reaction. I was completely fine. Suddenly I had the acceptance and clarity that had eluded me for so long. With enormous relief, John and I officially decided to adopt a baby."
Christian perspective, from Terri Stovall, dean of women's programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: Infertility -- where grief meets grace
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Christian perspective, from Terri Stovall, dean of women's programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: Infertility -- where grief meets grace
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Monday, March 5, 2012
Teenagers launch campaign to send one million pro-life letters to the White House
LifeSiteNews: 15-year-old Angela Kim and the five other members of the Teenage Life Club are sending letters to the White House and the Supreme Court this month calling for an end to abortion. And they are looking for a few hundred thousand people to join them. The goal of the group’s 2012 Pro-Life Letter Writing Campaign is to flood the White House and the Supreme Court with one million pro-life letters during the month of March.
“We know that abortion is not going to end just because a million letters are sent, but we also know that the letters will represent pro-life people in our nation as well as the million babies aborted every year in the United States alone,” Angela told LifeSiteNews. “We are hoping that it will remind people of the need to elect an actively pro-life president and other governmental officials.”
It’s an ambitious project for a small, newly-formed group of teenage girls, whose involvement in pro-life work has so far been confined to the local level. The six members, who live in five different states, have taken advantage of their geographical distance to get the word out across the country. “Many pastors have been very supportive,” says Angela. “Eight churches support our cause now in six different states, and more are constantly joining the campaign.”
“We know that abortion is not going to end just because a million letters are sent, but we also know that the letters will represent pro-life people in our nation as well as the million babies aborted every year in the United States alone,” Angela told LifeSiteNews. “We are hoping that it will remind people of the need to elect an actively pro-life president and other governmental officials.”
It’s an ambitious project for a small, newly-formed group of teenage girls, whose involvement in pro-life work has so far been confined to the local level. The six members, who live in five different states, have taken advantage of their geographical distance to get the word out across the country. “Many pastors have been very supportive,” says Angela. “Eight churches support our cause now in six different states, and more are constantly joining the campaign.”
Android's Iris, a Siri-like service, changes stand on abortion
Android's Iris, a Siri-like service, changes stand on abortion - latimes.com: What does your smartphone think about abortion? If it is powered by Android, and running the Siri-like voice-recognition system Iris, you may be surprised to learn that until Wednesday morning (Feb. 8), it was decidedly anti-abortion.
Cha Cha, the real-time Q&A service that powers Iris, has made some changes as of this morning, but before that, if you asked Iris "Is abortion wrong?" the answer you got was: "Yes, abortion is wrong. The Lord has said, 'You shall not murder.' Exodus 20:13. The life that is growing within the mother is a child, a baby. The Bible looks at the life in the womb as a child. Thanks!"
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Cha Cha, the real-time Q&A service that powers Iris, has made some changes as of this morning, but before that, if you asked Iris "Is abortion wrong?" the answer you got was: "Yes, abortion is wrong. The Lord has said, 'You shall not murder.' Exodus 20:13. The life that is growing within the mother is a child, a baby. The Bible looks at the life in the womb as a child. Thanks!"
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Chinese Parents Flee to America to Save Their ‘Out-of-Plan’ Babies
Chinese Parents Flee to America to Save Their ‘Out-of-Plan’ Babies | Society | China | Epoch Times: Three Chinese parents share their ordeals of fleeing from China to escape forced abortion and other reprisals because of an “illegal, out-of-plan” second pregnancy.
Ethicists say newborns not persons
News to Note, March 3, 2012 - Answers in Genesis: While we say fetuses (and embryos too, for that matter, but that discussion is for another day) and newborns should receive the same protection, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva argue fetuses and newborns are equally deserving of no protection. The authors admit both a fetus and a newborn are human, but they redefine person as someone able to appreciate his own existence. They therefore count “many non-human animals and mentally retarded human individuals” as persons but exclude a newborn because she has not reached a “level of mental development” that is “capable of appreciating her own being alive.” “Merely being human is not in itself a reason for ascribing someone a right to life,” they write, as only an “actual person” has a “right to life.”
Then they define harm as depriving a person of something they value. And since neither a fetus nor a newborn can value life, they assert there is no moral reason to prohibit abortion and therefore no reason to prohibit infanticide. In their words, “Since non-persons have no moral rights to life, there are no reasons for banning after-birth abortions.”
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Then they define harm as depriving a person of something they value. And since neither a fetus nor a newborn can value life, they assert there is no moral reason to prohibit abortion and therefore no reason to prohibit infanticide. In their words, “Since non-persons have no moral rights to life, there are no reasons for banning after-birth abortions.”
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Israeli woman wants own baby to be recognized as triplet of twins born to surrogate
Israeli woman wants own baby to be recognized as triplet of twins born to surrogate - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News: A Haifa woman is petitioning the National Insurance Institute to recognize a baby she gave birth to, as well as twins born to a surrogate mother, as triplets. The NII objects to the petition, submitted to the Regional Labor Court in Haifa last week, claiming the significant benefits to triplets' mothers apply only to babies born during the same birth.
Abortion paper led to death threats
Abortion paper led to death threats: Avoiding the term ''infanticide,'' Alberto Guibilini and Francesca Minerva= say ''after-birth abortion'' should be permitted when disabilities, such as Down syndrome, are not detected during pregnancy, or if economic or psychological circumstances change and ''taking care of the offspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone.''
Dr Minerva said she had notified police about the death threats and feared for her safety. ''This was a theoretical and academic article,'' she said. ''I didn't mean to change any laws. I'm not in favour of infanticide. I'm just using logical arguments.''
The paper had been taken out of context, she said. It was intended for an academic community. ''This debate is not new. The debate has been going on for 30 years,'' she said. ''I don't think people outside bioethics should learn anything from this paper. I've received hundreds of emails saying, 'You should die'.''
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Dr Minerva said she had notified police about the death threats and feared for her safety. ''This was a theoretical and academic article,'' she said. ''I didn't mean to change any laws. I'm not in favour of infanticide. I'm just using logical arguments.''
The paper had been taken out of context, she said. It was intended for an academic community. ''This debate is not new. The debate has been going on for 30 years,'' she said. ''I don't think people outside bioethics should learn anything from this paper. I've received hundreds of emails saying, 'You should die'.''
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Frozen embryo 'open adoption' raises hopes, questions
TODAYMoms - Frozen embryo 'open adoption' raises hopes, questions: Many post-birth adoptions these days are “open,” in which the birth and adoptive families know each other’s name and perhaps have some degree of contact. Pre-birth arrangements may be following suit, though the law hasn't yet caught up.
Embryo donation has long been available at IVF clinics, but in the late 1990’s, embryo “adoption” agencies opened, with the goal of placing the roughly 500,000 unused frozen embryos in the U.S. with prospective families. Although they encourage open arrangements, most agencies leave that decision to the families involved.
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Embryo donation has long been available at IVF clinics, but in the late 1990’s, embryo “adoption” agencies opened, with the goal of placing the roughly 500,000 unused frozen embryos in the U.S. with prospective families. Although they encourage open arrangements, most agencies leave that decision to the families involved.
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Friday, March 2, 2012
Rick Santorum and prenatal testing: I would have saved my son from his suffering.
Rick Santorum and prenatal testing: I would have saved my son from his suffering. - Slate Magazine: "I love my son more than any person in the world and his life is of utmost value to me. I don't regret a single minute of this parenting journey, even though I wake up every morning with my heart breaking, feeling the impending dread of his imminent death. This is one set of absolute truths.
"Here's another: If I had known Ronan had Tay-Sachs (I met with two genetic counselors and had every standard prenatal test available to me, including the one for Tay-Sachs, which did not detect my rare mutation, and therefore I waived the test at my CVS procedure), I would have found out what the disease meant for my then unborn child; I would have talked to parents who are raising (and burying) children with this disease, and then I would have had an abortion."
"Here's another: If I had known Ronan had Tay-Sachs (I met with two genetic counselors and had every standard prenatal test available to me, including the one for Tay-Sachs, which did not detect my rare mutation, and therefore I waived the test at my CVS procedure), I would have found out what the disease meant for my then unborn child; I would have talked to parents who are raising (and burying) children with this disease, and then I would have had an abortion."
Editor: I know a couple of professors who say it's okay to kill him now.
Academics' defense of infanticide supported by pro-choice logic
Academics' defense of infanticide supported by pro-choice logic: “The proposal of a so called 'after-birth abortion' is not a surprise,” Italian neonatologist and Pontifical Academy for Life member Dr. Carlo Bellieni said in response to the article. “It is only a quantitative extension of abortion, but not a qualitative change,” the pro-life physician said, noting that “at birth nothing substantial happens in the body or psyche of a baby” to distinguish it from what abortion advocates call a mere “fetus.”
Dr. Bellieni indicated that defenders of legal abortion have no grounds on which to give a “scandalized response” to the proposed killing of newborns, since “in both cases the life of a human being is terminated.”
Dr. Bellieni indicated that defenders of legal abortion have no grounds on which to give a “scandalized response” to the proposed killing of newborns, since “in both cases the life of a human being is terminated.”
Georgetown co-ed: Please pay for us to have sex … We’re going broke buying birth control
Georgetown co-ed: Please pay for us to have sex … We’re going broke buying birth control « Hot Air: At a hearing of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee yesterday, a single witness — Georgetown law student and “reproductive rights activist” Sandra Fluke — told sympathetic policy-makers that the administration’s so-called contraception mandate should stand … because her peers are going broke buying birth control. It costs a female student $3,000 to have protected sex over the course of her three-year stint in law school, according to her calculations.
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Number of UK marriages increases in 2010
Number of marriages increases in 2010 | News | The Christian Institute: The number of weddings in England and Wales increased by almost four per cent in 2010, according to new figures. Analysts say the recession has caused a desire for the stability marriage offers and people valuing their family more than material possessions.
'Killing babies' article reveals the truth of abortion
'Killing babies' article reveals the truth of abortion, say pro-lifers - Telegraph: Pro-life campaigners have welcomed publication of an article arguing killing newborns should be "permissible," saying it showed there was no moral difference between abortion and infanticide.
Related:
Related:
Abortion has been trivialised admits Abortion Act supporter
Abortion has been trivialised admits Abortion Act supporter | News | The Christian Institute: A self-proclaimed supporter of the Abortion Act has admitted that abortion has become trivial for many people, as he reacted to revelations of sex selective abortions in the UK.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he disclosed that there were some he knew in the medical profession who had approved abortions for pregnant women simply because they “did not want their holidays spoilt by pregnancy.”
The commentator and former doctor, writing under his pseudonym Theodore Dalrymple, said people now view life as an existential supermarket in which they are consumers. From the article:
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Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he disclosed that there were some he knew in the medical profession who had approved abortions for pregnant women simply because they “did not want their holidays spoilt by pregnancy.”
The commentator and former doctor, writing under his pseudonym Theodore Dalrymple, said people now view life as an existential supermarket in which they are consumers. From the article:
[T]he whole sorry story illustrates the mess we get into when two notions become culturally prominent: on the one hand of rights and on the other of consumer choice.
Whatever the law says, most people now think that abortion is a right under all circumstances and not something that is permissible if certain conditions are met, as the framers of the law surely intended. That particular slippery slope has long been slid down. . . .
Into this poisonous mixture we must add the notion that any form of distress, or even the slightest frustration arising no matter how self-indulgently, constitutes an impairment of mental health: for the mentally healthy person is always happy and never experiences any difficulties in life. In short, inconvenience is the greatest of all threats to our well-being, and must at all times be avoided. It is our right to avoid it.
The Abortion Act was intended as a humane response to genuine hardship: the type of hardship that drove women to back-street abortionists. I supported it, not realising that its intentions would soon be subverted by a change in the character of the population, including that of doctors, who would easily affix their names to declarations they knew or suspected to be false. But now the genie is out of the bottle, and I fear there is no getting it back.
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