Archive for 2013

Russia Chooses Life

Steven W. Mosher, Weekly Briefing, 23 December 2013

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning abortion advertising. Some members of the Duma (the Russian state assembly), are talking about going even further and banning the procedure itself.  The Russian Orthodox Church, whose numbers are swelling with converts and “reverts,” is weighing in as well.  One Orthodox prelate called abortion a “mutiny against God.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

This is an amazing turn about in a country which has long been known for its tragically high abortion rate.  Until recently, the average woman in Russia could expect to have seven abortions over her lifetime.  Even The New York Times, no  bastion of pro-life sentiment, has been compelled to acknowledge that Russia’s high abortion rate was damaging the health and fertility of Russian women. As the paper noted in a 2003 editorial, “Now the Russian government is attempting to slow the abortion rate.  It is an admirable goal, given the toll that multiple abortions have taken on the health and fertility of Russia’s women.” Not to mention the toll that abortion has taken on the unborn, and on the population as a whole.

Abortion was forced on the Russian people by the Bolsheviks (the Russian communist party under Lenin), who upon coming to power in 1920 legalized abortion up to birth without any restrictions. Their goal was to destroy the family by encouraging women to get abortions, get out of the home and into the workforce.  Russia was the first country in the world to declare war on the unborn in this way.  Of course, with its purges, mass executions, and Gulag it warred on the unborn in other ways as well.

In fact, it was the early Bolsheviks who developed the suction abortion machine that is still in use in abortion clinics today.  They actually developed two versions.  The first was the electric suction abortion machine used in abortion clinics in the U.S. and other countries. The second was the manual vacuum aspirator, a hand-held and operated abortion machine that is used in less developed countries in places where no electric power is available.

PRI has played a role in helping to turn Russia back to life.  I participated in the first Demographic Summit at the Russian State Social University in Moscow in May, 2011.  We talked with senior Russian leaders about the need to protect life.  Not long thereafter, a law was passed banning abortion of unborn babies older than 12 weeks.  It also mandated a waiting period of 2-7 days for those wanting an abortion, and required that anyone advertising abortion services include a warning to the effect that “abortion is hazardous to a woman’s health.”  Now, of course, advertising of any kind has been banned.

Taken individually, each of the laws put in place by the Russian government has a fairly small demographic impact.  The Russian government, for example, pays a one-time baby bonus of $13,000 to the parents of every newborn.  According to Russian demographer Igor Beloborodov, however, this generous bonus has only convinced 8 percent of couples of reproductive age to consider having another child.

The cumulative effect of all of the pro-life, pro-natal policies taken to date is far more significant. While there are still, according to the Russian Health Ministry, 1.7 abortions for every live birth in the country, that ratio is shrinking as the birth rate climbs and abortion becomes gradually less common.

As a result of the adoption of enlightened policies to protect the sanctity of human life, Russia’s population decline has been virtually halted, and the country has been put on a more stable demographic course.

Russia’s demographic winter is not yet over, but there are signs of a spring thaw.

‘Miracle’ healing of unborn baby moves Pope Paul VI closer to sainthood: doctors advised abortion

BY PETER BAKLINSKI, Mon Dec 16, 2013

VATICAN CITY, December 16, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The extraordinary healing of a baby inside his mother’s womb has been declared medically “unexplainable” by top Vatican doctors, putting Pope Paul VI one step closer to being declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

Seventeen years ago, doctors in California offered a woman abortion as the only possible solution for the abnormality detected in her unborn baby, whom they diagnosed with serious problems that they said would result in severe brain damage, Vatican Insider reports.
Instead, the woman chose life, entrusting herself and her baby to God through the intercession of Paul VI, whose papacy ended with his death in 1978.

Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Montini, is most famous for his 1968 watershed document Humanae Vitae that upheld the long-standing Christian teaching against contraception. In the same document he also condemned “willed and procured abortion” for any reason.
To the doctors’ amazement, the woman’s baby not only made it to term, but was born without a single one of the predicted health problems.

The family was told to wait until their child was 16 – having passed puberty – before a confirmation of complete healing could be given. The child, now 17, is completely healthy.

The Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, chaired by Dr. Patrizio Polisca – Benedict XVI and Francis’ personal doctor – has declared the healing authentic and inexplicable.
Benedict XVI approved the “heroic virtue” of Paul VI a year ago on December 20, the first of three steps in the canonical process of declaring someone a saint.

Fr. Antonio Marrazzo, C.Ss.R., who heads Paul VI’s cause, told Vatican Radio last year that all the evidence of the baby’s healing in utero points to a “truly extraordinary and supernatural event”.
“This healing fits in with Montini’s way of thinking,” he said.
LifeSiteNews.com contacted Marrazzo for comment but did not hear back by press time.

If the alleged miracle passes the scrutiny of theologians, cardinals, and the pope, then Paul VI will become beatified and recognized as a Blessed. A second miracle is required before he can be canonized (declared a Saint).
Paul VI’s beatification is expected within months, reports Vatican Insider.

My Time with Peter Singer

By Dan Becker

“An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.” Proverbs 29:27 ESV

Webster defines the word “abominable” to mean “causing moral revulsion.” Yesterday I had an opportunity to sit down during a lunch break, one-on-one, with Peter Singer the DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and one of President Obama’s elite advisors for Obama Care. He is someone who openly declares the Christian worldview to be “abominable”. In fact I have spent my weekend with an entire body of scholars and left leaning world leaders in public policy . . . who openly declare Christianity to be the single most pervasive problem they face. I was not prepared for the number of presenters at an animal rights symposium who spoke to the theological underpinnings of my own “abominable” worldview.

I am here at Yale University for the last day of the “Beyond Human Personhood” Symposium. As National Field Director for Personhood USA, I was asked by my superiors to attend to see if I could garner any insight in how a leftist worldview approaches the effort of convincing our culture to accept personhood for non-human actors such as: elephants, dolphins, great apes, artificial intelligences and extra-terrestrials.

I was a little surprised to find a modicum of common ground as I observed their intense passion to promote their worldview. I can admire their sacrifice and commitment to what they hold as the true nature of things. I was wholly unprepared for the moral revulsion I felt as they described their overall agenda. They openly admitted that their goal is to “animalize” mankind as just another animal in the zoo we call earth. Their godless evolutionary pre-suppositions demand this. “Speciesism” was mentioned quite often—rightly accusing the Christian worldview of elevating all mankind as being “created in the image of God” and setting man apart from the other creatures of earth by placing all of God’s creation under mankind to act as steward “over the garden”. Countless speakers decried human exceptionalism” and Christianity’s role in promoting a worldview that demoted animals to a status under man’s “dominion.” As I mentioned earlier, I was struck by the sheer number of references to the early church fathers and various quotes from Christian theologians. This was a crowd who knew their church history and had made a conscious decision to reject the good news of Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection for our soul’s sakes. And yes . . . there was a discussion on ensoulment and the fact that Christians denied ensoulment to non-humans. Again, I want to emphasized how unprepared I was to encounter such a high level of theological content, not to mention that it was all directed at me.

At first I thought that surely there were those in the audience that might question some of the presuppositions that were being openly proclaimed, perhaps a philosophy student with an inquiring mind who could connect the dots—particularly in the area of relegating man to the same level as other animals, thereby denigrating human life and dignity. Sadly, I didn’t find a single individual in a crowd of a 100, who spoke out against the obvious policy implications that these ideas proposed.

Singer delivered the keynote in the opening session of the symposium. In it he stated that there were a number of innate characteristics that were inherent in any being who was a candidate for attaining personhood.

They include:

Cognitive or phenomenal capacity (ie. Can it experience pain?)
Intentionality of action (free will)
The capacity to plan for the future
Self-awareness
Self-recognition
Self-interest

It should be obvious from this list that many classes of human life do not meet all of these criteria. For instance, those who are temporarily comatose or misdiagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state, those who have temporary or progressive stages of dementia, Alzheimer patients, some with mental or developmental disabilities, the pre-born, post birth children suffering a congenital anomaly, and yes . . . even perfectly normal children thru 18 months post-birth. These classes were not inferred, they were openly acknowledged! They allege that personhood can NOT be assigned to these classes of human life.

This will have a profound impact on public policy, particularly in the area of denial of healthcare under Obama Care. The presenters in the symposium were not just “post-Christian” they were “anti-Christian” in their formulation of a future utilitarian philosophy that would deliver “the greatest good to the greatest number” by eliminating what Germany in the 1920’s labeled “useless eaters”.

I have always wondered if our side wasn’t succumbing to a certain amount of hysteria when it came to denouncing our pro-death opponents by ascribing to them certain extreme positions. I had the perfect opportunity to find out for myself. I approached Peter Singer after the very large crowd of his admirers had left with signed copies of his books. I note that he is well-loved and acknowledged by all academically as the “father” of the animal rights movement. He is a noted world leader in bioethics. The sheer presence of so many academic heavyweights was very intimidating. I introduced myself as the National Field Director for the largest Christian “Speciest” pro-personhood group in the nation . . . Personhood USA. I had his immediate attention. I asked if we could sit down at some point in the conference . . . I wanted to ask him a few questions. He was very gracious and said he would like to. He understood that I did not intend to debate his position, rather I wanted to verify his policy objectives firsthand. He suggested we meet the following day during the lunch break, somewhere private, so that we could discuss our positions freely.

Given the same opportunity, what questions would you ask Peter Singer? I prayerfully asked God’s leading in this matter. I am not at all certain that I succeeded.

Due to another conversation with the head of the Trans-humanist movement in America, I came into the lunch area a little late. Singer was already seated at a table with a large number of admirers who were seeking his wisdom and encouragement. I ate my lunch alone. He saw me standing over against the wall, and good to his word, he excused himself from the group and made his way over to where I was standing. He said, “Daniel let’s go find somewhere where we can talk.” As we were seated, I thanked him for granting me this opportunity to get beyond the myth to the man himself. I began by restating his criteria for personhood from the previous evening’s talk and asked him if he was intentional in excluding certain classes of human life. He said he was. He reemphasized that mankind is not exceptional. I stated that the ultimate goal of Personhood USA was the legal recognition of human personhood and asked, “Was not the legal recognition of non-human personhood ultimately the goal of his movement”? He agreed that it was. I stated that “Ideas have consequences”, and he replied, They certainly do.” I continued, “Would you agree that your definition of personhood diminishes and devalues human life and dignity and could have profound implications on healthcare policy? That it might lead to rationing and denial of service for those classes he has identified as non-persons under Obama Care?” His response was that it is already occurring and that reform is needed all across the healthcare system. That his definition of personhood would provide a consistent universal ethic for all of earth’s animals.

My final question was that given human nature, my greatest fear was that even if I granted him his definition of personhood with its immediate healthcare policy implications, what would prevent those classes of human life being extended to other classes – the traditional slippery slope argument. He said, “Our open society would self-police the issue and I am fine with the process.” He thought that our democratic process would prevent abuse. I then invoked history. I said, “A decade before the Nazis came to power, Germany’s open society advocated for some of the same ends that you have advocated. Within a decade the litany of killing useless eaters had expanded to the mentally ill, blind deaf and dumb children, gypsies, Christian leaders and Jews.” At that point Godwin’s law kicked in. Godwin’s law states that whoever brings Nazism into a discussion is automatically conceding their point in desperation . . . no matter how appropriate the analogy is. He strenuously objected and replied that the society in Germany was not a free society and couldn’t be responsible for Nazism’s extremes. I replied that it was free enough. That the parents of blind children who were exterminated under the guise “of the best medical care Germany could offer”—these same parents who received an urn of ashes when their children were said to have suddenly succumbed to some deadly disease—rose in public outrage against Hitler and put enough public pressure on him to end the “T4 Action” program in 1941. I stated that this was my greatest fear with his position and that once the sanctity of life was demolished as a cultural anchor that the legal protections of personhood, being redefined and lowered to include animals, would deliver a new human holocaust. He didn’t disagree, he merely restated his position with all of its implications.

My goal at the symposium was to stay under the radar and observe where these non-human personhood proponents were coming from—to discern their underlying presuppositions and to see them as persons and not the enemy. I was not there to argue because scripture indicates that you “answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him.” Alas I failed. For probably the first time in my life it was not my mouth which got me in trouble . . . it was my feet! I had noticed a large number of tennis shoes among this otherwise very well dressed crowd, but had just assumed that it was the standard uniform for preppy liberals. My feet were shod in black “cow’s skin”! It was a dead give-away. I (and my footwear) was an abomination in their midst.

Dan Becker is President of Georgia Right to Life and Field Director for Personhood USA
See more at: http://www.grtl.org/?q=node/449#sthash.dTJtJWHp.dpuf

Problemas asociados con el uso de hormonas para el control de la natalidad

por
Dr. Rebecca Peck, Dr. Benjamin Peck
Fr. Juan R. Vélez, MD (Ex Internista)
Actualizado por Liliana Cote de Bejarano, MD, MPH

Los anticonceptivos orales (y todos los demás anticonceptivos hormonales para el control de la natalidad) son utilizados habitualmente para prevenir el embarazo, aunque a veces se prescriben para tratar otras condiciones médicas. Los anticonceptivos hormonales pueden causar muchos posibles efectos adversos de tipo médico, social y espiritual. La gran mayoría de las recetas de anticonceptivos hormonales son dadas por los médicos a mujeres sanas, a veces a adolescentes sin enfermedad conocida. A algunas mujeres se les prescriben anticonceptivos hormonales para el control de la natalidad, por una sencilla razón—para impedir una condición completamente normal: el embarazo.

Dado que todos los medicamentos tienen potencialmente efectos secundarios no deseados, algunos de ellos graves, es importante que los médicos sopesen los riesgos y beneficios cuando se prescribe algún medicamento. De ello se deduce que no es ético exponer mujeres sanas a riesgos para la salud a fin de evitar una situación normal. El error de exponer las mujeres a estos riesgos es todavía peor dado el hecho de que otros métodos de planificación familiar existen, como la Planificación Natural de la Familia (PNF), los cuales no tienen efectos secundarios.

Como médicos, nosotros no prescribimos anticonceptivos hormonales para el control de la natalidad. Las razones médicas para esta decisión son las siguientes:

Los anticonceptivos hormonales tratan la fertilidad de la mujer y la maternidad como una enfermedad

Aunque puede haber razones legítimas de índole médica y personal para evitar el embarazo, la fertilidad femenina y la posibilidad del embarazo en sí no son una enfermedad, y por tanto no necesitan “tratamiento” con una pastilla (un parche, una inyección, o un DIU).

Los anticonceptivos hormonales causan abortos

Cuando los anticonceptivos orales no suprimen la ovulación en una mujer sexualmente activa y otros mecanismos que impiden la fertilización fallan, puede ocurrir la concepción. Los anticonceptivos hormonales interfieren con la implantación de un nuevo ser humano mediante la reducción del grosor del revestimiento del útero, y alterando moléculas y factores relacionados con la implantación. 1

Las dosis bajas de anticonceptivos hormonales impiden la liberación del óvulo femenino solamente en un 65-75% de los ciclos. 2,3 Por esta razón, si una mujer tiene relaciones sexuales en su periodo fertil es posible que en aproximadamente un 30% de sus ciclos suceda un embarazo y posteriormente un aborto químico.

Los anticonceptivos hormonales contribuyen a una mentalidad anti-vida

Los anticonceptivos hormonales como la Píldora, el parche, el DIU o la Inyección, sustentan la práctica del aborto. La gente inconscientemente concluye: “Si fracasa el control de la natalidad, el aborto es la solución.” Una encuesta a nivel nacional en los Estados Unidos indicó que el 54% de las mujeres que tuvieron un aborto estaban utilizando anticonceptivos el mes anterior.4

Los anticonceptivos hormonales aumentan el riesgo de cáncer de seno

Las mujeres se enfrentan a un mayor riesgo de desarrollar cáncer de seno, cuando usan anticonceptivos hormonales, y este riesgo continua por lo menos diez años después de que dejan de usar hormonas anticonceptivas. Según un estudio publicado en la revista New England Journal of Medicine el uso de anticonceptivos hormonales durante 10 años aumenta el riesgo de cáncer de mama en un 38%. Además, el estudio mostró que los DIU que liberan hormonas también aumentan el riesgo de cáncer de mama.5 Si la Píldora se toma por cuatro años antes de que la mujer de a luz por primera vez, hay un incremento del 52% en el riesgo de cáncer de seno.6

Un análisis de múltiples estudios señaló que 21 de 23 estudios retrospectivos mostraron un mayor riesgo de cáncer de seno premenopáusico en mujeres que tomaron anticonceptivos orales  antes del nacimiento de su primer hijo.7

Los anticonceptivos hormonales aumentan el riesgo de trombo-embolismo pulmonar

Un estudio de 1524 pacientes en los Países Bajos, llegó a la conclusión de que los anticonceptivos hormonales aumentan el riesgo de trombosis venosa cinco veces comparado con el no uso.8 El riesgo es mayor para las mujeres que utilizan anticonceptivos hormonales y que tienen sobrepeso, fuman, o son mayores de 35 años.9

Una revisión sistemática reciente informó que el uso de los anticonceptivos orales combinados aumentaron el riesgo de trombosis cuatro veces comparado con las mujeres que nunca usaron anticonceptivos orales.10

Los anticonceptivos hormonales Incrementan el riesgo de suicidio y provocan un cambio continuo en el metabolismo saludable del cuerpo

Un estudio de casi medio millón de mujeres danesas (2017) con un seguimiento promedio de 8.3 años concluyó que había un riesgo casi dos veces mayor de intentos de suicidio en mujeres que usan anticonceptivos hormonales. También hubo un aumento de tres veces en el riesgo de suicidio en mujeres que usan anticonceptivos hormonales en comparación con mujeres que nunca usaron anticonceptivos.11

Un estudio reciente reportó que el uso de anticonceptivos hormonales vía oral, vaginal o transdérmica, produjo un aumento de los marcadores de inflamación crónica que es un factor de riesgo para la enfermedad cardiovascular. También, el uso de anticonceptivos combinados deterioró la sensibilidad a la insulina en mujeres jóvenes y sanas, el cual es un factor de riesgo para diabetes mellitus.12

Además, el uso de anticonceptivos hormonales puede producir dolores de cabeza tipo migraña, aumento de peso, cambios en el humor, y pérdida de la libido. Tambien contribuyen a un aumento prematuro de la perdida de masa osea.13 El uso de anticonceptivos hormonales asocia con infertilidad tras un uso prolongado, e incluso en cierta medida con el uso a corto plazo.

Los anticonceptivos hormonales aumentan la incidencia de cáncer de los organos reproductivos

Existe una asociación entre el uso de anticonceptivos hormonales y un aumento significativo del cáncer de cuello uterino.14 Es probable que esto sea causado por la infección con el virus del papiloma humano (VPH), el cual es transmitido sexualmente.

Los anticonceptivos hormonales aumentan el riesgo de tumores hepáticos

Hay alguna evidencia de que los anticonceptivos orales aumentan el riesgo de ciertos tumores benignos y malignos del hígado.15

Los anticonceptivos hormonales aumentan el riesgo de ataques al corazón y accidents vasculares cerebrales

Las formulaciones anticonceptivas orales de primera y segunda generación se han relacionado con un mayor riesgo de ataques cardíacos (infartos de miocardio) y accidente cereberovascular isquémico.16  Las píldoras anticonceptivas orales de tercera generación son asociadas con un mayor riesgo de accidente cerebrovascular isquémico17. El análisis del 2015 de múltiples estudios mostró que las mujeres que usan píldoras anticonceptivas combinadas tiene 1,6 mayor riesgo de sufrir un ataque cardíaco o un derrame cerebral.18

Los anticonceptivos hormonales tienen efectos nocivos para el matrimonio y la sociedad

Las hormonas para el control de la natalidad fomentan la mentalidad de que los hombres y las mujeres son incapaces del auto-control y por lo tanto no son capaces de abstenerse de tener relaciones sexuales. La introducción de los anticonceptivos hormonales fue el catalizador de la revolución sexual y produjo un incremento dramático del sexo pre-marital, el adulterio, el divorcio, el aborto, y los nacimientos fuera del matrimonio. Los anticonceptivos hormonales han tenido un papel indirecto en el aumento abrumador de padres solteros, madres solteras, pobreza y otros males sociales en los Estados Unidos.19,20

Los métodos de PNF son un medio excelente para planificar la familia

PFN está libre de efectos secundarios perjudiciales para la mujer y para la familia, y cuando se utiliza por motivos serios, y su uso puede ser  muy bueno para el matrimonio.21

Referencias

  1. Klipping, C., Duijkers, I., Fortier, M. P., Marr, J., Trummer, D., & Elliesen, J. (2012). Long-term tolerability of ethinylestradiol 20 mug/drospirenone 3 mg in a flexible extended regimen: Results from a randomized, controlled, multicentre study. The Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 38(2), 84-93. doi:10.1136/jfprhc-2011-100214 [doi]
  2. Chowdhury, V., Joshi, U. M., Gopalkrishna, K., Betrabet, S., Mehta, S., & Saxena, B. N. (1980). ‘Escape’ ovulation in women due to the missing of low dose combination oral contraceptive pills. Contraception, 22(3), 241-247. doi:S0010-7824(80)80003-5 [pii]
  3. Baerwald, A. R., Olatunbosun, O. A., & Pierson, R. A. (2006). Effects of oral contraceptives administered at defined stages of ovarian follicular development. Fertility and Sterility, 86(1), 27-35. doi:S0015-0282(06)00573-5 [pii]
  4. Jones, R. K., Darroch, J. E., & Henshaw, S. K. (2002). Contraceptive use among U.S. women having abortions in 2000-2001. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34(6), 294-303.
  5. Morch, L. S., Skovlund, C. W., Hannaford, P. C., Iversen, L., Fielding, S., & Lidegaard, O. (2017). Contemporary hormonal contraception and the risk of breast cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, 377(23), 2228-2239. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1700732 [doi]
  6. Kahlenborn C. Breast Cancer, Its Link to Abortion and the Birth Control Pill. 2000.
  7. Kahlenborn, C., Modugno, F., Potter, D. M., & Severs, W. B. (2006). Oral contraceptive use as a risk factor for premenopausal breast cancer: A meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 81(10), 1290-1302. doi:S0025-6196(11)61152-X [pii]
  8. van Hylckama Vlieg, A., Helmerhorst, F. M., Vandenbroucke, J. P., Doggen, C. J., & Rosendaal, F. R. (2009). The venous thrombotic risk of oral contraceptives, effects of oestrogen dose and progestogen type: Results of the MEGA case-control study. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 339, b2921. doi:10.1136/bmj.b2921 [doi]
  9. Poulter, N. R. (2000). Risk of fatal pulmonary embolism with oral contraceptives. Lancet (London, England), 355(9221), 2088-6736(00)02369-2. doi:S0140-6736(00)02369-2 [pii]
  10. de Bastos, M., Stegeman, B. H., Rosendaal, F. R., Van Hylckama Vlieg, A., Helmerhorst, F. M., Stijnen, T., & Dekkers, O. M. (2014). Combined oral contraceptives: Venous thrombosis. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (3):CD010813. doi(3), CD010813. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010813.pub2 [doi]
  11. Skovlund, C. W., Morch, L. S., Kessing, L. V., Lange, T., & Lidegaard, O. (2018). Association of hormonal contraception with suicide attempts and suicides. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(4), 336-342. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17060616 [doi]
  12. Piltonen, T., Puurunen, J., Hedberg, P., Ruokonen, A., Mutt, S. J., Herzig, K. H.,…Tapanainen, J. S. (2012). Oral, transdermal and vaginal combined contraceptives induce an increase in markers of chronic inflammation and impair insulin sensitivity in young healthy normal-weight women: A randomized study. Human Reproduction (Oxford, England), 27(10), 3046-3056.
  13. Wooltorton, E. (2005). Medroxyprogesterone acetate (depo-provera) and bone mineral density loss. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De l’Association Medicale Canadienne, 172(6), 746. doi:cmaj.050158 [pii]
  14. La Vecchia, C., & Boccia, S. (2014). Oral contraceptives, human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. European Journal of Cancer Prevention: The Official Journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP), 23(2), 110-112. doi:10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000000 [doi]
  15. Giannitrapani, L., Soresi, M., La Spada, E., Cervello, M., D’Alessandro, N., & Montalto, G. (2006). Sex hormones and risk of liver tumor. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1089, 228-236. doi:1089/1/228 [pii]
  16. Tanis, B. C., van den Bosch, M. A., Kemmeren, J. M., Cats, V. M., Helmerhorst, F. M., Algra, A., . . . Rosendaal, F. R. (2001). Oral contraceptives and the risk of myocardial infarction. The New England Journal of Medicine, 345(25), 1787-1793. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa003216 [doi]
  17. Baillargeon, J. P., McClish, D. K., Essah, P. A., & Nestler, J. E. (2005). Association between the current use of low-dose oral contraceptives and cardiovascular arterial disease: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 90(7), 3863-3870. doi:jc.2004-1958 [pii]
  18. Roach, R. E., Helmerhorst, F. M., Lijfering, W. M., Stijnen, T., Algra, A., & Dekkers, O. M. (2015). Combined oral contraceptives: The risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (8):CD011054. doi(8), CD011054. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011054.pub2 [doi]
  19. Akerlof, GA, et al. An analysis of out-of-wedlock childbearing in the United States. Q J Econ. 1996 May; 111(2):277-317.
  20. Akerlof, GA. Men without children. Econ J. 1998 Mar; 108(447): 287-309.
  21. Fehring, R. J. (2015). The influence of contraception, abortion, and natural family planning on divorce rates as found in the 2006-2010 national survey of family growth. The Linacre Quarterly, 82(3), 273-282. doi:10.1179/2050854915Y.0000000007 [doi]

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How the decline of marriage and religious belief hurts children

BY COLLETTE CAPRARA, Thu Nov 21, 2013

November 15, 2013 (Heritage) – Analysts at a recent forum on the downward trends in marriage and religion in the United States agree that the two are not isolated phenomena but, in fact, influence and exacerbate one another.

Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project, has shown that family dissolution is linked to a further erosion of civil society in which American men are increasingly disconnected from core cultural institutions, including a religious congregation. Likewise, Mary Eberstadt, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, has found that marriage and family life often engender an impulse for religious engagement and that, as more couples cohabit, divorce, or never marry, religious participation has decreased.

The impact of the downturns in family formation and religious practice have real-world and long-term implications for the lives of Americans—particularly the rising generation.

Children raised by two married, biological parents tend to fare better than peers in other households. Those who grow up in married-parent families are 82 percent less likely to live in poverty, and intact families tend to fare better in a wide range of economic measures. Youth who are raised in an intact family tend to fare better on a range of emotional and psychological outcomes, have higher levels ofacademic achievement and educational attainment, and are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors such as sexual activity or substance abuse and less likely to exhibit anti-social behavior.

Like family structure, religious affiliation and participation is linked to the well-being of individuals, families, and society. Children whose mothers more frequently participated in religious activities are less likely to exhibit aggressive and delinquent behavior. Religious practice is associated with higher levels of economic well-being and academic performance as well reductions in the incidence of crime, delinquency, drug and alcohol addiction, and problems related to physical and emotional health. Coupled with the association between religiosity, empathy, charity, and volunteerism, the improved prospects of more religious and intact families can have positive ripple effects throughout society.

Given the wide-ranging and mutually supporting benefits of religion and family, it is critical for the public interest to bolster both—and a starting point would be to support policies that promote marriage and strengthen families.

Reprinted with permission from Heritage

Euthanasia: the horrifying slippery slope

 

by Peter Saunders

 

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Nov. 28, 2013 (PJSaunders) – A debate at University College London on Monday night allowed the issue of assisted suicide to be addressed.  
UCL’s Cruciform Building was the impressive setting for the motion, ‘This House would legalise Assisted Dying.’ I was in the opposition team with Lord Carlile, Baroness Finlay and Robert Preston – leading lights in the think tank Living and Dying Well.
Speaking for the motion were Lord Falconer, Baroness Jay, Sir Terence English and Prof Raymond Tallis, all of Dignity in Dying (the former Voluntary Euthanasia Society) and its small medical wing.
We were given seven minutes each. Here is my talk which focussed on the issue of the ‘slippery slope’.
The four main groups resisting the legalisation of assisted dying in this country – doctors, disabled people, faith groups and parliamentarians – do so primarily because they are anxious about the consequences of licensing of doctors to dispense lethal drugs.
Their concerns are both about how such a system could be regulated and also about the pressure legalization would place on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial or emotional burden on others.
This is heightened by the evidence of incremental extension or mission creep in other jurisdictions.
In the Netherlands which legalised assisted suicide and euthanasia in 2002 there has been an increase of 10 to 20% of euthanasia cases per year since 2006 from 1,923 to 4,188. The 2012 figures included 42 with early dementia and 13 with psychiatric conditions.
In addition in 2001 about 5.6% of all deaths in the Netherlands were related to deep-continuous sedation. This rose to 8.2% in 2005 and 12.3% in 2010. A significant proportion of these deaths involve doctors deeply sedating patients and then withholding fluids with the explicit intention that they will die.
Children as young as twelve can already have euthanasia and a 2005 paper in the New England Medical Journal reported on 22 babies with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus who were killed by lethal injection in the Netherlands over a seven year period. It estimated that there actually 15 to 20 newborns being killed in this way per year – despite this still being illegal. The culture and public conscience have changed.
In Belgium, which legalised euthanasia in 2002, there has been a 500% increase in euthanasia deaths over ten years between 2003 and 2012. High profile cases include Mark and Eddy Verbessem, the 45-year-old deaf identical twins, who were euthanised by the Belgian state, after their eyesight began to fail; then there is Nathan/Nancy Verhelst, whose life was ended in front of TV cameras, after a series of botched sex-change operations. His mother said she hated girls, found her child ‘so ugly’ at birth and did not mourn his death. And then there is Ann G, who had anorexia and who opted to have her life ended after being sexually abused by the psychiatrist who was supposed to be treating her for the life-threatening condition.
Organ donation euthanasia is already practised in Belgium and the Belgian Senate is tomorrow discussing plans to extend the programme to minors and people with dementia (they have since recommended this). Already in parts of Belgium one in three cases of euthanasia is involuntary and half go unreported. And there has been not one prosecution for abuses in the last ten years – perhaps because the one of the lead euthanasia practitioners – Distelmans – chairs the very committee that is meant to regulate his activity.
Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal, first released assisted suicide statistics in 2009, laying bare a 700% rise in cases (from 43 to 297) from 1998 to 2009. Amongst those travelling from abroad to end their lives at the notorious Dignitas facility have been many people who could not by any stretch be described as terminally ill – and included cases of people who could have lived for decades ending their lives –  with arthritis, blindness, spinal injury, diabetes, mental illness –  or people who were essentially well but could not bear to live without their spouses.
Dignitas has attracted much criticism in recent years over accounts of discarded cremation urns dumped in Lake Zurich, reports of body bags in residential lifts, suicides being carried out in car parks, the selling of the personal effects of deceased victims and profiteering with fees approaching £8,000 per death.
In the US state of Oregon there has been a 350% increase assisted in suicide deaths since legalisation. I’ll leave it to my colleagues to expand on the details but notable are two people with cancer – Randy Stroup and Barbara Wagner – who were told that the Oregon Health Authority would not pay for their chemotherapy but would happily pay for their assisted suicide – which was of course much cheaper. Is this really the kind of temptation that we wish to put before NHS managers in Britain? Is it any wonder that over 120 attempts to change the law through US state parliaments have failed?
The problem is that any law allowing assisted suicide or euthanasia will carry within it the seeds of its own extension.
And whilst Lord Falconer may claim to have limited objectives – on his coat tails are a host of other UK groups with more radical agendas – FATE, SOARS, the BHA, NSS and EXIT International.
They will not be satisfied with the so-called modest changes he seeks but they are using exactly the same arguments to advance their case – ‘compassion’ and ‘choice’
They are able to use exactly the same arguments because Lord Falconer’s position is at heart both illogical and discriminatory.
  • If adults can have it why can’t children who are judged to be Gillick competent?
  • If competent people can have it what about those with dementia who it is argued would have wanted it?
  • If people who are terminally ill why not the chronically ill or disabled who are suffering unbearably?
  • If it’s for those with physical suffering why not those with mental suffering?
Or as Exit international asks – why not the elderly bereaved and the troubled teen?
There will inevitably be pressure to extend the boundaries which may well not survive legal challenge once the so-called ‘right’ is available for some.
We will hear – it is only for this group or only for that group – but I tell you – it is only the beginning
Any law allowing assisted suicide or euthanasia in any circumstances at all will be subject to extension – or abuse.
And that it is the other problem – changing the law would give doctors a degree of power over life and death that some will inevitably abuse.
It will be doctors who see the patients, fill out the forms, dispense the lethal drugs. Some of them will push the boundaries. Some will falsify certification. There may be some who, like Harold Shipman, will develop a taste for killing and they will be very difficult to detect.
But many will simply be too busy, too pressured and facing too many demands to make the kind of cool comprehensive objective assessments that this kind of law requires. And very few of them will really know the patients or their families.
We have seen this already with abortion. We began with a very strict law which allowed it only in limited circumstances. Now there are 200,000 cases a year. Most of them fall outside the boundaries of the law. There is illegal pre-signing of forms, abortions for sex selection, abortions on demand for spurious mental health reasons. And only one conviction for illegal abortion in 45 years.
Society is reluctant to touch and question doctors. The police are reluctant to investigate. The DPP hesitates to prosecute. The courts are unwilling to convict. Parliament turns a blind eye. It is simply not safe to give doctors this sort of power because some will abuse it as they have in other countries and it will be very difficult to stop them.
It’s far better not to go there at all.

 

The best system available is that which we have currently – a law carrying a blanket prohibition on both assisted suicide and euthanasia but with discretion given to both prosecutors and judges to temper justice with mercy in hard cases – the current law has both a stern face and a kind heart.
In other words the penalties that it holds in reserve act as a powerful deterrent to exploitation and abuse of vulnerable people
And it works – there are very few cases observed (just 15-20 per year make the trip to Switzerland) but also very few prosecutions.
Let’s keep it that way.

Reprinted with permission from Christian Medical Comment. 

Pope Francis: Abortion ‘cries out in vengeance to God’; Church will never change teaching

 

by John-Henry Westen

 

VATICAN CITY, November 26, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a high level teaching document released this morning, Pope Francis has firmly responded to those who have expressed hope that the Catholic Church may one day change its teachings on abortion, writing, “the Church cannot be expected to change her position on this question.”

“I want to be completely honest in this regard. This is not something subject to alleged reforms or ‘modernizations’,” he added.

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Entitled “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), the Apostolic Exhortation – a document which, while important, is of less weight than an encyclical – noted, “Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenceless and innocent among us.”

He lamented that, “Nowadays efforts are made to deny them their human dignity and to do with them whatever one pleases, taking their lives and passing laws preventing anyone from standing in the way of this.”

“Frequently, as a way of ridiculing the Church’s effort to defend their lives, attempts are made to present her position as ideological, obscurantist and conservative. Yet this defence of unborn life is closely linked to the defence of each and every other human right.”

“It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development,” he said. “Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems. Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defence of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be.”

The document marks the pope’s most in-depth discussion of abortion since his election.

The pope added that it is important to do more to more to “accompany women in very difficult situations, where abortion appears as a quick solution to their profound anguish, especially when the life developing within them is the result of rape or a situation of extreme poverty.”

Click “like” if you want to end abortion!

The Holy Father stated that the truth about human life can be discovered with reason alone, but from a faith perspective the gravity of the evil of abortion is manifest.

“Reason alone is sufficient to recognize the inviolable value of each single human life, but if we also look at the issue from the standpoint of faith, ‘every violation of the personal dignity of the human being cries out in vengeance to God and is an offence against the creator of the individual,’” he said, quoting a previous Apostolic Exhortation by Pope John Paul II.

In previous remarks in September, the pope had condemned abortion as a manifestation of a “throwaway culture.”

“Every unborn child, though unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord, who even before his birth, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world,” the pope said at the time.

In a recent homily, seen by some Vatican watchers as wake up call to liberal Catholics to abandon hopes of Pope Francis altering Church teaching on abortion and contraception, he warned against the desire to “be like everyone else” and what he called an “adolescent progressivism”. “Lord,” the pope prayed, “give me the discernment to recognize the subtle conspiracies of worldliness that lead us to negotiate our values and our faith.”

Similarly, in Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis writes, “It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.”

Russia bans ads for abortion

 

by Thaddeus Baklinski

MOSCOW, November 25, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Russian Federation has enacted a new law banning abortion advertising in the ongoing effort to stem the country’s decline in population, according to Russian media.

TR Novosti reports that the abortion ad ban is part of broader changes to Russia’s Federal Law on Advertising that include a ban on advertising campaigns offering free drug samples if these samples contain narcotic or psychotropic substances, and restrictions on the advertising of traditional “folk medicine” practices.

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The Duma is considering a number of other proposals that would stop Russia’s demographic death spiral, fueled by an abortion rate of 1,022 per 1,000 births, according to some statistics. The United Nations estimates that the population of Russia, which stood at 143 million in 2008, will shrink to 116 million by 2050.

To combat the abortion epidemic, legislation has been proposed that would ban free abortions at government-run health clinics; require prescriptions for the ‘morning-after’ pill; require parental consent for teenagers and a husband’s consent for married women; and mandate a one-week waiting period before an abortion is performed. Other proposals have included increasing the 2,000 ruble ($70) monthly government subsidy offered to pregnant women.

Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute, pointed out that despite government incentives such as a baby bonus that offers the equivalent of $9,000 upon the birth of every child after the first, and calls from Russian President Vladimir Putin for families to have at least three children, abortion is still occurring in epidemic proportions.

“As long as society fails to recognize the value of human life, and wantonly destroys it in large numbers, it will be difficult to establish a new three-child norm. Abortion must cease being a way of life in Russia if her people are to survive,” Mosher said.

Earlier this month the head of the State Duma Committee for Family and Children said the Russian people must stop tolerating abortion and the recent rise in surrogacy because they threaten to “wipe out the population of Russia.”

Speaking at a history forum dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Russian royal house of Romanov, MP Elena Mizulina said, “The problems of abortion prevention and the shift in public opinion towards abortion are currently very urgent. Although the number of abortions in Russia is falling, it still exceeds 5 million every year.”

Mizulina added that though the practice of surrogacy was relatively new in Russia, the societal implications are of great concern to her.

“We still can stop the consequences of this practice from happening. It can and must be used only in exceptional cases,” Mizulina explained.

“Humanity will probably understand one day that as we ban nuclear weapons to prevent the death of Mother Earth, so should we ban the technology destroying the natural environment and natural childbirth, the natural way of human reproduction,” the MP said.

She said that she believes the Russian people as a whole are against surrogacy, as they are in favor of “Orthodox Christian spiritual values and the family as the keeper of these values.”

Pro-life legislation aimed at rolling back Russia’s abortion culture has been strongly supported by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia proposed a series of measures on the Moscow Patriarchate’s website, urging the Ministry of Health and Social Development to make “preservation of pregnancy a priority task for the doctor” and discourage incentives for abortion.

The Russian patriarch also advocated state support for pro-motherhood media campaigns, and suggested setting up crisis pregnancy centers in every maternity hospital to help “lonely mothers in difficult life situations.”

In October, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church blasted the legality of surrogacy in Russia as “mutiny against God.”

Dmitry Smirnov, the head of the Moscow Patriarchy Commission for Family, Motherhood and Childhood, made the comment after Russian media reported in September that a 64-year-old Russian pop star and her 37-year-old husband had two children born through surrogate motherhood.

“I would ban this, of course. We can see that a bad example is contagious,” the senior church representative was quoted to say by Interfax. “This is mutiny against God, this is very happy fascism with a contract, the money and confiscation of a child.”

Study finds increased risk of breast cancer after abortion in Chinese women

by Peter Baklinski

TIANJIN, China, November 29, 2013 Life Site News

Pro-abortion advocates have relentlessly denied a link between abortion and breast cancer, but a new study has emerged from China that seems to show that such a link not only exists, but that the risk rises with each abortion a woman has.

Dr. Joel Brind, professor of endocrinology at Baruch College, City University of New York and a director at the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, called the findings a “real game changer” for deniers of the so-called ABC link.

Incidences of breast cancer in China have increased at an “alarming rate” over the past two decades, corresponding with the rise of the Chinese Communist Party’s one-child policy.

The study, titled “A meta-analysis of the association between induced abortion and breast cancer risk among Chinese females” was published this week in Cancer Causes and Control, a peer-reviewed international cancer journal.

The research was conducted by Yubei Huang et al. from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital.

The researchers say they were initially puzzled by their findings, stating that Chinese women “historically” have had lower rates of breast cancer compared to women from western countries such as the US.

They found, however, that incidences of breast cancer in China increased at an “alarming rate” over the past two decades, corresponding with the rise of the Chinese Communist Party’s one-child policy.

The one-child policy is strictly enforced, and women who transgress the quota are often forced to abort. Over 336 million babies have been aborted in China since the 1980s.

“The marked change in breast cancer incidence was parallelled to the one-child-per-family policy,” the researchers stated.

Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, said the research revals “yet another human rights violation in connection with China’s One Child Policy.”

“So, the women of China have to endure the tremendous trauma of late term forced abortion, taking their babies from them, and then years later, breast cancer, taking their health and even their lives from them,” she told LifeSiteNews.com.

The researchers reached their conclusions after examining 36 studies that investigated the associations between abortion and breast cancer.

The overall risk of developing breast cancer among women having only one abortion increased by 44 percent.

Calling it the “dose-response relationship” researchers also found that the risk of breast cancer increased as the number of abortions increased. Two abortions increased the risk by 76 percent, three by 89 percent.

“In summary, the most important implication of this study is that IA was significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among Chinese females, and the risk of breast cancer increases as the number of IA increases,” concluded the researchers.

The researchers called their findings “consistent” with those of Dr. Brind, who found in a 1996 meta-analysis that women had a 30 percent greater chance of developing breast cancer after aborting their child.

“Not only does [the study] validate the earlier findings from 1996, but its findings are even stronger,” Brind told LifeSiteNews.com.

Brind said that pro-abortion advocates should be “very concerned” about the research since it shows how “millions upon millions” of women in Asia are negatively affected by what abortion’s most vocal proponents call a “safe” procedure.

He lamented, however, that “anything that challenges the ‘safe abortion’ mythology is to be challenged, denied, belittled, discredited, dumped on.”

The Chinese research follows on the heels of two similar studies earlier this year. One study published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine in May found a 6-fold greater risk of breast cancer among Indian women with a history of induced abortion when compared to the women with no such history. A similar study from Bangladesh published in the Journal of the Dhaka Medical College in April found that women with a history of induced abortion had a 20-fold increase in likelihood of developing breast cancer when compared to women with no such history.

In a report last month, Brind called the findings of the two studies “of the sort of magnitude that has typified the link between cigarettes and lung cancer.”

 

Pro-life group asks Ohio-based Catholic hospital system to cut ties with local abortionists

BY KIRSTEN ANDERSEN, Fri Nov 22, 2013

COLUMBUS, OH, November 22, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life activists in the Columbus area are mounting a petition drive to ask Catholic-affiliated Mount Carmel Hospital to sever its relationships with several local abortionists, in deference to church teaching opposing abortion.

According to Right to Life of Greater Columbus, Mount Carmel allows at least two, possibly three, abortionists to maintain admitting privileges at the hospital, despite its Catholic affiliation.

In Ohio, state law requires abortion providers to maintain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital in order to legally perform the procedure. By allowing these abortionists transfer privileges, the hospital is effectively helping them stay in business.

In the past, the group says they have directed questions about Mt. Carmel’s policy on admitting privileges to hospital officials. But after learning that the hospital had begun actively referring patients to doctors and facilities that perform abortions, they decided they had to act.

The group is asking pro-life supporters to sign on to a petition they have composed and will be sending to hospital president Claus von Zychlin, asking him to sever all ties with two known abortionists, along with a third doctor who works out of an abortion facility.

“As members of the local prolife community, we strongly appreciate Mt. Carmel’s commitment and mission to ‘… serve together at Mount Carmel in Trinity Health, in the spirit of the Gospel, to heal body, mind and spirit, to improve the health of our communities, and to steward the resources entrusted to us’ while adhering to a moral ethic that upholds the innate dignity due to every human from the moment of conception until natural death,” the petition reads. “We know you are serious when you say ‘Mount Carmel conducts all of its operations and patient care in a manner that is consistent with our Mission and values.’ We sincerely appreciate that you have placed all medical staff on notice that they are to ‘abide by generally recognized standards of medical and professional ethics including, but not limited to, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare.’”

“Recently, it has come to our attention that Mt. Carmel hospital’s online physician referral page refers patients to several physicians and facilities that demonstrably violate our shared respect for human life,” the petition states.  “It is our goal to bring these concerns to your attention in the fervent hope that you will use your positions of leadership to make the necessary changes in light of these oversights and implement institutional safeguards to prevent future lapses.”

The petition goes on to name three local doctors connected to abortion: known abortionists Milroy Samuel and Karl Shaeffer, and a third doctor, Patrick Muffley, who has worked at Samuel’s abortion facility in the past.

All three doctors have spotty records when it comes to the safety of their female patients. Investigators at Milroy Samuel’s Complete Health Care for Women abortion clinic found rusted and dirty IV equipment, improperly sterilized surgical tools, expired medications, and lax infection control standards in 2012.

Karl Shaeffer’s Founder’s Women’s Health abortion facility was cited by health inspectors that same year for unsafe operating rooms and dangerous equipment, including patient tables that shocked patients when connected to electricity. Some staff at Shaeffer’s facility had expired surgical licenses, and in some cases, could not even prove they had a valid medical license at all.

Patrick Muffley is facing a 60 day suspension of his medical license for allegedly sending inappropriately sexual text messages to a patient.

Noting that hospital-affiliated abortionists have “greatly profited off the blood of the unborn,” the petitioners request that hospital executives “review the physicians mentioned above and the scope of their practices and take the appropriate action to disassociate Mount Carmel from the bloody abortion industry.”

To sign the petition to Mount Carmel, click here.

Hungarians welcome baby born to “brain dead” mother

BY IMRE TÉGLÁSY, PH.D., Fri Nov 22, 2013

November 21, 2013 (HLI) – In a very rare event earlier this year, a pregnant woman in Hungary who was declared “brain dead” was kept alive for three months on life support by doctors until her baby could be safely born.

The 31-year-old expectant mother suffered a stroke and was transported by a helicopter to the Neurological Clinic of Debrecen in Eastern Hungary. While the surgery was initially considered a success, sadly, she was declared brain dead two days later. An ultrasound showed that her 15-week-old preborn child was alive and very active.

“In the first two days we fought to save the mother’s life and it was proven … that circulation and functions stopped,” said Dr. Béla Fülesdi, president of the University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Centre. “On the second day when [other] examinations were carried out, we found the baby was alive and kicking well in its mother’s body.”

Photo taken in Debrecen, Hungary on June 1 (the Day of Life declared by the UN) when we walked to the Ob-Gyn Clinic of University of Debrecen. The text reads: Peace in the womb! Amnesty for us – amnesty for our children before birth!

Dr. Tamás Szilveszter Kovács, one of the physicians who cared for the mother and child, struggled for a time over the situation, as he was unsure whether helping a baby live when the mother died was in the best interests of the child. But after meeting with the father and grandparents he changed his mind: “They convinced me that the child would mean, paradoxically, a special surviving of the mother for the grieving father and the grandparents. So the child will be reared in a complete family, and we would commit a sin if we would not do everything we could for them that modern science makes possible.”

The father and maternal grandparents of the child together asked doctors to keep the mother alive in an effort to save the child until he could be delivered safely.

Every provision possible was taken to try to give the child the best chance possible at developing naturally and safely. The father and grandparents came three times a week from the countryside to the hospital to talk to the baby and caressed the belly of the mother. A music therapist was even employed to stimulate the baby’s healthy development.

Doctors had to fight numerous infections and, as they would with any patient who was unable to move, would rotate her in order to avoid bedsores. While they were hoping to keep the child in the womb as long as possible, in the 27th week, the mother’s circulation became unstable and so they decided to deliver the baby because the womb was no longer safe. So at 27 weeks, the baby was delivered by cesarean section in July of this year, weighing just 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds, 1.8 ounces). The Hungarian doctors who delivered the baby in July believe the birth is one of only three such cases in history, in which the mother was kept alive medically for an extended period in order to save the child in her womb.

The baby was discharged from the hospital last month but doctors wanted to wait to make the announcement about the delivery until they were sure the baby would survive.

He (the sex of the child is not known) is now developing well at home and doctors say he does not show any illnesses related to premature births although he will be continuously monitored.

The father, grandparents and medical professionals who made this extraordinary situation possible deserve the highest respect for making difficult decisions in a very trying environment.

As pro-life professor Dr. Fülesdi said, “I am happy that this team representing the unit of care and several medical experts was a community as well, which was able to pass this dramatic test of 92 days not just from the point of view of medicine but from the spiritual one as well.”

Further evidence for this kind of spiritual awakening can be seen in Hungary’s “Easter Constitution,” enacted in January 2012 as the first national post-Communist constitution. With this serious move toward national independence and sovereignty, Hungary has begun to reclaim its Christian roots, including respect for life, religious freedom, marriage and family. Its pro-life provisions do not yet have the full effect of law, but we pray that this process may be hastened, especially since Hungary continues to suffer spiritually, economically and demographically from decades of oppression and abortion.

Amidst acknowledging the heroic efforts of the family and doctors that saw to it that this small child was welcomed into life, we also mourn a mother who would not live to meet her child face to face. As tragic as this is, it bodes well for the child that so many in his young life have demonstrated such great love and care for his well-being. Let this serve as an example to all of the great harmony between being open to life, and providing the best care possible for everyone.

 

Reprinted with permission from HLI


What does Blessed Miguel Pro have in common with victims of abortion?

BY JOHN JANSEN, Fri Nov 22, 2013 12:27 EST

Whenever we go out on the streets for a “Face the Truth” Tour, we can always count on someone happening by our display to tell us that by showing the pictures of abortion victims in the public square, we’re doing more harm than good. This is a charge we’ve heard often enough that we address it as one of the most Common Objections we hear.

In our response to this oft-raised argument, we plainly make the observation that throughout modern history, any number of successful social reform movements — from the movement to enact child labor laws to the civil rights movement — have used disturbing images that depict victims of maltreatment and violence, and that public support for the reforms these movements sought could not have been garnered without publicly showing these images.

Putting a Human Face on the Victims

The intent behind displaying graphic abortion pictures is the same, of course, for it puts a human face on the victims of what is, for far too many people, merely a theoretical concept or political issue.

Lewis Hine believed it was necessary to show victims of cruelty of the child labor industry, and Mamie Till believed it was necessary to have an open-casket funeral for her son Emmett after he was brutally murdered by violent racists.

We display pictures of abortion victims for the same reason: because they work. That is, in the eyes of the viewer, the images elicit sympathy for the victims of injustice.

In the case of reform movements that have employed the use of graphic pictures in working to effect social change, it perhaps goes without saying that one commonality these movements share is that it is members of the movements themselves that are the ones who initially seek to disseminate them.

However, a movement closely associated with one of the martyrs whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates tomorrow provides an exception to this rule.

The Murder of Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J.

During the 1920s, Mexico was ruled by the virulently anti-Catholic President Plutarco Calles, who began what Graham Greene called “the fiercest persecution of religion anywhere since the reign of Elizabeth.” Chief among the many Catholic groups who vigorously opposed Calles were the Cristero rebels, whose story is depicted in the 2012 film For Greater Glory.

One of the most well known Cristeros, Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J., was falsely implicated in an assassination attempt on former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón in November 1927, which provided the Calles regime with the pretext for ordering his death.

Father Pro went to his execution on November 23, 1927. Before the firing squad was ordered to shoot, Fr. Pro raised his arms in cruciform and shouted the cry of the Cristeros, “Viva Cristo Rey!”(“Long live Christ the King!”) After the first shots of the firing squad failed to kill him, a soldier shot him point blank in the head.

Calles, seeking to cow other Cristeros into submission, had the execution photographed, and newspapers throughout Mexico carried pictures of the executed priest on their front page the next day. (As George Weigel has observed, Blessed Miguel Pro was likely the first martyr ever to be photographed at the very moment of his death.)

But Calles’ plan backfired. Instead, the images of Pro’s murder further emboldened the Cristeros to stand up to his oppressive regime.

Graphic Images Work, Regardless of the Intentions of Those Displaying Them

This instance of a public display of graphic images of violence is unique in that the initial act of displaying the images was done by the perpetrators themselves, and not by sympathizers of the victims. Yet the act of displaying these shocking images still played a major role in combating injustices committed by the perpetrators, proving that regardless of the motivations behind displaying graphic images of violence and injustice, their effect is the same.

Pro-Life Action League National Director Joe Scheidler has often remarked that seeing a picture of an aborted baby in the fall of 1972 — just a few months before the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wadedecision — was the impetus for him to commit himself to full-time pro-life work. Along these same lines, I can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard from passersby at our Face the Truth demonstrations comments along the lines of, “I had no idea what abortion was until I saw your signs.”

Because of the overwhelming evidence that graphic pictures do elicit sympathy for the victims of injustice in the eyes of the public, we can surely be confident of their inestimable value in the fight against abortion.

 

Reprinted with permission from Pro-Life Action League


 

How the decline of marriage and religious belief hurts children

BY COLLETTE CAPRARA, Thu Nov 21, 2013

November 15, 2013 (Heritage) – Analysts at a recent forum on the downward trends in marriage and religion in the United States agree that the two are not isolated phenomena but, in fact, influence and exacerbate one another.

Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project, has shown that family dissolution is linked to a further erosion of civil society in which American men are increasingly disconnected from core cultural institutions, including a religious congregation. Likewise, Mary Eberstadt, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, has found that marriage and family life often engender an impulse for religious engagement and that, as more couples cohabit, divorce, or never marry, religious participation has decreased.

The impact of the downturns in family formation and religious practice have real-world and long-term implications for the lives of Americans—particularly the rising generation.

Children raised by two married, biological parents tend to fare better than peers in other households. Those who grow up in married-parent families are 82 percent less likely to live in poverty, and intact families tend to fare better in a wide range of economic measures. Youth who are raised in an intact family tend to fare better on a range of emotional and psychological outcomes, have higher levels ofacademic achievement and educational attainment, and are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors such as sexual activity or substance abuse and less likely to exhibit anti-social behavior.

Like family structure, religious affiliation and participation is linked to the well-being of individuals, families, and society. Children whose mothers more frequently participated in religious activities are less likely to exhibit aggressive and delinquent behavior. Religious practice is associated with higher levels of economic well-being and academic performance as well reductions in the incidence of crime, delinquency, drug and alcohol addiction, and problems related to physical and emotional health. Coupled with the association between religiosity, empathy, charity, and volunteerism, the improved prospects of more religious and intact families can have positive ripple effects throughout society.

Given the wide-ranging and mutually supporting benefits of religion and family, it is critical for the public interest to bolster both—and a starting point would be to support policies that promote marriage and strengthen families.

Reprinted with permission from Heritage


 

 

When the Archbishop Met the President

Cardinal Dolan thought he heard Barack Obama pledge respect for the Catholic Church’s rights of conscience.

Then came the contraception coverage mandate.

By James Taranto, March 31, 2012, New York

The president of the U.S. Conference of Bishops is careful to show due respect for the president of the United States. “I was deeply honored that he would call me and discuss these things with me,” says the newly elevated Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. But when Archbishop Dolan tells me his account of their discussions of the ObamaCare birth-control mandate, Barack Obama sounds imperious and deceitful to me.

Mr. Obama knew that the mandate would pose difficulties for the Catholic Church, so he invited Archbishop Dolan to the Oval Office last November, shortly before the bishops’ General Assembly in Baltimore. At the end of their 45-minute discussion, the archbishop summed up what he understood as the president’s message:

“I said, ‘I’ve heard you say, first of all, that you have immense regard for the work of the Catholic Church in the United States in health care, education and charity. . . . I have heard you say that you are not going to let the administration do anything to impede that work and . . . that you take the protection of the rights of conscience with the utmost seriousness. . . . Does that accurately sum up our conversation?’ [Mr. Obama] said, ‘You bet it does.'”

The archbishop asked for permission to relay the message to the other bishops. “You don’t have my permission, you’ve got my request,” the president replied.

“So you can imagine the chagrin,” Archbishop Dolan continues, “when he called me at the end of January to say that the mandates remain in place and that there would be no substantive change, and that the only thing that he could offer me was that we would have until August. . . . I said, ‘Mr. President, I appreciate the call. Are you saying now that we have until August to introduce to you continual concerns that might trigger a substantive mitigation in these mandates?’ He said, ‘No, the mandates remain. We’re more or less giving you this time to find out how you’re going to be able to comply.’ I said, ‘Well, sir, we don’t need the [extra time]. I can tell you now we’re unable to comply.'”

The administration went ahead and announced the mandate. A public backlash ensued, and the archbishop got another call from the president on Feb. 10. “He said, ‘You will be happy to hear religious institutions do not have to pay for this, that the burden will be on insurers.'” Archbishop Dolan asked if the president was seeking his input and was told the modified policy was a fait accompli. The call came at 9:30 a.m. The president announced the purported accommodation at 12:15 p.m.

Editorial board member Joe Rago predicts how the Supreme Court will rule on ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion and the law’s severability.

Sister Carol Keehan of the pro-ObamaCare Catholic Health Association immediately pronounced herself satisfied with the change, and the bishops felt pressure to say something. “We wanted to avoid two headlines. Headline 1 was ‘Bishops Celebrate . . . Accommodations.’ . . . The other headline we wanted to avoid is ‘Bishops Obstinate.'” They rushed out a “circumspect” statement, which Archbishop Dolan sums up as follows: “We welcome this initiative, we look forward to studying it, we hope that it’s a decent first step, but we still have very weighty questions.”

Within hours, “it dawned on us that there’s not much here, and that’s when we put out the more substantive [statement] by the end of the day, saying, ‘Whoa, now we’ve had time to hear what was said at the announcement and to read the substance of it, and this just doesn’t do it.'”

Having rushed to conciliate, they got the “Bishops Obstinate” headlines anyway. Archbishop Dolan explains that the “accommodation” solves nothing, since most church-affiliated organizations either are self-insured or purchase coverage from Catholic insurance companies like Christian Brothers Services and Catholic Mutual Group, which also see the mandate as “morally toxic.” He argues that the mandate also infringes on the religious liberty of non-ministerial organizations like the Knights of Columbus and Catholic-oriented businesses such as publishing houses, not to mention individuals, Catholic or not, who conscientiously object.

“We’ve grown hoarse saying this is not about contraception, this is about religious freedom,” he says. What rankles him the most is the government’s narrow definition of a religious institution. Your local Catholic parish, for instance, is exempt from the birth-control mandate. Not exempt are institutions such as hospitals, grade schools, universities and soup kitchens that employ or serve significant numbers of people from other faiths and whose main purpose is something other than proselytization.

“We find it completely unswallowable, both as Catholics and mostly as Americans, that a bureau of the American government would take it upon itself to define ‘ministry,'” Archbishop Dolan says. “We would find that to be—we’ve used the words ‘radical,’ ‘unprecedented’ and ‘dramatically intrusive.'”

It also amounts to penalizing the church for not discriminating in its good works: “We don’t ask people for their baptismal certificate, nor do we ask people for their U.S. passport, before we can serve them, OK? . . . We don’t serve people because they’re Catholic, we serve them because we are, and it’s a moral imperative for us to do so.”

To be sure, not all Catholics see it that way. Archbishop Dolan makes an argument—which he prefaces with the admission that “I find this a little uncomfortable”—that federal intrusion bolsters those who are more selfishly inclined: “Some Catholics . . . are now saying, ‘Fine, we’ll get out of all that. It’s dragging us down anyway. Rather than be supporting 50 Catholic schools in the inner city where most of the kids are not Catholic, and using a big chunk of diocesan money to do that, we’ll just use it for the schools that have all Catholics, and it’ll serve us a lot better.’ . . .

“I find that, by the way, to be rather un-Catholic,” he continues. “I don’t know what that would say to the gospel mandate to be ‘light to the world’ and ‘salt of the earth.’ It’s part of our religion to be right out there in the forefront, right there in the nitty-gritty.”

An insular attitude, Archbishop Dolan suggests, plays into the hands of ideologues who favor an ever-more-powerful secular government: “I get this all the time: I would have some people say, ‘Cardinal Dolan, you need to go to Albany and say, “If we don’t get state aid by September, I’m going to close all my schools.”‘ I say to them, ‘You don’t think there’d be somersaults up and down the corridors?'”

Another story comes from the nation’s capital: “The Archdiocese of Washington, in a very courteous way, went to the City Council and said, ‘We just want to be upfront with you. If this goes through that we have to place children up for adoption with same-sex couples, we’ll have to get out of the adoption enterprise, which everybody admits we probably do better than anybody else.’ And one of the City Council members said, ‘Good. We’ve been trying to get you out of it forever. And besides, we’re paying you to do it. So get out!'”

What about the argument that vast numbers of Catholics ignore the church’s teachings about sexuality? Doesn’t the church have a problem conveying its moral principles to its own flock? “Do we ever!” the archbishop replies with a hearty laugh. “I’m not afraid to admit that we have an internal catechetical challenge—a towering one—in convincing our own people of the moral beauty and coherence of what we teach. That’s a biggie.”

For this he faults the church leadership. “We have gotten gun-shy . . . in speaking with any amount of cogency on chastity and sexual morality.” He dates this diffidence to “the mid- and late ’60s, when the whole world seemed to be caving in, and where Catholics in general got the impression that what the Second Vatican Council taught, first and foremost, is that we should be chums with the world, and that the best thing the church can do is become more and more like everybody else.”

The “flash point,” the archbishop says, was “Humanae Vitae,” Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical reasserting the church’s teachings on sex, marriage and reproduction, including its opposition to artificial contraception. It “brought such a tsunami of dissent, departure, disapproval of the church, that I think most of us—and I’m using the first-person plural intentionally, including myself—kind of subconsciously said, ‘Whoa. We’d better never talk about that, because it’s just too hot to handle.’ We forfeited the chance to be a coherent moral voice when it comes to one of the more burning issues of the day.”

Without my having raised the subject, he adds that the church’s sex-abuse scandal “intensified our laryngitis over speaking about issues of chastity and sexual morality, because we almost thought, ‘I’ll blush if I do. . . . After what some priests and some bishops, albeit a tiny minority, have done, how will I have any credibility in speaking on that?'”

Yet the archbishop says he sees a hunger, especially among young adults, for a more authoritative church voice on sexuality. “They will be quick to say, ‘By the way, we want you to know that we might not be able to obey it. . . . But we want to hear it. And in justice, you as our pastors need to tell us, and you need to challenge us.'”

As we talk about sex, Archbishop Dolan makes a point of reiterating that his central objection to the ObamaCare mandate is that it violates religious liberty. In their views on that subject, and their role in politics more generally, American Catholics have in fact become “more like everybody else.” When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, he found it necessary to reassure Protestants that, in the archbishop’s paraphrase, “my Catholic faith will not inspire my decisions in the White House.”

“That’s worrisome,” Archbishop Dolan says. “That’s a severe cleavage between one’s moral convictions and the judgments one is called upon to make. . . . It’s bothersome to us as Catholics, because that’s the kind of apologia that we expect of no other religion.” But times have changed. Today devout Catholic Rick Santorum is running on the promise that his faith will inform his decisions—and his greatest support comes from evangelical Protestants.

The archbishop sees a parallel irony in his dispute with Mr. Obama: “This is a strange turn of the table, that here a Catholic cardinal is defending religious freedom, the great proposition of the American republic, and the president of the United States seems to be saying that this is a less-than-important issue.”

Religious freedom has received a more sympathetic hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court—which, coincidentally, has had a Catholic majority since 2006. In January, inHosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, the court ruled unanimously in favor of an evangelical Lutheran church’s right to classify teachers as ministers and therefore not subject to federal employment law. Archbishop Dolan sums up the decision: “Nowhere, no how, no way can the federal government seek to intrude upon the internal identity of a religion in defining its ministers.”

But whether the government has the authority to define a ministry—excluding, as the ObamaCare mandate does, church-affiliated institutions like hospitals and schools—is a separate legal question, one that may be resolved in litigation over the birth-control mandate.

It’s possible that the Supreme Court or a new president will render the issue moot. After our interview, the archbishop has a question for me: If the high court rules against ObamaCare, will that be the end of the birth-control mandate? Probably not, I tell him—though such an outcome seems much likelier now than it did early in the week when we met. The justices could end up striking a blow for religious liberty without the question even having reached their docket.

 

Mr. Taranto, a member of the Journal’s editorial board, writes the Best of the Web Today column for OpinionJournal.com.

Don’t abort your sick child, urges mom told her baby would die

BY OPERATION RESCUE STAFF, Mon Nov 18, 2013

unborn_baby-300x240Albuquerque, NM, Nov. 18, 2013 (OperationRescue) — On the weekend before a municipal election that will determine if Albuquerque, New Mexico, will become the first city in the nation to ban abortions after 20 weeks, a woman has come forward in a new video to tell why, when faced with a prenatal diagnosis of a child with severe fetal anomalies, she heroically rejected pressure to abort her son, Chance.
Calling the bid to end late-term abortion a “humanitarian issue,” Chantel Stuckman told of the heart-wrenching moment when she and her husband were told that her 24 week pre-born son had deformities so severe that he was not expected to live. While her doctors did not demand that she abort, they pressured her to rapidly make a life-or-death decision.

Chantel, who had an abortion as a teen that she deeply regrets, says she knew that this baby must be given a chance at life, however slim.
“Chance was diagnosed with hydrocephaly and other conditions that often lead to abortions out of a misguided concern that the don’t want their child to suffer,” said Tara Shaver, Chairperson of ABQ Voters For Late Term Abortion Ban. “Aborting babies who are sick or disabled isn’t something a compassionate society should do. We should let life take its course, and when we do, sometimes unexpected blessings come from what seems at first like tragedy.”
Chantel agrees, noting that doctors told her that her son would not survive, but he did. They said he would never walk, talk, or read, but he can do all three.

“I think that all children struggle,” said Chantell. “And I don’t think that killing them is ever our first option. I don’t think we look at a child who’s going through drug abuse and say, ‘You know, they’re really struggling. Maybe it would be better if I killed him.’ I don’t think we look at a child who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and say, ‘Well, maybe we should just kill him because their suffering is going to be too much.’ So I don’t see the fact that a child may or may not suffer as a reason to end their life.”
Today, Chance is a happy 14-year old teen who is a joy to all who know him.

Chantel says she supports the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance because she understands more than most the heartbreak of a poor fetal diagnosis – and that abortion is not the answer. In a new video, produced by Shaver and Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue, Chantel urges Albuquerque voters to support the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance for the sake of children like Chance.

Watch this video of Chantel Stuckman describing her experience having a child diagnosed with abnormalities too severe to survive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xhUaaMQaF28

From a horrific rape, a priceless ‘diamond in the rough’: Monica’s story

By Peter Baklinski, Mon Nov 11, 2013

WOODBURN, Indiana, November 8, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The 17-year-old woman had been terrorized, humiliated and crushed by what had happened to her. She had been raped. Now, to make matters worse, she was pregnant. Her mother had forced her to visit a back alley abortionist, to solve “the problem.” But at the last moment, Sandy decided not to go through with the illegal procedure. The year was 1972.Two weeks later, Sandy’s father suddenly died. Her entire world had now completely come crashing down upon her. All she wanted was her life back. All she could wonder was what was to become of her and the little new life beginning to stir inside her…
Last month something remarkable happened to Monica Kelsey, 40, that confirmed to her that no life, no matter how it came to be, is a mistake: She found a diamond in a field of plowed dirt.
Monica-KelseyMonica had been abandoned by her raped birthmother, Sandy, at a hospital two hours after being born and was soon adopted. She grew up completely unaware of her turbulent beginnings. It was only three years ago that she connected with her birthmother and heard the true account of her life for the first time.
“When I found my birthmother she said to me: ‘It’s amazing how something so beautiful has come out of something so horrible,’” Monica said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com.
When Sandy unexpectedly passed away this past March, Monica connected with relatives at the funeral who had not even known of her existence. “I prayed for a relationship with my birth family,” Monica said. “When I finally found them, no one knew about me. I was literally the family secret.”
Monica decided to travel from her home in Indiana to Arkansas last month to explore her roots. She wanted to experience for herself the sights and sounds that had been a part of her birthmother’s life.
During her stay, Monica and a few of her newly discovered relatives decided to try their luck treasure hunting at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, the only diamond-producing site in the world where the public can find real diamonds and keep them.
Geologists believe that a volcano brought the diamonds to the surface about 100 million years ago. Diamonds form deep in the earth at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Less than one percent of the 150,000 visitors to the park each year find a diamond.
After two hours of poking about the 37 acres of plowed eroded volcanic surface at the park, the group, with wet clothes and dirty shoes, decided to call it a day. But as Monica went to pick up her bucket and join her newfound family, she noticed something on the ground glimmering in the sunlight. Stooping to pick it up, she knew immediately what she had found: a yellow diamond.
“It’s amazing how I found this shining sparkling diamond in a field of dirt,” she said.
Park staff confirmed the find. The diamond, the 400th found that year, weighed just over half a carat (56 points).
For Monica, finding the diamond was filled with the deepest significance. It suddenly dawned on her that she, conceived in the horrible act of rape, was really her birthmother’s “diamond in the rough”.
“I did correlate finding this diamond as a kind of sign that my life [despite its rough beginnings] is still shining, that the sparkle is still there,” she said. “God took my birthmother’s deepest pain and turned it into the most precious of jewels.”
“I just praise God that my birthmother was strong enough to walk out of the abortion clinic,” she said.
Monica, a firefighter and medic who is married with three children, has become a public advocate for children conceived in rape after first learning of her beginnings.
She said that she used to be against abortion “except in the case of rape” – that is, until she “became educated.” Now she will tell anyone who will listen that her life “isn’t any different than your life simply because of the way I was conceived.”
Monica will gently tell people that “abortion has never fixed a rape, it never has and it never will.”
“Abortion just adds more trauma to rape and makes the child a victim as well, but unfortunately by the mother’s own hands,” she said.
Monica believes that women who become pregnant by rape should think about the new life flourishing inside them as their own “diamond in the rough.”
“There is a diamond in this pregnancy that will shine later on, you just have to let it grow,” she said. “Girls today don’t give themselves enough credit about how strong they can be.”
Monica plans to make a necklace with her diamond, leaving it uncut. She will wear it in memory of her birthmother’s sacrifice to give her the greatest gifts of all, life and her adoptive family.
“She is my hero, she truly is.”
Monica says she has nothing but gratitude for the choices her raped mother made.
“Life is sacred. Life is precious. Life is a gift. Thank you, Lord, for my birthmother.”
Follow Monica’s pro-life work on her website and on her Facebook page.

Pope Francis Applauded for Kissing, Blessing Disabled Man Covered With Tumors

by Steven Ertelt | The Vatican | LifeNews.com | 11/7/13

The praise for Pope Francis since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church has been consistent over the last several months. Catholics and Protestants alike have showered him with praise for not only his pro-life position but his willingness to show extended love and support for the disabled.

Just days after getting international acclaim for letting a teen with Down Syndrome take a spin in the Popemobile, Pope Francis is drawing accolades for showing love to a disabled man covered in boils.The Pope wasted no time in kissing and blessing the man.

pope-lovesBill Hallowell at The Blaze has more on what happened:

On Wednesday, Pope Francis took the time to do one simple thing that has now captivated the globe: He embraced and prayed with a man who was covered in tumors in St. Peter’s Square.

The encounter between the pontiff and the unnamed individual reportedly unfolded after Pope Francis addressed his general audience and the man approached the Catholic leader and asked to be blessed.

The afflicted individual reportedly suffers from neurofibromatosis, a disease described by the Mayo Clinic as a “genetic disorder that disturbs cell growth in your nervous system, causing tumors to form on nerve tissue.”

While individuals suffering from neurofibromatosis are sometimes shunned as a result of their appearance, Pope Francis wasted no time kissing the man’s face, embracing him and offering up a blessing.

Neurofibromatosis is not contagious.

Baby Weighing Less Than a Can of Soda Heads Home From Hospital Soon

by Steven Ertelt | San Diego, CA | LifeNews.com | 11/7/13

Alexis Clarke weighed just 11 ounces at birth — smaller than a can of soda. That was six months ago, when she was delivered at UCSD Medical Center at just 25 weeks. The smallest baby ever born at the medical center, Alexis is only now finally able to head home.

After months of medical care, Alexis is now bigger and healthier — and her family has supported her each and every day.

The U.S. Senate saw the introduction of a bill today that will protect babies like Aleixs from abortions. It would ban abortions on unborn children starting at 20 weeks – just five weeks ahead of when Alexis was born.alexisclarke

A local news report has more on this beautiful little girl:

“She was 11 ounces. So, she was 340-grams,” mother Laurie Clarke said, holding up the palm of her hand to describe just how small her little girl was at birth. “[She was] smaller than a can of soda. But when I got to see her, she was just our baby angel.”

Alexis was born three-and-a-half months early. According to her mother, doctors had to deliver Alexis early due to complications stemming from an under-developed placenta.

At Alexis’ small size, Clarke said her baby’s odds of survival were low – less than 25 percent. Given survival, doctors told Alexis’ family that her odds of significant and permanent complications were high.

For the first-time mother, watching her baby spend several months in an incubator meant an almost unbearable wait to just hold her child, and wonder what went wrong with the pregnancy.

“Honestly, it was a lot of, ‘What did I do wrong?’” said Clarke between tears. “Hearing that it wasn’t anything that I did definitely helped.”

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), babies born at 28 weeks or later survive 90 percent of the time.

Babies born between 24 and 27 weeks – as in Alexis’ case – survive 80 percent of the time.

Despite the precarious odds, Alexis, her parents and UCSD medical staff fought for her survival. For the first few months, Clarke said the situation was very much touch-and-go. Immediately, the baby was placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UCSD Medical Center, surrounded by nurses and doctors tending to her 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If all goes according to plan, Clarke said her little girl will be released from the hospital and headed home for the first time ever by Thanksgiving.
“We have something definitely huge to be thankful for,” said Clarke.

Aborting My Baby With Down Syndrome Ruined My Life, Tore Apart My Family

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 11/8/13

Tens of millions of women who have had abortions over the last decades worldwide regret their abortions. Marie Ideson of England is one of them.

Every morning when she wakes up she misses the six-year-old little girl who she named Lillie and planned to give a wonderful life — than is until an amniocenteses discovered Lillie had Down Syndrome.

ideson“Despite any disability, my daughter would have been incredibly well loved. And whatever her future was, I would always have been there for her,” Ideson tells the London Daily Mail newspaper.

But that love will never be given out. Days playing in the rain, carting Lillie off to school, hugs and kisses, applying bandages to scrapped knees. They’re never happen, because Lillie is one of the millions of babies who have been killed by abortion.

Not only did the abortion take Lillie’s life and deprive Ideson of a daughter who could have blessed her life, it tore apart her family. She and her partner had another child but that didn’t save the relationship.

As she tells the newspaper:

Yet when she was a little over 16 weeks pregnant with Lillie — and having been told by doctors that tests showed her much-wanted daughter had Down’s syndrome — Marie did something that still torments her and which she blames for the breakdown of her marriage: she underwent a termination.

‘Looking back, I was bullied into going ahead with an abortion,’ says Marie, 46, a GP surgery manager. ‘I only wish I could turn the clock back. I think of the daughter I never had every day. I will always regret it.’

‘When I said I wanted to keep the baby, I was told she could be born needing emergency heart surgery and have bowel and muscle tone problems — and that was if she survived.
‘At no time did anyone suggest we might keep our baby. A termination was presented as the only way forward.’
Not only that, but Marie also thinks she was made to feel guilty about wanting to continue with her pregnancy.
‘A nurse said not aborting my baby would cause it to suffer, and she’d only become a burden on society if I went ahead,’ says Marie. ‘She even said: “Ninety-nine per cent of women in your situation wouldn’t want the baby.” ’

About her husband, she says:

She adds: ‘It might sound unreasonable, but I blamed him as well as the doctors for the abortion. He knew I was anti-abortion and that I wanted to keep my baby.

‘I was upset that he had allowed me to take the pill and didn’t just take me home. I believed he’d sided with the consultant. And when Reuben arrived, I also realized nothing was going to bring Lillie back and a new baby couldn’t solve the issues in our marriage.’
By the time Reuben was two, the couple had split. Marie, who never signed a consent form for the abortion, spent thousands of pounds in legal fees in a bid to gain an apology from the hospital — although she was eventually forced to abandon legal action due to the expense.
Of her broken marriage she says: ‘I couldn’t get over what happened — neither of us could come to terms with it. The trauma was always there between Allan and I. The rift it caused just couldn’t be healed.’
She says: ‘My eldest sons are now aged 25. When pregnant with them, I knew of women having Down’s syndrome babies. But when I had Reuben, I heard of no one.
‘Today, I never see mums with Down’s syndrome babies. I can’t help feeling other women must be having abortions they don’t want. I can’t believe that everyone who finds out their baby has Down’s syndrome willingly chooses to abort it.’

“Death Panels” Are Euthanizing Patients Every Day as Doctors Make Treatment Decisions

by Bobby Schindler | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 11/4/13

Former Governor Sarah Palin, whether it was intentional or not, certainly began the discussion on end of life issues when she referred to “death panels” in a 2009 debate about federal health care legislation to cover the uninsured in the US.

Governor Palin was referring to death panels in the context of government officials making life and death decisions if/when the government took over our health care system.
However, what the general public doesn’t seem to realize is that death panels (if you want to use that label) already exist. Perhaps even more alarming, however is the extent that our medical rights have deteriorated due to an unrelenting anti-life agenda that has slowly transformed our laws – and our culture – into accepting the killing of our most medically vulnerable American citizens.

Patients and family members are now seeing health care professionals empowered to make life and death decisions – quality of life assessments – when a person should or should not receive treatment regardless of what the patient wants or what the family wants.
To make things worse, we have the vast majority of the mainstream media, by the manner in which they report on this issue, desensitizing the general public when it comes to how we treat our medically vulnerable. Ironically, each one of us is now in the position to potentially become a victim of this acceptance.
But not only are we seeing physicians having more control over our health care decisions, there has been a fundamental shift when it comes to the mentality of these caretakers, particularly when it comes to treating, or not treating, those with profound cognitive disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, the elderly, and countless other medically vulnerable persons.

Add to this the laws that have now changed, and you can see the fear of some and the possibility of a euthanasia explosion occurring in our nation’s health care system. Perhaps, as I seem to think, this is already a reality.

No longer, for example, is food and water (via feeding tubes) considered basic and ordinary care. We now define food and water as medical treatment, and as such, depending on the state you live in, can make it rather easy to deny food and water to individuals, even when they have expressed wishes that they want food and water.
In fact, according to a recent report by the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics, “the laws of all but twelve states may allow doctors and hospitals to disregard advance directives when they call for treatment, food, or fluids.” So call them what you want, but the reality is that “ethics committees” are now empowered to deny even the most basic care from each and every one of us, if they decide that is what they want to do.

For many years, Bioethicists Wesley J. Smith has been writing about these issues and the ominous direction we are moving as a nation. In particular, pointing out time and time again how the media, for the most part, is helping push the agenda.

Perhaps the only good news is the fact that there has been so much talk about Obamacare and how it relates to end of life issues and “death panels” that some people are now beginning to pay at least some attention to what is happening. Indeed they should, because not only may it affect their end of life care, but any type of medical treatment they may or may not receive, as well.

How is it that all you hear about from those who support euthanasia and assisted suicide is that a patient’s rights must be protected and we must allow the patient to make the decision if they want to take their life. But what happens when it is their choice that they want to live and receive certain treatments? What happens then?
In a recent case involving a hospital in Liverpool, Britain’s highest court ruled in favor of the hospital to withhold treatment from a terminally ill man despite the family’s opposition. Not to mention that in Belgium, they are now considering euthanasia for children, if you can believe that. From the AP, “Belgium considering new euthanasia law for kids.”

Should children have the right to ask for their own deaths? In Belgium, where euthanasia is now legal for people over the age of 18, the government is considering extending it to children — something that no other country has done. The same bill would offer the right to die to adults with early dementia.
All of this is very troubling and we can no longer say this is only happening “across the pond”, so to speak. Every single day, here in the United States, people are being euthanized either by terminal sedation, denial of food and water, or withholding treatment. And I’m sure there are other ways where death is being imposed upon patients.

Sadly, other than some awareness that is being raised, there seems to be no real push back coming from the general public or the organizations equipped to expose this insidious and growing culture of death issue.

Maybe it is due to the fact that we have become a nation so desensitized to the value and dignity of all life that when we see the medically vulnerable, we have convinced ourselves that we are acting out of “compassion” to end their lives, rather than caring for them. Whatever the reasons, and I am sure there are many, as widespread as I believe euthanasia is occurring across our nation’s health care facilities, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

Woman with Stage Four Gallbladder Cancer Loses Insurance Thanks to Obamacare

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 11/4/13

A woman with stage four gallbladder cancer is one of the millions of Americans who are losing their health insurance thanks to the rules and regulations that are a part of Obamacare. Edie Littlefield Sundby details her plight in a new article the Wall Street Journal published:
Everyone now is clamoring about Affordable Care Act winners and losers. I am one of the losers.
My grievance is not political; all my energies are directed to enjoying life and staying alive, and I have no time for politics. For almost seven years I have fought and survived stage-4 gallbladder cancer, with a five-year survival rate of less than 2% after diagnosis. I am a determined fighter and extremely lucky. But this luck may have just run out: My affordable, lifesaving medical insurance policy has been canceled effective Dec. 31.
My choice is to get coverage through the government health exchange and lose access to my cancer doctors, or pay much more for insurance outside the exchange (the quotes average 40% to 50% more) for the privilege of starting over with an unfamiliar insurance company and impaired benefits.
Countless hours searching for non-exchange plans have uncovered nothing that compares well with my existing coverage. But the greatest source of frustration is Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act health-insurance exchange and, by some reports, one of the best such exchanges in the country. After four weeks of researching plans on the website, talking directly to government exchange counselors, insurance companies and medical providers, my insurance broker and I are as confused as ever. Time is running out and we still don’t have a clue how to best proceed.
Before the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance policies could not be sold across state lines; now policies sold on the Affordable Care Act exchanges may not be offered across county lines.
What happened to the president’s promise, “You can keep your health plan”? Or to the promise that “You can keep your doctor”?
During the 2012 presidential elections, abortion activists and the Obama campaign concocted all sorts of phony “War on Women” stories to make it appear pro-life organizations and pro-life candidates somehow didn’t care about women.
Now that the election is done and Obamacare is in place, the real perpetrator of the War on Women is getting exposed. Exhibit A is Jennifer Harris of California, who is three months pregnant, is losing her current insurance thanks to the Obamacare rules.

Catholic Bishop, Evangelical Churches Promote Albuquerque Late-Term Abortion Ban

by Cheryl Sullenger | Albuquerque, NM | LifeNews.com | 11/4/13

 

Archbishop Michael Sheehan urged Albuquerque Catholics to cast their votes for the historic Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance Sunday, telling them that a vote for the ordinance is the only way a Catholic should vote.

“Let us say ‘yes’ to Jesus, let us say ‘yes’ to the unborn child, and urge others to do the same,” he said during his homily at the Shrine of Bernadette. His message resonated with parishioners, some of which plan to take advantage of early voting which is now open.

Meanwhile ABQ Voters for Late Term Abortion Ban have released a new 1-minute promotional videourging Christians to vote for the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance during an upcoming municipal election on Tuesday, November 19. This video was shown in several churches across Albuquerque yesterday in English and Spanish.

The church-focused “Get Out the Vote” campaign is a strategic one.

“Since launching our campaign last month ABQ Voters For Late Term Abortion Ban has been getting out the vote in local ABQ churches. The Christian churches make up the majority of our voting base and that is where our focus is, and where our votes “FOR” the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance will come from,” stated Tara Shaver, Chair.

“Our campaign volunteers have been warmly welcomed into dozens of local churches who are eager to see this ordinance pass,” shaver continued. “In lieu of a mainstream television commercial, we are proud to launch our latest effort to remind voters within the churches to cast their ballot vote “FOR” the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance. This video is relevant among our base and cuts to the heart of the issue. Will we continue to kill innocent human beings in the womb who can feel pain? That is what’s on the ballot and what ABQ voters will decide.”

A recent ABQ Journal Poll showed that the proposed ordinance, this first of its kind on the Municipal level, enjoys the support of 54% of likely voters.

Albuquerque is the site of the largest late-term abortion clinic in the nation, the injury-proneSouthwestern Women’s Options, which supplies abortions up until the time of birth to women from every state. Opposition to the late-term abortion ban has been linked to President Barack Obama’s Organizing for Change, a political activism organization that supports radical leftist causes.

The videos can be viewed at LateTermAbortionBan.com.

EWTN Files New Lawsuit Taking on Obama HHS-Abortion Mandate

EWTN Global Catholic Network filed a new lawsuit October 28 in Federal Court against the Department of Health & Human Services, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other federal agencies seeking to stop the government from imposing the HHS contraception mandate as well as asking the court to find that it is unconstitutional. The State of Alabama, through its Attorney General Luther Strange, has joined EWTN as a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit.

“EWTN has no other option but to continue our legal challenge to the mandate,” said EWTN Chairman and CEO Michael P. Warsaw. “The revised rules, published by the government in July, have done nothing to address the serious issues of conscience and religious freedom that EWTN has been raising since the mandate was first published last year. The government has decided that EWTN is apparently not religious enough to be exempt from the rule. It has still placed us in a situation where we are forced to offer contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs as part of our employee health plan or to offer our employees and their families no insurance at all. Neither of these options is acceptable. The mission of EWTN is not negotiable.”

EWTN’s original lawsuit opposing the mandate was filed Feb. 9, 2012, but was dismissed by Federal Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn on March 25, 2013. In her order dismissing the original suit, Judge Blackburn noted that the government had promised to implement a new rule addressing the issues raised by EWTN. Blackburn’s opinion stated that “common sense weighs in favor of withholding judicial review until new regulations are created and finalized. At that point, if EWTN still has objections, it may then file suit.”

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a new set of rules on July 23, 2013 which Secretary Sebelius claimed addressed the concerns of EWTN and other similar organizations.

“When the government opened up a period for public comment earlier this year in advance of publishing its revised rules, EWTN submitted extensive remarks and an explanation of its moral objections to the mandate,” Warsaw continued. “We sincerely hoped that our concerns would be addressed. Instead, the government ignored our comments entirely and pressed forward with a rule that changed nothing. We are in the same position today as we were when the mandate was first published.


“As an organization that was founded to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church, we do not believe that contraception, voluntary sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs constitute health care. We simply cannot facilitate these immoral practices,” said Warsaw.

“Version 2.0 of the mandate is just as bad as version 1.0,” said Lori Windham, Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund, which filed both the original and new lawsuits on EWTN’s behalf. “It would still force the world’s preeminent Catholic network to betray publicly the very teachings it was founded to promote, and which it promotes on a daily basis.”

In 2012, shortly after the first EWTN lawsuit was filed, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange petitioned the court to join the EWTN complaint. In this new lawsuit, the State of Alabama has joined EWTN as a co-plaintiff from the start.

Commenting on this new lawsuit, Attorney General Strange said, “I am proud to stand with EWTN to oppose this unconscionable mandate. … The freedom of religion, and to believe as one sees fit, is our ‘first freedom’ under the United States Constitution. The people of Alabama have recognized the importance of this freedom and have enshrined it in their Constitution as well. Alabama law does not allow anyone to be forced to offer a product that is against his or her religious beliefs or conscience.”

“EWTN is extremely grateful to Attorney General Strange for his support on this important issue. The Attorney General clearly understands what is at stake here, not just for EWTN, but for all people who feel that government cannot take away the right to religious freedom,” said Warsaw.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 32nd year, is available in over 230 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com, electronic and print news services, and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. The Becket Fund has a 17-year history of defending religious liberty for people of all faiths. Its attorneys are recognized as experts in the field of church-state law, and they recently won a 9-0 victory against the federal government at the U.S. Supreme Court in Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC.

371 Mothers and Babies Spared From Abortion as 40 Days for Life Almost Done

by Shawn Carney | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 10/28/13

Are you ready for another serving of Monday morning good news? Here it is! So far during this 40 Days for Life campaign, we now know of 371
babies whose mothers decided to reject abortion! Here are the stories of two of those babies … their parents … and grandparents.

—————————————————–
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
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On a typical Saturday morning, there are around two dozen people praying outside the abortion center in Little Rock. But the volunteers have a new obstacle now. “Water sprinklers were installed on top of the
privacy fence and constantly spray the sidewalk and driveway,” said Mary in Little Rock. That makes it much harder to talk to women entering the building. “We have suggested the sidewalk counselors wear rain gear now,” she said. The sprinklers can’t stop the prayers. A woman walked through the curtain of water to tell Mary that her 16-year-old daughter would not be getting an abortion. “She hugged the three of us praying and I directed her to the pregnancy care center across the street for help,” Mary said. “Praise God!”

Mary asked the abortion center’s security guard “if he really thought a little water would keep us away. He did not respond.”

—————————————————–
NEWBURGH, NEW YORK
—————————————————–
A young lady arrived at Planned Parenthood along with her boyfriend and sister. “Although her boyfriend and sister did not support her decision to have the abortion,” said Wendy in Newburgh, “her mother was pressuring her.”
The boyfriend was upset over this decision, but felt he had no say in the matter. “He said that she was nine weeks pregnant and she even had an ultrasound picture of the baby,” she said. “He couldn’t bring himself to look at that picture knowing the fate of his baby.”
The prayer volunteers encouraged him to go inside Planned Parenthood and get his girlfriend out. They told him to not give up on that baby because they certainly refused to do so. As he went inside, they
prayed fervently.

Finally, they all came out. “This young man looked like he had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders,” Wendy said. As he drove off, he smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
“Don’t ever doubt that your prayers and presence make a difference,” said Wendy.

LifeNews.com Note: Shawn Carney is the campaign director for the 40 Days for Life pro-life prayer campaign against abortion

Mom Delivers Healthy Baby After Rare Undiscovered Ectopic Pregnancy

by Steven Ertelt | St. Joseph, MO | LifeNews.com | 10/28/13

A mother in Missouri and her baby are both healthy after a rare and undiscovered ectopic pregnancy. Jonna Snodgrass, 36, delivered
Jatelyn Snodgrass at Heartland Regional Medical Center’s New Beginnings Unit earlier this month.

Doctors discovered the baby girl was ectopic and didn’t implant in the uterus. For more details, go to http://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/article_3b429a07-24ab-50c4-9fd6-399fbdc5ee7c.html

From birth weight to length, the decor, affixed to a labor/delivery/recovery/post-partum room in the maternity wing, announced the details of Katelyn Snodgrass’ birth at 11:49 a.m. Monday.
Not included, however, was the fact that she was brought into the world following an unusual gestation. Instead of growing inside her mother’s uterus, her embryo had taken root on an ovary

Katelyn’s mother, St. Joseph resident Jonna Snodgrass, 36, said finding out that fact, after undergoing a C-section delivery, was a bigsurprise.
“I was shocked and I don’t know how we both survived it, but we’re both here,” she said.Ms. Snodgrass said nothing about her pregnancy
seemed out of place. “Really nothing was different, except for the C section,that was totally new to me,” she said. “Everything else was pretty much the same.”
The Snodgrasses noted that Katelyn’s location was undetected by two
sonograms done after the 20-week mark.Dr. Brooke Seevers was Ms. Snodgrass’ obstetrician throughout the pregnancy. Dr.
Seevers said ectopic pregnancies,pregnancies where an embryo implants
outside of the uterus, are uncommon.“It’s a very rare complication to develop fora pregnancy,” she said.Ms. Snodgrass’ case was an even rarerform of ectopic pregnancy in terms ofwhere the embryo implanted. Ovarian ectopic pregnancies account for about half a percent of all ectopic pregnancies, Dr. Seevers said.
Implantation on the fallopian tubes is far more common.
She said typically ectopic pregnancy patients receive the diagnosis after experiencing pain and bleeding early on. In addition to being potentiallylife-threatening to the mother, they also run a high
risk of miscarriage or premature birth.

Sterilization Reversal Book 2013 Edition

Sterilization-Reversal

The Theme of the Book

Sterilization Reversal – A Generous Act of Love is a compilation of 20 stories of couples who were sterilized and then sought sterilization reversal. It is the first book that discusses, from a Roman Catholic perspective, the destructive impact that sterilization has on marriage and the joyous spiritual and marital renewal experienced by couples after reversal. As such, Sterilization Reversal – A Generous Act of Love is a unique resource for clergy, religious educators and laypeople. It is an especially useful tool for the pastoral counseling of persons who have repented their sterilization. It is also a particularly effective means of informing people who are considering sterilization of the emptiness and heartbreak that often follow as well as the NFP alternative that nourishes the marital relationship rather than attacks it. (more…)

Detroit Archbishop defends his stance that gay ‘marriage’ supporters should not receive Communion

BY PATRICK B. CRAINE, Tue Sep 24, 2013

DETROIT, Sept. 24, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite strong criticism and a public rebuke from another bishop, Detroit’s Archbishop Allen Vigneron has reaffirmed his insistence that Catholics who support same-sex “marriage” should not receive Holy Communion.

The archbishop was speaking to media at a pro-life vigil in Motor City on Saturday.

“I don’t think they were hurtful,” he said of his comments from April, according to the Detroit Free Press. “I think they were straightforward. There’s nothing hurtful in telling people the truth.”

“And the truth is that… the teaching of the church about marriage is God’s way for us to flourish,” he added. “That’s what I want people to know.”

On April 7th, the archbishop had stressed, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, that a Catholic must be committed to Church teaching if they present themselves for Holy Communion.

“For a Catholic to receive holy Communion and still deny the revelation Christ entrusted to the church is to try to say two contradictory things at once: ‘I believe the church offers the saving truth of Jesus, and I reject what the Church teaches,’” he said. “In effect, they would contradict themselves. This sort of behavior would result in publicly renouncing one’s integrity and logically bring shame for a double-dealing that is not unlike perjury.”

Four days later, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, a retired auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese with a strongly liberal reputation who has made a name for himself as an opponent of Church teaching, gave an interview to oppose Vigneron’s stance.

“Don’t stop going to communion.  You’re okay,” Gumbleton told Fox News.

The highest authorities of the Church, including Pope Benedict himself, have insisted, however, that the Church’s law not only bars public advocates of abortion and same-sex “marriage” from receiving Communion but, in Canon 915, instructs clergy to deny them Communion if they refuse to recant after receiving instruction.

Canon 915 states that those who are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”

Archbishop Vigneron offered a Mass at Assumption Grotto church for about 200 pro-lifers, and then joined a walk to two abortion facilities where he led a Rosary. The event was organized by the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants.

In his homily, he told the pro-lifers who gathered that they were part of the “field hospital” spoken of by Pope Francis in his widely-publicized interview published last week.

Obamacare Exchanges Hide Info on Abortion Coverage, Mandatory Abortion Surcharge

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 10/12/13

 

With the exchanges of Obamacare activated this month, it has become evident that it is nearly impossible for individuals to try to determine which exchange plans on their state exchange, if any, exclude abortion, said a group of lawmakers at a bipartisan press conference Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) unveiled his legislation, H.R. 3279, the “Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act” —cosponsored by 70 other Members of the House—to ensure full disclosure of abortion coverage, requiring prominent and transparent disclosure of abortion coverage for each plan offered on an exchange. This is crucial information for millions of Americans since the many plans that include elective abortion are required by law to impose a monthly mandatory abortion surcharge. Many Americans object to paying a surcharge into a fund to be used solely for the purpose of aborting unborn babies.

Smith said the inauguration of the Obamacare exchanges reveals that many health insurance plans throughout the nation will include abortion on demand—even late term abortions. Smith recalled that in October 2009, President Obama said in a speech to a joint session of Congress that, “under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion… .” A week after the Obamacare rollout, many are now discovering that—contrary to solemn promises made by the President himself—Obamacare violates the Hyde Amendment by funding plans that include abortion.

“The new law requires premium payers to be assessed an abortion surcharge every month to pay for abortions,” said Rep. Smith. “But many pro-life Americans may unwittingly purchase pro-abortion plans because of a marketing secrecy clause embedded in Obamacare which stipulates that the surcharge be minimally disclosed only at the time of enrollment. In other words, bury it in the fine print. This is a Right to Know bill. Americans have a right to know upfront and with full transparency when they are purchasing a plan that subsidizes the killing of unborn children. Even the most ardent advocate of abortion should embrace full disclosure.”

Joining Smith and Dan Lipinksi (D-IL), co-chairs of the Pro-Life Caucus, were Reps. Joe Pitts (PA-16) and Diane Black (TN-06), Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) and Trent Franks (AZ-08).

“Americans buying their insurance through the new healthcare exchanges shouldn’t have to spend hours trying to figure out if the money they pay for premiums will be spent to provide abortions. This bill will give the American people the transparency they need to make informed decisions that are in line with their religious and moral beliefs,” Rep. Dan Lipinski said. “None of this would be a problem if we pass the ‘No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.’ There is a longstanding principle in our country that the federal government does not subsidize abortions. Yet under Obamacare, taxpayer money under the guise of federal subsidies will be paying for insurance that covers elective abortion. This needs to stop.”

“The President tells Americans that they can go online, find the plan that covers what they need, and make a selection,” said Rep. Joe Pitts. “If Obamacare is all about choice, then why is the administration making it so difficult for people to find out about whether a plan pays for abortion? It’s time that we got some truth in advertising.”

“The Obamacare exchange launch has been an unmitigated disaster,” said Congressman Diane Black. “One of the most troubling problems is that many consumers are unclear as to what exactly will be covered by the plans they purchase online. Clearly Americans who are pro-life would object to paying for a health care plan that included abortion coverage and then be forced to pay an abortion surcharge into a fund that is meant to be used solely for the purposes of destroying human life. And this is equally problematic for the millions of Americans who simply don’t believe the federal government should be subsidizing abortions. The Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act would simply require that all plans on the exchanges disclose whether or not the plan includes abortion coverage. This is not a partisan issue—this is commonsense.”

I support the legislation that Rep. Chris Smith has put forward, and I adamantly believe that we need to lift the veil of secrecy from Obamacare while ensuring transparent policies,” said Rep. Vicky Hartzler. “I commend every member that has signed on to this bill, and I also encourage members of both parties and the Senate to vote for this common-sense legislation. We must eliminate the “secrecy clauses” and “abortion fees” from current taxpayer subsidized insurance plans and fight to restore individual religious liberty and moral conscience to our medical decisions.”

How to Help a Friend Who Has Received a Prenatal Diagnosis Choose Life

It happens every day. A couple, excited about their pregnancy and the birth of their child, receive the devastating news of a
prenatal diagnosis.

But even if the diagnosis includes those heartbreaking words – “incompatible with life” – every life deserves to be celebrated, and every baby deserves to be loved. As the friend or family member of someone who has received such a diagnosis, you have the power and the ability to help the couple cope, heal, and find joy.

Listen

Many parents who receive a diagnosis of their unborn children are being told by their doctors that abortion is the best option. Even if the parents don’t want to abort, they may be feeling a lot of pressure to do so. Some may even have doctors and family members telling that keeping their baby is selfish. It’s the hardest time in this couple’s lives, and the last thing they need from you is your unsolicited advice. It is best to listen to them. Let them cry. Let them get angry.

Let them experience the pain that this diagnosis has caused them. In the beginning, they don’t need you to tell them anything. They just need you to listen and hug them. Don’t disappear for fear of upsetting them. Make yourself available whenever your friend needs to talk, and call to check in on her. When the couple is ready to listen to your advice, be kind and non-judgmental. Remember that they want their baby, but they are afraid. Use examples of other families in similar situations to show them that loving a child is not dependent on a child’s health.

Support

Be there to support your friends’ decision to continue with the pregnancy. It’s the right decision, but they may be getting a lot of flak from doctors, friends, and even family about how others think they are doing their child a disservice. Attend doctor appointments with the expectant mom if her partner can’t be there. Be a positive, life-affirming presence in her life. Let her cry when she wants to cry. Let her yell when she wants to yell. Let her know she’s doing the right thing. Make her dinner. Take her to lunch. Help her find resources of support concerning her child’s condition.

Celebrate

Most expectant moms get a baby shower to celebrate their new bundles of joy. But when a couple receives a diagnosis for their unborn child, family and friends often worry about whether or not to throw a baby shower. They often wonder how they can possibly celebrate during such an emotionally devastating time. Before planning a Celebration of Life shower, talk with the couple and make sure they’re okay with it. If they are, help them start a baby registry. Even if they have been told their child won’t survive birth, there is always the hope and the chance that the baby will. The baby may even end up going home after all.

You can ask guests to bring gifts for the mom that include gift cards to restaurants or a spa for a day of pampering. Gifts can also include blankets and quilts with the baby’s name on them. An amazing gift would be a pregnancy photo session. And of course, include the usual gifts such as outfits and baby toys.

Just because a baby has received a prenatal diagnosis does not mean his or her life should go uncelebrated. This child, and his or her parents, need all the love and support they can get, and there’s no better way to do that than by showing how much you care for all of them.

LifeNews Note: Nancy is a work at home mom who writes about parenting, special needs children, and the right to life. She is the lucky mother of two spirited little girls, one who has cystic fibrosis, and she spends any free moment she can find fundraising for a cure for CF. You can read her personal blog at www.ChronicAdmissions.com. Reprinted from Live Action News.

An Unlikely Journey

Houston, late ’90s. Veronica Arnold, Dorothy Richardson, and Theresa Camara were busy home-schooled kids who spent their time running around the city with their families to take part in every Catholic and/or home-school activity Houston had to offer. All from relatively large families and all raised in a pro-life atmosphere, the girls were eventually destined to cross paths, and they’ve been friends ever since they did. In time, they finished school all left Houston to move on to different colleges. But this particular city has a way of pulling people back in, and, kind of like boomerangs, they again found themselves together in their shared hometown after college.

Each young woman eventually found herself accepting a position at one of three of Houston’s largest pro-life organizations. Each is using her unique talents to contribute to the pro-life enterprise: Dorothy works tirelessly at the Houston Coalition for Life as the programs director, Veronica assists with legislative undertakings at Texas Right to Life (the state affiliate of National Right to Life), and Theresa runs the maternal assistance program at the Foundation for Life. Although they each do vastly different work on a daily basis, the pro-life common denominator ties them together, and their ultimate goal is the same: to see an end to abortion in their lifetime.

When asked why a young person should consider standing up for life, maybe even as a career path, Veronica, Dorothy, and Theresa all spoke from a place of personal experience and conviction. Veronica, who works in legislation, said: To make abortion unthinkable, we need pro-life missionaries. To make abortion illegal, we need pro-life politicians. All too often I hear people say that our government is corrupt, and they won’t have anything to do with politics. Young people won’t even register to vote. But how can we fix the problems if we don’t act? Young people, we need more politicians. We need pro-lifers to run for office, to fight, to win, or even to run and lose – to cut through the muck and forge the pathway for the next pro-lifer to win. We can’t overturn Roe v. Wade without pro-lifers in public office. Whether you work full time in the pro-life movement or not, you can help end abortion by learning the issues, talking about the issues (to everyone!), and voting for the good guys.

Theresa, whose primary job is one-on-one maternal assistance for moms and babies in need, cautioned that the battle won’t end when Roe v. Wade is overturned, pointing out that there will always be mothers and children who need help regardless of the legislative status of abortion: It is important to realize that even if abortion was made illegal tomorrow, there would be a huge number of women who would still be in crisis situations who would need to think about adoption or parenting assistance.

Even if Planned Parenthood was removed from our schools tomorrow, there would be a huge poisoned vacuum which would need to be positively filled and healed. There would be huge legal and social battles to address. We need the young people to stand up and be that true friend for each young pregnant woman… So many young women change their mind simply because their friend or their coworker said, at some point in the conversation, “I think that you will be a great mom!” and “You’re feeling stuck? These people help girls in your situation all the time.” Dorothy, whose day-to-day work is focused on outreach to the community, had a quick answer to the question of why other young people should do pro-life work: “Because it could have been you.” She continued: Because no woman deserves the trauma of abortion. Because no father should miss out on the chance to become a better man. Because no baby deserves to die alone and in horrific pain.

But if somehow that isn’t enough, you should know that this is the ultimate human rights cause, that taking your place on the battle line will bring more graces and more beauty into your life than you can imagine, especially when the fight is hardest. Standing on the sidewalk outside an abortion facility and praying seems so simple but women have changed their minds from abortion to life just because they saw someone standing there (on the sidewalk). Even our smallest pro-life efforts have a tremendous ripple effect.

LifeNews Note: Lauren is a Legislative Associate for Texas Right to Life and a graduate of Ave Maria University. This post originally appeared at Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.

 

The Gates Foundation has been awarded one of the world’s most prestigious awards for public health. Do they deserve it?

By Liliana Cote de Bejarano, MD, MPH

Source: Global News and Mercatornet

indexThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (GF) has been awarded the most prestigious prize in public health, the “Lasker Award for Public Service”. This award constitutes an important precedent for the Nobel Prize. It honors scientists for pioneering research in the medical field. The GF received the award for taking a novel approach to the way we view the world’s most prominent health problems and improve the lives of millions of vulnerable people in the world, according to the Lasker Foundation.

The award was shared with Richard H. Scheller and Thomas C. Südhof for their discoveries concerning the molecular machinery and regulatory mechanism underlying the rapid release of neurotransmitters, and Graeme M. Clark, of S. Blake Ingeborg Hochmair and Wilson, for development of a modern cochlear implant, a device that gives hearing to profoundly deaf people.

It should be noted that the Gates Foundation funds some meritorious programs, such as sponsoring the research of Dr. William Foege, who discovered the vaccine that eradicated smallpox. However, their primary and almost exclusive efforts are now directed to universal birth control. Their so-called family planning programs really mean abortion, both chemical/medical and surgical. Their goal is one child per woman, especially in the countries of Asia and Africa.

The “Millennium Goals” established by the United Nations in 2002, are a top priority of the GF. These goals have eight human development objectives. Objectives 3 and 4 seek to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. To meet these two objectives, the Gates Foundation has made very generous donations to flood mainly the countries in Asia and Africa, with contraceptive and abortifacient drugs there are supposed to improve the health of children and women.

GF rhetoric includes the antiquated notion that population growth must stop, “Population growth causes changes in climate, and it can cause huge disaster; we cannot tolerate that the population reaches 9 billion. We need provide better reproductive options to women (… ) but there are women who have children for ideological and religious reasons. ”  The GF is also promoting research vaccine use to reduce population.

“Family Planning 2020 Empowering Women Worldwide” is another public health project that is supported by the GF. This is a global partnership to provide 120 million women with access to contraceptive methods by 2020. According to Global News, the GF is collaborating with the Merck and Bayer laboratories, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA ), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Children’s Investment Foundation and the governments of Norway Sweden, United Kingdom and United States, to produce contraceptive implants (abortifacients ), Jadelle and Implanon.

The GF will fund Pfizer laboratories for production of injectable contraceptives (abortificients ) for the Department for International Development of the UK, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID ) of USA and the Fund for  UN Population.

Bill Gates has stated that the “beneficiary” countries will bear half of the costs of the ” Family Planning 2020 ” program, these alleged ” beneficiary countries”  will fund early abortions ( by chemical means ) and sterilization of its women and girls. These countries are really been victimized by sterilizing their population, paying for the genocide of their unborn children, and becoming indebted to international organizations.

Public and private organizations thus become partners with the pharmaceutical industries, benefiting from their profits, and allowing the GF to recover some of their alleged donations.

Is public health advanced by flooding women with abortifacient contraceptives that increase the risk of debilitating acute and chronic diseases that are life-threatening?

 

The blessings from children

beaver

The blessings of children

dostoyevsky

Detroit Archbishop defends his stance that gay ‘marriage’ supporters should not receive Communion

DETROIT, Sept. 24, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite strong criticism and a public rebuke from another bishop, Detroit’s Archbishop Allen Vigneron has reaffirmed his insistence that Catholics who support same-sex “marriage” should not receive Holy Communion.

I was having dinner with the Pope when worried pro-lifers started contacting me about his interview

September 24, 2013 (PriestsforLife.org) – As the Director of Priests for Life, known worldwide as a ministry within the Catholic Church that urges more preaching, teaching, and action against abortion, I was asked by many alarmed and confused people these past few days about the reported comments of the Pope that the Church should not be “obsessed” with this issue, and that there should be “balance” and “context.

Diocese bans Catholic school trips to center where students could ‘handle’ embryonic stem cells

MADISON, WI, September 12, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Catholic schoolchildren will no longer take field trips to a center that conducts embryonic stem cell research and gives students the opportunity to handle the aborted cells, the Diocese of Madison has announced in a letter.

Russia’s law banning homosexual propaganda a hardheaded approach to stem demographic winter

18-year-old beauty queen suffers stroke and partial blindness after two years on the pill Yasmin

A teenage contestant in the “Face of Europe” beauty pageant has fought her way back from a debilitating stroke that left her partially blind and in need of daily medication to thin her blood.

Adult Stem Cell Research Breakthrough Could Lead to Treatments for Parkinson’s, Diabetes

Here is another amazing breakthrough in ethical stem cell research that you won’t learn about from the BBC.

One More Soul Celebrates Respect Life Month

october mini banner protect life(1)

Reproductive Health and Toxics in the Enviroment

ACOG-logoThe American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) urged gynecologists to ask for changes in government policies to identify and reduce exposure to toxic environmental agents. The joint committee of ACOG and ASRM warn of toxic chemicals in the environment that lead to infertility, adverse effects in pregnancy, and many other long term health problems. However, these organizations promote the use of hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, which has been classified a Group I carcinogen.

Jeanne A. Conry, MD, PhD, ACOG’s president said: “Legislators should require the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States and industry to define and estimate the risks for pregnant women, infants and children with exposure to chemicals and act to protect the most vulnerable populations.” There is a great concern about chemicals in the environment; however, ACOG promotes the use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), IUDs and contraceptive implants with high doses of steroids for women and adolescents girls.

It is known that exposure to toxic environmental agents can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Similarly, hormonal contraceptives change the uterine lining (endometrium) creating a hostile environment for a newly created human being. The newly conceived baby can’t implant and is aborted.

There is scientific evidence showing that exposure to toxic environmental agents before conception and during pregnancy can have significant and lasting effects on reproductive health. “For example, pesticide exposure in men is associated with poor semen quality, infertility and prostate cancer,” said Linda C. Giudice, MD, PhD, president of the ASRM. Similarly, recent studies have observed the feminization and decreased fertility in aquatic animals due to the presence of estrogenic compounds in the water, some from wastewater contaminated with oral contraceptives. There is a possibility that exposure to oral contraceptives in drinking water contributes to the recent increase in the problems of human reproduction.

“As reproductive health care specialists, we are uniquely positioned to help prevent prenatal exposure to toxic environmental agents and to educate our patients on how to avoid them in the home, in the community and at work,” said Dr Giudice.

We hope these organizations of specialists who know about the health risks with exposure to toxic substances in the environment could realize that hormonal contraceptives are toxic, and doctors prescribe them to women, even teenagers, not only causing effects long and short term, but also doing damage to the environment.

Four Keys to Happy Healthy Marriage/ Las cuatro llaves

Four Keys to  Happy Healthy  Marriage now in Spanish!

One More Soul, Our History, Philosophy, Theology and Branding

IMG 7478forweb
One More Soul (OMS) is an organization founded and maintained by people committed to their Catholic Faith. This Catholic-rooted apostolate was conceived in the minds of Mary Ann Walsh and Steve Koob as a result of their common love for preborn children and almighty God. They realized that abortion and contraception were intrinsically intertwined evils, with contraception being the root cause for abortion. In 1992, they resolved to spend their remaining years helping others understand not just the evil of contraception, but more importantly, the infinite blessing of a child. This article will help you appreciate our purpose in making these educational resources available.

History

Steve and Mary Ann were both involved in their large families, parishes, and anti-abortion work throughout the 1980s, and began to work together at Dayton Right to Life Society in 1985. Between them, they covered the gamut of pro-life activities— education, legislation, politics, activism and support for abortion-vulnerable women. In 1992, they realized that contraception was the root cause for abortion.1

steve, smallforwebMary Ann forweb

With that realization, they began the formidable task of finding, developing, and distributing resources for explaining the harm of birth control and the blessings of children. The following year, One More Soul became an Ohio not-for-profit corporation, and received IRS recognition as a tax exempt charitable organization 501(c)(3).

OMS’s first resources were Janet E Smith’s “The Connection between Contraception and Abortion” and Bishop Glennon P Flavin’s, “In Obedience to Christ: A Pastoral Letter to Catholic Couples and Physicians on the Issue of Contraception.” Encouraging articles were beginning to appear, notably by Fathers Charles Mangan and David Meconi, SJ. Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae always resonated well, and has been a constant source of inspiration. Janet Smith’s 1994 Ohio speaking tour resulted in the talk “Contraception: Why Not” which rapidly became One More Soul’s most recognized resource, with over one million copies distributed in a variety of formats.

For the following 18 years, OMS continued to add educational resources for helping people understand and accept God’s plan for chastity, marriage, sex, and children. The “One More Soul” name, and a distinctive logo inspired by Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”, emphasize our primary mission— encouraging married couples to be open to life—accepting a child as the supreme gift from God to their marriage. Consistent with this “one more soul” focus is our great variety of resources describing the harm of artificial birth control and the benefits of Natural Family Planning. These resources are widely used by parishes, dioceses, pregnancy support centers, and schools to promote healthy bodies, minds, souls, and relationships. Authentic marriage and real health care are promoted by healthcare conferences and a robust web site—www.OneMoreSoul.com. In 2002, One More Soul, Canada became OMS’s lone affiliate organization, though we would welcome OMS affiliates in other countries and in every diocese.

We promote Natural Family Planning (NFP) by teaching couples and individuals, training teachers, and offering many educational resources in a variety of formats. Our online Directory of NFP-Only Physicians, NFP Teachers, NFP and NaProTechnology Centers for the USA and Canada is very useful for couples, priests, and physicians.

As important as these resources have been to OMS growth and effectiveness, our most valued resource is people— generous donors of intellectual property and finances, capable and loyal vendors, conscientious trustees, and a talented, loyal and sacrificial staff. Except for a brief sabbatical, Steve Koob has been One More Soul’s Director.

Philosophy

One More Soul’s philosophical development mimics that of the founders, and to some extent that of the pro-life movement. The already large number of anti-abortion organizations, including over 2000 centers providing all manner of assistance to pregnant women, frees One More Soul (OMS) to focus on its unique apostolate confronting contraception and encouraging married couples to welcome children. However, Mary Ann’s and Steve’s anti-abortion philosophy remains core to all that we do, as it must for all God’s people. How can we as a nation continue to murder our own children? It wrenches the heart and soul to think that we kill thousands of children every day, over 4000 by surgical abortion and an unknown and uncounted number by hormonal birth control methods, artificial reproductive technologies, and embryonic stem cell research. This outrageous disregard for human life continues in spite of clear evidence that life begins at conception—a fact acknowledged by many who support abortion on demand without restriction.

We believe that abortion will continue as long as contraception is widely accepted. We recognize the anti-life mentality of couples who contracept and abort. All contraceptives do fail— and couples often choose not to use contraceptives; babies happen — then the choice is life or death. It seems obvious that if all those who engage in sexual intercourse (the marriage act—the procreation act) appreciated the blessings of a new human life, there would be no interest in contraception or abortion. Thus, our mission and struggle is finding ways to encourage married couples to accept another child. We are FOR LIFE. We are PRO-CONCEPTION; we are PROCEPTION—the opposite of contraception.

However, we can do nothing worth doing without God. Thus, the next (last?) stop in One More Soul’s philosophical evolution is to recognize and support development of a “sense of God”. A quote from Blessed John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium VitaeThe Gospel of Life (21 & 23) confirms this need:

When the sense of God is lost, there is also a tendency to lose the sense of man, of his dignity and his life.(21) . . . [and] inevitably leads to a practical materialism, which breeds individualism, utilitarianism and hedonism. Here too we see the permanent validity of the words of the Apostle: ‘And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God. God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct” (Rom 1:28). The values of being are replaced by those of having. The only goal which counts is the pursuit of one’s own material well-being. The so-called “quality of life ” is interpreted primarily or exclusively as economic efficiency, inordinate consumerism, physical beauty and pleasure, to the neglect of the more profound dimensions–interpersonal, spiritual and religious–of existence.(23)2 (emphasis added)

In other words, our efforts to build a Culture of Life will continue to be frustrated until we develop a sense of God and see fit to acknowledge God. Pope Benedict XVI recently echoed his beloved predecessor,

The Incarnation of the Son of God speaks to us of how important man is to God, and God to man. Without God, man ultimately chooses selfishness over solidarity and love, material things over values, having over being. We must return to God , so that man may return to being man. With God, even in difficult times or moments of crisis, there is always a horizon of hope: the Incarnation tells us that we are never alone, that God has come to humanity and that he accompanies us.3 (emphasis added)

The insight of these two great Popes is clear—our efforts to build a Culture of Life and a Civilization of Love—in obedience to God’s Second Great Commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself ”—are doomed without a sense, acknowledgement, and return to God . Obedience to God’s First Great Commandment, “Love God with all your heart, mind and soul” is certainly being called for, and raises two questions: How do we expand our focus to include God? Are there bridges between God and Man to assist our refocusing?

Theology—A Sense of God

How can we develop a sense of God? How can we acknowledge God? How can we return to God?

We honor God by our love, praise and worship; we respect and love God by obeying His commands. As Catholics, we honor and show our love for God primarily by our worship service— Holy Mass—the Sacred Liturgy—the Eucharist. Vatican Council II referred to the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of faith and Christian Life. It is at Mass that we receive Jesus in His Word during the Liturgy of the Word, and receive His Body and Blood during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Mass then is our primary opportunity for developing a “sense of God”, and it follows that the Mass must be done as well as possible—in performance and participation. Achieving that end will encourage our submission to all God’s Commandments and enhance our quest for a Culture of Life. (See OMS resources on the Mass, BTSL & BMAS.)

We also show our love for God by directing our prayers of praise, thanksgiving and petition to God, and by recognizing God as love, truth, and beauty—this latter being most evident in creation—especially His creation of human life—ourselves, families, friends and communities. By these activities, we will develop our sense of God, acknowledgment of God, and return to God. In the next section we continue our quest for a sense of God by recognizing several bridges between God and Man, and their relationship to the OMS apostolate.

Theology—Identifying Bridges between God and Man—between the Two Great Commandments

Adjusting our focus to include both God and Man is facilitated by recognizing connections, or bridges, between God and Man: Love, Jesus Christ and His Mother Mary, God’s Genesis Command to be fruitful, and One More Soul. We are all quite familiar with God’s two Great Commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul”; and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”4 In the First Great Commandment, we are called to place God first in our lives. The focus of the Second Great Commandment is on our brothers and sisters in this world, starting with our own family members and extending to all humankind. As the above Papal quotes indicate, these Great Commandments are connected.

Love is the action word in both Great Commandments, and an obvious bridge between them. “Love” is a complex word, useable as noun, verb, adjective and adverb—a word about which more has been written, spoken, sung, and filmed than any other. What does love mean in God’s language? We need only look to the Trinity, Creation, Redemption, and Truth to recognize God’s love and His gifts that flow from His love. By obeying His Commandments, we return His love. Mary’s words at Cana offer a simple summation—“Do whatever He tells you.”

Jesus Christ—both God and Man—is another obvious bridge. As the Word— the Second Person of the Trinity—Jesus existed for all time. At the Annunciation, the Word became Incarnate (took human flesh) in the body of Mary the Virgin. This special moment in time that we celebrate as the Solemnity of the Annunciation (and Incarnation) resets the ageless, endless, universal clock—a new “big bang” that actually did reset the world’s calendars. That God would come to earth and develop like other human beings in the womb of a mother sends a powerful message about the dignity of every pre-born child, and is a tremendous demonstration of God’s love for all of us, and particularly for those in the earliest and most vulnerable phase of life. The Solemnity of the Annunciation is celebrated on the 25th of March (nine months before the Nativity). For many years, One More Soul has joined with a Dayton area parish to offer a special Solemnity Mass with a lecture afterward. We have also planned Tribute to Mary Concerts and Prayers in conjunction with the Solemnity celebration. We are pleased to encourage others to comprehend and celebrate this great event (see KCAI & KLJW). By Mary’s life long connection to Jesus, we recognize her as a part of the Jesus bridge between God and Man.

The GREAT Commandments were preceded by God’s command to Adam and Eve, “be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth” 5 (Gen 1: 28). This is God’s first command—let us call it the “Genesis Command.” Following the Great Flood, God gave the same command (twice) to Noah and family in Gen (9:1, 7). It is thus abundantly clear that God wants Heaven and Earth to be heavily populated. God’s “be fruitful, . . .” Genesis mandate is a bridge by the very nature of procreation’s requirement for a soul (life-giving principle) from God, sperm from a man, and ovum from a woman. By the Genesis Command, God transfers responsibility for human creation to man and woman. He relinquishes His creative powers to the creative powers given to man and woman in their combined fertility—an awesome gift, an awesome responsibility, and an awesome trust. However, God did not just leave this fruitfulness mandate to chance. He made us with a bias toward that purpose by designing the act of procreation to be both sacred and joyful. By this clever design, God has virtually assured that we would be “fruitful, multiply, and fill the Earth”. And the joy associated with the procreation act bonds the man and woman together to provide an optimal environment—marriage—for raising those children who are the fruit of their union. The long gestation time for children, and their much longer time to maturity, calls for a life-time commitment of the parents—to each other, their children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. This model for marriage as a life-time commitment between one man and one woman has proven to be the most natural basic unit of society—for the benefit of both Church and state. Happily, many (possibly even most) of the new lives (children) that God allows to be created are welcomed with great joy into a normal family. But sadly, many are conceived outside of marriage, aborted, and even produced in a laboratory—all inconsistent with His plan.

We humbly, yet proudly, believe that One More Soul’s mission of encouraging married couples to accept the gift of a child is yet another bridge between the Great Commandments.

Branding—One More Soul Logos

OMS-logos

The “One More Soul” name, and a distinctive logo inspired by Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”, emphasize our primary mission— encouraging married couples to be open to life and accept a child as the supreme gift from God to their marriage. The soul is depicted as a spark between the fingers of God and Adam—a spark/soul that leaps from Adam to Eve and from them reverberates through the generations to our own children and grandchildren. In his Christmas 2000 Urbi et Orbi message to the world, John Paul II says this:

Between the finger of God and the finger of man stretching out to each other and almost touching, there seems to leap an invisible spark: God communicates to man a tremor of his own life, creating him in his own image and likeness.

We like to think that the Pope’s beautiful message was inspired by One More Soul’s logo! [I plan to ask him when I see him.] This logo depicts our commitment to the 1st great Commandment.

By the second OMS logo—a simple stick family—we intend to represent OMS’s commitment to the 2nd Great Commandment’s focus on love of neighbor, recognizing the family as one’s first neighbor.

References

1. The US Supreme Court admitted this connection in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v Casey —

for two decades of economic and social developments, people have organized intimate relationships and made choices that define their views of themselves and their places in society, in reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should fail.

2. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_ evangelium-vitae_en.html (1995)

3. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ hom_20121004_loreto_en.html (2012)

4. Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

5. Some versions have “fertile” rather than “fruitful”, cfex http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/_ INDEX.HTM

Pope telephones woman who refused abortion: offers to baptize her baby

Anna-RomanoROME, September 6, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com)
– Anna Romano, 35, couldn’t believe her ears when she picked up the phone a few days ago. On the other end of the telephone was Pope Francis himself, who called to offer to baptize her baby after she refused to have an abortion.
“I was just so surprised that he had telephoned me. He said that he had read my letter and he wanted to speak to me personally about it and reassure me that someone was worried about me,” Anna, hailing from Arezzo near Florence, told the Daily Mail.
Feeling humiliated, betrayed, and that she had no one else to turn to, Anna wrote to Pope Francis a few months ago about her crisis situation. She revealed that she was pregnant with the child of an already married man who had demanded she abort.
In her letter, Anna told the Pope that she would not have an abortion and that she had told the married man to “get out of my life.”
Anna never dreamed of a reply. Then, when she was on holiday, she received the surprising call. “At the beginning I thought it was a joke, but then he referred to the letter, which only my best friend and my parents knew about,” Anna told Italy’s Corriere della Sera.
“We were only on the phone for a few minutes but my heart was filled with joy, as we spoke I was rubbing my tummy at the same time,” she told the Daily Mail. “I would never have imagined that the Pope would pick up a telephone and call me and speak to me as if I was a dear friend.”
During the call, Pope Francis reassured Anna that a “child was a gift from God, a sign of Divine Providence” and that she would “never be left alone,” Anna remembered.
“He said that as Christians we should never be afraid,” she said. “He told me I had been very brave and strong for my unborn child.”
When Anna told the Pope that she desired baptism for her baby but was afraid that her divorce and her being a single mom would be an obstacle, the Pope said that he would be her “spiritual father” and would baptize the baby himself.
“I’m not sure if he will,” said Anna, who said she can only think back to the call as if it were a dream. “But if he did baptize my baby it would be something else. That telephone call has changed my life.”
Anna said that if the baby the Pope baptizes is a boy, then she will name him Francis.

The blessings of children

fearfully and wonderfully made

Every month, we will post a quote about why babies, children, and new lives are a wonderful, beautiful blessing. We hope that, one positive quote at a time, we can change our society’s attitude towards children. If you like the quote, please post it on facebook, tweet it, pin it, or email it to your friends and family. We hope that, one message at a time, we can change peoples’ attitude towards having another child and children in general.

The Mission to Witness The Ideal of Family

By:Father Nicolás Schwizer ( He is a Swiss Schoenstatt Father who worked for many years in the Schoenstatt Movement in Paraguay)
Original article: http://schoenstattofohio.org/category/fr-nicholas-group-reflections/

It is giving witness to Christ in our married and family life. It is transmitting the love we experience in our homes. It is an experience which we cannot and should not silence. And I believe many of us feel that need: We experience something so beautiful in our families that we have to proclaim it as Good News. We should proclaim the Gospel of the family, the Good News of Christian marriage, and the profound joy of married and family communion.

That experience we are having in our homes should give us the strength to not only speak, but also to strive that the world be more of a family: that other families are happy…..that there are laws which respect the rights of the family. But these great tasks can be accomplished only if they stem from a lived ideal, from a profound experience. And that experience we have to have with Christ in the Eucharist and –as an experience of human love –in our own home.

We, married couples, should transmit the ideal of family to the world. We have to feel that mission consciousness, because that fire which burns in our homes –if we transmit it well –is a fire which can transform the world. Our families are the basis for the renewal: renewal of the Church, society, and the world.

Man possessed by his mission.
I believe it is impossible to accomplish the objectives of helping to transform the world without a strong awareness of mission consciousness. It is a very large task. The present circumstances are extremely difficult. We, human instruments, are extremely fragile. Often, the awareness of mission consciousness is not enough. We have to be possessed (captivated, thoroughly aware) of the mission because he who is not “possessed” by God –by his mission –will be incapable of overcoming difficulties he has to face in a pluralistic society.
He who does not believe he has a divine mission, will succumb, he will not risk himself for God. I think we all still lack that irresistible push to bring our mission to fruition.

Lacking is the man who knows he is chosen and sent by God and who thus lives and vibrates for his mission. It is necessary to have awareness of mission consciousness in order to intervene in the history of our Church and our country, like the great Prophets and Saints. Are we possessed by our mission?

God calls us to transform the world. If we want to make Him present, we cannot stay tranquilly in our home, living there our Heaven. We have to strive so that our land can become a colony of Heaven. It means promoting a new Christian culture, a civilization of love, a new social order.

Heroism is necessary. It is daily heroism, heroism with daily and ordinary things: to do everything with the greatest love, surrender, and generosity. It is the heroism of married and family life: but not about poor surrender –
complaining and petty –but of a magnanimous surrender, faithful and without excuses, of a constant growth in love. The question is if we really want to escape lukewarmness, mediocrity and heroically journey toward sanctity. It is only our own personal and family decision if we want to gamble with life or if we want to risk life.

The opposite to all of this are the spectators for whom the world situation, society and the Church, are only seen as a commentary –like an external situation –and not like a “battlefield” where we have to shape our complete vision…..spirits on hold –in apathy and indifference –who are not disposed and who do not have the strength to take mortal leaps.

Questions for reflection
1. What do I do so that the world can be more like a family?
2. Am I aware that God entrusted a mission to me?
3. Am I grateful for what God has given me or am I a person who complains?

Translation: Carlos Cantú, Schoenstatt Family
Federation, La Feria, Texas USA 0113 2011

http://cmsms.schoenstatt.de/en/resources/periodicals/virtual-retreat.htm

New health care practice conforms to church teaching

Original article published on Catholic New World
For Dr. Robert Lawler, the decision to conform his obstetrics and gynecology practice to the teachings of the Catholic Church came down to one thing: “I want to get to heaven,” said Lawler.

Lawler and Dr. Anthony Caruso recently opened Downers Grove OB-GYN, 1121 Warren Ave., Ste. 200, in Downers Grove, with Dr. Anthony Caruso, a reproductive endocrinologist who also has forsworn procedures that conflict with church teaching.

Lawler, a parishioner at St. James-Sag Bridge, and Caruso, who attends St. John Cantius, both came to the realization that they needed to bring their professional lives into line with their beliefs after they started practicing medicine.

For Lawler, who went into practice about 15 years ago, the realization came with the help of urging by his wife and others.

“I was finding pamphlets about ‘Humanae Vitae’ (Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical confirming the church’s teaching against artificial contraception) in my golf bag,” he joked.

At first, he thought, not performing or referring patients for abortions was enough. As for prescribing birth control pills, he said, everybody did it, including Catholic doctors that he liked and respected.

“I thought, if they were doing it, it must be OK,” he said. “There’s not many of us who feel it’s important to be Catholic 24/7.”

Then he came to understand that whatever anybody else was doing, it was definitely not OK.

“I had visions of meeting the Lord at Judgment Day and him saying to me, ‘OK, Robert, what part of “intrinsically evil” did you not understand about contraception?'” Lawler said.

At the same time, he said, younger and younger girls were coming in, with their parents, and asking for contraceptives.

“I would no more hand them contraceptives than I would a pack of cigarettes,” he said. “People said they will do it anyway; I said how about a little less birth control and a little more self-control?”

So he stopped prescribing birth control and performing sterilizations, while remaining in a general OB-GYN practice where other doctors provided those services.

In the beginning, he said, it wasn’t easy.

“That first day when I told patients I would no longer be prescribing birth control was a very long day, and it was a very long year,” he said. “People weren’t shy about sharing what they thought of the Catholic Church or this Catholic doctor.”

But his resolve was bolstered by his belief that what he was doing was medically — as well as morally — right. Giving hormone pills to women to induce a state of false pregnancy, indefinitely, with no medical indication that there is anything wrong, makes no sense, he said. And giving them to women and girls to mask symptoms of other problems is even worse.

“Say a young girl comes in with terrible, painful periods,” Lawler said. “If she goes to a regular gynecologist, nine times out of 10, she’s going to leave with a prescription for the pill in her hand. But why does she have painful periods? Does she have endometriosis or is there something else going on? We are going to dig deeper. … I don’t consider oral contraceptives as a treatment for anything. It may suppress the symptoms, but you aren’t treating anything.”

Caruso, whose epiphany came a bit later, was supported by a friendship with Lawler that started when a priest suggested he contact the other doctor. But Caruso — a reproductive endocrinologist whose practice once included assisted reproduction technologies such as in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination — now can offer his expertise in endocrinology as well as general obstetrics and gynecology.

As part of their services, the doctors support women using all forms of natural family planning, but they encourage them to consider that there is no bad time for a baby once a couple is married. Having children earlier is often easier, avoiding fertility problems that increase with age.

On the other hand, they don’t suggest that there’s something wrong with women who conceive and bear children in their 40s.

That’s appreciated by Sue Zabilka, who first met Lawler because her children attended Everest Academy in Lemont with his, and later learned about the nature of his practice and became a patient. Zabilka has three sons, ages 17, 13 and 2, and she suffered two miscarriages.

She began seeing Lawler 10 or 11 years ago, she said, and she loves the new practice.

“I took a whole stack of business cards and I am giving them to everybody,” she said. “It’s such a welcoming, loving feeling.”

When she was pregnant with her youngest, she said, Lawler took the time to reassure her that women in their 40s can and do have healthy pregnancies, using the example of his own mother, who had her youngest child at 46.

“It just gave me such peace of mind,” Zabilka said.

Caruso, who has six children, said that after he was laid off from his university job, he worked as a hospitalist — a doctor who coordinates the care of patients in the hospital — for a few years, while he tried to get the idea of a center similar to the practice he and Lawler started off the ground. His idea was that it would be part of a Catholic hospital. The proposal came closest to fruition at Alexian Brothers hospital in Elk Grove Village, even becoming the topic of an article in the Chicago Tribune.

But when progress on that front snagged, the best course seemed to be to open a freestanding practice with Lawler, he said.

The two hope that it will become a regional center for patients who want care not only in accord with church teaching, but also with those who want to live a life as free of unnecessary chemicals as possible — those who seek out organic food, for example, and avoid other medications where possible.

“I believe that this kind of care is for everyone,” Caruso said. “It doesn’t put poison in female bodies. We try to get to the bottom of what the problem is and fix it at its source.”

Both doctors believe that the stakes for their new practice are higher than their own professional success.

“There are people out there rooting for us, and there are people out there hoping we crash and burn,” Lawler said. “But I think there are also some fence-sitters out there, Catholic doctors who would like to do this, but want so see if it will work.”

Should pro-life affiliates break ties over gay marriage?

BY CALVIN FREIBURGER, Wed Aug 07, 2013

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/should-pro-life-affiliates-break-ties-over-gay-marriage?

(Life action news) Can’t we all just get along? Apparently not in Ohio, where LifeSiteNews reports that the National Right to Life Committee has cut the cord to Cleveland Right to Life because the latter has criticized pro-life Republican Sen. Rob Portman for supporting…same-sex marriage?

In June, CRTL announced that they were expanding their mission to include the defense of marriage, arguing that the move was necessary in order to cultivate an enduring culture of life:

“The prolife movement must recognize that without this inclusion the efforts to protect human life are diminished.  If we are to hasten the end of the culture of death in America we must recognize the role of a stable family that has at its core; committed parents.”  said Cleveland Right to Life board member, Jerry Cirino.  Social and scientific studies continue to support the role of both mother and father in children’s lives.  In a recent report by the Census Bureau the negative impact of single parent households on society is enormous and while CRTL affirms their commitment to support for all children in the womb, the organization also recognizes that single gender parenting should be recognized for what it is – a less then perfect situation for the child.

The NRLC was not persuaded, writing on July 17:

Recently, Cleveland Right to Life announced that it has embraced an advocacy agenda that includes issues beyond the right to life. Moreover, it promptly issued public criticisms of and implicit political threats against a U.S. Senator who has supported the right-to-life position on every vote that has come before the Senate, and who is a sponsor of major NRLC-backed bills – because the chapter disagrees with his position on a non-right-to-life issue.

By these actions, Cleveland Right to Life has violated National Right to Life policy, causing the chapter to disaffiliate itself from NRLC.

We respectfully insist that you remove from your website the claim that you are affiliated with NRLC, and from this point forward, cease and desist from any representation that “Cleveland Right to Life” is affiliated with the National Right to Life Committee.

According to LSN, CRTL “has never had a direct affiliation with NRTL, only a tiered relationship that is maintained through the state organization, Ohio Right to Life,” with whom CRTL remains in good standing.

As a conservative, I happen to strongly agree with CRTL’s thesis that marriage protection is essential to a comprehensive view of a healthy society, and if CRTL wanted to reinvent themselves into a general social conservative organization, more power to them. That groups like Family Research Council and the Heritage Foundation tackle multiple issues doesn’t prevent them from working with pro-lifers.

However, their name remains Cleveland Right to Life, and as much overlap as there is between the pro-life and pro-marriage communities, any issue-based organization’s members and supporters have a right to expect an agenda focused on that issue. Branching out into separate causes carries the potential for distraction, confusion, and roadblocks to building as broad a coalition as possible for unborn rights—an area where our movement could sometimes use some work. You can’t blame NRLC for wanting their affiliates to keep their eye on the ball.

Then again, publicly severing all ties to CRTL seems a little extreme, no? Admittedly, I don’t presume to know what behind-the-scenes communications took place prior to NRLC’s letter, but it certainly doesn’t read like it’s interested in meeting the Cleveland group halfway, or like it was in reaction to further slights by them—it makes pretty clear that CRTL’s marriage advocacy and criticism of Portman were sufficient deal-breakers all on their own.

Stray from right-to-life issues though CRTL did, they’re still dedicated to fighting for the unborn, and even if their criticism of Portman ever expanded to full-blown opposition, it’s not as if they would advocate replacing him with a Senator who’s less pro-life. If working together to end the scourge of abortion requires pro-lifers to set aside their differences on other issues, then such a magnanimous spirit of commitment to the big picture should cut both ways.

I gave up contraception after the pill gave me blood clots in four months: Huffington Post writer

A young journalism student has written a candid account revealing that she eventually gave up using birth after after she developed life-threatening blood clots in her legs and lungs after just four months’ use of the birth control pill.

“I started taking birth control pills in January 2011. By May of that year, my doctor discovered that a blood clot had developed in my right leg and spread to my lungs,” wrote Jamie Hergenrader in an article published in the Huffington Post.

“The pain in my hip, the swelling of my entire right leg and the breathing difficulty I experienced should’ve scared me enough to check it out,” she remarked, but she rationalized away her symptoms. “It wasn’t until my mother dragged me into the doctor,” Hergenrader wrote, “that I learned something was really wrong.”

The 19-year-old, studying journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia, had developed deep vein thrombosis – a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg, that becomes fatal when it migrates to other parts of the body such as the lungs, a condition known as a pulmonary embolism.

Although the clot took only four months to develop, “Recovery was a seven-month process of ER trips, doctor visits three to four times a week and a few blood-thinning medications consisting of shots injected in my abdomen and a daily pill,” Hergenrader explained. “I became severely anemic and had to go to the ER, where they considered giving me a blood transfusion.”

Hergenrader stated that before she started using the pill she was made aware of the side effects but dismissed them as unlikely to affect her. “Why would I worry? I had been perfectly healthy for 19 years. With the exception of one broken bone and a case of strep throat, sickness and injury were not a part of my past. I had no reason to worry because I had no idea what kind of damage birth control could cause,” she wrote.

Hergenrader said the contraceptive pill she had been taking contained drospirenone, a synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone used in newer generation birth control pills that has a higher risk of producing blood clots than older forms of synthetic progestins.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted in a 2011 public announcement that it was conducting a safety review of birth control products containing drospirenone, that “all birth control pills pose a risk of blood clots,” but two studies published in the British Medical Journal contended that the contraceptives containing drospirenone posed two to three times a greater risk than other contraceptives containing the older form of progestin called levonorgestrel.

However, users of the older generations of contraceptive pills are also subject to a much higher risk of blood clots than women who don’t use contraception. The dangers of the older generations of contraceptive pills are outlined in the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR), which states that users of birth control are three times more likely to develop superficial venous thrombosis, and have a 4 to 11 times greater risk for deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism than non-users. The risk is even higher for those who are genetically predisposed to blood clots.

The French National Agency for the Safety of Drugs and Health Products (ANSM) found that between 2000 and 2011, contraceptive pills were linked to an average of 2,529 annual cases of venous thromboembolism (blood clots). The health watchdog also found that the newer generation pills caused more than twice as many deaths as the earlier pills. The ANSM’s study estimated that 14 of the 20 annual deaths of French women attributed to birth control pill use were caused by the third and fourth generation pills which contain drospirenone.

The drug is produced and marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals under such trade names as Yaz, Beyaz, Yasmin, and Safyral, as well as other brand names such as Ocella, Syeda, Zarah, Gianvi and Loryna.

Hergenrader noted that in the course of her research into the drug that had almost killed her she met other women who had similar experiences. She related that Kaitlin Schroeder of Boulder, Colorado, told her she developed a portal vein thrombosis (the vein that carries blood from the stomach to the liver) as a side-effect of the NuvaRing, a flexible ring inserted once a month, when she was 22.

Jaimie Kuchar, a 22-year-old from Minnesota, told her she also had a deep vein thrombosis in her leg from a three-month estrogen pill, Gilessa. “Talking with other women who shared the same experience really sparked my interest in the dangers of birth control,” Hergenrader recalled.

“Jaimie, Kaitlin, and I are lucky to have caught ours early enough,” Hergenrader wrote. “About half of people who have blood clots show no symptoms, making it much harder to diagnose, and therefore, possibly fatal. Even those who survive might have life-long health problems. Kaitlin must take blood thinners indefinitely. Jaimie suffered from a blood infection.”

“I’m fortunate that my parents forced me to go to the doctor when I thought I had just pulled a muscle,” she wrote.

Today, the young journalism student is happier – and wiser – for having given up birth control. After trying another form of contraception, she gave it up altogether. Hergenrader stated that her experience with birth control pills resulted in a decision to reject birth control, but it has also left her anxious about her future health.

“After overcoming something life-threatening, I’m constantly in fear something can and will go wrong again. Every time I feel a twinge in my leg, I get scared. Every time I feel a shortness of breath, my heart races,” she said.

 

Baby declared dead ‘comes back to life’ after being placed on chapel altar

Baby declared dead ‘comes back to life’ after being placed on chapel altar

BY JOHN JALSEVAC, Wed Jul 17, 2013

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/baby-declared-dead-comes-back-to-life-after-being-placed-on-chapel-altar

Family members and medical personnel at a hospital in Lindrina, Brazil, say they are stunned after a baby declared dead apparently came back to life after being placed on the altar in the hospital’s chapel.

According to local news sources, Yasmin Gomes was born premature earlier this month, and almost immediately stopped breathing. Doctors attempted for nearly an hour to revive the girl, who weighed only 2.6 pounds, but after their attempts failed they declared the baby dead and issued a death certificate.

Yasmin’s mother, Jenifer Gomes da Silva, 22, told Brazil’s Tanosite that when she was told her daughter had died, “My world crashed down right then. It was the most desperate moment when all my dreams were snatched away.”

However, Nurse Ana Claudia Oliveira asked that instead of being sent to the morgue, the body of the child be placed in a box and put on the altar in the chapel.

“She’s a little angel, a child. I just couldn’t face the thought of her being sent down to the morgue,” she told Globo G1.

The nurse testified that in every possible way, the baby appeared to be dead.

“I can assure you, the child was dead. Her pupils didn’t respond to light. All her signs pointed to the complete absence of life,” she said.

“I saw it with my own eyes. She was blue all over, completely dead,” she added.

 

Three hours later, the baby’s grandmother went to fetch the baby with a mortician. But what they saw left them weeping tears of joy, instead of sadness.

When they went to pick up the baby, she kicked.

“At first I couldn’t believe it; we couldn’t accept that it could happen,” said grandmother Elza Silva. “Then we saw she was breathing. We hugged each other and started to shout, ‘She’s alive. She’s alive.’ It was a miracle.”

One of the doctors who fought to save the baby’s life is as stunned as the family.

“In 20 years of medicine, I have never witnessed anything like this,” said Dr. Aurelius Filipak. When asked if the event was a miracle, however, the physician said he would not speculate.

The family, on the other hand, is less circumspect.

“Miracles have no explanation. Everything happens as God wants. If it was God’s will that our daughter left, we would accept [it], but there must be some greater purpose in all this,” said the mother.

Tanosite reports, however, that the baby is still in serious condition in the hospital. The family is asking for continued prayers.

 

World leaders should unite to end anti-Christian persecution, Vladimir Putin says

World leaders should unite to end anti-Christian persecution, Vladimir Putin says
By Hilary White, Thu Aug 01, 2013
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/world-leaders-should-unite-to-end-anti-christian-persecution-vladimir-putin
MOSCOW, August 1, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Vladimir Putin has urged the world’s political leaders to stop the violent persecutions against Christians that have erupted in many Middle Eastern countries.
Speaking at a meeting with Orthodox Christian leaders in Moscow last week, the Russian President said he noted “with alarm” that “in many of the world’s regions, especially in the Middle East and in North Africa inter-confessional tensions are mounting, and the rights of religious minorities are infringed, including Christians and Orthodox Christians.”
“This pressing problem should be a subject of close attention for the entire international community,” Putin said. “It is especially important today to make efforts to prevent intercultural and interreligious conflicts, which are fraught with the most serious upheavals.”
Putin praised the growth of cooperation between the Orthodox Churches and the Russian state, saying, “We act as genuine partners and colleagues to solve the most pressing domestic and international tasks, to implement joint initiatives for the benefit of our country and people.”
The Russian Federation recently passed legislation making it illegal to promote homosexuality as normal, a move that, while condemned by many European leaders, was strongly supported by the Orthodox Church.
Putin added Thursday that the Church was giving Russians a moral compass when so many were looking for help. “Today when people are once again searching for moral support, millions of our compatriots see it in religion,” he said. “They trust the wise, pastoral word of the Russian Orthodox Church.”
He added that it was the Church that was ultimately responsible for the development and rise of “culture and education” in Russia over the last 1,000 years. “The adoption of Christianity became a turning point in the fate of our fatherland, made it an inseparable part of the Christian civilization and helped it turn into one of the largest world powers,” Putin said.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, said at the same meeting that the attempts to push Christians out of Syria would lead to a “civilization catastrophe.” Kirill and other Orthodox leaders have been critical of the lack of response to the crisis facing Christians in the Middle East by US and other Western leaders.
The meeting was held with the leaders of all 15 Orthodox Churches to commemorate the 1,025th anniversary of the “Baptism of Russia” – the official adoption of Christianity and establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kievan Rus by Prince Vladimir in 988 A.D.
Orthodox leaders at the meeting also condemned the growing secularist suppression of Christian freedoms in non-Muslim countries like Britain, where “gay marriage” has just been created.
Metropolitan Hilarion, the Russian Orthodox Church’s chief ecumenical officer, said “secularization in disguise of democratization” is leading Western nations toward totalitarianism. He spoke of a “powerful energy today [that] strives to finally break with Christianity, which controlled its totalitarian impulses during 17 centuries.”
Metropolitan Hilarion said, “Eventually, it unconsciously strives to set up an absolute dictatorship that demands total control over each member of society. Don’t we move to it when ‘for the sake of security’ we agree to obligatory electronic passports, dactyloscopy [fingerprint identification] for everyone, and photo cameras occurring everywhere?”
He highlighted the attempt to create same-sex “marriage” in France, which he called an attempt to make “immorality normal,” saying, that the French government has “consciously and demonstratively ignored demands of people and used tear gas to disperse them.”
Later, at a reception in Kiev, Putin and Patriarch Kirill took part in a prayer service with Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych. He urged the leaders of Ukraine to turn towards a greater unity with Russia, and away from its overtures to the European Union, citing a natural cultural and spiritual relationship that is not present with the heavily secularist EU.
Patriarch Kirill added that it is the Orthodox religion that creates genuine unity between Slavic peoples. “Our ancestors adopted the Christian faith and, together with it, a system of values and morals…that no historical upheavals were able to destroy,” he said. Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians have a shared spiritual foundation that unites them more than their national boundaries divide them.
Patriarch Kirill said of the same-sex “marriage” fad sweeping the Western world, “This is a very dangerous apocalyptic symptom, and we must do everything so that sin is never validated by the laws of the state in the lands of Holy Rus, because this would mean that the people are starting on the path of self-destruction.”
Today, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, blasted the Russian government for its law banning gay propaganda, calling it “hateful.”
Baird said that the Canadian delegation was among those governments that tried to dissuade the Russian leadership not to adopt the law that outlaws all attempts to normalize homosexuality or other forms of non-traditional sexuality, especially to children.
“This mean-spirited and hateful law will affect all Russians 365 days of the year, every year. It is an incitement to intolerance, which breeds hate. And intolerance and hate breed violence,” Baird told the Canadian Press today.
The comments follow an announcement by Russia’s sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, who said the law would be enforced against athletes and visitors to Russia during next year’s winter Olympic games.

Bishop Paprocki Issues Letter on Same Sex Marriage

BishopPaprocki

¿Por qué usar la Planificación Natural de la Familia?

La Planificación Natural de la Familia acepta nuestra fertilidad.

La Planificación Natural de la Familia (PNF) es la aceptación completa dentro del matrimonio del don divino de la fertilidad, un método por medio del cual la pareja observa sus síntomas de fertilidad para determinar sus períodos fértiles e infértiles a fin de lograr o posponer el embarazo. No debe de confundirse con el antiguo y significativamente menos efectivo “método del ritmo” que estima y proyecta los períodos fértiles e infértiles de la pareja basándose en la observación de cuando ocurrieron estas fases en los ciclos anteriores.

La PNF tiene fuerte base científica.

La gran efectividad de la PNF se debe a métodos más precisos y sistemáticos por los cuales, dependiendo del método, las parejas observan los cambios en las mucosidades cervicales de la mujer, los cambios de temperatura y/u otras señales para determinar las fases fértiles o infértiles. Puesto que tanto las mucosidades cervicales como la temperatura responden a los cambios químicos/hormonales que regulan la fertilidad, las parejas que usan la PNF pueden determinar con gran certeza cuando están fértiles y cuando no. El anticuado método del ritmo era más que todo una adivinanza educada que se basaba en lo que a menudo era suposición equivocada de que los ciclos de fertilidad son constantes de mes a mes.

(more…)

Exposing the Abortion Truth to the World—the Holy Spirit at Work

index

By Mary L Davenport, MD, FACOG

Dear friends,
Three women physicians—Donna Harrison, Mary Davenport and Martha Shuping—were invited months ago to give lectures on complications of abortion for the MWIA, the Medical Women’s International in Seoul, South Korea.
Donna Harrison’s presentation demonstrated that nations with laws protective of mothers and unborn babies have excellent [low] maternal mortality statistics. Mary Davenport had a talk about abortion as a risk factor for preterm birth, the cause of 15 million neonatal deaths each year internationally. Martha Shuping had a presentation that included two case reports of women who suffered severe psychological harm from abortion, even though they had obvious risk factors that were not discussed in the informed consent process. These risk factors were actually quoted from an abortion provider textbook endorsed by the National Abortion Federation!
This was valuable information for physicians to hear, especially those from developing nations who are under tremendous pressure to legalize abortion due to the false belief that legalized abortion is a panacea for maternal mortality.
However, our presentations were cancelled at the last minute. This was not a total shock to us, because many physicians and scientists have long been hampered in attempts to inform the scientific community and patient about risks of abortion. Very important information has been suppressed and even lied about. With the cancellation of our talks, our host Anna Choi, head of a group of 680 Korean ob/gyn physicians who stopped doing abortions, had decided to set up a radio and newspaper interview for us during the time that we were supposed to present.
When we got to the “radio” interview that Anna had set up, we found that it was actually a television interview, and the newspaper reporter was there also.
They put the three of us up front like a “panel” discussion, and the reporters started asking us questions about our presentation, allowing us an opportunity to talk about what we came to present. About 20 minutes into the interview, the Secretary General of MIWA, a Canadian, burst into the room (I kid you not…and all of this is on camera), and came up to the table and said “What presentation is this? Donna Harrison said “it’s not a presentation”. So she snarled, “Why are you being interviewed?” At that point, the answers were left to Anna, our host. Anna said that this was a requested interview by the press.
The SecGen then said, “Who gave you permission to interview these people?” And the reporters said, “We are the press, we don’t need anyone’s permission. We have freedom of the press”. And the Sec Gen snarled at Anna and said, “Did you arrange this? Did you talk to the organizing committee?” And Anna said, “I am on the organizing committee. I don’t need to talk to anyone.” And the Sec Gen stood in front of the camera, and refused to move, and said, “The interview is over.” Then the reporters said, “You can’t do this. We have the freedom of the press. You are interfering with the freedom of the press.” But the Sec Gen would not move and said, “The interview is over.”
We exited to the hall, and a Belgian and German woman waiting. They started to make fun of the Korean translator, and to snap pictures in her face. And she said, “You can’t do this. This is my country. I will call the police.” They actually grabbed at her, and then one of the Korean reporters put a huge camera in the Belgian woman’s face and started taking photos of her. A fist fight almost ensued between the women, but another of the Koreans stepped in and kept any contact from happening. All of this was on camera. Then our Korean hosts ushered us down the hall, and down the elevator, along with the reporters and camera crew, and we resumed the interview in the commons area downstairs by the trash cans and the bathroom. We were able to complete the entire interview. Now, instead of our audience being a few women doctors from the conference, we have an audience of probably a few thousand. [We can make it many millions!]
It was an incredible display of arrogance on the part of the Canadian, US and European physicians at the MWIA, who initiated preventing us from speaking. It will be interesting to see what press picks this up. I just wish it would go viral; it’s such a glaring example of exactly what we were saying about suppression of information.

You will be able to access the banned presentations at: www.aaplog.org

My head is spinning: without words to describe

July 12, 2013 (The Public Discourse) –
Several events at the end of June call to mind John Paul II’s wordsin Evangelium Vitae describing the elements of a true humanitarian crisis. An act previously and nearly universally condemned, that hurts vulnerable lives, is celebrated as a “right” by people in the best position to protect those lives. How does John Paul II diagnose the cause of such a crisis? He identifies a serious misunderstanding of freedom—one that divorces freedom from solidarity, from reason and truth, and from the inevitability of human suffering. Sadly, his observations fit painfully well the events of the last week of June.

First, legislator Wendy Davis filibustered a bill in the Texas legislature that would ban killing unborn
children in the last twenty weeks of pregnancy and require abortion clinics to meet the medical standards required of other “ambulatory surgical centers.” Had these standards been observed,
they might have saved lives at the charnel house of Philadelphia abortionist and convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell. For her efforts, Davis was lauded by the press as one of the Democratic Party’s “most popular politicians,” and a “hero.” The president of the United States joined the chorus of praise, tweeting “#StandWithWendy.”

Second, on June 26, the Supreme Court issued two same sex marriage opinions. Following upon the Court’s holding in Hollingsworth v. Perry, same-sex couples are already obtaining marriage licenses in California, despite the votes of seven million Californians in favor of ballot initiative Proposition 8. The Court in United States v. Windsor struck down Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage for purposes of federal law as the union of one man and one woman. The majority opinion authored by Justice Kennedy held that federal legislators (Democrats
and Republicans) and President Clinton passed DOMA strictly for the “purpose” of “impos[ing] a disadvantage… and so a stigma upon all who enter into same-sex marriages made lawful by the unquestioned authority of the States.” According to the majority, lawmakers intended to “demean” and “injure” same-sex couples, and to “humiliate” any children they were raising.
The majority did not devote a single line to the lawmakers’ well-documented interests in assuring a
special regard, nationally, for the wellbeing of children as a class, children for whom natural marriage is simply the only vehicle for tying their fathers to their mothers and to themselves, and indeed for preserving their entire historical and genealogical identity in this world. Not a
line. Instead, the Court declared that—in the opinion of five persons—marriage is rather about conferring a “dignity and status of immense import,” about granting a “far-reaching legal acknowledgment” of “intimate relationships,” and about “protect[ing]” “personhood and dignity.”
As Justice Scalia’s dissent observed, the majority held that to disagree with their understanding of marriage is to be an “enemy of the human race.”

Third, on June 28, the Department of Health and Human Services issued the final iteration of a health insurance mandate concerning contraception, sterilization, and early abortifacients. What did it decide? It decided to force insurers to provide “free” birth control and morning-after pills to the employees (and their family members, including minor daughters) of religious employers, regardless of whatever conscientious objection the employers might have. HHS wrote that its decision
“respect[s] the concerns of non-profit religious organizations that object to contraceptive coverage.”
They did this despite hundreds of thousands of opposing comments and dozens of (mostly successful) lawsuits against the government. They did it despite the fact that the “scientific report” undergirding the mandate has no empirical data proving the oft-repeated claim that free
contraception will prevent women’s illnesses. http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/without-words-to-describe
In sum, according to the powers-that-be, supporting killing unborn human beings is “heroic,” supporting natural familial bonds for children is “demeaning,” and forcing religious employers to insure (and really to pay for) services for their employees that they cannot
in good conscience support is “respecting religious freedom.”
My head is spinning. So is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. And Americans are not alone in wondering at what moment reasoned discourse on life or marriage or religious freedom became impossible. Similar difficulties beset our neighbors in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Ireland is soon to vote on legalizing abortion. It would legalize abortion to save the life of the mother (current law requires saving the life of both mother and child). This proposed new law would allow abortion most notably in circumstances wherein it is believed the mother would commit suicide without recourse to abortion. It is easy to see how, in practice, the legislation will open the floodgates to abortion, though the sponsors call the bill “restrictive” and “life-saving.” But there is even
another problem: the best empirical data from Europe also indicate that abortion is likely a cause of female suicide, not a preventive measure.
In the UK, Parliament is considering a bill to grant “marriage” to same-sex couples. Besides ignoring child welfare, the bill undercuts two additional, intrinsic, and perennial features of marriage: it voids the requirement of consummation (lawmakers couldn’t agree how to define it for same-sex partners), and it undermines the norm of fidelity by abolishing the possibility of same-sex adultery.
In other words, if a person granted a same-sex “marriage” has a sexual encounter with another person of the same sex (but not a person of the opposite sex), it is not what people have always thought “cheating” must constitute in the context of a marital relationship, i.e. “adultery.” In short, the UK bill grants marriage rights, while simultaneously voiding longstanding and definitional essentials of marriage.
Defenders of human life, religious freedom, and children’s interests in marriage should excuse themselves these days for sputtering—for having literally no words to offer in response to recent events. It appears words are currently useless. All the words we would ordinarily reach for are taken, and have suddenly been redefined. To add insult to injury, the movers and shakers redefining
the ordinary and natural meanings of things—and thus redefining culture and society, not just law—are beyond our democratic influence. Our hundreds of thousands of comments to HHS about the contraception and early abortifacient mandate command no legal deference. The mind of Justice Kennedy (who effectively controls the Court’s marriage decision-making given the otherwise 4/4
split) is not open to rational arguments from those who disagree with him. President Obama—who, in his days as a state legislator, already indicated how far removed he is from normal sensibilities regarding the value of human life by refusing to use his power to stop the killing of disabled, born alive human infants in Illinois—has proved himself deaf to all our calls, letters, comments, and
lawsuits.
In fact, when the president’s opinions are challenged, he often responds with even more extreme versions of earlier positions. For example, after he refused to defend Section Three of DOMA on the grounds of unconstitutionality, and won in the Supreme Court, he suggested the very next
day that same-sex marriage should be imposed on the fifty states by means of repealing Section Two of DOMA, which presently allows states to make their own decisions about the legal definition of marriage. But of course we have to find our voice again, to insist upon the natural meanings of words, and upon the necessity of logic. In addition, in this age, we need to use images and stories. Once again we have to be willing to be publicly visible—so as to dispel the notion that we do
not exist, or that we have given up the fight to ensure rational discourse, and pursue and disseminate relevant, truthful data. We have to be publicly visible also because that’s the most effective way to dispel the negative, one dimensional portrait of our ranks. We have to be willing
to help organize the currently disenfranchised majority who do possess ordinary humanitarian sensibilities about the good of life over death, the good of natural marriage, and the good of living in integrity with our religious convictions.

Reprinted with permission from The Public Discourse
Helen Alvaré is a Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law, where she teaches Family Law, Law and Religion, and Property Law. She publishes on matters concerning marriage, parenting, non-marital households, abortion and the First Amendment
Religion clauses

What Do We Do Now? Making the Switch from Contraception to Natural Family Planning

By Patty Schneier

Schneier-FamilyDiscovering the Truth about contraception can be one of the most defining moments in a couple’s marriage. But quite often, the joy of this discovery is accompanied by fears, doubts, and many questions. My husband Larry and I experienced all of the above in January, 2002 when, after 13 years of marriage, we finally decided to live our lives according to God’s plan for love and life. We literally threw out the contraception. This was the best decision we ever made, and we have never looked back. It was THE defining moment in our marriage.
Today, we continue to joyfully celebrate our conversion. We celebrate the beginning of a whole new way of life together and a whole new way of loving each other. But we also vividly remember how difficult it was to be in the middle of this conversion process. Our transformation wasn’t so “joyful” when we were actually going through it. To be honest, we were a mess. We stayed up night after night until the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out, “HOW ARE WE GOING TO LIVE THIS???” Discovering the Truth about love wasn’t enough. What to do with this Truth proved to be a far greater challenge.
Perhaps you have struggled with the issue of contraception. Perhaps you have ignored the Church’s teachings in your marriage for many years. Perhaps you or your spouse has been sterilized. But now, for whatever reasons, you find yourself wanting to change, wanting something better, wanting authentic love and unity in your marriage. This longing is the first step on the road to holiness and healing. Do not ignore this longing! The road ahead may be filled with obstacles; it may be frightening and uncertain. But take comfort in Sacred Scripture, set your foot to the path, and take one tiny step forward. I hope the following suggestions will encourage you on your journey and help you take the next step. Be not afraid! Joy awaits you! Authentic love and real freedom await you! Just say “yes” and take one tiny step.

#1 Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation

No matter how often Larry and I may have rationalized it, using contraception was a sin in our marriage. In order to start anew, we needed the grace of this sacrament. This was the first and most important step for both of us. It was through the Sacrament of Reconciliation that we resolved to “never go back.”
Find a priest who understands the Church’s teaching. Make an appointment if necessary, and do not delay in confessing this sin. Resolve to amend your life. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve gone, or how long you’ve been away—NO sin is too great. Remember, you can just throw out the contraception—or you can throw out the contraception AND experience redemption, mercy, peace, and healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The choice is yours.

#2 Gain Knowledge of the Truth—Read, Read, Read!

Larry and I literally had to re-learn how to love each other. We didn’t know that every sexual union was meant to be a renewal of our marriage vows; we had never heard that real love is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. We didn’t understand why the Church says what it says, and we were still unsure about many issues regarding sex. But when we discovered the Theology of the Body, it was like finding “the pearl of great price” for our marriage. The Theology of the Body is a collection of talks given by Pope John Paul II on the meaning of human sexuality. The truths revealed in the Theology of the Body reflected the deepest desires of our hearts. We immersed ourselves into this teaching in order to understand the language of our bodies and how we communicate. It was only then that we saw the beauty of God’s original plan for our sexuality. This is what we had been searching for! Our hearts were transformed, and to this day, we are still in awe of the Theology of the Body.
You may have many questions that are still unanswered. Perhaps your spouse considers the Church’s teachings to be a burden and is therefore reluctant to change. Pray for faith and reason; search for answers! Gain knowledge and understanding of authentic love—the only love that satisfies. Read books or listen to CDs together. Re-learn the meaning of your marriage, and immerse yourselves in Truth. Go to onemoresoul.comCouple-reading-scripture for a wealth of resources. I recommend the following to get you started: Good News About Sex and Marriage by Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West, Contraception: Why Not by Professor Janet E Smith, “Prove It, God!”. . . And He Did by Patty Schneier

#3 Take a Class on Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is fertility awareness that is simple, scientific, and reliable. It is basic knowledge that can be used either to achieve a pregnancy or to avoid a pregnancy when there are serious reasons for doing so. Many people don’t realize, however, that there are different methods of NFP—all of which are in harmony with Church teaching. The most widely used methods include the Sympto-Thermal Method, Creighton Model, Ovulation Method, and Marquette Model. Each has different levels of instruction and different physical observations. Find out which method is right for you and sign up for a class. Both spouses should attend together. A National directory of NFP Teachers and NFP Centers is available at onemoresoul.com (800-307-7685). Call your Diocesan Family Life Office or local Catholic hospital for information about classes in your area.

#4 Switch to an NFP-Only Physician

This may sound drastic but, if it is at all possible, find an NFP-only physician. For me, this was a very important step—one that I didn’t want to take, because I “loved” my former Ob-Gyn who had delivered all our children. Soon after our conversion, however, I realized that his practice of prescribing contraception no longer fit with our values. I couldn’t follow his advice, and I didn’t agree with his assumptions. When I found my new physician, I felt as if I had truly come home to an entire practice that understood me and valued my fertility as a gift and a blessing—not a disease or an inconvenience that needed to be “controlled.” Despite a much longer commute to this new practice, it has been well worth it!
An NFP-only physician will affirm your decision, help you make the switch, and lend great support with medical truths and NFP experience. If you have been given hormonal contraceptives for “medical reasons,” an NFP-only physician can evaluate the underlying problem and utilize natural hormones or surgeries to restore proper function of your body. An NFP-only physician may also be able to assist couples who seek sterilization reversal. Because physicians have such a powerful influence on their patients and have a relationship built on trust, it is crucial that you find an NFP-only physician. Go to https://onemoresoul.com/nfp-directory to find your nearest NFP-only physician. If none is available in your area, ask an NFP teacher to recommend an NFP-friendly physician. If switching physicians is not possible, you may need to educate your current physician. Get materials, take them to your physician, and encourage him/her to learn the scientific facts and moral reasoning behind modern methods of NFP. Unfortunately, many physicians remain unaware and uneducated in this area. You can help change that!

#5 Connect with Others

When Larry and I converted to the Church’s teachings, we knew five other couples who did not use contraception. That’s it—five other couples out of our entire parish, list of acquaintances, colleagues, neighbors, and relatives. But these five couples were more than enough. These were the families we had always admired and respected. They soon became our confidants and closest friends. It felt so good to be able to talk with them! We swapped books and CDs; we swapped stories and experiences; we shared laughter and tears. Through it all, we witnessed their joy and learned how beautiful marriage can be. They encouraged us, taught us, and loved us throughout our entire journey. We are forever grateful.
Chances are, you know of at least one other family that practices NFP. You may not know them well, but you probably know who they are. Perhaps their marriage and family life have been an inspiration to you. Seek them out and share your story. The best place to look is within your own parish. These families can be a tremendous support for you. I strongly recommend that men seek out other men who have gone through this journey. Despite the initial awkwardness of discussing these personal issues, it can be most encouraging. You are not alone!

#6 Remain Grounded in Sacred Scripture

There were so many Scripture passages that strengthened me when I was afraid or confused. Two verses in particular were crucial at these times: Mark 1:17 “They dropped their nets and followed him.” I knew that contraception was my “net,” and I needed to drop it in order to follow Jesus. Luke 5:37 spoke to my heart as well: “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” I wanted “new wine” in my marriage. But in order to get that, I had to get rid of the old wineskins. There was no other way. . . . The truths of these scriptures helped me to stay focused on God. His Word sustained me throughout this journey.
Pray for wisdom, strength, perseverance, and purity. Read the Bible. I recommend reading the following verses over and over again: Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 1:9-11, Ephesians 1:3-4, and Ephesians 3:14-21. Let them sink into your heart and speak to you personally. Know that you can be pure and blameless; know that you can be rooted and grounded in real love; trust that through grace you will be strengthened with power and Truth!
Finally, I share with you the life-changing question that Larry asked me after reading Good News About Sex and Marriage. I was extremely confused, frightened, and in turmoil after discovering the truth about contraception, and I didn’t know what to do. He simply asked, “What do you want for our marriage?” I replied, “I don’t know. . . but I want what’s in that book.” That was it. That’s how we began our journey together—reading, learning, praying, and talking. Then we took one step at a time to build the marriage we had always wanted. With time, our communication, our physical relationship, and our entire lifestyle changed for the better. May you be abundantly blessed as you discover God’s plan for your marriage, and may you be steadfast in your search for Truth. Make the switch. It could be THE defining moment in YOUR marriage.

NFP Contact Information

Sympto-Thermal
Couple to Couple League www.ccli.org 513-471-2000
Northwest Family Services www.nwfs.org 503-215-6377

Ovulation
Family of the Americas Foundation www.familyplanning.net 301-627-3346
Billings Ovulation
Billings Ovulation Method Association www.boma-usa.org 651-699-8139
Creighton
Pope Paul VI Institute www.popepaulvi.com 402-390-6600
Marquette
Marquette U. School of Nursing www.marquette.edu/nursing/NFP 414-288-3854

Religious Freedom Under Threat at Home

by Archbishop William E. Lori, S.T.D.
Bishop-Lori

On Friday, Catholics throughout the United States will begin observing two weeks known as the Fortnight for Freedom. For a second consecutive year, the U.S. Catholic Church has set aside this time leading up to Independence Day to draw attention to the need to resist erosions of religious liberty so that faith can continue to enrich our public life.

How appropriate that the Fortnight should begin with a nationally televised Mass from our own Basilica of the Assumption, the first Catholic cathedral in the United States. Blessed Pope John Paul II once referred to the Basilica as a worldwide symbol of religious freedom. President Thomas Jefferson assisted in the Basilica’s uniquely American design — the brainchild of architect Benjamin Latrobe, who also designed the U.S. Capitol. The Basilica is the embodiment of what it means to be both Catholic and American, the intersection of faith and public life that is at the very heart of the Fortnight for Freedom.

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Fortnight For Freedom by Cardinal Dolan

dolan

Standing in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty is one of our most beloved landmarks, both as New Yorkers and as Americans.  So many of our ancestors fondly recalled seeing Lady Liberty, their first vision of a new homeland.  Many of them told the story of seeing her for the first time, and not a few of them had to pause in retelling it because of a lump in their throat or a tear in their eye.

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Japan’s Health Ministry Withdraws Cervical Cancer Vaccine Recommendation

Source: PreventDisease.com

Japan’s health ministry issued a nationwide notice that cervical cancer vaccinations should no longer be recommended for girls due to several hundred adverse reactions to the vaccines reported.

Samurai_with_sword

A publication in the Annals of Medicine has exposed the fraudulent nature of Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines such as Gardasil and Cervarix. Key messages the researchers reported include a lack of evidence for any HPV vaccines in preventing cervical cancer and lack of evaluation of health risks.

One of the problems with vaccinations such as HPV is that they are not preventative, they do compromise safety and physicians will never provide accurate explanations of vaccine risks and benefits because they do not know themselves. Physicians can only rely on the information from vaccine manufacturers and since long-term pharmacokinetic effects which study the bodily absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of vaccines and their ingredients are never examined or analyzed, a Physician can never fully inform of patient of any benefits or risks.
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Cardinal Dolan Speech on Accepting the Wilberforce Award: The human project is all about babies!

Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan

“Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory!” I gratefully accept this prestigious Wilberforce Award, if you agree to certain conditions, okay?
We New Yorkers are tough negotiators, as you know, so, listen carefully to these conditions: Ready?
Condition #1: that receiving this award be an occasion, like every event in life should be, for me to praise God, from whom all blessings flow, and His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose Resurrection we radiantly confess this paschaltide. “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory!” (more…)

Is society controlling your life?

By Kat Tomasewski
Source: Mom on the go in Holy Toledomedia-control

After getting the kiddos situation in the kitchen with an art project this morning I set off for the family room to fold clothes. Exciting I know! While folding I turned on the TV and quickly found myself being pulled into a talk show. The topic was unconventional marriages. The host was interviewing a traditional Orthodox Jewish marriage. First I found it ironic that the topic was unconventional marriages and the couple was in a traditional marriage. My second thought was, when did the traditional marriage become unconventional? Then I listen further and found myself mesmerized by the tradition, romance, and respect that this couple shared.

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Religious Freedom and the Need to Wake Up

Chaput-77by Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
CatholicPhilly.com

“IRS officials have, of course, confessed that they inappropriately targeted conservative groups — especially those with ‘tea party’ or ‘patriot’ in their names — for extra scrutiny when they sought non-profit status. Allegations of abuse or harassment have since broadened to include groups conducting grassroots projects to ‘make America a better place to live,’ to promote classes about the U.S. Constitution or to raise support for Israel.

“However, it now appears the IRS also challenged some individuals and religious groups that, while defending key elements of their faith traditions, have criticized projects dear to the current White House, such as health-care reform, abortion rights and same-sex marriage.”

Terry Mattingly, director, Washington Journalism Center; weekly column, May 22

Let’s begin this week with a simple statement of fact. America’s Catholic bishops started pressing for adequate health-care coverage for all of our nation’s people decades before the current administration took office. In the Christian tradition, basic medical care is a matter of social justice and human dignity. Even now, even with the financial and structural flaws that critics believe undermine the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the bishops continue to share the goal of real health-care reform and affordable medical care for all Americans.

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Leading pro-life lawyer tells Fox he ‘can’t help but think’ IRS harassment was deliberate (Video)

Source: LifeSiteNews.com

As lawmakers investigate the IRS harassment of Tea Party, conservative, evangelical, Catholic, and other political organizations, a leading pro-life lawyer told Fox News that he “can't help but think” someone ordered the intense scrutiny his clients have experienced.

Peter Breen, executive director of the Thomas More Society, appeared on Megyn Kelly's program last week to detail how the tax agency began subjecting pro-life groups to an unconstitutional and illegal level of scrutiny during the Obama administration.

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My last ten burials/funerals with “Fr. Strangelove”…

…or How I stop worrying and learned to love the (Demographic) Bomb, NOT!

Fr-sauppe-pic2-107x150By Fr. Timothy Sauppé
Source: The Bellarmine Forum

A stranger came into the sacristy after Sunday Mass. In an incriminating huff he said, “I have been away from the area for fifteen years; where are the people? And now you are tearing down the school? I went there as a kid.” I put my hands up to quiet him from further talking and I calmly said, “Let me ask you a question: How many kids did you have?” He said, “Two.” Then I said, “So did everyone else. When you only have two kids per family there is no growth.” His demeanor changed, and then he dropped his head and said, “And they aren’t even going to Mass anymore.”

I never thought I would be asking that question, but since I had to close our parish school, I’ve grown bolder and I started to ask that question more often. When I came to my parish five years ago, the school was on its proverbial “last legs.” In its last two years we did everything we could to recruit more students, but eventually I had to face the fact that after 103 years of education the school was no longer viable. In one of the pre-closure brain-storming sessions with teachers, I was asked what to do to get more students. I replied, “Well, I know what to do, but it takes seven years.” The older teachers laughed, but the others needed me to state the obvious to the oblivious, viz. we need more babies. In my January 2010 letter to my bishop asking his permission to close our school, I wrote:

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Public Library of Science: H1N1 vaccine increased incidence of Incurable Neurologic disease in an exceptionally large number of Finnish children

Public Library of Science (PLOS) is a leading journal created in 2003 to rival existing elite journals such as Science and Nature.

In 2012 PLOS reported the increased incidence of a serious neurologic disorder called Narcolepsy.

Annual incidence of narcolepsy by age group and year of diagnosis. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033723.g003 (Adapted from PLOS)

Annual incidence of narcolepsy by age group and year of diagnosis.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033723.g003 (Adapted from PLOS)

As it is depicted in the chart adults were not affected but children were seriously affected. The most injured were the 11-16 y group (in red).
How serious is narcolepsy. A report from Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent from Reuters UK of January of 2013 tells the story of Emelie.

She is one of around 800 children in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe who developed narcolepsy, an incurable sleep disorder, after being immunised with the Pandemrix H1N1 swine flu vaccine made by British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline in 2009.

Emelie is plagued by hallucinations and nightmares. When she wakes up, she’s often paralysed, unable to breathe properly or call for help. During the day she can barely stay awake, and often misses school or having fun with friends. She is only 14, but at times she has wondered if her life is worth living.

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The “Back Alley” Simply Moved to Main Street

TooManyAbortedDotCom
Source: TooManyAborted.com

Abortion activists love their folklore. Women. Hangers. Millions of deaths. None of it’s true, but it sure sounds scary in a sound bite. Planned Parenthood’s own Medical Director, Dr. Mary Calderone, in a 1959 article decrying the lack of social acceptance of abortion declared: “Abortion is no longer a dangerous procedure…90% of all illegal abortions are presently being done by physicians. Many of these physicians are in good standing in their communities.”

The Radiance Foundation exposes the mythology of "back alley" abortions

The Radiance Foundation exposes the mythology of “back alley” abortions

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Canadian research group sees demographic caused economic collapse of Asian nations including China

Source LifeSiteNews.com

In its quarterly examination of the economic outlook for the world’s major economies, the Conference Board of Canada identifies rapidly aging populations coupled with well-below-replacement-level birth rates in the Asia-Pacific region as indicators that the once powerful economies of these countries are headed toward economic collapse.

“Productivity gains and a large, young working-age population have done much to boost Asian economic growth over the past three decades. But Asia’s demographic dividend is quickly coming to an end. Due to fewer births and longer life expectancies, the average age of the population in Asia is increasing rapidly,” says Kip Beckman, principal economist and author of the Conference Board’s World Outlook-Spring 2013. (more…)

Action Alert: Stand Up for Conscience Protection TODAY!

Stand Up for Conscience Protection TODAY!

bodBrehany

From John F. Brehany, Ph.D., S.T.L.
Executive Director and Ethicist
Catholic Medical Association

 

The Obama administration is continuing its attacks on conscience rights and religious freedom, and Congress is not hearing from enough American citizens that this is an important issue. It is essential that we step up and make our voices heard TODAY! Today, there is a concerted effort to rally people across the nation to speak out on this issue.

Here is what we ask you to do:

  1. Contact your elected representatives in the House and Senate. Tell them you are concerned about lack of protection for conscience rights and religious freedom — particularly in health care — and ask them to co-sponsor and vote for legislation that will provide effective protections;
  2. Post this Action Alert on your FaceBook page TODAY and send it to all your FaceBook Friends;
  3. Post this Action Alert on Twitter TODAY and forward tweets on the subject. #ConscienceProtection #ReligiousFreedom.

If we do not defend conscience rights and religious freedom, for ourselves and future generations, we will lose them, because there are powerful, determined people who want to take these profound goods away from us. TAKE ACTION NOW, TODAY!

Thank you.
John F. Brehany, Ph.D., S.T.L.
Executive Director and Ethicist
Catholic Medical Association
In Christ,

Press Conference: Abortion and the impact on Black America

Abortion & the Impact on Black America ……is there a Gosnell in your Community?

 
star-parker
With host: Star Parker

Tuesday: May 14th, 2013

 

 

 

Sponsored by Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), in conjunction with ministry partners:

  • ProtectingBlackLife.org
  • National Black Pro-life Union
  • Black Pro-Life Coalition

Attending

  • Leading Black Pastors from across the nation
  • Prominent Lawmakers from Capitol Hill

Press Conference: 9:30am – 11:00am

National Press Club
529 14th St., NW, 13th Floor
Washington. DC 20045
202-662-7500

Legislative Briefing: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

The Capitol Hill Club
300 First St., SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-484-4590

For more information contact
Lonnie Poindexter, Lonnie@urbancure.org

Mitt Romney steers Southern Virginia University grads to family and God

by
David Ress

Source: Roanoke.com
Mitt-Romney-at-SVU BUENA VISTA — With a word of thanks to Southern Virginia University students who pitched in on his presidential campaign, Mitt Romney invited the school’s 145th class to dive wholeheartedly into life to raise families and serve God.

“Hundreds of you gave up vacation time to help a candidate for president, for which I owe you deeply. Thank you so much,” he said.

But he didn’t come to talk politics to the small college where most share his Mormon faith.

In only his second public speech since losing the election, Romney set his theme by quoting a verse from the Gospel of Luke when Jesus advised fishermen who had failed to catch anything to head farther out and launch their boat into deeper waters to set his theme. (more…)

Abortion, Contraception Consequences on Display in Gosnell’s ‘house of horrors’

Bishop_James_D__Conley_1_20_12 By Bishop James Conley

Our news outlets are not known for their squeamish attitude toward violence. On the contrary, reporters are often criticized for fixating on violence, exploiting it as fodder for the 24-hour news cycle.

We rarely see journalists shying away from a gruesome case. Yet, the media has been reluctant to cover the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell – a Philadelphia abortionist accused of committing unspeakable crimes at his “Women’s Medical Center.” (more…)

Vatican Cardinal: ‘Individual bishops’, not just conferences must fight culture of death

cardinal-burke-240x240

ROME, April 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The bishops of the world must, as individuals, take the lead in combating the Culture of Death, and not wait for the national conferences, Cardinal Raymond Burke told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview yesterday.

“It should be emphasized that the individual bishop has a responsibility in this matter. Sometimes what happens is the individual bishops are unwilling to do anything because they wait for the national bishops’ conference to take the lead.”

Warning against some of the bureaucratic trends of “truth by committee” in the Church’s organisation, Cardinal Burke said, “Simply by the way these conferences work, it can be years before some kind of effective direction is given, and then oftentimes because this direction is discussed and debated, it can get very watered down.” 

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Philippines archdiocese to distribute pro-life, pro-family candidates list

MANILA, April 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With less than three weeks until the May 13 elections in the Philippines, one of the country’s largest Catholic archdioceses has prepared a list of candidates that have publicly taken a stand on the side of church teaching on pro-life and pro-family issues.

Speaking on the Mornings@ANC TV show, Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said the decision to distribute sample ballots containing names of candidates who are “one with the church on controversial issues,” came in response to requests from Catholics to the archdioceses for guidance.

“The people are asking to be told,” said the archbishop. “The others have made the choice but many want to know who are the right persons, so we make it available. We're starting to do that now.”

He said that the list of acceptable candidates was created after consultations with lay leaders, who ranked candidates according to their stand on abortion, divorce, the new reproductive-health law, and protection of the environment.

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Only vote for politicians who oppose abortion, divorce, gay ‘marriage’: Filipino archbishop

Socrates_Villegas-240x273

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines, April 17, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A leading Filipino prelate has issued a pastoral letter encouraging Catholics to support only those candidates in the forthcoming election who “declare a categorical and clear NO to divorce, abortion, euthanasia, total birth control and homosexual marriages”

Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, the archbishop of the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, said that while the Church does not interfere in elections by endorsing candidates, it does offer guidance to voters to examine the candidates “from the viewpoint of faith and with the mind of the Church enlightened by the values of the Gospel.”

The archbishop offered ten concrete moral guidelines to the faithful in the light of which to consider the candidates, with the admonition that “If Jesus would vote, for whom would he vote? Vote like Jesus. If you cannot find Jesus from among the candidates just make sure you do not make Judas or Barabbas win.”

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JAMA Study: Kids With Fewer Vaccines Have Fewer Doctor and Emergency Room Visits

Source: Health Impact News

jama-logo

JAMA Pediatrics published a new study today looking at vaccination rates. The results of that study are making headlines throughout the “mainstream” media outlets, but none of them have headlines like ours. Yet, ours is probably the most factual headline representing the true facts of what this study found.

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Obedece al Mandato o Las Escrituras

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El mandato del HHS: ¿Qué es? y ¿Por qué está mal?


“Es necesario obedecer a Dios antes que a los hombres.”

Ha habido una gran confusión acerca del Mandato general de HHS que requiere que todos los empleadores, incluyendo los empleadores
relacionados con la Iglesia den cobertura en sus planes de seguro médico a la anticoncepción gratuita, la esterilización y a abortivos.
En primer lugar, el mandato no es un mandato para la cobertura de servicios de salud universal. Por el contrario, obliga a todos los empleadores a pagar primas del seguro que financian el aborto, la anticoncepción y la esterilización. También obliga a los empleados que pagan las primas de seguro de salud a proporcionar fondos para la anticoncepción gratuita, la esterilización y el aborto. Esto forzaría a todas las agencias de servicios católicos, tales como hospitales, colegios, y agencias de servicios sociales a pagar por los servicios que la doctrina Católica considera gravemente inmorales, o irse a la quiebra. Esto plantea varias preguntas importantes:
¿Por qué la Iglesia Católica participa en la educación, la salud, y el servicio social en el primer lugar?
Si la Iglesia tiene un mandato divino para hacer obras de misericordia,
¿Por qué el gobierno tiene el derecho de infringir en este proceso?
• ¿Es la anticoncepción atención en salud?
• ¿Es la esterilización atención en salud?
• ¿Es el aborto atención en salud?
En primer lugar, la Iglesia tiene un mandato divino que es llevar a cabo obras de misericordia, como la educación, servicos de salud, servicios sociales, alivio de desastres, y así sucesivamente. Como el Papa Benedicto XVI aclara en su encíclica Dios es amor, “Para la Iglesia, la caridad no es una especie de actividad de asistencia
social que también se podría dejar a otros, pues es parte de su naturaleza y es manifestación irrenunciable de su propia esencia. “Desde este punto de vista, el servicio a los necesitados, de alguna forma, es una obligación de todos los católicos (de hecho, de todo cristiano), una obligación que se une la conciencia de todos los creyentes cristianos.
En segundo lugar, una obligación impuesta por Dios, no puede ser revocada por cualquier institución humana. Este es el significado
claro de la primera enmienda de la constitución de los EE.UU., que dice: “El Congreso no hará ley respecto al establecimiento de la religión, o prohibiendo el libre ejercicio de la misma; … “En vista de esta enmienda, cualquier intento por parte del gobierno para prohibir a los miembros de una comunidad religiosa para actuar de acuerdo a su fe es inconstitucional.
En tercer lugar, la anticoncepción no es cuidado de la salud. La anticoncepción ataca a un sistema sano del cuerpo con el fin de evitar que este sistema cumpla con sus funciones normales. La evidencia
de esta situación es proporcionada por los muchos problemas
de salud en realidad causados por los métodos anticonceptivos como la píldora anticonceptiva.
En cuarto lugar, la esterilización no es cuidado de la salud. La esterilización destruye el mismo sistema del cuerpo que los anticonceptivos atacan. Un estado malsano causado por la esterilización se demuestra
por las alteraciones en la salud y los problemas sociales asociados con la esterilización como la depresión,disfunción sexual y aumento de divorcios, con toda la los consiguientes problemas sociales que surgen con el divorcio.
En quinto lugar, el aborto no es cuidado de la salud.
Ni el niño ni la madre se hacen más saludables por un aborto, sobre todo, el niño. De hecho, hay una multitud
de problemas de salud asociados con el aborto arrepentimiento,
la depresión, el suicidio, la infertilidad, y los riesgos para la salud de los futuros hijos.

Operation Rescue’s investigation reveals Brigham’s AWS abortion

Source: Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue’s investigation reveals Brigham’s AWS abortion chain is a haven for rapist, other criminals

by Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor for Operation Rescue

Voorhees, New Jersey – Operation Rescue has conducted an investigation of the American Women’s Services (AWS) abortion chain operated by the notorious Steven Chase Brigham and discovered that abortionists who are working to keep AWS open during Brigham’s medical license suspension have shocking backgrounds that include criminal convictions and other problems. This information has led Operation Rescue to believe that the entire AWS chain is fraught with problems and should be shut down to protect the public.

“Brighham’s abortion business is a haven for the bottom of the barrel criminals and quacks masquerading as medical doctors, and that’s just the unvarnished truth,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “We have reviewed hundreds of pages of disciplinary documents. Every medical misfit on the east coast that has run out of options seems to have found a welcome home in Brigham’s abortion organization.”

Abortionists who continue to work for Brigham include:

• An admitted sex offender and drug abuser
• Two convicted drug violators
• A convicted income tax cheat who once paid out $3.5 million in a malpractice suit.
• An abortionist convicted of billing fraud
• Several abortionists that cannot get hospital privileges

Brigham was caught operating an illegal late-term abortion ring in August, when one of his patients suffered a seriously botched abortion at a secret abortion clinic in Elkton, Maryland, that required she be airlifted to John Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore for emergency surgery to save her life. The abortions were started illegally in New Jersey by Brigham and finished in Maryland where Brigham holds no medical license. Other abortionists involved in Brigham’s operation, Nicola Riley of Utah and George Shepard, Jr. of Delaware, had their Maryland medical licenses suspended. (Background documentation)

Four Maryland abortion mills closed

According to his web site, Brigham continues to operate 15 abortion mills in four states even though his only remaining medical license has been suspended by the State of New Jersey.

However, an investigation by Operation Rescue into Brigham’s infamous American’s Women’s Services abortion chain has revealed that five of Brigham’s listed abortion mills are now closed, including all three of his listed Maryland offices. In addition, the off-the-radar Elkton mill, where police discovered the remains of 35 late-term aborted babies in a freezer, was closed immediately by the authorities in August. Brigham’s Cheverly abortion mill closed and moved out of its office sometime in September. The Baltimore and Frederic clinics are “not taking appointments at this time” and appear to have closed, at least for now.

“Even though these clinics remain closed, phone numbers in those locations still ring in to a central office. Women are led to believe that abortion services are available locally, when they are not. Patients are then shuttled to other clinics controlled by Brigham,” said Newman. “It is a way to draw in abortion customers from areas they no longer service. Is it dishonest? Of course it is, but dishonesty and deception are traits that have characterized Brigham’s career.”

In its October 13, 2010, ruling suspending Brigham’s medical license, the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners recognized this pattern of deception when it stated, “Dr. Brigham has consistently and repetitively engaged in manipulative and deceptive behavior designed to circumvent the requirements of the board’s termination of pregnancy regulation and to eviscerate the protections that those regulations seek to afford to New Jersey patients.”

“We have a message for the authorities in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia: For the love of God, please close these abortion clinics!” said Newman. “As relieved as we were by the suspensions and clinic closures, the authorities really need to do more and close AWS down permanently. We knew that the suspensions would not alleviate the danger posed to the public by Brigham’s abortion mills that remain in operation right now, but what we discovered about Brigham’s current abortion staff was worse than we had imagined.”

Regec’s criminal past

In Pennsylvania, two offices in Erie and State College listed on Brigham’s ASW web site have long been closed. Brigham holds no medical license in Pennsylvania since he was forced to surrender it under a cloud of accusations in 1992. However, Operation Rescue has confirmed that two abortion clinics listed on Brigham’s web site located in Allentown and Pittsburgh, are now open for business and taking patients.

Abortionist Steven Paul Regec worked for Brigham in Pennsylvania, but significantly cut back his schedule in 2007, when he applied for licensure in South Carolina and apparently relocated there. According to local pro-life groups, that led to the closure of the State College and Erie clinics. However Regec continued to operate sporadically in Allentown. Operation Rescue has confirmed that Regec actively refers to the AWS offices in Pennsylvania from his other practices. Operation Rescue’s undercover investigators were told that Regec “may or may not” be doing abortions at the Allentown clinic.

“Usually when an abortionist doesn’t work at an office, the receptionists have no problem telling callers that. It is only when they are trying to hide something that we get the ‘may or may not’ kind of answers,” said Newman. “There is obviously something to hide.”

That something may include Regec’s criminal background.

Regec, plead guilty in 1991 to three misdemeanors: one violation of the Controlled Substance Act; and two violations of Refusal or Failure to Keep or Furnish Records. As a result, Regec’s license was suspended for four months; he paid a $10,000 fine, and served two years’ probation.

Interestingly, Regec’s South Carolina medical licensing information states that Regec has no history of holding a medical license in any other state. Operation Rescue has forwarded information about Regec’s nefarious criminal deeds and medical board discipline in Pennsylvania to the authorities in South Carolina.

Gordon’s deception

In July, 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Health told Brigham that he could no longer operate abortion clinics in Pennsylvania. Brigham then simply transferred ownership to another corporation, Rose Health Services, which is owned by an elderly woman he knew in Ohio, and the clinics continued operations without interruption.

Abortionist Richard Efram Gordon continued working at the Allentown clinic when Brigham transferred ownership. It is thought that Brigham still maintains under-the-radar connections with the Allentown and Pittsburgh mills, even though he has been banned from owning or controlling abortion clinics in Pennsylvania. For Gordon to go along with that obviously deceptive relationship shows a level of dishonesty that makes him a danger to the public.

“There is no doubt that Brigham maintains some level of involvement in the Pennsylvania clinics,” said Newman. “He has learned well over the years how to exploit the system to continue his otherwise illegal operations. All the while, women are placed in serious jeopardy from his hired abortionists whose appalling records beg the question of why they are still allowed to continue practicing.”

With the closures in Maryland and the reorganization of the Pennsylvania clinics, Brigham continues to openly and directly operate six abortion clinics in New Jersey and two in Virginia. Operation Rescue has uncovered documents that show the abortionists who work at them could well serve as inspiration for a Hollywood Halloween horror flick.

Convicted felon Gellman and his $3.5 million mistake

Abortionist Elliot Gellman currently works for Brigham at four of his New Jersey abortion clinics in Voorhees, Elizabeth, Woodbridge, and Paramus. Like Brigham, he operates dangerously without hospital privileges anywhere.

In 2002, Gellman was convicted of felony counts for repeatedly failing to file personal income taxes in New York and sentenced to three years of “conditional discharge.” As a result, his New York license was placed on probation for three years with a fine of $10,000. In 2009, Gellman was ordered by New York “never practice medicine in New York State…activate his registration…or seek to reapply for a license.”

But Gellman’s legal troubles were not confined to New York. In New Jersey, he served three years probation on his medical license for the New York income tax fraud case.

He also paid out a hefty $3.5 million settlement in August, 2006, in a malpractice case against him, according to the New Jersey Medical Board.

“Cases don’t settle for three and a half million dollars if something very serious didn’t happen. This is an indication that Gellman is a dangerous doctor with a criminal history that continues to prey on unsuspecting women,” said Newman. “His dishonesty and incompetence are incompatible with the practice of medicine where trust is everything. Gellman continues to pose a serious danger to the public.”

Convict Aalai bilks Medicaid

Abortionist Mehrdad Aalai seems to have been one of the primary abortionists in Baltimore and Cheverly, Maryland, when those clinics were in operation. It is unclear at which AWS facilities he is currently operating. He has no hospital privileges anywhere.

In October 13, 1993, Aalai was charged in Maryland with one criminal count each of Medicaid fraud, theft over $500, knowingly destroying, damaging or altering medical records, and obstruction of justice. In his defense, Aalai arrogantly argued that his fraudulent Medicaid billing did not constitute a crime of moral turpitude.

Aalai eventually pled guilty and was sentenced to three years of incarceration, which was suspended on the condition that he pay a $10,000 fine, $142,570 in restitution, and successfully serve three years of unsupervised probation. It was a slap on the wrist.

In 1994, Aalai’s Maryland medical license was revoked.

In 1996, Aalai petitioned to have his Maryland medical license reinstated. His request was granted. In 1997, his probation was terminated. However Aalai continues to be listed as a “sanctioned provider” who is barred from participating in Maryland’s Medicaid program.

No hospital will have Denis

Abortionist Frantz Denis works for Brigham at his Voorhees and Elisabeth, New Jersey locations. He maintains a medical license in New York and is listed as a certified interpreter for the Haitian Creole language. Denis also operates, like Brigham, without any hospital privileges.

Peters violates drug laws

Abortionist David Reid Peters works for Brigham at his Virginia Beach, Virginia, location.

In 2001, abortionist Peters was charged by the Virginia Board of Medicine for prescribing drugs “outside of a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship, as required by law.” He further “authorized the prescriptions without obtaining a medical or drug history, performing a comprehensive physical examination, providing information about the benefits and risks…and without initiating additional interventions and follow-up care.”

It took the Board six years to reprimand Peters for his shoddy doctoring and required that he complete continuing education courses related to the prescribing of drugs.

But Brigham’s next abortionist makes all others look like choirboys.

Sex Offender Kaji

Abortionist Vikram Hiralal Kaji continues to work for Brigham at his Voorhees and Woodbridge, New Jersey, abortion mills. He has no hospital privileges.

Kaji was convicted by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners in 1993 for having improper sexual contact with three patients. After a lengthy relationship that involved improper sexual conduct, Kaji reportedly had sex without a condom with one young girl in the birthing center of his office during business hours. He knew his victim was vulnerable to his advances because she had been a depressed victim of child sex abuse with a history of psychiatric hospitalization. He later misperscribed drugs for her including Seconal and steroids. Kaji at first fought the charges, saying the sex was consensual, but later admitted that he had made an error in moral judgment.

Kaji was also accused of giving improper breast and rectal exams to two other women. New Jersey placed Kaji on a 1-year suspension and fined him $5,000 and ordered him to undergo psychological counseling.

The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency ordered Kaji’s license to prescribe controlled substances revoked in 1994. Also that year, Pennsylvania suspended Kaji for 36 months after learning of the New Jersey action.

The New York Medical Board was less forgiving. It revoked Kaji’s medical license for “sexual misconduct and drug abuse” in 1995, and banned him from practicing in that state.

In 2005, Marcia Carroll, the mother of one of Kaji’s underage patients, testified before the United States House of Representatives (see p. 17) regarding her daughter’s February, 2005, experience at Kaji’s New Jersey clinic. Carroll state that her daughter was “coerced, harassed and threatened” into having an abortion across state lines, in direct violation of parental consent laws, and the clinic staff never breathed a word about Kaji’s long history of sexual abuse. On the way home to Pennsylvania the 15-year-old started to cry, and she still cries herself to sleep at night. Carroll said her daughter “does suffer. She had to go to counseling for this….But she did want me to come here today and speak on her behalf. [emphasis in original] She asked me to come here for her sake and for other girls’ safety.”

In fact, it would be hard for New Jersey patients to be aware of Kaji’s history of sexual abuse since the Board’s physician look-up page excludes any derogatory information older than ten years. A search of Kaji’s New Jersey license remarkably reveals no record of discipline.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Kaji will reoffend,” said Newman. “We have seen sex offenders such as Laurence Reich, Lawson Akpulonu, Brian Finkel, and others use abortion clinics in a predatory way to access victims for abuse sometimes even after they have been caught and charged. Allowing Kaji to continue to practice is like putting a fox in the hen house. It is unconscionable and guarenteed to lead to continued abuse.”

Kaji curiously made headlines in 1989, when he offered pro-life protesters a room in his abortion clinic where they could talk to patients about their abortion decisions. However, after one visit, pro-lifers were banned from his clinic when they enraged him by showing a patient images of aborted babies and taking the woman, who changed her mind about the abortion, to a local pregnancy help center.

Why are these mills still open?

These clinics continue to operate for several reasons:

• Brigham has become adept over the years at using deception and legal loopholes to skirt the law.
• Brigham operates in four states, making is easier for his to evade laws in more restrictive states and the closing of the entire abortion chain legally difficult and complicated.
• People are generally unaware of the horrific backgrounds of the shoddy abortionists who are working at AWS, so there has been limited public outcry – until now.
• In this economic downturn, pro-life groups lack the resources needed to push this issue into the public eye and make a prosecution more probable.

Operation Rescue is committed to pursuing legal action against this dangerous chain of abortion mills in all four states in which it operates. The key to closing the chain lies in obtaining criminal charges that will put Brigham in jail for an extended period of time. Operation Rescue has reported extensively about Brigham’s accusations that he was practicing medicine without a license in Maryland and operating a secret late-term abortion mill where a botched abortion nearly cost one woman her life. We have worked with other Maryland groups to press for criminal charges against Brigham in this illegal late-term abortion scheme.

What you can do to protect women and babies from AWS abortionists

The State Attorney who would have jursdictional control over a criminal prosecution in Maryland has been non-responsive to calls for criminal charges. The good news is that he was handily defeated in November’s election. His replacement, Ellis Rollins, III, has indicated that he would will look at the case and enforce the law appropriately. Operation Rescue will be asking the public to contact the newly elected State Attorney as soon as he is sworn in to encourage him to pursue criminal charges against Brigham. With Brigham convicted and jailed, that may cause the rest of his operation to collapse. (Please sign up to receive e-mail alerts from Operation Rescue to be notified.)

Secondly, this project is huge and expensive because it requires our staff to operate in several states. Please consider making a donation to Operation Rescue today ensure we have the resources we need to continue our investigations and press for criminal charges.

Finally, please pray that Brigham will be held accountable under the law and that his chain of seedy abortion mills will permanently close.

Powerful Testimony of Horrific Abortion Abuses Ends Prosecution Case in Gosnell Murder Trial

Source: Operation Rescue

[Written on an airplane and posted from my iPad at an airport so please forgive typos. I wanted you all to have this ASAP. Thanks! Cheryl]

By Cheryl Sullenger

Philadelphia, PA — Kareema Cross worked for Kermit Gosnell for a harrowing four years helping with abortion procedures amid conditions so bad that she snapped photos to document them in 2008 — a year before the death of Karnamaya Mongar — then reported her boss to the authorities under a fictitious name. But no one listened. Two years later, authorities raided Gosnell’s clinic thinking it was a pill mill only to discover that it was frightfully so much more.

(more…)

‘Infant beheadings, severed baby feet,’ but media still ignoring Gosnell trial

PHILADELPHIA, April 11, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – It’s gruesome. It’s dramatic. It’s arguably the abortion-related story of the decade.

It's the murder trial of “House of Horrors” abortionist Kermit Gosnell. And the mainstream media is almost completely ignoring it. 

But cracks are beginning to show in what pro-life activists argue can only plausibly be explained as a deliberate blackout by a largely pro-abortion media of one of the biggest stories of 2013.

Recently 21 leaders in the pro-life and conservative movements signed a statement denouncing national broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC for failing to give so much as a nod to the Gosnell trial.

Now they have been joined by a U.S. Congressman and a leading feminist columnist.

In a statement on the House floor today, Rep. Scott Perry, R-PA, slammed President Obama and the media for turning a blind eye to Gosnell’s alleged misdeeds.

“Mr. President, your silence is deafening,” Rep. Perry said today, according to The Hill. “Are you so blind, are you so intractable, are you so extreme that you yourself can't even call this out for what it is, something that is reprehensible? Pro-life or pro-choice, this is reprehensible.

“It is worthy of your attention,” he said. “It is worthy of your leadership. It is worthy of your direction.”

“The media doesn't want to talk about it,” Perry added. “Not NBC, CBS, ABC, CNBC, not Fox, and not the leaders of our nation, not the president.” 

“It gives me great pain and sorrow to have this entered and read into the record,” Perry concluded. “But since the media outlets refuse to cover this because it's uncomfortable, because it might not meet with their agenda, and because many of the leaders of this country refuse to discuss it, I think it's important that we have it read into the record, so that this history and their stories don't remain untold.”

Fox News analyst and Daily Beast columnist Kirsten Powers, who is a liberal and feminist, also added her voice today to those who have called out the media for downplaying the Gosnell trial despite its evident newsworthiness.

Infant beheadings. Severed baby feet in jars. A child screaming after it was delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Haven't heard about these sickening accusations?,” asked Powers in the opening to her column, published on USAToday

“It's not your fault,” she added. “Since the murder trial of Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell began March 18, there has been precious little coverage of the case that should be on every news show and front page.” 

“Let me state the obvious. This should be front page news. When Rush Limbaugh attacked Sandra Fluke, there was non-stop media hysteria. … Yet, accusations of babies having their heads severed — a major human rights story if there ever was one — doesn't make the cut.” 

Powers concluded: “You don't have to oppose abortion rights to find late-term abortion abhorrent or to find the Gosnell trial eminently newsworthy. This is not about being ‘pro-choice’ or ‘pro-life.’ It's about basic human rights.

“The deafening silence of too much of the media, once a force for justice in America, is a disgrace.” 

Gosnell stands accused of murdering seven newborn babies by “snipping” their spinal cords. He is also charged with murdering one of his clients, who died after an overdose of anesthesia. 

Testimony in the case has been ongoing for the past two weeks, and has featured several of Gosnell’s former employees giving gruesome details about the conditions at what has been dubbed Gosnell’s “House of Horrors” clinic, including the routine practice of severing the spinal cords of hundreds of newborn babies.

One former employee described Gosnell's method of “abortion” as “literally a beheading.” He also testified: “It would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place.”

But despite the dramatic testimony, coverage has been isolated mostly to a small number of mostly local or smaller conservative outlets.

Rights of conscience must be preserved

Source: Detroit News

Michigan lawmakers worried that the Obama administration is brushing over concerns that its health care law will trample religious freedoms have crafted an appropriate bill to shield workers and hospitals from being coerced into violating their conscience.

Sen. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, introduced legislation that would offer conscience protections to individuals and institutions in the health care field.

“The HHS mandate brought this to the forefront,” Moolenaar says, referring to regulations from the federal Health and Human Services department requiring all insurance plans to provide coverage of abortions and contraceptives. “As a state, we need to protect the religious liberty and conscience of citizens.”

The bill recently passed out of the Senate Health Policy Committee and will now be taken up by the full Senate.

And while a state law can’t override federal contraceptive dictates, it would prevent similar mandates from occurring at the state level and would protect hospitals and workers from having to engage in activities they object to on moral or religious grounds.

Other states, including Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky, have similar laws, according to the Michigan Catholic Conference, which is backing Moolenaar’s bill.

Michigan already has a 30-year-old law on the books allowing health care workers and health care facilities to refuse participating in abortions.

This bill would expand protections to other non-life-threatening, elective services, including selling contraceptives and participating in sterilization procedures.

The legislation would also shield health care providers and institutions from firing, liability or discrimination because of objections to certain services.

But the bill, along with existing federal law, excludes religious objections in life-threatening situations. The bill would also limit objections in parts of Michigan where health care services are limited.

At a time when the White House has decided enacting its health care bill is more important than respecting civil liberties, the state must offer its citizens what protections it can.

Same-Sex Marriage: We’re Playing Chess, Not Checkers

by Doug Mainwaring

Just as chess requires players to seriously consider every possible consequence of their moves, we need to seriously consider every possible consequence of the push for same-sex marriage, especially for children.

In our sometimes misguided efforts to expand our freedom, selfish adults have systematically dismantled that which is most precious to children as they grow and develop. That’s why I am now speaking out against same-sex marriage.

By the way, I am gay. (more…)

I’m gay, and I oppose gay marriage

by Doug Mainwaring, Source:ThePublicDiscourse.com

In our sometimes misguided efforts to expand our freedom, selfish adults have systematically dismantled that which is most precious to children as they grow and develop. That’s why I am now speaking out against same-sex marriage.

By the way, I am gay.

A few days ago I testified against pending same-sex marriage legislation in Minnesota’s Senate Judiciary and House Civil Law Committees.

The atmosphere at these events (I’ve also testified elsewhere) seems tinged with unreality—almost a carnival-like surrealism. Natural law, tradition, religion, intellectual curiosity, and free inquiry no longer play a role in deliberations. Same-sex marriage legislation is defended solely on grounds of moral relativism and emotions.

Pure sophistry is pitted against reason. Reason is losing.

Here’s the problem: The national discussion of same-sex marriage treats the issue like a game of checkers, where opponents can quickly gain each other’s pieces without much forethought about the consequences. This unreflective view of the discussion has prevented any real debate.

In years past, defenders of marriage found it easy to win the battle on the checker board. Appeals to religion and tradition won hands down almost effortlessly. While same-sex marriage advocates argued for a more thoughtful consideration of the topic, they were mostly just bulldozed over.

The tide has turned. Same-sex marriage proponents now have all the “kings” on the board, and rule it. One only needs to consider media headlines from the last few weeks. We are bombarded with approvals of same-sex marriage. To the casual onlooker, not steeped in this issue, it would seem that conservatism has embraced same-sex marriage. Each day brings fresh news of Republican political elites, Fortune 500 companies, NFL members, and even Dirty Harry himself, Clint Eastwood, throwing their support behind genderless marriage.

The game we are actually playing is chess, not checkers. This sounds confusing, because chess and checkers are played on the exact same sixty-four square game board. Checkers is easy and it’s fast. It’s one of the first games children learn how to play. Chess is hard, requiring thought about the intended and unintentional consequences of every single move that may or may not be made.

In developing their goals for policy and law, politicians often look no further than the next election cycle. They’re concerned about votes. Supporting same-sex marriage now looks like a winner for them.

It also looks like a winner for media outlets, concerned about revenues and readership, and for large corporations, eager to polish their images and create goodwill. Few of these outlets are interested in playing chess because a quick win at checkers is more important to them.

The sense of urgency regarding same-sex marriage, now palpably frenetic, is in itself a sign of our national discussion’s devolution into nothing more than slogans and emotions.

Our nation’s individual state legislatures and courts—including the Supreme Court— need to apply the brakes. Now.

As in chess, the unintended consequences deserve sound consideration.

Genderless marriage now enjoys an aura of equality and fairness, which suggests that the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment had same-sex marriages in mind as they penned their magnificent giant leap forward for humanity. While this situation is highly unlikely, those who selfishly seek additional “rights” for themselves have found their justification in the penumbra they now sense surrounding legitimate civil rights.

Same-sex marriage will not expand rights and freedoms in our nation. It will not redefine marriage. It will undefine it.

This isn’t the first time our society has undefined marriage. No-fault divorce, instituted all across our country, sounded like a good idea at the time. Its unintended consequence was that it changed forever the definition of marriage from a permanent relationship between spouses to a temporary one. Sadly, children became collateral damage in the selfish pursuits of adults.

Same-sex marriage will do the same, depriving children of their right to either a mom or a dad. This is not a small deal. Children are being reduced to chattel-like sources of fulfillment. On one side, their family tree consists not of ancestors, but of a small army of anonymous surrogates, donors, and attorneys who pinch-hit for the absent gender in genderless marriages. Gays and lesbians demand that they have a “right” to have children to complete their sense of personal fulfillment, and in so doing, are trumping the right that children have to both a mother and a father—a right that same-sex marriage tramples over.

Same-sex marriage will undefine marriage and unravel it, and in so doing, it will undefine children. It will ultimately lead to undefining humanity. This is neither “progressive” nor “conservative” legislation. It is “regressive” legislation.

Nowhere on any marriage license application in any state are the applicants asked, “Do you love each other?” Yet this is the basis on which same-sex marriage proponents seek to change our laws. Is the state really in the business of celebrating our romantic lives?

The mantra I heard repeatedly in Minnesota was that “marriage is about love, commitment, and responsibility.” But these three things are not the state’s interests in marriage. Marriage, from the state’s perspective, is about kids. Period. That’s the reason the institution exists. We should tremble at and fear the notion of undoing it.

For a nation that has no trouble selfishly creating a seventeen-trillion-dollar (and growing) deficit it will soon hand off to its children and grandchildren, perhaps this is asking too much. But for the sake of all children and those yet to be born, we need to slow down and seriously consider the unintended consequences of undefining marriage. Otherwise, we risk treating our progeny as expendable pawns, sacrificed in the name of self-fulfillment. We can do better than that.

Doug Mainwaring is co-founder of the National Capital Tea Party Patriots. This article reprinted with permission from The Public Discourse.

‘Nobody mentioned the risk’: woman paralyzed after taking contraceptive pill speaks out

by Peter Baklinski,

QUEBEC, April 3, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The pill may have promised women the world, but many women are discovering that blood clots, stroke, paralysis, and even death are a price too high to pay for the holy grail called sexual liberation. 

This is true for 32-year-old Marie-Claude Lemieux of Quebec.

Three years ago Marie-Claude began taking the contraceptive pill Tri-Cyclen, manufactured by Toronto-based drug company Janssen.

Tri-Cyclen, like all oral contraceptives, contains synthetic versions (norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol) of two female sex hormones – estrogen and progestin. 

According to the manufacturer, Tri-Cyclen inhibits the woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs. It also thickens her cervical mucus to immobilize sperm so they cannot reach an egg to fertilize it. If fertilization occurs despite these measures, the pill hardens the woman’s uterine wall to prevent implantation of a newly conceived human life. 

Marie-Claude had taken Tri-Cyclen for six months when she one day unexpectedly suffered a stroke that left her completely paralyzed, save for the ability to move her left eyelid. Doctors blamed the stroke on the contraceptive pill since Marie-Claude was not overweight, did not smoke, and had no family history of stroke. 

Last week, Marie-Claude was able to communicate to a reporter from La Presse that before going on Tri-Cyclen, neither her doctor or pharmacist told her the risk factors involved in taking the contraceptive pill. 

“Nobody mentioned the risk and I believed that since it was approved [for women’s use], it was not dangerous.”

“Let's say it has a nasty side effect,” she said. 

While Marie-Claude has gained some use of her finger, which allows her to communicate on an electronic device using a special program, doctors believe that she will remain severely disabled for life.  

Many women are shocked to learn the manufacturer’s small print of the risks involved in taking the pill.

Janssen states on its website that Tri-Cyclen’s risks include:

1. Circulatory disorders including “blood clots in legs, lungs, heart, eyes or brain.” Janssen states clearly that blood clots are the “most common serious side effects of birth control pills. Clots can occur in many areas of the body.”

2. Breast cancer. Janssen warns that “women who use birth control pills may be at increased risk of developing breast cancer before menopause,” adding that these women “may be long-term users of birth control pills (more than eight years) or women who start using birth control pills at an early age.”

3. Cervical cancer. Janssen warns that “some studies have found an increase of cancer of the cervix in women who use hormonal contraceptives”.

4. Gallbladder disease. Janssen warns that “users of birth control pills have a greater risk of developing gallbladder disease”.

5. Liver tumours. Janssen warns that the “short and long-term use of birth control pills also has been linked with the growth of liver tumours.”

But Marie-Claude is only one of numerous women who have experienced negative side-effects from using the pill – ranging from the minor to the fatal. 

A discussion board on Topix has over 200 entries from women sharing their horror stories of using Tri-Cyclen related pills. Some mothers have had their teenage daughters die from using the pill. Some women have had close brushes with death. Others have become incapacitated for life. Many are hoping for a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer. 

One mother from California wrote of her teenage daughter: “My precious Baby girl died June 25, 2009 from using Ortho TriCyclene Lo. I agree whole heartedly with you [that] the company should be held responsible for the children that are dead because of this drug. Believe me we will have our say soon, and although no amount of money will bring our precious little girls back, their deaths will not have been in vain.” 

A mother from Montana wrote: “My daughter almost died 2-1/2 years ago after taking these pills for about 6 weeks. After a week in the ICU, a clot buster procedure, and 4 titanium stents in her iliac, she took coumadin for 8 months.” 

Another mother wrote: My 21 year old girl died 28 days after taking this deadly drug! She was going to get married in Nov, and died in Oct, 2008) 28-days after starting the birth control pill. I don't care how many warnings are on the information packet, this company should be forced to re-design this drug or take it off of the market.” 

A woman named Jaime wrote: “I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen in 2001 when I ended up with a transverse sinus thrombosis, which is a clot in my brain. My neurologist left me on the birth control pills and 6 months later I got a PE, pulmonary embolism, which is a clot in your lungs. I am lucky to be alive with both of these. The doctor from the PE immediately pulled me off of the birth control. I have been and will continue to be on blood thinners my whole life.” 

According to La Presse, approximately 90,000 Quebec women were on the pill last year. No one knows how many women have suffered from using it since doctors are not required to report adverse effects.

Women who have suffered using Tri-Cyclen are discovering that there is no recourse to legal action against the manufacturer since the manufacturer clearly states the risks associated with using the product.

Marie-Claude’s husband Frederic Boulianne told La Presse that he would be willing to join a class action suit against the makers of Tri-Cyclen. He compared using the pill to playing “Russian Roulette.” 

Andrea Mrozek, founder of ProWomanProLife.org, told LifeSiteNews.com that her heart goes out to women suffering from the pill.

“I remember reading The Greatest Experiment ever Performed on Women by Barbara Seaman and wondering why this information isn't more commonplace. Women take the pill because it is easy to take and does the job. And yet, side effects do occur and an outcome like this isn't easy (or freeing) in the end, at all.”

Mrozek pointed out that there are safe methods of postponing pregnancy that are just as effective as the pill but are 100 percent natural. These include the Billings ovulation method, the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, and the symptothermal method. 

“I’m convinced if more women knew and understood what these other methods are, they would use them instead,” she said. 

Homosexual Marriage: We Have Sown The Wind, And Now Reap The Whirlwind.

MsgrCharlesPopeby Msgr. Charles Pope
Homosexual Marriage Is The Logical Conclusion For A Culture That Celebrates Sterility! Widespread Acceptance of the Homosexual Lifestyle Is God’s Punishment for Sin!

There is, among faithful Catholics, a dismay, and even an understandable anger at the events unfolding at the Supreme Court these past days related to gay unions. And even if the court were to uphold traditional marriage (which does not seem likely), or merely return the matter to the States, it seems quite clear where our culture is going regarding this matter, approving things once, not so long ago, considered unthinkable.
What then to do with our dismay and anger? It is too easy to vent anger, which is not only unproductive, but in the current state of “hyper-tolerance” for all things gay, angry denunciations are counter-productive. (more…)

The Annunciation and Incarnation of Jesus

Incarnation Catholic Church Centerville, OH

Incarnation Catholic
Church
Centerville, OH

Celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation
Monday, April 8, 2013 at 7:00 pm Incarnation Catholic Church 55 Williamsburg Lane Centerville, OH 45459

God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ is the greatest event in all of human history. God took a full share of our life, and even our death, so that we could share in His eternal life.
At Mary’s acceptance of the Father’s invitation, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and became incarnate in her.
By becoming one of our own family, Jesus our brother infinitely elevates the dignity of all human life, from conception through death, and into eternal life.

Tune in for a live broadcast of the Solemnity Mass of the Annunciation at Radio Maria.

 

Schedule for the Evening:

6:45 Prelude Music
7:00 Solemnity Mass of the Annunciation
Rev. Lawrence Mierenfeld, Celebrant & Homilist
8:00 Refreshments and talk in Parish Center 103B
8:15 “Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace”—Gloria Dodd, STD

Dr.-Gloria-Dodd

Dr Gloria Dodd, STD
The Marian
Library/International
Marian Research

Dr Dodd will present a portion of her doctoral
dissertation: The History and Theology of the
Movement for the Dogmatic Definition of
the Virgin Mary’s Universal Mediation: 1896-1964.

Download PDF flyer.
Map

The Morning After Pill and other types of “Emergency Contraception”–Myths and Realities

By Liliana Cote de Bejarano MD, MPH, CFCP

What is “emergency contraception”?

Emergency contraception (EC) is the use of pills or devices after sex to try to prevent pregnancy.1 EC is promoted when a woman has been raped, when a couple has chosen to have sex without using any form of contraception, or when there is a suspected contraceptive failure. Types of EC may include pills or the insertion of the Copper-T Intrauterine Device (IUD) up to five days after intercourse. The use of other drugs as emergency contraception is under investigation.2

What is the “Morning After Pill”?

The phrase “Morning After Pill” (MAP) describes a set of contraceptive pills taken after a sexual act, to prevent pregnancy. One type of MAP contains only the synthetic progestin levonorgestrel (LNG), which is the main drug in other commercial contraceptives. Commercial names for the MAP include Plan B One Step, Take Action, Next Choice One Dose, My Way, and others.3 The Food and Drug Administration has approved Plan B One Step for sale without age restrictions. A second type of MAP is the anti-progesterone “Ella”, available with prescription in the United States. A third type of MAP is the “off label” use of combined oral contraceptive pills. A fourth type of EC is the abortion pill Mifepristone (RU 486), used outside the USA.

How does the Morning After Pill work?

blastocyst

The new baby (blastocyst) migrates from the fallopian tube to the uterus where it implants 5-7 days after conception.

Conception of a new human being is possible only during a few days in the woman’s cycle. Sperm can survive in the woman’s body 3-5 days, and the ovum dies 12-24 hours after ovulation. Fertilization normally occurs in the fallopian tube after ovulation. The new human being (blastocyst) moves from the fallopian tube to the uterus where it implants 5-7 days after conception. A delicate hormonal balance is necessary for the baby’s survival.

Some studies seem to show that Plan B works by changing the cervical mucus or by attacking sperm. More recent studies, however, show that these effects may happen when the drug is taken regularly (like birth control pills), but NOT after one dose (like EC).4,5

Advocates of EC claim that the active ingredient in Plan B works mainly by stopping or delaying ovulation Available studies show that when Plan B was given to women in the fertile part of their cycle, 80% OR MORE of them ovulated, although NONE of them became obviously pregnant (see diagram below).6,7 If sperm and an egg are present in the woman’s body but no obvious pregnancy develops, then abortion is the most likely cause.8 Some studies also show that Plan B disturbs the hormonal balance needed to maintain pregnancy.9,10

What about other types of emergency contraception?

Copper-T IUDs—Copper ions released from an IUD are toxic for sperm and the ovum, decreasing the probability of fertilization.11  Also, the Copper-T IUD lowers the chances of survival of any embryo that may be formed before it reaches the womb. The Copper-T IUD stops the lining of the womb from accepting a newly formed embryo.12 Thus the Copper-T IUD may have a post-fertilization effect, meaning it destroys a young human embryo.

Ella and Mifepristone (RU-486) change the body’s ability to react to some hormones. They can block the action of the hormone progesterone,13 thereby destroying a new human life through chemical abortion. Ella can also delay or block ovulation if taken before ovulation.14

If conception (fertilization) has already taken place, then the only way the IUD and the morning after pill (MAP) can be effective is by destroying the new life. When a woman takes theses pills or when the IUD is inserted, there is currently no way for her or her doctor to know whether or not she has already conceived. A pregnancy test cannot give this information before implantation. Whenever these pills are taken, or a Copper-T IUD is inserted after sexual activity, there is the risk that a new human life will be destroyed.

Remember that a new life is destroyed when implantation is prevented.

Remember that
a new life is
destroyed
when implantation
is prevented.

Does this mean that emergency contraception is an abortifacient— that it can cause an abortion?

A new human life begins at conception, also called fertilization. However, in September 1965, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) attempted to redefine “pregnancy” as beginning at the time of implantation, and not at the time of conception. The effectiveness of pills and devices that do not prevent fertilization depends on destruction of a new human life. This should be called an “abortion” in spite of the medical definition from the ACOG.

In a recent study 8 out of 10 women who took the MAP ovulated. This means that if they had sex, some of these 8 women likely became pregnant. None had an obvious pregnancy, so the women who became pregnant probably experienced an early abortion.

How effective is emergency contraception?

The Copper-T IUD prevents 99% of expected pregnancies. Ella and Plan B prevent some of expected pregnancies after unprotected intercourse.15 The effect of EC in reducing unintended pregnancies and induced abortions has not yet been proven. Available studies show that EC may have no effect on unintended pregnancies, it may even increase them.16, 17, 18,19 Women with high body mass may also find that EC has decreased or no effectiveness in preventing pregnancy.20 In addition, providing emergency contraception in advance has the negative effect of increasing risky sexual behavior.21 Overall, the evidence suggests that the Morning After Pill is not effective for preventing unintended pregnancies.

How safe is emergency contraception?

A Morning After Pill that contains LNG can cause heavier or lighter menstrual bleeding, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, dizziness, breast tenderness, delay of menses (up to 7 days), and diarrhea. The use of LNG also increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy.22 The use of Ella has been connected with headache, abdominal or upper abdominal pain, nausea, dysmenorrhea, fatigue, and dizziness.23 Women who use the Copper-T IUD can experience uterine cramps and other undesirable effects such as ectopic pregnancy, septic abortion, pelvic infection, perforation, embedment, anemia, backache, painful periods, pain during intercourse, vaginal discharges, prolonged menstrual flow, menstrual spotting, cramping, and vaginitis.24

One study reported that women may repeatedly use EC due to an exaggerated perception of its effectiveness.25 Another study found that over-the-counter access to EC leads to increased Sexually Transmitted Infections by approximately 12% for women ages 15-44 due to increased risky sexual behavior.26 More time and research are needed to know the long-term effects of emergency contraception on the health and safety of women.

Are there other options?

If you are single, the surest way to avoid pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection is abstinence, and it always works. If you are married, the modern methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) are the safest, healthiest, least toxic, and least expensive means for family planning. Victims of rape or sexual abuse need and deserve the best medical care and human support possible. The additional stress and health risks of emergency contraception add further harm. (Pregnancy due to rape is estimated at 5%).27 For the vast majority of these women, emergency contraceptives impose significant health risks with no benefit. If conception has already occurred, then a very early abortion is the only means for emergency contraception to be effective. Abortion carries with it many serious adverse consequences such as increased rates of breast cancer, depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviors, and substance use disorders.28 A far safer approach is to carry the child to term. Adoption is always an option.

Confidential pregnancy assistance services are available throughout the U.S. and Canada by calling Option Line at 800-395-HELP (4357) and Abortion Pill Reversal Network at 877-558-0333.

REFERENCES:

1. Trussell J, PhD and Raymond, EG, MD, MPH. Emergency contraception: a last chance to prevent unintended pregnancy. Retrieved from: http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ec-review.pdf, July 28 2015.

2. Jesam C, Salvatierra AM, Schwartz JL, & Croxatto HB. (2010). Suppression of follicular rupture with meloxicam, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor: Potential for emergency contraception. Human Reproduction (Oxford, England), 25(2), 368-373.

3. Emergency Contraception Pills. Retrieved from http://ec.princeton.edu/info/ecp.html, July 28 2015.

4. Nascimento JA, Seppala M, Perdigao A., Espejo-Arce X, Munuce MJ, Hautala L, et al. (2007). In vivo assessment of the human sperm acrosome reaction and the expression of glycodelin-A in human endometrium after levonorgestrel-emergency contraceptive pill administration. Human Reproduction (Oxford, England), 22(8), 2190-2195.

5. Hermanny A, Bahamondes MV, Fazano F, Marchi NM, Ortiz ME, Genghini MH, et al. (2012). In vitro assessment of some sperm function following exposure to levonorgestrel in human fallopian tubes. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology : RB&E, 10, 8-7827-10-8.

6. Brache V, Cochon L, Deniaud M, Croxatto, HB. Ulipristal acetate prevents ovulation more effectively than levonorgestrel: analysis of pooled data from three randomized trials of emergency contraception regimens. Contraception. Nov 2013; 88(5): 611-618.

7. Noe G, Croxatto HB, Salvatierra AM, Reyes V, Villarroel C, Munoz C, et al. Contraceptive efficacy of emergency contraception with levonorgestrel given before or after ovulation. Contraception. Nov 2011; 84(5): 486-492.

8. Kahlenborn C, Peck R, & Severs WB. (2015). Mechanism of action of levonorgestrel emergency contraception. The Linacre Quarterly, 82(1), 18-33.

9. Croxatto HB, Brache V, Pavez M, Cochon L, Forcelledo ML, Alvarez F, et al. Pituitary-ovarian function following the standard levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive dose or a single 0.75-mg dose given on the days preceding ovulation. Contraception. Dec 2004; 70(6): 442-450.

10. Hapangama D, Glasier AF, Baird DT. The effects of peri-ovulatory administration of levonorgestrel on the menstrual cycle. Contraception. Mar 2001; 63(3): 123-129.

11. Ortiz ME, Croxatto HB. Copper-T intrauterine device and levonorgestrel intrauterine system: biological bases of their mechanism of action. Contraception. Jun 2007; 75(6 Suppl): S16-30.

12. Gemzell-Danielsson K, Berger C & Lalitkumar PGL. (2013). Emergency contraception–mechanisms of action. Contraception, 87(3), 300-308.

13. Keenan JA. Ulipristal acetate: contraceptive or contragestive? Ann Pharmacother. Jun 2011; 45(6): 813-815.

14. Brache V, Cochon L, Jesam C, Maldonado R, Salvatierra AM, Levy DP, et al. Immediate pre-ovulatory administration of 30 mg ulipristal acetate significantly delays follicular rupture. Hum Reprod. Sep 2010; 25(9): 2256-2263.

15. Fred F. Ferri M.D., F.A.C.P. (2016). Ferri’s clinical advisor 2016 Elsevier, Inc

16. Rodriguez MI, Curtis KM, Gaffield ML, Jackson E, Kapp N. Advance supply of emergency contraception: a systematic review. Contraception. May 2013; 87(5): 590-601.

17. Raymond EG, Trussell J, Polis CB. Population effect of increased access to emergency contraceptive pills: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. January 2007; 109(1): 181-188.

18. Walsh TL, Frezieres RG. Patterns of emergency contraception use by age and ethnicity from a randomized trial comparing advance provision and information only. Contraception. Aug 2006; 74(2): 110-117.

19. Glasier A, Fairhurst K, Wyke S, Ziebland S, Seaman P, Walker J, et al. Advanced provision of emergency contraception does not reduce abortion rates. Contraception. May 2004; 69(5): 361-366.

20. Glasier A, Cameron ST, Blithe D, Scherrer B, Mathe H, Levy D, et al. (2011). Can we identify women at risk of pregnancy despite using emergency contraception? data from randomized trials of ulipristal acetate and levonorgestrel. Contraception, 84(4), 363-367.

21. Belzer M, Sanchez K, Olson J, Jacobs AM, Tucker D. Advance supply of emergency contraception: a randomized trial in adolescent mothers. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. Oct 2005; 18(5): 347-354.

22. Zhang J, Li C, Zhao WH. Xi X, Cao SJ, Ping H, et al. (2015). Association between levonorgestrel emergency contraception and the risk of ectopic pregnancy: A multicenter case-control study. Scientific Reports, 5, 8487.

23. Ulipristal Acetate. http://www.pdr.net/drug-summary/ella?druglabelid=1278 August  10 2015

24. Intrauterine Copper Contraceptive Paragard. Retrieved from http://www.pdr.net/drug-summary/paragard?druglabelid=572 August 10 2015

25. Melton L, Stanford JB, Dewitt MJ. Use of levonorgestrel emergency contraception in Utah: is it more than “plan B”? Perspect Sex Reprod Health. Mar 2012; 44(1): 22-29.

26. Mulligan K. (2015). Access to emergency contraception and its impact on fertility and sexual behavior. Health Economics (Published Online).

27. Holmes MM, Resnick HS, Kilpatrick DG, Best CL. Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. August 1996; 175(2): 320-324.

28. Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ, Ridder EM. Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health. J Child Psychol Psych. January 2006; 47(1): 16-24.

What To Expect When No One’s Expecting America’s Coming Demographic Disaster

With candor, excellent research, and a sense of humor, Jonathan Last dispels the overpopulation myth with the stark truth: nations across the globe are facing a population collapse. Wolves invading sparsely populated boarder villages and childless villages being sold as garbage dumps might sound like a fiction novel, but this is a reality facing Germany and Japan, just two of the many nations dealing with drastically low fertility rates. Sub-replacement fertility rates cannot be summed up by one or two causes. Last covers the many elements contributing to declining fertility rates, from government policies, economics, and secularism, to education, marriage trends, and much more. Learn what could happen (or is happening) to countries whose birthrates have collapsed and what can be done to prevent a population collapse.

Medical Matters, The Effects of Light on the Menstrual Cycle

By Joy DeFelice, RN, BSN, PHN

“As different as night and day” is an expression we’ve all used. But that distinction has become blurred over generations by ever increasing sources and length of light. As a result, many women do not experience a true nighttime anymore. They are in, or surrounded by, light 24 hours a day.
Since the Fall of 1976, we have consistently observed that the presence of light during the woman’s major sleep period can affect one or more phases of her menstrual cycle. This will be seen in the woman’s charted pattern, and also applies in determining breastfeeding and pre-menopausal Basic Infertile Patterns. (more…)

Smart phones and “Truth Booths” combine to show the humanity of unborn children

by Dave Andrusko
Source: LifeSiteNews

A smile that changes a heart

A smile that changes a heart

 

(National Right to Life News) – A colleague at National Right to Life recently emailed me a photo of an ad that appeared in her local newspaper. It was titled, “Reflections: the Ultimate Prenatal Experience” and was about 3d and 4D ultrasounds.

This was separate from, but instantly reminded me of, what are known as “Truth Booth” about which we have written twice in NRL News Today. (See “Mall Kiosks Ideal for Continual Pro-life Education,”  and “Smart Phones Provide Mobile Tool to Help Women Choose Life.“)

Truth Booths are unmanned kiosks showing ultrasound images of the developing unborn child in the womb. Millions have already seen them at malls, community fairs, schools and other public and private venues throughout the United States and Canada. (more…)

10 Good Reasons to Give up Contraception for Lent


BY J.Q. Tomanek

Source: ignitumtoday.com

  1. She is not sick.  Stop jacking your wife up on hormones.
  2. Freedom.  It is dumb to let a little pill control your wife.
  3. All.  Nothing says “I love you” better than actions that say “I desire your complete goodness, fertility included.”
  4. Counter-culture.  Planned Parenthood will think you are crazy; this is a good thing.
  5. Adventure.  So many pay lots of money for extreme experiences like Tough Mudders or sky diving; natural bio-tracking encourages looking at life as an adventure inside your own home.
  6. Self-control.  Tough?  Yes.  Impossible?  No.  You are more than the sum of your sexual urges.
  7. Humility.  Trust me, when you are fighting the urge to abuse yourself, you realize how weak you may be and how much you need grace.
  8. Common sense.  A stomach digests.  Lungs help you breath.  The tongue tastes and helps you speak.  The marital act is designed for unity AND procreation; it is not rocket science to know this.
  9. Fulfilled.  Yea, you know that emptiness is-this-all-there-is-to-sex feeling after contracepted un-intercourse?  It goes away over time when you re-familiarize yourself with the mystery of the human person and how sex is such a great gift when shared completely and totally free.
  10. Obedience.  The Church says it is wrong.  Why take advice from some old white guy in Rome?  Well, he leans on 2000 years of history, a global mindset, and is the Vicar of Christ.  I might ask you, “Why take the advice from some MTV sex symbol that thinks he knows better than 2000 years of tradition?”

The Rescuing Hug

This is an amazing story of twin baby girls. One baby was not expected to live.
A hospital nurse fought to put them in the same incubator. The stronger baby wrapped her arm around her sister, and her touch allowed the struggling baby’s heart to stabilize and her temperature to return to normal.

The People-Haters Are At It Again

By Steven W. Mosher


In the UK he is a household name. He has
done a beautiful series of documentaries for BBC on
the world’s wildlife. He was even knighted by the
Queen.
And he is a bona-fide, certified, take-noprisoners
people hater.
The hater in question, Sir David
Attenborough, made the news last week by
comparing the human race (that is, you and me) to a
plague on the planet. Going even further, he
predicted that disaster would befall us within the
next half-century unless something is done to stop
our reckless reproduction. (more…)

Free Your Body Free Yourself

A Nation Rises

Who would have thought President Obama would do a promo for the March for Life and start a revolution.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opl0jnKbn5Y]

Scientists discover aborted baby cells living in mothers’ brains

Source LifeSiteNews.com
JillStanek.com Scientific American termed the research findings another way: “Scientists discover children’s cells living in mothers’ brains.”

But I wanted to drive home a touching point: Mothers who terminate their pregnancies apparently don’t completely rid themselves of their babies. The cells of murdered children live on inside their mothers to help – or perhaps – hurt them:

Cells may migrate through the placenta between the mother and the fetus, taking up residence in many organs of the body including the lung, thyroid muscle, liver, heart, kidney and skin. These may have a broad range of impacts, from tissue repair and cancer prevention to sparking immune disorders.

(more…)

Should pro-lifers compare abortion to things like the Connecticut tragedy?

By Bryan Kemper
Source:LifeSiteNews.com

Should pro-lifers compare abortion to things like the Connecticut tragedy? To answer this question one must first answer the question: what is abortion?
Abortion is simply a word used to describe the action of killing a human person in one of the early stages of that human person’s development, just as shooting is simply a word to describe how the human persons in that school in Connecticut or the theatre in Colorado were killed. Both words describe a different method used to end the life of human persons who are all in different stages of their life and development.
In the same way, when I compare the Nazi Holocaust and the Abortion Holocaust, I am showing that they are both horrific events that have claimed the lives of millions of innocent human persons. One took place 70 years ago and one is taking place right now.
I could easily show comparisons to many other events in history such as Columbine, slavery, earthquakes and many more tragic events that have claimed so many innocent lives. (more…)

Photo of Baby Reaching Out From Womb During C-Section Goes Viral

by Steven Ertelt
Source: LifeNews.com

A new photo of a baby reaching out of the womb and holding a doctor’s finger during a Caesarian section delivery has gone viral and is being passed around Facebook by tens of thousands of people.

A Phoenix-area couple took the picture during the delivery of Nevaeh — Heaven spelled backward — and a local news report says even the physician and hospital nursing staff were surprised by what unfolded.

“It was such an amazing photo. [Hospital staff] had possibly heard of it happening but they had never seen a photo of it,” said Alicia Atkins, Nevaeh’s mother.

Few lives will be as well documented as little Nevaeh’s. Her mother is a professional photographer who owns A Classic Pin-Up in Glendale. However, it was her dad, Randy, who snapped the picture.

“The doctor called me over and said, ‘Hey, she’s grabbing my finger.’ So I ran over there and just grabbed the shot and I was just in awe looking at it. It was such an amazing picture,” said Randy Atkins, adding that he was nervous about missing the precious and fleeting moment as he hurried to snap a picture.

Now, the picture has been liked and shared by thousands and the couple has offers to buy the photo, which they never intended to place online for public viewing.

“I can FINALLY share this!!!!” Alicia said on her Facebook page when posting the photo on December 26. “This was 10 weeks ago when I was having my c-section and
Dr. Sawyer broke my water and my daughter reached up out of my stomach and grabbed the Dr.’s finger and my hubby caught this special moment.”

“Truly amazing. I am in awe of this photo. Something to remember forever,” she adds. “Thank you for helping me deliver 3 of the most amazing wonderful gifts I could ever ask for. A Couple of miracle children. You are truly an amazing Dr. and couldn’t ask for a better one. I had this printed for my OBGYN on a canvas.”