(A3e3) Pro Life Actions

As of this date, 07-07-07, there are 42 articles in this web folder. ******************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 1 THE DECISION THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: KEEPING MY BABY ******* item 2 TWELVE YEAR OLD UK GIRL DECIDES AGAINST ABORTION AFTER ULTRASOUND ******* item 3 STUDENTS FIGHT FOR RIGHT TO WEAR PRO-LIFE MESSAGE IN SCHOOLS ******* item 4 LOUISIANA PROMOTES ALTERNATIVES TO ABORTION ******* item 5 MISS OREGON PAGEANT WINNER EMPHASIZES ABORTION-BREAST CANCER LINK ******* item 6 TAIWAN WILL REWARD CHILDBIRTH, UNLIKE CHINA ******* item 7 CINCINNATI DROPS ABORTION INSURANCE COVERAGE AFTER BUREAUCRATIC SNAFU ******* item 8 CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL AID TIED TO ABORTION, PRO-LIFE DOCTOR SAYS ******* item 9 MISS AMERICA CENSORED ON HER ABSTINENCE MESSAGE ******* item 10 MISS AMERICA WILL BE ALLOWED TO DISCUSS ABSTINENCE ******* item 11 MISS AMERICA WINS BATTLE TO DISCUSS ABSTINENCE ******* item 12 SURVEY SHOWS YOUNGER AMERICANS MORE PRO-LIFE ******* item 13 POPULATION CONTROL NUMBERS FAVOR THE PRO-LIFE SIDE ******* item 14 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ALLOWED TO HAVE PRO-LIFE GROUP ******* item 15 COLORADO ABORTION RATE DOWN 63 PERCENT ******* item 16 PRESIDENT BUSH KEEPS THE FAITH ON CLONING ******* item 17 PRIESTS NATIONWIDE AFFIRM PRO-LIFE POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY ******* item 18 "SILENT NO MORE" -- A POST-ABORTION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ******* item 19 SILENT NO MORE: WOMEN SPEAKING ABOUT ABORTION LAUNCH CAMPAIGN ******* item 20 SUPREME COURT GIVES FINAL VICTORY TO CHOOSE LIFE PLATES ******* item 21 POPE SAYS CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES MUST REMAIN PRO-LIFE ******* item 22 ALAN KEYES TELLS LOCAL CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTRE TERRORISM AND LIFE ISSUES HAVE COMMON THREAD ******* item 23 POPE RESTATES STRONG DEFENSE OF LIFE, OPPOSITION TO EUTHANASIA ******* item 24 PRESIDENT BUSH DECLARES SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE DAY ******* item 25 WE REGRET OUR ABORTION DECISION, WOMEN SAY AT ROE VERSUS WADE RALLY ******* item 26 MISSOURI BILL WOULD STRENGTHEN PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT LAWS ******* item 27 FAMILY RESEARCG COUNCIL SIGNS LANDMARK MANIFESTO ON HUMAN CLONING ******* item 28 [MISSIONAMERICA] SEX ED SURVEY: PARENTS SAY 'YES' TO ABSTINENCE EDUCATION ******* item 29 ABSTINENCE MESSAGE FAVORED, POLL FINDS ******* item 30 ARIZONA PARENTAL CONSENT LAW GOES INTO EFFECT ******* item 31 MONTANA STATE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ******* item 32 STATE DEPARTMENT DEFUNDS LARGE ABORTION PROVIDER OVER COERCED ABORTIONS ******* item 33 PRO-LIFE TV COMMERCIALS REDUCE ABORTION IN ARIZONA ******* item 34 WHITE HOUSE MARRIAGE PROTECTION WEEK PROCLAMATION ******* item 35 NATIONAL DAY OF PURITY FOR STUDENTS ******* item 36 MATERNITY CLINIC OFFERS SIGNS OF HOPE IN ABORTION-DOMINATED RUSSIA ******* item 37 FAMILY SAVED BY CHRISTIANS IN COLUMBUS OHIO ******* item 38 LOUISIANA PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES FILE FIRST AMENDMENT LAWSUIT ******* item 39 ABSTINENCE EDUCATION REDUCES OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS ******* item 40 NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL APOLOGIZES TO STUDENTS WHO WORE T-SHIRTS PROTESTING HOMOSEXUALITY ******* item 41 MIRACLE BABY ******* item 42 RU-486 REVERSAL! *********************************************************************************************** ******* item 1 THE DECISION THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: KEEPING MY BABY ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Source: Family Circle; October 8, 200, Page 56 ******* by Maya Angelou ******* At age three, after the dissolution of her parents' marriage, the poet, playwright and director Maya Angelou was raised, until age 14, in Stamps, Arkansas, by her paternal grandmother. Angelou's eloquent series of five memoirs includes I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and, most recently, A Song Flung Up to Heaven (Random House). Here the 74-year-old recounts the most important even of her life, a daunting decision she faced after she returned to San Francisco as a teen to live with her mother: "When I was 16, a boy in high school evinced interest in me, so I had sex with him -- just once. And after I came out of that room, I thought, Is that all there is to it? My goodness, I'll never do that again! Then, when I found out I was pregnant, I went to the boy and asked him for help, but he said it wasn't his baby and he didn't want any part of it. ******* I was scared to pieces. Back then, if you had money, there were some girls who got abortions, but I couldn't deal with that idea. Oh, no. No. I knew there was somebody inside me. So I decided to keep the baby. ******* My older brother, Bailey, my confidant, told me not to tell my mother or she'd take me out of school. So I hid it the whole time with big blouses! Finally, three weeks before I was due, I left a note on my stepfather's pillow telling him I was pregnant. He told my mother, and when she came home, she calmly asked me to run her bath. ******* I'll never forget what she said: "Now tell me this -- do you love the boy?" I said no. "Does he love you?" I said no. "Then there's no point in ruining three lives. We are going to have our baby!" ******* What a knockout she was as a mother of teens. Very loving. Very accepting. Not one minute of recrimination. And I never felt any shame. ******* I'm telling you that the best decision I ever made was keeping that baby! Yes, absolutely. Guy was a delight from the start -- so good, so bright, and I can't imagine my life without him. ******* At 17 I got a job as a cook and later as a nightclub waitress. I found a room with cooking privileges, because I was a woman with a baby and needed my own place. My mother, who had a 14-room house, looked at me as if I was crazy! She said, "Remember this: You can always come home." She kept that door open. And every time life kicked me in the belly, I would go home for a few weeks. ******* I struggled, sure. We lived hand-to-mouth, but it was really heart-to-hand. Guy had love and laughter and a lot of good reading and poetry as a child. Having my son brought out the best in me and enlarged my life. Whatever he missed, he himself is a great father today. He was once asked what it was like growing up in Maya Angelou's shadow, and he said, "I always thought I was in her light." ******* Years later, when I was married, I wanted to have more children, but I couldn't conceive. Isn't it wonderful that I had a child at 16? Praise God!" ******* -- Pro Life Christmas Cards! Our 17 beautiful designs, as low as $2.25 per pack of 10 cards/envelopes make fund raising easy. High quality, glossy coated. See our web site http://www.lifecyclebooks.com for these and hundreds of other exclusive pro life and abstinence education materials. ******************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 2 TWELVE YEAR OLD UK GIRL DECIDES AGAINST ABORTION AFTER ULTRASOUND ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Ananova; December 2, 2002 ******* Crawley, England -- A pregnant 12-year-old girl has told how she decided against an abortion after seeing her baby's image during a scan. ******* Amy Crowhurst, who is expecting a baby boy next spring, said: "I went to the hospital and we did a mini scan and a normal scan." ******* "I saw the baby on the screen and thought 'no, it's too far gone', so me and my mum decided to keep it." ******* Amy, of Crawley, West Sussex, England became pregnant five-and-a-half months ago after meeting a boy at a youth club. ******* She told ITV1's Tonight With Trevor McDonald: "We both wanted to do it, so we did it." ******* Amy said how she found out she was pregnant: "We were in town one day and I hadn't eaten or drunk anything, so when I collapsed in the post office and I hadn't had a period for a few months... My mum put two and two together." ******* The baby will be brought up alongside Amy's five-month-old brother, Momodou, one of her eight siblings. ******* "I look after my brother sometimes, so she (her mother Rose) will be helping me with mine and I'll be helping her with hers." ******* Her mother admits she was angry at first "and I was just screaming and shouting at her". But, having accepted the pregnancy, she said: "All I can do is be there for Amy." ******* She added: "Basically half of Amy's childhood has just gone. So where she would have been going out to local discos at 16... she's now got to think of her baby." ******* Reach 40,000 pro-life leaders and activists with your message. Contact [email protected] ******************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 3 STUDENTS FIGHT FOR RIGHT TO WEAR PRO-LIFE MESSAGE IN SCHOOLS ******* Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 14:36:57 -0400 ******* From: [email protected] ******* Over twenty-five students around the country during the past school year have sought assistance from the Thomas More Law Center because they were prevented by school officials from wearing pro-life clothing. The Law Center, a national, public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Rock For Life, a division of the American Life League in Stafford, Virginia, have been collaborating to promote the constitutional right of students to express their pro-life message in the nation�s public schools. ******* Rock For Life distributes t-shirts and sweatshirts that display such messages on the front as �Abortion is Homicide� and �Abortion is Mean.� On the back of these shirts is the following: �You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation. Rock for Life.� Rock For Life has distributed thousands of these shirts over the past few years. Students have purchased the shirts at Rock For Life concerts and from its website: www.rockforlife.org. ******* Students purchasing these shirts also receive a letter from the Thomas More Law Center explaining in general terms their constitutional right to express a pro-life message in public school. According to Chief Counsel, Richard Thompson, �Should a school official prohibit a student from wearing a Rock For Life shirt, the Law Center will represent that student at no charge�. ******* Edward White, Associate Counsel with the Thomas More Law Center, explained, �A student has a free speech right in school to advance a pro-life message. These messages are designed to cause people to think about the subject of abortion. And schools should welcome, not prohibit, critical thinking about the important issue of abortion.� ******* According to Bryan Kemper, director of Rock For Life, �The youth of today have been directly affected by the abortion holocaust. One-third of their generation is missing, gone from decriminalized abortion. They have a legal right in public high schools to peacefully express the fact that abortion is homicide.� ******* The Thomas More Law Center is a national, not for profit, public-interest law firm and educational organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life. Its legal services are provided free of charge. ******* For information on supporting the Thomas More Law Center click the link below: http://www.thomasmore.org/index.cfm?location=9&subsectionid=2 ******* Please do not respond to this message. For all other inquiries, please visit our website at http://www.thomasmore.org *********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 4 LOUISIANA PROMOTES ALTERNATIVES TO ABORTION ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Subject: LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE DIRECTS 1.5M TO PREGNANCY CENTRES ******* Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune; May 26, 2002 ******* Baton Rouge, LA -- The Louisiana state House voted last week to direct $1.5 million in federal welfare dollars to programs that counsel women on alternatives to abortion. ******* Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, offered the amendment, requested by the Louisiana Catholic Conference, to the budget proposal for next year, House Bill 1. The money was taken from a program to prepare prisoners just before their release for re-entering society. That program would continue to have $1.5 million in financing. ******* The 19 crisis pregnancy centers across the state, which offer women counseling on ways to deal with a pregnancy besides abortion, "don't have a lot of funds to do things they like to do," Scalise said. ******* In response, Rep. Jerry Luke LeBlanc, D-Lafayette, head of the House Appropriations Committee, summoned Dana Reichert, who oversees how the state spends its welfare dollars. She said she thinks that spending welfare money this way does not fit federal regulations. ******* Scalise countered that Pennsylvania has started a similar program, and he read from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services letter telling Pennsylvania officials that it was OK. The amendment passed, 55-44. ******* ----------------------- Pregnancy Centers Online http://www.pregnancycenters.org ******************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 5 MISS OREGON PAGEANT WINNER EMPHASIZES ABORTION-BREAST CANCER LINK ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Source: The Daily Astorian (OR); July 15, 2002 ******* Salem, OR -- Brita Stream was crowned Saturday night as Miss Oregon 2002 before an estimated crowd of 850 at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. ******* But Stream, a 22 year-old health development and family sciences major at oregon State University, emphasized an issue in her pageant platform rarely tackled by other contestants -- a pro-life perspective on abortion. ******* Her win capped off three days of intense competition between 21 women vying for a title � and the $13,000 in scholarship money that came with it. ******* "This gives me the chance to wear a crown for something I'm passionate about," said Stream when asked why she deserved to be Miss Oregon just minutes before she was announced as the winner. ******* Stream, who earned the right to compete at the state level by winning her local pageant, wowed the crowd in the talent portion Saturday with her rendition of Etta James' love song "At Last." However, it comes with no small amount of irony that Stream, from liberal-minded Eugene, Oregon, won a women's scholarship competition advocating a pro-life issue and educating about the abortion-breast cancer link. ******* "I think the word 'abortion' often ruffles people's feathers," said Stream, who said earlier in the evening that half of women who have an abortion increase their risk of breast cancer if they don't have children at a later time. "But this is a health issue, not a political one." ******* A previous Miss Oregon winner took a different tack on pregnancy issues saying her term as the state's Miss Oregon was as stressful as being pregnant. ******* "It's like giving birth," quipped Miss Oregon 2001 Heidi Rickey as she helped prepare the crowd and judges for the selection of her successor. "I've called it my 'Miss Oregon pregnancy,' and man am I glad it's over." ******* "This is a life goal I'd only been working on for four months," said Stream, who said she now will cancel her earlier plans to move to New York City so she can train for the upcoming national pageant. "I'd never considered being in a pageant before, but God's brought me this far." ******* Miss Oregon will defend her pro-life platform and represent her state at the Miss America Pageant Sept. 21, televised on ABC. ******* -- You can help women make positive, life-affirming choices when confronting an unexpected pregnancy. Please provide a link on your web site to Pregnancy Centers Online at http://www.pregnancycenters.org ****************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 6 TAIWAN WILL REWARD CHILDBIRTH, UNLIKE CHINA ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Agence France-Presse, Taiwan Economic News; October 15, 2002 ******* Taipei, Taiwan -- In an attempt to reverse the "continuously declining" birth rate in Taiwan, the nation's Ministry of the Interior and Council for Economic Planning and Development have proposed awarding couples who give birth to more than two children approximately $855 per child, the Taiwan Economic News reports. ******* The move comes at a time when China continues to receive heavy criticism for its policy of coercive abortions and forced sterilization -- cited by President Bush as horrific enough to withdraw 34 million in funding to the UNFPA. ******* In the 1940s and 1950s, before Taiwanese government officials introduced family planning programs to slow population growth, Taiwan's total fertility rate exceeded six children per woman. However, birth data from 2001 indicate that Taiwanese women are currently giving birth to an average of 1.16 children over the course of their lifetimes, a rate that is one of the lowest worldwide. ******* Under the government's proposal, officials would also provide infertile couples with $570 to be used for artificial insemination procedures and would give approximately $450 -- equal to one month's pay at minimum wage -- to any working mother with more than three children. The plan would also extend maternity leave for a third birth from eight weeks to 12 weeks and would provide between five and seven days of paid annual leave for women with children under age six. The government agencies have also proposed tax incentives and low-interest government loans to encourage couples to have more children. ******* The incentive measures would cost approximately $342 million annually, according to Interior Minister Yu Cheng-hsien. Several women's groups have criticized the plan, saying that to encourage more childbearing among Taiwanese families the government should focus on child care and welfare reform rather than monetary rewards for multiple children (Taiwan Economic News, 10/15). ******* -- Pregnancy Centers Online http://www.pregnancycenters.org ****************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 7 CINCINNATI DROPS ABORTION INSURANCE COVERAGE AFTER BUREAUCRATIC SNAFU ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Cincinnati Post; December 5, 2002 ******* Cincinnati, OH -- City workers are finally losing taxpayer-funded insurance coverage for abortions some 15 months after City Council voted to eliminate it. City Manager Valerie Lemmie requested that the city's insurer, Anthem Inc., delete the coverage after City Council Member Chris Monzel complained that abortions still were listed as a covered procedure when city workers received their 2003 re-enrollment forms. ******* At Monzel's urging, City Council voted, 6-2, in September 2001 to end coverage for elective abortions. The city's insurance policy still covers abortions for pregnancies that threaten the mother's life, although such instances very rarely occur. ******* Unknown to council members, however, a municipal worker in charge of handling the city's insurance matters never followed through on the change. ******* Chuck Haas, the city's risk manager, told supervisors that he believed changing the terms of benefits offered to workers could result in an unfair labor practice charge being filed by city unions. ******* "It appears that a city administrator willfully ignored the will of council and, on his own volition, decided it would be more accommodating for the city if the abortion coverage would remain," Monzel said. ******* Monzel has asked Lemmie to launch an investigation into Haas' actions and determine if disciplinary action is warranted. ******* "The action of City Council shouldn't be subject to the approval of a faceless bureaucrat," Monzel added. "If City Council can't trust the city administration to fill our policy objectives and ordinances, then what is the point of city government?" ******* Haas couldn't be reached for comment. ******* Lemmie is discussing with Haas' supervisor, Finance Director Bill Moller, whether discipline is needed. The coverage for voluntary abortions has been stopped, she said. ******* "We do apologize," Lemmie said. "That employee has been advised the actions of City Council do supercede any other document." ******* Lemmie, who was hired in April, blamed the lapse on confusion during the transition from the previous city manager's administration. All future council directives will be fully implemented, she said. ******* "It had better not happen again," Lemmie said. "I think I'd be chastised (by City Council) if it does." ******* Cincinnati's city government employs about 6,600 people. Monzel, who is pro-life, sought the policy change. ******* -- The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information. ******* To subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to [email protected]. ******* Infonet is sponsored by Women and Children First (http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org). ******* For more pro-life information, visit http://www.prolifeinfo.org ************************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 8 CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL AID TIED TO ABORTION, PRO-LIFE DOCTOR SAYS ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute; September 12, 2002 ******* Ottawa, Canada -- The head of MaterCare International (MCI), a group of Catholic obstetricians and gynecologists dedicated to the care of women in the developing world, charges that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has refused to fund MCI's new birth trauma center in the African country of Ghana because MCI does not perform abortions. ******* Dr. Richard Walley said that MCI has "been working with CIDA for some time, but I think now they have found out exactly who we are and they certainly don't like a Catholic/pro-life organization of obstetricians and gynecologists such as ours. CIDA recognizes the significance of MCI, and is therefore out to block it or destroy it." ******* According to Walley, MCI has assembled a "world class team of Specialists" for the trauma center, along with substantial donations of money, land and medical equipment. The government of Ghana supports the project. However, Walley asserts that "CIDA has finally chosen, without adequate explanation, to ignore these accomplishments and thus the suffering of poor African women. ******* It should be a source of complete shame that Canada's development agency has cynically turned its back on the suffering of women in Africa." ******* This is not the first time that MCI has witnessed international organizations, including the United Nations, place the promotion of abortion ahead of the care of poor women. According to Walley, "We have experienced opposition, most recently when we tried to establish essential obstetrical care in East Timor, where there are no obstetricians. It was made clear to us by the UN that we were not welcome unless we were prepared to provide "reproductive health care", which is abortion, the morning after pill, sterilization, etc. Of course, we refused, so the UN has blocked our participation." ******* Walley has also learned how the UN indirectly funds abortion. ******* "While I have not been present as a UN official carried out an abortion," he said, "I have certainly seen their material and it is clear that UNFPA [the UN Population Fund] is pushing manual vacuum aspiration, an early form of pregnancy termination, and there is a kind of money laundering going on. The funding that they had to provide these services had been transferred to an organization known as the International Relief Service." ******* MCI will hold its second international workshop of Catholic obstetricians and gynecologists in Rome, from October 23 to 27. The conference has been organized along with the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC). One of the primary goals of the meeting will be to address how MCI can function in the face of such strong international opposition. ******* Walley believes that MCI must succeed because "UN population controllers have corrupted health care. At the very least, I can only say that abortion and birth control are irrelevant to a mother who has obstructed labor or who is dying from a postpartum hemorrhage. They [the UN] will claim that they are preventing a woman from becoming pregnant, thus preventing her from becoming a maternal death. So they provide so-called 'safe abortion.' What they are not addressing adequately is the essential obstetrical care which women require." ******* Expecting your 1st baby or know someone who is? Christian Life Resources offers New Life Devotions for Expectant Parents book - $4.99 to meet the spiritual needs of 1st time parents for eight weeks before and after the birth. 1-800-729-9535, ask for item # 386506PI. ******* http://www.ChristianLifeResources.com ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 9 MISS AMERICA CENSORED ON HER ABSTINENCE MESSAGE ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Source: Washington Times; October 9, 2002 ******* Washington, DC -- Miss America 2003, Erika Harold, yesterday said pageant officials have ordered her not to talk publicly about sexual abstinence, a cause she has advocated to teenage girls in Illinois. ******* "Quite frankly, and I'm not going to be specific, there are pressures from some sides to not promote [abstinence]," the 22-year-old woman from Urbana, Ill., told The Washington Times. ******* In her first visit to Washington since winning the crown Sept. 21, Harold resisted efforts by Miss America officials to silence her pro-chastity opinions. ******* "I will not be bullied," Harold said yesterday at the National Press Club, as officials tried to prevent reporters from asking questions about her abstinence message. Harold, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Illinois, was "furious" as she arrived for yesterday's press conference, an acquaintance said. ******* George Bauer, interim chief executive officer of the Miss America organization, and other pageant officials had sternly directed her to talk only about the issue of youth-violence prevention and to say nothing about sexual abstinence, said Harold's acquaintance, who asked not to be named. ******* "They laid it on her coming over here" not to promote teen chastity, the acquaintance said before the press conference began. "She's furious about it." ******* Bauer did not respond to inquiries made yesterday through Miss America corporate headquarters in Atlantic City, N.J. The pageant has traditionally been skittish about sexual subjects, and at one time forbade Miss America -- and even contestants -- to be alone in a room with any man, even fathers and brothers, without a chaperone. ******* Harold has advocated premarital chastity through the years as she traveled about Illinois on behalf of Project Reality, a Chicago-based nonprofit that has been a pioneer in the field of abstinence education. By the time she won the Miss Illinois crown in June, Miss Harold had presented that message to more than 14,000 young people. ******* Since 1990, Miss America and affiliated state pageants have required contestants to adopt an official "platform" issue. Harold won the Miss Illinois contest with her platform of "Teenage Sexual Abstinence: Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself." But state pageant officials instead selected "teen violence prevention" as her Miss America contest platform because they deemed it more "pertinent," her father told an Illinois newspaper. ******* Yesterday, Harold said, she is "still in the process of coming up with what it is that I can say," in interweaving her pro-chastity views with her official platform. ******* After winning the Miss America crown, Harold said a young girl from an inner-city Chicago school sent her an e-mail asking her to continue the abstinence campaign. "She said, 'You changed my life because of what you said, and now I made the decision to be abstinent because of what you said. And I really hope that as Miss America you continue to share that because it changed my life and I think it can change lots of others.'" ******* Said Harold: "And I would hate to think that there are kids all over the country who now wonder, you know, 'Did I make the right decision in making that commitment, if this person who inspired me to do it no longer is willing to share that commitment on the national stage?' And so I would feel a hypocrite if I did not." ******* Harold said abstinence education is an important component of youth-violence prevention because violence is directly related to sexual permissiveness and promiscuity. "I think that if a young person is engaged in a promiscuous lifestyle, it makes them vulnerable to other risk factors, so I definitely see a tie-in there," she said. ******* "Many victims of sexual harassment believe what is said about them, and they become very promiscuous. When they're called a whore, when they're called a slut, they think, 'That's what I want to be,' and so they engage in a pattern of self-destruction that can be very detrimental to their lives. ******* "And when I went through that experience, I took the opposite approach, and said I'm going to believe in who I am. I'm not going to be defined by what other people think about me. And so I felt very, very fortunate that I had parents, I had a faith community who reinforced this decision, and I was able to speak about this. I didn't take the route of becoming promiscuous; I took the route of reaffirming what I believed was right and stood for it. And I was very fortunate to be able to speak to thousands of young people about this." ******* The new Miss America had meetings yesterday with Attorney General John Ashcroft and Surgeon General Richard Carmona. ******* -- You can help women make positive, life-affirming choices when confronting an unexpected pregnancy. Please provide a link on your web site to Pregnancy Centers Online at http://www.pregnancycenters.org ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 10 MISS AMERICA WILL BE ALLOWED TO DISCUSS ABSTINENCE ******* Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 19:21:16 -0500 ******* From: "Linda Harvey" ******* PAGEANT PERMITS PROMOTION OF CHASTITY ******* By George Archibald ******* THE WASHINGTON TIMES ******* Miss America 2003, Erika Harold, announced in Illinois yesterday that she has won her battle with pageant officials over the right to talk about teen sexual chastity. Saying that The Washington Times "brought this controversy to the forefront" in an article yesterday, the 22-year-old former Miss Illinois told reporters in suburban Chicago that she is now permitted to talk about sexual-abstinence education as part of her youth-violence prevention platform. ******* Miss America Chief Executive George Bauer removed the restriction after intense discussions during a trip to Washington, she said. "I don't think the pageant organizers really understood how much I am identified with the abstinence message," Miss Harold told reporters at a ceremony in Oak Brook Terrace to crown her successor as Miss Illinois. "If I don't speak about it now as Miss America, I will be disappointing the thousands of young people throughout Illinois who need assurance that waiting until marriage for sex is the right thing to do," she said. ******* Mr. Bauer, who accompanied Miss Harold this week on her first visit to Washington since her crowning Sept. 21, has issued no formal statement. Miss Harold said he would issue a statement publicly affirming her freedom to espouse her views on chastity "in the next few days." ******* Mr. Bauer has not responded to several inquiries by The Times about reports first made by the IllinoisLeader.com, an online journal, that the new Miss America was being muzzled. ******* "It was silly," Dan Proft, president of the online journal, said yesterday about the controversy. Sexual chastity for unmarried girls "is a great message to send from Miss America." "What is more fundamental than freedom of expression?" he asked. ******* Miss Harold could not be reached for comment after her midafternoon press conference in Illinois. ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 11 MISS AMERICA WINS BATTLE TO DISCUSS ABSTINENCE ******* Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 02:06:28 -0400 ******* From: "Steven Ertelt" ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Baptist Press; October 11, 2002 ******* Washington, DC -- Miss America is free to talk about sexual abstinence after all. ******* Erika Harold, crowned in September as Miss America 2003, told reporters Oct. 9 she had been informed that morning by Miss America chief executive George Bauer there would be no restrictions on her discussion of chastity as part of her youth violence prevention platform. ******* The announcement by Harold at a suburban Chicago news conference came on the same day efforts by pageant officials to stifle her abstinence message were reported in The Washington Times. The newspaper reported Harold and an acquaintance had acknowledged at a Washington appearance Oct. 8 that Bauer and others had ordered her not to talk publicly about sexual abstinence. ******* "I don't think the pageant organizers really understood how much I am identified with the abstinence message," Harold said at the Oct. 9 news conference. "If I don't speak about it now as Miss America, I will be disappointing the thousands of young people throughout Illinois who need assurance that waiting until marriage for sex is the right thing to do." ******* The Miss America organization will issue a statement soon confirming her freedom to talk about abstinence publicly, Harold said. Bauer has not responded to numerous requests to the organization for an interview, The Times reported. ******* Pageant officials pressured Harold to silence her advocacy of sexual abstinence though she had promoted chastity for the last four years and had made it her platform in the Miss Illinois contest. She has delivered a sexual abstinence message to more than 14,000 students in Illinois, according to Project Reality, an abstinence-centered education program in Illinois. Her platform for the Miss Illinois pageant was Teenage Sexual Abstinence: "Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself." ******* In response to pageant officials' orders, Harold told reporters in Washington Oct. 8 she would "not be bullied." ******* "I've talked to thousands of young people on the issue of abstinence," Harold said. "It is very important that I continue to speak on this issue -- the kids I spoke to need to know that I'm not abandoning this issue simply because I am now Miss America." ******* Harold, 22, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Illinois, has been accepted to Harvard Law School. ******* After Harold won the Miss Illinois title in June, state pageant officials chose youth violence prevention as her Miss America contest platform because they considered it more "pertinent," her father told an Illinois newspaper, according to The Times. According to the Miss America website, Harold's platform is Empowering Youth Against Violence: "Respect Yourself; Protect Yourself." ******* Genevieve Wood, vice president of communications with the Washington-based Family Research Council, called pageant officials' reluctance to allow Harold to speak freely a prime example of political correctness. ******* "With 3 million new cases of teens contracting an STD each year, more and more teachers, doctors and policy makers are seeing the medical necessity of abstinence education," Wood said in an FRC news release. "If Miss Harold's platform was about the hazards of smoking, most likely there wouldn't be any protest. Sexually transmitted diseases have reached epidemic levels." ******* Abstinence, Wood said, is "the one message that will help save people's lives and protect their emotional and physical health." ******* The FRC news release cited Kaiser Family Foundation statistics that up to 15 percent of sexually active teenage women are infected with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), an incurable virus that is present in virtually all cervical cancers. Each year 5,000 women die from cervical cancer, which is the second cause of cancer death among women. Condoms do not stop the transmission of HPV. ******* The Sept. 29 issue of Time magazine, meanwhile, reported that, "A small but vocal cohort of doctors has gone to the abstention side." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose programs had encouraged condom use, "has been quietly recasting its position on abstinence," the article stated. Patricia Sulak, an ob-gyn and professor at Texas A&M University's College of Medicine, told Time, "After reviewing the data [on condoms], I've had to do a 180 on kids and sex." ******* -- Pro Life Christmas Cards! Our 17 beautiful designs, as low as $2.25 per pack of 10 cards/envelopes make fund raising easy. High quality, glossy coated. See our web site http://www.lifecyclebooks.com for these and hundreds of other exclusive pro life and abstinence education materials. ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 12 SURVEY SHOWS YOUNGER AMERICANS MORE PRO-LIFE ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Source: University of California, Berkeley; September 25, 2002 ******* Berkeley, CA -- Young adults have more pro-life views about abortion than their elders, a UC Berkeley study released Tuesday stated. ******* The study, which interviewed over 1,000 randomly chosen Americans nationwide of different age, ethnic and gender groups, assessed the political opinions of different generations. ******* The study noted a significant difference in opinions on abortion between Americans youths aged 15 to 22 and adults aged 27 to 59. Forty-four percent of youths -- compared to 34 percent of adults -- supported government restrictions on abortions. ******* Increased media attention to abortion may be responsible for the difference, said Douglas Strand, the study's project director. Additionally, pro-life groups in recent years have pressed for more coverage of abortion issues, he said. ******* "Youths view abortion in a different light," said UC Berkeley student Bret Manley, president of the Berkeley College Republicans. "The debate has changed. It's a more prominently displayed issue in politics than it probably was before when our parents were growing up." ******* The discrepancy may also be because of a difference in the availability of abortions, since many states restricted abortion prior to the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized unlimited abortion. ******* "Younger women were far less concerned about abortion rights than older women in the last election," said UC Berkeley political science professor Bruce Cain. "And that's because younger women did not live during the era where abortions were not as available. Perhaps people feel abortions are too easy to obtain." ******* The long-term goal of the study is to create a continuing survey to evaluate change in political opinion and how people react to political leaders over time. ******* The study was released by UC Berkeley's Survey Research Center. ******* -- Pregnancy Centers Online http://www.pregnancycenters.org ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 13 POPULATION CONTROL NUMBERS FAVOR THE PRO-LIFE SIDE ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Insight Magazine; December 16, 2002 ******* By James P. Lucier ******* [Pro-Life Infonet Note: By James P. Lucier writes for Insight Magazine.] ******* Washington, DC -- Thirty years ago the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions in the United States in the case of Roe v. Wade, opening the past three decades to contentious debate over social policy. The battleground has extended not only to the U.S. Congress and the courts, but to the schools and institutions which shape the attitudes of the next generation. The struggle between the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers (as well as those who just don't want to hear about it) is so strong and so deep because it is not just about code words and ideology. It is a bitter conflict about two visions of the future of the nation, and, indeed, the future of humanity. ******* Even as both sides look to the Supreme Court and even to Congress to settle the matter once and for all, the outcome is not so certain. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the annual number of abortions has been declining since 1991. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, a New York City pro-choice think tank, reported in October that the overall abortion rate in the United States declined 11 percent between 1994 and 2000, with the decline particularly steep -- 39 percent -- among adolescents age 15 to 17. ******* A Zogby International poll commissioned for the Buffalo News (New York) in December found that 32 percent of Americans changed their opinions on abortion during the last decade, with 21 percent becoming more negative -- indicating that those who changed negatively were twice as numerous as those who changed in favor. More than two-thirds of all queried said that they strongly would advise a pregnant woman not to get an abortion. Moreover, the strongest age group opposing abortion consisted of young people 18 to 20 years old. ******* "The abortion-survivors generation, those kids born since the Roe decision in 1973, are much more prolific than their elders," says Steven Mosher, director of the Population Research Institute in Front Royal, Va. "If you survey people at pro-life meetings, the average number of children is four. If you survey people at a National Abortion Rights League meeting, the average is probably one-half of a child. And it's not just the activists; people who are in church on Sunday, people who pray regularly, average about three while those who don't average about one. What does that mean demographically? It means that the ranks of our opposition are going to be decimated by what we might call a form of self-imposed collective suicide. So their response is to try to use our education system to reproduce themselves intellectually since they are not going to reproduce biologically." ******* According to Mosher, there are geographical differences around the country as well. "The birthrate in the Northeast is about 1.4, 1.5 children, which is about the European average, below the rate of replacement," he tells Insight. "The rest of the country averages 2.5 children, with a somewhat higher fertility in the South, especially in Texas. There are some striking differences in this country, which roughly parallel the famous red and blue states of the maps of the 2000 [presidential] election. It's a very positive sign for the future." Yet the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), which long has argued that the world faces an overpopulation crisis, released a report in early December promoting so-called "reproductive health and rights" -- a code phrase for abortion -- as the key to world prosperity. The UNFPA claims that fertility and poverty are linked. New York Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney, whose district includes the U.N. headquarters, spoke at the National Press Club in Washington at the launch of the UNFPA report. "To overcome poverty, countries must ensure women's reproductive health and rights," she told journalists. "Developing countries that have made wise investments in family planning, smaller families and slower population growth have achieved higher productivity, more savings and more productive investment. ... If the United States continues to ignore our world's population needs, I fear that the world will take a giant leap backward." ******* But Nicholas Eberstadt, a political economist at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, pointed out in the solidly centrist journal Foreign Policy that not just the developed countries, but also many third-world countries such as Iran, Russia and China, have embraced population regimes to achieve lower fertility. "It is time to discard the common assumption, long championed by demographers, that no country has been modernized without first making the transition to low levels of mortality and fertility." ******* The result of these below-replacement population regimes is a widespread decline in population. "Once that happens, only immigration on a scale larger than any in the recent past can forestall population decline," Eberstadt says, pointing out in regard to Europe as a whole "that to prevent an eventual decline in the size of the 15-to-64 grouping (often termed the 'working-age' population), Europe's net migration will have to nearly quadruple to a long-term average of about 3.6 million a year. Migration of this magnitude would change the face of Europe: By 2050, under these two scenarios, the descendants of present-day non-Europeans will account for approximately 20 to 25 percent of Europe's inhabitants." ******* Mosher argues that population declines bring not prosperity but social disaster. "Over the long run, the liberal welfare state is not economically, demographically or culturally viable," he tells Insight. "When you sever the links between generations that bind parents to children by taking them out of the home and putting them in Head Start, and sever the links between the elderly and their children by putting them in hospices and old-age homes, and make retirement benefits entirely independent of the family, that along with cultural factors depresses the birthrate. You now have all the pension funds in Europe, except England -- the Italian, the German, the French and the Spanish -- ready to go belly up in the next few years. It is not decades away as with Social Security, but only a couple of years away in the case of Italy." ******* Why isn't the U.S. birthrate below replacement levels? "America is a very unique country, particularly in the strength of religious sentiment," he says. "On Sunday about 50 percent of the people are in church, as opposed to about 10 percent in Europe. It makes a difference if you read the Bible, as opposed to just reading the Washington Post or the London Sunday Times. The Bible says repeatedly that children are blessings, and people respond to that." ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 14 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ALLOWED TO HAVE PRO-LIFE GROUP ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: St. Louis Post Dispatch; October 15, 2002 ******* St. Louis, MO -- The student government at Washington University Law School reversed itself Monday, voting to recognize a pro-life group it had twice rejected. ******* The 27-6 vote followed a contentious debate lasting more than two hours. But most student body representatives agreed that their earlier votes were misguided. Four students abstained from Monday's vote. ******* "I'll be the first to admit that my argument had more holes in it than Swiss cheese," said Jeff Wax, a student body member. ******* Numerous students petitioned the Student Bar Association to welcome the group and foster free speech on campus. ******* "I just want you to swallow your pride, forget about what's been said and do what's best for students," said Zachary May, a first-year law student. ******* The SBA, the law school's student government, determines which student groups should be recognized and which ones should be eligible to share funds collected from student activity fees. ******* The newly formed group, called Law Students Pro-Life, had sought recognition twice this semester but had not requested money. Both times, the SBA rejected the group, arguing it was too narrowly focused on a single issue. The pro-life group had attracted support from various groups, including from a national organization that advocates free speech on campuses. ******* Joel Seligman, dean of the law school, is among faculty members who encouraged the SBA to reconsider. On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri weighed in as well, demanding the student government reverse itself. ******* Several SBA members said Monday that they stayed with their prior votes, but they were ultimately outnumbered. ******* "We must respond as level-headed adults and not as chastised children," said Geoff Ulreich, an SBA member. ******* -- Please consider a donation to help the work of the Pro-Life Infonet. You can send a donation to: Women and Children First, PO Box 523143, Springfield, VA 22152. ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 15 COLORADO ABORTION RATE DOWN 63 PERCENT ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Source: Rocky Mountain News; October 4, 2002 ******* Denver, CO -- In a recent announcement, the Colorado Department of Human Services said the state's abortion rate has dropped 63 percent, according to department spokeswoman Liz McDonough. ******* In 1995, there were 9,384 abortions in Colorado, and five years later that number dropped to 4,215. ******* The number of live births to Colorado teenagers isn't declining, but because the numbers of abortions are, that means fewer Colorado teens are getting pregnant. And that presumably means that fewer are sexually active. ******* That's great news to people who want to lower teen births by focusing on abstinence. ******* The Christian Singles Info-exchange (CSI) is the only singles group in America with a pro-life stipulation in its Eligibility Requirements. ******* By the grace of God, CSI is also the largest and most successful singles group in America, with 13 years in business and 50 active state sub-chapters. For more info visit: http://www.christian-singles ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 16 PRESIDENT BUSH KEEPS THE FAITH ON CLONING ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Pro-Life Infonet; November 4, 2002 ******* by Nigel M. de S. Cameron ******* [Pro-Life Infonet Note: Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Ph.D., founded the journal Ethics and Medicine in 1983 and has been called "the father of Christian bioethics" by Focus on the Family. He is dean of the Wilberforce Forum and directs the Council for Biotechnology Policy in Washington, DC. Earlier this year he served as bioethics advisor on the US delegation to the United Nations discussion of a convention on human cloning, but his comments reflect his own position and not necessarily that of the administration.] ******* It's hard to remember that back before 9/11 there were pundits of left and right who agreed on one remarkable thing: that the Bush presidency would have as its "defining issue" his policy on the research use of human embryos and their stem-cells. While such a view may have been overdrawn, it's beyond doubt that this was the theme of his first televised speech to the nation, and was plain he himself had taken the policy decision he announced. 2001 was the year in which bioethics found a home in the Oval Office. ******* While 9/11 changed the world, it did not in any way affect the President's determination to follow through on his conviction that biotechnology must be developed in the context of human dignity; that, in a phrase he has used more than once, "a child is a creation, not a commodity." This phrase is the lynchpin of the great debate that will span the 21st century. Every human biotech question turns on whether, at the end of the day, it treats us as people or as things. ******* The question of human cloning has proved surprisingly complex and difficult to handle in public policy. One reason lies in the two very different ends for which humans might be cloned - the birth of a baby, and the experimental extraction of embryonic stem-cells that will result in the death of the clonal embryo. The first seems wrong to almost (though not quite) everybody. The second is contested, since the voices of scientists and celebrities have regaled both legislators and the rest of us with tales of the amazing "cures" that will follow from the mass-creation and mass-destruction of the products of human cloning. These claims are both hyped and disingenuous, but they have been presented with skill and fervor. ******* So it is no surprise that two quite different legislative approches have been taken, one to ban cloned babies by prohibiting the implantation (and therefore requiring the destruction) of cloned embryos; the other banning their cloning in the first place. ******* The President has consistently advocated the latter view, both in United States law and also in the international community. Within the US the administration's demand for a comprehensive cloning ban has been well-known. In a remarkable speech last spring in the East Room of the White House, he laid out a ringing endorsement for S. 1899 and spoke fervently of the central place of human dignity in the development of these new technologies. ******* What is much less well-known is that in parallel with this domestic policy position the administration has engaged energetically at the United Nations in a campaign to bring about an international ban on human cloning that is equally comprehensive in character. There too there have been competing approaches on offer. The French and the Germans have sought a ban on implantation; the US, working with Spain, the Philippines, and other nations, is seeking a comprehensive prohibition on all cloning of human embryos, for whatever purpose. ******* Americans, and especially American conservatives, are in general not enthusiastic about the United Nations. Unlike many smaller countries and much of Europe that increasingly seek strength in larger bodies, we prize our independence. And we know that the UN has sometimes made weird decisions, sometimes worse. Yet its influence around the world is enormous. It offers our only vehicle for developing global policy, and our best means of seeking to stamp out global evils. And biotechnology is a worldwide enterprise. If its threats to human dignity are to be contained, and it is to become a worldwide influence for good, we have little option but to work for international agreement. ******* In fact, for years UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Socialand Cultural Organisation - has promoted the debate of issues in bioethics. The administration's decision to rejoin UNESCO will give us a major voice as these debates continue. The announcement of this initiative during the President's speech to the United Nations on Iraq neatly brings together these two themes: the war on terror and its sponsors, and "other war" - the struggle for human dignity - the engagement with the new powers that biotechnology has brought to view, to ensure that they serve human being and do not become our masters. ******* So we salute the President for his commitment to prohibit cloning in the United States, and to work vigorously through the United Nations for its prohibition around the world. At the outset of the biotech century, he has taken the high ground. ******* -- Please pass along the Pro-Life Infonet to a pro-life friend. ************************************************************************************************************************ ******* item 17 PRIESTS NATIONWIDE AFFIRM PRO-LIFE POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Priests for Life; November 1, 2002 ******* New York -- Priests for Life, the national association working to galvanize clergy to fight abortion, is receiving thousands of responses a day from priests nationwide who are signing a statement about political responsibility. The statement simply reaffirms what the US Catholic bishops have asserted about the responsibilities of voters and public officials. It reminds citizens of their obligation to vote, and it identifies abortion as the key issue among the many interrelated moral issues facing voters. Regarding public officials, the statement declares that they may not support "direct attacks on innocent human life." ******* Fr. Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, stated, "This is just the beginning of a massive effort to mobilize Christians as never before to bring an end to abortion in this nation, and to declare that those who tolerate abortion are not worthy of public office." ******* Priests for Life will continue to gather signers of this statement over the next two years. The full text of the statement may be viewed at http://www.priestsforlife.org/politicalresponsibility.htm. ******* See http://www.lifecyclebooks.com for pro life and abstinence education materials. ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 18 "SILENT NO MORE" -- A POST-ABORTION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ******* from Elliot Institute ******* November 20, 2002 ******* A new port-abortion awareness campaign called "SILENT NO MORE: WOMEN SPEAK OUT ABOUT THERI ABORTION EXPERIENCE" will bring women who have had abortions together at state capitols and in Washington, D.C., in January 2003 to speak out about their abortion experience. ******* According to Georgette Forney a co-founder of the campaign, "We are the voice that hasn't been heard. There is a lot of talk about whether or not abortion should be legal, but very little attention is given to the women who have actually had abortions. I regret having an abortion and I know that there are millions of women who feel the same way. ******* "The truth is abortion affects us physically, emotional and spiritually. It's time to speak honestly about the pain we've lived with and we want to help women who are hurting find healing. After 30 years it's time to listen to the women who have experienced it." ******* "Silent No More" expects to be the beginning of a national campaign to raise awareness about the aftereffects of abortion. The campaign will also seek to reach the many women who are suffering in silence, offering them abortion recovery help and resources. ******* State gatherings are being held in 35-50 states at various times during the week of January 18 -26, 2003. The gathering in Washington, D.C., will take place January 22, 2003 after the March for Life. ******* David C. Reardon, Ph.D., director of the Elliot Institute and an expert on post-abortion research and education, this is the second time the theme "silent no more" has been used by abortion activists. It was first used by the early eighties, by abortion advocates who gathered at "Silent No More" rallies to read the testimonies from women who had suffered from illegal abortions. ******* "Their goal was to educate the public about the horror of illegal abortions in an effort to bolster support for legal abortion," said Reardon. "Ironically, they just assumed that legal abortion must be better for women. Since my research at that time was showing that legal abortions were also harmful to women, I was inspired by these rallies to name my first book, 'Aborted Women, Silent No More.' Indeed, my research led me to conclude that legal abortion might be causing even more harm to women than illegal abortions had. Legalization had created the false impression that abortion had been proven to be safe and beneficial and thereby reduced levels of caution. Even more seriously, legalization made it easier for men to pressure women into unwanted abortions. These, and other effects, led to ten times as many women suffering from abortions each year." ******* Reardon says it is very fitting that this new generation of abortion witnesses should speak out under the same title as the victims of illegal abortions. "Their testimonies prove that while the legality of abortion has changed, it's harmful effects on women have not." ******* Women who are interested in participating in "Silent No More" may sign up by going to the Silent No More website at http://www.HelpAfterAbortion.com or by calling 1-800-707-6635. ******* Learn more about post-abortion issues at our web site: http://www.afterabortion.org ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 19 SILENT NO MORE: WOMEN SPEAKING ABOUT ABORTION LAUNCH CAMPAIGN ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Pro-Life Infonet; January 8, 2003 ******* Washington, DC -- After 30 years of legalized abortion, women from coast to coast who have had abortions will gather in January at state capitols and in Washington D.C. to speak about their experience. Many of the women will share their stories while others hold signs that read "I Regret My Abortion." ******* The Silent No More campaign will tell the truth about abortion's emotional, spiritual and physical consequences. ******* Actress, model and author, Jennifer O'Neill, is joining the Silent No More Campaign as their national spokesperson. ******* As a woman who was forced to have an abortion, Ms. O'Neill understands the pain, "To have the opportunity to encourage and comfort the hearts of women who have suffered is humbling, and making the whole truth known about abortion is absolutely necessary." ******* "We are the voice that hasn't been heard," said Georgette Forney, Executive Director of NOEL, and a co-founder of Silent No More who had an abortion at age 16. ******* "There is a lot of talk about rights and choice, but very little attention is given to women who have abortions. I regret my abortion and I know others who feel the same way. After 30 years it's time to listen to us -- the women who have experienced it." ******* Silent No More will reach-out to women suffering from their abortion experience. Many women can't acknowledge their pain because they are fearful they will be condemned or that their feelings will be dismissed, while others are convinced that they are the only ones hurting. ******* Susan Renne Mosley, Founder of Celebrating Grace and a co-founder of Silent No More who had an abortion at age 15 said, "It's time to speak honestly about the pain we've lived with, we want to help other women who are hurting from abortion find peace. This campaign will let them know they're not alone, they don't have to live their life in pain, there is hope. We've found help and they can too. They need to know about the programs, books and resources available to help them." ******* Silent No More events will be held in every state capitol between January 17-25; and in Washington, D.C., on January 22. To get a list of dates and locations, visit http://www.HelpAfterAbortion.com/stateleaders.htm. ******* -- Order Today! Pro-Life Church Bulletin Inserts. These full color inserts are an excellent educational resource. They are 8.5 x 5.5, double sided, and printed on glossy paper. The front includes a 4-D Ultrasound photo of an unborn child and under it the words, "I am an American." Abortion statistics are on the back side. Cost is $5.00 per bundle of 50 inserts. No Credit Card orders please. We will include an invoice with your order. Email [email protected], or call 202.378.8842. ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 20 SUPREME COURT GIVES FINAL VICTORY TO CHOOSE LIFE PLATES ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Associated Press; December 2, 2002 ******* Washington, DC -- The Supreme Court ended an effort to block specialty car license plates in Louisiana with the slogan ``Choose Life.'' ******* Louisiana is one of seven states that have authorized such pro-life car tags, and abortion supporters argued that the state was giving a forum only to pro-life views. ******* Justices on Monday refused without comment to review the tag opponents' appeal. ******* In 2000, a federal judge had stopped the state from distributing the plates, which have a picture of a baby wrapped in a blanket in the beak of a brown pelican, the state bird. But earlier this year an appeals court said the pro-abortion groups did not have standing to sue. ******* Lawsuits have been filed in other states over the plates, contending they violate the separation of church and state. Besides Louisiana, states with ``Choose Life'' plates include Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Leaders in other states are considering offering them. ******* Louisiana charges an extra $25 for the special tags to raise money for organizations that counsel expectant mothers about adoption. A council of pro-life groups advises the state on how to spend the money. ******* Simon Heller with the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, representing the plate opponents, told justices in court papers that the ``scheme creates a `symbolic union' of the state of Louisiana with fundamentalist Christian organizations'' and could promote religion. ******* Roy Mongrue Jr., an assistant attorney general in Louisiana, said that the legislature may use license plates to encourage pregnant women to consider adoption and other alternatives to abortion. ``The state, acting through ... its democratic process, has the right to speak this message,'' he wrote in court papers. ******* An attorney who brought a similar challenge in South Carolina says it's not the final word on the matter. The development "is obviously disappointing, but not necessarily precedent," said Peter Murphy, a Columbia attorney representing the pro-abortion plaintiffs challenging South Carolina's plans to issue similar Choose Life plates. ******* During last month's Charleston hearing, Tracey Green, an assistant deputy state attorney general, argued the South Carolina plates represent government speech "and communicate the state's oft-expressed preference for child birth over abortion." ******* He also argued Planned Parenthood has no standing because it hasn't really shown the state would deny them a corresponding "Choose Choice" plate. ******* Senior U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman is expected to rule around the first of next year. ******* The case is Henderson v. Stalder, 02-523. ******* Louisiana citizens who want to obtain the plate can get more information at http://www.chooselifela.org. ******* -- See the little cards with big impact - they go where flyers and tracts can't: http://www.victorywon.com/life_choice_cards.htm ******* "I sidewalk counsel and have noticed that when people won't take other literature, they will take these small cards. They put them in their purse or pocket, which is good because then the escorts can't take it away from them." ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 21 POPE SAYS CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES MUST REMAIN PRO-LIFE ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: The Vatican; December 5, 2002 ******* The Vatican -- Yesterday, Pope John Paul II addressed a conference on "Globalization and Catholic Universities," organized jointly by the Congregation for Catholic Education and the International Federation of Catholic Universities. In his remarks, the Pope stressed that "It is clear that university centers that do not respect the Church's laws and the teaching of the Magisterium, especially in bioethics, cannot be defined as Catholic universities." ******* Beyond abortion, the Pope spoke of faithfulness to church teaching on "the big questions in bioethics, such as the statute of the human embryo and stem cells, today the object of disturbing experiments and manipulations, not always moral or scientifically justified." Professors and students, he said, "are called to bear clear witness to their faith before the scientific community, showing their commitment to the truth and their respect for the human person. For Christians, research must in effect be undertaken in the light of faith, rooted in prayer, listening to the Word of God, in Tradition and in the teaching of the Magisterium." ******* John Paul II emphasized that Catholic universities "have the duty to live the teaching of the Magisterium in the different fields of research in which they are involved, while preserving their scientific autonomy." He said university authorities have the obligation to "be vigilant in maintaining rectitude and Catholic principles in teaching and research in the heart of their university. " ******* See the Pope's full address (In Italian): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2002/december/docume nts/hf_jp-ii_spe_20021205_fiuc_it.html ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 22 ALAN KEYES TELLS LOCAL CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTRE TERRORISM AND LIFE ISSUES HAVE COMMON THREAD ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Bradenton Herald; December 8, 2002 ******* Sarasota, Florida -- Drawing a direct line between a strong stance against terrorism and strong defense of individual human life, two-time presidential candidate Alan Keyes urged 500 supporters of Manasota Solve Crisis Pregnancy Center to stay the course Friday. ******* The Republican spoke at a $75-per-plate benefit dinner in Sarasota to helpraise the remaining funds needed to build a second maternity home for homeless, young pregnant women. Supporters plan to build it in Bradenton in 2003. The building fund was short $20,000. ******* "This country is coming to the climax of the greatest moral crisis of its existence," Keyes said. "The terrorist movement we are fighting against disregards the worth of innocent human life. . . . For us to be morally consistent in that fight against terrorism, we ourselves must adopt a principle of respect for life and reject the idea that it is ever justified, with malice aforethought, to take the life of another human being." ******* To win the war on terrorism, it then becomes essential for Americans to adhere to the principles of the pro-life movement, Keyes said. ******* Helen Cadoret, the founder of Solve, was thrilled with Keyes' strong pro-life message. Cadoret said she started Solve 26 years ago because she wanted to give young girls an option. ******* "I started Solve because of the abortion issue," Cadoret said. "I used to picket abortion clinics, and I saw young girls being pushed into those clinics and it made me very sad. I decided something must be done." ******* Since Solve opened its doors in 1976, 500 babies have been born to mothers temporarily residing at the crisis pregnancy center and more than 10,000 poor mothers in Manatee and Sarasota counties have received formula, clothes, furniture and help through the organization. ******* The answer Keyes said to helping teens avoid teen pregnancy is to give them a firm moral foundation that will help them make wise choices. ******* The public schools are not capable of providing that education because God no longer has a place in the classroom, Keyes said in an interview prior to the dinner. ******* "We have banished faith and religion from our public schools," Keyes said. "The idea that you can teach about sexual responsibility apart from moral responsibility to our creator is to me an absurdity. When they drove out God, they created an incapacity in the public schools to deal effectively with the moral challenges that we face." ******* -- The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to [email protected]. ******* Infonet is sponsored by Women and Children First (http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org). ******* For more pro-life information, visit http://www.prolifeinfo.org ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 23 POPE RESTATES STRONG DEFENSE OF LIFE, OPPOSITION TO EUTHANASIA ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Associated Press; January 13, 2003 ******* Vatican City -- Pope John Paul II on Monday outlined a fresh defense of the ``dignity'' of human life, denouncing abortion and euthanasia and saying human cloning reduces humans to mere objects. ******* In his annual speech to Vatican-based diplomats, the pope called the right to life ``the most fundamental of human rights. ''Abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, for example, risk reducing the human person to a mere object: life and death to order, as it were!'' he said. ******* ``When all moral criteria are removed, scientific research involving the sources of life becomes a denial of the being and the dignity of the person,'' he said. ******* The Pope has long voiced opposition to abortion and euthanasia: in a 1995 encyclical, he declared they were both crimes that no laws can legitimize. ******* The Vatican has more recently voiced condemnation of cloning and research using stem cells from human embryos. ******* Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, for example, called the recent claims that a cloned baby had been born ``an expression of a brutal mentality, devoid of any ethical and human consideration.'' ******* The Vatican is expected to issue a document, possibly this week, touching on cloning, abortion and other issues that clash with the Roman Catholic Church's moral teaching. The document, drawn up by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is intended as a guideline for Catholic politicians. ******* The ful statement can be found at the Vatican website: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2003/january/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20030113_diplomatic-corps_en.html ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 24 PRESIDENT BUSH DECLARES SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE DAY ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Associated Press; January 14, 2003 ******* Washington, DC -- President Bush on Tuesday declared a National Sanctity of Human Life Day and pledging his administration's commitment to ``build a culture that respects life.'' ******* In the document, Bush called on all Americans to "reaffirm our commitment to respecting the life and dignity of every human being." ******* "By working together to protect the weak, the imperfect and the unwanted, we affirm a culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future for all.'' ******* Bush heralded Born-Alive Infants Protection Act he signed last year, which amends the legal definitions of ``person,'' ``human being,'' ``child'' and ``individual'' to include any baby that survives an abortion. The bill came as a response to revelations that a hospital in the Chicago area would induce labor in order to cause an abortion and leave the newborn baby to die afterwards. ******* Bush also underscored his administration's efforts to champion ``compassionate alternatives'' to abortion, such as promoting maternity group homes, encouraging abstinence and adoption and passing parental-notification and waiting-period laws. ******* He called unborn children ``those without the voice and power to defend their own rights.'' ******* ``Every child is a priority and a blessing and I believe that all should be welcomed in life and protected by law,'' he said. ``Through ethical policies and the compassion of Americas, we will continue to build a culture that respects life.'' ******* Bush also took care to speak of the need to honor life at all stages. ******* He proclaimed this Sunday National Sanctity of Human Life Day, urging Americans to mark the occasion at home or in places of worship, to help others in need and to ``reaffirm our commitment to respecting the life and dignity of every human being.'' ******* The six-paragraph document was enthusiastically received by pro-life advocates, who said it precisely summarized the philosophy behind the movement. ******* ``This is exactly where we're at,'' said Darla St. Martin, associate executive director of National Right to Life. ``It helps people to understand our cause. It helps people to understand why we are working so hard to defend unborn children.'' ******* President Bush's pro-life statement can be read at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030114-13.html ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 25 WE REGRET OUR ABORTION DECISION, WOMEN SAY AT ROE VERSUS WADE RALLY ******* from:The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To:Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Washington Times; January 22, 2003 ******* Washington, DC -- Some 800 women who regret their abortions are speaking out against the abortion this week as part of a nationwide campaign called "Silent No More." ******* The campaign, the largest of its kind, is designed to show that women who have abortions often deal with depression, guilt and shame. The hope of those organizing the event is that these stories will persuade women to consider abortion alternatives and to higlight in the public eye how abortion hurts women. ******* "We are the voice that hasn't been heard," says Georgette Forney, executive director of the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life. "There is a lot of talk about rights and choice, but very little attention is given to women who have abortions." ******* Forney, one of the campaign's founders, said she was inspired by God after struggling with the pain and agony of her own abortion. ******* "I regret my abortion, and I know others feel the same way," says Forney. "After 30 years, it's time to listen to us, the women who have experienced it." ******* Organizers are hoping to connect with women across the country. Women who feel remorse about their abortions will relay their personal and sometimes painful accounts at state capitals and other major cities this week as part of mourning the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide. ******* Marion Syverson, 47, looks back at her decision with remorse. A stockbroker from Hampden, Maine, with two sons in their 20s, she expressed regret about the two abortions she had as a troubled teenager. She now works with Feminists for Life to dissuade other women from having abortions. ******* "I know abortion hurts women, so I'd sure like to make it hardly ever happen," she said. ******* To get out their message, pro-life groups are taking a friendlier approach infused with woman-to-woman warmth. They want to teach women that abortion may not be the best choice and that help is available if they choose to continue their pregnancies. ******* "Whether women regret or don't regret their abortions, there are very few who feel they had all the options available to them when they were pregnant," says Michaelene Jenkins, organizer of the Silent No More San Diego, Calif., event. ******* "I don't think we're at a place to close all the doors," Jenkins said. "I want to see options that empower women." ******* -- Find pro-life books, materials and merchandise at Life Cycle Books. Go to http://www.lifecyclebooks.com ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 26 MISSOURI BILL WOULD STRENGTHEN PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT LAWS ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: St. Louis Post Dispatch; January 23, 2003 ******* Jefferson City, MO -- Parents could sue anyone who knowingly helps their minor daughters get an abortion without parental involvement under a pro-life bill presented Wednesday in a Missouri Senate hearing. ******* The sponsor, Sen. John Loudon, R-Ballwin, said he wanted to do something to stop underage girls from going to the Hope Clinic for Women abortion business in Granite City, Illinois where they can get abortions without parental consent. ******* Missouri law says minors must get permission from their parents or a judge before having an abortion. Illinois has no such law. Similar laws in other states have been proven to reduce teenage abortions significantly. ******* Loudon's bill would allow parents to sue anyone who "knowingly" helps a minor get an abortion without the required consent. Loudon said the Illinois abortion business "brazenly" violates Missouri's law, advertising in the yellow pages ad that there is "no parental consent required in Illinois." ******* Larry Weber of the Missouri Catholic Conference testified that the suits would be based on activity in Missouri, such as advertising in the Missouri yellow pages. ******* -- We help more than 25,000 people each week find pregnancy help and information. Every month, women choose life because of Pregnancy Centers Online. Please consider a link to us on your web site at http://www.pregnancycenters.org ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 27 FAMILY RESEARCG COUNCIL SIGNS LANDMARK MANIFESTO ON HUMAN CLONING ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Pro-Life Infonet; February 6, 2003 ******* Washington, DC -- Joining a coalition of pro-life groups, doctors, ethicists, and national leaders, Family Research Council's William Saunders, Director of the Center for Human Life and Bioethics, said the time is ripe for passing a complete ban on human cloning. ******* Saunders signed the landmark statement, "The Sanctity of Life in a Brave New World: A Manifesto on Biotechnology and Human Dignity" and issued the following statement: ******* "Our nation was founded upon the principle that all people are created equal. This principle is put at risk by certain biotechnologies that, in the name of 'compassion,' would create, use, and destroy some human beings to help others. The question when human life begins is a settled, scientific fact. It is not a theological opinion. Life begins at the single-cell zygote stage, whether created through sexual or asexual reproduction." ******* "Once human life has been created, the burden must be on the proponents of its use and destruction to convince the American public that there is some rational ground to deny the protection we give to every other human life. Those proponents can only do so by arguing that some lives are not worthy of protection. But this is a perilous argument for it leaves to the powerful to decide who is protected. And in so doing, it denies the principle of equal protection that is the bedrock principle of the American republic." ******* "The arguments put forward by Sens. Hatch, Kennedy, Feinstein and others disregard the scientific facts and replace them with emotional appeals, attempting to justify the wrong means to an altruistic end. However, public policy must rest on sound science and responsible ethics. The Biotechnology Manifesto today signals our determination to bring these principles to bear in fashioning policies worthy of the human person." ******* -- Find pro-life books, materials and merchandise at Life Cycle Books. Go to http://www.lifecyclebooks.com ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 28 [MISSIONAMERICA] SEX ED SURVEY: PARENTS SAY 'YES' TO ABSTINENCE EDUCATION ******* Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 11:55:26 -0600 ******* To: "Mission America List" ******* From: "Linda Harvey" ******* From Family Research Council: ******* Here is our latest press release. To see the on-line version, please visit: http://www.frc.org/get/p03a12.cfm ******* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 13, 2003 ******* CONTACT: Kristin Hansen, (202) 393-2100 ******* FOR RADIO: Bill Murray ******* WASHINGTON, D.C. - According to a landmark poll released today, parents soundly reject the "safe sex" approach to sex education and strongly support character-based, abstinence centered programs. The Coalition for Adolescent Sexual Health released the results of the Zogby International survey on Capitol Hill Thursday sending a strong message to Congress in support of the $135 million in federal funding President Bush has requested in support of abstinence education programs. The results are posted on-line at www.whatparentsthink.com. ******* Genevieve Wood, Vice President of Communications at Family Research Council said, "What parents really want is for their children to be taught an abstinence-centered education. By an almost five to one margin, parents approve or strongly approve of character-based, abstinence sex education." ******* Major Findings: * 73.5% of parents approve or strongly approve of abstinence-centered sex education. * 61.1% of parents disapprove or strongly disapprove of "comprehensive" or "safe sex" education. * 75.3% of parents disapprove or strongly disapprove of the sex education curriculum promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ******* "There is no group more important to stemming the tide of sexually transmitted diseases and out of wedlock pregnancies among our nation's youth than parents," Wood said. ******* "Parents play a major role in whether or not their teen will choose to have sex. Study after study shows that when teenagers perceive that their parents strongly disapprove of them having sex, they are more likely to delay sexual activity. ******* "Interestingly enough, the majority of American teenagers also believe that teens should be given a strong message from society to abstain from sex until at least after high school. ******* "According to the poll results being released today, their parents couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, most of the sex education programs taught in our nation's schools, do little to help parents communicate that message to their children." --------------------------------------------------------------------- ******* Family Research Council is located at 801 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 ******* Phone: 202-393-2100 ******* Fax: 202-393-2134 ******* http://www.frc.org ******* To donate, go to: https://secure.frc.org/gifts.cfm ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 29 ABSTINENCE MESSAGE FAVORED, POLL FINDS ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Source: Washington Times; February 15, 2003 ******* Washington, DC -- When Americans hear the "exact wording" of sex-education messages, they reject ones that teach safe-sex techniques and support those that promote abstinence and marriage, says a new Zogby International poll released by a coalition of pro-family groups. ******* "When parents are told what 'comprehensive' means, they reject condom-based curricula," Genevieve Wood of the Family Research Council said Thursday. ******* "Congress should see this poll as unqualified support from parents for the Bush administration's goal to raise funding for abstinence-until-marriage education in this year's budget," said Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America. ******* The Zogby poll of 1,245 parents was taken last month. ******* Parents were read verbatim statements from the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, which were developed in 1990 by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and others. ******* Parents were asked for their views on teaching these guidelines to children. ******* The poll revealed many objections for instance, two-thirds of parents strongly disapproved of telling children ages 5 to 8 details about sexual intercourse. ******* Most parents also disapproved of teaching 12-to-15-year-olds that "two people who live together can have the same commitment and responsibility toward one another as married people." ******* In contrast, more than half of parents supported verbatim statements from National Guidelines for Sexuality and Character Education, developed in 1996 by the Medical Institute for Sexual Health. ******* Parents strongly supported teaching their children that "sexual or physical intimacy should occur between two people involved in a lifelong, mutually faithful, marriage commitment," and "When adolescents abstain from premarital sex, they don't need to worry about sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, having a baby or getting an abortion." ******* "Organizations advocating for the promotion of condoms for adolescents are using deception and sleight of hand to advance their agenda," said pro-life Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL). Parents and the public "overwhelmingly embrace" character-based abstinence education, said Weldon, who is also a physician. ******* Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood, claims the Zogby results were manipulated. ******* The poll showed that 58 percent or "most of the parents surveyed believe it is important for adolescents to have 'good knowledge of condoms/contraceptives and their use,'" she said. ******* On Thursday, the House passed a bill to reauthorize the 1996 welfare-reform law, which includes a $50 million-a-year abstinence-education grant program. ******* The Zobgy poll, which was supported by Focus on the Family, Eagle Forum, Christian Coalition of America, Traditional Values Coalition and the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, also found that: ______* Sixty-two percent of parents strongly disapprove of sex education that teaches children ages 12 to 15 how to "practice" using condoms. ______* Sixty-five percent of parents strongly disapprove of teaching children 9 to 15 that they can become "close" with someone by "body massage," bathing together or viewing erotic materials. ______* When parents were asked about "your child's school" providing birth control "without your knowledge or approval," 69 percent said they disapprove. ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 30 ARIZONA PARENTAL CONSENT LAW GOES INTO EFFECT ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Arizona Right to Life; March 3, 2003 ******* Phoenix, AZ -- After almost three years of court challenges, Arizona' parental consent finally went into effect today. This marks the end of many years battling to restoring rights to parents whose minor daughters have been able to undergo an abortion without parental consent. Beginning today, all minor teenage girls must obtain the consent of at least one parent or a judge in order to receive an abortion in Arizona. ******* In April, 2000, Arizona Right to Life lobbyist, Andrew Thomas, worked alongside Center for Arizona Policy Director of Policy, Cathi Herrod, to pass the law. On the verge of the law's implementation in July, 2000, Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona began a long barrage of legal challenges to block the law from going into effect. Since then, the law has moved through the District Court before finally getting heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Friday, February 21, the 9th Circuit dismissed all final requests to block the law and today, the law went into effect. ******* The lesson to be learned here is that the abortion industry will stop at nothing to pursue the business of selling abortions. Even now, after the law has gone into effect, Planned Parenthood continues to violate the spirit of the law by attempting to circumvent the authorization process. They have even offered free legal counsel to teenage girls to get a judicial bypass. Anything to sell abortions! ******* -- The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to [email protected]. Infonet is sponsored by Women and Children First (http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org). For more pro-life information, visit http://www.prolifeinfo.org ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 31 MONTANA STATE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ******* From: The Pro-Life Infonet ******* Reply-To: Steven Ertelt ******* Source: Billings Gazette; March 18, 2003 ******* Helena, MT -- Twenty-six years ago, Marilyn Hatch lay on a table and asked the abortion practitioner who was about to abort her 11-week old unborn child if he could tell whether the baby was a boy or a girl. ******* "The abortionist said no," Hatch said in an interview Tuesday. "He said it was a blob of tissue." ******* Hatch still cries over the abortion she had over two decades ago. That's why she testified in favor of Senate Bill 274, sponsored by pro-olife Sen. Dan McGee, R-Laurel, in the House State Administration Committee on Tuesday. ******* McGee's bill seeks to alter the state's strong right to privacy and declare a "compelling state interest" in protecting the unborn child. The bill comes as a response to a ruling by the Montana Supreme Court that effectively overturned all of Montana's pro-life laws on the basis that the "right to privacy" in the state constitution includes an unlimited right to abortion. Should the bill pass and voters approve it on the ballot, it could pave the way for restoring the pro-life laws. ******* McGee said the privacy right is not absolute. "We're talking about life," McGee said. "We're not talking about rights." ******* Supporters of SB274 said the state already takes an interest in unborn children and spends millions of dollars a year on prenatal programs. Julie Millam of the Montana Family Coalition said government programs such as Women, Infants and Children and Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies is a tacit admission by the state that it has an interest in the unborn. ******* "We know there's life from conception in our wombs," she said. "I've felt it as a mother." ******* Beth Brenneman, legal director of the pro-abortion American Civil Liberties Union of Montana claimed the bil would allow the state to prosecute women it deems irresponsible in their pregnancies. For example, women who miscarry could be prosecuted for engaging in exercise or sexual activity or for using alcohol or drugs. ******* To appear on the November 2004 ballot, McGee's proposal needs the votes of at least 100 of the 150 lawmakers. The bill already passed the Senate, with 28 votes, so it needs at least 72 votes in the 100-member House to qualify for the ballot. The state constitution cannot be changed without a public vote. ******* McGee said he wants lawmakers to pass the question onto the people by approving his bill. "This is about whether the people of Montana have a right to make a statement on this issue," he said. ******* Should the committee table the bill, Gregg Trude, executive director of Montana Right to Life, told the Pro-Life Infonet that a pro-life legislator will use a procedural motion to attempt to move the bill to the House floor. ******* ACTION: Contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee with your opinions on this pro-life bill. Go to http://leg.state.mt.us/css/committees/standing/Membership.asp?CommitteeID=326 -- We make it easy for you to contribute to the Pro-Life Infonet using your credit card. Point your web browser to https://secure.entango.com/donate/pE6bLWyec4s to make a donation online. ******* To make a contribution via PayPal, email [email protected] for details. ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 32 STATE DEPARTMENT DEFUNDS LARGE ABORTION PROVIDER OVER COERCED ABORTIONS ******* From: [email protected] ******* Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 05:06:49 EDT ******* Dear Colleague, ******* We report today on some remarkable news. The State Department has defunded another pro-abortion group. As you know, the Bush administration defunded the UN Populuation Fund for supporting coerced abortions in China. Well, it was just announced that one of UNFPA's partners has been defunded. Marie Stopes International, one of the world's largest and richest abortionists, just lost US funding for supporting coercion in China. ******* Yours sincerely, ******* Austin Ruse, President, Population Research Institute ******* FRIDAY FAX August 29, 2003 Volume 6, Number 36 ******* In a surprise move, the US State Department this week stopped funding Marie Stopes International (MSI) for an HIV/AIDS program because of the organization's close ties with UN Population Fund (UNFPA) activities in China, which the US government has determined assist the Chinese government in carrying out forced abortions and sterilizations. The decision appears to signal eagerness within the State Department to adhere rigorously to US law that forbids supporting groups involved in coercive population control programs in the developing world. ******* Since 1998, Marie Stopes International has partnered with UNFPA to set up reproductive health programs in 32 counties in China. According to MSI, the central goal of the programs was to convince the Chinese government to liberalize its notorious One Child population law, which has resulted in millions of forced abortions and sterilizations. ******* However, investigations carried out by the US and British governments found that coercion continues to occur. Both found evidence of massive fines, sometimes as high as three years worth of family income, levied against women who chose to give birth to second or third children instead of having abortions. Based upon these findings, Secretary of State Colin Powell concluded last year that it would be against US human rights law for the United States to continue to fund UNFPA. ******* Now, the State Department has decided that the same law must apply to MSI. A State Department official told the New York Times, "The fact that they're tied in with the [Chinese] government management program is what triggered the concern. This wasn't an ideological decision; it was a legal decision." ******* MSI was receiving US funds for an HIV/AIDS program in Africa and Asia. MSI worked with six other groups, called the Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium, on the project. The State Department paid $1 million to the Consortium last year, and offered to continue to fund the program through the six other members of the Consortium this year. ******* However, the groups refused this offer, telling the New York Times they would not respect a decision founded on such "baseless allegations." A State Department official appeared saddened by their choice, "We were disappointed that for reasons of solidarity with Marie Stopes that they should refuse our money. We had hoped that they would show more humanitarian statesmanship than that." ******* In a letter of thanks to Powell, Congressmen Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Mike Pence (R-IN) and Todd Akin (R-MO) also voiced disappointment, writing, "It is regrettable that the other organizations decided that protesting against US human rights policy is more urgent than assisting refugees." But the Congressmen were encouraged by the State Department action, adding, "As NGOs and governments come to understand that our country is serious about a consistent human rights policy, we hope they will work with us to bring an end to the atrocious crimes of forced abortion and forced sterilization. The State Department's principled action in the present instance will help to hasten that day." ******* Copyright C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required. ******* Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 427 New York, New York 10017 Phone: (212) 754-5948 ******* Fax: (212) 754-9291 ******* E-mail: [email protected] ******* Website: www.c-fam.org ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 33 PRO-LIFE TV COMMERCIALS REDUCE ABORTION IN ARIZONA ******* Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2003 03:12:21 EDT ******* Subject: LifeNews.com Report 9/1/03 #3056 ******* From: "Steven Ertelt" ******* Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- Commercials have been used to sell everything from milk to political candidates. Now, Arizona Right to Life is running ads aimed at selling people on the idea that life is sacred and should be protected at its earliest stages. The statewide pro-life group has just unveiled a new ad campaign designed to persuade people that abortion is not the answer to an unexpected pregnancy. "Through the use of special effects, powerful images and persuasive language, these commercials demonstrate our cultural obligation to preserve the sacredness of human life," said Shane Wikfors, Executive Director of Arizona Right to Life. Wikfors hopes to begin airing the commercials within the next month. They were created with the aid of VirtueMedia, an ad agency that has been particularly adept at crafting commercials with a pro-life message. Four years ago, pro-life groups teamed up with VirtueMedia for an ad campaign that saved an estimated 3,300 babies from abortion. In Maricopa County, Arizona, the spots aired in both English and Spanish, reaching more than 93% of the households in the area. As a result, babies were saved at an average cost of only $35 per life, according to VirtueMedia. While the campaign began in Phoenix, it has now reached some 1,500 markets nationwide, in addition to markets in several Spanish-speaking countries. ******* http://www.lifenews.com/state115.html ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 34 WHITE HOUSE MARRIAGE PROTECTION WEEK PROCLAMATION ******* Tuesday, October 7, 2003 ******* To: Friends and Supporters of the Campaign for Working Families ******* From: Gary L. Bauer, Chairman ******* At the urging of our growing coalition, the White House has declared the week of October 12th through October 18th "Marriage Protection Week." We are grateful for the White House action and we look forward to working with the Administration and our allies on Capitol Hill to preserve this fundamental institution. But again, even this statement of the obvious - that marriage is between one man and one woman - came under immediate attack. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest pro-homosexual rights organization, took issue with the President's declaration that marriage between a man and a woman is something worthy of promoting for the well-being of our children and society - even going so far as to call the President's issuance of the proclamation "reprehensible." That's the venom we are facing, my friends. There will be tough days ahead, but we cannot run from this fight. ******* While condemning this "reprehensible" proclamation, the Human Rights Campaign did find something good to say about President Bush. Their press release noted that the President has yet to endorse the need for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I hope that is not an indication of "cold feet" at the highest levels of government in this important battle. The proclamation is a good first step, but more concrete action will be required if we are to defend and protect this sacred institution from the radical assault being waged by the Human Rights Campaign, the liberal media and activist judges. To read the proclamation, go to our web site at http://www.cwfpac.com ******* ---- ******* PRESIDENT BUSH DECLARES OCTOBER 12-18 PROTECTION OF MARRIAGE WEEK ******* WASHINGTON - In a move that has enraged homosexual activists, President George W. Bush signed a declaration Friday proclaiming the week of October 12 through October 18, 2003, as Marriage Protection Week. "Marriage is a union between a man and a woman," says the proclamation. Homosexual activist groups were quick to point out that "No such proclamation was issued by the White House for a similar week supporting same-sex relationships." ******* "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society. Marriage Protection Week provides an opportunity to focus our efforts on preserving the sanctity of marriage and on building strong and healthy marriages in America," said the proclamation. Bush also noted his proposals to promote marriage such as family friendly taxation and a healthy marriage initiative to help couples develop the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy marriages. ******* See the full proclamation from the White House at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031003-12.html ********************************************************************************************************************* ******* item 35 NATIONAL DAY OF PURITY FOR STUDENTS ******* From: [email protected] ******* Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 04:57:35 EST ******* Great project from Liberty Counsel, www.lc.org . For more info, go to www.dayofpurity.org . ******* NEWS RELEASE ******* January 14, 2004 ******* Across America People Are Answering the Rally Call of the First National Day of Purity ******* ORLANDO, FL In just five days, hundreds of individuals, organizations and churches across America have responded to the rally call of the Day of Purity. The latest endorsement comes from Dr. Jerry Falwell. The strong show of support comes as no surprise in response to a culture that tells our youth that sexual experimentation and exploration in the elementary years is healthy and normal. One freshman health text tells students that "Testing your ability to function sexually and give pleasure to another person may be less threatening in your early teens with people of your own sex". "You may come to the conclusion that growing up means rejecting the values of your parents." In fact, GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) explained their goal: "If we do our jobs right, we're going to raise a generation of kids who don't believe the claims of the religious right." The reason? "Whoever captures the kids owns the future." A look at today's schools, television programs and internet would lead us to believe they are succeeding. In fact, the latest trend among teenage girls is known as 'bisexual chic'. They are experimenting with lesbianism because it's cool." Some girls even kiss each other while a paying audience of young boys goads them on. ******* While some may think that experimenting with sexuality is healthy and normal, what they fail to consider are the devastating consequences of their actions. Each day in America 8,000 teens will be infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Over 1 million teenage girls will become pregnant this year, which leads to 20% of the 1.3 to 1.5 million abortions performed in this country each year. ******* Rena Lindevaldsen, National Coordinator for the Day of Purity stated, "We live in a culture hostile to traditional values, which has produced shocking statistics on the state of our youth. The question we are asking is what are you going to do about it? To what lengths will you go to turn the culture back toward traditional values? As youth, parents, lawmakers and parents, what role will you play? What will your legacy be on the state of sexual morals in this country?" The Day of Purity is a day on which students, parents, leaders and pastors can make a public demonstration of their commitment to remain sexually pure, in mind and actions. ******* Mathew Staver, President of Liberty Counsel, which is sponsoring the Day of Purity project, commented, "Although the statistics are shocking, we can make a difference. Lives can be changed. Our youth are yearning for an opportunity to stand up for what they know is right. Some students may have made mistakes that they regret by engaging in pre-marital sexual activities. It is never too late to make a fresh start. We, as parents, leaders and pastors need to stand alongside them. We need to be in the battle to restore our culture. The Day of Purity is the place to start. On February 13, 2004, we have an opportunity to make our voices heard." ******* On the Day of Purity website, www.dayofpurity.org, you can download an organizing manual, provocative flyers on a variety of topics for distribution to friends and neighbors, order the Day of Purity T-shirt, and review startling statistics concerning the effect of early sexual activity. A good place for you to start is to go to www.dayofpurity.org and click on our About Us page. ******* Purity Is In Style -- Wear a Day of Purity T-Shirt ******* Every student in your local church youth group should wear a Day of Purity t-shirt to school to show that they support purity in thought and in action. The t-shirts are also perfect for members of any student club. ******* On February 13, 2004, the Day of Purity will be celebrated everywhere by elementary, middle school, junior high, high school and college students. Although the celebration starts on the Day of Purity, students are encouraged to wear the t-shirts all year, because purity is never out of style. Order early to get your t-shirt before the Day of Purity. ******* Mathew D. Staver, Esq. Liberty Counsel PO Box 540774 Orlando, FL 32854 ******* 800-671-1776 ******* www.lc.org *** Donate to Liberty Counsel *** Order books, memos, tapes and t-shirts *** Shop Our Internet Mall *** Subscribe to the Liberator Newsletter *** Subscribe to our free Liberty Alert email ************************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 36 MATERNITY CLINIC OFFERS SIGNS OF HOPE IN ABORTION-DOMINATED RUSSIA ******* Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 ******* From: "Steven Ertelt" and "LifeNews.com Report" ******* Moscow, Russia (LifeNews.com) -- Russia, long troubled by the remnants of Communism, persistent economic troubles, and the social problems associated with alcohol addiction, also happens to be one of the abortion capitals of the world. The nation has the distinction of having one of the highest abortion rates on earth. It has even been said that the typical Russian woman has seven abortions in her lifetime, meaning abortion in Russia is even more commonplace than it is in the United States. However, there are signs of hope amid the devastation caused by abortion, say pro-life advocates. Recently, a new maternity clinic opened outside of Moscow, offering comprehensive care for mothers and their newborn babies. The clinic is on the site of a former abortion center, and backers of the project hope that other Russian abortion operations can be replaced with life-affirming maternity clinics in the near future. ******* http://www.lifenews.com/nat375.html ******* For news updated throughout the day, visit www.LifeNews.com ************************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 37 FAMILY SAVED BY CHRISTIANS IN COLUMBUS OHIO ******* Fom: "Patrick Johnston, D.O." ******* date Sun, 7 Nov 2004 ******* Dear friends, ******* I think many of you will find this encouraging. Anywhere from fifteen to thirty Protestants have joined a few dozen Catholics out in front of the Capital Care Women's Clinic, an abortion clinic close to the campus of Ohio State University. Three women who were there Saturday - Nancy from New Beginnings Church of God in Warsaw, Beth from Perry Chapel in Coshocton, and Cindy from Belville - drive about an hour to get there. We stand outside with our anti-abortion signs, praying, pleading for couples to repent and keep their child. About thirty "Clinic Volunteers" and a Security Guard named Dave are the recipients of most of our preaching and exhortations. Nancy, Beth, and Cindy begged a black woman who was headed for the clinic doors to reconsider, to not kill her baby, and they pleaded with the man that was with her to repent and care for his child. The black woman just shook her head and walked inside, sheltered from our cries by the Volunteers who were skilled in distracting troubled mothers from our calls and our signs. The three pro-life women felt a special burden to pray for this black woman, and so they did. ******* An half an hour later, the black couple walked out of the clinic and headed for their car. Nancy asked her, "Did you do it? Did you get an abortion?" ******* The black woman just shook her head and mumbled, "I couldn't do it." ******* The three women rushed toward her with tears of joy in their eyes and embraced her. The man that was with her came over and some of the men shook his hand and encouraged him. One of the pro-lifers put an hundred dollar bill into his hand to help him care for the child. With their permission, we laid hands on both of them, and prayed for their baby and their family. They thanked us, and got in their car to leave. ******* It was at this time that I realized that the Security Guard, Dave, was about five feet away from us! In the excitement, we did not realize that we were on the property of the abortion clinic! Those of you who have experience ministering in front of an abortion clinic know that, whatever you do, you don't go on the property of an abortion clinic! Dave had come over to scoot us off the property, but when he saw that we were praying for the couple, he let us finish praying. I sensed a tenderness in his heart toward us that I had never felt there before in my three years ministering at this clinic. I was able to witness to him like never before. ******* Please take a moment and pray for Dave, for this young black family, and for Capital Care to close down in Jesus name! Nothing is too difficult to those who believe. If you don't live close to an abortion clinic, don't let that discourage you. Find the nearest one that's open on a Saturday, and make it a family outing! Nancy, Beth, and Cindy drove an hour to get to the clinic, but, boy, are they glad they did! ******* For "the least of these, ******* Patrick Johnston www.prolifephysicians.org www.rightremedy.org *********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 38 LOUISIANA PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES FILE FIRST AMENDMENT LAWSUIT ******* Metairie, LA (LifeNews.com) Pro-life activists have filed a lawsuit against Jefferson Parish officials, stating that the officials violated their First Amendment rights by not issuing a permit to hold a rally outside a local abortion facility. Rev. Bill Shanks and his fellow plaintiffs are seeking to have the parish ordinance requiring Parish Council authorization for public gatherings on public property and prohibiting the distribution of leaflets on the streets. Shanks and other pro-life advocates had wanted to hold a rally outside an abortion business in January to mark the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision but were denied. They held the rally anyway, where they say they were subject to intimidation and harassment from the sheriff's deputies. "They say you have to have a permit to hold any gathering in any public place. That's ridiculous," said attorney Michael Johnson, who is representing the plaintiffs. ********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 39 ABSTINENCE EDUCATION REDUCES OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS ******* Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 ******* Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) Making a sexual abstinence pledge leads to a reduction in out-of-wedlock births, according to a report released last week by the Heritage Foundation. Women who promise to save sex until marriage "are about 40 percent less likely to have a child out of wedlock when compared to similar young women who do not make such a pledge," said Heritage Foundation researcher Robert Rector. The report suggests that the results are valid even when other aspects of the women's lives are considered, which leads the Foundation to believe that abstinence-education programs can "reduce teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock child bearing." The Heritage Foundation based its report on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, also known as "Add Health," which has been tracking the behavior of 12,000 teens since 1994, surveying them about various aspects of their lives, including whether or not they took "a public or written pledge to remain a virgin until marriage." Most of the teens surveyed have now reached ages 19 to 25. According to the Heritage Foundation report, 29 percent of women who did not make a pledge to save sex for marriage had a child out of wedlock, compared to 14 percent of those who did make such a pledge. *********************************************************************************************************************** ******* item 40 NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL APOLOGIZES TO STUDENTS WHO WORE T-SHIRTS PROTESTING HOMOSEXUALITY ******* June 15, 2004 ******* By Monte Mitchell, Winston-Salem Journal ******* http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ2FW SJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031776058391&path=!localnews!education& s=1037645509111 ******* Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 ******* From: "Mission America" ******* Board makes apology to Watauga students, principal for suspensions ******* BOONE - School board members apologized yesterday to three Watauga High School students and the principal who suspended them after the students wore T-shirts with anti-homosexual messages. ******* The students wore the shirts April 21 as a protest against a student-led Day of Silence meant to call attention to problems faced by lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth in schools. ******* Principal Gary Childers acted in good faith to follow board policy in suspending the students, but the system's policy was unconstitutionally broad, said Andy Reese, the chairman of the Watauga County Board of Education. ******* The one-day suspensions will be expunged from the students' records, he said. ******* "The board apologizes to Mr. Childers and these students for this unfortunate incident," Reese said. ******* The Day of Silence is coordinated through the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which has nearly 70 chapters across the United States and national headquarters in New York. ******* GLSEN estimated that a record 300,000 students at schools, colleges and universities in all 50 states participated in this year's Day of Silence. Between 10 and 25 students participated at Watauga High School. The Day of Silence was not sanctioned by the school. ******* Mark Austin, then a junior at Watauga, wore a T-shirt that included the handwritten messages, "Homosexuality is sin (Leviticus 18:22)," "Hell is REAL (Revelation 21:8)," and "Jesus is the Answer! (Romans 10:9-10)." ******* Seven other students who wore T-shirts with varying messages, including "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," were also told by administrators that the shirts violated the school dress code that prohibits messages that are offensive to religion or gender. ******* Five of the students changed their clothes as administrators asked. When Austin, and students Ashley Kaylor and Ashley Greene would not, they were suspended. ******* The students have since been represented by the American Family Association Center for Law and Policy, a law firm based in Tupelo, Miss. ******* Michael DePrimo, the center's senior litigation counsel, said that the suspensions were a classic case of school officials overreacting to peaceful student speech on a controversial issue. ******* "The Supreme Court made clear long ago that students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate," he said in a statement. ******* Yesterday afternoon, DePrimo said that a settlement agreement was awaiting signatures. The settlement would prevent a lawsuit from being filed on behalf of the students by the American Family Association. ******* The board also voted unanimously to change the dress code to include language that certain banned items must be "plainly offensive" and "disruptive." ******* Childers was one of several principals who said that they would like to talk more about the guidelines. ******* "Maybe what's needed is not so much revision to policy, but training for administrators," he told the board. ******* About 25 people attended the meeting, many of them there on other business. During public comment, one person spoke to the board. ******* No apology was necessary, said Robert Muffoletto, the father of a Watauga High student and an associate professor of education at Appalachian State University. ******* "By apologizing, we're saying we're wrong," he said. "I think we need to educate our students to be tolerant and value diversity." ******* .. Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at (336) 667-5691 or at [email protected] C 2004 Winston-Salem Journal. The Winston-Salem Journal is a Media General newspaper. ----------------------------- Mail service for Mission America provided by American Family Online www.afo.net ******* Mission America www.missionamerica.com **************************************************************************************************************** item 41 MIRACLE BABY ******* From: "Rusty Lee Thomas" ******* Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 ******* Dear Champion of the Lord and the Preborn, ******* The Lord richly bless you! At Church today, we had the most wonderful surprise. A baby that was scheduled to die by abortion mere months ago showed up at our Church. He was alive, whole, and thriving. A precious family was cast into a dark state when one of their daughters became impregnated by a person of another race. The grandfather was bent on the destruction of the child. The grandmother was torn. He threatened to leave the family if the child was not aborted. Many prayed and talked with the different family members and by God's grace the child survived. ******* What they thought was a curse turned out to be the blessing of the Lord. Instead of tearing the family apart, the little boy has brought them together. The grandfather has completely turned his heart to his precious grandson. This may be the next step to bring him back to the Lord and His Church. We are praying that what the enemy meant for harm, God will redeem by His blood and we will continue to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ********************************************************************************************************* ******* item 42 RU-486 REVERSAL! ******* By Father Frank Pavone ******* received July17, 2007 ******* An ancient saying tells us, �Where there�s life, there�s hope.� The truth of that statement was demonstrated powerfully by an experience that two of our medical advisors at Priests for Life recently related to us. ******* Dr. Matthew Harrison had a visit from a 20-year old woman named Ashley. She was seven weeks pregnant, but she feared for the life of her baby � not because there was anything wrong with the pregnancy, but because, two days earlier, she had taken RU-486 at an abortion mill. Now, she had changed her mind about having the abortion and wanted to see if the baby could be saved! ******* The RU-486 process requires taking the drug itself (called mifiprex) at the abortion mill, and then taking a second drug (called cytotec or misoprostol) three days later on one�s own. Ashley had taken the mifiprex, but had not yet taken the cytotec. Now in a small percentage of cases, the RU-486 will not kill the baby by itself. It�s normal function, however, is to starve the unborn child by interfering with the working of progesterone. The RU-486 goes to the cells that receive the progesterone and block them, so that the real progesterone cannot do its work. This would be analogous to putting a counterfeit key into a keyhole so that it fits but cannot turn the lock to open the door. Meanwhile, the real key cannot go in. The cytotec, then, will induce contractions so that a dead baby is delivered. ******* Dr. Harrison had not faced such a situation before. Ashley told him that her boyfriend had pushed for the abortion. But after she took the RU-486, Ashley thought to herself, �O My God, what have I done?� She told her mother what had happened, and her mom called a local pregnancy center. The center then referred her to Dr. Harrison. ******* The doctor excused himself, went into another room, and prayed. He consulted a number of medical resources, and decided to give Ashley a progesterone treatment. With an extra dose of progesterone, he thought, maybe the effects of the counterfeit progesterone could be overcome. It was worth a try. This was not, however, without its risks, about which he clearly informed Ashley. He told her, first of all, that this effort might not work, and her baby might die anyway. He also told her that this effort might prolong the death process, or might bring additional complications to her or her child, or might even kill her. Ashley was courageous, and signed the consent form saying, �Whatever happens is in God�s hands � I just pray that my baby will be OK.� ******* She took the shot, and she began bleeding that weekend. But then the bleeding stopped, and with continued progesterone treatment by Dr. Harrison, the pregnancy continued normally. Dr. Daniel L. Holland, who is Dr. Harrison�s partner, delivered a healthy baby girl named Kaylie � a survivor of an attempted RU-486 abortion!� ******* It�s easy to think it�s �too late!� But where there�s life, there�s hope! *********************************************************************************************************

Links to other sites on the Web

(A3e3a) Rock for Life
(A3e3b) British Isles Pro Life Initiative (pregnancy support)
(A3e3c) Heartbeat International (pregnancy support)
(A3e3d) Beyond Borders (Ensuring Global Justice for Children )
(A3e3e) medical news
(A3e3f) (A) home page

The following warning is a prophetic message given to me, Frank Wagner, in November of 1974. ******* LISTEN TO THE CRY OF THE ABORTED CHILDREN. THEIR CRY IS NO. THEIR CRY IS A CRY OF TERROR. HEED THEIR CRY. ******* This prophecy is now being fulfilled. ******* For details about the source, meaning and fulfillment of this prophetic message go to ******* http://ca.geocities.com/fwagner4/index.html ******* email me at *** [email protected] ***