Saturday, November 19, 2011

Lifeissues Newsletter #552

Lifeissues.net: clear thinking about crucial issues

Dear Friends For Life,

Argentina Parliamentarians Sign Pledge: Government leaders from across Argentina have signed a pledge to protect the dignity of human life and oppose efforts to legalize abortion or euthanasia. Assembled at a conference of parliamentarians for life and family, legislators signed a "Protocol for Life and Family."

Kazakhstan: During a national week for the sanctity of life Eva Kowaleski lectured for 10 days and helped complete a successful year of training programs for pro-life leaders.

England - Nurses Win Case: Two British nurses have won their suit asserting that British law protects the rights of conscience to not participate in abortions. They had been ordered to leave their hospital duties and work one day a week at an abortion center, and to dispense the abortion drug RU-486, both of these over their objections. The Thomas Moore Law Center represented them. The nurses won their case.

This week is Thanksgiving Day. It is not just a day to be thankful for material goods. It's a day to thankful for the fact that we have life, that we can appreciate the company of family and friends. We can be thankful to God that we have the capacity for optimism which lets us know things will get better. We can thank Him that while tomorrow will come with new "Culture of Life" challenges, those challenges will be met and resolved with His participation. Thanksgiving Day is the day to give thanks for what we have had, what we do have and what we know we will have again as Pro-Lifers.

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you, our Friends for Life!

God Bless,
Fr. Jerry, OMI

(A Thought) "All the laws of heaven and earth are unable to prevent man from his crimes. Surely relaxing the laws of heaven and earth shall not dispose man to better behavior." - Samuel Johnson
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For clear thinking about crucial issues, visit LifeIssues.net
(Due to volume of spam received, do not reply to this message but instead send all emails to jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp. Thank you!)


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Lifeissues.net Newsletter #552
November 20, 2011

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(TABLE OF CONTENTS):

1. New Technique Reveals that People Categorized to be in Persistent Vegetative State May Be Fully Conscious
2. India: Dignity first and last
3. Killing For Organs
4. Pope Pius XII and the Impact of Social Darwinism
5. The Pill And Prostate Cancer: Is There A Link?
6. U.S. Catholic Cardinals Praise Work Of Post-abortion Healing Ministry, Urge Expansion
7. Korean Scientist Aims To Clone Human Stem Cells By 2015
8. Educating the "Heart" of Youths in the Virtue of Chastity
9. The Condom Conspiracy
10. The rise of internet pornography is distressing, but a 'filter' isn't the solution
11. A setback for embryonic stem cell research
12. Pepsi shareholders demand company stop using aborted fetal cell lines in flavor research


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(CBC online poll): "Please vote NO on the CBC online poll." -  The poll question is: Should Canadians have the legal right to assisted suicide? You will find the poll by scrolling down.

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ITEM #1: New Technique Reveals that People Categorized to be in Persistent Vegetative State May Be Fully Conscious

Disturbingly, those conducting the research have found that numerous patients diagnosed to be in a persistent vegetative state are in fact, fully conscious according to their brain electrical activity. This obviously begs many bioethical questions about the capacity to diagnose persistent vegetative state.

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ITEM #2: Dignity first and last

Her work with the elderly is note-worthy. Sheilu Sreenivasan's initiatives, which ensure the old people are safe and provided for, are commendable.

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ITEM #3: Killing For Organs

At the very core of the transplant world is the idea of altruism - that there are many people in the world who will selflessly volunteer to share an organ or to give permission for organs of a loved one to be harvested after death. The sense of contributing to the general good is, indeed, a very powerful idea, but it's not enough. There just aren't enough people willing to sign up to be donors (in spite of concerted education efforts) or to give permission for the sharing of others' organs.

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ITEM #4: Pope Pius XII and the Impact of Social Darwinism

Note: the relatively new scientific field of "developmental biology" is overtly grounded in Darwin's idiosyncratic Theory of Evolution. Most (but not all) developmental biologists today are likewise social Darwinians. Consider the implications of that, especially when developmental biologists, who are not human embryologists and hold different academic degrees, give their advise as experts on issues involving the early human embryo/fetus. The implications of both scientific and social Darwinianism in the Church during WWII addressed in the article below (one of a series by Schnitker) might provide some important clues for us today. - Dr. Dianne Irving, Ph.D.

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ITEM #5: The Pill And Prostate Cancer: Is There A Link?

Countries where oral contraceptive use among women is high appear to have correspondingly higher rates of prostate cancer, according to a study published online November 14 in BMJ Open.

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ITEM #6: U.S. Catholic Cardinals Praise Work Of Post-abortion Healing Ministry, Urge Expansion

At the U.S. bishops' annual plenary in Baltimore, three cardinals praised the work done by the bishops' post-abortion healing ministry, Project Rachel, and urged the bishops to expand efforts to provide counseling to women and their families who have been affected by the trauma of abortion.

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ITEM #7 Korean Scientist Aims To Clone Human Stem Cells By 2015

Professor Park Se-pill at Jeju National University is striving to clone human embryonic stem cells by 2015, the much-touted breakthrough that no scientists have ever achieved. The embryologist plans to start cloning human embryos and establishing stem cell batches from them beginning next year.

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ITEM #8: Educating the "Heart" of Youths in the Virtue of Chastity

Contemporary secular culture despises chastity. This is reflected in the soft-pornography of many films and t.v. "sit-coms," tv ads for contraceptives, college dorms dispensing condoms in the restrooms, and the hard porn instantly accessible via the internet. Adolescents are urged to masturbate in order "to get in touch with their own bodies," and a college graduate who is still a virgin is considered a troglodyte. It is thus imperative for a new generation to discover, with mind and heart, that this is a lie and that chastity is a wonderful virtue, necessary for a full and happy life. And the sanctuary of chastity is the home built on a marriage between one man and one woman who are committed to be chaste and to help their children become chaste men and women.

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ITEM #9: The Condom Conspiracy

A few weeks ago, the promoters and supporters of World Contraceptive Use Day received the latest news of their continued failure. Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals released results of a survey that questioned more than 6,000 young people from 26 countries on their attitudes toward sex and contraception. The report revealed, among other findings, that over the past three years the number of young people having sex without a condom with a new partner increased by 111 percent in France, 39 percent in the U.S., and 19 percent in Britain.

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ITEM #10: Women Who Became Pregnant Through Sexual Assault Say, "Ask Us"

Abortion and sexual assault pregnancy is a difficult subject for many people, especially since no one wants to hurt those who have already been traumatized. For many, abortion seems like a compassionate answer for women and girls who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. But a group of women who experienced pregnancies resulting from sexual assault say that policymakers need to listen to those who've been there, instead of using this issue to promote abortion.

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ITEM #11: A setback for embryonic stem cell research

A milestone case in the European Court of Justice may signal a new direction in campaigns against human embryo research.

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ITEM #12: Pepsi shareholders demand company stop using aborted fetal cell lines in flavor research

The pro-life organization Children of God for Life announced today the filing of a shareholder resolution with the Securities and Exchange Commission and PepsiCo, protesting the use of aborted a fetal cell line for the research and development of flavor enhancers for their beverages.

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YOU CAN CHANGE SOCIETY:

1. BE INFORMED: "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. Visit Lifeissues.net Website for insights into current Life Issues www.lifeissues.net. Access to all prior Newsletters is located in the Archives on main page.

2. PRAY DAILY: for the courage to be God's presence in society and to strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life". "If My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

3. BECOME INVOLVED: Several years ago Fr. Jerry created a project entitled, "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia". The project appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is centered on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Universities, Parishes, Hospitals and Family/Pro Life related groups. The lectures place emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Life Issues, Trends and Challenges".

For information about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group in Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp.

To become a supportive Missionary participant for this Asian project, kindly send your donations to:

** Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI

** LifeIssues.net, Editor

** Akebono-cho 1-15-9

** Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072

(or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)

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Contact EDITOR:

Jerry Novotny, OMI

Akebono-cho 1-15-9

Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072

[tel/fax: 088-843-0406]

[email: jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp]

["Due to volume of spam received, we're asking you not to reply to this message but instead send all correspondence to jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp. Thank you! Editor"]

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Websites by Editor:

English LifeIssues Site: http://www.lifeissues.net,

Japanese LifeIssues Site: http://www.japan-lifeissues.net,

HIV/AIDS Site: http://capcha.org

OMI Site: http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html

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