--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 5, No. 5 April, 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life issues. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve . --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) New Encyclical Strongly Condemns Abortion, Euthanasia On March 25, the Vatican released Pope John Paul II's 11th papal encyclical, _Evangelium Vitae_ (The Gospel of Life). In it the Pope emphatically reiterated the Church's stand against abortion and euthanasia, condemning them as crimes no human law can justify. "Nothing and no one can in any way," declared the pontiff, "permit the killing of an innocent human being whether a foetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, and old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying." Fr. Richard John Neuhaus summed up the encyclical this way: "Pope John Paul II unequivocally condemns abortion and euthanasia, and sharply challenges those who are part of the `network of complicity' that supports such `crimes against humanity.' By addressing himself to `all people of good will' and declaring that he speaks on the basis of the written word of God, the Pope leaves not a shadow of doubt that the relevant teaching is unchangeable and binding upon all Catholics." Critical of what the Pope describes as a "culture of death," the pontiff's tone was condemnatory of abortionists and liberal society at large for facilitating and promoting abortion. "To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognise that right in law," the encyclical stated, "means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom." The Pope further criticized the medical community for engaging in embryo and fetal research as well as abortive surgeries; in doing so, they are failing to protect and preserve life. "Even certain sectors of the medical profession, which by its calling is directed to the defence and care of human life, are increasingly willing to carry out these acts against the person. In this way the very nature of the medical profession is distorted and contradicted, and the dignity of those who practise it is degraded." *Responses* According to a Reuters news release, Planned Parenthood president, Pamela Maraldo, refused to accept the pontiff's opposition to abortion and fetal research. "As a woman and practicing Catholic," said Maraldo, "I am appalled by a document that denies the moral authority of women and jeopardizes the health of people around the world who benefit from advanced medical research." As if anticipating such responses, the Pope had already stated, "The killing of innocent human creatures, even if carried out to help others, constitutes an absolutely unacceptable act." The Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) responded to the encyclical with a March 31 release entitled, "Pope Gets It Right," noting that homosexuals, people with AIDS, and the unborn have one important characteristic in common: "In the minds of many people we are considered less than human. And because we are considered less than human, we are not deemed entitled to the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Pope John Paul II's passages that focus on prenatal testing of unborn children echo the concerns of PLAGAL and of many in the lesbian and gay community. We fear that prenatal tests will become an overture for parents to do away with their gay and lesbian children before they are born." PLAGAL's release went on to state, "While the Vatican document clearly does not express any opinion with respect to the genetic origin of homosexuality, it recognizes that prenatal diagnosis or testing can and most likely will be used for 'eugenic abortions.'" Pro-life readers should access the entire text of the Pope's encyclical, _Evangelium Vitae_, at WWW URL http://listserv.american.edu/ catholic/church/papal/jp.ii/jp2evanv.html> or via anonymous FTP at . - Stephanie Herman [The Vatican's publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, announced that _EV_ will be available on computer disk for about $5.60. Ed.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Across the Pond *Belfast, Northern Ireland* Seamus Mallon (SDLP) told the Forum for Peace and Conciliation in February that he was a member of a delegation with Peter Robinson (DUP) and the Rev. Martin Smyth (UUP), which recently received assurances from British Prime Minsiter John Major that Britain's liberal abortion laws would not be extended to the North. While politicians in the North claim that they are united in opposing any liberalisation of the abortion laws, the Family Planning Association is campaigning to have the law in the North brought into line with that of Britain. *Moscow, Russia* Leading Russian Embryologists Condemns Abortion In an official statement from the embryology department of the biological faculty of Moscow State University condemned abortion in these terms: > "From the point of view of modern biology (genetics, embryology) human > beings' life begins from the moment of merging of masculine and > feminine sexual cells when a new nucleus is established, the one > containing unique genetic data... During the entire prenatal period a > new human being can not be considered as a part of mother's body: it > must not be dealt with as an organ or a part of the body of mother... > So it is obvious that abortion accomplished at any term of pregnancy > is a deliberate ending of human life (the life of human being as a > biological individuum)." > - Dean of Embryological Department, Biological Faculty, > Moscow State University > Proffessor, Dr. of Biology, V.A. Golichenkov > Proffessor, Dr. of Biology, D.V. Popov > 03.09.1993 *Northern Territory, Australia* There is strong opposition to a proposed bill in the Northern Territory that would legalize voluntary euthanasia. According to the Australian Associated Press, doctors, churches and pro-life groups have been the major sources of the negative comments. The proposed bill would give terminally ill patients the right to take their own lives, and would not prevent other terminally ill Australians who do not live in the territory from going there to have themselves killed. *Australia* Femoden ED was announced in January as a new contraceptive pill that "provides women with contraception straight away when they take it on the first day of their period," reported the Australian Associated Press. A second new pill, Trioden ED, "was designed for women experiencing side effects with their current pill." Both are low-dose birth-control pills. *Dublin, Republic of Ireland* The Irish College of General Practitioners met to consider the abortion information legislation and decided that it was a matter for each individual doctor. The ICGP said that it would not advise members on the extent to which they should inform their patients on abortion services overseas. As expected, President Robinson referred the Abortion Information bill to the Supreme Court. The court now has fewer than 60 days to decide if it is constitutional. The Attorney General, or counsel nominated by him, will argue the case for the bill, while counsel appointed by the Supreme Court will argue against it. One argument will be that the bill does not protect the right of the unborn; the other claims that it restricts the rights of the mother. Attorney General Dermot Gleeson SC will lead a third team, making the case that the bill is constitutional. *London, England* A cross-party group of MPs have initiated a move to amend the Abortion Act to prevent foetuses being subect to pain, and stop the storage of human embryos. Initiated by Labour TD Joe Benton, and joint secretary of the Pro-Life group, the motion, signed by 26 MPs including Ann Winterton, Tory Chairman of the group, and David Alton, Liberal Democrat MP, called for "changes to the Abortion Act to give protection to the human foetus, who has less legal protection than laboratory animals and less charitable consideration from the politically correct than they extend to livestock." The group argues that scientific research has consistently found that foetuses show more pain than more developed humans. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) American Shorts *Toronto* Canadian 2nd-Trimester Abortions Declining A new study conducted by Statistics Canada reveals that the number of second-trimester abortions has recently dropped by more than half. The Statistics Canada report was issued on March 27, stating that as a percentage of all abortions carried out, second-trimester abortions fell from 21 to 10 percent between 1974 and 1991. Study co-author Wayne Millar, a senior analyst in the health statistics division, said that early access to clinic abortions was partially responsible for the decline. He added, however, that greater public knowledge of the potential health problems caused by late abortions was also a factor in the drop. The study found that women most likely to have second- trimester abortions were single, under 20, and had never given birth before; however, the complication rate in the second trimester was found to be 13 times higher than in the first. *Washington, DC* Republicans Cave The issue was over the Istook amendment concerning the mandatory funding of abortions. The amendment passed in the Appropriations Committee would have clarified last year's Hyde Amendment, stipulating the decision to use public funds for abortion would be left up to the states unless the pregnant mother's life is at stake. The Clinton administration has threatened states with the cutoff of Medicaid funds if they do _not_ use public funds for abortion in other cases besides life of the mother, such as rape and incest. When the Istook amendment reached the House floor in March, the House Rules Committee reacted to pro-abortion Republican responses and decided to strip the Istook abortion funding language from the FY 1995 recessions bill. Beverly LaHaye, president of Concerned Women for America (CWA), charged that "it seems the Republican leadership is kowtowing to the so-called 'moderates' in the Party who don't care about party loyalty or states' rights over abortion funding... The Republican leadership evidently does not have the will or nerve to call for party loyalty and unity with their pro-abortion Republican members," said LaHaye. "The result? Pro-abortion members squeal and make demands -- the Republican leadership caves." *Jacksonville, FL* Griffin Recants Michael Griffin, who killed an abortion doctor in 1993, said he now advocates peaceful protest and wants violence at clinics to stop. "I'm trying to keep some harm from other people," he told the _Florida Times-Union_. "I used to believe it was justifiable homicide. I don't anymore," Griffin said. "Mental anguish comes into play as I consider how a child would react when told a doctor had to die that he may live." *Washington, DC* Presidential Hopefuls Political commentator Pat Buchanan and current California Governor Pete Wilson have announced that they will pursue the nomination for President for the Republican Party. Buchanan is staunchly pro-life while Wilson supports abortion in many circumstances. Similarly, pro-abortion Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination. On the democratic side, staunchly pro-life ex-Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey (D) has announced that he will challenge Bill Clinton for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. [Not an exhaustive list.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) What Works - Consider the Other Half of the Formula One factor in abortion that is given little attention is men. The attempt to define it as a "women's issue" obscures the fact that lots of men want it as an option. In fact, most women who get abortions probably do so because of male pressure: desertion or the threat of it, for example. Pro-abortion rhetoric implies that women who get abortions are strong feminists asserting their autonomy and their right to control their bodies. But in reality the mills are full of abandoned, scared, confused girls who don't know what else they can do but have their children destroyed. It's not something they want to talk about. And it certainly isn't something the men who are responsible want to talk about. The shameful role of men in abortion is a subject that has been oddly overlooked. You can feel a certain pity for a woman who is driven to abort; you can't feel sympathy for the man who drives her to it. Yet there are millions of such men carrying their own secrets, both light and dark. On the darker side, one sort of man who might well want to keep abortion very legal would be the lecherous politician who beds every available woman but whose ambitions might be capsized by an unwanted child. Naturally he'd publicly portray his own motive as devotion to "a woman's right to choose." But when it came to his own life, he might give a pregnant partner a strong hint as to which choice she ought to make. He might offer a cash consideration or worse, he might even make threats. Just hypothetical possibilities, you understand, but an ambitious man can do strange things when his future is at stake. And you can see where such a man might feel antagonism toward anti-abortion "extremists." On the lighter side, there are men who honestly regret their partners 'terminating' their children, and have gone to great lengths to try to prevent their offspring from being 'terminated.' In recent years, a NJ man took his case (unsuccessfully) to the Supreme Court to prevent his partner from aborting his child. The legal oddity is that once born, the mother may sue for paternal rights, but before the magical moment of birth, the father has no legal say whatsoever in the disposition of the child -- in fact, the Supreme Court struck down spousal notification in the _Casey_ decision. Another fact to consider is that post-aborted fathers are increasingly being treated for the post-abortion effects of losing their children. The great fiction is that it's always strictly "a woman's choice," as if it happened in a vacuum. Despite the legal oddities, *men* are a part of the situation, and affect, or are affected by, the abortion decision and procedures. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) Announcements *RNC Seeks Input* Haley Barbour, Chairman of the Republican Party, has been asking for input on the GOP's pro-life platform. All GOPers and Republican Party supporters should write him an encourage him to keep the plank in it. Write him at: Haley Barbour, Chairman, Republican National Committee 310 1st Street SE, Washington, DC 20003 *College Right-To-Life Outreach Organization Established* National Right to Life has expanded their college outreach program to establish National Students for Life in order to facilitate the needs of the college right to life movement. NSL will help provide for student leadership and representation in the college right to life movement, will actively assist in helping campus groups with fund-raising, membership and other needs. Already, several state organizations have joined NSL in this effort. Additionally, NSL has developed a database of several hundred excited and enthusiastic college students interested in reaching their schools with the right to life message. If you would like to be involved in this effort, please contact Tracy Kelly or Steve Ertelt at . *Fetal Tissue Petition* A petition opposing the use of human fetal tissue derived from intentionally aborted fetuses is being circulated. There have been 27,768 signatures accumulated to date, and more are needed. Petitions can be obtained by writing to Monte Harris Liebman, M.D. at 8154 North 38th Street, Brwon Deer, Wisconsin 53209-1547 . *Day of Prayer in Maryland - 20 May, 1995* Pro-Life Maryland, a coalition of pro-life and pro-family groups in Maryland, is hosting a day of prayer on Saturday, May 20, at Central Baptist Church in 7271 Muncaster Mill Road, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The day will start at 9:00 am and will end around 3:00 pm. Please come! If you have comments or would like directions, please contact Janet Baker <72733.3433@compuserve.com> or William Samuel or write: Pro-Life Maryland, Inc., P.O. Box 1628, Annapolis, MD 21404-1628. *Gabriel Project Regional Meetings - April-May, 1995* The Gabriel Project is an ecumenical movement of churches standing together in their commitment to offer assistance to women and families facing crisis pregnancies. Churches and pregnancy centers all around Maryland and D.C. have been signing up to participate. The project is sponsoring a series of regional meetings to review progress and answer questions. For additional information on the project, please call 410-719-0434. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) New On-Line Resources *Stop F.T.R. Home Page* Now available on the World-Wide Web at 486-66 MHz Intel board (est. $200-$250) > 16 Mbyte RAM (est. $640) > 1 Gbyte IDE Drive (est. $400) Currently, there are no plans to charge for pro-life material going on the site. Some of the material to be supported would include that in the archives of the Pro-Life News (http://www.pitt.edu/~stfst/ pln/AboutPLN.html). For more information, or to make donations, please contact Dr. Gordon Gibby at or write or call LifeAction Advocates, Inc. at 3232 SW 35th Blvd, Suite 324, Gainesville, FL 32608. Voice-mail phone (904) 378-2211, selection #6. LifeAction Advocates is a 501(c)(4) IRS-registered non-profit group incorporated in the state of Florida. Donations are _not_ tax-deductible. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) Reader Responses: Study on Medical Students? [v5n3] A Christian teacher named Bill Gothard used the illustration several years ago. You can send the question to: Institute in Basic Life Principles, Box One, Oak Brook, Illinois, 60522-3001 (the story is an excerpt from one of their previous alumni bulletins). I am sure they will be happy to send the resource he needs. - Scott Moore in Moulton, Alabama -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Abortion Information Bill Passes [v5n4] "Information about abortion" is an interesting phrase when used in this way. IF abortion is murder, then very interesting questions arise that are not easy to handle. For the law to suggest explicitly that doctors can give information to people they know are hoping to murder about the ways and means does seem quite unacceptable. On the other hand, it is not reasonable to hole illegal telling people how they might murder others - because it is not possible to distinguish such informings from mere warnings. For example, if I say "Killweed is deadly poisonous" I am telling people how to polish off their aunts, should they so wish. It is important to consider these matters, if only because influential writers like Ronald Dworkin will say that whenever people think that it ought to be legal for doctors to "give information about abortion" this only goes to show that these people cannot REALLY think that abortion is murder. (The writer of this note does not himself believe that all abortion IS murder, but it is pretty clear that a lot of it is.) The reports from Ireland shows that the link between being "conservative" and being opposed to abortion is an uncertain one. It is important to keep before our minds that opposition to the killing of the innocent is not a right wing or a left wing matter: it is a matter for the party of mankind. - Christopher Coope --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being whether a foetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, and old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action." -- Pope John Paul II in his 1995 encyclical, _Evangelium Vitae_ (The Gospel of Life) +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - Sources include the April 3, 1995 _Wall Street Journal_, 30 Mar 1995| | Reuter's article, 31 March PLAGAL News Release (PLAGAL, PO Box 33292| | Washington, D.C. 20033 202-223-6697 or . | | 2 - Belfast news courtesy of 27 Febraury and 27 March issues of _The | | Irish Emigrant_ (Nos. 421 and 425). Dublin news from the 20 March | | issue (No. 424). For infomation, contact: | | Russian news care of Orthodox Medical Educational Center "Zhizn'", | | To obtain a copy write "Zhizn'", ul. Krasnoarmejskaja, 2/2 Khram | | Blagoveschenija Moscow 125161, or via email: | | Australian info from the 24 Feb. 1995 edition (v5#4) of ALL's | | _Communique_. To subscribe, write: American Life League, Stafford VA| | 22555 or call 703-659-4171. London news from 8 March, 1995 edition | | of _The Independent_, courtesy of Chrisopher Coope. | | 3 - Canadian news from the Toronto _Globe and Mail_, Mar.28/95, courtesy| | of Julian Smith. Istook information from a 15 March C-News article. | | For more information, contact Caia Mockaitis of Concerned Women for | | America, 202-488-7000 x3345. Courtesy of the proLife Infonet | | . Griffin news from 3 March AP Article| | 4 - Paritally excerpted from the "Washington Watch" feature in 23 Feb. | | edition of _The Wanderer_, contributed by Steve Ertelt. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor plnews-mod@ netcentral.net>. For those on the web, there is a preliminary WWW page at . ---------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News: pln-0505.txt .