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Communique – Jul. 30, 1999

abortion

MEN: Catherine Coyle, Ph.D., a psychiatric nurse and researcher into post-abortion trauma, has written a book entitled “Men and Abortion.”

Catherine Coyle, Ph.D., a psychiatric nurse and researcher into post-abortion trauma, has written a book entitled “Men and Abortion.”

brain death

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

COMMENT: May the still-beating heart, or the liver, be removed from someone who is warm and has blood pressure, heartbeat, knee-jerk, ankle-jerk, and respiration (albeit on a ventilator)? May research (lethal or sublethal) be performed?

(Resource: “Understanding Brain Death” by Paul Byrne, M.D.)

genetic manipulation

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

OPPOSING VIEW: Jeremy Rifkin’s work on patenting human/animal genetic entities is featured on his Biotech Century site; additional information is available from the Council for Responsible Genetics.

human cloning

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

(Reading: “Human Cloning,” The Lancet, 3/27/99, p. 1103)

WEB SITE: “Leadership U” provides articles on human cloning by bioethicist Gilbert Meilander, Southern Baptist leaders Richard Land and Ben Mitchell, and others.

politics

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

(Reading: “Abstinence Plus,” Washington Post, 7/16/99, p. A23. Contact the Bush webmaster to comment on Bush’s position.)

united nations

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

63. (i) In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning. All governments and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to strengthen their commitment to women’s health, to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public-health concern and to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family planning services. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest priority and every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for abortion. Women who have unwanted pregnancies should have ready access to reliable information and compassionate counselling. Any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process. In circumstances where abortion is not against the law, such abortion should be safe. In all cases, women should have access to quality services for the management of complications arising from abortion. Post-abortion counselling, education and family planning services should be offered promptly, which will also help to avoid repeat abortions.

(ii) Governments should take appropriate steps to help women avoid abortion, which in no case should be promoted as a method of family planning, and in all cases provide for the humane treatment and counselling of women who have had recourse to abortion.

(iii) In recognizing and implementing the above, and in circumstances where abortion is not against the law, health systems should train and equip health-service providers and should take other measures to ensure that such abortion is safe and accessible. Additional measures should be taken to safeguard women’s health.

Full document is available from the UN’s Population Information Network. Scroll down to A/S-21/5-Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the whole of the Twenty-First Special Session of the General Assembly (2 July 1999). Download the text in your preferred format.

web news

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

ETHICS UPDATE HOME PAGE: A site designed by University of San Diego Professor Lawrence Hinman, includes topics such as abortion, reproductive technology, euthanasia, and animal rights. The site is not described as a pro-life site, rather it is general information.

you

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

CONTACT: “>Doctors Who Respect Human Life, P.O. Box 17317, London SW3 4WJ, England.

SACRED HEART MINISTRIES: Promoting the sanctity of human life from conception, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spreading of His message, this ministry has t-shirts and a pro-life flag available.

commentary

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland: “It’s wrong to take the life of an innocent human being. In this case, it’s possible that these infants could be conceived simply to be destroyed.”

(Reading: “Cardinal Tells Congress: Life Is Not an Experiment Kit,” National Catholic Register, 7/11-17/99, p. 1)

Teresa R. Wagner, analyst, Family Research Council: “If anything, Congress should strengthen protection of embryonic human beings, the smallest and weakest among us. In so doing, it would protect all who may some day be weak and vulnerable. Should it fail to do so, it will invite NIH to target tomorrow’s powerless for use as human subjects in the esteemed name of ‘science.'”

(Reading: “Protect Human Embryos from Research,” Providence Sunday Journal (Rhode Island), 4/18/99)

Melanie Philips, Sunday Times columnist: “Thousands of embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are already being used for research, or simply destroyed. All embryo research is morally indefensible because it instrumentalises human life and makes it a means to an end. . . . Scientists have constructed an edifice of self-delusion to persuade themselves and us that it’s morally okay to go some way down this road; and then a little further, and then a little further still. Thus the great pretense that the object of experimentation isn’t really human at all, just a bundle of cells. After all, what difference does it make to use human tissue when people are dead or before they are even alive? . . . Once the embryo is declassified as not yet human, anything goes.”

(Reading: “Losing Our Humanity at the Embryo Bank,” Sunday Times (Great Britain), 12/6/98)

reflection for prayer

Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. . . . Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

-I Timothy 4:12, 16

MEN: Catherine Coyle, Ph.D., a psychiatric nurse and researcher into post-abortion trauma, has written a book entitled “Men and Abortion.”

Catherine Coyle, Ph.D., a psychiatric nurse and researcher into post-abortion trauma, has written a book entitled “Men and Abortion.”

brain death

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

COMMENT: May the still-beating heart, or the liver, be removed from someone who is warm and has blood pressure, heartbeat, knee-jerk, ankle-jerk, and respiration (albeit on a ventilator)? May research (lethal or sublethal) be performed?

(Resource: “Understanding Brain Death” by Paul Byrne, M.D.)

genetic manipulation

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

OPPOSING VIEW: Jeremy Rifkin’s work on patenting human/animal genetic entities is featured on his Biotech Century site; additional information is available from the Council for Responsible Genetics.

human cloning

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

(Reading: “Human Cloning,” The Lancet, 3/27/99, p. 1103)

WEB SITE: “Leadership U” provides articles on human cloning by bioethicist Gilbert Meilander, Southern Baptist leaders Richard Land and Ben Mitchell, and others.

politics

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

(Reading: “Abstinence Plus,” Washington Post, 7/16/99, p. A23. Contact the Bush webmaster to comment on Bush’s position.)

united nations

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

63. (i) In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning. All governments and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to strengthen their commitment to women’s health, to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public-health concern and to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family planning services. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest priority and every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for abortion. Women who have unwanted pregnancies should have ready access to reliable information and compassionate counselling. Any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process. In circumstances where abortion is not against the law, such abortion should be safe. In all cases, women should have access to quality services for the management of complications arising from abortion. Post-abortion counselling, education and family planning services should be offered promptly, which will also help to avoid repeat abortions.

(ii) Governments should take appropriate steps to help women avoid abortion, which in no case should be promoted as a method of family planning, and in all cases provide for the humane treatment and counselling of women who have had recourse to abortion.

(iii) In recognizing and implementing the above, and in circumstances where abortion is not against the law, health systems should train and equip health-service providers and should take other measures to ensure that such abortion is safe and accessible. Additional measures should be taken to safeguard women’s health.

Full document is available from the UN’s Population Information Network. Scroll down to A/S-21/5-Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the whole of the Twenty-First Special Session of the General Assembly (2 July 1999). Download the text in your preferred format.

web news

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

ETHICS UPDATE HOME PAGE: A site designed by University of San Diego Professor Lawrence Hinman, includes topics such as abortion, reproductive technology, euthanasia, and animal rights. The site is not described as a pro-life site, rather it is general information.

you

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

CONTACT: “>Doctors Who Respect Human Life, P.O. Box 17317, London SW3 4WJ, England.

SACRED HEART MINISTRIES: Promoting the sanctity of human life from conception, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spreading of His message, this ministry has t-shirts and a pro-life flag available.

commentary

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland: “It’s wrong to take the life of an innocent human being. In this case, it’s possible that these infants could be conceived simply to be destroyed.”

(Reading: “Cardinal Tells Congress: Life Is Not an Experiment Kit,” National Catholic Register, 7/11-17/99, p. 1)

Teresa R. Wagner, analyst, Family Research Council: “If anything, Congress should strengthen protection of embryonic human beings, the smallest and weakest among us. In so doing, it would protect all who may some day be weak and vulnerable. Should it fail to do so, it will invite NIH to target tomorrow’s powerless for use as human subjects in the esteemed name of ‘science.'”

(Reading: “Protect Human Embryos from Research,” Providence Sunday Journal (Rhode Island), 4/18/99)

Melanie Philips, Sunday Times columnist: “Thousands of embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are already being used for research, or simply destroyed. All embryo research is morally indefensible because it instrumentalises human life and makes it a means to an end. . . . Scientists have constructed an edifice of self-delusion to persuade themselves and us that it’s morally okay to go some way down this road; and then a little further, and then a little further still. Thus the great pretense that the object of experimentation isn’t really human at all, just a bundle of cells. After all, what difference does it make to use human tissue when people are dead or before they are even alive? . . . Once the embryo is declassified as not yet human, anything goes.”

(Reading: “Losing Our Humanity at the Embryo Bank,” Sunday Times (Great Britain), 12/6/98)

reflection for prayer

Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. . . . Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

-I Timothy 4:12, 16

MEN: Catherine Coyle, Ph.D., a psychiatric nurse and researcher into post-abortion trauma, has written a book entitled “Men and Abortion.”

brain death

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

ORGAN “SHARING”: The United Network for Organ Sharing provides the following statistic: “Of the 5,100 cadaver donors in 1994, only 58 (1.1%) were declared dead using cardiac criteria.” The balance, 98.9%, were pronounced brain dead.

COMMENT: May the still-beating heart, or the liver, be removed from someone who is warm and has blood pressure, heartbeat, knee-jerk, ankle-jerk, and respiration (albeit on a ventilator)? May research (lethal or sublethal) be performed?

(Resource: “Understanding Brain Death” by Paul Byrne, M.D.)

genetic manipulation

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

HUMAN/MOUSE CHIMERAS: The Mouse/Human Chimera web site describes a new research project for the genetic building up and genetic deconstruction of a mouse/human chimera for research on AIDS.

OPPOSING VIEW: Jeremy Rifkin’s work on patenting human/animal genetic entities is featured on his Biotech Century site; additional information is available from the Council for Responsible Genetics.

human cloning

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

PUBLISHING MORATORIUM: Konrad Obermann, in a letter to The Lancet recommends that medical and ethical journals “unite in imposing a moratorium on publishing research on human cloning.” And “research conducted during World War II that used inappropriate methods was later banned from being used and published in textbooks. The issues at stake in research on human cloning are immense and could even infringe personal liberties.”

(Reading: “Human Cloning,” The Lancet, 3/27/99, p. 1103)

WEB SITE: “Leadership U” provides articles on human cloning by bioethicist Gilbert Meilander, Southern Baptist leaders Richard Land and Ben Mitchell, and others.

politics

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

BUSH ON ABSTINENCE: Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr., quoted Douglas Kirby, who is considered by some to be the nation’s expert on sex education. Kirby claims that the majority of Americans favor “abstinence plus” programs, which emphasize abstinence but also discuss “condoms and contraception in a balanced and accurate manner.” And Dionne says of George W. Bush and his latest embrace of abstinence education, “Bush has to be clearer if he’s to avoid suspicions that he’s just playing interest-group politics by tossing a few extra bucks to abstinence programs. If he has moral objections to all contraception education, he should say so – and face the political consequences. If he doesn’t, he should join the abstinence plus forces.”

(Reading: “Abstinence Plus,” Washington Post, 7/16/99, p. A23. Contact the Bush webmaster to comment on Bush’s position.)

united nations

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

ABORTION: Due to the various reports that a particular United Nations document pronounced abortion a “human right,” communique quotes paragraph 63 of the official report relating to “Key actions for the further implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development:

63. (i) In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning. All governments and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to strengthen their commitment to women’s health, to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public-health concern and to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family planning services. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest priority and every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for abortion. Women who have unwanted pregnancies should have ready access to reliable information and compassionate counselling. Any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process. In circumstances where abortion is not against the law, such abortion should be safe. In all cases, women should have access to quality services for the management of complications arising from abortion. Post-abortion counselling, education and family planning services should be offered promptly, which will also help to avoid repeat abortions.

(ii) Governments should take appropriate steps to help women avoid abortion, which in no case should be promoted as a method of family planning, and in all cases provide for the humane treatment and counselling of women who have had recourse to abortion.

(iii) In recognizing and implementing the above, and in circumstances where abortion is not against the law, health systems should train and equip health-service providers and should take other measures to ensure that such abortion is safe and accessible. Additional measures should be taken to safeguard women’s health.

Full document is available from the UN’s Population Information Network. Scroll down to A/S-21/5-Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the whole of the Twenty-First Special Session of the General Assembly (2 July 1999). Download the text in your preferred format.

web news

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDE: A comprehensive presentation, pro and con, of available material from Longwood College Library.

ETHICS UPDATE HOME PAGE: A site designed by University of San Diego Professor Lawrence Hinman, includes topics such as abortion, reproductive technology, euthanasia, and animal rights. The site is not described as a pro-life site, rather it is general information.

you

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

FIRST DO NO HARM: British physicians dedicated to the Hippocratic oath have established a new web site. It is described as an action group opposed to euthanasia.

CONTACT: “>Doctors Who Respect Human Life, P.O. Box 17317, London SW3 4WJ, England.

SACRED HEART MINISTRIES: Promoting the sanctity of human life from conception, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spreading of His message, this ministry has t-shirts and a pro-life flag available.

commentary

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Is the human embryo a person?

William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland: “It’s wrong to take the life of an innocent human being. In this case, it’s possible that these infants could be conceived simply to be destroyed.”

(Reading: “Cardinal Tells Congress: Life Is Not an Experiment Kit,” National Catholic Register, 7/11-17/99, p. 1)

Teresa R. Wagner, analyst, Family Research Council: “If anything, Congress should strengthen protection of embryonic human beings, the smallest and weakest among us. In so doing, it would protect all who may some day be weak and vulnerable. Should it fail to do so, it will invite NIH to target tomorrow’s powerless for use as human subjects in the esteemed name of ‘science.'”

(Reading: “Protect Human Embryos from Research,” Providence Sunday Journal (Rhode Island), 4/18/99)

Melanie Philips, Sunday Times columnist: “Thousands of embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are already being used for research, or simply destroyed. All embryo research is morally indefensible because it instrumentalises human life and makes it a means to an end. . . . Scientists have constructed an edifice of self-delusion to persuade themselves and us that it’s morally okay to go some way down this road; and then a little further, and then a little further still. Thus the great pretense that the object of experimentation isn’t really human at all, just a bundle of cells. After all, what difference does it make to use human tissue when people are dead or before they are even alive? . . . Once the embryo is declassified as not yet human, anything goes.”

(Reading: “Losing Our Humanity at the Embryo Bank,” Sunday Times (Great Britain), 12/6/98)

reflection for prayer

Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. . . . Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

-I Timothy 4:12, 16