in this issue:
adolescents: CONFIDENTIAL BIRTH CONTROL
birth control pill: BREAST CANCER
bush watch: STEM CELL LOOPHOLE
chemical abortion: MODE OF ACTION
physician-assisted suicide: PATIENT REQUESTS
web news: ARGUING THE EVIL OF CONTRACEPTION / EUTHANASIA PITFALLS / GOSPEL INSPIRATION
reflection for prayer: PSALM 37
adolescents
CONFIDENTIAL BIRTH CONTROL: Pediatrician Robert Johnson, M.D., argues, “many adolescents — of all races — see the potential lack of confidentiality as a barrier to [reproductive health] care.” The letter argues that open communication with parents is not always possible for teens because of physical violence, sexual abuse or emotional abuse. The letter advocates such services be provided along with “steps to minimize the risk of involuntary disclosure to parents in the billing process.”
(Reading: “Race, adolescent contraceptive choice, and pregnancy at presentation to a family planning clinic,” Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7/02, p. 174, paid subscription only)
birth control pill
BREAST CANCER: A recent study ignores evidence that connects pill use with breast cancer (see below for links). An accompanying editorial touts “good news” but points out that risks include “deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, ischemic stroke, liver cancer, and among women over 35 years of age who smoke, myocardial infarction.”
(Reading: “Oral contraceptives and the risk of breast cancer,” New England Journal of Medicine, 6/27/02, pp. 2025-2032; “Good news about oral contraceptives,” New England Journal of Medicine, 6/27/02, p. 2078; “Breast Cancer and Oral Contraceptives,” Polycarp Institute; review of “Breast Cancer: Its Link to Abortion and the Birth Control Pill,” by Chris Kahlenborn, M.D.)
bush watch
STEM CELL LOOPHOLE: According to a Chicago Tribune report, “The Bush administration has approved the first federally funded project using stem cells obtained from fetuses aborted up to eight weeks after conception, expanding the scientific promise of stem cell research and complicating the ethics debate that surrounds it.” The Tribune notes that different rules apply to embryos and fetuses — technical distinctions based on the gestational age of the preborn child. “Bush’s policy barred the use of federal grants for research on stem cells taken from embryos after Aug. 9, 2001. Bush said the decision was based on his moral opposition to destroying additional embryos for research purposes. But that restriction does not apply to research on stem cells obtained from fetuses, according to officials at the National Institutes of Health. Such work falls under less-restrictive Clinton-era rules, which Bush never revised.”
(Reading: “U.S. quietly OKs fetal stem cell work,” Chicago Tribune, 7/7/02)
chemical abortion
MODE OF ACTION: Research comparing the manner in which the female is affected before, during and after ovulation when mifepristone (RU-486) or levonorgestrel is administered indicates that the uterine lining may or may not be affected depending on the timing and the dosage of the drug. “It is difficult to know if these effects are sufficient to inhibit implantation. The efficacy of mifepristone when used for emergency contraception [sic] and the possibility to extend the interval between the unprotected sexual intercourse and treatment to 120 hours suggest that this may be the case. Low daily doses of mifepristone (0.5mg) had a similar effect on endometrium without influencing ovulation and significantly reduced fertility.”
COMMENT: As the move toward abortion by chemical escalates the language changes and the lies become more prevalent. RU-486 is not and can never be defined as “contraceptive.” A human being dies when she cannot nestle in her mother’s womb (implantation). Thus abortion is the result.
(Reading: “Emergency contraception with mifepristone and levonorgestrel: mechanism of action,” Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7/02, pp. 65-71, paid subscription only)
physician-assisted suicide
PATIENT REQUESTS: Studies show that while ten percent of dying patients consider physician-assisted suicide, only one percent actually request it. The current study examines the underlying reasons why some patients make the request and what can be done to alleviate their fears and thus remove the desire for assisted death.
(Reading: “Responding to requests for physician-assisted suicide,” Journal of the American Medical Association, 7/3/02, pp. 91-98; abstract also available)
web news
ARGUING THE EVIL OF CONTRACEPTION: Outstanding articles and pithy one-liners appear on the Catholics Against Contraception web site.
EUTHANASIA PITFALLS: The International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide has a comprehensive assortment of articles online.
GOSPEL INSPIRATION: A family-oriented web site produced by the Catholic Archdiocese of Manila provides weekly reflections on Sunday Mass Gospel readings.
reflection for prayer
PSALM 37: Trust in the Lord and do what is good, make your home in the land and live in peace; make the Lord your only joy and he will give you what your heart desires. Commit your fate to the Lord, trust in him and he will act: making your virtue clear as the light, your integrity as bright as noon.