in this issue:
abortion: IDAHO / NAACP / NEW YORK / SOUTH DAKOTA
catholic bishops: CAMDEN / PHOENIX
catholic politicians: KERRY
euthanasia: POPE JOHN PAUL II
infertility: PONTIFICAL ACADEMY
medical schools: CANADA
pharmacists: CONSCIENCE / NEW HAMPSHIRE
politics: GINSBURG
reminder: NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY
reflection for prayer: PSALM 34:7-9
abortion
IDAHO: A bill dealing with informed consent abortion regulations died in the state house. Pro-life groups were divided over the proposal. David Ripley of Idaho Chooses Life said, “While acknowledging that this legislation is vastly improved over its original form, it’s still unacceptable.” The bill was criticized for doing a poor job of persuading women to not have abortions.
(Reading: “Revision to abortion law dies in committee,” Associated Press, 3/19/04)
NAACP: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has approved a resolution stating that “a woman denied the right to control her own body is denied equal protection of the law, a right the NAACP has fought for and defended for nearly 100 years.” But black pro-lifer Johnny Hunter of the Life Education and Resource Network said abortion is the number-one killer of blacks in America. “We’re losing our people at the rate of 1,452 a day. That’s just pure genocide. There’s no other word for it.”
(Reading: “NAACP board takes historical pro-choice position,” NAACP news release, 2/24/04; “Black pro-lifer confused by NAACP’s pro-abortion stance,” Agape Press, 3/22/04)
NEW YORK: A federal judge says a hospital must turn abortion records over to the Justice Department, rejecting claims that releasing the information would compromise patient privacy. According to the New York Times, “Several abortion providers who are suing to block use of the law assert that the ban would prevent them from providing medically essential procedures. Justice Department lawyers say they need to examine records from those doctors’ facilities to test those assertions.”
(Reading: “New York hospital is ordered to release abortion records,” New York Times, 3/20/04)
SOUTH DAKOTA: State lawmakers defeated by one vote a bill described as the most restrictive abortion legislation proposed in the United States since Roe v. Wade. The National Right to Life Committee’s local affiliate is reported to have opposed the bill. The Thomas More Law Center’s Richard Thompson accused National Right to Life of betrayal. “It is one thing for National Right to Life to disagree with the timing of a bill banning abortions,” he said. “It is another thing for them to join forces with pro-abortionists to kill the ban — it is betrayal of the unborn and pro-life movement. When is it the wrong time to do what is right? This organization has lost the moral authority to lead the pro-life cause.”
A response attributed to National Right to Life defended its opposition to the bill: “It is legitimate to question the wisdom of providing the current Supreme Court the opportunity to reaffirm the tragic Roe v. Wade decision at this time, making it even more difficult for a future court, containing new justices to reverse Roe.” The statement added that “since federal law provides for the awarding of attorneys fees to a prevailing party in a constitutional challenge of a state law, a bill struck down now on the basis of Roe v. Wade, would result in the awarding of very large sums to the pro-abortion groups that challenge the law.”
(Reading: “National Right to Life joins pro-abortion groups to kill SD abortion bill,” Thomas More Law Center news release, 3/22/04; “From the National Right to Life Committee,” Wisconsin Right to Life Update, 3/24/04)
catholic bishops
CAMDEN: Newly-appointed Bishop Joseph Galante promised to take note of Catholic politicians whose voting records are contrary to Church teachings on abortion and euthanasia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports he will not deny Communion to such elected officials, but would consider refusing to allow them to speak at church facilities.
(Reading: “Camden bishop promises vigilance,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/24/04)
PHOENIX: In his weekly column, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted takes aim at those who put their Catholic teachings aside to accommodate secular society, such as those who say, “I am a Catholic politician but I don’t let my Catholicism impact on how I vote or what legislation I promote.” The bishop responds, “Lent is the time to kick the ‘Catholic but…’ out of our own daily lives. It is the time to expunge rationalization from our minds and to root out compromise from our hearts. Lent is the time to say a determined ‘no’ to the temptation to water down our faith for personal gain.”
(Reading: “Rebutting the ‘Catholic but?‘” Phoenix Catholic Sun, 3/20/04)
catholic politicians
KERRY: The American Spectator reports Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), received Holy Communion while attending Mass during an Idaho ski trip. Kerry arrived, dressed in a ski suit, about 10 minutes after Mass started, creating quite a commotion. The Spectator says a member of Kerry’s staff said, “It was just a media-op?We set it up with some reporters that we knew were going to be there.”
(Reading: “Pray to play,” American Spectator, 3/23/04)
euthanasia
POPE JOHN PAUL II: In a definitive statement on the treatment of patients described as being in a persistent vegetative state, Pope John Paul II said medical personnel “cannot ethically justify abandoning or interrupting basic care, including food and hydration, of a patient.” The pontiff said such a death by starvation and dehydration “is truly euthanasia by omission.”
(Reading: “Patients in the vegetative state are always human,” Vatican Information Service, 3/20/04)
infertility
PONTIFICAL ACADEMY: Citing the growing number of couples who resort to illicit procedures to address infertility problems, the Pontifical Academy for Life called upon scientists to find answers. The academy issued a statement that notes that society views “the child obtained through artificial reproductive technologies as a ‘product,’ whose value in reality depends to a large extent on its ‘good quality,’ subjected to severe controls and selected with care.”
(Reading: “Pontifical Academy urges remedies for sterility,” Zenit News Service, 3/17/04)
medical schools
CANADA: The University of Manitoba has denied a medical degree to a Christian student who refused to participate in abortion-related activities. The school says patients must be informed of “all treatment options which fall within the medical standard of care.” But pro-life doctors in the Winnipeg area are coming to the student’s defense and condemning the university’s intolerance.
(Reading: “Medical student being failed at University of Manitoba for not providing abortion option,” LifeSiteNews.com, 3/18/04)
pharmacists
CONSCIENCE: A Los Angeles Times report looks at the growing effort to legislate conscience protection for pharmacists who refuse on ethical grounds to fill prescriptions for abortifacient drugs. Pharmacists now find themselves “on the front line of the abortion issue.” But a Planned Parenthood official, who opposes such conscience laws, said, “We don’t want to see barriers put in front of women who need a prescription filled. That could hurt a lot of people.”
(Reading: “Pharmacists new players in abortion debate,” Los Angeles Times, 3/20/04)
NEW HAMPSHIRE: State senators have approved a bill that would permit pharmacists to dispense abortifacient morning-after pills without a doctor’s prescription. The measure now goes to the state house for consideration.
(Reading: “Senate OK’s non-prescription ‘morning after’ pill,” The [Concord, N.H.] Union Leader, 3/19/04)
politics
GINSBURG: Some Republican members of Congress are asking Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to sit out any cases involving abortion. They cite Ginsburg’s ties with the National Organization for Women’s legal defense fund, and wrote to her that “As legislators, we believe your actions call into question your ability to rule with impartiality on any case involving abortion.”
(Reading: “Republicans ask Justice Ginsburg to recuse herself from abortion cases,” Cybercast News Service, 3/23/04)
reminder
NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY: American Life League is again sponsoring this annual event. This year’s date is April 27. Pro-life students across the country are asked to wear shirts with a pro-life message when they attend school that day. The official shirt of National Pro-life T-shirt Day is available from ALL online, or by phone at 866-LET-LIVE.
reflection for prayer
PSALM 34:7-9: In my misfortune I called; the Lord heard and saved me from all distress. The angel of the Lord, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God. Learn to savor how good the Lord is; happy are those who take refuge in him.