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- Amnesty International Comes Of Age & Joins Other Worldly Abortion Promoters August 9, 2009
- ARPA Newsletter August 9, 2009
- Environmentalism-Nazi Link Exposed August 9, 2009
- Fear Of Having Children Based In Lack Of Hope August 9, 2009
- Health Care Coming South Of The Border Look North USA! August 9, 2009
- Ignite Our Culture 2009 Halifax Conference August 9, 2009
- LifeIssues.Net Newsletter #433 July 26, 2009
- LifeIssues.Net Newsletter #434 August 2, 2009
- New Brunswick Right To Life Group Takes Transit To HRC Over Refusal Of Bus Ads August 9, 2009
- Todays Family News From Focus On The Family Canada August 9, 2009
- Turkish Women With Abortions Have 66% Increase In Breast Cancer Risk August 9, 2009
- United States Signs New UN Treaty August 9, 2009
News Archives.htm from 2003 to the present.
1. Amnesty International Comes Of Age & Joins Other Worldly Abortion Promoters – August 9, 2009Amnesty International Calls Protection of Unborn in Nicaragua a "Great Horror" Claims pro-life legislation is harming women's health, despite falling maternal mortality rates
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Latin America Correspondent
Managua, August 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Amnesty International (AI) has launched an international campaign against the government of Nicaragua, claiming that its law protecting the unborn from abortion is "cruel," and "cynical."
"There is only one way to describe what we have seen in Nicaragua: a great horror," said Kate Gilmore, Deputy Secretary General of AI, in a press conference held recently in Mexico.
"The prohibition of therapeutic of abortion in Nicaragua is a shame. It is a human rights scandal that ridicules medical science and distorts the law, being a weapon against the provision of essential medical services for pregnant girls and women," added Gilmore.
Nicaragua has provoked the ire of the international abortion lobby since 2006, when it voted to criminally penalize all abortions, although the law is not interpreted as applying to procedures to save a woman's life. Despite heavy campaigning by internationally-funded groups in Nicaragua to overturn the law, it has continued to enjoy the support of the political establishment and the Nicaraguan people.
Amnesty has issued a new report to accompany its campaign, entitled "The Total Abortion Ban in Nicaragua," which claims that the new law prohibits all abortions, even those procedures necessary to save a woman's life.
However, those claims are contradicted by repeated public statements by the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega and Nicaragua's Minister of Health Guillermo Gonzalez, who have stated that abortions performed to save a woman's life are not penalized by the law.
The report also claims that twelve women who died from pregnancy complications could have been saved by abortions, although the source it cites, a report by the pro-abortion group Ipas, offers no proof of the claim, and only speculates that "at least 12 [maternal deaths] could be related to previous pathologies aggravated by the pregnancy, which having had the option of a therapeutic abortion, their possibility of improving and/or recovering their health and life would have increased in great measure" (p.8, in Spanish).
AI's report claims that maternal mortality is up since the law was implemented, claiming that it only came into effect in late 2008. However, the criminal penalties actually began in 2006, and pregnancy-related maternal mortality actually fell after the passage of the law, both of which are admitted by the same Ipas study cited by AI (also on page 8).
In a telephone interview with LifeSiteNews, Gilmore stood by the claims in her report, and affirmed that she regards the Nicaraguan law a form of "torture" against women.
Asked if it is torture to pull an infant's head off of its body, and its arms and legs out of its sockets, which happens during a standard aspiration abortion, Gilmore refused to answer the question.
Although Amnesty International was once neutral on the topic of abortion, in 2007 it announced it would change its position and begin to treat the killing of the unborn as a "human right," despite the fact that International human rights agreements do not generally recognize such a "right."
Related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Amnesty International Caught in "One Big Lie"
Amnesty Again Agitates for Abortion – This Time in Peru
Amnesty International Demands that Mexico Force Doctors to Do Abortions
It's Official - Amnesty International is Now An Abortion Lobby Group – Catholics Boycott
2 ARPA Newsletter – August 9, 2009
From: ARPA Canada, Thursday, August 06, 2009 10:55 AM
Sample letter and newspaper ads to respond to C-384
E-luminary935 – ARPA E-Luminary Issue 41 August 6, 2009Registration Deadline: August 8
Deroche College Retreat
(Aug 31 – Sept 4, 2009)Spread the word to all college/university students whom you know and encourage them to check out the website below. http://www.derochecollegeretreat.com.
Sign up soon!
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Ottawa Event for MP's
Summer Action Item: (Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide)
Action Meter ChallengeDear Robert Jason
Bill C-384: Have You Talked With Your MP Yet?
By now most of you have read our repeated call to action to share your concerns about Bill C-384 (euthanasia and assisted suicide) with your MP. Click here if you haven't or if you would like a refresher. Since it is summer, it is understandable that we get busy with other things like recreation, holidays, or reading. But before we know it summer will be over and Bill C-384 will be receiving its first vote in the House of Commons. MP's become very busy with their regular activities in September so now is the time to discuss this with them. Here is a sample letter that may help you as you email, write, phone, or meet with your MP (more information and sample letters are available at the link above):
[Your full address]
Dear Honourable Mr./Mrs. [Name of MP]
Introduction [Insert some details about who you are and thank your MP for their diligent work.]
As you are probably aware, there is currently a private member's bill in the House of Commons (C-384) that proposes to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. I strongly encourage you to vote against this bill. At a very basic level, it undermines the moral principle that intentionally killing a human is always wrong. It also is a statement to society that not everybody is equal: people who don't measure up to certain standards because of their illness or disability are not worthy of the same protection as others.
This applies to assisted suicide as much as to euthanasia. As long as there is a legally-sanctioned option to die, the vulnerable in our society (such as the disabled or the elderly) have to justify their existence. This is completely backwards. We should be caring for them and showing that they are valuable regardless of their state of health. With the ever-increasing breakdown of the family and the ageing population, this pressure on the vulnerable (to justify their existence) becomes stronger. We begin to treat them based on convenience rather than with the respect that they deserve.
If killing is acceptable in one situation, it is very difficult to not follow-through with the same logic in many other situations. That explains why Holland, which legalized assisted suicide a number of years ago now, is now at the point where infants are being euthanized because of slight disabilities such a simple cleft palate.
True dignity and compassion is about bravely dealing with whatever challenges life brings. I urge you to promote a society in which the sanctity of human life is upheld by mutual care and responsibility.
Sincerely,
[Name]
Click here for contact information for your MP. If you are writing a letter or email, be sure to CC our Justice Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice as well as the Prime Minister.You may also want to CC the opposition party leaders. Click here for a complete analysis of this bill including three sample letters from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.
Ads for Your Newspaper
ARPA Canada has designed a couple of ads that may be suitable for your local newspaper. The primary focus of our work should be to meet with our MP's. But if that has already been done, a second step is to bring this matter to the attention of your community. These ads should help with that. For more information about speaking to our secular neighbours who are sympathetic toward euthanasia, check out the upcoming issue of Reformed Perspective magazine. If you don't get it, consider subscribing online today.A number of local ARPA groups are considering running these ads in their papers. But it takes money to do this. If you think this is a worthwhile effort, please consider contacting your local ARPA with your encouragement. Keep in mind that these are just samples and can be changed according to the requests of whoever is sponsoring them:
Click here to view a larger image of these ads.
News, Resources, and Action Items
CCF court Brief challenges Alberta human rights legislation/ARPA Note:/ Click here to read the full legal brief filed in support of Stephen Boissoin.
/From CCF Newsletter, July 23, 2009:/ On July 22, the Canadian Constitution Foundation filed its Intervener’s Brief in Boissoin v. Lund, arguing that restrictions on free speech in Alberta’s human rights legislation violate Canada’s Constitution. In 2002, Rev. Stephen Boissoin wrote a strongly worded letter to the Red Deer Advocate critical of what he described as a “homosexual agenda.” University of Calgary Professor Darren Lund felt offended by the letter, and filed a complaint against Rev. Boissoin with the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission.
Read more...
Editorial: Court can undo harm to free speech
/Calgary Herald, July 28, 2009:/ When Rev. Stephen Boissoin takes his case before the Court of Queen's Bench on Sept. 16, the court has a golden opportunity not only to right the wrong done to Boissoin, but also to strike down the law that gives the Alberta Human Rights Commission jurisdiction over matters of free speech. Boissoin published a letter in the Red Deer Advocate in 2002 in which he criticized the representation to impressionable schoolchildren of homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle choice. Boissoin used strong language and said this would lead to desensitizing kids and recruiting them into the gay lifestyle. One can agree or disagree with Boissoin's opinions, but what he said is irrelevant to the larger issue, which is his inalienable right to say it. [Continue reading this opinion piece here.]Canada Court Rules Marriage Commissioners Must "Marry" Homosexuals
REGINA, SK, July 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The appeal of a Saskatchewan marriage commissioner against a human rights tribunal decision was denied by the Court of Queen's Bench last Friday. Orville Nichols, 71, was fined by the tribunal last year for refusing to "marry" two men based on his Christian religious beliefs.Nichols, who served as a marriage commissioner from 1983 after retiring from a 25-year career in the police force, was approached by the complainant, only identified as M.J., in April 2005 to conduct the ceremony. Nichols informed M.J. that he was available, but when he realized that M.J.'s partner, B.R., was a man, he told them that he could not "marry" them based on his religious beliefs. Read more...
What baby discards could save
Note: Read an ARPA Canada article about the donating cord blood by clicking here.Tom Blackwell, National Post (Aug 4/09): For fetuses, the umbilical cord is a lifeline. Once those babies are out of the womb, however, the cord becomes so much medical waste, tossed out even if the cord blood is saved for future use. But now a group of Toronto researchers says it has discovered that umbilical cords are a "virtually inexhaustible" source of promising stem cells, helping scientists avoid the ethical minefield around cells retrieved from human embryos. [Continue reading this article here.]
Hutterites need driver's license photos: top court
/CBC.ca, July 23 2009: /The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 4-3 Friday that a Hutterite community in Alberta must abide by provincial rules that make a digital photo mandatory for all new driver's licenses as a way to prevent identity theft. The case involved the Hutterian Brethren of Wilson Colony, located east of Lethbridge, Alta. The group had argued a 2003 regulation enacted by the province requiring photographs on the licenses breached their charter right to freedom of religion. [Continue reading this article here.]Action Item: De-funding abortion in Alberta
/From the Alberta Pro-Life Newsletter (July 26/09):/ Alberta Pro-Life is launching a lobby campaign to change the way abortion is funded in Alberta. We need your help like never before! This is a grassroots campaign to de-fund abortion in Alberta. Alberta Pro-Life wants to bring together the entire pro-life community in Alberta, with a dedication and commitment we haven’t seen in years. As costs of funding health services continue to rise, there are rumblings of a review of what procedures should be funded or de-funded under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Program. Paying for abortions (rarely medically required) gobbles up $6-8 million dollars annually. Read more...Salt n' Light YouTube Contest [Updated Rules]
Contest ARPA Canada, Reformed Perspective magazine, and CV Benefits are jointly sponsoring a YouTube contest. Put your creativity or love of movies to good use by making a short video that is social or political in nature and communicates our Christian worldview and you could win up to $500.There is no cost to enter and every entrant receives a complementary subscription to Reformed Perspective magazine. There will be two grand prizes for the best video; one selected by our judges and the other selected as the most popular according to voting at: http://www.reformedperspective.ca/. Each of these prizes will be $250 for a potential combined total of $500.
Rules and Details: Read more...
Events
September 10, 2009 – Chatham Ontario: Celebrating the Gift of Life Symposium – Part II (Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide) /Featuring Alex Schadenberg, Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition/If you live in Southern Ontario, don't miss this very timely event being organized by Chatham ARPA and featuring one of Canada's leading experts on euthanasia.
This would be an excellent event to invite your friends, neighbours, and colleagues to. It is a matter that many Canadians are wrestling with and is something that we need to bring the truth to our nation about, especially given the bill currently before our Parliament.
Location: Eben-Ezer Canadian Reformed Church, 483 McNaughton Ave. E., Chatham, ON. Stay tuned for more details.
ARPA Canada Returns to Ontario: September 2009
Circle September 16-19 on your calendars to take in one of four ARPA Canada events. Confirmed locations so far are Toronto, Burlington, and Fenwick.Through the summer, ARPA Canada is interviewing MP's to ask them how the Reformed churches can best engage in political action on both a local and national level. We will share these findings with you at these events.
If you ware willing to help out at any of these locations, please contact us (email mark@arpacanada.ca or call 1-866-691-2772).Wrap-Up
Some of you may be wondering how ARPA Canada is funded. How are we able to employ a full time director, hold events across the country, interact with government officials, and produce and maintain our resources? The answer is simple: we rely on donations from people like yourself who care about this work and who want to see it continue. We don't receive funding from churches, church collection, foundations, etc.We have been very thankful for the number of you who over the past year have become monthly donors or made a one-time donation. Because of your generosity we have been able to continue. This is very impressive, especially considering that our political nature means that we can not be a charity and can not provide tax receipts. To those of you who partnered with us in this way we extend a hearty thank you.
If you haven't contributed and are blessed with the finances to do so, will you consider supporting us? Click here for details of different ways that this can be done. Even if you don't have the financial resources, we would be thankful if you supported us through prayer as well as by sharing our resources with others. If you have any questions about this matter, please contact John Voorhorst, Chairman of the Board at john@arpacanada.ca or 403-328-9114 (day time number).
Thank you
ARPA CanadaNot yet subscribed? Visit our website (www.arpacanada.ca) and submit your name and email address in the form on the left side of the screen to get the e-Luminary sent to you every two weeks.
Printable Version
A one-page printable version of this newsletter, suitable for churches, is available once per month. Contact us if you would like it in your church.There will be no printable version in July and August. Click here for previous months and more details.
The next printable version will be available in September.
Local ARPA Groups
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Heritage Reformed ChurchesFor details and contact information, go to our website and click on the ARPA's menu.
Life Canada Job Opening
Editor PositionLifeCanada is seeking an editor for its bi-monthly periodical /LifeCanada News/.
Candidates must have an extensive knowledge of life issues (abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, stem cell research, and associated areas), excellent writing skills and experience in editing. Position is part-time. Salary and hours to be discussed.
For more information please contact the LifeCanada office at 866-780-5433 or email lifecanada@bellnet.ca
Send resumes to lifecanada@bellnet.ca or mail to:
310-376 Churchill Ave. N.
Ottawa ON, K1Z 5C3.Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted.
Other positions may be available as well – contact Life Canada if you have any questions.
The content of the ARPA E-Luminary may be used elsewhere provided that attribution is given to ARPA Canada and a link is made to our website. ARPA Canada is a registered federal not-for-profit organization. For more information about us, visit our website http://www.arpacanada.ca/. Contact us by email [mark@arpacanada.ca] or call 1-866-691-ARPA. Disclaimer: ARPA Canada is not responsible for content on external sites, which may be accessed by links provided in the E-Luminary or the ARPA Canada website. Please use your discretion.
Support ARPA Canada: Thank you for spreading the light of God's Word throughout our nation along with us. We rely on your support to continue our work. You can make a secure online donation or have a monthly donation automatically withdrawn from your bank account. Click here for more information.
Subscription Details: If you received this e-newsletter from somebody else and would like to subscribe yourself, simply sign up through our website by clicking here http://www.arpacanada.ca.
3. Environmentalism-Nazi Link Exposed – August 9, 2009
Environmentalism-Nazi link exposed – Fri, 7 Aug 2009 – Christian Government timothy@christiangovernment.ca
August 7, 2009 – Environmentalism-Nazi link exposed
A shocking article last month demonstrates the connection between the religion of Environmentalism and Hitler's Nazi genocide. Environmentalism is a religion and a very dangerous one at that. It's very seductive and appeals to the best in people so many Christians have also been deceived into thinking that good can be found within the modern Environmentalist Movement. In fact Environmentalism is a strange synthesis between Humanism and Pantheism. The humanist aspect argues for heavy state-ist solutions at the expense of personal liberty and wealth creation and the pantheistic aspect argues for the subordination of man to the rest of creation. Modern Environmentalism turns reality on its head and is in direct opposition to Christianity and Christianity's superior model of environmental concern and the correct relationship of man to the rest of creation.If you want to better understand the religious nature of Environmentalism and if you want solid theological, philosophical and scientific responses to those who are trying to convince you that Environmentalism is compatible with faithful Christianity, then please order my book, "Environmentalism and the Death of Science." Below is a very kind review of my book by Lee Duigon, a writer with The Chalcedon Foundation. To order your copy of "Environmentalism and the Death of Science" in Canada, please send $24.95 to Tim Bloedow, PO Box 7, Russell, ON K4R 1C7. From the U.S., please add $5 for shipping.
Thank you in advance for your order.
Tim Bloedow
Publisher, "Environmentalism and the Death of Science"Posted on June 22, 2009 –
http://www.chalcedon.edu/articles/article.php?ArticleID=2927A Review of Environmentalism and the Death of Science
Environmentalism and the Death of Science by Tim Bloedow (Ontario: Freedom Press, 2008)
Reviewed by Lee Duigon
We can’t talk about “the death of science” unless we are prepared to grant that once upon a time, some such thing as science actually lived.R. J. Rushdoony saw science as “one of man’s tools in establishing and furthering that dominion over the earth under God.” [1] Originally, he explained, science was indistinguishable from magic, whose purpose is “the total control by man over man, nature, and the supernatural.” [2] But, “[u]nder the influence of Christianity, science escaped the constraints of magic” [3] and became a useful tool.
So we can speak of a “science” which has helped us to accomplish any number of remarkable and beneficial things - increasing the yield of our croplands, controlling diseases, expanding the dissemination of useful information, and so on. These accomplishments may all be described as furthering our God-given mission of exercising dominion over the earth. No one can deny that something called “science” has been very much a part of that.
Tim Bloedow’s book is about another kind of science - science that has reunited itself to magic. For science to overstep its role as a tool of dominion under God, Rushdoony explained, “is to forsake science for magic. The purposes of modern science are increasingly those of magic, the exercise of total control. The essential goal of modern science is knowledge in order to have prediction, planning and control.” [4]
This kind of science is the death of useful science. And nowhere, writes Bloedow, can this be more clearly seen than in modern science’s embrace of environmentalism.
Just the Facts?
“Science… is not a realm of study around which all people can gather with the confidence that they will understand the facts the same way, regardless of their religious convictions,” Bloedow says. “In the real world, there is no such thing as a brute fact - a non-interpreted fact” (p. ix).Ah, there’s the rub. Science has long masqueraded as philosophy’s answer to Sgt. Joe Friday: “Just the facts, ma’am.” Science, we have been taught, concerns itself only with the facts, collecting information from the real world, arranging it in an organized way, and drawing solid, verifiable, uncontestable conclusions from it. You can’t argue with science, we’ve been told: a fact is a fact is a fact, whether you’re an atheist or a Seventh Day Adventist. If it’s a “scientific fact,” you’re stuck with it.
There we leave scientific objectivity behind.
“Environmentalism - just like every other area of life - is fundamentally a theological issue,” Bloedow writes. “Indeed, Environmentalism is fundamentally a religious issue and one for which there is very little, if any, middle ground between serious Christians and zealous Environmentalists” (p. i).Far from being just a set of honest and neutral interpretations of real-world facts, environmentalism is a religious and political movement that runs the gamut from “a moral and spiritual challenge,” in Al Gore’s words (p. vi), to out-and-out “intolerance and fanaticism” (p. x).
Bloedow takes notice of David Suzuki, Canada’s most vocal and draconian environmentalist - not a top-flight research scientist, but a former longtime Canadian TV personality whose “ignorance of fundamental science is breathtaking” (p. vii). “It is beyond his comprehension that anyone possessing a human brain can disagree with his apocalyptic global warming theory or his concerns over species extinction, etc.” (p. x).
By now we have seen everyone who questions global warming - environmentalism’s Holy Grail - pilloried as “Neanderthals,” or “holocaust deniers,” or worse. The tone is anything but “scientific.”
It’s Always Doomsday
Environmentalism can’t survive without a doomsday scenario. Forty years ago it was “the population bomb,” proclaimed by the infallibly wrong Paul Ehrlich. Soon afterward, it was an impending Ice Age. That has given way to Global Warming - which, in deference to harsh winters and less than torrid summers, is yielding place to the much more elastic boogeyman of Climate Change.Whatever form it takes, the message is always the same: “Put us in power and do what we say, or you’re all gonna die!”
Christians, by and large, have failed to respond effectively to these scare tactics, says Bloedow. Most of today’s Christian criticism of environmentalism is “very superficial” and fails to include “any intelligent critique of today’s claims of environmental crises such as global warming. For the most part, these claims of crises are accepted unquestioningly, with Christian commentary being devoted to the question of what contributions Christians might make to solve the problems” (p. 99).
Afraid of being called Neanderthals, afraid to argue with “science,” many Christians don’t even try to stand up to the environmentalists. “The debate is over, the science is settled,” insist Al Gore and his acolytes: everyone is to shut up and obey.
But the debate is not over; it was never held. Tim Bloedow has written this book to start the debate, and equip Christians to hold their own in it.
“Only Christians can offer mankind a vision and functional model of unity and diversity which translates into environmental positions that are scientific, that are consistent with maximum human liberty, and that are incompatible with ideas which advance centralist civil government” (p. 6). In fact, he says, “The goal for Christians in the culture wars is victory. Détente is a sinful goal…” (p. iii).
A Bent for Statism
Bloedow analyzes the various strands of militant environmentalism.*It is based on the premise that the natural world is fragile, extremely vulnerable to destruction by human action or inaction. “They see the world only in terms of its fragility,” when in reality, nature displays flexibility, dynamism, and resilience (p. 3).
*Because the world is so fragile, it needs constant protection from the ham-fisted human race. This belief is what gives environmentalism its penchant for statism.
Environmentalists don’t believe “the earth is the Lord’s… the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). They believe in “subjugating all of life - including economic decision-making - to the control and supervision of the civil government” (p. 77). And, “The elites need to micro-manage our lives in order to steer us towards ‘correct’ behavior” (p. 79).
There is no room for God in environmentalism. “For Humanists… man is god… Man as he is represented by the state… this God-imitating civil government believes it has the power to redefine reality”(p. 11).
*Although even the most casual observation of the natural world should reveal that one of its dominant characteristics is flux and constant change, environmentalists pursue the totally impossible dream of a rigidly static order. If they didn’t already have their hands on our tax dollars, this would be funny. The same people who believe in a bygone tropical planet of the dinosaurs, succeeded by an Ice Age full of woolly mammoths, continents clumping together and splitting apart, asteroid impacts, and so on, propose to use government to impose an environmental status quo on all the earth.
Here we must begin to wonder if they’re crazy. They point to fossilized ferns in Greenland as evidence of evolution - do they believe that if only there were a progressive Congress in those ancient times, there would still be ferns in Greenland?
King Canute commanded the tide to hold back, just so he could demonstrate the limits of his power. But environmentalists, including many men of science, claim the power to hold back vast planetary changes. If we believe they can actually do it, we’re as loopy as they are.
And please, don’t buy the argument, “We may not be able to do anything about the sun’s heat output now - but given enough time and higher taxes, we’ll surely find a way!”
*Science pop star Freeman Dyson said environmentalism is “a religion that we can all share” (p. 8). Adds Bloedow, “The religious fervor of modern environmentalism is extremely powerful. It is filling a void created by the abandonment of Christianity” (p. 19).
We usually view environmentalism as a department of humanism - which is just a nicer name for atheism: the two are one - but Bloedow sees in its emotional fervor a sign of humanism’s passing, “the death of Humanism, with Pantheism rising from the ashes to replace that dead religion” (p. 23).
Certainly there is much in the environmental movement that smacks more of emotion than of reason. But the same may be said of atheism, too. If “hatred of humanity is mainstream thinking in the Environmental movement” (p. 22), exemplified by the increasing violence of animal rights activists (p. 28), it’s matched by the increasing shrillness and bitterness of atheists’ public attacks on Christianity.
Absurd and Impossible
Why so much emotion? Well, impersonating God is very stressful.You stop global warming and control the planet’s climate (even though there are many different climates scattered all over the planet) by controlling, by means of government, every sphere of human life. This leads to a fear of fluctuation - that very fluctuation which is inseparable from life itself. But change is proof that the government isn’t in control.
What if some stocks do better than others, and some citizens get rich while others don’t? What if some jobs pay better than others, and some jobs disappear? What if some students pass a test, and others fail?
“There is no such thing as a plateau of permanent deliverance from problems in this life,” writes Bloedow (p. 50), merely saying something that every sane person knows. But permanent deliverance is exactly what humanist scientists and politicians promise us! Deliverance by the hand of an all-powerful, omnicompetent government, in many forms - socialized health care, public education, free college tuition, state-mandated housing loans to persons who can’t possibly repay them, government bailouts of failing companies - there’s no end to it.
The problem is that those schemes to ensure a static order, free of fluctuation, always fail. And why do they fail? Because of ignorance, and sinful pride.
“God has created a natural world that is incredibly complex; and as part of this complexity, the creation has a remarkable resilience and ability to manage change, as well as to combat many potentially damaging situations - without the help of self-important, arrogant men,” Bloedow explains (p. 56).
A natural world created by an all-wise, all-powerful God who remains sovereignly in charge of it cannot be “destroyed” by SUVs or light bulbs, or “saved” by punitive taxation.
“What we call ‘nature,’” observes another writer, “is in fact a complex system of far greater subtlety than we are willing to accept. We make a simplified image of nature and then we botch it up. I’m not an environmentalist, but you have to understand what you don’t understand” [emphasis added]. [5]
Quite simply, the plans environmentalists have to “save the planet,” based on incomplete information and a prideful refusal to acknowledge the complexity of nature, are inherently and inescapably absurd and cannot possibly succeed. That they will cost us oceans of money, and undermine our freedom, all the while accomplishing nothing, while risking unintended consequences that may be worse than any “problem” that the plans were meant to solve - well, what else can you expect when fools play God?
Christian Answers
We agree with Bloedow that Christians should stop knuckling under to these irresponsible people and their muddled thinking. Sinful man, because he is made in the image of God and has God’s Word to guide him, can also do good (p. 38). Otherwise there would be no such thing as any kind of progress.“The power and impact of redemption is stronger than the impact of sin… and this will be evident in the trend-lines of history,” writes Bloedow. “This will be evident as much in the way we learn to improve the environment as we harness its power and beauty for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom as it will in every other area of human experience” (p. 101).
Armed with a mission to exercise dominion under God, in obedience to His laws and with science as a tool, not a religion, man can solve a host of problems, including environmental ones. There is no need to resort to absolutist, utopian, lunatic statism “hostile to free markets and property rights” (p. 8).
“Christians and conservatives aren’t arguing that their approach to civil-social affairs will lead to perfection,” Bloedow says, “so perfection is a false standard” (p. 50). But political progressives and their shills among the scientists do promise perfection! They beat us with the stick of a looming environmental Judgment Day while offering us the carrot of an earthly paradise. Don’t take our word for it: for a mind-boggling example of such over-the-top rhetoric, read The Humanist Manifesto II. [6]
It may be that “No action we take is 100% risk-free” (p. 74), but Christians can at least take rational and responsible actions, in a spirit of humility and in loving obedience to God’s Word.
At the very least, our approach will do less harm than the environmentalists’. Rather than channel all power and money into an out-of-control central government, the Bible teaches us to respect the relative sovereignty of each sphere of human life - self-government, family, church, local government, and the state - with each sphere responsible to God (pp. 76-77). The Christian approach prevents the accumulation of power in any one sphere. It is the opposite of what statist/humanists advocate - and it works.
For example, in 1903 the U.S. government spent $73,000 to develop a heavier-than-air flying machine. All six prototypes funded by the government crashed. But the Wright brothers, at a cost of $1,000 of their own money, built the first airplane that could fly (p. 84).
We recommend Tim Bloedow’s book: short, concise, and to the point, besides being excellently written and enjoyably readable. It provides Christians with a clear critique of an environmentalist movement that is seldom criticized anywhere, a clear exposition of the Biblical position on environmental issues, and a ringing affirmation of that position.
Not available in bookstores, Environmentalism and the Death of Science can be ordered from the publisher at order@freedompress.ca or directly from the author: Tim Bloedow, PO Box 7, Russell, ON K4R 1C7.
[1] R. J. Rushdoony, The Mythology of Science (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2001 ed.), 6.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park (New York: Ballantine Books, 1990), 91.
[6] http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto2.htmlLee Duigon is a Christian free-lance writer and contributing editor for the Chalcedon Report. He has been a newspaper editor and reporter and a published novelist.
© 2005 The Chalcedon Foundation
© Copyright 2007 Christian Government. All rights reserved.
4. Fear Of Having Children Based In ‘Lack Of Hope’ – August 9, 2009
Could this be a reason to have a dog instead of a child. We see so many two parent families and one dog families and no children. – HHW
Fear of Having Children Based in "Lack of Hope": Cardinal Pell – By Kathleen Gilbert
SYDNEY, Australia, August 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The dwindling number of young adults willing to welcome children into the world can be traced to a "lack of confidence in the goodness of life," said Cardinal George Pell of the Archdiocese of Sydney this weekend.
"Some young adults today are afraid of having children, uncertain of the benefits or uncertain of their capacity to cope as parents," wrote Cardinal Pell in a column for Sunday's edition of the Telegraph.
"Many reasons are proposed for this, but underneath lies a lack of confidence in the goodness of life, a lack of hope."
The cardinal noted how resurgences of hope in modern times was marked by more couples welcoming new life, such as the "baby boom" that erupted out of jubilation over the end of the Second World War.
Cardinal Pell pointed to several practical factors contributing to the decline in birthrates: for example, the increased availability of education, while a "blessing," often leads to women dividing their attention between their children and their career.
"Not much can be said to those (mercifully few) who don't want children for purely selfish reasons, such as cost or limits to their life style; except to ask them to think again," said Pell.
Pell encouraged young adults suffering the effects of their own parents' divorce, who thereby doubt their own ability as parents: "In most cases, the awareness of such a possible problem is evidence that they would be able to manage, even if special help and regular prayer were needed," he said.
The cardinal announced that St. Mary's cathedral would celebrate a mass and blessing for expectant mothers next Sunday. Last year's mass was a great success, he said, with scores of women seeking blessings for themselves and their unborn children.
Last November, the U.S. bishops also approved a new blessing for the child in the womb.
"Our society is changing so quickly and we are subjected to so many cranky influences, that no basic truths or values can be taken for granted," the cardinal concluded. "We have to work to protect them.
"All Christians should follow Pope Benedict's advice and work to 'build a climate of joy and confidence in life, a climate in which children are seen not as a burden, but rather as a gift for all'."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: US Bishops Approve New Blessing for the Child in the Womb5. Health Care Coming South Of The Border – Look North USA! – August 9, 2009
Pro-aborts clouding issue of healthcare reform, abortion
National Right to Life accuses the pro-abortion lobby of "creating smokescreens" intended to prevent Americans from finding out that their tax dollars will be used to fund abortion in the Democrats' government-run healthcare plan.
Perspective: Sex-change-apalooza
What might happen if bureaucrats decide sex-change operations are "medically appropriate"? Under ObamaCare, you could be footing the bill – that's what.6. Ignite Our Culture 2009 Halifax Conference – August 9, 2009
Ignite Our Culture 2009 Halifax Conference
Live Free or ... Fight
Fri. and Sat, Sept. 25-26, 2009
INTRODUCTION
The ECP CENTRE's first Eastern Canada conference - in Halifax - is going to be an exciting event.
Canada's pre-eminent Freedom Fighter Ezra Levant will be our feature speaker on Saturday.
You will also hear from two other champions of freedom: Connie Fournier of freedom blog, Free Dominion, and Scott Brockie, an entrepreneur who was dragged through Ontario's human rights system by a homosexual activist, but who has lived to tell the story.
At this conference, you will learn about the ongoing assault against our fundamental liberties in Canada. You will learn about the necessary link between our Judeo-Christian heritage and our tradition of liberty. You will learn about the link between the love of one's child and a parent's commitment to pick up his sword in this battle.
If you are a freedom fighter, this conference will encourage and strengthen you in this difficult battle. You will hear from motivating speakers and you will be able to network with other like-minded attendees.
If you aren't active in the battle for freedom in Canada, but you want to learn more about the need for more people working to advance Judeo-Christian ethics and culture in Canada, you will also want to be a part of this conference.
This two-day conference will include workshops. Christian Heritage Party leader, Nova Scotian Jim Hnatiuk, will be speaking. We are waiting for responses from other invited speakers. A Conservative MP has also been invited to address the conference.
Christian and conservative organizations will be represented. We have other exciting plans that we hope to add as they become confirmed.
If you live in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island, we look forward to meeting you at our ECP Centre Live Free or... Fight "Ignite Our Culture" Conference on Sept. 25-26.
Please spread the word. Please forward this message to your friends and networks. Thank you for your support. If you have any problems registering for the conference online, please contact us for help at info@ecpcentre.com or 613-496-0091.
LOCATION
321 Main Ave.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3S 0B5
get directions
ITINERARY
FRIDAY
6:00pm - Doors open
9:00pm - Wrap-upSATURDAY
8:00-9:00 - Registration / Breakfast / Book tables open
9:00-9:30 - SESSION 1 - Scott Brockie
9:35-10:05 - Workshops - 2 to choose from
10:10-10:40 - SESSION 2 - Connie Fournier
10:40-11:00 - Break - Book tables open
11:00-Noon - SESSION 3 - Ezra Levant speech with Q&A
Noon-1:30 - Lunch
1:30-2:15 - Q&A panel with Ezra, Connie and Scott
2:15-2:30 - No Apologies - The ECP Centre's alternative media project
2:30-2:45 - Break
2:45-3:15 - Workshop - 2 to choose from
3:15-3:45 - ECP wrap-up
TICKETS & PRODUCTS
Full price conference ticket: $75
Student price: $60
Early Bird price (over 10% saving): $65Early Bird deadline is Sept. 5
7. LifeIssues.Net Newsletter #433 – July 26, 2009
Greetings from LifeIssues.net
Dear Friends for Life,
Council of Europe Pro-Abortion: The Council of Europe is separate from the Council or Parliament of the European Union. It does not have legal authority, but is an influential part of the European legal machinery, and its recommendations are taken seriously in the drafting of U.N. laws. Consequently, we are distressed to hear that it has officially recommended that those few countries in Europe that still restrict abortions should guarantee unrestricted access to abortions and completely decriminalize the procedure. Also, they would have sex education mandatory for young people.
Japan – Fewer and Fewer Children: Japan is undergoing a slow motion demographic catastrophe without precedent in the developed world. The number of children being born has declined for 27 consecutive years. It now has fewer children younger than 14 then at any time in the past 100 years. Concurrent with this, the percent of elderly people is the highest in the world. By 2020, the elderly will outnumber children by nearly 3-1, and by 2040, by nearly 4-1. Another way to look at this is that Japan, now the world's second largest economy, will lose 70% of its work force by 2050. The actual shrinkage of its population began three years ago and is accelerating. Within 50 years, the number of people living in Japan will fall by one-third and within a century by two-thirds.
Prayer is a major solution to the Culture of Death. Let your voice be heard.
God Bless, Jerry Novotny, OMI
(Quote) "If we teach a young mother it is okay to take the life of her own child in the womb, we inevitably pull the thread that permeates the entire garment of the sanctity of life – forever." – Martin Palmer, pro-life advocate
LifeIssues.Net Newsletter #433 – July 26, 2009
Table Of Contents:
1. Women Who Have Repeat Abortions More Likely To Have Abusive Relationships
2. Face The Truth: Abortion Is Baby Murder
3. US Teen Sex Statistics Show 'Disheartening' Trend
4. Crucial Differences Between Non-Embryonic And Embryonic Stem Cells
5. Catholics Face Heavy Fines For Violating Vietnam's 2-Child Policy
6. Aids: Role Of Gay Men In Spreading Virus Is Ignored In Africa, Study Finds
7. Columnist Reveals Shocking Problems That Declining Fertility Is Bringing Europe
8. Contraception And The Church
9. Non-Embryonic Stem Cells Pass Major Hurdle In Mice
10. Catholic Nurse Ordered To Help With Abortion
11. Vatican Cardinal: Abortion An Atrocity Unprecedented In Human History
12. World's Elderly To Overtake Number Of InfantsFocus On Asia: "ASEAN in final stage of forming human rights body" – Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to adopt a key document concerning the setting up of a regional human rights body, ASEAN sources said Saturday.
Item #1. Women Who Have Repeat Abortions More Likely To Have Abusive Relationships
A new study from England finds that women who have repeat abortions are more likely to be involved in abusive relationships with their partner. The findings should prompt abortion centers to do a better job of assisting women who may be pressured or coerced by a violent partner into having an abortion.View full article at LifeNews.com
Item #2. Face The Truth: Abortion Is Baby Murder
The reason that abortion is legal in this country is that unborn children don't vote, and they don't make campaign contributions, so they don't have the political clout to get their safety protected. That's the same reason why there in no law requiring seat belts on school buses in Illinois and most other states.View full article at chicagonow.com
Item #3. US Teen Sex Statistics Show 'Disheartening' Trend
Birth rates among teenagers are on the rise again in the United States after large declines between 1991 and 2005, according to a report from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Other sexual health indictors also have flattened or worsened in what the CDC calls a "disheartening" reversal. Predictably, there are calls for "better sex education" – meaning more stuff about condoms and pills, evidently.View full article at MercatorNet.com
Item #4. Crucial Differences Between Non-Embryonic And Embryonic Stem Cells
The heart of the stem-cell controversy centers on the aforementioned fact that the extraction of stem cells from 5- to 12-day embryos kills the embryo. But that's not the only issue: In addition, stem cells derived from an embryonic human may, in turn, reject the person who receives them. Another problem is that the embryonic stem cells can unpredictably cause cancer in the treated patient.View full article at The Center For Vision and Values
Item #5. Catholics Face Heavy Fines For Violating Vietnam's 2-Child Policy
Catholics in Vietnam are facing heavy fines for failing to adhere to the nation's two-child policy, which has been in force since 1994. One parish priest says that 90% of his parishioners have paid fines rather than violate Church teaching against artificial contraception. Catholics account for 6% of the nation's population of 86 million.
View full article at UCANewsItem #6. Aids: Role Of Gay Men In Spreading Virus Is Ignored In Africa, Study Finds
The role of gay sex in the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS in Africa has been long ignored, say the authors of a new study in the medical journal Lancet. While most transmission of the virus in Africa is heterosexual, 19 recent studies of African men who have sex with men show that they have "considerably higher" infection rates than other adult men in their respective countries, said the authors, who were from Oxford University and research institutions in Ghana and Kenya.See the full article at NYT
Item #7. Columnist Reveals Shocking Problems That Declining Fertility Is Bringing Europe
Why is our educated, prosperous society choosing not to reproduce itself? So asks Charles Moore in the UK's Telegraph newspaper. We're better able to afford children than any other generation in history, he notes. But because there are fewer children, "the change is not marginal, but drastic". In 1960, OECD countries had a fertility rate of 3.2 children. Today's rate is 1.6, well below the "replacement rate" of 2.1 – the number a society needs merely to stay in existence.Article is located at Family and Life
Item #8. Contraception And The Church
The problem in the modern world is that we have confused lust for love. When lust (self-gratification) is a person's paradigm for sex, he or she will view everything the Church teaches as a hindrance. But when loving as God loves is a person's paradigm for sex, everything the Church teaches not only makes sense, it becomes the sure path for discovering true love.Article can be found at Theology of the Body
Item #9. Non-Embryonic Stem Cells Pass Major Hurdle In Mice
Two teams of Chinese scientists have made a major advance in mice in the development of a new kind of stem cell that doesn't involve destroying embryos. Those cells are derived from ordinary skin cells, and when they were created two years ago from human skin and genetically reprogrammed, it was hailed as a breakthrough. But questions remained whether they could act as chameleon-like as embryonic stem cells and morph into any cell type in the body.View entire text at AP
Item #10. Catholic Nurse Ordered To Help With Abortion
A lawsuit has been filed against Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City for requiring a nurse who had a long record of expressing conscientious objection to abortions to help in the dismemberment of a live 22-week-old preborn child.View entire text at WorldNetDaily
Item #11. Vatican Cardinal: Abortion An Atrocity Unprecedented In Human History
Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, blasted Spain's abortion laws during a July 20 lecture in Madrid. Referring to the 47 million surgical abortions that take place annually, Cardinal Cañizares called abortion "something unprecedented in the history of humanity." Emphasizing the penalty of "immediate excommunication," the cardinal added, "This practice is a crime, the killing of a human life, an innocent, weak and defenseless human being. Is there any other greater atrocity?"View entire text at Catholic Culture
Item #12. World's Elderly To Overtake Number Of Infants
The world's population is becoming steadily greyer with the number of people aged over 65 on course to overtake the number of infants for the first time in history, a study has found.View full article at Telegraph.co.uk
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. All prior email Newsletters Archives are located online.
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". It is a project which appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed 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).
Get a weekly dose of clear thinking: subscribe to our free Lifeissues newsletter! Sign up on main page of www.LifeIssues.net. Pass this free service to your friends and various groups.
Contact Editor: Jerry Novotny, OMI; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; Tel/Fax: 088-843-0406; E-Mail: jerry@lifeissues.net (or) jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp.
Websites by Editor:
English LifeIssues Site: http://www.lifeissues.net,
Japanese LifeIssues Site: http://www.japan-lifeissues.net,
OMI Site: http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html.8. LifeIssues.Net Newsletter #434 – August 2, 2009
Greetings from LifeIssues.net (www.LifeIssues.net)
Dear Friends for Life,
South Korea's birth dearth looks at French efforts. Between the years 2000 and 2005, the number of children born per women in Korea dropped to 1.19. The total number of infants delivered dropped from 630,000 to 430,000. France has managed to up its fertility rate, now having 1.94 children born per woman. It has subsidized children and families, granted more maternity leave, and allowed part-time work for women. A Korean government official said, "To properly handle the falling fertility rate, more families should be eligible for more subsidies and larger benefits then current levels."
Brazil's population is AGING rapidly. Only four years ago, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimated that within forty years its fertility rate will dip to 1.8 children per woman, this being insufficient to replace current population. Now an official study has confirmed that it has already reached this low number, along with its comment that the fertility rate will continue to decline.
God Bless, Jerry Novotny, OMI
(Quote) "It isn't bad luck and bad people that cause our unhappiness.
It's bad choices." – Hal UrbanLifeIssues.Net Newsletter #434 – August 2, 2009
Table Of Contents:
1. The Royal College Of Nursing (RCN) Neutral On Assisted Suicide
2. Healthcare Reform Sets Off Euthanasia Alarm
3. Dying With Dignitas Is Starting To Look Grubby
4. Grassroots Initiative Calls For Clarification Of Common Ground Through On-Line Petition: Contraception, Root Of Abortion
5. New Artificial Stem Cells Have Their Own Ethical Issues
6. Proclaiming The Gospel By Caring For Our Elderly
7. Divorce 'Health Scars Permanent'
8. Stop Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
9. Amnesty Condemns Nicaragua's Abortion Ban
10. 13 Million Abortions A Year In China: Report
11. What Should We Do With The Frozen Embryos?
12. Where Teen Pregnancies Come From – The Brits Still Don't Get ItFocus On Asia: "Myanmar court adjourns Aung San Suu Kyi verdict" – The Myanmar court scheduled to deliver a verdict in the high-profile trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Friday it was not yet ready to make a decision and adjourned until Aug. 11, diplomats said. The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is charged with violating the terms of her house arrest by harboring an American man who swam to her house uninvited. She faces up to five years in prison.
Item #1. The Royal College Of Nursing (RCN) Neutral On Assisted Suicide
The college has now adopted a neutral stance, neither supporting nor opposing a change in the law. Health staff who provide patients with the drugs needed to kill themselves can face up to 14 years in prison. The move comes as a survey for a newspaper suggests 74% of people want doctors to be able to help people to end their lives.
Comment: It has long been the strategy of the euthanasia enthusiasts to push for health care groups to change their position to neutral – especially by polls showing at least a significant minority of members open to euthanasia. All they need is neutrality on the issue to promote changing the law to accommodate "diversity". Then, as with abortion in the new administration, these enthusiasts work to strip conscience rights from those of us who refuse to participate in killing by declaring us "second-rate" professionals who deprive suffering people of all their legal "options." – Nancy Valko, RNView full article at BBC News
Item #2. Healthcare Reform Sets Off Euthanasia Alarm
A health economist warns that President Obama's government-run healthcare plan may result in denying care to a significant number of Americans, especially senior citizens.Comment: We're sharing this article which provides good reasons why seniors and the disabled should be alarmed, calling their Congressmen and speaking up, and why those who care about them should do the same.
The seniors and disabled are being pressured and the message given them is that they are not wanted, that society will not pay for their care, that they should just roll over and die if they get seriously ill. This is not the American way. People need to wake up and see what is happening in our nation, very swiftly.
What will happen when appropriate treatment for seniors and the disabled is denied by proposed health care reforms? They will be shunted over to hospice, given pain medications they don't need and they will die. And when they are dead, the government that "promised everything" won't have to pay out for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid even though many of those seniors worked all their lives and paid in Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, income taxes and all sorts of other taxes. – Ron Panzer
View full article at OneNewsNow
Item #3. Dying With Dignitas Is Starting To Look Grubby
Some called their end romantic but a nurse from the Swiss "suicide clinic" where Sir Edward Downes and his wife Joan ended their lives together with a glass of poison has warned Britons not to be fooled into following their example. "There is nothing dignified or uplifting about it," says Soraya Wernli, a former employee of Dignitas, the Swiss organization that assists those who choose to end their lives. The word "clinic", she says, is an exalted epithet for "just one person who has found a way to make a lot of money out of death and the fear of it".
View full article at Times OnlineItem #4. Grassroots Initiative Calls For Clarification Of Common Ground Through On-Line Petition: Contraception, Root Of Abortion
Founders of The Leaven call all people for the common good to sign an online petition stating that contraception is the root of abortion and that it is allegiance to natural and divine law written on the human heart regarding human sexuality that will protect not only the unborn, but ultimately the poor, the handicapped, the elderly, and the nation from anti-life ideologies. "We are gathering signatures addressed to lawmakers and civic and church leaders" says co-founder Alton Davis.View full article at Christian Newswire
Item #5. New Artificial Stem Cells Have Their Own Ethical Issues
Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are created by reprogramming adult tissue into a versatile, embryo-like state, have been described as an ethical breakthrough.Like embryonic stem cells, these powerful master cells seem to have the ability to form all the different kinds of tissue in the body, giving them invaluable potential for regenerative medicine. Yet, as they do not have to be harvested from an embryo, destroying it in the process, their use is acceptable to many religious groups that oppose embryonic stem-cell research.
These reprogrammed cells, however, address only in part the moral objections of those who think that embryos have the same right to life as born people. They also raise their own ethical challenges.
The cells may not require the destruction of embryos but they are very much products of embryo research. Studies of embryonic stem cells were essential to the development of the genetic engineering that is used to "turn back the clock" on adult skin cells, so they acquire versatile properties.
View full article at Times Online
Item #6. Proclaiming The Gospel By Caring For Our Elderly
In an effort to answer the demand for practical steps by which the church can demonstrate its essential witness-bearing love for one another, there is perhaps no greater opportunity emerging than that of caring for the aging saints.
See the full article at Dakota VoiceItem #7. Divorce 'Health Scars Permanent'
A Chicago study involving 8,652 people aged 51 to 61 found divorced people have 20% more chronic illnesses such as cancer than those who never marry.Article is located at BBC News
Item #8. Stop Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
President Barack Obama is pushing hard for passage of massive "health care reform." Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate are working to comply with the president's request. Support for such reform is waning according to recent polls. But some want to avoid close examination of the fine print.Article can be found at stltoday.com
Item #9. Amnesty Condemns Nicaragua's Abortion Ban
Amnesty International has issued a report condemning Nicaragua's ban on abortion in extremely vivid language. Calling it a "disgrace" and a "human-rights scandal," Amnesty said that the Nicaraguan law "ridicules medical science and distorts the law into a weapon against the provision of essential medical care to pregnant girls and women." Amnesty International has forfeited the support of pro-life donors by taking an aggressive stand in favor of legal abortion.View entire text at CNN
Item #10. 13 Million Abortions A Year In China: Report
China performs about 13 million abortions every year, mostly for single young women who experts say know little about contraception, state media said today in a rare disclosure of sensitive family planning statistics.View entire text at Irish Examiner
Item #11. What Should We Do With The Frozen Embryos?
The infertility industry has become an embryo mass-production line with virtually no legal oversight or national regulation. Catering to strong parental desires, it is a multibillion dollar business aptly described as the "wild west of infertility." To start to bring this into check, strong laws and regulations like those found in Germany and Italy are urgently needed. In those countries, no more than three embryos may be produced for each infertility treatment, and all three must be implanted into their mother. Extra embryos may not be produced or frozen; as a result, there are essentially no frozen embryos stored in German and Italian fertility clinics.View entire text at CERC
Item #12. Where Teen Pregnancies Come From – The Brits Still Don't Get It
A programme launched by the British government in 2004 to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in the UK has had the opposite effect, a study published in the British Medical Journal shows. Young girls who followed the programme were nearly three times as likely to become pregnant, about 1.75 times more likely to have sex and also more likely to expect to be a teenage parent.View full article at MercatorNet.com
Additional material: Reducing pregnancy and health risk behaviours in teenagers
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. All prior email Newsletters Archives are located online.
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". It is a project which appeals for donations to help finance plane travel for lectures and seminars to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed 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).
Get a weekly dose of clear thinking: subscribe to our free Lifeissues newsletter! Sign up on main page of www.LifeIssues.net. Pass this free service to your friends and various groups.
Contact Editor: Jerry Novotny, OMI; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; Tel/Fax: 088-843-0406; E-Mail: jerry@lifeissues.net (or) jerry@shirt.ocn.ne.jp.
Websites by Editor:
English LifeIssues Site: http://www.lifeissues.net,
Japanese LifeIssues Site: http://www.japan-lifeissues.net,
OMI Site: http://www.omijapankorea.net/index.html.9. New Brunswick Right To Life Group Takes Transit To HRC Over Refusal Of Bus Ads – August 9, 2009
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
FREDERICTON, July 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Fredericton Right to Life Association has filed a complaint with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission against Fredericton Transit for its refusal to allow pro-life ads on its buses.
In the fall of 2008, the transit authority refused to sell advertising space to the pro-life group because it deemed the advertising to be political commentary.
The ads, which ran in over 50 communities, were part of a nationwide pro-life campaign, coordinated by Life Canada. The ads depict a pregnant woman in profile. At the top are the words, "Nine months: the length of time abortion is allowed in Canada. No medical reason needed." At the bottom is the question, "Abortion, have we gone too far?"
The wording was subsequently changed to satisfy an Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) decision that ruled the ads "deceptive," because the ads did not mention "access issues." The revised version read: "The Human heart begins to beat 21 days after conception. Currently in Canada that heartbeat can be stopped up until birth. No medical reason needed. Abortion. Have we gone too far?"
Fredericton Right to Life spokesman Thaddee Renault said a recent 8-0 Canadian Supreme Court ruling against transit officials in British Columbia who had refused political ads on Vancouver buses, gives weight to his claim of discrimination. The ruling should also be applied equally to Fredericton Transit, he said.
"I would like to see them change their position on political advertising and not just to allow the politicians to be able to put out political beliefs," Renault told the Daily Gleaner.
"As a private citizen, as an organization, we should be able to put something out. What we were intending to do is educate, but they considered it a political advertisement," Renault said.
"This is where I said that they were sort of treading on our freedom of expression, our political activities and political beliefs. I'm not against any advertising, but if they can, we can. It's discrimination. That's what it is. All I'm interested in is a change in city policy."
The Fredericton pro-life group is optimistic that their complaint to the HRC will prove to be successful.
Hamilton Right to Life filed an identical human rights complaint against that city, after it banned pro-life ads on its buses, saying that they were "offensive" and "totally inappropriate."
The City of Hamilton subsequently dropped its ban after the ad's wording was altered to satisfy the ASC decision and the city revised its rules so as to allow pro-life advertisements to be displayed in city buses.
Hamilton Right to Life then consented to drop its complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission that charged the city with violating the group's right to freedom of expression and denying it equal treatment.
LifeSiteNews reported earlier this month that legal experts have suggested that the Supreme Court decision in the BC litigation will benefit the pro-life cause, since the principles applied to that case will be transferable to advertising of pro-life and other related issues on buses, bus stops, and other public areas.
See related LSN coverage:
Buses Cannot Refuse Political Ads, Supreme Court of Canada Rules in B.C. Case
Right to Life Group Files Complaint with Ontario Human Rights Commission
Hamilton Right to Life Wins Ad Battle – Pro Life Ads Are Back on Buses and Shelters
Pro-Life Ads Pointing Out Fact that in Canada Abortion is Permitted Until Birth are Ruled "Deceptive"
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10. Todays’ Family News From Focus On The Family Canada – August 9, 2009Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.
Todays' Family News from Focus on the Family Canada
Summer 2009
What is true compassion? Many would argue that compassion, even in its most passive form, is exemplified by the sentiment “live and let live.” In presenting Bill-C384 to parliament recently, MP Francine Lalonde took a contrary view, implying that “die and let die” is a more merciful response to those facing terminal illness. Our feature article by Derek Miedema questions Lalonde’s argument that euthanasia is, in fact, an act of compassion. He cautions that the “death with dignity” mantra overlooks important alternatives that offer life with dignity.
Our second article looks at the Saskatchewan government’s efforts to find a compassionate, inclusive approach that allows marriage commissioners to decline requests to perform civil “marriage” ceremonies for same-sex couples. These measures do not sit well with dissenters who champion personal freedoms such as gay “marriage,” but would deny others the freedom to follow their religious convictions.
In another act of compassion, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the preferences of teenagers under the age of 16 must be taken into account when determining the course of their medical treatment. Others caution, however, that such benevolence is misguided. But while young teens may not have the maturity to make the best decision when their life is on the line, they are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to putting their life online: 76 per cent of Canada’s web-savvy teens now have a personal profile on a social networking site.
Derek Rogusky
Senior Vice-President
Focus on the Family CanadaEuthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada
Written by Derek Miedema, a researcher at the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada
Member of Parliament Francine Lalonde is currently engaged in her third attempt to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. Her private member’s bill, Bill C-384, would see doctors fulfilling requests to die for those over age 18 who “appear lucid.”
Introducing her bill into the House of Commons on May 13, Ms. Lalonde began by saying:
“Mr. Speaker, the time has come for this Parliament to find a way to decriminalize medical assistance in dying, which is of such vital importance to those whose suffering can no longer be relieved except by this ultimate compassion” (italics added).
Saskatchewan seeks ruling on marriage commissioner bill
The Saskatchewan government has asked the Court of Appeal to give its opinion on two legislative options that would exempt at least some marriage commissioners from “marrying” a same-sex couple if such a “marriage” is against their religious beliefs, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported.
“Mature” teens given say in medical treatments
The Supreme Court of Canada has told the nation’s courts that they must take into consideration the views of “mature adolescents” – teenagers under the age of 16 – in cases involving their refusal to submit to potentially life-saving medical treatments, the National Post reported.
The 6-1 ruling handed down on June 25 stresses that the “best interests of the child” remains the overriding principle in such cases. But it does require judges to take into account a minor’s intellectual capacity and his or her level of “mature, independent judgment” to decide these things for themselves.
Three-in-four teens have social network profile
Canada’s teenagers are dramatically outpacing their parents when it comes to developing and managing a social network profile, a new Ipsos-Reid study has discovered.
It found that in the 18 months since a similar survey was conducted, the proportion of “online teens” with a social network profile had jumped from 50 per cent to 76 per cent. The proportion of “online adults” also increased over that same period, but at a much lower pace, rising from 39 per cent to just 56 per cent.
According to a new study by Common Sense Media, about one-in-three [American] middle and high school students say they’ve used a cell phone to cheat. More than half say they’ve cheated using the Internet. And about 25 per cent of respondents believe such tech-savvy cheating shouldn’t be classified as cheating at all. While 76 per cent of parents understand that some students probably do cheat using cell phones, only three per cent think their own kids are guilty.
[/Source: PluggedinOnline.com, 06/01/09;/ NYTimes.com, 5/27/09/]
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11. Turkish Women With Abortions Have 66% Increase In Breast Cancer Risk August 9, 2009
Study: Turkish Women with Abortions Have Statistically Significant 66% Increase in Breast Cancer Risk / Researchers Likely Underestimated the Risk, Reports Scientist
MEDIA ADVISORY, July 28 /Standard Newswire/ I guess they didn't get the 'memo' from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), which declared back in 2003 that the non-existence of the ABC (abortion-breast cancer) link had been 'established'"! Professor Joel Brind, Breast Cancer Prevention Institute.
A retrospective study conducted by Dr. Vahit Ozmen and his colleagues at the Istanbul Medical Faculty and Magee-Women's hospital reported a statistically significant 66% increase in breast cancer risk among women who'd had any abortions.
According to Joel Brind, professor of endocrinology at Baruch College, City University of New York and a director at the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, Ozmen's team most likely underestimated the breast cancer risk associated with abortion because of a flaw known as "selection bias."
Selection bias would also explain their team's unusual findings - significantly decreased risks for women who use oral contraceptives (OCs) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The World Health Organization and the NCI acknowledge that use of combined (estrogen + progestin) OCs and combined HRT increase risk. Selection bias is a flaw in the study because only hospital or clinic patients were selected as study subjects, and they were therefore not representative of the general population. According to Brind's hypothesis, a disproportionate number of "modern" women were likely represented among the controls, a group more likely to use HRT and OCs, have abortions and visit the hospital often for minor complaints. By contrast, a disproportionate number of "traditional" women were represented among the patients; women less likely to use HRT and OCs, have abortions and visit the hospital (except in cases of serious illness, like breast cancer).
To their credit, Dr. Ozmen et al. did acknowledge the likelihood of selection bias in their study, although they were not specific in attributing any effects on their results to it.
Brind's analysis of Ozmen's research can be read here.
"Although the NCI, the nation's largest funder of cancer-research, and others have worked feverishly to suppress the ABC link by publishing fraudulent research and even leaning on scientists whose studies have shown risk increases among women who have abortions, honest research occasionally escapes the NCI's purview," declared Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer.
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.
References:
1. Ozmen et al. Breast cancer risk factors in Turkish women a university hospital-based nested case control study. World J Surg Onc 2009;7:37. Available here.
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12. United States Signs New UN Treaty – August 6, 2009
Volume 12, Number 34
Dear Colleague,
The Obama administration has signed a new UN treaty that has caused an uproar among some in the pro-life community. The treaty focuses on issues of non-discrimination for people with disabilities. As with all UN business, the treaty also mentions “reproductive health,” the first time the phrase has been used in a binding treaty. Does this create a right to abortion? We explore.
We also report on a report from a radical homosexual group that teaches other radicals how to subvert the UN’s treaty monitoring system in order to advance special rights for homosexuals. Spread the word.Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
PresidentU.S. Signs Disabilities Treaty, Sparking "Reproductive Health" Concerns – By Piero A. Tozzi
(NEW YORK – C-FAM) Late last week, United States (US) Ambassador to the Untied Nations (UN) Susan Rice signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – the first binding UN treaty to mention "sexual and reproductive health" – on behalf of the US. While this has prompted concern among certain advocates for the unborn, veteran pro-life UN observers counsel that the term should not be construed to include abortion. At the time of the treaty's adoption in 2006, delegates debated including the phrase amid worries among pro-lifers that certain pro-abortion organizations like the Center for Reproductive Rights might claim that the term was elastic enough to include abortion. Read more.
Radical Homosexual Group Targets CEDAW To Push "Gender Identity" Agenda – by Samantha Singson
(NEW YORK – C-FAM) The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) recently released a handbook for activists on how to use the United Nations committee, responsible for overseeing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to introduce "fluid" concepts of "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" into the established human rights arena. The IGLHRC handbook's "key terms" glossary deems gender and sexuality not to be rooted in biology, but based on "social constructs." Read more
ditor in Chief – Austin Ruse
Managing Editor – Piero Tozzi
Assistant Managing Editor – Hannah Russo
Chief Correspondent – Samantha Singson
Contributors – Susan Yoshihara / Katharina RothweilerTo subscribe: hannah@c-fam.org
Copyright © 2009 Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
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