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1. Adult-Porn Industry Drives Child Porn Views – December 13, 2007
Family News in Focus
'We’ve got to attack all points where people are being treated as sexual commodities.'
Communities across America are struggling with news of doctors, businessmen, educators and the average family man being caught downloading graphic, illegal images of child porn.
A wealthy Texas businessman was busted over possession of child porn on his computer. Just down the road, a third-grade teacher in Houston was prosecuted over the same abusive material.
John Shehan, project manager for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said the problem is fuelled by a pervasive adult-porn industry.
“They build up a tolerance effect," he said, "similar to drug abusers, where they are searching for a new high, and they migrate into child pornography.”
Daniel Weiss, senior analyst for media and sexuality at Focus on the Family Action, said the industry creates an appetite for child porn by advertising “teen porn” and “barely legal” porn.
“The whole object is to convince the user that younger is better," he said. "It’s only natural that at some point, people believe it’s OK to sexually exploit anyone, whether they want it or not, or whether they are children or not.”
Weiss said prosecuting illegal adult pornography is a good place to start.
"We’ve got to attack all points on the spectrum where people are being treated as sexual commodities," he said, "and that includes adult pornography that’s illegal.”
If you enjoy reading stories like this one, sign up for the free CitizenLink Daily Update e-mail. http://www.citizenlink.org/CLFeatures/A000001970.cfm You'll get news and commentary from Focus on the Family Action delivered right to your computer.
2. BBC: Cell Transplant For Heart Attack – December 7, 2007
Transplanting genetically engineered cells into the heart may reduce the risk of a fatal condition, which occurs after heart attack, research suggests.
Ventricular tachycardia – an unusually fast heart rhythm – is the main cause of sudden death after heart attack.
In mice, transplants of skeletal muscle cells engineered to produce a specific protein prevented the condition.
Experts said the study in Nature should help to direct research on using stem cells to treat heart attacks in humans.
The German researchers tested a variety of cells in mice who had been induced to have heart attacks.
The nice thing about skeletal muscle is it has adult stem cells so you can take a biopsy of the thigh muscle and grow millions and millions of cells in culture – Dr. Bernard Fleischmann
They found that heart cells taken from 15-day-old embryos reduced the risk of ventricular tachycardia but other implanted cells, such as skeletal muscle cells, did not.
It was found that a protein present in embryonic heart cells but not the other cells – connexin 43 – was the key.
By engineering skeletal muscle cells, which are more readily available than embryonic cells, to produce connexin 43, the researchers found the cells were equally effective in preventing heart arrhythmia.
Tests on the ability of the implanted cells to conduct an electrical current – an important function of heart cells – found the signal was passed between implanted and existing heart tissue.
Clear drop
Study leader Dr Bernd Fleischmann, from the University of Bonn, said more research would have to be done before the technique could be used in humans but the study was important.
"The incidence of ventricular tachycardia dropped by 60%.
"We clearly showed these cells improved electrical stability.
"The nice thing about skeletal muscle is it has adult stem cells so you can take a biopsy of the thigh muscle and grow millions and millions of cells in culture."
He said there were ongoing clinical trials using skeletal muscle and bone marrow cells to try and restore pump function of the heart but this was the first study to look at arrhythmias.
Current treatment for patients who develop ventricular tachycardia after a heart attack is for a defibrillator to be implanted under the skin.
The expensive device gives a painful electric shock if it detects a fast heart beat.
Dr Tim Chico, an expert in vascular development at the University of Sheffield, said the study was preliminary.
But he added: "If it can be repeated in humans it would be a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with heart disease and could save thousands of lives."
British Heart Foundation medical director, Peter Weissberg, said: "This is a vital insight, only possible from animal studies, which should help direct current research using stem cells to prevent the dangerous consequences of heart attacks in people.
"However, application of this technique to people with heart disease is still a long way off."
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7129376.stm
Published: 2007/12/06 01:29:35 GMT – © BBC MMVII
3.
U.S. Department of Justice has all the tools it needs to stop U.S. commercial pornographers but is not using those tools – By John Connolly
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 15, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The pervasive use of pornography in western society appears to be the cause of 6 of 10 men polled indicating they would rape a woman if there was no chance of getting caught. This is according to a recent study by the Journal of Research in Personality, a report that experts are linking to the consumption of pornography.
The study showed that 60% of men polled would rape or force a woman to do something she didn't want to do if they were sure they could do so with impunity. Mary Anne Layden, co-director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cognitive Therapy, said there is a correlation between viewing porn and aggressive sexual behaviour among individuals. The results of the study reflect attitudes and behaviour that she attributes to prolonged exposure to pornography.
"These messages lead to permission-giving beliefs," she said, "for violence, sexual entitlement, that I should be able to have sex whenever I want, however I want, wherever I want, with whomever I want."
Layden also said that people who use pornography start to think sex is a form of recreation and that sex isn't about intimacy, love, or respect.
"What this statistic shows is that men will go from just consuming pornography on a regular basis to acting out," said Patrick Trueman, special counsel for the Alliance Defence Fund, a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the truth.
In an interview concerning pornography in March, Trueman was critical of the government's failure to stop pornography, especially on the Internet.
"The U.S. Department of Justice has all the tools it needs to stop U.S. commercial pornographers, who are responsible for most Internet pornography, from operating illegally on the Internet, but those tools are just not being used," he said.
The pornography industry took in more than $13 billion last year, and provides millions of the Internet's websites.
In 2004, Senator Sam Brownback called for more research to uncover the destructive effect of pornography addiction following a U.S. Senate hearing discussing the dangers of pornography addiction. During that hearing, Layden said pornography addiction has similar effects on the brain as heroin or crack cocaine addiction.
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
Pornography "One of the Most Pervasive and Destructive Problems in Our Society" – Philly Cardinal: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06060908.html
Large Increase in Porn DVD Sales Indicates Growing Pornography Addiction:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121603.html
Pornography Addiction Destroying Lives, US Senate Told:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/nov/04111909.html
4. Has A Secular Humanist Ever Lied To You – By Tim Bloedow – December 5, 2007
Weather-related complications, my latest commentary for No Apologies was posted yesterday instead of Monday. You can find the full commentary here:
Don't forget to place your Christmas order for a copy of "State vs. Church:
Before reading today's commentary, here is some very kind feedback we recently received from a reader: "Blessings to you and I wanted to thank you for your newsletters. Your most recent one on the victory of the church in history I have forwarded to my defeatist ... friends and I hope it will start to wake them up. I believe we are reading the same authors for all you write about in your book and newsletters I have read before, but now you put it into a Canadian context for which I am very grateful. I am home-schooling my children and we have ... recently left our church and are planning to join [a] new church plant [that] will focus on cultural transformation based on a Christian worldview in every area of life, evangelization, Christian education and more. ... God is certainly doing something to wake up the Church in Canada. We plan to be a part of it. Blessings and thank you for your courage and faithfulness." – LV
Has a Secular Humanist ever lied to you?
If Secular Humanists are so morally superior to everyone else, why do they have to engage in so much lying and dishonesty to advance their agenda? Anything that passes for serious Secular Humanist thought is full of nonsense.
This week, a couple of examples:
The homosexualist political movement, which is Secularist at root, is always a good place to find fundamentally anti-rational material.
We have been flooded in recent weeks with news stories from around the Western world about the increased rates of HIV/AIDS. These reports typically note that the rate is rising most among men who have sex with men.
Nevertheless, homosexualist liars have been trying to make out for years that HIV/AIDS is not a "homosexual disease" because of rising rates among heterosexuals. And wouldn't you know it – a report released last week about increased HIV/AIDS cases in Washington, DC reveals a larger percentage of cases of transmission through "heterosexual contact" than through "homosexual contact."
For the rest of the article, go here:
5. Helium In An 'Exit Bag' New Choice For Suicide – Saturday, December 8, 2007
Another case of the Death Movement promoting techniques for suicide in order to later claim that we need to legalize this to enable controls on the practice. Therefore by encouraging people to kill themselves by asphyxiation they hope to pressure the law to be changed. – Alex Schadenberg
Helium in an 'exit bag' new choice for suicide – Saturday, December 8, 2007
At least 19 people in B.C. have used method since 1999, assisted or not, criminologist discovers
Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun – Saturday, December 08, 2007
A Vancouver expert on the international right-to-die movement says helium inhalation has become a method of choice for people, including British Columbians who want to die by assisted suicide.
Kwantlen College criminologist Russel Ogden said that at least 19 people in B.C. have committed suicide by using helium since 1999, according to statistics compiled for him by the Coroner's Service of B.C.
Ogden acknowledged that he has no way of knowing whether these people committed suicide because they had a terminal or progressively debilitating illness -- or because they were mentally ill.
But the figures, Ogden said, reflect a trend in the underground right-to-die community -- which he calls the "death counterculture" -- toward asphyxiation with helium for people ravaged by incurable suffering.
"What these B.C. statistics indicate is that a new method for suicide has entered the public consciousness."
Ogden said the technique of asphyxiation by helium inhalation first gained public exposure in the assisted-suicide community with the release in 2000 of the third edition of Final Exit, the landmark book written by Hemlock Society founder Derek Humphry, a primer on suicide and assisted suicide.
Information about the helium option has since been disseminated through the Internet, including YouTube, and various handbooks, he added.
The helium method basically involves a person placing an "exit bag" over his head with the helium entering the bag through a tube.
Helium is seen as a swift, highly lethal and painless way to die without involving physicians or drugs. Helium is also nearly undetectable in toxicological probes, which is important for people assisting a suicide because of the potential of criminal charges.
Kwantlen criminologist Ogden said the 19 deaths recorded by the Coroner's Service under-represent the number of deaths in B.C. involving helium.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Ogden, who has researched the assisted-death movement for many years.
Ogden said the coroner's service figures only involve cases where equipment related to the use of helium was found.
The figures don't include cases where death is assisted by activists who remove all equipment or evidence so that the death is attributed to an underlying illness or undetermined causes, Ogden said.
"I have data provided to me by activists in the right-to-die movement between 1999 and 2002 on over 100 helium-related cases in North America that were unreported in any forensic literature."
Ogden said helium inhalation has become the preferred method among activists in the Final Exit Network, an underground U.S. group which helps people kill themselves.
Final Exit is an offshoot of the much larger Compassion and Choices, which lobbies for political changes such as the Oregon model of physician-assisted suicide for dying patients.
The best-known recent case of assisted suicide in B.C. involved Evelyn Martens, a Vancouver Island grandmother and right-to-die activist, who was charged with assisting two women to commit suicide.
One of the women, Monique Charest, a former nun, was found dead in her Duncan apartment in 2002. Evidence at trial revealed that Charest used the helium method to end her life.
Martens, who was an executive member of the Right to Die Network of Canada and an agent for "Last Rights" Publications, was acquitted in 2004.
Ogden, who teaches a course at Kwantlen called "Socio-legal Aspects of Assisted Death," said the emergence of new methods such as helium inhalation don't appear to spur any rise in the number of suicides. "What we know is that when a new method is found, people simply change their methods. The statistical incidence of suicide doesn't increase."
The emergence of helium as a method stems from Canadian and American laws prohibiting assisted suicide -- except in the state of Oregon.
"It certainly shows that necessity is the mother of all invention," said Ogden.
dward@png.canwest.com – © The Vancouver Sun 2007
6. International Right To Life Federation, Inc. – December 13, 2007
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Embryonic Stem Cell Debate is Over This is a judgment that is being made by many experts and organizations around the world. The research of Dr. J. Thompson and Dr. S. Yamanaka, done independently, just published in the journals Science and Cell, respectively, has shown that with a fairly simple process, embryonic type stem cells can be produced directly from ordinary human skin cells. This now can be done without creating or killing human embryos. We hold our breath and pinch ourselves to be sure that this in fact is what everyone says it is, for it is a historic achievement. This has dramatically expanded the scientific possibilities for stem cells and it has done it within a completely ethical pattern. This however does not completely clear the way for the use of embryonic type stem cells, for very possibly the tendency for these cells to form tumours may well also be present in these new cells. If so, they still could not be usable in human trials. Even if that is true, however, the remarkable continuing discoveries around the legitimate use of adult stem cells continue. For all of this, we can be thankful. Bulgaria - One of Highest Abortion Rates Studying 61 countries globally, a new UN report informs us that Bulgaria has one of the highest abortion rates in the world, aborting more than twice as many babies per thousand women as the average nation. Vietnam The reports from the Central Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Hanoi, Vietnam detail high rates of infertility among women there who have had abortions. |
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Mexico's Abortion Count - Grossly Inflated A Los Angeles Times article had reported that one million illegal abortions a year had been occurring in Mexico before its recent legalization. However, in the six months since legalization in Mexico City, only 3,400 women have been aborted. This completely demolishes the absurd claim from the Times. Britain Will Create Human Animal Hybrids On 6 November, the British government announced that it intends to do this. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC Political Secretary, called this a “fateful decision, an unprecedented attack on the dignity of human life, leading the world in truly sinister experiments.” South African Nurse's Right of Conscience? A case has been referred to a top government agency, as to whether or not a nurse in South Africa has the right in conscience to refuse to participate in abortions. The nurse, Sister Wilhelmien Charles, was banned from her hospital three years ago for this reason. She has taken the case to the top court. Australia and Amnesty International All 328 Catholic schools in the Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese in Australia have been counselled to withdraw all aid to Amnesty International (AI) and to close their school sponsored Amnesty International support groups. It is noted that Ireland’s bishops have also begun to advise Catholic schools to terminate their AI support groups. |
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"Women Deliver" Conference Fails to Deliver This global conference presumably was called to illustrate prevention and treatment of problems of pregnancy and childbirth, particularly in developing countries and to offer solutions. The agenda however was almost totally preoccupied with promoting the ideology and practice of abortion. So much so, that the genuine health care needs of women and children were virtually ignored. The committee heads manufactured a false consensus that reflected only the views of the pro-abortion attendees, while at the same time it sidelined or ignored the main issues actually relating to maternal mortality, vaccine, clean water, sanitation, etc. Too bad, this was a major opportunity missed. Portugal - Fewer Abortions Than Expected According to health officials, this nation is seeing less than half the number of abortions that were expected when it recently legalized abortion. Currently about 25 abortions are done daily, which averages to about 9,000 abortions a year. The new law allows abortions up to ten weeks of pregnancy. As of late November, over 700 Portuguese doctors have signed a petition paper urging the nation’s medical association to continue to oppose abortion. This is in response to their premier who is initiating legal proceedings to force the doctors’ group to alter its code of ethics. Sweden - A New Mecca for Abortions The Swedish Parliament has authorized offering abortions to women from nations where it is illegal. The vote to approve it was 134 - 124, with 91 abstentions. Dominican Republic Demonstrations Continue A major march capped off a full month of pro-life demonstrations, including a massive demonstration at the Parliament in late October. Despite a heavy rainstorm, large numbers of people marched through the streets of its capital, Santo Domingo, to continue the protests against recent proposal by UN agencies to decriminalize abortion in this Caribbean nation. |
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WHO Abortion Study Fraudulent The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new study, which claims that abortions are just as frequent in nations where they are illegal as in those where it is legal. Examinations of the data however show this to be completely erroneous. Most of their figures, except in a few developed nations, are based on meagre data with a lot of assumption-laden extrapolations. Almost no underdeveloped countries maintain detailed birth or mortality records, and almost none have any abortion statistics. This makes even the roughest of estimates nothing but guess work. WHO often relies on “public source data” which may be a single journal article, or an unpublished document from a pro-abortion organization, e.g. in Uruguay it quoted studies done in the 1970s and the 1980s with sample sizes of 5, 14 and 23 individuals. From these few cases they extrapolated the number of deaths from illegal abortions for the entire country. This is ridiculous. Accordingly, the entire WHO study must be thrown into a wastebasket, as it is completely inaccurate and totally biased. WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, Have All Lied These three major UN organizations consistently claim that over 500 thousand women die worldwide from complications of pregnancy, with 99% of them from undeveloped countries. These claims have now been shown to be pure guesswork with no substantiation. The former head of UN statistics office, Dr. Joseph Chamie, gives us information. The WHO has stated that only 31 of 193 states internationally have reliable cause of death statistics, and close to two-thirds of all deaths in developing countries are unreported. Two years ago, the UN Population Division issued a report stating that more than one-third of the 204 countries or areas examined did not report deaths by cause, sex, and age even once. There has been no improvement noted in reporting since 1975. The above countries reporting “maternal mortality 2005” states that 99% of these half million deaths occur in developing countries. But given that these agencies themselves admit that this kind of data is all but impossible to get, it is evident that their claim of deaths is based on virtually no data whatsoever, and accordingly, should be almost completely ignored. |
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Wales - Morning After Pills Increase Pregnancies Despite government aid in giving morning after pills to young people, more fifteen to seventeen year olds than ever are aborting their babies. In 2005, it was 894, in 2006, 1,004. Second abortions have also risen in number. Rotary Club Pro-abortion A new report by Life Decisions International (LDI) details Rotary’s ties with groups that promote both abortion and population control. It has ties with the UN Children’s Fund and the UNFPA. It has created a Rotarian Fellowship for Population and Development to “support Rotary Club projects.” It provides grants to Rotary Clubs for population issues. LDI President Douglas Scott said, “This is no different than a hospital that commits abortion on one floor and has a pre-natal unit on other. On the one hand, Rotary works with population control agencies and on the other it inoculates children against polio.” Spain Population Going Down the Tube Since it legalized abortion in 1985, abortionists in Spain have killed more than 1.1 million Spanish babies and the number is rising. In 2006, 97,000 abortions were reported. Doctors Must Do Abortions? The National Abortion Federation has demanded that Canada force all doctors in the country to perform abortions whether they object morally or not. The Canadian Medical Association’s current policy states that doctors are not required to do abortions, nor do they have to refer women to another provider. The Canadian Medical Association did not favourably receive the National Abortion Federation’s demand. English Babies Killed for Minor Abnormalities The Daily Telegraph reports on eugenic abortions in its South West Congenital Anomaly Register. This shows that in three years abortion was used to kill 54 babies with clubfoot, 37 with cleft palate, and 26 with extra or webbed fingers or toes. |
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Harvard Gets No Women's Eggs In 2005, the state of Massachusetts passed a law prohibiting scientists from paying women to donate their eggs to research. It also required that they be given information about its health risks. Since then, Harvard has spent over $100,000 on ads to recruit female donors, but has not yet had a single woman contribute her eggs. Risks to the women include blood clots, strokes and even death. Premature Birth from Abortion The November issue of The Journal of Reproductive Medicine links premature births and cerebral palsy to prior abortion. This is the result of their examination of data from over 4 million births. Dr. Brian Calhoun of University of the West Virginia states that about one-third of babies who are considered very pre-term result from a woman’s prior abortion. Babies born before 32 weeks almost always have very low birth weight, and 8% of these develop cerebral palsy. Homosexuals Die Younger Paul and Kirk Cameron, at the Eastern Psychological Association Convention, detailed the above. Denmark has the longest history of homosexual marriage. For 1990 - 2000, its married heterosexual men died at a medium age of 74, whereas in the 561 homosexual male “marriages” the men died at an average age of 51. In Norway, married heterosexual men died at 77 years, homosexuals at 52. Further, “married” lesbians died 20 years earlier than married heterosexual women. Prior to this, reports of early deaths had come from obituaries in newspapers. These now come from official national statistics and conclusively prove this earlier death rate. Russia Attempts to Limit Abortion Responding to its demographic crisis, the Russian Health Ministry now requires a woman to sign a document prior to an abortion. It details the possibility of “suffering grave complications from abortions” and provides a list of potential medical hazards. The abortionist must also sign indicating he has fully disclosed the risks to the women. Russian population decline now stands at 700,000 per year. |
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Monkeys Have Been Cloned Since Dolly the sheep, we have seen increasing numbers of mammals cloned. The most difficult however have been primates, which includes monkeys and humans. Now for the first time scientists have cloned embryos from the cells of adult monkeys, using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique. Taking cells from these cloned embryos, they have successfully turned them into heart cells and brain neurons. The number of cloned monkey embryos is reported to have been 20. Foetal Cells Still in Mother's Body Foetal cells persist long after pregnancy in many women, and may give her an edge against developing breast cancer. This may be one of the reasons why women who have had babies have fewer cancers of the breast. One reason may be that these cells continue to keep the mother’s immune system on alert for abnormal cells, and thereby help her destroy cancer cells in the future. This is according to the article, “Foetal Microchimerism in Women with Breast Cancer” in October 1, 2007 issue of Cancer Research. Stem Cells Help Liver Disease At Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers have successfully treated rats with liver disease by injecting adult stem cells taken from their own bone marrow. Injecting these into their liver showed signs of it regenerating itself. If this can be verified, it would be a far better solution than a liver transplant. For Catholics - Feeding Tubes Obligatory In a major statement from the Vatican, the Catholic Church clarified its position that giving of food and water to people in so-called vegetative state is, with exceptions, morally obligatory. In retrospect, this statement clearly included as relevant, the prolonged starvation-dehydration of Terri Schiavo in Florida in 2005. |
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Adult Stem Cells Heal Muscles In the September journal, Nature Biotechnology, Drs. J. Huard and B. Peault at University of Pittsburgh have discovered stem cells taken from the lining of blood vessels (myoendothelial cells) that are easily isolated, grow rapidly, and will differentiate into muscle, bone, and cartilage, making them ideally suited for muscle injuries and diseases. Adult Stem Cells Can Restore Memory After Injury In research by Dr. M. Blurton-Jones at University of California, Irvine, neuro adult stem cells have actually restored memory lost from an injury. There have been well-publicized studies of such stem cells restoring lost of motor function, but this is the first one relating to memory. Contraceptives Clog Arteries A study of 1,301 women, age 33 to 55 in Ghent University in Belgium, reporting to the American Heart Association Meeting, November 7, 2007, stated that the likelihood of finding plaques narrowing key arteries is increased 20 - 30 per cent for every ten years of pill use. South Africa - No To Nurses and Midwives An attempt to authorize nurses and midwives to do abortions has failed in the South African Parliament. NuvaRing Contraceptive Causes Complications Thirty-seven lawsuits were recently filed in New Jersey against the NuvaRing’s maker, Organon. These allege that this contraceptive device has caused blood clot complications. These have resulted in amputations, pulmonary blood clots, and death. It is being marketed as a “safe alternative to the birth control patch.” Apparently this is not true. |
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JC Willke President, International Right to Life Fed |
International Right to Life Fed., International Office |
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7. Latimer Comment By Mark Pickup – Thursday, December 6, 2007
After seven years in prison for murdering his disabled daughter, Robert Latimer applied for day-parole. On December 5th 2007, his application was denied. Parole Board panel member Kelly-Ann Speck told Latimer, "We were left with the feeling you have not developed the kind of sufficient insight and understanding of you actions."
Indeed!
Robert Latimer remains defiant and unapologetic for gassing his 12-year-old daughter Tracey to death in 1993. She had cerebral palsy. He told the panel, "I still don't feel guilty because I still feel it was the best thing to do." A majority of Canadians (70%) support Latimer. Many believe he should not have been charged with a crime in the first place and many other Canadians believe he did his daughter a favour by killing her. He has become a
Canadian folk hero.
Inaccuracies about Tracey's life
Since the beginning of this case, the media has misrepresented the humanity of Tracey Latimer.
On December 6th 2007, Victoria Times Colonist reporter, Rob Shaw, reported about the parole Board denial of the
previous day. He wrote that Tracey was a "bed-bound quadriplegic who could not speak or feed herself...” She was not bed-bound! Tracey Latimer went to a developmental centre five days a week for a regular school day. There were discussions about integrating her into the regular school system. From Monday-Friday Tracey traveled to school on a regular school bus and returned home at the end of each school day on the same bus as her siblings and other children – right up to the Friday before she was killed.
Tracey was not in constant pain as has been widely reported throughout the years. That assertion is simply not true. At Robert Latimer's trial it was clearly established that her pain was intermittent. Despite her cerebral palsy and the various trials she faced, Tracey Latimer was a happy child as the court transcripts clearly show. She loved music, sleigh rides, television, games, parties, the circus, sleepovers and pets. Tracey adored her family and her face would brighten at the very sight of them. She did not have the mental capacity of a four-month-old infant – another inaccuracy widely reported. That was a grossly inaccurate speculation thrown out to the court by a family practitioner: Her life contradicted this assertion, her natural childhood joie be vivre proved him wrong and said something else.
Tracey Latimer had something to bring to the world. At one point during the court proceedings, her mother Laura acknowledged that Tracey brought beauty to their lives. She reminisced, "Tracey enriched our lives. Tracey made us better people, she – Tracey taught us how to love."
Apparently her father forgot what she taught. Tracey's parents were tired; Bob's patience had run out, there was a new baby in the family. It was time to move on with life. Robert Latimer put Tracey out of his misery.
Robert Latimer/Susan Smith
It's curious that with the media's help, Robert Latimer became a Canadian folk hero. A year after Robert Latimer murdered 
his daughter; American Susan Smith put her car into a South Carolina lake, drowning her two little boys, Alex and Michael. Why is Susan Smith universally reviled to this day for killing her children while Robert Latimer became a folk hero after killing his child? The difference is this: Susan Smith killed two healthy children while Robert Latimer killed one disabled child. Tracey Latimer was not cute; Michael and Alex Smith were adorable. What should we make of the dramatic difference in public response and attitudes? Are disabled children worth less than healthy children? Would Robert Latimer be a folk hero and enjoy the support of a majority of Canadians if Tracey had been a healthy child? No, I don't think so.
Cold winds of public opinion
Robert Latimer was returned to his jail cell yesterday but his case served to set new public sympathy for so-called mercy-killers in Canada. Today, a public opinion survey was conducted by Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper about the Parole Board's decision to deny Robert Latimer day-parole. More that 80% of respondents disagree with the parole Board's decision. They think he should been given it. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association's Allan Borovoy said the government of Canada should step in and pardon Latimer. Lawyer Borovoy calls the imprisonment of Robert Latimer a "national disgrace."
It's a scary time to be disabled (as I am). Apparently it's a disgrace to imprison the killer of a person with a disability. We are held in low public opinion. The winds of public opinion blow colder than a Canadian winter for the disabled of Canada. – Mark Pickup
8. Lifeissues.Net Newsletter #353 – December 09, 2007
Greetings from LifeIssues.net (www.lifeissues.net)
Dear Friends for Life,
A brief update:
Our Pro Life approach in Japan is gradually developing a new face. With new technologies appearing constantly, communication has to change to be effective; consequently, Japan Pro Life Movement is changing its vision and placing emphasis on two specific areas: Asia and Japan. We feel that the Life Issue Problems we face here are first an Asian problem and second a Japanese problem. Therefore, three activities create our new approach.
First, we have developed and daily update two websites: one in English for our global audience with emphasis on Asia, and the other in Japanese. Together they are nearing 8 million viewers. It is Catholic, educational and places emphasis on clear thinking about modern crucial life issues.
The next activity is a weekly email newsletter that goes out to 20,000 people. It is used in schools, universities, hospitals, parishes and various groups both public and private. The LifeIssues.net Newsletter is an arm of the English website.
The third activity is a new project called "The Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia". Here much time is spent traveling in Asia giving lectures and seminars on the "Family at Crossroads: Trends and Challenges." In order to reach poorer regions in Asia, the "Journey for Life" project seeks sponsors to help finance plane travel.
What the future holds only God knows. Prayers are an important part of this Ministry. We ask for your continual support. Thank you.
Have a Blessed Weekend. – Jerry Novotny, OMI
Thought: "He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." – Martin Luther King Jr.
Lifeissues.Net Newsletter #353 – December 09, 2007
Table Of Contents:
1. Global Effort On World Aids Day
2. Abuse Risk Seen Worse As Families Change
3. 'Real Love Revolution' Launched In Manila
4. Traditional Families Ever Less Common In Germany
5. Morning-After Pill At Age 12
6. Santa Fights To Take Back Christmas For Christ
7. Adult-Porn Industry Drives Child Porn Views
8. Ban Proposed On Disability Abortions
9. Patrick Carroll's Research And The ABC Link Debate
10. The Promotion Of Organ Donation And Transplantation
11. Letter To Families From Pope John Paul II
12. 700 Portuguese Doctors Sign Petition Urging Medical Association To Continue Opposing Abortion
Focus On Asia: – "If you dump old parents, you may land in jail" – India: Children who abandon parents in their twilight years, beware. They may face three months' imprisonment and cannot even appeal against the punishment. "The Bill provides for three months' jail term if children do not look after old parents. The penal provision is meant to act as a deterrent," Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar said in Rajya Sabha.
http://www.worldpress.org/link.cfm?http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/If-you-dump-old-parents-you-may-land-in-jail/247394/
Item #1. Global Effort On World Aids Day
Comment:
As usual, reporting part of the truth always sells better than telling the whole truth. For example the article states:
Roman Catholics in many parts of the world, however, believe condom use helps save lives, according to an opinion poll published by a liberal Catholic group in the United States, Catholics for Choice. According to the survey, a majority of Catholics living in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the US all believe that Catholic hospitals and government-funded clinics should be required to include condoms as part of Aids prevention.
The article fails to tell the reader that the Catholic Church does not recognize Catholics for Choice, nor do Catholics who follow Christ's teachings. My question to BBC News is "How can this be a valid opinion poll representing any majority in the Catholic Church?" Catholics for Choice is not part of the Church. And the sole duty of the press is to report correct news, not to make statements, which are prejudice and based on incorrect reporting. Taking cheap shots at the Catholic Church with false reporting is unacceptable.
View full article at BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7122413.stm
Item #2. Abuse Risk Seen Worse As Families Change
Growing up in a home without both natural parents is a well-known risk for a child's welfare and cases of severe child abuse tend to confirm this, as a recent Associated Press article points out. But the article also notes that privacy concerns and fear of appearing judgemental prevents accurate assessment – and public warnings – of the risk posed by a mother's live-in boyfriend.
The most recent federal survey of child abuse in the US tallies nearly 900,000 abuse incidents reported to state agencies in 2005, but it does not delve into how rates of abuse correlate with parents' marital status or the make-up of a child's household. Data on the roughly 1500 child-abuse deaths annually leave similar unanswered questions. However, studies have found:
View full text at Associated Press: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEaWj265oYw3u5-C7ObFt2sOyXDgD8SVHUI80
Item #3. 'Real Love Revolution' Launched In Manila
Young people today are just as interested as their grandparents were in finding true and lasting love, according to research carried out this year in the Philippines. Findings from the survey of 4000 students aged 13 to 24 were presented to some 700 delegates at the Second International Congress on Education in Love, Sex and Life, held in Manila last month. They show that 85 per cent of the youths value waiting to have sex as a special gift to the person with whom they will share their life, and no less than 93 per cent put a lasting marriage as their top life goal.
View full text at mercatornet.com: http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/real_love_revolution/
Item #4. Traditional Families Ever Less Common In Germany
Germany has experienced a major shift in family structure over the past ten years, a report from the Federal Statistics Office shows. Families with at least one child under 18 dropped by seven per cent to 8.8 million between 1996 and 2006, with the steepest decline – a 28 per cent drop – in the eastern part of the country.
There has also been a 30 per cent increase in the number of single parents and non-married parents, to 2.3 million – again, with a concentration of 42 per cent in eastern German compared to 22 per cent in the west. In the capital, Berlin, nearly half of the 330,000 families are "patchwork", while in Baden-Wurttemberg in southern Germany; four of five families have married parents.
Most families (53 per cent) now have one child, 36 per cent have two and a mere 11 per cent have three or more children. Eastern Germany's problems are linked with high unemployment and an exodus of young women. "This tells us that we need to take better care of families," says Federal Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
View full text at Deutsche Welle: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2977069,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-rdf
Item #5. Morning-After Pill At Age 12
GIRLS as young as 12 are being given the controversial morning-after pill without their parents' knowledge.
View full text at Daily Express: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/27107/Morning-after-pill-at-12
Item #6. Santa Fights To Take Back Christmas For Christ
This year Santa is leveraging the Internet to tell children the true meaning of Christmas. ChristmasGram.com has created personalized video messages from Santa that explain the real reason for Christmas – Christ. From the delightful setting of Santa's Toy Workshop and from his quiet living room, Santa speaks to each child by name, reminding them of what the true meaning of Christmas is – the birth of Jesus Christ.
See the full article at Christian Newswire: http://christiannewswire.com/news/320004959.html
Item #7. Adult-Porn Industry Drives Child Porn Views
"The whole object is to convince the user that younger is better," he said. "It's only natural that at some point, people believe it's OK to sexually exploit anyone, whether they want it or not, or whether they are children or not."
Full article at citizenlink.com: http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000006051.cfm
Item #8. Ban Proposed On Disability Abortions
An amendment that would remove foetal abnormality as a ground for abortion has been tabled in the House of Lords. Baroness Masham of Ilton, who is disabled, has proposed the amendment to the British government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in order to remove the discrimination that allows babies with anomalies to be aborted up to birth, whereas there is a time limit of 24 weeks for able-bodied babies.
Full Article at TimesOnline: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2980412.ece
Item #9. Patrick Carroll's Research And The ABC Link Debate
Rates of breast cancer are skyrocketing in countries, which have legalized abortion. But this suggestion – that abortion causes breast cancer – causes radical feminists, who are otherwise greatly concerned about breast cancer – to go into spasms of denial. This is why it is vitally important to the pro-life cause that the ABC link be investigated rationally, documented carefully, and presented convincingly. British statistician Patrick Carroll, who is Director of Research at Britain's Pension and Population Research Institute, has done just that in his new study, "Assessing the Damage," which was just published on October 25th of ______.
View entire text at LifeIssues.net: http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/mos/mos_110breastcancer.html
Item #10. The Promotion Of Organ Donation And Transplantation
Many religious and secular approaches justify organ donation and transplantation because it promotes life. Catholic Church also favours it, especially in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, which states that it is an act of the virtue of charity. This article presents the promotion of organ donation and transplantation. The first section of this article discusses the present state of organ donation and transplantation, and the second section deals with ethical issues related to organ donation and transplantation, and the final section is on the promotion of organ donation and transplantation.
View entire text at LifeIssues.net: http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/kan/kan_03organdonation1.html
Item #11. Letter To Families From Pope John Paul II
No human society can run the risk of permissiveness in fundamental issues regarding the nature of marriage and the family! Such moral permissiveness cannot fail to damage the authentic requirements of peace and communion among people. It is thus quite understandable why the Church vigorously defends the identity of the family and encourages responsible individuals and institutions, especially political leaders and international organizations, not to yield to the temptation of a superficial and false modernity.
View entire text at LifeIssues.net: http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/doc/fm/fm_01lettertofamily1.html
Item #12. 700 Portuguese Doctors Sign Petition Urging Medical Association To Continue Opposing Abortion Members of the Portuguese Medical Association are circulating an Internet petition urging the association's leadership to maintain its anti-abortion ethical code. Earlier this year, the government legalised abortion on demand during the first trimester, and is now putting pressure on the nation's doctors to change their code of ethics. More than 700 doctors have so far signed the petition, and the official spokesman for the association has repeatedly denounced the government's threats and has refused to capitulate.
View entire text at LifeSite: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07112801.html
Get Involved:
1. Be Informed: "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. Visit Lifeissues.net for information at http://www.lifeissues.net.
2. Pray Daily: for the courage to be God's presence in society and 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: "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia" 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, Schools, Parishes, Hospitals and Family related groups. A series of Life Issues lectures places emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Trends and Challenges". For inquires about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group within Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@star.quolia.com . To become a supportive Missionary participant for Human Life in Asia, kindly send your donations directly 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)
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
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. Patrick Carroll's Research And The ABC Link Debate – December 4, 2007
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10. Profound Message From A 13-Year-Old Boy
To listen to a short and profound, remarkable phone call from a 13-year-old boy to Houston radio station KSBJ FM 89.3, click on the link below. It is so profound, the station has it posted on their website.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY
11. United Mothers, Fathers & Friends Newsletter – December 3, 2007
Unborn Victims of Crime Act - Vote this Wednesday!
I) Take Action: Contact the 5 Members of the Sub-Committee
II) Correction: Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business
PLEASE FORWARD OR PRINT THIS NEWSLETTER TO SHARE WITH OTHERS
Our Influence: 670,649 One Click Letters sent since 2004
Hi Ellen,
Good news! The sub-committee which will be voting on whether the Unborn Victims of Crime Act (Bill C-484) is a votable item will be meeting at 4:15 p.m. this Wednesday, December 5, to discuss and vote on C-484 and several other private members’ bills.
It is encouraging that there has been no stalling on this critical child protection bill which - if passed - will recognize unborn children as crime victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers.
If the bill is deemed votable it stays “alive” and will be returned to the House of Commons for 2 nd Reading debate and vote.
I) Take Action: Contact the 5 Members of the Sub-Committee
The five members of the PROC Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business are: Joe Preston (Conservative), Chris Charlton (NDP), Pauline Picard (Bloc), Derek Lee (Liberal), and Scott Reid (Conservative).
Step One: 1 Click Letter
If you have not already sent your 1 click letter please do so today! Ask the members of the PROC Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business to allow this bill to be voted on.
http://unitedmothers.ca/links/1click/
Step Two: Call the 5 Members of the Sub-Committee
Call the offices of the five members of the sub-committee on Tuesday or Wednesday and encourage them to deem C-484 votable. (Remember, you have until 4:15 p.m. this Wednesday.)
Phone and Fax numbers are below.
(Hint: You can phone after hours and leave a message on their answering machine. Be sure to leave your name and phone number.)
Sample Talking Points
1) Hi, this is _________ calling from (City, Province). Thank you for your service on the PROC Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business.
2) I understand that the sub-committee will be voting this Wednesday to determine whether the Unborn Victims of Crime Act (Bill C-484) is a votable item.
3) I urge ______ to allow this bill to be voted on.
4) It is critical that our elected representatives have an opportunity to debate this issue in the House of Commons. (If you call after hours, be sure to leave your name and phone number.)
Contact Information:
Joe Preston Conservative
Telephone: (613) 990-7769
Fax: (613) 996-0194
Chris Charlton NDP
Telephone: (613) 995-9389
Fax: (613) 992-7802
Pauline Picard Bloc
Telephone: (613) 947-4550
Fax: (613) 947-4551
Derek Lee Liberal
Telephone: (613) 996-9681
Fax: (613) 996-6643
Scott Reid Conservative
Telephone: (613) 947-2277
Fax: (613) 947-2278
II) Correction: Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business
The PROC Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business (a sub-committee within the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs) - will be the MPs voting on whether C-484 is a votable item, not the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) as I incorrectly reported in the November 28 newsletter, for which I sincerely apologize.
The PROC Standing Committee will only get involved if the bill is deemed non-votable by the sub-committee and is appealed by the Bill’s sponsor Edmonton-Sherwood Park MP Ken Epp.
Joe Preston (Conservative), Pauline Picard (Bloc), and Scott Reid (Conservative) serve on both the PROC Standing Committee and the PROC Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business.
Members of the PROC Sub-Committee on Private Members' Business: http://tinyurl.com/2slsmg
Read the full text of the bill here: http://tinyurl.com/ywzh7q
Practical Guide for Private Members' Business: http://tinyurl.com/2l2uux
List of Criteria for Making Items of Private Members' Business Non-Votable: http://tinyurl.com/2sjvcp
III) SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS: If you appreciate our efforts, newsletter and technology please support us as we work to defend family, faith and freedom!
Please send your support today!
To become a quarterly donor of $25, $50, or $100 every 3 months, or to make a one-time donation using our secure server, please visit http://unitedmothers.ca/links/donate/
If you prefer to make your donation by cheque please mail it to:
United Mothers Inc
P.O. Box 234
339 10th Avenue S.E.
Calgary, Alberta
T2G 0W2
Together, we can make a difference!
Michele Dow www.unitedmothers.ca
12. Wesley Smith Warns Symposium About Dangerous Shifts In Medical Ethics And Practice – December 6, 2007
Exposes new "Futile Care Theory" which is essentially, "we want to put other people out of our misery" – By Frank Louis Monozlai
TORONTO, December 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The American author of several highly acclaimed books on the life issues, Wesley J. Smith, spoke to the issue of "Future Concerns" at the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition's international symposium in Toronto, Canada on December 1st, 2007.
Speaking near the conference's conclusion, Smith brought together the themes of the various speakers in his presentation, highlighting several key developments in the strategy of the pro-euthanasia, assisted suicide lobby, and pointing out changes in medical practices touted in some of the leading medical journals and being implemented in a growing number of hospitals.
Smith noted that a vast majority of the attempts by the right to die movement to pass legislation have failed to garner popular support in plebiscites or in national and state legislatures, even when they had far outspent their opponents. As a consequence they have been effectively changing their tactics to promote their agenda elsewhere.
Gone are the many cruder elements of the movement such as the antics of Dr Kevorkian or the promotion of "exit bags" that on a number of occasions garnered strong public reactions against pro-euthanasia proposals just prior to key plebiscites or votes by legislators. Instead, the movement has shifted focus away from trying to change public opinion towards that of influencing political leadership in the areas of law, politics and professional medical associations.
The key players in the movement today are professional, upper middle class people who are very influential in changing the opinions of important players who in the words of Smith "happen to look, think and act like them." They are particularly adept at modifying the language surrounding physician-assisted suicide to make it more palatable and change the framework within which it is debated.
Smith highlighted two concurrent and mutually supporting developments in the drive towards physician assisted suicide that have been successfully changing the attitudes and practices of our health care professionals, largely invisible to the broader public.
Firstly, the writings of the key medical journals are increasingly supportive of "Personhood Theory," namely a new species-neutral approach to medical ethics, which denies any intrinsic value to human life. Instead, human lives are increasingly being measured by a combination of factors such as the quality of life (as determined by others), the costs of treatment and their value to society.
This naturally leads to the development of "Futile Care Theory" which moves the argument from the right of people to choose death to that of promoting the death of people who fail to meet the standards of the "Personhood Theory" approach to measuring the quality of life.
Smith summarized it with the line, "we want to put other people out of our misery."
Though still politically controversial, Smith likened the current situation of Futile Care Theory to that of a few enemy scouts who have crossed the borders of a nation in preparation for a larger attack by their entire army.
During the past ten to fifteen years, hospital ethics committees that were usually intended as mediating bodies between the health care providers and patients or their families have increasingly engaged in the process of drawing up guidelines to determine when to withdraw treatment from ill patients. In some hospitals they are taking on the role of judicial committees that are all too willing to rule against the patient's or family's wishes.
Many of their actions are taking place without proper public scrutiny and are increasingly making life and death decisions about vulnerable people who have little if any recourse against their decisions.
Whether operating from within a profit-driven health care system like that of the United States or the publicly funded Canadian system in which there is increasing demand to ration scarce resources, there is increasing danger that the attitudes promoted by the pro-assisted suicide lobby will eventually result in the undermining of patients' rights and a decline in the quality of health care to those who do not fit into the priorities of the medical system.
Rather than simply satisfying the "choice" of a few suffering people to die peacefully, the thinking of those behind euthanasia and physician assisted suicide threatens to limit the choices available to vulnerable people who would prefer life enhancing options.
Wesley Smith's troublesome observations about the future prospects of the assisted suicide debate seemed to follow from the experiences of the other presenters in combating the trend and their scrupulous observations of those lobbying for it. Both offering new insights while building off the earlier presentations, his talk was well received by the participants who left the event with an even greater appreciation for the dangers that lie ahead.
Wesley Smith is a prolific author, and regular contributor to National Review and The Weekly Standard. He wrote frequently on the case of Terri Schiavo in 2005. He is actively involved in the struggle against assisted suicide and euthanasia and is also a prominent critic of mainstream views on bioethics. His book Culture of Death: The Assault on Medical Ethics in America was named Best Health Book of the Year at the 2001 Independent Publishers Book Awards.
Smith is frequently invited to appear on radio and television talk shows and has testified as an expert witness to federal and state legislative committees. He is a frequent speaker at events in many countries concerning end of life issues. His blog Secondhand Smoke publishes daily commentary on the issues he advocates. Wesley Smith also contributes a biweekly podcast called Brave New Bioethics, produced by the Discovery Institute.
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40. Sobey's Receipts Are Valuable
Please don't throw away your Sobey's receipts. Click here and see why!
Amount of receipts collected to date: $582,085.92
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