1. GlaxoSmithKline Recall Of Rotarix – March 25, 2010
GlaxoSmithKline is not having much success in light of its most recent recall of Rotarix, a rotavirus vaccine produced by the company. The recall comes on the heels of string of recalls. Read full story here. 2. Study Confirms Link Between Autism And Use Of Cells From Abortions In Vaccines – April 21, 2010 By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor – Read full story here. 3. Religion Good For You; Reduces Teen Pregnancies, Too – April 19, 2010 The Institute launched the campaign to coincide with Easter. Commenting on the project, Iona Institute director David Quinn said, “This campaign is unprecedented. Nothing like it has ever taken place in Ireland, or anywhere else that we know of. Its aim is to present a positive image of religion”. “There are now a lot of scientific studies”, he continued, “showing that religious practice has numerous beneficial effects. The aim of the campaign is to let people know about this”. Read full story here. 4. Growing Birth Rates Set To Empower Religious People, New Research Shows – April 19, 2010 Read full story here. 5. UK Woman’s Sudden Death Linked To Pill – April 26, 2010 A UK bank worker who took oral contraceptives for ten years died from a blood clot that the drug apparently caused. Jenna Morris of Poulton, Wirral, died after deep-vein thrombosis developed in her legs and spread to her lungs. Before she collapsed, Miss Morris complained of shooting pains in her legs and within hours was found dead by her mother Christine at her home in Merseyside. A post-mortem showed she died of a blood clot, possibly caused by the contraceptive pills she’d been taking since she was a teenager. Read full story here. 6. Why Abortion Does Not Solve Child Rape – April 26, 2010 The abortion movement has created a new class of victims: Pregnant pubescent girls who are being used to justify “therapeutic” abortion. Read full story here. 7. Maternal Health And Paternalism – April 30, 2010 By Margaret Somerville, Citizen Special April 30, 2010 4:12 AM Canada’s choice not to fund abortions with foreign aid dollars isn’t about keeping women in their place; it’s an ethical decision to value human life. Whether abortion should or should not be funded as part of the proposed “G8 maternal and child health initiative” is currently the focus of conflict. That conflict encompasses issues that include what is required in order to respect women and their rights; what is needed to protect and promote women and children’s health; and how we should view fetuses/unborn children, especially in the context of becoming complicit in abortion by funding it. “Reproductive rights advocates,” such as Jane Cawthorne, author of the play The Abortion Monologues, like many feminists, make the litmus test of respect for women that of not placing restrictions on abortion and, as in the case of the “maternal and child health initiative,” making it available by funding it. Writing in the Globe and Mail, Cawthorne accuses the Conservative government of defining “good” women as traditional women – women who are mothers, nurturing, submissive, and married – and describes such a view as “the last vestiges of ... outdated ideas” and disrespectful of women. She argues that “by refusing to fund abortions as part of its ill-conceived maternal health initiative, the Conservative government is effectively saying only women who become mothers are worthy of complete health care.” In response to her claims, we should first note that this initiative is specifically “a maternal and child health” one, not just women. Otherwise we would have strong reasons to ask whether we were unjustly discriminating against men, as compared with women, in excluding them. Then, we need to consider the claim that abortion is properly characterized as health care. Pro-choice supporters characterize it in that way in all circumstances. In very rare cases that could be correct, but the vast majority of abortions are not undertaken for medical reasons. One reason pro-choice and pro-life adherents view abortion differently, is because they view the nature of the fetus/unborn child differently. Many who are pro-choice see it as tissue that is part of the woman’s body until it is born. They believe the woman is entitled to have it removed. Those who are pro-life, see it as a new human life, a human being with the full potential already present to develop through all the later stages of life, if it is allowed to do so. Obviously, these two views lead to very different conclusions about the acceptability of abortion. Contrasting two different models of how we see the development of a fetus might also provide further insights about how our perceptions of the fetus/unborn child and, as a result, views about abortion differ. American law professor Richard Stith proposes that under a “construction model” the fetus is seen as being “constructed” and the maker – the woman – can decide to stop construction, just as she could if she were building a house, for example. This is a model that adopts the view that, at least up to a certain point, the new person is not there. In contrast, in a “development model,” the unborn child is seen to have its full potential to develop throughout its future life already present at conception and the woman makes possible the conditions – conditions that every human being has needed at this earliest stage of life – that are required for it to do so. This is a model of “continual presence, but gradual appearance” of the person. The values focus of those who support funding abortion and those who do not also differs. Pro-choice adherents focus on the woman and her rights to have control over her own body, her rights to autonomy and self-determination. Pro-life adherents focus on the unborn child’s right to life and the breach of the value of respect for all human life, in general, that abortion entails. In prioritizing these conflicting values, each side chooses differently. Finally, as has been the case with other pro-choice advocates in this “maternal and child health initiative” debate, Michael Ignatieff being one example, Cawthorne alleges that “the maternal health initiative (in not funding abortion) facilitates ideology, not health.” She is wrong about the health goal. There is such a vast need in this regard that, provided it’s not sabotaged by the abortion issue, the initiative can’t help but achieve much desperately needed good, that we can all agree on. Moreover, we should keep in mind that even so-called “safe” abortion involves risks and harms, especially in developing countries which often have minimal or no adequate health-care resources. Pro-choice adherents are reluctant, at best, to acknowledge these risks and harms. And most people agree abortion should not be used as a form of birth control. There is a high risk of its being used as such in developing countries. It’s true, as Cawthorne says, that the “initiative facilitates ideology,” but that’s the case whether or not it includes funding for abortion. The pro-choice arguments for funding abortion are just as much based on an ideology – a set of values and beliefs – as the pro-life ones against funding it are. Obviously each of us must choose one or the other position. I propose that in doing so, we must try to place abortion in a moral context and always see it as a major ethical decision, whether it involves ourselves or our co-operation in providing it for others. My hope is that most Canadians would decide against it. Margaret Somerville is director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law at McGill University, and author of The Ethical Imagination: Journeys of the Human Spirit. Read full story here. © Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen 8. Choose Evidence Over Emotion – April 30, 2010 By Valerie Percival, Citizen Special, April 30, 2010 4:12 AM Canada’s signature G8 initiative is a campaign to reduce maternal mortality. While few details have been released, the government stated members of the G8 will identify their own priorities, and Canada will not support abortion as part of its international work on maternal health. The Canadian government has underscored that this initiative will be based on effective, sustainable, and accountable interventions. To achieve this worthwhile objective, public health evidence must trump ideology. The work of the G8 has improved global health. It created institutions such as the Global Fund, mobilized millions of dollars to support these institutions, and promoted important norms such as universal access to antiretroviral treatment. Maternal health desperately needs this attention. While data are limited, a recent Lancet article estimated 350,000 women died in childbirth in 2008, and only 23 countries are on track to meet the fifth Millennium Development Goal -- to reduce maternal deaths by three-quarters by 2015. The lack of international attention and resources is not the only reason for slow progress. Maternal outcomes depend on a wide range of social, economic, and health system factors, and any G8 initiative needs to address the various contributors to maternal mortality. Maternal deaths are highest in countries where the human rights of women are not respected. Recent commentary, such as in the Lancet, rightly focused on the importance of education and employment opportunities. Yet public health evidence also points to the critical role of reproductive health rights. For women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries, the leading risk factor for disability and death is unsafe sex. Women who are not aware of how to protect themselves; who lack access to contraception; and who are unable to negotiate the use of contraception due to coercion and violence are at risk of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. Women facing unwanted pregnancies often turn to abortion, and legal restrictions do not deter them. As a result, an estimated 70,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions. Weak and inequitable health systems also contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality. Throughout their pregnancy, women require regular consultations with health care workers to promote healthy diets and behaviours, and to identify risks for obstetrical complications. Yet many women confront barriers to accessing these health services. Developing countries often lack universal health care, or implement user fees which disadvantage women with limited incomes. Many health systems face a critical shortage of trained health workers. Women may also have to travel long distances to reach clinics. So what does this evidence mean for the Canadian-led initiative? The G8 initiative must promote the reproductive rights of women. The public health evidence is clear and irrefutable: in areas where reproductive rights are respected, maternal outcomes improve. Providing safe and legal access to abortion is an important component of this. Providing such access addresses a key cause of maternal mortality. And it ensures consistency between Canadian laws, which respect the right of women to choose abortion, and Canada’s international policies. Should women outside of Canada be treated any differently? The G8 maternal mortality initiative must also strengthen local systems. Health systems are complex structures, encompassing primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care; information systems; financing structures; and regulation and oversight mechanisms. While important, trained health workers are only one component of a health system. The G8 strategy must also pay attention to the organization, financing and governance of these services. Any G8 maternal health strategy should also promote more effective management of global health initiatives and strengthen the capacity of developing countries to oversee these programs. Over the last 15 years, global health interventions have grown exponentially. Many focus on specific diseases, doing little to strengthen health systems. While saving lives, these programs create multiple and competing financing and co-ordination structures and stretch the administration capacity of developing countries to the limit. The maternal health initiative cannot add to this problem. The Canadian initiative, as it stands, will not be fully effective or sustainable. Each G8 country undertaking different interventions will dilute the strength of the initiative, duplicate effort and further burden developing countries. Disallowing funding for abortion and failing to focus on health systems ignores public health evidence of what works. Discussion on abortion has overshadowed the maternal health initiative. Yet the most effective health policies do not emerge from emotion – they emerge from public health evidence. Hundreds of thousands of women need an intervention that works. The Canadian government has the opportunity to lead the way. The question is: will they? Valerie Percival is an assistant professor and co-director of the Health and Foreign Policy Initiative at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. Read full story here. © Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen 9. Angels Cradle; St. Paul’s Hospital Provides Way For Mothers To Drop Off Babies Anonymously – April 29, 2010 Shane Bigham Apr 29, 2010 10:58:20 AM VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – St. Paul’s Hospital has identified a most unfortunate ‘need’ in the community. The hospital has started a program called “Angels Cradle” – where new moms who can’t take care of their baby can drop it off at the hospital – anonymously. Dr. Geoffrey Kundiss, head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Paul’s, says it’s a sad reality, but some women are in such dire straights they can’t care for their baby, and don’t want to go through the formal process of giving up their child. Dr. Kundiss says this was created in response to several abandoned children cases over the last few years... including one where a newborn baby was left on the doorstep of the hospital. He says the new procedure will be much more dignified. “Just outside the main entrance to the Emergency Department there’s a private location, where there’s a door that opens to a bassinet.” After 30 seconds an alarm rings in the hospital, the baby is picked up, given medical attention, and the Ministry of Children and Families is called. – Read full story here. 10. Pro-Life Conference To Be Held In Dying Europe; Mosher To Address How Contraception Harms The Environment – May 8, 2010 As the U.K.’s abortion rate continues to grow, Family Life International-UK and Population Research Institute are joining together to hold an international pro-life conference in London. “We see this conference as a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the moral, social and economic consequences of widespread abortion, sterilization and contraception,” says PRI president Steven Mosher. Mosher’s talk, “Why Catholics Don’t Contracept,” will address the environmental devastation caused by the indiscriminate use of hormonal contraceptives. ”The Optimum Population Trust wrongly argues that hormonal contraceptives are the solution to environmental problems like Global Warming,” says Mosher. ”Actually, they are part of the problem” The stellar lineup of speakers includes Jo Tolck of the Human Life Alliance, Simon Dames of the Scottish Catholic Media Office, James Parker of Harvesters (an international Catholic men’s network), James Bogle of the Catholic Union, and Brian Clowes of Human Life International. “Last year’s conference in the Cathedral was great success,” says Greg Clovis, head of Family Life International-UK. ”We expect pro-lifers from throughout the British Isles and Continental Europe to attend in large numbers.” The conference will be held at Westminster Cathedral in downtown London on May 8. For more information read here. 11. Population Shrank By Record 183,000 In ‘09 – April 17, 2010 Japan’s population has entered full-scale decline and shrank by a record 183,000 people over the past year, government data showed Friday. As of Oct. 1, the population stood at an estimated 127,510,000 after shrinking by a record 0.14 percent, contracting for the second year in a row. Read full story here. 12. Abortion, Suicide Often Hand-In-Hand – April 16, 2010 According to Dr. David Reardon, director of the Elliot Institute, a number of studies indicate an elevated risk of suicide following an abortion. “About [one]-fourth of women who report having negative reactions to abortion will also report that they attempted suicide at least once, and suicidal thoughts are even more common,” Reardon reports. Read full story here. 13. Irish Doctor Under Fire For Limiting Fertility Practice To Married Couples – April 20, 2010 An Irish doctor is facing possible disciplinary action because he declined to provide fertility treatment for an unmarried couple. Dr. Phil Boyle, who practices in a Catholic hospital, was questioned by the Fitness to Practice Committee about an apparent violation of the Equal Status Act, which bars discrimination based on marital status. The law offers no “conscience clause” protection. Although no action was taken against Dr. Boyle, the couple who protested his policy may raise the issue in another legal forum. Read full story here. 14. Pill’s Deadly Affair With HIV/AIDS – April 20, 2010 The world’s deadliest killer, HIV/AIDS, and the Birth Control Pill have been carrying on a secret and deadly “love affair” for decades. While women swallowed their “freedom” with the morning orange juice, studies that should have made global headlines yellowed in medical journals, unknown to the general public. Only doctors learned about the pills deadly affair with HIV/AIDS, and they were too busy writing prescriptions for hormonal contraceptives to talk. More than 50 medical studies, to date, have investigated the association of hormonal contraceptive use and HIV/AIDS infection. The studies show that hormonal contraceptives – the oral pill and Depo-Provera – increase almost all known risk factors for HIV, from upping a woman’s risk of infection, to increasing the replication of the HIV virus, to speeding the debilitating and deadly progression of the disease. Read full story here. 15. Video On Personhood Of The Unborn Child – May 10, 2010 Hi, Deo Gratias! Article on LifeSiteNews.com website by James Tillman May 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-lifers have often struggled to counter the assertion that unborn babies are “just a clump of cells” that look nothing like human beings. Now, they have one more method to help show the truth: an application for the iPad that displays images of unborn babies from week four to week forty.16. CFRA Poll Results On Harper Gov’t’s Decision Not To Provide Funding For Abortion – May 17, 2010 Do you support the Harper government's decision not to provide funding for abortion programs in the developing world? (To comment, e-mail mornings@cfra.com) No Votes: 19.7% 17. Express Support For Harper’s Government Decision – May 18, 2010 Please send an e-mail to the prime minister expressing support for his government's decision not to pay for abortions in other countries. Priests for Life Canada Tel: 1-888-300-2007 For Immediate Release Priests For Life Canada Supports “Roxanne's Law” Priests for Life Canada would like to commend Mr. Rod Bruinooge, MP for Winnipeg South, and Chair of the multi-party Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus, for introducing Bill C-510, “An Act to Prevent Coercion of Pregnant Women to Abort (Roxanne’s Law)”, submitted on April 15, 2010. This Private Members Bill would make it a criminal offence to coerce a woman into having an abortion. “There are many stories of women being threatened and coerced into having abortions against their will”, said Bruinooge. “If a woman resists, such coercion may escalate into violence, and even murder. That’s what happened to Roxanne Fernando, in whose memory I have named this bill”. Roxanne Fernando was a young woman from Winnipeg who was murdered by Nathanael Plourde (the father of her unborn child) after he failed to convince her to end her pregnancy. In February 2007, Plourde and two friends beat Roxanne brutally and dumped her in a snow bank to die. “This bill would help protect a pregnant woman who does not want to terminate her pregnancy”, said Bruinooge. “No woman should ever feel intimidated to have an unwanted abortion. Anyone who attempts to force a woman to abort her wanted fetus should face consequences”. Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has indicated in the past that he would not support pro-life legislation, however, this legislation would not affect abortion access in Canada and for this reason he has no reason not to support Bill C-510. Abortion would still be legal throughout a woman’s entire pregnancy however Canadian law presently provides no specific protection for pregnant women against coercion to have an abortion. Priests for Life Canada encourages its supporters to write a note to Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, as well as all MPs asking them to support Bill C-510. Please take a moment as well and thank Mr. Bruinooge for putting this proposal forward. Women have a right to continue their pregnancy without the threat of coercion. See detailed information about Roxanne’s Law at: www.roxanneslaw.ca/ Please send your note to (no postage is required): Rod Bruinooge, MP Right Hon. Stephen Harper Write your own Member of Parliament: Name of MP You can also send an E-mail note to all Members of Parliament at: www.contactmps.com. Sincerely Yours for Life, Fr. Tom Lynch -30- For Your Action: In a recent note from Kathy Matusiac, Executive Director of The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, she indicates that “After just speaking to both the Prime Minister and Hon. Bev Oda's office, I urge you as individuals to contact them and applaud them in their resolve to not bring abortion to other countries as a form of foreign aid. They have not received any positive response for their position. They are however, receiving intense pressure from the public, media and various government officials to fund abortion in developing nations. Please take a moment to tell them otherwise”. Though the Conservative Government’s move does not reduce the number of funded abortions taking place within Canada, Priests for Life Canada supports Prime Minister Harper and MPs from all Parties who support the effort to refuse foreign aid to assist women in terminating the lives of their unborn children. As opposition parties continue to press the government to support foreign abortion funding through the G8 Summit initiative, we ask everyone to recognize the position taken by Prime Minister Harper and send a short note or card of thanks. Your own words are the best, but you can simply say, “Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Stephen Harper: You, your Party, and all MPs who support this measure, are to be commended for upholding the rights of unborn children abroad by not extending funding for abortion to other countries. We ask you to also extend this coverage to exclude artificial contraception and I pray that similar consideration will be extended to coverage now available within Canada”. Please send your note to (no postage is required): Right Hon. Stephen Harper Hon. Bev Oda Sincerely Yours for Life, Fr. Tom Lynch Pro-Life Video Contest for Individuals Attending a Secondary School or for Secondary School Groups Prize: $500.00
Final submission date is June 30, 2010. Please click here for details and for an 8.5” x 11” poster for your school. March for Life Look for us at the flame at about 12:30 p.m. or at the Rose Banquet For details on other regions, please click here: lifesitenews.com Congratulations to WOOMB Canada for 30 years of dedication to supporting the Sanctity of Life and the Church's teachings against contraception by promoting Natural Family Planning. Priests for Life Canada thanks the commitment made by many couples who have promoted Natural Family Planning in their communities. See: www.woomb.ca. Read about the Priests for Life Canada: Seminarins' Pro-Life Congress Attention: Ottawa Area Supporters The “Helpers of God’s Precious Infants” in Ottawa seeks your support. The Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, a new pro-life ministry in Ottawa is dedicated to maintaining a prayerful presence in front of the Morgentaler abortuary at 65 Bank Street, Ottawa, when the abortions take place from 7am to 5pm, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. In addition to your support for the 40 Days for Life program, please join the "Helpers of God's Precious Infants" in their prayer efforts whenever you are able. Training is provided for those interested in sidewalk counselling. Contact Doris Gagnon at info@helpersottawa.org or register online for the prayer vigil at www.helpersottawa.org. Priests for Life Canada 18. Testimonials Urgently Needed For Our New Website On Adoption – May 17, 2010 LifeCanada is launching a national education campaign on adoption to promote awareness of adoption and encourage the public to see adoption in a positive and compassionate manner. Have you:
If so, please contact: A Member of Parliament is also presenting before a Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources on the subject of adoption and is inviting witnesses to present before the Committee – expenses paid. It is his hope to improve services and resources for adoptive families and birth parents through government initiatives. Please contact us for more information. My apologies if you have already received this message. Anastasia Bowles, Executive Director |
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