May 2005 Archives

Although adult stem cell research continues to produce concrete therapeutic applications and has shown feasibility in the treatment of many major diseases, media attention has been dismal. Instead, overtly positive articles focus on embryonic stem cell research, which requires the destruction of a human life.

The most recent adult stem cell success story is a breakthrough by scientists at Australia's Griffith University which is so significant that it could render the debate over embryonic stem cell research "moot". Newsmax reports (HT: The Black Kettle):

The results of the four-year research project showed that olfactory stem cells can be turned into heart cells, brain cells, nerve cells – indeed, almost any kind of cell in the body – without the problems of rejection or tumors forming, a common side effect with embryonic stem cells.

"Our experiments have shown adult stem cells isolated from the olfactory mucosa have the ability to develop into many different cell types if they are given the right chemical or cellular environment," research team leader Alan Mackay-Sim told the paper.

Mackay-Sim's team of scientists managed to grow nerve cells, glial cells, liver cells, heart cells and muscle cells from cells harvested from the human nose.

The breakthrough, first announced two months ago, has been largely ignored by the U.S. media, which has focused on embryonic stem cell research as the only option to cure debilitating ailments like Hodgkin's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Politicians from Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Howard Dean have recently contended that abortions have increased since George W. Bush took office in 2001.

This claim is false. It's based on an an opinion piece that used data from only 16 states. A study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute of 43 states found that abortions have actually decreased. Update, May 26: The author of the original claim now concedes that the Guttmacher study is "significantly better" than his own. - FactCheck

HT: WorldMagBlog via Parableman (who adds additional commentary)

Others Blogging: Papa Famalias, Open Book

Vanessa Love delayed treatment on her potentially fatal Leukemia so her unborn twins could live. [HT: JackLewis] According to her blog, she is in complete remission from the leukemia, as well as enjoying her twins.

Christian Coalition of America urges Christian Coalition activists to immediately call their Congressmen to urge them to vote against H.R. 810 -- a bill which will destroy human embryos -- sponsored by left-wing Congressmen Michael Castle, (R-DE) and Diana DeGette, (D-CO). Their bill -- to be voted on tonight on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives -- will overturn President Bush's policy announced in 2001 barring federal funding of research that would require killing human embryos. Christian Coalition will score this as a pro-abortion vote in its 2005 Congressional Scorecard.

President Bush again promised to veto legislation that would fund embryonic stem cell research using federal tax dollars.

"The deliberate destruction of unique living self-integrated human persons is not some incidental tangent of embryonic stem cell research. It is the essence of the experiment -- kill some in the hopes of saving others," he said.

More from Reuters

Please publicize this message from LifeNews Editor Steve Ertelt:

Dear Pro-Life Friends,

This week features two of the most important Congressional battles in years. The outcome of these votes could impact policy on key pro-life issues for years to come.

In the Senate, lawmakers are almost ready to cast votes on whether or not to prevent abortion advocates from using filibusters to block the nomination of pro-life judges to key federal courts.

Joe Carter at the Evangelical Outpost has a great primer on cloning that is filled with information and links. He writes:

The primary moral objection to cloning for research is that it creates human life solely for the purpose of destroying it; using a human embryo merely as a means to an end. In order to justify the killing of these human beings for their "spare parts", we have to ignore the scientific understanding what makes a member of the human species and argue on the metaphysical definition of what constitutes "personhood." But as Richard Doerflinger, deputy director for pro-life activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, notes, "You can’t point to many instances in human history where that process of dividing the human species came to any good."

Joe also notes that use of adult stem cells, applied successfully in over 58 therapeutic applications, has none of the ethical problems and far fewer of the biomedical complications of embryonic stem cell research (ESC). The number of treatments derived from ESC research: Zero.

Read the entire post here.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Friday he would veto legislation that would loosen restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and expressed concern about human cloning research in South Korea.

The so-called "restrictions" are actually limitations on ESC funding by the federal government that do not restrict the research itself or other funding sources. Unfortunately, the media continues to misrepresent this point in its headlines and presents the "promise" of embryonic stem cell research as if cures for most well-known chronic conditions, such as diabetes, are inevitable.

The fact remains the ESC research involves destroying (killing) a human life while other stem cell sources have shown remarkable results in therapeutic applications.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has filed a lawsuit against a Washington-area Planned Parenthood and a security guard at the abortion business. The suit has been filed for a pro-life college student who says he was tackled to the ground and injured when protesting abortion outside the facility last year.

More from LifeNews

Other than abortion, parental consent is required for virtually every other medical procedure performed on a minor in Texas. For example, parents must consent before a minor can have her ears pierced. Parents must consent before a school nurse can administer an aspirin to a child.

A Senate bill that would require girls to get a parents written consent before getting an abortion has quickly moved through a State House committee Thursday.

Just one day after the Senate approved the measure, the House State Affairs committee voted 5-1 to report the bill favorably to the full chamber. The bill could be debated as early as Sunday.

The people of Sudan have suffered considerably in plain view of the international community. Save Darfur reports that 400,000 people have died in Dafur following the inception of the conflict two years ago. According to the Washington-based Coalition for International Justice (CIJ), 140,000 people have been killed by Sudanese government forces and their proxy militia and 250,000 Darfur civilians have died from either disease, starvation or exposure.

The Darfur Collection at AllThings2All brings together various writers who share a common concern for the people of Darfur and a desire to see an end to the suffering and genocide in Sudan. The contributions here are diverse and do not represent any one group or organization. The goal of the collection is to highlight the Darfur crisis, assist in providing information, and enabling further discussion.

Take a look.

The pro-choice ads that had been running on Nickelodeon and other networks in Grand Rapids area have been removed from stations aimed at children.

JivinJehoshaphat, who covered the story from the beginning, writes:

My contact, who sent a letter to Nickelodeon, received a phone call from Nickelodeon's main office in New York apologizing for the mishap. It seems that the fault lies with the cable provider, Comcast, who allowed the ads to be played locally on cable networks aimed at children.

Wisconsin Bloggers take note: Convenience should not trump conscience, says Pro-Life Wisconsin

The Senate Committee on Labor and Election Process Reform will hold a public hearing Tuesday, May 17 at the State Capitol highlighting legislation to provide much needed job security for pharmacists who conscientiously object to dispensing drugs that they believe would be used to cause death through abortion, euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide.

"No pharmacist should be forced to check his or her conscience at the workplace door," said Matt Sande, legislative affairs director for Pro-Life Wisconsin. "Like doctors and nurses, pharmacists are valued members of the professional health care team. This bill simply recognizes that employers must not force pharmacists to participate in what they know to be the killing of another person. One person’s convenience should not trump another’s conscience."

A new study in France shows that an induced abortion can increase the risk by premature birth in subsequent pregnancies by as much as 70 percent. That's because the abortions can damage the lining of the uterus, where unborn children grow and developed.

The study was based on medical notes and interviews of 2837 French women who had a premature birth during 1997, which represents about one-third of the total number of premature births that year. Those who gave birth between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy were 40 percent more likely to have had an abortion compared with mothers who gave birth within two weeks of the expected due date. Mothers who gave birth to babies from 22 to 27 weeks into the pregnancy were 70 percent more likely to have had an abortion.

more from LifeNews

Others Blogging:

Hispanic Pundit
Victory Welfare
Extreme Truths
Mod-Blog
Antioch Road
Nawok's Rance
Black Kettle
Sierra Faith

There are no winners in the sad case of a husband and wife who did not seek medical attention for their gravely ill newborn:

A Johnson County jury found a husband and wife guilty of reckless homicide refusing to seek medical treatment to help their gravely ill newborn daughter, relying instead on prayer.

The infant died about 31 hours after her birth.

Maleta Schmidt, 30, and Dewayne Schmidt, 35, rural Franklin, each face up to eight years in prison.

What the Schmidts did to help their critically ill daughter, Rhianna Rose Schmidt, was not disputed at trial. They never sought medical assistance or treatment. An autopsy showed Rhianna died of sepsis, a blood infection contracted at birth -- an infection that could have been cured easily, a doctor testified.

more

Pro-Lifers Suspicious of Activity, Fear Another Abortion-Related Death!

(AgapePress) - Pro-lifers in Wichita are reporting that another ambulance visit to a notorious abortionist's clinic on Wednesday "increases suspicion" that another woman may have died from abortion complications.

According to reports from both Operation Rescue and Kansans for Life, an ambulance rolled up to Women's Health Care Services -- the Wichita abortion mill operated by George Tiller -- on Wednesday morning shortly after the arrival of a blanket-wrapped woman who "looked white as a sheet." The emergency crew remained on site, rendering medical care for more than 90 minutes, the groups report. It was the third time this year, and the sixth time in the past 16 months, that an ambulance had been summoned to the abortuary.

The ambulance then transported an injured woman from the clinic, presumably to the Wesley Medical Center emergency room. But pro-lifers on the scene report the ambulance drove "quickly past the emergency room entrance and disapper[ed] down the street."

Read more ...

HT: Hyscience

A pro-abortion group is apparently reaching out to children by airing advertisements on Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. Previously, the organization targeted older audiences on cable stations that are supportive of abortion, such as Oxygen, E!, MTV, and VH1.

According to Jivin, their ads feature a wall being broken down and a coathanger behind it. They also advertise their currently nonfunctioning web site that can be viewed using the Wayback Machine.

Sherri suggests sending a message to the network with your thoughts.

Extreme Truths, StraightUpwSherri, and jivinjehoshaphat have more.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Florida dropped its fight on Tuesday to prevent a 13-year-old girl in state care from having an abortion in a case that marked the state's second recent foray into controversial personal rights issues.

Weeks after it unsuccessfully tried to intervene in the bitter dispute over the fate of a brain-damaged woman, Terri Schiavo, the state's Department of Children & Families said it would not appeal a ruling from a Palm Beach state court allowing the teenager to have an abortion.

"There will be no further appeals and we will respectfully comply with the court's decision," DCF District Manager Marilyn Munoz said in a written statement.

LifeNews has more details about the tragic case.

Update: LifeNews reports the sad news that the 13-year-old has ended the life of her child.

Annie at AfterAbortion comments on the ACLU's involvement, "Gee, when there is a life (or two) to protect, the ACLU is nowhere to be found. When there's a life to end though, boy-oh-boy, count them in."

Also, see:

• Court-Ordered Abortion for Minor


• Thirteen Year-Old Allowed to Have an Abortion


• Florida Drops Effort to Block Abortion


• Girl, 13, Gets Abortion, But No TV for a Week

John C.A. Bambenek sends this information and asks for your help:

I was skimming through LiveJournal and came across this:

Free Emergency Contraception!!

Emergency Contraception is for you when you want it.

The Great EC Giveaway

May 11 5:30-7:00 p.m.

At Planned Parenthood Of East Central Illinois
302 East Stoughton
Champaign

No exam, no hassle, and NO MONEY!!

Fill out a short application and receive a box of Plan B - absolutely free!

Tell your friends, bring them with you, and come yourself.

I have called Planned Parenthood and the woman who answered the phone confirmed this event is taking place sponsored by their education department.

The problem is that EC in Illinois still requires a prescription. They COULD have a qualified person on hand to write those presecriptions but unless people are planning on scheduling their "accidents" on May 10th, it's clear they are putting these drugs in circulation for future use and not relating to any current issues. This is in complete disregard of the law. The notice itself makes clear this as well.

In short, they are giving away this prescription drug for free without a prescription knowing full well it is going to be stockpiled. This is flagrantly illegal. The police have been notified.