Many of us trust Focus on the Family to give us family-friendly advice on our kids' well-being. It is therefore disappointing that the organization's latest mini-magazine (March, 2007) has an article on the HPV vaccine (p. 27) that contains misleading information.
State health officials have shut down one of New Jersey's largest abortion centers after finding violations at an Englewood clinic that posed "immediate and serious risk of harm to patients." Metropolitan Medical Associates will remain closed until it corrects the deficiencies that prompted the closure, state officials said. State reports show the clinic performs more than 10,000 abortions a year.
By Dave Andrusko, National Right to Life
After you've spent nearly thirty years fighting the good fight, you might think you'd pretty much roll with the punches. But you'd be wrong.
If they want to tell me that abortion is the sine qua non--the indispensable component--of women's push for equality, I will listen respectfully and then tell them why this is hooey.
My teeth will be grinding, but I will even listen when proponents tell me that if only we open the federal spigot to pay for embryonic stem cell research, tomorrow afternoon the blind will see and late tomorrow night the paralyzed will spring from their wheelchairs.
From today's Washington Times:
The chairman of the federal panel that recommended the new cervical-cancer vaccine for pre-teen girls says lawmakers should not make the inoculation mandatory, as the District and more than 20 states, including Virginia, are considering.
Dr. Jon Abramson, chairman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP), also said he and panel members told Merck & Co., the drug Gardasil's maker, not to lobby state lawmakers to require the vaccine for school attendance.
"I told Merck my personal opinion that it shouldn't be mandated," Dr. Abramson told The Washington Times. "And they heard it from other committee members."
Dr. Abramson said he opposes mandating Gardasil, which prevents the cervical-cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV), because the sexually transmitted HPV is not a contagious disease like measles and he is not sure states can afford to inoculate all students....
By Judie Brown
An enormous amount of rhetoric has flowed over the past few weeks, all dealing with Gardasil, the newest vaccine from Merck Pharmaceutical. While Merck's product has received the lion's share of media attention, let me add that a second vaccine, GlaxoKline's Cervarix, is designed to accomplish the same goals. Each vaccine is described being capable of providing women with protection from human papilloma virus.
It seems that in the rush to pressure state after state to mandate this vaccine, several of the real facts about Gardasil and Cervarix have somehow fallen off the radar screen. Well, it's time to put those facts front and center. An informed decision about anything in today's culture requires limited hyperbole and sufficient documentation.
This is especially true in the case of a vaccine that is being recommended for little girls as young as nine years of age. As the grandmother of 10, two of whom are little girls a bit older than nine, I have more than a passing interest in getting all the particulars myself and I'm certain you will feel the same once you hear the full story.
First, it isn't cheap and there are side effects. The vaccine is given as three injections over a six-month period at a total cost of $360. The vaccine can cause pain, swelling, itching and redness at the injection site; plus fever, nausea and dizziness.
A Feb. 23 article in the New York Times revealed:
Circumcision may provide even more protection against AIDS than was realized when two clinical trials in Africa were stopped two months ago because the results were so clear, according to studies being published today....[T]he final data from the trials, to be published today in the British medical journal The Lancet, suggest that circumcision reduces a man's risk by as much as 65 percent....
"If we had an AIDS vaccine that was performing as well as this, it would be the talk of the town"... [said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases].
Speaking of vaccines, hasn't the HPV vaccine been reported to coincidentally stop about the same percentage (70) of cervical cancer? Hasn't this been why legislators around the country are promoting mandated HPV vaccines?
It seems to me legislators should also mandate male circumcision, to be fair.
[Hat tip: Cal Skinner]
[Photo, courtesy of Aids.net, is of Australian Professor Roger Short holding a circumcision device.]
The No Room for Contraception Campaign celebrates it's first birthday on February 27th, 2007!
This is part 1 of the year in review of No Room for Contraception.
If you are new to this website, it's divided into two parts: 1. The main website NoRoomforContraception.com, where you will find numerous resources, articles, links, and brochures about the harms of contraception and 2. Our blog, ContraceptionBlog.com , where you'll find informative posts by our featured bloggers, Jill Stanek, Genevieve Parker, and Britt Shankle.
Here are some links to articles that we have published on the main site within the last year.
The Role of Contraception in Increasing Abortion It's a common assumption that contraception reduces the need for abortion in the United States. Yet the history of contraception and abortion in the 60s and 70s shows this assumption to be incorrect. (click the title to read the rest of the article)
Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch: 1,000 Claimants and Counting According to Johnson & Johnson's third quarter SEC filing for 2006 , there are over "1,000 claimants who have filed lawsuits or have made claims regarding injuries allegedly due to Ortho Evra." Ortho Evra, also known as the birth control patch, is a transdermal hormonal contraceptive which is applied weekly to the skin. In addition to being a contraceptive, the patch can act as an abortifacient by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg. (click the title to read the rest of the article)
Breast Cancer and Oral Contraception October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is an annual campaign to build public awareness about the disease as well as to raise funds for research. What does this educational campaign have to do with contraception? It has to do with the fact that many types of oral contraceptives contain estrogen, a synthetic steroid believed to have a key role in the development of breast cancer.(click the title to read the rest of the article)
A complaint has been filed with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, (KSBHA), asking that Kansas City abortionist Sherman Zaremski be disciplined for failing to report the rape of an 11-year old girl that resulted in a pregnancy. Confirmation has been received that the case has been assigned to an investigator.
Operation Rescue investigations discovered that it was Zaremski that gave an abortion to the young girl in Wichita at the now closed Central Women's Services, then returned her to the care of her step- father, Robert Estrada, who continued to use her and her sister as virtual sex slaves over several years, resulting in a total of 4 pregnancies, including the birth of twins on one of the girl's 12th birthday.
Human reproductive cloning and genetic engineering are surely stuff of science fiction. And only science fiction right? Certainly, the reality of the Brave New World would never leap off the page and enter the real world.
Think again. In fact, in some scientific circles, a world where humans are cloned and genetically engineering is a foregone conclusion. There is a sentiment that just because it is possible to clone and genetically engineer humans, that it will happen. And indeed should happen.
I speak in particular about two announcements that point to the possibility that cloning and genetic engineering of humans may become a reality sooner than we think.
The first is this story from the Telegraph that states that UK may allow the genetic modification of human embryos:
Britain could become the first country to sanction the genetic alteration of human embryos, a step that a pressure group claims could pave the way to designer babies.A decade after the cloning of Dolly the sheep, the Government is opening the door to GM human embryos for research, according to Human Genetics Alert.
David King, its director, said: "In a world first, the Government has said it will allow scientists to begin developing the technology for genetic modification of human beings, although creation of actual GM babies will be prohibited for the moment. We believe the public will be horrified."
More evidence of problems with the contraceptive Ortho Evra, also known as "the patch".
According to a study published this month in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, women who use contraceptive patches, such as Ortho Evra, may be more than twice as susceptible to blood clotting as women who take oral contraception. The study was conducted by researchers at the i3 Drug Safety group.
Posted by Genevieve Parker on ContraceptionBlog.com
A panel of professionals discussed the contraversial point of a pharmacist's right to refuse filling emergency contraception prescriptions on the basis of conscience. Here's the write-up in a Harvard Law School newspaper.
I find it interesting that those panelists who would disregard the conscience exception immediately point out that birth control is on the line here; if a pharmacist can deny Plan B to a client for moral reasons, why wouldn't he, likewise, be able to deny contraceptive dispensation on a moral basis?
This becomes a question of whether contraception & abortion rights (basically, privacy rights) trump the refusal rights of the pharmacist. If so, then one person's right to privacy limits the freedom of religion/morality of another. In the end, it seems that privacy rights aren't really confined to the private sphere of one's individual reality, especially when they coerce others to facilitate another's personal choice at the expense of his own moral character. Freedom of choice becomes freedom of choice for a very specific interest group, i.e. contraception and abortion proponents, at the expense of everyone else.
What I think is important about this discussion - outside of the question of rights - is the fact that the continuum between contraception and abortion can no longer be blurred in the public mind, and we're faced with the real question of whether contraception is fundamentally anti-life, anti-love, and anti-woman.
This article posted on Expatica gives a good sense of what a moral "bizarro world" the Netherlands has become:
AMSTERDAM - Liberal VVD faction leader Mark Rutte thinks that the Christian democrat CDA and Labour PvdA have conceded too much to the ChristenUnie on so-called medical ethical issues in the coalition accord.The leader of the Liberal party will level this criticism on Thursday during the parliamentary debate on the government statement by submitting a motion on abortion and a second motion on euthanasia.
Rutte says the new government puts too much emphasis on palliative care in the stance it has now taken on euthanasia. He fears that the government will try to somehow make palliative care into an full-fledged alternative that will make euthanasia superfluous. Rutte thinks euthanasia should remain an "independent alternative" in situations of unbearable and untreatable suffering.
Read the rest at Marlowe's Shade
Sharon is a great Pro-Lifer & terrific radio personality who broadcasts not only with NPLR.net, but also with KDIA in San Francisco, RightTalk and OnePlace.com.
The Des Moines Register Editorial Board came out today with a disastrous editorial on legislation to legalize human cloning for research in Iowa.
The title of the editorial asserts the "Stem-cell bill is NOT about human cloning" even though the editorial notes that "therapeutic cloning would be allowed" and an embryo is destroyed when its "human embryonic stem cells" (my emphasis) are extracted. It's amazing how scientists hope to get human embryonic stem cells out of embryos which are created through a cloning process that somehow isn't human cloning, isn't it?
The line that takes the cake though, is
There are some lawmakers who believe destroying a clump of cells smaller than the period at the end of this sentence is analogous to taking a human life. We have no argument to0 persuade the people who believe that.
Tomorrow night, Feb. 23, I plan to see the movie Amazing Grace on its opening night. It tells the story of William Wilberforce, an English Christian and politician who worked 20 years in this dual position to stop transatlantic slavery.
Many modernday pro-lifers have developed strategies based on Wilberforce's success, or at least gained encouragement.
Read World magazine's review of Amazing Grace here. Go to the official website here for information on theatres and showtimes.
This is another of those movies, like The Passion of the Christ, we would help most by seeing on its opening weekend. Here is the trailer:
I alluded in my column today to the New York City campaign to distribute 26 million free condoms this year. I thought you might like to see the packaging, which is designed after NYC subway lines. The photo here is from blogger Gothamist's site.
This is related to the HPV vaccine fak in that its proponents want to educate about the vaccine, not the sexually destructive behavior that leads to the need for a vaccine.
NYC stats are shocking. According to the NYC Health Department....
[Go to www.jillstanek.com to read rest of post and see YouTube video of a NYC worker distributing condoms during rush hour at a subway station.]
First we saw the TIME/CNN story that was fair (even respectful) to pro-life CPCs. And now here's ABC News with the admission that the birth of a very tiny baby creates a very big problem for pro-abortion folks. Wow.
As liberal legislators across the country promote taxpayer funded embryonic stem cell/cloning experimentation, a main argument is there are leftover embryos in in vitro fertilization clinics they can see put to good use that would otherwise be discarded.
We have always maintained the number of embryos available for experimentation is minute, and women will soon be exploited for their eggs. That day is here.
The AP/Boston Globe reported yesterday....
[Go to www.jillstanek.com to read article excerpts.]
[Photo, courtesy of Nature.com, is of "'Ripened eggs' used for cloning work"]
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has announced the launch of a wireless service that actively connects consumers to the people and causes they care about.
The service, Planned Parenthood Wireless will provide an impressive 10% of revenues generated directly to PPFA, transforming a simple phone call into a personal act of support. Offering a unique wireless program that enables consumers to choose where their mobile phone dollars go without sacrificing quality service, Planned Parenthood Wireless features competitively priced individual and family plans, and popular cell phones loaded with key features. The service is handled exclusively by Working Assets, using the all-digital, nationwide Sprint® network1 that reaches more than 250 million people.
In every monthly bill, Planned Parenthood Wireless subscribers also will receive information about how they can get more politically involved, including a "Free Speech" offer of up to 30 free minutes of calls a month for members to speak out on women's health issues.
Hemlock Society founder Derek Humphrey had an article on his blog about one of his acolytes who complained to some members of an local euthanasia group that medical serial killer Dr Harold Shipman ruined everything for doctors who used help patients commit suicide.
Doctors no longer help terminally ill patients to enjoy a peaceful death because of the Harold Shipman case, according to a leading consultant.Speaking in Glasgow, Simon Kenwright, a semi-retired consultant gastroenteologist from East Kent hospital, said fears of prosecution are affecting patient treatment.
In a lecture to 100 members of Friends at the end (Fate), the euthanasia organisation, he said such changes makes the need for legislation to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill more urgent.
More at Marlowe's Shade
It doesn't seem fair that legislators are focusing solely on adolescent girls to try to slow the spread the sexually transmitted disease human papillomavirus....Lawmakers around the country are introducing legislation faster than sperm swims mandating that 11- and 12-year-old girls be injected with the three-dose HPV vaccination regimen (well, maybe six, or more, since the vaccine has only been proven to last four years)....
But the feminist in me says this mandated vaccine is patriarchal. After all, women already bear almost all the responsibility for sex-without-consequences.
We're the ones who have to ingest birth control pills packed with female steroids, or transport that copper IUD with the weird vibes it sends throughout our uteruses and who knows where else, or insert that clumsy diaphragm, or wear those birth control patches that cause heart attacks. And then we end up pregnant anyway and have to get the abortions or raise the products of conception as single moms.
And now we're being asked to assume accountability for STDs, too? No.
So when the New York Post reported Feb. 16 that the city of New York has launched a campaign to distribute 26 million condoms during rush hour in subway stations, I had an idea....
Continue reading my WorldNetDaily.com column today, "Why not mandate condoms for boys?"
Apparently SCOTUS believes that it's okay to promote and endorse the religions of Judaism and Islam, but not Christianity. One can only conclude that discrimination against Christians - only, is perfectly A-okay!
Last time I checked, Christmas was a Christian holiday. With SCOTUS' refusal to review the appeals court case, Santa Claus rates higher than Jesus Christ.
Related: A predominantly Christian nation founded on Judeo-Christian values has now turned its back on the very values and faith that has made it such a great nation. A 2001 ARIS survey determined that:
76.5% of American adults are Christian (52% Protestant; 24.5% Catholic).On a side note, the push by the multiculturalist, secular progressive, liberal left, relativists to rape the nation of its few remaining values has so denigrated all faiths that I wonder if it even matters anymore.
14.1% do not follow any organized religion;
1.3% are Jewish.
0.5% are Muslim, followers of Islam.
0.5% are Buddhist.
0.4% are Hindu.
0.3% are Unitarian Universalist.
0.1% are Neopagan (Druids, Pagans, Wiccans, etc)
HT - Harry Owens.
Also at Hyscience
Associated Press, this morning:
Merck & Co. has suspended its lobbying campaign to persuade state legislatures to mandate that adolescent girls get the company's new vaccine against cervical cancer as a requirement for school attendance, the company said Tuesday....
Last month, the AP reported that Merck was channeling money for its state-mandate campaign through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators across the country.
The New York Times, this morning:
Reacting to a furor from some parents, advocacy groups and public health experts, Merck said yesterday that it would stop lobbying state legislatures to require the use of its new cervical cancer vaccine....
Part of the states' rush to embrace the vaccine has been instigated by Merck efforts that began before federal regulators approved the product last year....
Merck... [said] ... it would stop lobbying specifically for state mandates....
Dr. Richard M. Haupt, executive director for medical affairs in Merck's vaccine division... declined to say how much money or staff resources Merck had expended in its efforts to require use of the cervical cancer vaccine....
Merck has been a financial backer of Women in Government, a national organization of legislators whose members have sponsored some of the state laws to make the vaccine mandatory....
Debbie Halvorson, the Democratic majority leader of the Illinois State Senate, who had a hysterectomy as a result of the human papillomavirus, is the sponsor of legislation to make the vaccine mandatory. She said she would continue to press for the bill, but that it was a good idea on Merck's part to stop lobbying.
"If the people out there are thinking that Merck is doing all this, and pushing our buttons, they need to just step away," she said. "The fact that I'm doing what I'm doing has nothing to do with Merck."
Either Halvorson neglected to tell the New York Times she is a board member of Women in Government, or the Times omitted that critical piece of information. I have alerted the authors of the article, in case they were unaware.
Merck suspends campaign to make Gardasil vaccination mandatory, Wall Street Journal, 4:52 p.m. EST
[Hat tip: Dave Diersen]
Merck stops campaign to mandate gardasil vaccine use (update 3), Bloomberg, 5:27 EST
[Hat tip: Illinois Review]
To read complete stories (WSJ's is available by subscription only) to go www.jillstanek.com.
Little Amillia Taylor was born at the age of 22 weeks and six days, weighing only 10 oz. We know her exact age because she was conceived by in vitro fertilization.
Four months later, weighing four pounds, Amilliia is being released from Baptist Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida, today.
How ironic that the world's youngest known baby to survive was born in Florida, the very state so much in the news lately for standing by as babies older than this little girl are aborted alive and either purposefully killed or shelved to die.
In fact, according to Local10.com, Amillia's mother Sonja, lied to doctors about her baby's age, knowing they would not resuscitate her otherwise....
[View another photo, link to video footage, and rest of the story at www.jillstanek.com.]
John from Generations for Life has a succinct post regarding NYC condoms, minors, and the New York City Health Department:
http://generationsforlife.org/2007/0219/bad-ideas-and-good-ideas/
For those of you new who are new to this blog, Generations for Life and the Pro-life Action League have boldly led the way in addressing the issue of contraception. This past September's "Contraception is not the Answer" (CINTA) conference held by the PLAL certainly helped connect many people from across the nation (and globe), who are now working together to address the many harms of contraception.
Vote now on AOL on its poll question whether you would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
[hat tip: reader Marilyn]
The State of Illinois has decided to appeal Judge Coar's Jan. 22 ruling stating SOS Jesse White must begin issuing Choose Life adoption specialty license plates within 30 days, by Feb. 21.
The State is throwing away the people's money on a case that legal precedent has shown it will ultimately lose.
Last Thursday, Judge Coar suspended enforcement of his Jan. 22 order while the State prepares its appeal. The average time for appeals is almost a year.
Our attorney, Tom Brejcha, is asking Judge Coar to vacate his stay pending the appeal. Tom will take this to the 7th Circuit U. S. Court of Appeals, one step below the Supreme Court, if the judge does not.
Meanwhile, 3M, the company that provides sheeting for Illinois license plates, has submitted its final design to the Illinois Choose Life Adoption Specialty Plate Committee....
[Continue reading on www.jillstanek.com.]
Posted by Ruben on ContraceptionBlog.com
This morning I came across the commentary Abstinence and Contraceptives Don't Mix Well in the Daily Campus, the largest daily college newspaper in Connecticut.
Here are some excerpts from the commentary:
The cover story in the Feb. 26 edition of Time magazine is on the "new face of an old movement," medically-modelled pregnancy care centers that perform ultrasounds and conduct STD testing.
I read the article first from a pro-life activist's perspective (me!) and thought it exceedingly placed pccs under a microscope and on the defensive.
Would, for instance, that Time reported on undercover investigative calls to abortion mills on the hunt for misinformation, like it did pccs. Or that it had a young woman pose as a pregnant patient in an abortion mill, like it did a pcc.
Then I read the article from the abortion industry's perspective and thought they must certainly be depressed about it, likely reworking their talking points as I write. They were pathetic. Here was the worst....
[Continue reading on www.jillstanek.com.]
[Hat tip: reader Wynette.]
A WorldNetDaily.com headline story yesterday expanded on my Feb 12 blog post, "Bodies of evidence," about sidewalk counselors reporting a young father to Orlando police who brought his baby, accidentally aborted at home, to James Pendergraft's Florida abortion mill. Police refused to act.
According to Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel to WND, at least two laws may have been broken....
[Continue reading at www.jillstanek.com.]
[Photo courtesy of WND and Operation Rescue.]
It has't seemed fair that liberal legislators are focusing solely on young girls in their attempts to mandate 3 vaccinations (well, maybe 6 or more, since they've only been proven to last 4 years) to stop 4 strains (of over 100) of one sexually transmitted disease, HPV.
So when The New York Post reported Feb. 16 that the City of New York launched a campaign last week to distribute 26 million condoms during rush hour in subway stations, I had an idea.
Why not mandate that every 11-year-old boy carry a condom in his pocket?
I got this brainstorm because New York City officials offered the very same reasons for widespread condom distribution as liberals for mandated HPV vaccinations, as the article states....
[Continue reading on www.jillstanek.com.]
[Hat tip: Dr. Frank]
It is that time of the year again when we at AZRTL sponsor our annual Gala to raise money for Arizona Right to Life . This year Life Educational Corporation is co-sponsoring the event. Our guest speaker will be U. S. Congressman Trent Franks, who is well known for his life long dedication to the pro-life cause.
The event is MARCH 3, 2007 at the CHAPARRAL SUITES in Scottsdale, AZ.
From the AZ Policy Blog:
When it comes to abortion supporters, there's no such thing as "pro-choice," and Time's article on crisis pregnancy centers and their growing use of ultrasound machines proves it. Listen to what a Planned Parenthood spokesman has to say in the article:Read the rest here.
"What is really tragic to me is that a woman goes into a center looking for information, looking to be able to make a better, healthy choice, and she doesn't get all the facts. That's taking someone's life and playing a really dangerous game with it."
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today joined 34 senators in urging President Bush to uphold and champion pro-life policy.
"President Bush has shown that he is committed to protecting the dignity of every life, from the unborn to the elderly," said Brownback. "Now that we have a Democrat-controlled Congress, I respectfully urge President Bush to remind my colleagues of his commitment to pro-life policies."
Brownback today sent a letter to the White House asking President Bush to issue a letter to the Congress reaffirming the White House's pro-life stance. The letter was signed by 35 senators, including Brownback.
Brownback continued, "A letter sent to Congress from President Bush would be a powerful reminder that the United States is a country that is committed to protecting the dignity of human life. I look forward to working with my colleagues on important life-related legislation."
Following is the full text of the letter sent to President Bush:
"We respectfully request that you issue a letter to the Senate and House Leadership, reaffirming your strong pro-life policy convictions and serving notice that you will veto any legislation that weakens present pro-life policy.The following senators joined Brownback in signing the letter: Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Pete Domenici (R-NM), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John McCain (R-AZ), Trent Lott (R-MS), Larry Craig (R-ID), Bob Bennett (R-UT), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Jon Kyle (R-AZ), Craig Thomas (R-WY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Wayne Allard (R-CO), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Jim Bunning (R-KY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), George Voinovich (R-OH), John Ensign (R-NV), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Richard Burr (R-NC), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Thune (R-SD), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), David Vitter (R-LA), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Bob Corker (R-TN)."President George H.W. Bush issued such a letter on June 4, 1991 to great effect when he was confronted with a Democrat-controlled Congress. An examination of the record will show that attacks of pro-life policy in the Democrat-controlled Congress were much more vociferous prior to the June 4 letter than they were after the letter. It seems that committee chairs were more successful in holding pro-abortion provisions at bay when there was a formal declaration that their legislation had no chance of enactment if it contained pro-abortion and other anti-life measures that weakened present law or regulations.
"Issuance of such a letter now would be timely and of tremendous value in our effort to ensure that no life-related policy is weakened during the 110th Congress. We thank you for your continued leadership and appreciate your consideration of this request."
Opponents of Sen. Sam Brownback's bid for the presidency have regurgitated news reports from 10 years ago suggesting that the candidate was once a supporter of legalized abortion. In fact, the Kansas City Star today took the unusual step of republishing one such article.
Here's the CNN/Time magazine piece about CPC's that you'll probably be hearing a lot about. It is, quite frankly, an unusually positive article -- something much fairer, much more enlightening and even sympathetic than what the MSM usually does on abortion stories.
NARAL used this article in an email alert yesterday to attempt to pressure Wal-Mart to always have a pharmacist on duty to dispense Plan B, the morning after pill.
While the FDA agreed last August, under pressure from libereal feminists, to make Plan B available without a prescription to any adult woman or man over 18, pharmacies still stock it behind the counter, like cigarettes, so as to check ID.
But since the MAP can abort a preborn baby in his or her first week of life, some pharmacists won't dispense it on moral grounds.
Here's where we've crippled ourselves, and the other side knows it. Birth conrol pills contain the same hormones as MAPs and can also abort in the first 5-9 days of life. Yet many pro-life organizations refuse to "go there," as do many pro-lifers. Here's how NARAL pounced on that point in its recommended sample email to Wal-Mart's CEO:
The vast majority of Americans, including those who oppose legal abortion, support birth control. Additionally, polling shows that 80 percent of Americans think it's wrong for pharmacists to refuse to fill women's prescriptions for birth control based on their personal views.
We can either lose this battle or pounce on it ourselves to educate women that birth control pills and MAPs may abort. The other side is certainly hiding this point. Here is how one liberal webside described how BCs can work:
Most birth control pills are "combination pills" containing a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation (the release of an egg during the monthly cycle). A woman cannot get pregnant if she doesn't ovulate because there is no egg to be fertilized. The Pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released. The hormones in the Pill can also sometimes affect the lining of the uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.
Can you decipher that BCs may cause abortions? Clearly the other side is dishonest on this point. Why should we enable them - and fail women - by remaining silent?
Princeton University professor Robert George gave great talking points about embryonic stem cell experimentation during a lecture last week at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to Towers Online, Feb. 15, the most important being:
"The fact that... embryonic stem cells probably will not prove to be the therapeutic miracle that they have been hyped to be isn't fundamentally the reason we should be opposed to the use of those cells..... The reason we should be opposed is a moral reason. [Embryonic stem cell research] involves, at least for now, the destruction of innocent human life to obtain the cells."
The fact is, someday escr researchers will get somewhere. The two fundametal talking points are, according to George: 1) the definition of human being; and 2) respect owed embryos.
The article, not long, is worth reading.
Rudy Giuliani is not a social conservative by any stretch of the imagination. He supports gay marriage, abortion on demand and scientific research involving the destruction of human embryo. This didn't stop Jennifer Rubin (American Spectator column) from suggesting that Giuliani could be viewed as a social conservative:
But the commentators and consultants may have gotten the questions wrong. The better, at least the more interesting, question is whether Giuliani can establish a new description of what it means to be "socially conservative." Perhaps to be socially conservative means something more than just fidelity to pro-life and anti-gay marriage positions. Giuliani has a convincing argument that he is an ethical or cultural conservative who in the end will protect the values that most conservative Republicans hold dear. What does this mean? It means that he sees the world as a battle between good and evil, and politics as a struggle between decent hard working people and elites who have too little respect for their values -- public safety, respect for religion and public virtue.Rubin, arguing for Giuliani, redefines what is commonly referred to as a "social conservative" and thereby obliterates all meaning from the term.
Every politician claims to battle evil, seek public safety and fight for virtue. The question is: "What do they define as evil and by what standard to they seek justice?". Rubin writes,
For [Giuliani] and those he has befriended, social conservatism means defending a functioning civil society where families enjoy physical security, religious respect, and public decency.Although is sounds lofty, this definition is so ambiguous it includes every politician with presidential aspirations.
Social conservatives have been the defenders of the unborn and traditional view of marriage based upon a Judeo Christian ethic which holds high the dignity of human life and the sanctity of marriage. They seek justice for children in the womb by insisting that government step up to the plate and defend the weakest and most vulnerable from a murderous demise.
If abortion, gay marriage and destructive embryonic stem cell research are no longer part of the social conservative's view of evil, then Giuliani may well fit into the tent. Until then, he remains outside the camp.
Posted by Britt Shankle on ContraceptionBlog.com
Yesterday, on hundreds of college campuses nationwide, students were handed a Hershey's kiss with a free condom. This "Condom and a Kiss" campaign has been going on for several years and is a way for students who practice contraception or support it to spread their message and their products.
But yesterday Project Plus, the group of college kids I work with who have been actively spreading a message opposed to this mentality via posters and articles in the school newspaper, gave my alma mater a run for their contraception. Contradictory to the normally sexually spurred activities of Valentine's Day, we reached out to our peers with a message that "True Love is worth more than Contraception".
H.R. 618 has been introduced into the 110th Congress by Congressman Duncan Hunter.
Click here to read the new bill at MonthlyCallForLife.com.
The bill replaces H.R. 552. Over 64 congressman have signed on to it so far.
ProLifeNews.tv did a video interview with Congressman Duncan Hunter during the Blogs4Life Conference, which was held on the day of the March for Life in Washington D.C.
Yes, pictures of aborted babies are gruesome in the extreme. They are terrible and of very poor taste. They can be upsetting, alarming, and profoundly unforgettable. But why oh why are we more upset at the evidence than we are at the unconscionable crimes they portray?
Here's a news story of a disabled grandma in England whose efforts against the abortifacient "morning after pill" included sending photos of aborted babies to pharmacists. She has been convicted under a 1988 law (the Malicious Communications Act) because judges have ruled "she had no right to cause distress to others who might see the pictures."
Feb. 14, 7:49 p.m.
Today, the Kansas Supreme Court granted Paul Morrison's request to dismiss the appeal of Judge Clark's dismissal of the charges against George Tiller. Already, it appears the media is once again failing to report the substantive facts regarding the action today. We will see if their full stories do any better tomorrow.
As a refresher the following is important to know....
[Continue reading on www.jillstanek.com.]
[Hat tip: Reader Caron]
There are certainly polar opposite views of Republican abortion proponent Rudy Giuliani's candidacy for president:
Pro-life pro-Rudy
For me and other socially conservative, pro-life voters who are inclined to support Mayor Giuliani, however, there is one bridge he can build to make him acceptable - appoint judicial conservatives to the federal bench.... ~ Blogger Baseball Crank, Feb. 13
Pro-abortion pro-Rudy
Every pro-choice American should be rooting for Giuliani to get the GOP nomination. If an avowedly a pro-choice politician like Rudy Giuliani is able to either muscle out or weasel through the pro-life movement for the GOP nomination, the pro-life political movement is dead. Their credility has a potent or feared political force will be gone. ~ Blogger Mass Eyes & Ears, Feb. 10
I've always tended to get nervous when the other side takes my same position.
Conservative blogger John Hawkins (Right Wing News) announced today that he is consulting for presidential candidate Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).
For those who haven't followed his efforts in the Congress, Hunter introduced the Right to Life Act, which would legally define "personhood" as the moment of conception and, therefore, guarantee all constitutional rights and protections, including life, to the unborn without utilizing a constitutional amendment. (more information here)
Hawkins' involvement in the promotion of Hunter tells me that the candidate is a consistent ideological conservative in addition to his solid pro-life record. In fact, prior to being approached by a media group connected with Hunter's campaign, Hawkins had written positively concerning Hunter, promoting his candidacy through an interview and Town Hall Column (we noticed).
Second, the utilization of Hawkins reflects the emergent influence of bloggers on the political process and the demonstrated results. During the last presidential election cycle several writers were enlisted to help publicize political campaigns through blogging efforts. Some, like Hawkins, were upfront and announced the financial incentive they were receiving. Others didn't and were heavily criticized. However, the growing practice of enlisting bloggers reflects a positive track record and the complimentary advantage blogs provide to traditional campaign marketing efforts.
Finally, press reports about Hunter have been dismissive, if not negative. There was a time when this may have proven fatal to a campaign. Hunter's media group realizes that those times are over and their candidate's position on the issues can reach voters without an exclusive reliance on MSM.
Related: Duncan Hunter's Campaign Site
What if death certificates were required for all children killed in the womb? I agree with La Shawn Barber - it's a brilliant idea:
Legislation introduced in Tennessee would require death certificates for aborted fetuses, which likely would create public records identifying women who have abortions.Note that the writer of this AP article inserts the pro-abortion mantra upfront - the identity of the mother could be revealed. Wouldn't it be refreshing if the substance of the legislation was addressed prior to finding a way to torpedo it? Here's an alternate version that is concerned with the dignity of the unborn:
Legislation introduced in Tennessee would require death certificates for aborted babies, which would create a public records identifying the individuals whose lives have been ended through abortion.I like mine better. What do you think?
Related: You can read the bill online - click here - perhaps your local representatives would be interested in sponsoring a similar measure.
Gov. Rick Perry is still drawing a barrage of criticism for signing on executive order almost two weeks ago forcing Texan parents to vaccinate their adolescent daughters against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus.Perry rationalized, according to the Houston Chronicle, "If the medical community developed a vaccine for lung cancer, would the same critics oppose it, claiming it would encourage smoking?"
I have considered that analogy myself. It is perfect. Lung cancer is predominantly caused by a destructive behavior, cigarette smoking, which also causes a myriad of other health problems.
So to answer Perry's question, everyone would welcome a lung cancer vaccine, but wouldn't turn around and say, "Great, let's all smoke!" Because we know smoking causes other cancers like laryngeal, esophageal, stomach and pancreatic as well as health problems like heart disease and infertility.
Furthermore, this behavior endangers the health of other people who come in contact with the smoker, like babies born with low birth weight.
Interestingly, the most ardent critics of smoking are lawmakers, who have increasingly sought to discourage this destructive behavior by making it more difficult.
HPV is also the consequence of a destructive behavior, sex outside of marriage.....
Continue reading my WorldNetDaily.com column today, "The link between HPV and smoking."
Planned Parenthood's pornographic Teen Wire website, which answers such typical teen questions as, "I'm a girl who likes to fantasize that I'm a guy having sex with another guy. Is this normal?", reminds us today, Valentines Day, is also National Condom Day!
National Condom Week is February 14-21, and February 14 is National Condom Day. Condoms have been protecting people against sexually transmitted infections since the 16th century, and have been preventing unwanted pregnancy since the 18th century. And in the 21st century? Condoms are all the rage.
I'm not sure "all the rage" is a good term to use. It reminds me of all the STDs that in actuality rage from one person to the next because condoms are such inadequate protectors against VDs (what we used to call STDs - short for venereal disease - a groovy verbal blast from the past in honor of Valentines Day, I mean National Condom Day) and pregnancy.
Not that Planned Parenthood would lie. Although in my celebratory mood I'm reminded that Consumer Reports rated Planned Parenthood's condoms the two worst of 23 it tested in 2005. Not that there is a connection between that and the fact PP is the United States largest abortion provider.
Oh, don't mind me. I'm just a fuddy duddy, although not unlike PP's duddy condoms, I suppose.
Nevertheless, National Condom Day!
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cindy Richards must surely be considered as much an embarrassment to the anti-life movement as Cindy Sheehan is to the anti-war movement. Richards does her side no favors.
Reason #1: Richards uses Valentines Day as a hook to promote abortion in her column today, tacky to say the least....
Read the other three reasons at www.jillstanek.com.
Reasoned Audacity gave the heads up that the FRC's Charmaine Yoest was invited to appear on NBC Nightly News to discuss Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's run for the presidency. The program played out something like this:
Romney has real challenges. He says he's the true social conservative in the race, opposed to abortion and gay marriage. But here was Romney in 1994:Charmaine's caution is noted, and appreciated.
Mitt Romney: I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country
And on gay rights
Mitt Romney: I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the boy scouts regardless of their sexual orientation
Romney responded on his website:
Mitt Romney: ... Of course I was wrong on some issues back at then. I'm not embarrassed to admit that.But will that be enough for Christian conservatives key to winning the republican nomination?
Charmaine Yoest: We're still looking at what he's saying and we're still paying very very close attention to the match up between actions and words.
