LifeZine No. 473: 20th Mar 07
Family & Life’s ‘Ethical Vaccine for Children Project’
Family & Life’s new project is called “Ethical Vaccines for Children Project” and is aimed at applying pressure on the Irish health authorities and pharmaceutical companies to develop a safe vaccine that does not depend on aborted baby’s tissue. Right now, the Irish Government is using a vaccine to protect children against three diseases - measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). However, this three-in-one vaccine is tainted because it was developed from the tissue of a baby who was aborted for the specific purpose of creating the vaccine. We have no quarrel with the general concept of vaccines that protect people, especially children, as long as such vaccines are necessary, safe and morally acceptable. Our government however has made no effort to provide parents with any alternative to this tainted vaccine, even though an acceptable alternative exists and could be made available in Ireland. That is why this appeal is urgent. Please help us fund this urgent project to pressurise the health authorities, pharmaceutical companies and politicians to make available morally acceptable vaccines in Ireland. To donate please click on: http://www.familyandlife.org/Pro-Life-Donation.html
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Children’s Rights Referendum ‘Opportunity to Tighten Legal Loophole on Abortion’
According to the “Irish Catholic” newspaper’s Brendan O’Regan, “listening to all the media debates on the proposed Children’s Rights Referendum, I’m wondering why this opportunity isn’t taken to tighten up the legal loophole on abortion”. He was referring to the 1992 Supreme Court “X Case” ruling which granted that “suicidal tendencies” posed a risk to the life of the unborn baby’s mother and for that reason could have an abortion. “Surely the right to life of children is more important than any other right”, O’Regan asked. “Of course I know why”, he added, that this opportunity is not taken. “Children’s rights is a fashionable liberal cause, but only if those children are born. The living, breathing unborn children have slipped off the radar of liberal consciousness, if they were ever on it. And so, ironically, discrimination lives on in the political philosophies of those who campaign to end it.” Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
IVF Clinic Under Scrutiny
A UK IVF specialist has accused the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) of colluding with the BBC in an undercover documentary about his clinic. Allegations were made in the documentary that some patients were being misled into trying expensive, untested treatment and Mohamed Taranissi's clinic was subsequently searched by the HFEA using a police warrant. According to the “Daily Telegraph” article, Dr Taranissi is one of the richest IVF doctors in Britain with a personal wealth estimated at £38 million. Daily Telegraph. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Unborn Still Under Threat with New Blood Tests
Researchers in Britain are developing a blood test that could replace the invasive and dangerous amniocentesis test. It is estimated that this would prevent about 300 miscarriages each year. The test could also save babies from being aborted after a misdiagnosis. While this is to be welcomed, it should be remembered that most prenatal testing in Britain is done with a view to aborting the unborn child in the event of any abnormality. It is possible that the net result of this development will be blanket testing of unborn babies for an increasing number of conditions with more pressure for eugenic abortions. At present British law permits abortion up to birth in cases where the child would be born severely handicapped. Severe handicap is interpreted to include such relatively minor conditions as cleft palate. Daily Telegraph.
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Portuguese Socialists Ignore Void Referendum and Legislate for Abortion
The Portuguese parliament has voted to allow abortion on demand in early pregnancy. The vote officially rejects Portugal’s pro-life laws and removes it from the handful of nations in Europe that prohibit abortions. Now, Poland, Ireland and Malta are the only countries in Europe to offer legal protection from abortion for unborn children. The parliaments vote came just one month after Portuguese voters failed to approve a ballot proposition to legalise abortion. Some 58% of those voting said they favoured making abortion legal but the vote was rendered void because half of Portugal’s voters are required to participate in a referendum for it to be valid. Examined another way, just 26.2 % of Portuguese voters backed legalising abortion. LifeNews. International Herald Tribune. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Vatican Preparing New Bioethics Document
The Holy See is preparing a document on new bioethical questions posed by advancing medical technology, according to the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Archbishop Angelo Amato said the document would seek to update the 1987 instruction “Donum Vitae”, signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which dealt with the ethical side of such topics as artificial reproduction and embryonic research. The archbishop described the new document as a “Donum Vitae II”, and said that it is “not conceived to abolish the preceding one, but to address the different bioethical and biotechnological questions of today”. Archbishop Amato added: “’Donum Vitae’ affirms the human being must be respected 'as a person' from the very instant of his/her conception. And this consideration, owed to the human embryo, is an anthropological principle that cannot be negotiated.” Zenit. END.