LifeZine No. 543: 22nd Nov 07
'Our Drift into Darkness'—Changing Attitudes to Abortion
According to Fr Seamus Murphy SJ, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the Milltown Institute, Dublin, "the change in attitudes to abortion is nothing less than a moral and cultural revolution—or perhaps 'collapse' would be better to describe it". What is new, he said, is the social acceptance and legalization of abortion on permissive grounds. This is a social injustice, he argued, "for it amounts to society stating that unborn children or embryos do not count as persons with rights". It is like slavery: it removes the humanity, dignity and status of the person from a class of human beings. In the western world "we have moved from viewing abortion with abhorrence, through compassion, through acceptance, and finally to holding that it should be provided by law and protected as a legal 'right' and hence, in some way good". The process of making abortion acceptable has involved society being half-persuaded to believe "a great lie", he argued. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Destructive Embryo Research: Why We Should Not Follow British Lead
The issue of research involving the destruction of human embryos was raised recently by Mairtin Ó Maolruaidh writing in "The Irish Examiner": "I'm sure most people will be horrified to discover that the British government has approved the creation of animal/human hybrid embryos for the purposes of experimentation. The embryos, when created, will be '99%' human." He said that with the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, the floodgates to this kind of research were opened. At that time, he pointed out, proponents argued that cures would be found for numerous diseases. Since then over 500,000 embryos have been experimented on and destroyed for various purposes and it is widely agreed, even by proponents of embryo research, that not one medical cure has resulted from such experimentation. "I believe", he added, "the British model for respect for human life is not one that Ireland should follow. The Government should ensure that the rights of the human embryo are protected under Irish law." The Irish Examiner. END.
Baby Gabriel Survives Abortion Attempt
A pair of twins was born at Birmingham Women's Hospital, UK, despite attempts to abort one of them. Ms Rebecca Jones, 35, was told that one of her twins was not growing and would endanger the life of the other, so she accepted medical advice to end Gabriel's life. When an attempt to sever his umbilical cord failed, doctors then cut the placenta to separate the twins. But instead of dying as expected after this procedure, Gabriel started to grow, and he and twin Ieuan were delivered by caesarean section at 31 weeks. They are now seven months old and need no further treatment. BBC. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Abortion and the Question of Pain for the Unborn Baby
According to Professor K.J.S Anand MBBS, D.Phil, FAAP, FCCM, FRCPCH (one of the world's leading experts on foetal pain) writing in "The Times" (London) newspaper, "The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists responded to the Channel 4 "Dispatches" programme on abortion, stating it was "unaware of the work of Dr Anand". According to Professor Anand, "on October 23 the RCOG received 13 published articles referring to my work on foetal pain; 12 of these were published before the closing date for submissions to the UK Science and Technology Committee (on abortion). Yet, it refers only to one article that appeared in October after the deadline. The RCOG view ignores the development of foetal sensory processing, functional subplate zone (below the cerebral cortex), and sub-cortical mechanisms of consciousness that support foetal memory and learning. Three key flaws beleaguer their scientific rationale to rule out foetal pain. " The Times. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
New President of French Bishops: Law on Bioethics Must Respect Human Dignity
The president of the Catholic bishops' conference of France has commented on the importance of human dignity with regard to laws on bioethics. The recently elected Archbishop André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, told a television interviewer: "We must be on the alert. I think that with regards to respect for human dignity, we must be very aware of the way in which men and women are treated." CNA on EWTN. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Uruguayan Bishops Bracing for Abortion Fight
The bishops of Uruguay are making plans for how they will confront the Senate's recent decision in favour of legislation to decriminalize abortion. The bishops are considering legal action that could stop the measure, should the House of Deputies also decide in favour of it. One option under consideration is a citizens’ petition, followed by a referendum. President Tabaré Vázquez promised a veto for any pro-abortion legislation when he took office in 2005. Bishop Pablo Galimberti of Salto said that the Church "rejects that which violates the fundamental and first human right, the right to life.""We are going to continue denouncing this", he said, "given that human rights are ever more vulnerable; today we are dealing with the unborn, tomorrow it could be children, elderly or black people". ZENIT. CLICK TO READ MORE.....