LifeZine No. 586: 28th Apr 08
‘We Must Not be Pressured by the EU into Allowing Abortion in Ireland’ —Kathy Sinnott MEP
Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Ireland South, is disappointed that a report on "Safe and Legal Abortion in Europe" has been adopted by the Council of Europe. The report, by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Equal Opportunities Committee, called upon the Council's member states to decriminalise abortion if they have not done so already, to guarantee unrestricted access to abortion. Mrs Sinnott said, "I regret that this report was adopted despite Ireland's objections. Fortunately, this is not legally binding but it does exert even more pressure on Ireland to make abortion legal. This is a very sinister development. The movement is not simply about decriminalising abortion but also attempting to call abortion a fundamental human right. We need to protect the most vulnerable members of society, especially precious unborn babies”. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Abstinence Regrets as Irish Survey Links Teen Sex to Crisis Pregnancies and Abortions
Girls who engage in sex in their early teenage years are two-thirds more likely to face a crisis pregnancy in later life, a new Irish survey has found. Members of this age group were also three times more likely to have an abortion, according to the Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships. The survey revealed that almost three-fifths of these said they regretted the decision to engage in teenage sex. Katharine Bulbulia, chairwoman of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA), said the State should equip young people with the knowledge and skills they needed to delay their first sexual experience and that the agency would be launching a campaign to deter "first sex" later this year. A pro-life spokesman said that such comments from the CPA, which promotes contraception and sees abortion as a “positive option”, were “disingenuous” as it is “part of the problem rather than a solution”. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Scientists Admit Embryonic Stem Cell Research Hasn't Been Successful
While pro-life advocates have pointed out for years that embryonic stem cell research hasn't helped a single patient while adult stem cells have already been used in humans afflicted with dozens of diseases, a leading scientist in England is beginning to admit defeat. Lord Patel of Dunkeld, the chairman of the UK National Stem Cell Network and Chancellor of Dundee University, says embryonic stem cell research is simply not working. He conceded in an interview with the Scotsman newspaper that the controversial science might never deliver new treatments for diseases. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Cardinal O'Brien Plea for Stem Cell Bank
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, has called on Scotland's First Minister to set up a national store of umbilical tissue. The cardinal wrote to Mr Alex Salmond MP MSP, saying, "The clinical efficacy of cord-blood stem cells continues to be shown in research and treatments across the world." Scotland on Sunday. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Czech Abortion Numbers Fall Along with Live Births
About 300 people marked the International Day of the Unborn Child in Wenceslas Square in the centre of Prague with a peaceful protest against abortion. "Free choice ends where new life starts", read a poster the protestors carried. Zdenka Rybova, president of the Movement for Life, the nation's largest pro-life group, said her organization is working with the pro-life Christian Democrat Party (KDU-CSL), which is part of the country's coalition government. She hopes to change the Czech criminal code's definition of abortion to the "killing of a conceived, yet unborn, child". "Changing the law won't solve the problem, but it will help", she said. Despite very permissive abortion legislation, the number of abortions in the Czech Republic has been steadily falling since the collapse of the Communist regime in November 1989. LifeSiteNews.com. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Pope Benedict XVI Says Catholic Church Must Minister to Women After Abortions
Pope Benedict XVI told participants at a recent conference that the Catholic Church has an obligation to minister to women who have been victimized by abortion. The Pope said abortion has left millions of women physically, emotionally and spiritually wounded and Catholics must reach out to them. The pontiff said abortion has "devastating consequences" for women, families and society. He called abortion a "painful decision" and regretted that "so many women have had to make [that decision] alone" and that abortion leaves an "unhealed wound they carry in their souls". He urged women who have had abortions not to feel a sense of hopelessness and despair but to open themselves to hope and healing that can come through repentance and forgiveness from God. At the same time, Pope Benedict said Catholics have an obligation to reach out to women hurting after an abortion, saying they are "looking for peace and the possibility of recovery". Zenit and LifeNews.com. CLICK TO READ MORE.....