LifeZine No. 653: 4th Feb 09
Woman Appeals Ruling That Barred Implanting Embryos in Her
The Irish Supreme Court is hearing an appeal by a mother of two who wants three embryos implanted in her womb (against the wishes of her estranged husband) so she can become pregnant. A five-judge court is hearing the appeal. The case came up briefly last month before Mrs Justice Susan Denham, who was told that the facility that’s holding the embryos would abide by any order the court made. The 43-year-old woman and her husband used IVF to create the embryos, which are in a freezer in the SIMS fertility center in Rathgar, Dublin. In the original ruling against the woman, Mr Justice Brian McGovern said in November, 2006, that her embryos aren’t unborn children within the meaning of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution –- the “right to life” amendment that voters enacted by referendum in 1983. So, he stated, the embryos didn’t attract the constitutional protection of unborn babies that the amendment set out. In a statement through her solicitor Alan Daveron shortly after McGovern’s ruling, the woman said she was determined to appeal in order to settle the issue, for her family and the public interest. She had sought to become pregnant with the embryos and asserted that the constitutional amendment protected them from killing.The Irish Times. January 23.
Meet Family & Life at Divine Mercy Conference
Come meet us at the Divine Mercy Conference in the RDS! We’ll have a prominent stand at the forthcoming Divine Mercy Conference at the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin, on Saturday and Sunday, February 21st and 22nd. You’ll discover a wide range of pro-life material, including books, tapes, videos, DVDs, leaflets, prayer cards and more. Family & Life will be showing our DVD film, “Life: A New Revolution”, and giving away FREE copies. We’ll be there in person to help you with any of your enquiries. We’d love to meet you! Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
New UK ”Drink Link” Warning on Harm to Unborn Baby
UK Doctors say women who drink heavily early in pregnancy -- possibly before they know they’re pregnant -- may be increasing the danger of premature delivery. A study of 4,719 Australian women found an almost 80 percent higher risk for mothers who drank heavily in the first trimester of pregnancy, then stopped. But study in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG) found no sign of problems for mums who drank moderately throughout pregnancy.The subject of alcohol and pregnancy has been controversial, with some guidelines advocating zero alcohol and others saying that small amounts are unlikely to harm the developing child. The latest study suggests that binge or heavy drinking is riskiest during the first trimester. But Dr Colleen O’Leary of the University of Western Australia, who led the study, advised, “The risk of pre-term birth is highest for women who drink heavily or at binge levels. Women should be advised that during pregnancy, drinking alcohol above low levels increases the risk to the baby and that the safest choice is not to drink alcohol during pregnancy”. The editor of the BJOG, Prof Phillip Steer, said the study represented a warning to women. BBC. January 21.
Vatican Slams Obama “Arrogance” on Abortion Funding
A senior Vatican official has strongly criticised US President Barack Obama for overturning a ban on federal funding for groups that commit or facilitate abortions overseas. Abp Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that Obama’s signing of the executive order showed “the arrogance of someone who believes they are right, in signing a decree which will open the door to abortion and thus to the destruction of human life”.”What is important,” he added, “is to know how to listen...without locking oneself into ideological visions with the arrogance of a person who, having the power, thinks they can decide on life and death”. Obama issued the decree on January 23, cancelling the eight-year-old protection for unborn babies. It was the third full day of his presidency. Indedpendent Catholic News. January 25.
Prominent Pro-Life Priest-Theologian Enters Eternity
Msgr William Smith, professor of moral theology at Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, since 1971, and one of the USA’s leading Catholic voices on medical ethics, died last week at St Joseph’s Hospital in Yonkers. Msgr Smith, 69, was a Yonkers native who grew up in St. Denis parish. He was ordained a priest in 1966. Cardinal Terence Cooke soon chose him to pursue a doctorate in moral theology and then teach at his hometown seminary. Msgr Smith became a leading Catholic spokesman on life issues such as abortion, artificial reproduction, euthanasia, stem-cell research and cloning. The Journal News. January 25.
US Congress Cancels $200 Million for Contraceptives
Democrats in the US Congress jettisoned $200 million for contraceptives from their proposed $825 billion ”economic stimulus” billafter a personal appeal from President Obama. The new administration is hoping to win over Republican critics of the mammoth spending bill. The contraception funds became a lightning rod for Republican foes, who blasted it as an example of wasteful spending that would neither create jobs nor otherwise improve the economy. AP. January 27.