Life Advocacy Briefing

Stepping Up Pressure on Planned Parenthood

REP. MIKE PENCE (R-IN) IS PREPARING TO FILE A BILL to disqualify abortion-committing businesses like Planned Parenthood from taxpayer subsidies under the federal government’s Title X (Ten) family planning program.

The legislation is similar to an amendment he offered last July. That amendment failed 189 to 231.

“‘It’s time that the American people know,’” said Rep. Pence, quoted by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in his Nov. 8 Washington Update, “‘that the nation’s biggest abortion provider is also the largest recipient of Title X dollars.’ … Although family planning dollars cannot directly fund abortions,” writes Mr. Perkins, “they can be used to offset ‘operational costs’ and free up money to promote and provide abortions. … According to the organization’s own annual report,” notes Mr. Perkins, “Planned Parenthood received more than a third of its nearly $1 billion budget from government grants and contracts last year alone.”

Readers are urged to call their US Representatives to request they contact Rep. Pence to sign on as co-sponsors. The Capitol switchboard number is 1-202/224-3121.

NJ Voters Reject Bonds for Embryo Sacrifice

NEW JERSEY VOTERS REJECTED A PROPOSITION last Tuesday which would have poured $450 million in additional public funding into medical experiments which include sacrificing embryonic humans.

The state’s multimillionaire governor, Jon Corzine (D), invested some $200,000 of his personal funds in backing the bond issue proposition through an organization which ran radio ads and sponsored a mass phone call campaign featuring actor Michael J. Fox. Corzine ally Richard Codey, president of the State Senate, kicked in $100,000 from one of his campaign committees for a second round of radio ads.

But New Jersey Right to Life (NJRTL) produced their own radio and television ads featuring a police detective who had been shot in the line of duty yet urged a “no” vote on the “Clone But Kill” proposition. The proposition went down 53 to 47%, the first statewide ballot initiative rejected by New Jersey voters in 17 years, reports the Evans-Novak Political Report.

Opposition leader Steve Lonegan, identified by Associated Press writer Joe Danborn as “a conservative Republican,” characterized Tuesday’s vote as “‘a reinforcement of our values and a rebuke to the governor. … The taxpayers,’” he said in the AP report, “‘are saying enough is enough.’”

Sen. Codey attributed the rejection to fiscal issues, reports Susan Livio of the NJStar-Ledger, but Seton Hall University political science professor Joseph Marbach said, writes Ms. Livio, “no one should discount the moral opposition that helped lead to the question’s defeat. Churches through the state,” reports the Star-Ledger, “urged parishioners Sunday to vote against the stem cell measure, he said. ‘That was a combination of economics and morality,’” said Prof. Marbach, quoted by Ms. Livio, “‘that doomed [the ballot question].’”

“In the end, the people recognized,” said NJRTL’s Marie Tasy in a celebratory news release, “that this $450 million boondoggle was politics masquerading as science and soundly rejected it.”

Another Adult Stem Cell Advance

MORE GOOD NEWS IN ETHICAL MEDICAL RESEARCH was published Oct. 31 in the Journal of Neuroscience, reported by Liz Townsend for National Right to Life Committee’s Today’s News & Views column.

“[Adult] neural stem cells transplanted into brain-injured mice,” writes Ms. Townsend, “restored the animals’ memory to the same levels as healthy mice. The transplanted brain cells ‘survive, migrate, differentiate and, most significantly, improve memory,’” write the authors of the Journal report.

Lead researcher Mathew Blurton-Jones told HealthDay News, quoted by Ms. Townsend, “‘There is a lot of awareness that [adult] stem cells might be useful in treating diseases that cause loss of motor function, but this study shows that they might benefit memory in stroke or traumatic brain injury and, potentially, Alzheimer’s disease.’”

The study was pursued at the University of California at Irvine and “also found,” writes Ms. Townsend citing HealthDay News as source, “that the stem cells did not merely replace the damaged cells but instead began to repair existing cells. … Much more work needs to be done before such an approach could be used in humans,” notes Ms. Townsend, “but experts found this report to be very promising.”

The potential for humans in this report certainly offers good news. The volume of “work [which] needs to be done” before human beings could be treated, though, makes more damnable the insistence of labcoat lobbyists on pursuing unethical, more likely futile experimentation on embryonic humans. Though people suffering from more than 70 conditions and diseases are already being treated by adult stem cells, not a single experiment using embryonic stem cells has produced a safe, effective treatment for any condition.

N.J. Denies Pharmacist Conscience Rights

NEW JERSEY GOV. JON CORZINE HAS SIGNED INTO LAW a measure forcing pharmacists in the state to dispense the “morning-after” pill or to refer customers to a pharmacy that stocks it, regardless of the pharmacist’s conscience. The hormonal megadose can act as an abortifacient if ingested after a baby has been conceived.

The only basis under the new law by which a pharmacist may refuse to fill a megadose contraception prescription, reports Nathan Burchfiel for Cybercast News Service (CNSNews.com), is “‘professional experience, knowledge or available reference materials.’ … The law,” reports Mr. Burchfiel, “prohibits [pharmacists] from justifying the refusal with ‘philosophical, moral or religious beliefs.’”

Planned Parenthood, of course, celebrated enactment of the new law, but New Jersey Right to Life’s Marie Tasy noted the new statute “‘definitely infringes on a person’s moral, religious and philosophical beliefs,’” reports Mr. Burchfiel. Such conscience protection exists in New Jersey law for other medical professionals, but now pharmacists have been singled out.

“‘[The new law] sends a chilling message that if you are a pharmacist, you need not apply in the state of New Jersey,’” Mrs. Tasy told CNSNews.com, and she suggested the new law could jeopardize existing pharmacists’ jobs. “‘Any pharmacist who would say to his boss, “I have a problem with this particular medication” would be at risk of being fired.’”

Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, issued a statement calling Gov. Corzine and the bill’s legislative sponsors, “‘representatives of the Culture of Death,’” writes Mr. Burchfiel, “‘joining officials in 11 other states with this evil law. …

“‘In a free society, the rights of conscience are recognized,’” declared Rev. Euteneuer, quoted by CNSNews.com. “‘When the state abrogates those rights, forcing citizens to violate their consciences as a condition for employment, then the state is no longer a free society.’”

Deceit Comes Naturally

PLANNED PARENTHOOD IS PURSUING ALL OVER AGAIN the underhanded tactics the outfit used in building the nation’s largest abortuary in Aurora, Illinois. This time the abortion industry’s leviathan is picking on the Stapleton area of Denver, securing permits for a building more than twice the size of the Chicago-suburban megabortuary.

Planned Parenthood’s general contractor, the Weitz Co., “has listed United Airlines as the property owner on city permits,” reports Bob Unruh of WorldNetDaily.com citing “documents” uncovered by Colorado Right to Life and WND columnist Jill Stanek.

But a United spokesman, writes Mr. Unruh, “issued a terse: ‘United Airlines sold the building in question to a real estate firm on Jan. 11, 2007. We do not own this property.’”

The claim that United Airlines is in any way involved in this project turns out not to be the only subterfuge being used by Denver PP. The outfit, reports WND, “set up a front company called Fuller 38 to assemble its mega-clinic. … According to the documents,” Mr. Unruh writes, “PP set up Fuller 38 LLC in December 2006, and within weeks it [Fuller] purchased for $1.35 million from United the parcel of land and building … .

“It remained a stealth project until August,” Mr. Unruh writes, “when local reporters found out and ‘outed’ the plans for the building.” Yet the trail of deception continued even after the plot became public. Even the construction permit issued in October “say[s] the building is owned by ‘United Airlines, Inc.’ [based in] Chicago, Illinois,” reports WND citing as source a spokesman with Colorado Families Against Planned Parenthood.

“‘Planned Parenthood CEOs in both Denver and Chicago,’” writes Mrs. Stanek, quoted by Mr. Unruh, “‘have stated they kept PP’s name out of the construction process as long as possible to keep pro-lifers from interfering. But does that give them license to lie on permit documents? And what about the right of subcontractors and workers to make the “choice” not to help build this abortion monstrosity?’”

Even on this point, PP’s contractor appears to be neck-deep in deceit. Weitz’s senior vice president for the Rocky Mountain office, Gary Meggison, “told reporters,” writes Mr. Unruh, “that his company told workers who may have had moral concerns that they didn’t have to work there, and none bowed out. He said his company was up-front about the nature of the work.” But subcontractors dispute that claim.

“At least two companies,” writes Mr. Unruh, “told [Denver Families Against PP] that they had been told specifically they were working on a United Airlines project and were horrified to learn it was an abortion mill. ‘The first company we contacted, they had no clue they were working for Planned Parenthood,’ [the DFAPP spokesman] told WND. That company had completed its work,” Mr. Unruh writes, “and would refuse to bid on further work, [the spokesman] said.

“The second company, Haynes Mechanical, said it was told it was working for United,” WND reports, “although a separate company called Fuller 38 was writing the checks. A spokesman, when told of the nature of Fuller 38’s plans,” writes Mr. Unruh, “confirmed his company no longer would bid on work on the project. ‘I’ve finished my investigation,’” the spokesman told DFAPP, reports WND, “‘and we’re no longer on the project.’”

Our Cause Is Rooted in the Truth of Our Faith

Nov. 7, 2007, report by Meg Jalsevac for LifeSiteNews.com, edited in small part by Life Advocacy Briefing, published here in the belief that the words Archbishop Chaput applies to the Roman Catholic faith actually apply to all denominations of Christianity

Last week, [Roman Catholic] Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, Colorado, addressed the 15th annual Society of Catholic Social Scientists meeting hosted by St. John’s University School of Law in New York. Chaput addressed the gathering with a talk entitled, “Church & State Today: What Belongs to Caesar and What Does Not.” …

Chaput began his address providing a rudimentary sketch of an “anonymous society.” The society described had devastating fertility rates, promiscuity and a lack of regard for the sacredness of the family and of unborn human life. The archbishop explained that while the description of this “anonymous society” could very fittingly be applicable to today’s society, in fact, he was referring to Roman society around the time of Christ.

“Let me explain it this way: People often say we’re living at a ‘post-Christian’ moment. That’s supposed to describe the fact that Western nations have abandoned or greatly downplayed their Christian heritage in recent decades. But our ‘post-Christian’ moment actually looks a lot like the pre-Christian moment. The signs of our times in the developed nations – morally, intellectually, spiritually and even demographically – are uncomfortably similar to the signs in the world at the time of the Incarnation. …

“But I do believe that the challenges we face as American Catholics today are very much like those faced by the first Christians. And it might help to have a little perspective on how they went about evangelizing their culture. They did such a good job that within 400 years, Christianity was the world’s dominant religion and the foundation of Western civilization. If we can learn from that history, the more easily God will work through us to spark a new evangelization.”

Chaput explained that the spread of Christianity in the early days was due, not only to people’s acceptance of the truths taught by the Apostles but also because ‘[b]elieving in the Gospel meant changing their whole way of thinking and living. …

“From the start, to be a Christian meant believing that sex and marriage were sacred. From the start, to be a Christian meant rejecting abortion, infanticide, birth control, divorce, homosexual activity and marital infidelity – all those things widely practiced by their Roman neighbors.”

Chaput then continued by reinforcing the importance of a respect for life in today’s society. “As this audience already knows, Christian reverence for the unborn child is no medieval development. It comes from the very beginnings of our faith. The early Church had no debates over politicians and communion. There wasn’t any need. No persons who tolerated or promoted abortion would have dared to approach the Eucharistic table, let alone dared to call themselves true Christians. …

“And here’s why: The early Christians understood that they were the offspring of a new worldwide family of God. They saw the culture around them as a culture of death, a society that was slowly extinguishing itself. In fact, when you read early Christian literature, practices like adultery and abortion are often described as part of ‘the way of death’ or the ‘way of the [devil].’”

Chaput drew his address to a close with a charge to his audience to “recover our Catholic identity as disciples of Jesus Christ and missionaries of His Church.” He explained that to be a good citizen of our nation, we must first remember that “we’re citizens of heaven first. …

“We’re better Americans by being more truly Catholic – and the reason why is that, unless we live our Catholic faith authentically, with our whole heart and our whole strength, we have nothing worthwhile to bring to the public debates that will determine the course of our nation.”

His final words reminded the conference attendees that living and preaching the truth will not necessarily bring popularity according to today’s standards, but that should not deter us from speaking up “respectfully, in a spirit of justice and charity, but also vigorously and without apologies … . In the end, if we want our lives to be fruitful, we need to know ourselves as God intends us to be known – as His witnesses on earth, not just in our private behavior but in our public actions, including our social, economic and political choices.”