LifeNet

Henry Hyde, a true pro-life champion, dies

Here is the press release from the Knights of Columbus on the death of brother Knight, former Congressman Henry Hyde.

New Haven, CT - November 29, 2007 - Former Congressman Henry Hyde "was the epitome of a Catholic gentleman," Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said today, upon hearing of Hyde's death at the age of 83. "He was a proud brother Knight for 52 years, and throughout his long record of service in public office, his faith guided him at every step along the way. He was a dedicated defender of human life, and the Hyde Amendment, adopted in 1976, is the most important pro-life statute ever enacted by Congress. The National Right to Life Committee estimated that the Hyde Amendment has saved at least one million lives since its passage." The amendment banned federal funding for abortions.

"Had he done nothing else during his 32-year career in Congress, the Hyde Amendment would stand out as a singular accomplishment," Anderson continued, "but as chairman of both the House Judiciary Committee and the House International Relations Committee, he showed himself to be even-handed and fair, even as he was a strong advocate for positions he believed in. He will be remembered as one of the truly great Congressmen of his generation."

Henry Hyde joined the Knights of Columbus in 1955, and was a member of Fr. McDonald Council 1911 in Elmhurst, Illinois.

President Bush award Hyde with the Presidential Medal of Freedom just a few weeks ago, on November 5. Since he was too ill to travel, his son Bob accepted the award on his behalf. At the White House ceremony, the President said of him, "Henry Hyde spoke of controversial matters with intellectual honesty and without rancor. He proved that a man can have firm convictions and be a favorite of Democrats and Republicans alike."

Kieran Lalor announces bid for 19th Congressional District; currently held by Freshman pro-abortion Congressman John Hall

Here is Lalor's email letter, as well as a link to the Journal News article today. You can go the the Journal News and leave a comment.

Dear Friends & Supporters:

Encouraged by your overwhelming support and goodwill, I will be officially
announcing my candidacy for Congress this Sunday, November 25th.

We are reminded this Thanksgiving weekend of the abundance with which our
country has been blessed.  I have been privileged to serve America as a
teacher, Marine and national security activist.  It is with deep gratitude
to my country and my fellow citizens that I seek to serve as a member of
Congress.

Iraq war veteran announces run for Congress

Lalor, a 31-year-old Iraq war veteran, is seeking to represent a district that covers Putnam County and parts of Westchester, Dutchess, Rockland and Orange counties. He has yet to finalize his run by filing paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission, but said he will do so this week.

Lalor said Hall was a backer of bill that contained a controversial $1 million earmark to build a Woodstock festival museum. It was yanked from a Senate appropriations bill earlier this year.

He described himself as a follower of "Ronald Reagan's School of Conservatism" and said Hall has no relationship with the traditionally Republican district.

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The National Republican Congressional Committee has listed Hall's seat as one of many key districts it hopes to recapture in 2008. Hall won the seat in 2006 with 51 percent of the vote, and has raised over $1 million for his re-election bid, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

The National Republican Congressional Committee had listed Katonah businessman Andrew Saul as its top recruit to challenge Hall, but the multimillionaire pulled out last week, citing personal reasons.

The stem cell breakthrough - a succinct discussion

Here is an excellent, short round-up of both the science of the new technique to produce "Induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC's), and the ethics.

If you hit the link and read the whole article (highly recommended; the excerpt is about 40% ofthe text), you may wish to leave a comment.

MercatorNet - Stem cell breakthrough: ethical science is good science

Here is what happens. The cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), were created by using a retrovirus to introduce four genes into ordinary skin cells. After a while, the skin cells revert to a pluripotent state, meaning that they can change into nearly any type of cell in the body. At the moment there are some drawbacks, as the cells can turn cancerous, but scientists are confident that this will swiftly be overcome. Dozens of research teams around the world are already beavering away.

Furthermore, the new technique appears to be simpler, more efficient and cheaper. "People didn’t know it would be this easy," Dr Thomson says. "Thousands of labs in the United States can do this, basically tomorrow."

Which raises the question of why they didn't think of it yesterday. The idea has been around for a long time. Back in May 2005, a white paper from the US President's Council on Bioethics mentioned it as one of the four major alternatives to the use of embryonic stem cells, although it concluded that "it is much too early to know whether this will succeed".

Perhaps one reason why Yamanaka succeeded is that he was thinking outside the square. He didn't plod along behind Ian Wilmut, Rudi Jaenisch, George Daley, Irving Weissman, Austin Smith, Alan Trounson and the other luminaries of stem cell research. Was it because he began his career as an orthopaedic surgeon? Was it because he seems to have greater sensitivity to ethical and social concerns? "Neither [human] eggs nor embryos are necessary. I've never worked with either," he commented earlier this year. The boldness of Yamanaka's approach is instructive. Over five years, his team compiled a list of 24 factors that seemed to help stem cells stay flexible. But which ones? Toiling 12 to 14 hours a day in his lab, using brute force, Yamanaka found them. "He gambled everything on the key factors being included within his pool of 24 candidates," said Nature. And he won.

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Unfortunately, the good news still hasn't done away with fundamental ethical questions; it has merely bypassed them. Researchers are not budging from their insistence that research on embryos and cloning is still absolutely necessary. The use of embryos is the "gold standard" for the production of stem cells, commented Shoukhrat Mitalapov, the researcher who became the first to clone a primate successfully last week. The human embryo is still regarded as a mere research tool by many scientists. Even Yamanaka insists that embryonic stem cell research should continue. 

Furthermore, this new stage in stem cell research opens the door to the transhumanist dreams of manufacturing "better humans". Yamanaka himself has fretted over the potential for a new route to cloned children. "Our technology, however, create a new ethical concerns. It might be possible to generate sperm and eggs from skin cells, via iPS cells," he says. Lesbians could create sperm; and gays could create eggs. With the ability to create gametes, genetic engineering will become possible, as well. IVF clinics will be able to delete genes for hereditary diseases from embryos but also insert genes for greater athletic ability or a higher IQ. Pluripotent cells can lead not only to tailor-made therapies, but to tailor-made children.

Catholic Conference Statement on Stem Cell breakthrough

From: Dennis Poust
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 1:32 PM
To: Dennis Poust
Subject: Catholic Conference statement on stem cell breakthrough

Catholic Conference hails stem cell breakthrough,

urges state funding be directed toward this new research

The New York State Catholic Conference hailed the breakthrough announced today by stem cell researchers from Wisconsin and Japan that allows the creation of embryonic-like stem cells by reprogramming mature human cells, rather than destroying human embryos. The Conference urged the state government to pursue this research with the public funds earmarked in the New York State budget for stem cell research.  Kathleen M. Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the Catholic Conference, made the following comment today:

“Today marks the dawn of a new age for ethical scientific research and discovery. This breakthrough announced in two scientific journals appears to solve the ethical dilemmas of embryonic stem cell research and human cloning by eliminating the need for them. Instead, by simply adding four genes to an existing skin cell, the cell can be reprogrammed as a ‘pluripotent’ stem cell. The process appears to be easier, more cost efficient, scientifically promising and morally untroubling.

“Beyond the fact that scientists will no longer need to create and destroy human embryos in a laboratory setting, the new process eliminates the need for donor eggs and the potential exploitation of poor women that could entail. Further, it appears that medical issues such as tissue rejection would not be a factor. This may be the best possible outcome for people who yearn for cures of chronic diseases and disabilities. Much work needs to be done, but it seems clear that the hurdles will be much easier to overcome than those that continue to plague embryo research and cloning.

“The Catholic Conference urges the Empire State Stem Cell Board, created by Gov. Spitzer and the state legislature earlier this year, to direct all state funding that would have gone to destructive embryo research and cloning into research utilizing this new procedure, which can make our state a leader in the field. At the same time, we continue to fully support funding for research on 'adult' stem cells, which already have many valuable therapeutic uses in the treatment of disease and disability.

“The Conference congratulates those in the scientific community who have pursued this life-saving research, which should put an end to any scientific justification for embryo-destructive research and the cloning of human beings.”

The Catholic Conference represents

New York State’s Bishops in matters of public policy.

Dennis Poust

Director of Communications

New York State Catholic Conference

465 State St., Albany, NY 12203

(518) 434-6195

www.nyscatholic.org

Governor Spitzer's other DMV "License" Issue

MEDIA ADVISORY, Nov. 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- Governor Spitzer has decided to drop his illegal immigrant driver license program due to public pressure and potential lawsuits. Now it's time for the governor to drop his opposition to another "license" problem at the DMV: the approval of the New York "Choose Life" license plate that has been blocked by the DMV - at taxpayers' expense -- for three long years.

The "Choose Life" license plate was first requested by The Children First Foundation (CFF) back in December, 2001, to help raise awareness and funding for the Adoption Option as a positive choice for unplanned pregnancies. The pro-adoption plate carries a childlike drawing of two smiling children and the words "Choose life" as if written by a child. "Choose Life" plates have been approved in 17 other states, including Connecticut, and have been purchased by more than 60,000 motorists. Nationwide, the plate has raised over $8 million to help desperate women choose life and consider adoption for an unintended pregnancy.

Even though the DMV in New York has approved hundreds of specialty plates for very diverse organizations and causes including political labor unions like the AFL-CIO and religious organizations like the Knights of Columbus, under Governor Pataki the DMV repeatedly rejected CFF's plate claiming that the plate was "patently offensive." The problem escalated in August, 2004, when the DMV issued an indefinite moratorium on the approval of all new specialty license plates in New York. For the past three years, the DMV's unresolved moratorium has effectively blocked the issuance of every other specialty plate including the "9/11 Remembrance" Plate, the "Cure Childhood Cancer" Plate, the "Survivor of the Bravest" Plate (for the families of fallen firefighters) as well as countless other worthy New York specialty license plates.

It is unquestionably "patently offensive" that the DMV under both Governor Pataki and under Governor Spitzer would rather veto and block New York's "9/11 Remembrance" Plate rather than allow the issuance of CFF's New York "Choose Life" Plate. It is time to demand that Governor Spitzer immediately address and resolve this remaining DMV "license" problem in New York.

Albany politicians on both sides of the aisle should be equally appalled at the enormous waste of taxpayers' money that has already been spent trying to dismiss CFF's legitimate federal lawsuit to protect its 1st and 14th Amendment civil liberties. As concerned New York citizens, we should once again contact all of our politicians and ask them to show their strong, bi- partisan support not only for the courageous and positive choice of Adoption in New York State, but also for freedom of speech, due process and equal treatment for all New Yorkers, even those with whom they may disagree.

Governor Spitzer has just strongly condemned "hyperpartisanship" in New York State and the Nation. He must now demonstrate his leadership with his actions, not just his words. It's time for him to walk the walk.

Children First Foundation is dedicated to promoting and supporting Adoption as a positive choice for unwanted pregnancies and newborns.

Friday Fax from C-fam -- UN debates right to life of unborn

Dear Colleague,

We report in this special issue of the Friday Fax the most remarkable event. Yesterday the UN debated whether to protect the unborn child from abortion. The unborn child lost but still this was the first time this debate took place.

Spread the word.

Yours sincerely,

Austin Ruse
President

Right to Life of Unborn is Debated in UN
Third Committee; Proposition Loses

By Samantha Singson

     (NEW YORK — C-FAM) Perhaps for the first time ever, a debate about protecting the unborn child from abortion erupted in the UN Third Committee of the General Assembly yesterday. Led by mostly Muslim states, the effort was at least partly an attempt to strike at the efforts of the European Union-led resolution condemning the death penalty.

     Several sponsors of the death penalty resolution argued that the right to life amendments were not in keeping with the main focus of the text and that they were merely introduced to sow confusion and division. The representative of Egypt stated that since the resolution was aimed at respecting life, it was appropriate to widen the scope to include protection of innocent human life. 

     Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Libya, Kuwait, Mauritania and Sudan sponsored the right to life amendments. Their first amendment calling for a new operative paragraph to be included in the draft text read, “Urges Member States to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of unborn children.”  The amendment was rejected in a recorded vote of 28 for, 83 against with 47 abstentions.

     Egypt’s second amendment called for the inclusion of another paragraph; “Reaffirms that every human being has the inherent right to life and stresses that abortion should only be admissible in necessary cases and only when the life of the mother or child is at serious risk.”  The second amendment was defeated in a recorded vote of 26 for, 84 against with 46 abstentions.

     The Philippines, San Marino, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Gabon, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Panama stated that they agreed with the substance of the amendments, but as co-sponsors to the death penalty resolution they still did not agree that the amendments were germane to the draft text. Most countries agreed that the right to life issue as presented in the amendments deserved more time for deliberation and consideration and several delegations called for a separate right to life resolution to be brought up at next year’s General Assembly.

     While voting against the resolution as a whole, the United States voted in favor of Egypt’s first amendment. In their explanation of vote, the US agreed that unborn children deserve protection and urged fellow member states to be as scrupulous in regard to protecting unborn life.

     The non-binding resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty was passed in a recorded vote with 99 countries for, 52 against and 33 abstentions.

US Conference of bishops press release on Faithful Citizenship

Go here for the PR.

USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - U.S. Catholic bishops approve faithful citizenship statement

The bishops warn of two temptations for Catholics in public life. “The first is a moral equivalence that makes no ethical distinctions between different kinds of issues involving human life and dignity. The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life…is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed.” A second temptation involves “dismissing or ignoring other serious threats to human life and dignity. Racism and other unjust discrimination, torture, the use of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war, war crimes, the failure to respond to those who are suffering from hunger or lack health care, or unjust immigration policies are all serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act.”

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The bishops also acknowledge the challenges faced by Catholic voters. “Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the Church’s comprehensive commitment to the dignity of the human person.” They add, “As Catholics we are not single issues voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.”

A great story about five new babies

Quints born of Russian parent in the U.K. The Russian doctors insisted they "selectively terminate" two or three before they would consider caring for the pregnant Mom.

How faith kept my quintuplets alive, says Russian mum | the Daily Mail

Cardinal O'Malley of Boston: Support for Democratic candidates in favor of abortion "borders on scandal"

The Capuchin Cardinal of the Boston Archdiocese had an interview with the Boston Globe yesterday. He spoke clearly about the priority of the Gospel of Life.

O'Malley draws line with Democrats on backing abortion rights candidates - The Boston Globe

In his sharpest comments about the political landscape since he was installed as archbishop of Boston four years ago, O'Malley made clear that, despite his differences with the Republican Party over immigration policy, capital punishment, economic issues, and the war in Iraq, he views abortion as the most important moral issue facing policymakers.

"I think the Democratic Party, which has been in many parts of the country traditionally the party which Catholics have supported, has been extremely insensitive to the church's position, on the gospel of life in particular, and on other moral issues," O'Malley said.

Acknowledging that Catholic voters in Massachusetts generally support Democratic candidates who are in favor of abortion rights, O'Malley said, "I think that, at times, it borders on scandal as far as I'm concerned."

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O'Malley made his comments in an interview just after the US Conference of Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly to approve its quadrennial statement offering guidance for Catholic voters, declaring abortion, cloning, and embryonic research to be "intrinsically evil" and warning that support for such acts could endanger a Catholic voter's salvation. The bishops have issued similar documents prior to each presidential election since 1976, but this year decided to place a special emphasis on the importance of opposition to abortion because of concern among some bishops that the issue might get lost in the flurry of statements by the bishops on other topics such as poverty and the environment.

"The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong and is not just one issue among many," the bishops declared in the document, called Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.

O'Malley, who marches annually in an antiabortion rally, said the document was clearer than it has been in some previous years.

"In the past, there was always the fear that we were considering sort of the smorgasbord of issues, but without any prioritizing, or giving the impression that all issues are of equal value, and I think the emphasis on trying to help people form conscience is very, very important," he said. "The church is not trying to impose Catholic doctrine on the world, but we are trying to invite our people to take seriously their obligation to vote in a way that respects the moral law, the natural law, and takes into account the common good, care for the poor, and particularly the gospel of life, which is always the center of Catholic social teaching."

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The bishops' conference did not endorse a candidate or political party - doing so would endanger its tax-exempt status - and said the document was not a voter guide, but rather a summary of Catholic teaching. The bishops have had differences with the Republican Party, too, in particular because of support among many GOP officials for capital punishment and the Iraq war; in the statement approved yesterday, the bishops declared, "no party and too few candidates fully share the church's comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death."

The document declares that "as Catholics we are not single-issue voters," but says, "a candidate's position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support."

UN opposes cloning, sort of; theraputic cloning is OK - plus success in cloning monkey embryos

Reuters makes no real mention of the immorality of "cloning to kill."

World should ban human cloning, except medical: U.N. | Science | Reuters

Almost all governments oppose human cloning and more than 50 have legislation outlawing cloning. But negotiations about an international ban collapsed in 2005 because of disagreements over research cloning, also known as therapeutic cloning.

Research cloning can produce tissues that are a perfect genetic match of a person and so help grow cells to treat diseases such as strokes, spinal injuries, diabetes, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, according to the study, which was made available in Oslo.

The day of reckoning for human cloing is a step closer!

Cloning: a giant step - Independent Online Edition > Science & Tech

A technical breakthrough has enabled scientists to create for the first time dozens of cloned embryos from adult monkeys, raising the prospect of the same procedure being used to make cloned human embryos.

Attempts to clone human embryos for research have been dogged by technical problems and controversies over fraudulent research and questionable ethics. But the new technique promises to revolutionise the efficiency by which scientists can turn human eggs into cloned embryos.

It is the first time that scientists have been able to create viable cloned embryos from an adult primate – in this case a 10-year-old male rhesus macaque monkey – and they are scheduled to report their findings later this month.

The scientists will also demonstrate that they have been able to extract stem cells from some of the cloned embryos and that they have managed to encourage these embryonic cells to develop in the laboratory into mature heart cells and brain neurons.

Scientists who know of the research said it was the breakthrough that they had all been waiting for because, until now, there was a growing feeling that there might be some insuperable barrier to creating cloned embryos from adult primates – including humans.

The development will not be welcomed in all quarters. Opponents of cloning will argue that the new technique of manipulating primate eggs to improve cloning efficiency will lead to increased attempts at creating – and destroying – cloned human embryos for research purposes.

Good news from Northern Ireland

Politicians unite in opposition to abortion -

N. Ireland Assembly Vote Against Abortion is "A Victory for Unbron Children" Family & Life

Leading pro-life group Precious Life has described the Northern Ireland Assembly’s passing of a motion against abortion as “a victory for unborn children.” Before the debate, Precious Life made a presentation of 120,000 petitions against abortion signed by the Northern Ireland public. The petitions were accepted by Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP and Mrs Iris Robinson MP on behalf of the First Minister, Ian Paisley.

Director of Precious Life Bernadette Smyth said, “Our petitions were signed by thousands of people from all across the community in Northern Ireland. The pro-life motion received massive cross-party support. Today, our Assembly Members - catholic and protestant, unionist and nationalist - represented the people of Northern Ireland by coming together to unite in their opposition to abortion.”

Bernadette Smyth concluded, “We are overjoyed that the majority of our Assembly members voted in support of the motion. This was a victory for our unborn children. Together with our 120,000 petitions, the passing of this motion has sent out a clear, unanimous message to the Government in Westminster, and indeed to the world, that the people of Northern Ireland will stand for nothing less than the protection for our unborn babies and their mothers from abortion.”

The Pill linked with increased incidence of artery plaque

The researchers said the "finding turned up by chance", even though it's been well-known for decades that birth control pills increased the risk of blood clots.

Don't blood clots cause heart attacks?

Study links birth control pill to artery-clogging plaque USATODAY.com

A study of 1,301 women ages 33 to 55 suggests that the likelihood of finding plaques in key arteries increased by 20% to 30% for every 10 years of pill use, Ernst Rietzschel, of Ghent University in Belgium, told an American Heart Association meeting here.

The study also links the pill to potentially artery-clogging plaque in women who no longer use oral contraception, he says, noting that 81% of women in the study took the pill, on average, for 13 years. Doctors cautioned that the study is small and should be confirmed by more research.

The pill is the world's most popular form of contraception. About 12 million U.S. women take it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Despite the widespread use of the pill, researchers have never linked it with heart attacks or strokes, though it's well known to increase blood pressure and raise a woman's risk of getting blood clots. Many of the women in the study used pills with higher doses of estrogen than are used today.

"We don't know whether effects will be the same for women taking the pill today," Rietzschel says, adding, "There's no reason to stop taking the pill abruptly; the study needs to be replicated."

"I think it's a wake-up call," says Jennifer Mieres, of New York University School of Medicine. "If you're going to take birth control pills, you need to be aggressive about reducing your other risk factors: smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diet and lifestyle."

Russell Shaw on the Bishops, communion, and politicians

Here is a good column from Our Sunday Visitor

OSV | Newsweekly | November 11, 2007

...to say the bishops aren't of one mind about communion for pro-choice politicians is an understatement. They've been arguing about that since 2004, and up to now the closest they've come to agreement was a statement three years ago saying each bishop could do as he thought best in his own diocese.

The chances appear to be good that something like that will be the bottom line this time, too.

Still, there are several important differences between 2004 and 2007 where this issue is concerned.

That includes remarks that Pope Benedict XVI made last May en route to a bishops' meeting in Brazil, in answer to a reporter's question: What did he think about the Mexican bishops' handling of legislators who'd lately voted to legalize abortion?

Pope Benedict upheld excommunicating the lawmakers, although there was confusion about whether the Mexican bishops had or hadn't really done that. The following day the Vatican issued a tidied-up version of the pope's remarks containing this declaration: "It is simply part of Church law that the killing of an innocent baby is incompatible with going to Communion."

In the United States, the argument over Communion for pro-choice Catholic politicians first came to national attention early in 2004. The issue then focused on Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), a Catholic pro-choicer on his way to the Democratic presidential nomination.

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis said he would refuse Kerry Communion if the senator came to his diocese. As bishop of La Crosse, Wis., the archbishop had already done that with three local Catholic politicians who supported legalized abortion.

The debate spread rapidly, with different bishops taking different stands. Among the critics of Archbishop Burke's position were prominent members of the hierarchy such as Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington and Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.

Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh -- now, archbishop of Washington -- complained about unilateral action by one bishop on a matter affecting them all. He called for a "process, mechanism or procedure" for reaching consensus.

But other bishops took a notably different line -- for example, the ordinaries of Atlanta, Charleston, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C., who said that pro-choice Catholic politicians were barred from Communion in their sees.

The media, tilting to the liberal side of the argument, repeatedly said that only a handful of bishops supported the hard-line position, but the reality of the situation was considerably more complex. As bishops' statements proliferated, virtually all said pro-choice politicians were seriously wrong and many said they should stay away from Communion. Few bishops, however, took the next step of specifically threatening to refuse it to them.

A heated debate took place behind closed doors when the bishops met in Denver that June. The upshot was a compromise document, adopted 183-6, declaring "fidelity" to Church moral teaching a necessary condition for worthy reception of Communion, but leaving it to individual bishops to decide how to apply that principle. In fact, as a matter of Church law, the bishops' conference by itself can't do anything else.

Local option is best, the statement asserted, "given the wide range of circumstances involved in making a prudential judgment."

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Cardinal Ratzinger, who less than a year later would become Pope Benedict XVI, said bishops should meet privately with pro-choice Catholic politicians and try to persuade them to change their views. That failing, he said, the politicians should be denied Communion. Since then some bishops have reported meeting with politicians, but there have been no known changes of heart.

Bishops who oppose refusing Communion say that would politicize the Sacrament, though it isn't clear what they mean by that. Those on the other side stress reverence for the Sacrament and the scandal caused when politicians who flout the moral teaching of the Church on something as serious as abortion are allowed to receive holy Communion.

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In his interview, Cardinal George called some Catholic politicians' voting records "scandalous," but he questioned whether the bishops could agree on a uniform policy.

Thursday Nov. 8th; Planned Parenthood promoting Rockland Talk on Sex Ed & Parenting

On Thursday, November 8, at 7 p.m. at the Nyack Center, 58 Depew Street (off Main St.), Debra Haffner will speak on sex education "how to's" for parents. The Rev. Haffner is the author of From Diapers to Dating and Beyond the Big Talk, and she is a minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Since this is a Planned Parenthood-promoted event, enough said. We would like to see some counter presence there by concerned parents.

Anyone in the Rockland County area who can attend, should attend. In addition, if you can distribute simple fliers to attendees on the way in that speak about PP's ignoring parental consent, Healthy Respect abstinence education results, etc., please do so at the request of Eileen Peterson (845-429-2077). It is important to be there and listen, and first and foremost, ask questions.

You can read a notice at the Real Life Real Talk website:
www.realliferealtalk.org. You can contact the Sisters of Life at 212-371-1011 or e-mail the Hudson Valley Coalition for Life at [email protected]

NJ referendum to use tax dollars to fund embryonic stem cell research fails!

This is good news. What appears to have sunk the measure was the economics of it, not the immorality of creating and destroying embryos. The Times article (as is typical of the media) never mentions that the moral issue is not adult stem cell research, but the use of embryos.

New Jersey Voters Defeat Stem Cell Measure - New York Times

TRENTON, Nov. 6 — In a stunning defeat for Gov. Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have permitted the state to borrow $450 million for stem cell research.

The sound defeat, coupled with the failure of another initiative that would have set aside more money for property tax rebates, marked the first time in 17 years that voters in New Jersey had defeated any statewide ballot question.

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But it was the defeat of the stem cell measure by a resounding 53-47 percent margin that dealt a sharp blow to Mr. Corzine, who had campaigned heavily for it and had contributed $150,000 to the effort.

Supporters had argued that the borrowing would help pay for research that could help deliver New Jersey from financial distress by bringing additional tax revenue and tens of thousands of jobs to the state. Critics, by contrast, said that New Jersey could not afford to add to the state’s surging debt load of $30 billion.

Though recent polls had indicated that the initiative would pass easily, a coalition of conservatives, anti-abortion activists and the Catholic church conducted a last-minute advertising blitz against it.

“I don’t think the majority of New Jerseyans are against stem cell research,” said Richard J. Codey, the State Senate president. “I think they were sending us a message. The message is, ’Get your fiscal house in order first.’ ” He said he would meet with Governor Corzine tomorrow and they would talk about the issue and whether they should bring this back before the Legislature.

But at midnight, Mr. Corzine’s press secretary said the governor was not ready to concede. “Regardless of the outcome, New Jersey will continue to create a climate where stem cell research can thrive,” said the spokeswoman, Lilo Stainton.

Mayor Steve Lonegan of Bogota, a former Republican candidate for governor who is now the New Jersey leader of a conservative group called Americans for Prosperity, had a different view. “These were faits accomplis four weeks ago,” he said. “No one thought we had a chance. But we had a powerful message. This is the power of ideas versus big government. This is just a group of taxpayers saying enough is enough, we’re taking back our state. We went hand to hand arguing our point. And you know what? New Jersey is not the hopelessly liberal state that people think it is.”

Henry Hyde to get Presidential Medal of Freedom

The man who introduced the Hyde Amendmant, saying public funds did not have to be used to fund abortions, and who was a pro-life leader for over two decades in Congress.

Henry Hyde to Get Presidential Medal of Freedom for Opposing Abortion

In a statement about Hyde, the White House said he has "served America with distinction."

"During his career in the House of Representatives, he was a powerful defender of life and a leading advocate for a strong national defense and for freedom around the world," the Bush administration added.

Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer has called Hyde one of the "most passionate and articulate advocates in Congress" for the pro-life movement.

"For more than three decades, Henry Hyde has stood strong and unshakable against the growing 'culture of death' in America," Bauer said of Hyde.

"He has been an eloquent voice for the voiceless and a great inspiration to all of us who care deeply about the timeless values of faith and family. He never hesitated to speak the truth and always with compassion and conviction," Bauer added.

In comments about his retirement from public office, Hyde, who turned 83 in April, said, "I just want to be remembered as a good man who did some good."

"Father Time and Mother Nature both stalk every one of us, and they finally caught up with me,'' Hyde added.

Planned Parenthood propaganda that must be seen to be believed

This is an old press release from Cybercast News Service

Planned Parenthood Animated Video Riles Pro-Lifers
By Alexa Moutevelis
CNSNews.com Correspondent
August 11, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - An animated video produced for a Planned Parenthood chapter in California, advocating sexual activity by teenagers and violence against conservatives who oppose abortion, was removed from the organization's website Tuesday, but the reaction to the video itself is still pouring in.

Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International, told Cybercast News Service that what the animation "really shows is that if you don't agree with Planned Parenthood, then they want to eliminate you violently."

Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (PPGG), based in San Francisco, produced the video entitled, "A Superhero for CHOICE" and posted the video on its main website. The video was noticed by a conservative blogger on Friday, Aug. 5. It features a female superhero called Dianisis, presumably named after the president and CEO of PPGG, Dian J. Harrison. Dianisis travels the world fighting for 'choice.'

"It starts out with an abstinence educator who is simply trying to tell kids that if they want to avoid STDs and other problems, that they should abstain from sexual activity. Planned Parenthood's response is to drown him in a garbage can," Sedlak said.

"Then you have pro-life protestors outside a Planned Parenthood and in the video, [Planned Parenthood] even admit[s] that these people are not violent, they are doing everything legal, but she just wishes they would go away, so she shoots them with a condom gun and blows them up," Sedlak added.

The next scene takes place in Washington, D.C., where a white, Southern-accented senator is creating "I-can-do-whatever-I-want-to-do stew" by boiling papers that say "Civil Rights," "Bill of Rights," "First Amendment," and "Constitution." The senator explains that he comes "from a long line of grandiose narcissists, where quite simply the laws of these United States do not apply."

After the senator puts a document marked "Roe v. Wade" into the pot, Dianisis tosses him in the stew.

As Sedlak explained, "They have the politician in Washington D.C. who doesn't agree with them so they boil him in water and he comes out on a platter like a stuffed pig with an apple in his mouth and then starts espousing Planned Parenthood philosophy."

The senator exclaims, "I feel cleansed! I no longer have the stench of misinformed conservatism! I want all women everywhere to have the ability to choose what they do with their bodies."

Dianisis is pleased. "That's more like it, and besides, money spent now for the funding of family planning will save billions of dollars in future social expenditures."

At the end of the video, Dianisis heads off, saying, "I have an appointment with the Reverend Jerry Falwell - that shm***," using the Yiddish vulgarity to refer to the evangelical leader.

During the ending credits, a pro-life protestor gets his head chopped off with a condom.

"This video is absolutely outrageous," said Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International in a press release. "Pro-life men and women are depicted as evil and stupid. It sends a message to teenagers that it is acceptable to eliminate those who disagree. It is also riddled with misinformation about birth control, abortion, and sexual activity."

Sedlak agreed, "The real message of Planned Parenthood here is that, 'If you don't agree with us, then you deserve to either be killed or forcibly made to change your mind.

"We think the video really shows the total frustration of Planned Parenthood," he continued. "Planned Parenthood itself has been losing support around the country. They've closed down a clinic a month for the last 10 years, having closed 120 clinics since 1995."

Sedlak called for taxpayers to cut off Planned Parenthood funds. "People should understand that we give Planned Parenthood $265 million a year in taxpayer money. That particular affiliate in San Francisco, PPGG, gets over $9 million a year in government money -- just that one affiliate and this is what they're spending the money on; on films promoting violence."

The video disappeared from the PPGG website sometime Tuesday afternoon with no explanation. Calls made to Planned Parenthood were not returned as of publication.

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But he has not retreated from another new bizarre policy. It used to be that county clerks who process driver's licenses were banned from giving out voter registration forms to anyone without a Social Security number. No longer. Lou Dobbs of CNN reported that an Oct. 19 memo from the state DMV informed the clerks they don't "have any statutory discretion to withhold a motor voter form." What's more, the computer block preventing a DMV clerk from transmitting a motor voter registration without a Social Security number was removed.

Gov. Spitzer's office told me the courts have upheld their position on Social Security numbers. Sandy DePerno, the Democratic clerk of Oneida County, says that makes no sense. "This makes voter fraud easier," she told me.

While states such as New York are increasing the risk of such fraud, a half-dozen states have recently adopted laws requiring voters to offer proof of identity or citizenship before casting a ballot.

Here's an excellent voter guide for this Tuesday, November 6th

We have already mailed this out as part of the LifeNet September-October newsletter. Please  consider taking this into the voting booth with you.

Below is a link to the document, which includes State-wide, as well as local County legislators. Simply print the first three pages. If there is no major party candidate, don't waste your vote - write in one of the candidates listed!

The Right to Life is a priority!

Right to Life: 9th Judicial District

No need to print out more then the first three pages, or if you know your county legislature voting district, you can write down the information.