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International Right to Life Federation,
Inc.
Vol. 16 No. 3
(May/June 2005)
The LANCET Devalues Potential for
Stem Cells
The prestigious British Medical Journal, LANCET, in a recent
editorial titled Stem Cell Research - Hope and Hype devaluated the current status
of research hopes for embryonic stem cells and found "no safe and effective
stem cell therapy will be widely available for at least a decade and possibly
longer…The natural propensity of embryonic stem cells to form tumors, their
exhibition of chromosomal abnormalities and abnormalities in cloned animals all
present difficulties. The prospect of having to clone every patient requiring
therapy is surely unrealistic." The issue is compounded by ethical concerns.
"What is unarguable is that the human embryo is alive and is human and intentionally
ending the life of one human being for the potential benefit of others (i.e. for
research) is a practice which ethically conscious objectors could never conceive."
It then went on to praise the recent advances in adult stem cell therapy. Death
By Dehydration
Dr. David Stevens worked in Africa for thirteen years. There
he saw first hand complications associated with dehydration. Here is his description,
"As dehydration begins there is extreme thirst, dry mouth and thick saliva.
The patient develops severe cramping in the arms and legs. In misery, the patient
tries to cry but there are no tears. The patient experiences severe abdominal
cramps, nausea and dry heaving as the stomach and intestines dry out. The skin
and lips crack and the tongue swells. As mucus membranes dry out and break down,
patients suffer from severe nose bleeds and a patients hands and feet become extremely
cold as the circulatory system begins to shut down and move blood to vital organs
in a attempt to keep the person alive. The patient has problems urinating and
is prone to excruciating headaches." Dr. Stevens claims that contrary to
those who paint a picture of a gentle dying process, "death by dehydration
is a cruel, inhuman and often agonizing death."
Pro-Life Conferences
We
report on a very successful and impressive conference recently held in Israel.
Among those attending and speaking were Dr. L.P. Dorenbos from the Netherlands
and Allan Parker and Clayton Totter from the US. Most impressive was the presentation
by post-abortive women whose theme is "Silent No More."
We are pleased
to announce a meeting in Amsterdam, December 8 through 10, 2005. More details
will be coming. UN Committee Violates UN Charter
The
Human Rights Committee (HRC) of the UN has once again exceeded its authority.
It has instructed Poland and Morocco to legalize abortion. This is to conform
to this specific committee's misinterpretation of the International Covenant On
Civil and Political Rights (CCPR).
This same committee has similarly instructed
Chile and Malta to legalize abortion. The committee has asked these countries
for details in their response and, believe it or not, wants these countries to
identify the doctors who will refuse to perform abortions. The HRC, in issuing
these directives, quotes Article 6 of the CCPR, which has no provision regarding
abortion. Rather in paragraph 1 it states, "Every human being has the inherit
right to life. Law shall protect this right. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived
of his life." (CCPR, Article 6, par. 1) 
Portugal
Referendum Coming
Portugal's ruling Socialist Party has proposed a national
referendum as a means of legalizing abortion. In June of 1998 such a referendum
was voted on and voters narrowly rejected legalization. This new proposed referendum
would make abortion-on-demand legal up to the tenth week of life. Assisted
Feeding Is Not Medical Care, Says Judge
New York Supreme Court Judge, Martin
Ritholtz has ruled that tube feeding constitutes basic care, not medical treatment.
That it is "No different from washing, turning or grooming a dying patient."
(The Jewish Week, 14 Apr 2005) Italy-Pro-life Law Stays
A
referendum to repeal the existing Italian assisted fertility law has failed for
lack of eligible voters. Only 26% turned out, 50% was needed. The current law
allows doctors to create no more than three human embryos for IVF couples and
all three must be implanted at the same time. This law also prevents genetic selection
in killing of extra embryos. Awake After Ten Years
A 43-year-old
New York firefighter, who had been in a coma for ten years after an injury, suddenly
woke up. Asking for his wife, he talked for four hours with her and his sons.
"How long have I been away", he asked? His family told him almost ten
years; he thought it was only three months. Hawaii Defeats Euthanasia
Effort
A pro-assisted suicide bill was introduced in Hawaii. Its sponsors
asserted that assisted suicide was simply a choice people were entitled to and
called it "compassion and choice." They labeled anyone opposed to it
a religious fanatic. Over 250,000 USD were sent into Hawaii to fuel this fire.
Happily the US based Christian Medical Association sent its team to oppose the
bill. Led by executive director David Stevens MD, they interviewed extensively
with media outlets, gave elected members and churches literature, a DVD and spoke
at nine different issue briefings in the legislature testifying against this killing.
Finally, during nine hours of testimony in the Health Committee, a dozen CMA members
testified. After this, the assembled house committee voted the measure down decisively.
Our warm thanks to Dr. Stevens and his gallant crew. Poland Pro-Life
Victory
On June 17, 2005 the Polish Parliament defeated an anti-life bill.
It promoted feminists, pro-abortion groups, and homosexuals and created a mechanism
to finance a network of anti-family and anti-life International Planned Parenthood
Federation offices within the regional governmental structures. The main focus
of the pro-life lobbying was the Gdansk office headed by Lech and Eva Kowalewski.
Good work folks! South Korea, Success With Adult Stem Cells
The
world's attention has been focused on South Korea's Dr. Hwang for his human cloning
success. But he admits that his efforts are very far from being adapted clinically
for any cures. In the meantime, South Korean Dr. Chang-Whan has treated 74 patients
with adult stem cells for four major illnesses, all of which have shown substantial
improvement. We believe publicity for this should at least equal that of the cloning
efforts. Feminists For Life Granted NGO Status
Along with twenty-one
other organizations, the United Nations has granted official Non-Governmental
Organization status to Feminists For Life of America. This relatively new pro-life
group consists of women who publicly proclaim their conviction that true feminism
honors the reproductive capacity of women and opposes abortions. Unfortunately,
similar status was also granted the US's National Abortion Federation which is
an organization of professional abortionists. UN Funded Lawyers Sue Columbia
Women's
Link Worldwide has filed a case in the nation of Columbia in their constitutional
court. This is a radical feminist organization promoting abortion worldwide. The
U.N. Fund for Population Activities, the Ford Foundation and others fund it. This
case challenges the law in Columbia that protects babies from conception to birth. England
Approves Cloning
The British have given final approval to British scientists
to clone human beings for diabetic research and then to kill them. A license had
previously been granted but this now makes it final. Fifty-Eight Years
Male
life expectancy in Russia continues to decline. It is now 58.6 years. In 1990,
it was 63.4. The reasons are Russian men drink too much, smoke too much, live
with too much stress and have poor health care. Proposed Abortion Law
Forbidden
The Guardian Council of Iran has ruled that a proposed relaxation
of their abortion law is "Against Islamic Shari." The proposed law would
have permitted abortion due to mental and physical handicap of the baby. Maternal
Mortality Not Helped By Condoms
A new U.N. Fund for Population Activities
document, their annual report on maternal mortality worldwide, reports that the
most important means of reducing maternal morality is adequate medical care. This
reports contradicts their long time strategy of claiming that contraceptives and
abortion will reduce maternal mortality. Even though it admits this, the UNFPA
still insists that the use of contraceptives would save mother's lives. New
Zealand, RU 486 Woman Nearly Dies
A woman in New Zealand bought RU 486
off the internet from a Chinese source. After taking the pills she developed heavy
bleeding, hemorrhaged and was rushed to the hospital just in time to save her
life. Another Woman Dead From RU 486
A 23-year-old woman has
died in Talisay City, Philippines. She had taken the abortion drug RU 486. Her
body was found at her home in a pool of blood with her baby still inside her.
She had apparently also taken Cytotec (a prostaglandin drug). A Horse
Has Been Cloned
A team of French and American researches has successfully
cloned a horse according to Texas A&M University officials. They used adult
horse skin cells from a valuable horse in Europe. This took 400 attempts; from
this they realized six embryos which were implanted. One successfully carried
to term. This same group first cloned a cat in December of 2001. Since then, it
has cloned pigs, a goat, a bull and a deer. Developing Countries Fertility
Drops
For the first time the total fertility rate for woman in developing
countries has dropped, following the much more rapid and extensive drop in developed
countries. The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Population Division,
has released "The World Fertility Report, 2003." Studying population
trends in 192 countries reported that the total fertility rate in resource-poor
countries was 2.9 children per woman in 2003. Twenty of these countries had fertility
rates well below replacement level. Reasons for this included older age at marrying
for men and women and increased use of contraception. Canada - More Killed
Figures
from the official "Statistics Canada" of abortions:
1969-4,375 1993-103,942
1973-43,201 2003-105,154
1983-65,385 Hong Kong Needs Babies
Unlike
mainland China which still holds aggressively to its one child policy, Sir Donald
Tsang, chief executive of Hong Kong, is urging Hong Kong couples to have three
children in order to counteract falling birth rates in an aging population. Hong
Kong has a fertility rate of 0.94 children per woman in her lifetime. This is
less than half the number of children needed to even replace the current population. Basic
Facts
In India in 1964, there were 500 million people and a great famine.
Now in 2005, with more than one billion people, India is self-sufficient for food.
In 1922, Italy had a population of 27 million people and was one of the nations
with a great migration out of the country for lack of food and jobs. In 2005 with
a population of 57 million, it is in need of more population in order to keep
up with the pace of its development. The same applies to the whole of Western
Europe.
China in 1950, at the time of the Communist Revolution, had a population
of more or less 600 million people and was largely underdeveloped. Now with a
population of 1.3 billion, China is a superpower.
(Population Research Institute
Review, pg 6, Jan-Feb, 2005) Teen Birth Rate At Record Low
The
teen birth rate in the US in 2002 reached a record low. The government has been
collecting statistics since 1940. The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family
Services has compiled 25 key indicators from 20 federal agencies. According to
this, the teen birth rate has decreased by 40% since 1991. The largest decrease
was in African-American girls ages 18 to 19.
Also, in the August, "Journal
of Adolescent Health", Dr. John Santelli, of the Federal Center for Disease
Control, notes that the percent of high school girls who are sexually active during
the same years (above) has dropped from 51% to 41%. More than half of this is
attributed to sexual abstinence. British Abortion Rates At Record Levels
According
to the office for National Statistics in London, the number of abortions in England
and Wales has doubled from 1976 to 2003 from 14,600 to 28,700. YOUR
LAST SURFACE POST Due to the increasing availability
of technology as well as the continuing cost and often irregularity of delivery
by surface post, we are now switching this newsletter from a printed mailing,
to an e-mail format. With the savings in postage cost, we will be able to send
this newsletter to many more readers. Accordingly, we ask the following:
-
Please send us your e-mail address. Our e-mail address is: IRTLF@lifeissues.org
- In
the event you do not have access to e-mail, we can continue surface postal delivery
for one more issue.
J.C. Willke, President,
International Right to Life Fed.
1821 West Galbraith Road
Cincinnati,
Ohio 45239 USA
Phone +1 (513) 729-3600
Fax +1 (513) 729-3636
e-mail:
IRTLF@lifeissues.org
International
Right to Life Fed., International Office
Ruitersweg 35-37 1211 KT Hilversum
The Netherlands
Phone +31 35 624-4352
Fax +31 35 624-9141
e-mail:
info@schreeuwomleven.nl
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