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Volume 19, Number 1
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January/February 2008
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Breakthrough on Embryonic Stem Cells Confirmed
In November, the stem cell debate was revolutionized by the announcement in two scientific journals that top-level researchers in Japan and Wisconsin had found a new method of obtaining embryonic stem cells. They were able to "reprogram" ordinary adult skin cells to create "induced pluripotent stem cells." Dr. James Thompson of the Wisconsin team and an initial pioneer of embryonic stem cells said that these cells "meet the defining criteria for pluripotent human embryonic stem cells." The difference being they are not derived through the direct killing of human embryos. The method that they used is efficient and cost effective. The only criticism to date from pro-life sources has been that they used fetal skin cells. The methodology, however,
can easily be used with adult skin cells.
Since the above announcement, scientists at Harvard have replicated these two previous studies proving that this new approach is "not a fluke, but a legitimate method reducing the 'need for destroying human embryos' to advance science."
The Harvard study used adult skin cells.
Another more recent investigation at UCLA (California) also replicated these findings and reported their new stem cells to also be
"virtually indistinguishable from human embryonic stem cells."
Paris, A March for Life
An estimated ten thousand people marched in Paris to protest the anniversary of the March 19, 1975
legalization of abortion in France.
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And More
Professor Yamanaka, the Japanese scientist, has just announced that his team has found a way to grow induced pluripotent stem cells without triggering tumor growth. If this is replicated, this will clear a huge hurdle on the road to using these cells (the equivalent of embryonic stem cells) in treatment without the moral problem of killing five-day-old human embryos to get the cells. When it was announced in November that the equivalent cells could be gotten from skin cells without killing embryos, there was some skepticism. It was well known, but not publicized that human embryonic stem cells planted in animals or humans often produced malignant growths. The cells announced in November presumably had the same problem. Now with this great leap forward, Dr. Yamanaka has said that he has successfully avoided this problem for six months in the mice that he is currently treating with these induced pluripotent stem cells. Again, assuming that this is replicated, this just about signs the death knell for killing human embryos to get these cells.
Chief Rabbi of Israel Against Abortion
While only a minority of the citizens of Israel practice Orthodox Judaism, the rabbinical council nevertheless has great influence there. Accordingly, we were pleased that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has ruled that abortion is a grave sin and that abortion is delaying the coming of the Messiah, who they believe will not arrive
"until all children to be born to Jewish mothers are born."
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Spaniards Rally for Marriage and Family
Between one and two million people gathered in the center of Madrid to affirm the values of marriage and family, to oppose abortion, and to protest the incumbent Socialist government's attacks on these institutions. The rally was partly aimed at influencing the government and public opinion, as national elections as of this writing were less than one month away. It is also in response to the fact that since the Socialists have decriminalized abortion (1985) the
number of abortions has doubled from 50,000 to 100,000 annually.
Spain, Morning-After Pill Fails
Official statistics, from the Spanish region of Asturias, shows that one in ten teenage girls has had an abortion in the past year, in spite of widespread distribution and use of the morning-after pill. So here is another instance showing that the widely claimed result of using these pills,
i.e. a reduction in teen pregnancies, is false.
Nigeria Discusses CEDAW
The U.N. document, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was ratified in Nigeria during the military era. Such ratification was not constitutional. Accordingly, an effort is now being made in their parliament to ratify this convention. If this happens, it will legalize abortion and contraception without limits in Nigeria. A coalition of traditional, conservative, and religious groups has initiated a major campaign against such ratification stating, "That such would infringe on our national sovereignty by modifying or abolishing
existing laws, regulations, customs, and practices."
D.C March for Life is Largest Ever
Estimates of attendees at the January 22 National March for Life in Washington are coming in at 225,000 marchers. Leading the march was a large group of women carrying signs, who had abortions and regretted them. To any one attending, it was totally obvious that there really weren't too many middle-aged or older adults in the crowd.
Almost all marches were in their teens and early twenties.
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England, Hybrids Now Permitted
The U.K. fertility regulator has approved two scientific protocols, which will attempt to create human/animal hybrid embryos for research.
They are King's College London and Newcastle University.
Human Life International Is Growing
This international Catholic pro-life effort has been enlarging its scope. Countries visited and lectured in during 2007 include: Burundi, Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, China, South Korea, Austria, Ireland, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Belize, Cuba, and Mexico.
Vatican Reaffirms Use of Feeding Tubes
In a September paper, a Vatican Congregation reemphasized that the administration of food and water to people in the so-called vegetative state is, with rare exceptions, morally obligatory. Questions about this had been sent to the Vatican after the legally ordered starvation death of Terri Schiavo. This reaffirms previous statements that food and water
are ordinary care and are not considered medical treatment.
A Surprise in Argentina
Mrs. C. F. de Kirchner, Argentina's new president, prior to her election had been very ambiguous speaking about abortion. Many have been surprised that she has now stopped legislation
that would have permitted some abortions in that country.
Argentina - Angry Feminists Attack Pro-Life Marchers in Cordoba
Angry pro-abortion feminists lost their cool and attacked pro-life bystanders holding signs. LifeSite News describes this as "erupting in a frenzy of obscenity and violence, throwing trash and screaming epithets at the counter demonstrators, exposing their genitals and embracing each other sexually
while the pro-life group prayed silently."
Irish Rally Successful
With a turn out far beyond expectations, an Irish pro-life rally called "Celebrate Life" in Dublin had "heads spinning" as the size and enthusiasm of the crowd grabbed the
attention of thousands of Dublin shoppers.
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Serbia Facing "Extinction"
Serbia's population is declining by 35,000 each year. The average age of a Serb is 41 years, in Belgrade, over 44. The latest census, 2002, shows its families with an average of 0.9 children. The nation has begun to fund childcare centers and give a bonus of 500 USD for the birth of a first child, so far with no apparent impact on the birth rate. One additional complicating factor is that several hundred thousand educated young people left
the country in the 1990s because of the war.
In neighboring Croatia, the situation is almost as bad, as is also true in Bosnia- Herzegovina,
which has a slightly younger population.
Columbia - How Many Illegal Abortions?
During the intense propaganda that led up to the nation of Columbia legalizing some abortions, there were widely publicized claims of illegal abortions. Originally, the published figure was 250,000, and then it went to 300,000, then 450,000, all without any basis in fact. Now two years after that legalization, the government ministry has reported that the number of induced abortions was not any of the above, or 50,000, or 5,000, or even 500. In fact the number was 50. We note that this follows a pattern
used in every nation when legalization of abortion is being proposed.
Portugal, Doctors Disagree
The Portuguese Medical Association, defying threats by the Socialist government's health minister, has re-elected its president, Pedro Nues. Dr. Nues has defied the government's order to change the association's ethical code so that abortion can be allowed. With this refusal, the Health Minister has threatened to begin
criminal proceedings against the medical association.
India - First Female President - "End Sex Selection Abortions"
Pratibaha Patil, India's first female president in her inaugural speech, called for an end to the murder of unborn babies based on sex selection. She said, "We must banish malnutrition,
social evils, infant mortality and female feticide."
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South Africa - More Abortions?
This nation's Parliament has approved a bill that would abolish almost all restrictions on elective abortions. It allows nurses and midwives to do abortions. It cancels the requirement that abortions be done in hospitals, thus opening up the probability of freestanding abortion chambers. It also removes any pre-abortion requirements. Both Houses have approved it.
It now goes to the president for his signature.
Peru Rejects Pro-abortion UNFPA Treaty
In December, the Peruvian National Congress, acting in full session, refused to ratify a pro-abortion, pro-homosexual U.N. convention. The "Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Young People" had been formulated under the auspices of the pro-abortion UNFPA. It has been signed by several Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. However, it has a number of very troubling provisions. One is that it would have essentially legalized homosexual marriage, grossly broadened the type and sweep of sex education, and for all practicable purposes guarantees a universal right to abortion.
This treaty on the "rights of young people" has been thoroughly rejected by Peru.
Jamaica May Legalize Abortions?
This is a predominantly Christian country. It has been strongly pro-life. A secret seventeen-member Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group had been set up in September 2005 to review abortion policies and recommend law changes. This group now has publicized its recommendation to decriminalize abortion up to twenty-two weeks of pregnancy. This has raised immediate opposition from many sectors causing the Health Minister to back down and to say that these recommendations were
merely the beginning of a consultation phase.
Abortions in Ho Chi Minh City
The number of abortions in this capitol of Vietnam has declined somewhat, but current numbers show that there still are more abortions than live births. The international ratio of boys to girls is about 105 to 100. In Vietnam now, the ratio ranges from 110-120 to 100. Like China and India,
in a few years this will lead to a dangerous male/female sexual imbalance.
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Abortion - Breast Cancer Link Confirmed
A recent study in the Journal of the American Physicians
and Surgeons has found that abortion is the "best predictor" of breast cancer in reviewing statistics in eight European nations. It is very interesting that this has been totally ignored by the secular media.
In response to this, the insurance magazine, The Actuary, has advised insurance companies to adjust their premiums and reserves accordingly in order to plan for a 50% increase in breast cancer that
is projected over the next twenty years.
Stem Cells Help Heart
At Osaka University in Japan, a medical team took adult stem cells from a patient who was awaiting a heart transplant. They spent two months culturing these and created twenty-five sheets of adult stem cells. They then attached the sheets to the patient's heart around the failing left ventricle. After treatment, all heart functions improved rapidly. Three months after treatment the patient's pacemaker was removed and with heart functions
almost fully recovered, he left the hospital.
New Stem Cells Treat Sickle Cell Disease
Using the newly developed technique of producing embryonic-like stem cells, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have cured mice with sickle cell disease. We note that there was worry that the new method might also transfer a cancer gene.
This recent work has shown that this problem can be avoided.
New Upper Jaw From Stem Cells
On February 4, Reuter's news agency reported that scientists in Helsinki have replaced the upper jaw of a man with a bone graft
that had been grown from his own adult stem cells.
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More Blood Cures
At Duke Univ., North Carolina, umbilical cord stem cells were transfused into 159 children suffering from the following diseases: lysosomal and peroxismal disorders, Krabbe disease, and Hurler syndrome.
There was a significant increase in survival of all of
these children.
Stem Cells Make Pig Teeth
Researchers in New York, using human adult stem cells from extracted wisdom teeth, have successfully generated new tooth roots and supporting ligaments in pigs.
This therapy could be tested in humans within the next few years.
IVF Child Gets Tay-Sachs Disease
The Los Angeles Times, 8 December, told of a couple, who have an IVF child born from an ovum donation. The donor women sold her eggs, which were used to produce at least four children. This child has Tay-Sachs, a genetic condition whose victims rarely live pass age five. The donor lady was a carrier of this genetic problem, but was unaware of it. The other children produced, if not affected by Tay-Sachs, nevertheless can remain carriers in later life to the next generation. Unlike blood donations, which are screened for this, IVF involves privileged confidentiality and there is no guarantee that the eggs or
sperm would not pass to the babies born a serious genetic problem.
Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Cure Cancer
A two-year old English girl with acute myeloid leukemia was judged to be near death. Then genetically matched adult stem cells from a Japanese donor in a frozen umbilical cord were used to transfuse her. That was one year ago.
Today the little girl is apparently cured.
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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
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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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