International Right to Life Federation, Inc.
Vol. 15 No. 5
(November/ December 2004)

NOTE THIS CHANGE
Due to the increasing availability of technology as well as the continuing cost and often irregularity of delivery by surface post, we will be switching this newsletter from a printed mailing to an e-mail format. We anticipate completing this by next summer. With the savings in postage cost, we will be able to send this newsletter to many more readers. Accordingly, we ask the following:

WEB SITE ACTIVATED
Due to the wonderful efforts of Mr. Jim Hughes, our delegate from Canada, we now have a website which will be up and running by December. The address is www.irtl.net or www.internationalrighttolife.com

Bush's Resounding Victory
President Bush was decisively re-elected in the recent election. Unlike previous second term elections of past presidents, he increased his support in the US Senate by four votes and in the US House by four votes while also capturing three new state governor spots. To the great dismay of liberals, an exit poll surveyed 13,500 voters and 22 % said that moral values were "the most important issue" in the presidential campaign. This compared with 20% for the economy, 19% terrorism and 15% Iraq war. The moral values sited were abortion, the killing of tiny humans in embryonic stem cell research and homosexual marriage. Bush won by three and one-half million votes and decisively also carried the
electoral college vote.

Baby's Head Left In Woman
Twenty-nine year old Davina Chambers had an abortion at Kings College Hospital in London. She was discharged to go home. At midnight, she passed the baby's head which was totally recognizable.

Finally - Ethical Vaccinations
The current measles, mumps, rubella vaccine was developed using cells from aborted babies. The company has responded to complaints and is now offering an alternative vaccine. Merck now produces a vaccine with no DNA from aborted babies. It is a measles, mumps vaccine. Their names are attenuvax and mumpsvax. We hope they soon will also make available a more ethical rubella vaccine.

Spain - Morals Deteriorating
It has been six months since Socialists in Spain replaced the previous conservative government. Prime Minister Zapatero has proven to be an aggressive radical in seeking moral changes. He has made proposals to legalize homosexual marriages, to legalize abortion on demand and to allow the killing of human embryos to obtain embryonic stem cells for destructive research. He is also proposing simplifying divorce proceedings and drastically reducing religious instruction in schools. Not surprisingly, Spanish Catholic leaders who had enjoyed good relations with the previous government are shell-shocked and have protested vocally. To date, however, it seems that his radical anti-religious socialist agenda is moving ahead.

White Woman Delivers Black Twins In Modena, Italy
In vitro fertilization backfired when a white woman delivered black twins. She clearly had had black embryos implanted in her womb. This is the second such case reported. It proves once again that human life begins at the first cell stage, not at implantation as pro-abortion people claim.

Adult Stem Cells Cures
We report on two more advances. In the issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, Aug. 2004, a 52 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis in 28 joints was treated with adult stem cells. Within a year her morning stiffness ceased and the researchers concluded that the procedure "may be performed safely without the development of graph vs host disease or serious infection, and results in marked resolution of the disease manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis."
In another study reported in the Journal Cell, researchers at Rockefeller University have found cells in skin hair follicles that have the ability to create new cells of different types of tissues (i.e. are stem cells). These two reports add to the long list of curative action by adult stem cells. To date not a single benefit to a human has been reported from the use of embryonic stem cells which can only be obtained by directly killing a five day old human embryo, and cutting him or her open to obtain these cells.

Another Death From RU 486
In November the US Food and Drug Administration announced that another woman had died from taking RU 486. This makes three in the United States and a total now of eight internationally. The FDA said that they had reports of 17 potentially fatal cases of tubal pregnancy that had taken the drug. They noted that heavy bleeding was a problem in 8%, lasting as long as thirty days. They have records of 72 cases needing blood transfusions. They also reported seven near fatal cases of severe sepsis (bacterial infections), which were treated successfully. Rather than take this dangerous drug off the market, which is what they would have done if this had been any other drug except an abortion drug, they have compromised by issuing a revised warning label detailing these potential serious problems. Why is it that whenever abortion is involved there are totally different reactions, rules and uses? If this were any other drug it would be off the market now. We quote the FDA statement…. "reminds healthcare providers that serious bacterial infections, sepsis, may occur without the usual signs of infection (fever, tenderness). Healthcare providers should be aware that prolonged heavy bleeding might warrant surgical intervention. They should be vigilant for patients with undiagnosed tubal pregnancies as this may be missed by examination and ultrasound. Some of the symptoms of tubal pregnancy may mimic the expected symptoms of a medical termination of pregnancy. RU 486 is not effective against tubal pregnancies."

Frozen Ovary and Now A Baby?
Considerable publicity has been given to a woman who gave birth to a baby after an ovarian transplant. It seems that she had cancer treatment, which presumable would have killed her ovaries. Before the treatment she had ovarian tissue removed and frozen, then had it transplanted seven years later. This has been reported as a dramatic breakthrough. However, Kutluk Oktay a fertility specialist at Cornell U, in New York, pointed out that the lady had ovulated three times spontaneously prior to the recent transplant and noted that the risk of sterility associated with the cancer treatment she received ranges from 12 to 47 per cent. Dr. Oktay said her conception could have been due to the transplant, but it also might have happened spontaneously.

Pro-Life Progress in Ukraine
On November 3, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law which partially restricts abortion. The previously law had allowed abortion up to 28 weeks, now with the new law abortions are limited to 22 weeks. Further, previously a handicapped person could be sterilized against his or her will. Now this is a crime. This is a small step in the right direction as abortion in the Ukraine is the most popular method of family planning. But also it is very clear that one of the reasons that the Ukraine has such a catastrophically low birth rate is that it has one of the highest abortion rates in the world.

Afro-American Abortions
African American women make up 13% of the U.S. population but have 35% of the abortions. It is estimated that 1,400 black babies are killed each day in abortion. Three out of every five pregnant African American women undergo abortions. Guess where most Planned Parenthood death centers are located? Not surprising, in low socioeconomic areas, heavily populated by black people.

Singapore
Singapore has just passed a law allowing human cloning. Not unexpectedly, they forbid human cloning, (reproductive cloning), which would implant the new living human embryo and carry him or her to term. The law requires that these new humans be killed by fourteen days of age. Rather interesting? Here now we have a law that says if you do not deliberately kill an innocent human you will go to jail. The law of course only discriminates on the basis of age. (too young)

Britain Yes, Germany No to Cloning
The British government announced that scientists can clone human embryos specifically for purposes of research after which they must be killed. German doctors and political leaders on the other hand have called for the EU to ban this clone-and-kill method and for the German government to issue a strong opinion condemning it.

No Funds for Chinese Program
President Bush has blocked the use of thirty-four million of taxpayer dollars to the United Nations Population Fund because of its support for the genocidal Chinese population control program, which involves forced abortions and sterilizations. This will divert thirty-four million dollars to a USAID program that provides health care for poor women and children in other countries. This is the fourth year that President Bush has done this.

Netherlands
The Dutch law officially approved in 2002, allows adult patients suffering from "incurable" diseases to request assisted suicide. Those under the age of 16 must have parental approval. Now we have a proposal to drop the parental approval requirement to a 12-year-old child. Bishop Elio Sgreccia, V.P. of the Pontifical Academy for Light stated, "No one can claim such homicidal responsibility for himself or another person. This is a violation of divine law, an offense of the dignity of the human person, a crime against a life and an attack against humanity."

 

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Thalassemia Cured By Stem Cell:
This genetic blood disorder until now has been incurable. At the San Matteo Clinic in Pavia, Italy, according to Roeters, 6th Sept., using stem cells obtained from the placenta of his newborn twin brother, a boy with this blood disorder was cured. Note these were not embryonic stem cells. Chalk up another for this ethical use of adult stem cells, noting once again that embryonic stem cells have not cured a single disease to date.

Court Testimony Revealing
The new federal law banning partial-birth abortion in the U.S. was enjoined in three different districts. Each of them has recently had open litigation and challenged the new law. What we have seen for the first time is dramatic testimony, by abortionists, as to exactly what happens in this procedure. Prior to this, there has been a curtain of silence, with almost nothing being published about exact details. For example, let us quote Nebraska abortionist, Leroy Carhart. He was describing how he injects digoxin directly into the baby's heart to kill the baby before doing a partial-birth abortion. He says this "induces fetal demise about 48 hours prior to delivery. The fetus is dead 48 hours and warming in a crock pot at enough of a temperature to cook meat. That makes it dead, soft and much more pliable…there is a softening of tissues, the fetus shrinks and is easier to remove."

Clone and Kill Human Embryos
Ian Wilmut of Scotland's Roslin Institute who created Dolly the sheep now says he wants to clone human embryos then kill them to obtain their embryonic stem cells for research. He says he has filed for a permit from the British government to do this.

Seventeen Die From Contraceptive Patch
The US Food and Drug Administration records have shown that seventeen women have died in the past two years who were using the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch. The report in the New York Post also stated that "scores" of women have experienced various side effects from the patch including twenty-one "life threatening" complications. The causes of the deaths have included heart attacks, blood clots, and strokes.

Japan Approves Human Cloning
In June Japan's Council for Science and Technology approved the cloning of human embryos for research purposes. Certain guide lines must be established and conditions set, but apparently a definite decision has been made.

New Zealand Favors Parental Notification
In a new poll 71% of New Zealand residents favored parental notification before a teenager can have an abortion. This has not been required since 1977. Support for such a change is strong with 61% of those responding requesting the pro-life change. The abortion rate in New Zealand rose 6.5 % in the past year. The ratio of live births to abortion there is three born to one killed.

New Permissive Law in South Africa
In August, the South African parliament passed a bill making abortion much more permissive. It allowed registered nurses to perform abortions. It authorized abortion in a wider range of health care facilities. The law passed with little opposition in parliament, even though public polls show overwhelming opposition in this country to permissive abortion.

J.C. Willke, President

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