file: pub/resources/text/ProLife.News: pln-0411.txt --------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 4, No. 11 July, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life issues. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve or the assistant editor Sean ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Across the Pond: POLAND *President Walesa threatens to Resign over Polish Abortion Bill* President Lech Walesa, himself a practicing Catholic and father of eight, said he would resign rather than sign into law any bill easing Poland's strict anti-abortion laws. More liberal abortion laws were recently voted through by the Polish parliament. Walesa threatened to resign for one day to avoid signing the bill if the parliment mustered a two thirds majority to overturn the presidential veto, although it is not clear that such a majority exists. The late King Baudouin I of Belgium abdicated for a day to avoid signing Belgium's permissive abortion bill into law. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Across the Pond: IRELAND *Abortion Information Campaign Clashes and Update* Two rival groups with different views on abortion clashed outside Leinster House on the 6 July. Supporters of the Dublin Abortion Information Campaign gathered to protest at the delay in introducing legislation to legalise the distribution of abortion information and the right of women to travel abroad for the purpose of having an abortion. A group of anti-abortionists, including members of Youth Defence, staged a counter-demonstration. A member of Youth Defence was hit on the head but wasn't seriously injured. One person was arrested. Following the referendum of 1992, the drafting of legislation on abortion information is almost complete. According to the _Irish Times_, this will allow doctors to make appointments for patients in foreign abortion clinics. It will continue to be illegal to encourage a pregnant woman to opt for an abortion. The latest figure for the number of Irishwomen travelling to England for abortions is put at 4,247. If accurate this would put the number of Irish abortions as a percentage of live births at about one third of that in England and Wales. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) The New World: UNITED STATES *American Pro-Lifers Announce Boycott of Roussel-Uclaf* Various nation-wide pro-life groups announced on Thursday, 7 July they will boycott products made by Roussel-Uclaf and U.S. sister companies Copley Pharmaceuticals and Hoechst-Roussel. Roussel-Uclaf is the French manufacturer of the abortion drug RU-486, which was recently approved for manufacture in the United States after Roussel-Uclaf surrendered manufacturing rights to a pro-abortion American firm. The Products targetted by this boycott include: o All 65 generic prescription drugs manufactured by Copley Pharmaceuticals. o Four over-the-counter Copley products: Bromatapp decongestant and antihistamine tablets; Doxylamine Succinate, a sedative; Miconazole nitrate 2 percent cream, for vaginal fungal infections; and Tolnaftate 1 percent solution for fungal skin infections. o Seven prescription drugs made by Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals: Altace for high blood pressure; A/T/S erythromycin for acne; Claforan, an antibiotic; Lasix, a diuretic; Loprox, for skin infections; Prokine, for bone marrow diseases; and Topicort, for skin rashes. [ _National Right to Life News_ announced that they will include a complete list of the products and companies covered by the boycott in a forthcomming issue, which we hope to make available on-line. Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) The New World: CANADA *New Brunswick Government Takes on Abortion Doctor* New Brunswick's provincial health minister has won the first round in his battle against Canadian pro-abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler. Last month (June, 1994), Morgentaler opened a freestanding abortion clinic in Fredericton, New Brunswick, contravening provincial laws; the province permits abortions, but only in hospitals and with the permission of two doctors. Morgentaler performed five abortions the first morning of the clinic's opening, and then launched a harsh criticism of the province's "Medieval" laws against the practice. New Brunswick health minister Russ King quickly struck back, asking the provincial College of Physicians to review Morgentaler's license to practice medicine. Morgentaler attempted to block this review in court, but his attempts were rejected. This development means that New Brunswick's planned review of Morgentaler's license to practice can proceed. If the review is successful, Morgentaler may be stripped of his right to practice medicine in New Brunswick, dealing his abortion clinic a major setback. - Julian Smith ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) What Works: Abortion Rights vs. Slavery Rights... I have had success with comparing abortion and slavery, especially for people that are "personal opposed, but don't want to force it". The argument is simple: If you were alive at the time of the civil war, would you use the same stance with slavery? > - I personally don't have slaves, and > - I will discourage you from having slaves, but > - I will support your right to have slaves. Not a position most people would be willing to support, and the parallel to the abortion argument is pretty obvious. The central issue here is that most people in the 20th Century consider black human beings to be persons, and to have some 'inalienable rights', whereas unborn human beings are not. Similarly, in the 19th Century, it was quite common for blacks to be referred to as 'inferior' persons - somehow less able/deserving of the right to freedom. In this same way, the unborn are largely considered 'inferior' persons, deprived of the right to life. I was talking with a more liberal Christian, and her position was the classic "live and let die" stance. In talking further, I presented the analogy to slavery, and she was quite taken aback. I don't know what her eventual conclusion will be, but I do know that she was very shaken. Lord willing, she will change her position. - Bryan Ewbank, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) New On-Line Resources: There have been quite a number of recent additions to our archives: "Background to the RU 486 Boycott: The Record" As a background to the 1994 boycott of products from Roussel-Uclaf, this article describes the dangers and misinformation surrounding the American importation of their product, RU-486. [Ask for "RU486back.nrl" ] "The Proposed Population Policies of the United Nations and their Implications for the Families of the World" Perspectives on the proposed document for the United Nations Int. Conf. on Population and Development, to be held in Cairo, Egypt Sep 5-13, 1994. The UN document clearly supports abortion and a philosophy of "healthy" sexuality that denies the sanctity of human life in favor of the concept of "reproductive rights." Also, possible reasons are explored why natural family planning is not given serious consideration in policies related to family planning. [ Ask for "UNPopConfCritique" ] "From Reproduction to Procreation: A Paradigm Shift of Paramount Importance" An excellent, well-referenced technical description of what we understand about the miracle of conception. [Ask for "SciForLife1.April94"] "President Clinton'S Record on Abortion" A fairly complete layout of what Democratic President Bill Clinton and his Administration have done to promote abortion throughout the US and abroad during his first two+ years in office. [ Ask for "ClintonRecord.nrl" ] "An Historic Crossroads" Excellent comments on the State of HealthCare reform in the United States, and the impact these issues have on the sanctity of life. [ Ask for "AndruskoEd1.nrl" ] "N.Y. Task Force Rejects Assisted Suicide" Citing fears of widespread abuse, the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law has unanimously recommended against legalizating assisted suicide. [ Ask for "EuthanasiaTF.nrl" ] "The Human Embryo Research Panel: Creating Life to Destroy It" A summary of issues discussed at the NIH's 2 day meeting on human embryo research. Some dialogue of the panel discussion is included. A number of issues were discussed including cloning and using fetal ovaries as a tissue source. [ Ask for "EmbryoResearch.nrl" ] "Heidi Huffman: She Survived a Suction Curettage Abortion" Describes a girl who survived a suction abortion to becomea pro-life activist. [ Ask for "HeidiHuffman.OR" ] To request any of the above items, please send a list of items by title to the editor, eg.: "Please send v4n7, BethanyHotline, ItsTooLate" To request a copy of the list of available resources, please ask for "v4Topics". These and other on-Line resources are also available via the World Wide Web at URL "http://www.pitt.edu/~stfst/pln/AboutPLN.html, or via anonymous from or in the directory "/afs/pitt.edu/public/users/s/t/stfst/pln". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) Announcements *Speaker's Available to Students * Michael Fichter of the Vanderburgh County RTL asked to let you know that he has developed an exciting speaker's bureau of great pro-life speakers for students in the Evansville, Indiana and surrounding areas. Please contact Michael at: 4847 East Virginia Street, Ste. D, Evansville, IN 47715. *NRLC Directing Major Health Care Literature Drop* National Right to Life is conducting a major literature drop the weekend of July 9-10 and July 16-17. They have excellent rates on their health care brochures: 100 - $6, 500 - $20, 1000 - $30. Send your order to: NRLC State Development, 419 7th St. NW, Ste. 500, Washington DC, 20004. *Former College Leaders Begin Pro-Life Youth PAC* Three former college pro-life leaders have responded to the need for young - high school and college students - people to be involved in pro-life political action. They have started the *National Youth Political Action Committee (NYPAC)*. This dynamic pro-life political action committee was founded by Moses Remedios, former American Collegians for Life (ACL) President, Joleigh Little, former National Teens for Life leader; and Christian Diaz, former Texas Collegians for Life President. The three, who all now work full-time in the pro-life movement, can show you how to get your campus or state group involved with NYPAC. Write to: NYPAC, PO Box 975, Washington, DC, 20044-0975. *Millersville University, Millersville (Lancaster), PA - September 24, 1994* "Who Values Life? Conference," sponsored by The Who Values Life? Committee (Note: this is _not_ sponsored by the University). The Who Values Life? Conference has a three-fold purpose: 1) to present the truth of the pro-life/ pro-family issue from a Scriptural perspective, 2) to further unify the pro-life/ pro-family ministries and efforts already underway, 3) to educate and promote further personal responsibility in stopping the American abortion holocaust. The Conference will feature two keynote speakers: Dr. John C. Willke: President of Life Issues Institute and Patricia Funderburk Ware: Currently serving as Director of Educational Services with ASAP (Americans for Sound HIV/AIDS Policy). Between the two speakers, several seminars will be offered, with topics covering abortion malpractice, setting up a crisis pregnancy ministry within your church, how to make a difference in the pro-life/ pro-family movement with only a little time, a political forum with Pennsylvania incumbents and candidates, and many more. [ For more information on getting pro-life announcements in a more timely manner, a mailing list has been developed especially for that purpose. For information, please send email to . Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reader Questions Some help for Russia: [ While this letter is a little unusual, i think the contents speak for themselves. Ed.] To subscribers of The Pro-life News: Pro-life in Russia Dear friends! You may know this or not, but the main problem in Russia now is abortion. Two abortions per one birth are performed! Abortions were legalized in Soviet Russia by communists in 1920. Many Russian gynecologists suffered because of refusing to kill. In US you are struggling against governmental plans to pay for abortions, but in Russia government pays for it for many years. If abortion legislation is new for the west, russian women have mothers and grandmothers who have had abortions. Darwinism ("fetus is not human") and communist propaganda made this operation easy, as easy as tooth extracting. Very often physicians, educated in atheistic institutes, press on women to force them to kill their children. Today, when economic is broken, situation became dangerous. Birth rate is less than death rate 1 million per year! Now some parishes try to begin pro-life work, but the most of them have to deal with destroyed churches and are not able to print pictures and support any pro-life activities. I should say, that pro-life pictures and texts do have success: many of the women who see them turned back from the way to abortionist. In spite of the fact that most part of gynecologists are involved in killing, many of them allow us to put our pictures on the walls of clinics and take pro-life materials to show women before sending them to abortion. I may offer an idea, may I not? If some of the subscribers want to support Russian pro-life, you may send pictures of the unborn to our address. We need every picture that can explain that abortion is murder. The real need in them is millions of copies. Our group is one of the biggest in Russia and we have the net of connections and could distribute them among orthodox parishes and gynecologists. The best pictures are photographs of the unborn without English inscriptions. We need in little plastic unborn children toys too. Each picture can save human life. Your in Christ, head of "Zhizn'" center, priest Maxim Obukhov. Our Address: 125167, RUSSIA, Moscow, ul. Krasnoarmeyskaya' d. 2/2, khram Blagoveschenija Presviatoj Bogoroditsy. Center "Zhizn". E-mail: orthomed@glas.apc.org Tel.(Moscow): 214-90-21; 401-03-12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Clinton's America: No Help Here [v4n9]: Someone would like to know any sources you might have regarding the Chinese women whose request to have her immigration process expedited was turned down and who had to go back and have her baby killed in her womb. Do you have any sources on that? Thanks. - Jonathan Bloedow [ The source was the Family Resource Council(FRC), who got the information from Congressman Chris Smith's office. The lady's husband, who lives in CA, was evidently in constant communication with her husband who reported the news to Rep. Smith. Evidently Smith was (one of) the one(s) who organized the letter signed by 50 represntatives, which was rejected by Clinton, Reno, Warren, et al.. The FRC was kind enough to send copies of some of these letters, and news releases from their and Congressman Smith's office. Here are some quotes from Rep. Smith's Press Release dated 4/29/94: "Rep. Smith noted that Alan Lin begged President Clinon - to no avail - for action to save his child's life: "In a March 26 letter to Mr. Clinton, Mr. Lin told the President, 'my wife is in China and pregnant, but the government wants to force her to get an abortion - to kill our baby.'" Rep. Smith quoted, "It defies explaination how this Administration, after repeated requests, could ignore the plight of this desperate young couple." "Smith also noted that Jihong Liu's case is not the first time the Clinton Administration has turned a blind eye toward Chin's tyrranical "family planning" regime: "Only two days after President Clinton assumed the Presidency, his Administration withdrew regulations approved by the Bush Administration that would have clarified that refugee applicants fleeing coercive population control policies should be considered to have a well-founded fear of persecution." Lin received a letter on April 25th rejecting his plea for Jihong Liu's humanitarian parole. In a letter FAXed to Rep. Smith, Lin noted that "this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. [Pacific Time], our child will be completely dead." This is the same population policy that the Clinton Administration proposes to fund through the UN. If you want more information, call the FRC and ask for Megan (202)393-2100, or you could call Rep. Smith in DC (202)225-3765. Steve Frezza, Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "Abortion is the leading edge of an encroaching culture of death. The helpless old, the radically handicapped, and others who cannot effectively assert their rights are increasingly treated as though they have no rights." - From the book _Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium_ +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - From the Sunday, 24 July 1994 edition of the _IRISH CATHOLIC_. Many | | thanks to reader Debbie Finucane. | | 2 - From the July 11, 1994 (No.388) and July 25, 1994(No.390) issues of | | _THE IRISH EMIGRANT_. To Subscribe, contact . | | 3 - Many Thanks to readers Eric Ewanco and Al Lemmo. | | 7 - Many thanks to Steve Ertelt and the *INFONET-list* at | | . |QOM - Many thanks to Eric Ewanco | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.