--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 5, No. 7 May, 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 . --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Australian Territory Legalizes Voluntary Euthanasia The Northern Territory of Australia recently became the first state in the world to legalize voluntary euthanasia; its parliament passed the Bill introduced by the former Chief Minister, Marshall Perron, by 15 votes to 10. Ten hours of debate were spent on the first stage of the bill, before an initial vote on considering the bill with a large number of amendments. This crucial vote was passed 13-12. Details of the amendments agreed to are not yet available, but they include a five-day cooling-off period before a request for euthanasia can be carried out and a requirement that one of two doctors agreeing to the request must have psychiatric qualifications. It is clear that the legislation is still not confined to residents of the Northern Territory and can be used by other Australians, but the situation with overseas visitors is not clear. Media reports indicated that early in the debate, the numbers were definitely 13-12 against, but that one MP, an aboriginal from the opposition Labor Party, switched sides at the last minute. His reasons are not yet known - including whether it had anything to do with Marshall Perron's recent resignation as Chief Minister. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) China Denies Harvesting Fetuses China has denied that hospitals in the booming southern economic zone of Shenzhen have been selling human fetuses as a health fad. Charges that human fetuses aborted in hospitals were being sold were refuted as "sheer fabrication" and a "distortion of facts." In its rebuttal, carried by the _Agence France Presse_, the Beijing-funded HKCNS claimed the story originated when a couple from Hong Kong went to a maternity and child-care clinic in Shenzhen early last month and asked whether there were human fetuses for sale. The woman said she consumed fetuses for her health. Despite the fact they were told no fetuses were for sale and the clinic had no idea that fetuses could be used as health food, the couple insisted on having one. The report said they were given "a bottle of abortion extracts" the following day, and were told, "You can have it for free, as no one wants such a thing." Representatives of _The Daily Telegraph_'s Foreign Desk were questioned, concerning if their original story on "Foetus Eating in China" by Yojana Sharma in Hong Kong sounded was a legpull, and questioning if the story had since been repudiated. They responded that the story had not been repudiated in the _Telegraph_, adding that "Joy [Yojana Sharma presumably] is a pretty reputable journalist for us." and that they "would have been surprised if she had been caught short on that one." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Ireland: North and South *Dublin, Republic of Ireland* ABORTION INFORMATION ACT CONFIRMED The Irish Supreme Court issued its judgment on the abortion information legislation, which was recently passed to it by the president, and ruled that it was entirely constitutional. When the court heard arguments against the constitutionality of the Bill, it was claimed that on one hand it went too far in infringing the rights of the unborn, and on the other that it did not go far enough in recognizing the rights of the mother. The judgment rejected both arguments. It also rejected an argument that the natural law superseded the Constitution. The court went on to tell doctors that, while they are not free to arrange abortions for patients, they can liaise with doctors in foreign abortion clinics once an appointment has been made. [ Translation: doctors may give out price lists for the various abortion houses in England to anyone with a "crisis" pregnancy.] Following the judgment, President Robinson signed the Bill into law. RESPONSES: The Irish College of General Practitioners has compiled an abortion information pack for use by its members in the course of their duties. Its most controversial aspect is the inclusion of details, including prices, of British abortion clinics. Doctors who are opposed to abortion are not, of course, obliged to provide any information to patients, nor are they expected to provide the name of a doctor who has different views. The Irish Family Planning Association claims that it will defy the new Abortion Information Bill and will make appointments for clients at abortion clinics in Britain. *Belfast, Northern Ireland* BRAIN DAMAGED WOMAN MAY BE STARVED On May 5 the High Court ruled that the artificial feeding system which has kept a woman alive for the last 20 years can be withdrawn. The action was taken by the family of the brain-damaged woman who has remained in a coma since undergoing a minor operation more than 20 years ago. The case was opposed by the institution in which she is being cared for and by the State. This was the first time that such a case has been heard in Northern Ireland and, in delivering his judgment, Justice Lynch said that he was not deciding on the morality of the course of action being suggested by the family, but on its lawfulness. Dr. Bill Tormey, a leading opponent of euthanasia, fully agreed with the judgment and hoped that the institution would not appeal the decision. Any appeal must be made within 21 days. *Belfast, Northern Ireland* NO ABORTION HERE, THANK YOU The British Government recently reiterated that it will not extend its liberal abortion laws to the North. This announcement followed combined lobbying by UUP, DUP and SDLP politicians. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) American Shorts *Washington, DC* MICHIGAN MAY OUTLAW ASSISTED SUICIDE The U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal by Dr. Jack Kevorkian and let Michigan continue to outlaw assisted suicide. The court rejected Kevorkian's appeal of a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that said there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide. Kevorkian sought to block his prosecution in five deaths in Michigan, where he faces murder charges in the deaths of two people and assisted-suicide charges in three others. *Washington, DC* RESPONSE TO CHINESE CANNIBALISM REPORTS Rep. Frank Wolf (R.-Va.), one of the House GOP's leaders on international human rights issues, is taking the allegations of the sale and distribution of fetal remains as health food very seriously. In early May, he called a press conference on the subject declaring: "Cannibalism is the word some would use to describe this practice. Other appropriate words would be despicable, vile, immoral, inhumane and profoundly exploitive." Wolf is urged House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R.-Ill.) and House Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chairman Chris Smith (R.-N.J.) to convene congressional hearings on the matter and is further demanding that the Clinton Administration immediately begin a U.S. investigation. On the Senate side, Foreign relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms (R.-N.C.) last week began his own hearings on China's alleged selling of aborted fetuses and the recent disclosures that the Chinese government is trafficking in the organs of recently executed prisoners. Both Wolf and Helms are demanding that if government selling of human fetuses or organs is confirmed President Clinton reverse his "de-linkage" of human rights and the granting of Most Favored Nation status for China promulgated last year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) ProLife Profile: THE ELLIOT INSTITUTE The Elliot Institute was founded in 1988 to perform original research and education on the impact of abortion on women, men, siblings, and society. Their publication, _THE POST-ABORTION REVIEW_, is a quarterly journal of the Elliot Institute for Social Sciences Research, and concerns itself with the effects of abortion after the fact. The following is a sample taken with permission from their Fall, 1993 issue: ABORTION AND THE FEMINIZATION OF POVERTY Abortion advocates claim that the right to abort unplanned pregnancies empowers women. They view unplanned children as the cause of lost education and career opportunities. Abortion, they claim, enables women to control their lives, pursue their dreams, and ultimately improve their socio-economic status. But this argument presupposes that the birth of an unplanned child has a negative effect on women's lives and that abortion has a positive, or at least neutral, effect. Recent evidence shows otherwise. Thomas Strahan, a researcher with the Association of Interdisciplinary Research, recently reviewed over 26 studies relating to abortion's impact on the socio-economic status of women. These studies show the following: > o Women who have had abortions are at greater risk of suffering > emotional and psychological problems which may interfere with > their ability to concentrate, make decisions, and interact with > others, thereby reducing their level of job skills and employment > opportunities. > o Post-abortion women are more likely to engage in drug and alcohol > abuse, often as a means of "numbing" negative feelings stemming from > the abortion. This will in turn affect their ability to function in > the workplace and may inhibit their ability to enter into meaningful > relationships. > o Women who have had abortions are more likely to become pregnant > again and undergo additional abortions. Nearly 50% of all abortions > are repeat abortions. These repeat abortions do not represent > "satisfied customers." Instead, post-abortion women often seek > replacement pregnancies to make up for the aborted child, but find > themselves faced with the same social pressure which led to the > first abortion. There is also evidence that some women undergo > repeat abortions as an act of "self-punishment" or as attempt to > "harden" themselves to negative feelings stemming from their first > abortion. > o Compared to their peers, teenagers who have had one abortion are > four times more likely to have a subsequent abortion. Almost 20% of > teen aborters have a second abortion within a year, and 38% have a > second abortion within 5 years. > o Women who have had abortions are more likely to subsequently require > welfare assistance, and the odds of going on welfare increase with > each subsequent abortion. > o Women who have repeat abortions tend to have an increasing number of > health problems and greater personality disintegration, which > increases the likelihood of their needing public assistance. > o Post-abortion women have greater difficulty establishing permanent > relationships with a male partner. They are more likely to never > marry, more likely to divorce, and more likely to go through a long > string of "unsuccessful" relationships. This inability to form a > "nuclear family" reduces household income and increases the > probability that the woman and her children will require public > assistance. > o Women who had repeat abortions are more likely to desire children and > are likely to carry one or more subsequent "replacement" pregnancies > to term. For information contact: The Post-Abortion Review P.O. Box 9079 Springfield, IL 62791-9079 (217) 546-9522 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) What Works: Don't Limit the ProLife Perspective Most vocal and enthusiastic opponents of abortion tend to base their arguments on religious foundations. Unfortunately, most pro-choice activists simply don't acknowledge the subjective mechanism of "morality" as a suitable authority in the abortion debate. This impasse needn't frustrate the pro-life argument, however. Aside from the religious and moral refutations, there are plenty of logic-based, scientific and political rationales against abortion. In an effort to be able to defend this perspective, every pro-lifer should become familiar with other, non-traditional pro-life approaches. The backgrounds and beliefs of participants in abortion debates vary widely, and limiting the pro-life perspective is anathema to winning the abortion debate. For example, PLAGAL, (ProLife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians) makes the argument that abortion serves as a potential eugenic vehicle. "Just like homophobia," states the PLAGAL web page, "abortion tries to get rid of real human beings who are considered threatening or undesirable. Just like homophobia, abortion denies one's place as a member of human society, and even one's right to be alive in it." And a group of feminists, typically considered liberal and pro-choice, have broken from the stereotypical pack to form Feminists For Life, a group supporting both feminist and pro-life philosophies. At their web site, one can access the anti-abortion sentiments of feminism's foremothers, including: *Susan B. Anthony* > She called abortion "child-murder." *Elizabeth Cady Stanton* > "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is > degrading to women that we should treat our children as > property to be disposed of as we see fit." *Victoria Woodhull* > _Woodhull's and Claffin's Weekly_ proclaimed, "The rights of > children as individuals begin while yet they remain in the foetus." In addition, Judy Fetters, a pro-life atheist, lucidly illustrates that pro-choice thinking fails to live up to its statistical and scientific reputation in her 1994 article, "Why Should Atheists Be Pro-Life?" published in _SisterLife_, a quarterly newsletter of Feminists for Life. Says Fetters: "As an atheist, one of the most ironic discoveries I made when I became pro-life was the cultist nature of the followers of choice... I started asking questions and was 'answered' with slogans. Dissatisfied with slogans, I continued asking questions and was accused of being 'anti-choice'. To question was taboo; information from pro-lifers was 'heresy', and I had become a 'heretic'." Look for other pro-life perspectives, as well, and give yourself the broadest base of knowledge and opinion when attempting to disarm the pro-choice argument. - Stephanie Herman [ Access the PLAGAL web page at ; Feminists For Life at ; Fetters' article at For more information, contact Atheists and Agnostics For Life, c/o Pro-life Provex, P.O. Box 4574, Fayetteville, AK, 72701-9998. Ed. ] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) Announcements *Pro-Life Litigation Bank* ATTENTION PRO-LIFE LAWYERS: Tired of having to "re-invent the wheel" on pro-life cases? Thanks to D.D. Woxniak, you needn't be. Minnesota Lawyers for Life now has a brief bank, with access for MLL members for a modest copying and handling charge. Available briefs include: > o NOW vs. Schiedler > o Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union FreeSchool District > o Capitol Area Right to Life, Inc. v. Downtown Frankfort > o Operation Rescue v. Women's Health Center, Inc. (Florida) > o Winfield v. Kaplan > ..and others For information, contact: > William N. Koster, President > Minnesota Lawyers for Life > 17663 West 67th Street > Eden Prairie, MN 55346-2130 *Free Cable-Ready Videos* Air a pro-life video on your local cable community channel. (It's free!) Choose from a list of 12 pro-life videos, including "Chance of a Lifetime," "Meet the Abortion Providers," "Dear Children," etc. No charge for videos. You pay $25 mailing expense. How-to sheet included in package. Contact: Tim DeRyan, c/o Life Issues Television, 818-757-7308 . *AANFP Meeting - July 12-15, 1995* The annual meeting of the American Academy of Natural Family Planning (AANFP) will be held in St. Louis, Missouri. Rev. Stephen Torraco, PhD, will deliver the keynote address on the topic of "The Incarnation and Politics of the Family: The Alternative of Least Resistance." He will also speak on "Tradition and Excellence: Natural Family Planning and the Third Millenium." Other talks include Dr. Thomas W. Hilgers on Natural Procreative Technology, Ingrid Trobisch on "The Confident Woman," Peter Danis, MD, on "Promoting the Health of the Family through NFP," and many more. The annual Science and Research Forum of the AANFP is also a prominent feature of the program. For further information, including how to register, please contact: > Sr. Julianna Jervis, RN, CNFPP > St. Mary's Regional Medical Center > Voice: 702-789-3079 FAX: 702-789-3679 *Pro-Life Products* For a FREE color catalog of our designs, or for more information including fundraisers send mail to or Visions of Glory, Inc., 104 Westmoreland, Collinsville, IL 62234 Phone: 1-800-377-7247. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) Reader Questions I read somewhere (I have forgotten where) that C. Everett Koop, the former Surgeon General, has endorsed Henry Foster's nomination to be the next SG? Is this true? If it is, it puts the Foster nomination in a whole different light, since Koop's medical and pro-life credentials are immpeccable. - Respectfully, David Cruz-Uribe, SFO --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) Reader Responses Shenzhen Health Food [v5n6] _Humanae Vitae_ talked about this degradation of our views once we accepted the contraceptive mentality, did it not? Sick? That is the understatement of the year. Repulsive would be more like it. - Bryan D. Boyle --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "If you don't approve of abortion, don't have one." If you don't approve of slavery, don't own slaves. - Marty Helgesen +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - From Reuters and | | 2 - Details of Chinese denial from 5 May _Agence France Presse_ report. | | Many thanks to reader Christopher Coope for personally contacting | | _The Daily Telegraph_ for their comments. | | 3 - Dublin news courtesy of 15 and 22 May, 1995 issues of _The Irish | | Emigrant_ (432 & 433). Belfast news from the 27 February and 29 May,| | 1995 editions (421 & 434). To subscribe: .| | 4 - Court information from an AP report from April, 1995, courtesy of | | reader Sean Smith. House and Senate responses to the PRC reports | | from the May 12, 1995 edition of _Human Events_ "Inside Washington" | | column (p.7). For subscriptions call 1-800-787-7557. Many thanks to | | reader James Fish and the _BIRCH BARK BBS_ 414-242-5070. | | 5 - Courtesy of the _Catholic Information Network_, 619-449-6030; 14,400| | BPS. Many thanks to reader Tim DeRyan. | | 7 - AANFP information courtesy of reader Dr. Joe Stanford. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific pro-life groups, literature, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor For those on the web, there is a preliminary WWW page at ---------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News: pln-0507.txt .