March 16, 2009
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Online News from the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
A twice-monthly publication of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation/4800 Jonestown Rd., Suite 102/Harrisburg, PA/17109/717-541-0034.
If you have any trouble accessing any of these stories, you can find them on our website at http://www.paprolife.org/resources/e_news.html .
Executive Order Represents a Sad Day in American History
From the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Blog at http://blog.paprolife.org
President Barack Obama has made a tragic mistake in issuing a decision which will open the door for taxpayers to fund research that kills human embryos.
"It is clearly wrong to require taxpayers to foot the bill for experiments that involve taking the lives of the most vulnerable among us, human beings at the embryonic stage of development," said Maria Vitale, Education Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, an affiliate of National Right to Life.
"With this decision, President Obama is betraying the American principle of justice for all. The only thing that separates the human embryo from an adult human is degree of development. We were all embryos once," Vitale added.
The claims that anti-life embryonic stem cell research is necessary to cure diseases are completely unfounded, Vitale noted. Adult stem cell research, which does not involve the killing of embryos, has proven to be highly effective in treating a range of illnesses, from breast cancer to Parkinson's disease. Meanwhile, not only is embryonic stem cell research ethically troubling, it has also proven to be harmful, due to the tumors that can result from embryonic stem cells.
Private investors have been channeling their dollars to adult stem cell research rather than embryonic stem cell research because research involving adult stem cells has simply been more effective.
"President Obama's Executive Order amounts to a bailout of the biotech industry. But what's even more troubling is that it is giving false hope to people who are suffering from debilitating diseases, whose best chance for a cure rests with adult stem cell research," Vitale added.
For more information about the problems associated with embryonic stem cell research versus the successes of adult stem cell research, see the "Do No Harm" website at www.stemcellresearch.org .
In This Issue
Executive Order Represents a Sad Day in American History
President Politicizes Stem Cell Research
Former President Clinton Falsely Claims Embryos Aren't Fertilized
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President Politicizes Stem Cell Research
President Barack Obama is politicizing stem cell research through his decision to expand federal funding for research using stem cells produced by killing human embryos. That's the opinion of Princeton University professor Robert P. George and New Atlantis editor Eric Cohen, who've written a column for the Wall Street Journal on the subject. You'll find the column at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123664280083277765.html .
Former President Clinton Falsely Claims Embryos Aren't Fertilized
In an interview with a CNN medical correspondent, former President Bill Clinton falsely states, over and over again, that human embryos aren't "fertilized." The interview shows just how misinformed people are when it comes to the issue of embryonic stem cell research, which results in the killing of human embryos. You can view Clinton's interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmh9p1rlkQk .
FOCA Watch
The sponsor of FOCA says the bill will be introduced soon. If you haven't done so already, please make it a point to sign our online petition against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) at http://www.paprolife.org/foca/foca4.htm . FOCA is a radical piece of legislation which would wipe out virtually all limits on abortion, including Pennsylvania's landmark Abortion Control Act. That would mean no more parental consent, informed consent, or 24-hour waiting periods for abortion. It would also mean the return of the heinous practice of partial-birth abortion. Please make sure you share the link with your pro-life friends and family members as well. Also, you can download a copy of the petition that you can print out and circulate at http://www.paprolife.org/foca/papetitionform.pdf .
ESCR and FOCA Among Topics at PA Pro-Life Conference
If you'd like more information about stem cell research and the fight against FOCA, be sure to mark October 24th on your calendar. That's the date of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Conference in Scranton. We'll have nationally-recognized stem cell research expert Dr. David Prentice on hand to discuss the pitfalls of embryonic stem cell research and the successes of adult stem cell research. We'll also have Carol Franz, a cancer survivor who was healed using her own adult stem cells. In addition, we'll have the latest on the FOCA fight, a session on the media and the culture of death, and a talk by euthanasia victim Terri Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler. The day-long educational event will be capped off by a banquet featuring former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline. For updates on the conference, visit www.paprolife.org .
Pro-Euthanasia Bill Introduced in State Legislature
A pro-euthanasia bill has been introduced in the Pennsylvania state Senate. The bill's very wording is chilling:
"Any adult resident of this Commonwealth who is capable and has been determined by the attending physician and consulting physician to be suffering from a terminal disease, and who has voluntarily expressed his or her wish to die, may make a written request for medication for the purpose of ending his or her life in a humane and dignified manner in accordance with this chapter."
Senate Bill 404 is a sign that the culture of death marches on. Certainly, anyone who is seriously ill is in need of the utmost care and compassion. But killing is not an act of compassion.
What if a patient is suffering from depression? A request to die may actually be a cry for help.
The bill, sponsored by Senators Leach, Boscola, and Washington, was referred to the Judiciary Committee on March 5th. It's a painful reminder of how disrespect at the front end of life (abortion) leads to disrespect at the back end of life (euthanasia).
Repealing Conscience Rule an Affront to Religion
Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas says that the President's effort to repeal the rule ensuring that doctors are not forced to perform abortions is an insult to religious faith. You'll find his common sense column at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/04/guilty-consciences/ .
Born of the Heart
By Maria Vitale, Education Director
vitale@paprolife.org
In her book, Audition, TV journalist Barbara Walters shares surprising revelations about the news business, her love life, and the suicide attempt of her father.
But one of the book's most charming sections deals with the adoption of her daughter, Jackie.
"Even as I write this, I get tears in my eyes. I cannot properly express my joy as I welcomed this tiny pink bundle. Her face was partially covered by the blanket, so I gently pulled it back. My daughter, Jackie, was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen," Walters writes.
Walters did not talk about the adoption publicly immediately following the big event. Once she began speaking about her new daughter, she received letters from some television watchers who "had known all along that (she) was pregnant," even though her daughter was born of her heart, not from her body.
The love Walters holds for her daughter leaps out from the page: "I cherished every moment I could spend with Jackie," she writes.
Walters describes herself as "pro-choice" in her book, and there is never any doubt that she supports a legal right to abortion. Therefore, it would be wrong to paint Walters as a spokesperson for the pro-life viewpoint. She also deals honestly with the struggles her daughter faced growing up--issues relating to both her adoption and to the fact that she is the daughter of a famous mother.
Still, we need to hear more stories like that of the Walters' family, stories of adoptions gone right. I once heard it said that a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy may view adoption as the "worst choice," because she feels as if she would be abandoning her baby to a fate worse than death.
Those who support adoption still have some "auditioning" to do in the minds of many Americans. We need to recognize and celebrate the beautiful families that have been created through the bond of adoption. We need to salute those birth mothers who unselfishly surrender their parental rights in the hope of creating a better future for their children. Most importantly, we need to share our stories--of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews who came to us through the miracle of adoption.
Adoption is not simply a life-affirming alternative to abortion. It is a thread which binds together the vast tapestry of American family life, designing a thing of beauty which all Americans can be proud of.
Visit Our Blog!
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation has created a blog to help keep you informed of the latest pro-life happenings in the state and around the nation. You can access the blog by clicking on the "Visit our blog" link on the left-hand side of our home page at www.paprolife.org . Or you can go to the blog directly by pointing your browser to http://blog.paprolife.org .
Chapter Info From Around the State!
Bedford County--Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Executive Director Michael Ciccocioppo will be the keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Banquet of the Bedford County Citizens Concerned for Human Life. The banquet will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 28th, in Everett, PA. For more information, visit www.BedfordCountyProLife.org or e-mail contact@webparish.com .
The Westmoreland County Right to Life chapter leaders are travelling to Harrisburg for an entire day to lobby for life. They are scheduled to meet with several pro-life legislators in Harrisburg to talk about pro-life issues, and will also meet with Charlene Bashore, the PA Pro-Life Federation's Legislative Director, who will fill the chapter in on what we can do in Westmoreland County to impact the cause for life statewide and in Harrisburg. For more details, visit the chapter's website at www.WestmorelandCountyRTL.org .
The Butler County PHL will host Southwestern Pennsylvania's Regional Oratory Contest at the LifeLine Office in Butler, PA on Saturday, April 4th. If you know of any pro-life high school students who would be interested in participating, please contact Bob Cararie, President of the Butler County PHL, at gcacarie@zoominternet.net . Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers, and the top two will travel to Harrisburg to compete in the statewide competition! The winner in Harrisburg receives an all-expense-paid trip to the National Right to Life Committee's 2009 Conference in North Carolina this summer to compete in the national competition! If you're a pro-life high school student from southwestern PA, the road to North Carolina runs through Butler, PA!
Live in Southeast PA? Contact SE Regional Coordinator Heather Wilson to find out more about joining a chapter in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, or Philadelphia County. You can reach Heather by phone at 610-480-8743 or by e-mail at wilson@paprolife.org .
Live in the Southwest? If you'd like to become involved in a chapter, contact Southwest Regional Coordinator Bryce McMinn, who set up a regional office in Washington County. Here's his contact information: Bryce C. McMinn, Southwest Regional Coordinator; Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation; 74 Oak Spring Road, Suite 101; Washington, PA 15301; Work Phone: 724-228-1162; Cell Phone: 412-835-2812; E-Mail: mcminn@paprolife.org .
If you live in another part of the state and you'd like to get involved in a local chapter, contact Executive Director Michael Ciccocioppo at ciccocioppo@paprolife.org or by phone at 717-541-0034.
For a complete list of chapters, visit http://www.paprolife.org/chapters/chapters.html .
