Too Many Babies Surviving Abortion in the U.K.?

In what provides very chilling reading, the Times (U.K.) reports on a new study by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health which deals with babies who survive abortion -- perhaps 5o a year. The article suggests that the greatest concerns of doctors and health officials are not appropriate care of preborn children, nor are they anything else that relates to morality, character, or quality health care standards. Oh no; the concerns are litigation and that...well, unpleasantness of dealing with the bodies of aborted babies.

Note, for instance, what the article says about the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This group, which regulates methods of abortion in the U.K. (and so is rather miffed at the implications of this new report), argues that the problem of live births could be avoided if doctors simply paid closer attention to the Society's abortion directions.

Its guidelines say that babies aborted after more than 21 weeks and six days of gestation should have their hearts stopped by an injection of potassium chloride before being delivered. In practice, few doctors are willing or able to perform the delicate procedure.

For the abortion of younger foetuses, labour is induced by drugs in the expectation that the infant will not survive the birth process. Guidelines say that doctors should ensure that the drugs they use prevent such babies being alive at birth.

Putting aside the issue of the Times' reporter describing the injection of a vile poison into the heart of a living baby as simply a "delicate procedure", the arrogant barbarism of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists should, by any standards of decency, be denounced and opposed.

The article concludes with an announcement that just such opposition to the anti-life attitude of the RCOG is increasing, including an upcoming visit to Parliament by an old friend of Vital Signs Ministries.

The issue will be highlighted by Gianna Jessen, 28, who survived an attempt to abort her. She is to speak at a parliamentary meeting on December 6 organised by the Alive and Kicking campaign, which is lobbying for a reduction of the abortion limit to 18 weeks.

Jessen, a musician from Nashville, Tennessee, was left with cerebral palsy but is to run in the London marathon next April to raise funds for fellow sufferers.

“If abortion is about women’s rights, then what were my rights?” she asked.

“If people are going to talk about abortion, then it’s important for them to know that these are babies that can be born alive and survive.”

Of course, if there's absolutely no conscience left in the RCOG, Gianna's example could merely cause the organization to push all the harder for "more effective termination" policies before birth. After all, the troubling presence of other Giannas could be avoided altogether -- if only the abortions were more thoroughly performed in the first place.

God, give eloquence and power to Your faithful servant, Gianna Jesson, and to all others who are serving You by speaking out against the horror of abortion -- any abortion -- in the United Kingdom. Let Your Spirit enlighten the members of Parliament, the press, and the British public with their message of compassion and justice for the unborn.

And, dear Father, please break the stone-cold hearts of those leading the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and let them return to the virtues of caring and healing that once marked their organization.

The European Connection

To what extent is the United States following the political and cultural trends generated by a post-Christian Europe? Michael Barone takes a quick look at our respective positions on taxation, pensions, employment, health care and politics. He could, of course, also take up entertainment, education, religion, litigation, sanctity of life, marriage, and so many other issues...but he's only got so much space. Don'y worry, though; what he does have time to say is quite important and well presented.

Not Enough Abortion Among TV Characters Says Village Voice Writer

Rebecca Raber is flat out ticked off at television producers and writers for not having enough abortions among their characters. No kidding.

African AIDS: A Front Line Report

Licia Corbella from the Calgary Sun has a compelling column here which tells the story of a Christian physician who left his nice home and lucrative practice in Calgary, Canada, to serve the Lord by serving the poor people of Malawi. It is an enlightening, convicting piece.

Islamic Indoctrination In Schools Okayed by 9th Circuit Court

Religion must be removed from the public square -- oh, sorry. I mean Christianity must be removed from the public square. Islam, Scientology, Kaballah, animism, New Age crystalization, goddess worship, Buddhism, various tribal religions, Shinto, voodoo, secular humanism, wicca, Hinduism, Darwinism, Tao, pantheism, and others may kindly take their places at the table.

Religion Under Attack in America? The ADL Is Bummed.

I gotta' laugh.

This poll, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, reveals American attitudes about the role of religion in the public square that are anything but what the ADL wanted to find.

For instance, the poll found that 64% of the American people believe that religion is "under attack" in our nation; 53% believe that religion as a whole is "losing its influence in American life;" 47% desire organized prayer in public school; 56% think creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the government schools; and 64% want religious symbols such as the Ten Commandments displayed in public buildings.

Yipes! This was bad news to the largely anti-religion Anti-Defamation League who immediately proceeded to distort the meaning of their own poll -- when they weren't simply ignoring its findings altogether!

"The findings suggest that American public opinion is starkly divided when it comes to the role of religion in the public square, and that our nation's proud tradition of church-state separation is threatened as never before," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "Unfortunately, too many people believe that religion is under attack in America, when in fact according to all measurements, religion is stronger in the United States than in any other Western country."

The survey comes at a time when ADL has begun questioning the role of some on the religious right in seeking to impose their beliefs in the public square while attempting to throw out the constitutional balance that protects our nation's religious freedom.

Ethics Violation Sinks Stem Cell Researcher

File this one in the Straining at Gnats While Swallowing Camels Category:

From the point of view of the press (who are on this story all over the web today), the ethics violation involved here is that the Korean veterinarian, Hwang Woo-Suk, obtained human female eggs for his experimentation from members of his staff. Okay...but does no one dare report that the most grievous and barbaric ethics violation committed by Mr. Woo-Suk is his destroying human lives in the subsequent course of his research?

Error Charged to Democrat Governor

You'd think you'd know if you were drafted by a Major League Baseball team, right?

Well, it seems Democrat Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, frequently mentioned as a potential nominee for President, only recently realized that he has been falsifying his biography. Actually, he only"realized" it when the Albuquerque Journal uncovered his lie and informed him the jig was up.

"After being notified of the situation and after researching the matter ... I came to the conclusion that I was not drafted by the A's," he [Governor Richardson] said.

Of course, because of Gov. Richardson's political affiliation, this will be ignored by the MSM or, if it must come up, be treated as a simple misunderstanding. But imagine the howls, Saturday Night Live sketches, and calls for resignation if the fellow was of another party.

Charities to Be Stamped Out?

The new increases mandated by the U.S.Post Office are, of course, simply new taxes levied on the public by non-elected bureaucrats. A bum deal for everybody. But perhaps most affected are 1) older Americans who prefer regular mail to computers, text messaging, and other new communication technologies, and 2) charities whose income is generated primarily through the U.S. Postal Service. An interesting story on the latter issue is right here from the Greensboro News-Record.

Below are the new charges:

First-Class Letter (1 oz.) 37¢ to 39¢
First-Class Letter (2 oz.) 60¢ to 63¢
Postcard 23¢ to 24¢
Priority Mail (1 lb.) $3.85 to $4.05
Express Mail (1/2 lb) $13.65 to $14.40
Express Mail (2 lb) $17.85 to $18.80

The Family Research Council's Thanksgiving Message

A Time to be Thankful - To God

Thanksgiving is uniquely American. There are of course regional twists to the holiday. Ours consists of fried turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potato crunch and my favorite - sweet potato pie. It is a time for families to gather together in prayer around the table. As you join with family and friends, take time and reflect on that first Thanksgiving. William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth, proclaimed the first official day of Thanksgiving in October of 1621. What were they thankful for? One year after arriving, the Pilgrims stood at about half their original number. Not quite one year earlier they had arrived in New England from Holland after a 66-day journey across the North Atlantic. During that first winter 47 of the 102 Pilgrims were lost to disease and starvation. If it hadn't been for Squanto, the young Patuxent Indian, the second winter might have claimed them all. Squanto had been taken captive by slave traders, but monks in Spain purchased his freedom and taught him the Christian faith. He made his way to England, learned our language, and thence returned to America. He was there to welcome the Pilgrims shortly after their arrival. Squanto taught them how to plant corn in New England's rocky soil. He shared his special knowledge of forests and rivers. Governor Bradford said Squanto had been sent by God to be the little band's Joseph.

We trace not only our Christian heritage to this brave band of Pilgrims, but also our country's solid foundation of self-government. The Mayflower Compact was signed even before the Pilgrims landed. It laid out the ideals of government by consent of the governed and made clear their purpose, "undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith." Plymouth Rock is the place where those Pilgrims first set foot on America's shores. The great French political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about this scene. In his classic 1835 book, Democracy in America:

This rock has become an object of veneration in the United States...Does this not show very clearly that the power and greatness of man is wholly in his soul? Here is the stone that the feet of some miserable persons touched for an instant, and this stone becomes celebrated; it attracts the regard of a great people; they venerate its remnants; they parcel out its dust in the distance. What has become of the thresholds of so many palaces? Who cares about them?

Tocqueville was one of the first Europeans to recognize the change that was taking place "in the course of human events" in America. He wrote that religious freedom was the key to understanding democracy in America. Today, there are those who think that religion and democracy are at odds with one another. Tocqueville knew that a firm foundation of faith was essential to the rise of democracy.

Family Research Council is dedicated to the defense of faith, family and freedom. Today, more than ever, that cause is grounded on the solid rock of God's grace. One final note as your family assembles on this Thanksgiving Day. Literally tens of thousands of Americans are serving our country in the U.S. military who will not be with their families. They are fighting for freedom or standing watch over our liberties. Their thanksgiving dinner may be eaten in a tent, in a tank, on board an aircraft carrier, or even in a military hospital. Let's be sure to thank God for them, especially, on this day.

My, How Things Have Changed -- The Congressional Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1782

"IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf:

Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:

Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.

Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh.

The Dickens Scholar: A Pro-Life Mini-Play

The Dickens Scholar is a short piece using two female characters which can easily be performed for school, church or organizational audiences. The question explored in the drama is what happens when one person's lifestyle and ambitions change for the greater good of loving another.

On "Advances" in Aborting Imperfect Kids

Jill Stanek expertly addresses the article in the New England Journal of Medicine (and a follow up story in the Boston Globe) which hails new "advances" in pre-natal genetic screening. This gets "must read" status.

Clarence Thomas on the Confirmation Process of Federal Judges

From Lousiana Weekly...

"The whole process of trying to ferret out the personal agenda through the confirmation process isn't an endeavor that I think is worth the price we are paying," said Thomas. "I think the only thing it does is rats out the agenda of the people asking the questions."

Thomas, who opposes the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, said the fight he faced during his own confirmation hearings in 1991 went back to abortion politics. Thomas was accused of sexual harassment, charges he referred to at the time as a "high-tech lynching" for an "uppity" black man.

"I think we all should be honest with one another that the only issue, the central issue in all of this, is abortion. It's not the other things that people throw out," he said. "The whole judiciary now is being held, in a sense, hostage to that one issue."

Living in a Culture of Decadence: One Sad Example

Jurgen Van Acker is 27 years old and severely handicapped. He cannot walk, talk, sit or eat, but mentally there is nothing wrong with him. With the help of his computer he can communicate. Recently he became a television celebrity in Belgium when he asked that the welfare office pay his prostitutes.

When Jurgen turned 18, his mother Frie Van Acker told him all about sex and asked whether he would like to have sex. Jurgen indicated “No.” One evening three years later, however, he wrote on his computer: “I want sex.” That same evening, Frie contacted a prostitute. Every month for the past six years prostitutes have come to the house for Jurgen. They charge 100 euros for half an hour. Jurgen finds one session a month inadequate. He wants sex at least once a week, but his mother cannot pay that much. Jurgen and his Mum are now demanding that the government subsidize the sex sessions, but the Fund for the Social Integration of the Handicapped only finances masturbation equipment, including vibrators and pumps, for the handicapped in Belgium, but not prostitutes.

The rest of this story (disturbing on several levels) is here in the Brussels Journal.

"Desperate for Defeat"

From George Neumayr's American Spectator column...

The foreign policy of the Democratic Party verges on deliberate defeatism: afraid of American "dominance" in the world, many Democrats would prefer that America tie wars than win them.

Read the whole thing here.

The Christmas Wars

From the San Francisco Gate comes a decidedly liberal story on what is nevertheless an interesting and important attempt of some evangelical leaders to win a bit of the public square back for Christmas.

Yet More (Adult) Stem Cell Success Stories

From an issue of last week's The Guardian (U.K.) comes another great breakthrough report for the use of adult stem cells -- not potential; not maybe; not a study that shows a bit of a long hope for eventual use -- but treatment that is already underway and greatly helping patients. Here's an excerpt...

The first clinical trial to implant blood vessels grown entirely from a patient's own cells was declared a success yesterday by a team of American scientists.

Two patients have so far received transplant blood vessels that were grown in a dish from a clump of their own skin cells. In both cases, the patients were said to be progressing well after their operations and the blood vessels were performing "perfectly".

John Lennon's Murder: " One of the Most Heinous Crimes of the Century"?

Uh, yes...murder is no light matter but how do NBC's Dateline reporters keep a straight face in describing a single killing as "one of the most heinous crimes of the century"? Even if one grants Dateline's belief that John Lennon was the "voice of a generation" (quite a reach there), describing Lennon's murder in such terms is a grossly irresponsible diminution of the crimes of Mao, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, various serial killers, and, of course, the worldwide horrors of abortion, infanticide, and torture murders.

By all means, castigate Mark Chapman for his wicked, senseless act of murder. But do not neglect (as the MSM has done for decades) those "killing fields" that are much, much more monstrous.

The Democrats' "Big Lie"

Well, let's face it -- the Democrats are actually engaged in several "big lies", not one, but this article by Michael Barone focuses on the one they're telling about George Bush getting us into a unwinnable Iraqi war on false pretenses.

As Barone explains, the lie is so brazen and unsound that the Democrats can't be sure of success in foisting it on the American people -- even with the conniving assistance of the MSM.