Dangers of the oral contraceptive pill

Following our article last Wednesday about the danger of blood clotting associated with oral contraception, the contraceptive pill we now report on a very sad case of a young girl who died from a pulmonary embolism caused by a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) the most likely cause of which was the contraceptive pill.

The mum of a teenager who died from deep vein thrombosis has said that the contraceptive pill she was taking to treat her acne may have contributed to her death, and has warned other parents to be aware of the risks. see report by parentdish

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Porter had been taking the contraceptive pill Dianette to treat her spots. The drug - like other combined contraceptive pills - increases a patients' risk of developing blood clots.

Charlotte's mum Beverley took her to hospital in Maidstone, Kent in March 2010, when she complained her leg was swelling up and turning purple. The teenager died just hours later from a pulmonary embolism caused by DVT.

An inquest into her death was told she had been prescribed the contraceptive Dianette to treat her acne. The Coroner ruled that Charlotte had died from natural causes, but that she had probably had undiagnosed DVT when she visited her doctor two weeks before her death, complaining of a lumpy left leg.

Her GP told the court Charlotte had not displayed symptoms of DVT at the time, but independent expert, Dr Nigel Langford, said that it was likely a clot was present.

Charlotte's mum implored other parents to be aware of the risks of taking the combined pill. Mrs Porter, 47, told reporters: 'The doctors said to us it was very, very rare to happen to someone so young.

'If she was 71 years old, not 17, then you would expect that sort of thing. She was full of life and always on the go.'

' It goes without saying that Charlotte's death has devastated my family and me.

' We would urge all parents of young girls prescribed with Dianette to be aware of the risks associated with it, mainly the risk of DVT.'

Irish Catholic Organisations deny endorsement of pro-abortion report

We reported last week on an Irish Times article relating to a report “Your Rights Right Now” prepared by a group of pro abortion non governmental organizations (NGO’s) in respect of  Ireland’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review and which was lauded and placed in the public sphere by Labour Minister for State Kathleen Lynch.

 

We subsequently found that the UPR website on which the report had been placed, and which listed the organizations which were claimed to have endorsed it, included names like Trocaire and Crosscare  both of which are part of the social services network of the Irish Catholic bishops’,

When contacted by European Life Network, Trócaire representatives said they had not endorsed the report and that they were taking steps to have their name removed from the list. Similarly Crosscare, announced after the weekend that they would be pulling out of the group and removing their endorsement of the report because of its promotion of legalized abortion. 

A spokesman for Trócaire which focuses on aid to the developing world said his organization had never been asked to endorse the report specifically, and suggested that since Trocaire is a member of a group called Dochas which had given assent to one small part of the report, that the names of all members of that group were then inserted on the website as supporting the entire. He also said that they had now asked for their name to be removed from the website.

A Crosscare spokesman said, “To avoid any further link between Crosscare and a call for the legalisation of abortion ... Crosscare Migrant Project asked for its endorsement of this report to be removed from the ‘Your rights right now’ website.”

Two other organization the Vincentian Refugee Centre and the Mercy Justice Office an outreach of the sisters of Mercy were also included in the list of those who purportedly endorsed the document. It is understood that the Vincentian Refugee Centre have since requested that its endorsement of the report be removed from the website.

The report was falsely portrayed as having the support of Catholic organizations whose good names and reputations were being used to further the pro-abortion agenda.”

The report, which was prepared by a group of pro-abortion NGOs including the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the Irish Family Planning Association, (an affiliate of Planned Parenthood International) in addition to its pro-abortion and anti family measures covered a wide range of genuine human rights issues supported by many organizations and while they were prepared to endorse aspects of the report such as the Right to housing, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, social security etc., many could not support the anti life and family aspects of the report.

It was clear that many of the organizations contacted had no idea their endorsement of a single aspect of the report was being abused in this way.

Blood Clotting danger from all contraceptive pills but some are riskier

A Telegraph report relating to new studies on the contraceptive pill points to increased danger of blood clotting from all oral contraceptives but some actually triple that risk.
  see Telegraph article
 Women taking so-called "third generation" contraceptive pills, those developed in the 1980s, are up to three times more likely to suffer a blood clot than those who use older varieties, according to new research based on British and American records.

With no real other advantages of the newer drug, scientists said it would be "prudent" to make the older pills the "first line choice".

Scientists say doctors should prescribe pills that contain the hormone levonorgestrel, rather than drospirenone.

Dr Susan Jicks, of Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues carried out two studies into the two types of birth control drugs and found the difference in threat was dramatic.

They said their findings "provide further evidence that levonorgestrel oral contraceptives appear to be a safer choice".

Around three million women in Britain are thought to take the pill to prevent pregnancy, and 100 million worldwide.

While all types of the oral contraceptive increase the risk of a clot, some are worse than others.

The debate first started in October 1995 when scientists warned women taking the third generation pill such as Yasmin which has around 750,000 prescriptions issued a year – were at greater risk of developing blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or the pelvis.
Called venous thromboembolism (VTE), the clots can be fatal if they move inside the circulatory system and lodge in the lungs.
In the first study, based on US medical claims data, the researchers found a twofold increased risk of a non-fatal blood clot in women using pills containing the hormone drospirenone compared with women using the older ones which have levonorgestrel.
This risk remained even after taking account of other possible causes.
The actual incidence rates were 30.8 for every 100,000 women years using the drospirenone pill and 12.5 per 100,000 women years using the levonorgestrel pill.
The second study, using data from the UK General Practice Research Database, found a threefold increased risk of a first non-fatal blood clot in women using drospirenone pills oral compared with those on the levonorgestrel ones.
The actual rates for blood clots in this study were 23 per 100,000 women years using the drospirenone pill and 9.1 per 100,000 women years using the levonorgestrel pill.

Understanding human nature

John Waters had some interesting thoughts to offer in his Irish Times column recently.   Writing under the heading ‘Feeling the cost of forgetting our earliest lessons’ he says:

‘The greatest “sin” committed by Irish Catholicism was its failure to explain itself properly to the people.  I have in mind not any recent reluctance to comply with demands for accountability or penitence, but something deeper: the failure to explain that Catholicism is fundamentally an understanding of human nature as it engages with reality, and that the “point” is not social control, but personal self-understanding. … Although the church became centrally involved in educating the population out of ignorance and innocence, it never sought to review these once-functional simplicities – a failure that unleashed a widespread reaction against the rules and a consequent rejection of their supposed manufacturer.

‘The “rules”, though, are not, generally speaking, the whims of a life-mistrusting authority, but the distillation of ineluctable elements of mankind’s nature into principles intended to guide rather than compel….

‘Obedience is required as a way of avoiding not punishment, but consequences.  The Catholic view of contraception, for example, relates not to some intrinsic objection to rubber sheaths, but to a view of what best serves human dignity and happiness in the long run.  The point is to become aware that, when we plunder one another on the basis of immediate desire, we store up costs for ourselves and those we exploit. …

‘Every Lent and Easter of our childhoods we were taught that self-denial is the best way of enhancing enjoyment of life, that the point of forgoing the things we immediately crave is not self-punishment, but achievement of an understanding of our desires.  This is the lesson we awoke to every Easter Sunday morning, discovering that chocolate tastes better when you’ve had none for a while.

‘Because we had come to see such propositions as arbitrary impositions on our capacity to enjoy ourselves, it was probably inevitable that we would kick over the traces the first chance we got.'

Pharmacists and conscientious objection

A chemist’s shop (pharmacy) in the suburbs of Dublin city carries an ‘in your face’ (you can’t avoid it!) display of various types of condoms.   Above this display stands a poster that carries the following message:

‘Emergency Contraception : Emergency contraception available here without prescription. Ask your Pharmacist for a private consultation.’   

The left-hand corner of the poster shows the logo and the title of the Irish Pharmacy Union.

No doubt but that similarly chilling presentations are to be seen in pharmacies throughout Ireland now.    The pharmacists evidently don’t want to admit that the use of condoms does not always prevent pregnancy.   So, ‘emergency contraception’ is then available in order to make sure that a baby doesn’t survive.

This actually raises a number of questions which need honest answers, first are there any pharmacists left who still conscientiously object to the distribution of so called 'emergency contraception'? and second are there pharmacies out there that do not sell condoms and ‘emergency contraception’?    

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were some honest and Christian pharmacists somewhere in Ireland who do not contribute to the culture of death?

UK High Court rejects the withholding of eugenic abortion statistics

The Daily Telegraph reports that late abortion figures must be released according to a High Court ruling. Detailed statistics on the number of late abortions of so called "less than perfect" babies must be released according to yesterday’s High Court ruling. link to article

The decision according to the report will force the Government to publish individual figures on how many abortions are carried out after 24 weeks on foetuses with physical abnormalities, including some relatively minor problems such as a cleft palate or club foot.

Pro-life organisations such as SPUC  which, had roundly condemned the Department of Health (DoH) practice of withholding of the statistics welcomed the decision. The decision was also welcomed by other pro-life organisation

Family planning groups according to the article described decision as "deeply worrying and unethical", saying women could be identified by their publication and doctors could be "harassed".

The hearing followed an Information Rights Tribunal, which in October 2009 decided that "sensitive" abortion statistics should be released to the Pro-Life Alliance, which had been pressing for them since 2005. The Department of Health took the matter to the High Court.

James Eadie QC, for the DoH, argued on Monday that publishing the figures could lead to "awful" consequences for patients.

But Mr Justice Cranston ruled that the tribunal had made no error in law in concluding that the risk of identification was "extremely remote" and dismissed the department's bid. He also said the release of the material to the alliance was necessary to inform the public debate.

Abortion on "social grounds" is only allowed in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, but it is legal to abort a foetus right up to birth if there is a "substantial risk" of it being "seriously handicapped".

The health department stopped publishing a full breakdown of figures for the previous year in 2003. The last set of statistics, for 2001, showed that a foetus was aborted after 24 weeks because it had a cleft palate, a defect surgeons can in most cases remedy.

The Rev Joanna Jepson, a Church of England curate who was born with an overhanging upper jaw, complained to police. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute, saying doctors had acted in good faith, but the case led the department to stop publishing detailed data.

Since 2005 it has published figures for categories in which the number of abortions is 10 or more, the same year the alliance lodged a freedom of information request culminating in yesterday's ruling.

Last night the department did not rule out taking the case to the Court of Appeal. Mr Justice Cranston gave it leave to appeal. A spokesman said: "The department will consider the implications of this judgment and the options available."

Josephine Quintavalle of the alliance said the organisation was "over the moon". She hoped it would lead to a reduction in late abortions of foetuses which were "less than perfect".

New attack on unborn life in Ireland by non governmental organisations supported by Labour Minister of State

According to an Irish Times report  the new Irish Government Cabinet has discussed the possibility of amending Ireland’s abortion laws in support of which they quote the new Minister of State for Disability, Equality and Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch. See Irish Times article

Ms Lynch yesterday launched a new report which called for the immediate enactment of legislation “to clarify the circumstances under which an abortion may be lawful”. The Your Rights. Right Now report, produced by a coalition of 18 non-governmental organisations and trade unions, said the Government should address the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights in 2010 and the Constitutional Review Group in 1996.

“I do know that this issue has been discussed already in Cabinet, because at the end of the day we have a High Court, Supreme Court judgment coming down the tracks at us,” Ms Lynch said.

This new attack on unborn life is extremely serious in that it is backed by a Minister of State. It is also a very one sided report in that it fails to acknowledge the importance of the right to life of the unborn and that the report in question is not the only one. The Ministers  statement and the Irish Times article completely ignore the fact that a large number of pro-life organisations have also lodged reports with the Irish Government in preparation for the UN Universal periodic review which will take place later this year.

 

Irish HSE apologises for ultrasound misdiagnosis of 24 babies

A report into revelations that women were wrongly told they had miscarried has uncovered a litany of training failures in Irish maternity hospitals.   

The National Miscarriage Misdiagnosis Review found that in the past five years alone, 18 women were incorrectly told at 16 public and private hospitals that their that their babies had died. A further six who suffered near-identical concerns before 2005, also insisted on their cases being examined. 

The report has caused major concern and distress to many other women who accepted similar diagnoses without question.

Inadequate staff training and over-reliance on ultrasound, according to the review, led to 24 women being wrongly told they had suffered a miscarriage. Two of the women subsequently lost their babies after undergoing medical procedures based on the misdiagnosis, while 22 went on to give birth. In eight cases, women were also given abortive drugs. see Irish Examiner report and yahoo.com news

  

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has apologised after the review revealed there had been no mandatory training in ultrasound in half of the cases examined. 

The inquiry was launched in June 2010 when Dublin mother Melissa Redmond revealed she had a baby boy after she was informed she had miscarried and was told to have a procedure known as dilation and curettage, carried out after a miscarriage, and an abortion-inducing drug.

Professor William Ledger, who chaired the review, said the 24 misdiagnoses occurred at the very early stages of pregnancy when ultrasound diagnosis alone is unreliable due to the risk of missing a tiny foetus or heartbeat.

"Over-reliance on ultrasound to diagnose a miscarriage in very early pregnancy has been repeatedly highlighted since the introduction of the technique in the 1970s and we have made recommendations that caution against the use of ultrasound alone to detect a pregnancy before eight weeks gestation," he said.

 The investigation, led by British expert Professor William Ledger found:

* Six cases where women underwent inappropriately early ultrasounds which did not indicate a foetal heartbeat and led to a D&C. Later scans confirmed they were still pregnant. Two of the pregnancies did not go full term with a "possibility" this was linked to the procedure.

* One case where a woman had six separate ultrasounds before it was confirmed she was still pregnant.

* Serious flaws in the training of all types of doctors in making miscarriage diagnoses.

Persecution under various guises

The 2011 edition of ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’, the Report of Aid to the Church in Need on Christians oppressed for their Faith throughout the world, was launched in Dundalk, Co. Louth, last month.

Speaking at the launch, Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, made some very thought-provoking statements.  In particular, it is vital that what he said in regard to Ireland should be carefully listened to and acted upon.  During the course of his speech (the text is available at www.acnirl.org - and it should be read in its entirety), Cardinal Brady said:

 ‘By simply professing their Faith in public, Iraqi Christians are being persecuted physically, socially and economically; their lives and livelihoods are under continuous threat.  The overt and aggressive private and public anti-Christian sentiment so evident in Iraq however is not limited to Iraq.  It is to be found throughout the lesser and greater Middle East, throughout Asia.  It is to be found also in Africa and increasingly it is being found within the once-Christian lands of Western Europe.

‘The evidence is clear and it is persuasive, Christianity is being aggressively uprooted from the Middle-East, the very lands from which it first sprang.  The evidence may be less clear and the aggression may be less blood-stained but the reality remains that Christianity is under threat in Western Europe and throughout the Western World by an aggressive Atheism.  Not the old style heavy-handed militant Atheism and tyranny such as was evident in the former Soviet Union but by a more recently-fashioned Nihilism which insistently denies the existence of any God-given Truth.

‘Notwithstanding the fact that the “roots” of European culture are profoundly Christian, an element of the culture of contemporary secularised Europe not only denies this reality but seeks to have Christianity eliminated, or failing that, “ghettoised”.  Christian culture, Christian values and the Christian faith are under sustained attack in many quarters. […]

‘Self-evidently professing one’s faith and giving an account of it is more “life-threatening”, at least from a physical perspective, in present-day Iraq as compared to present-day Ireland.  But does the same hold true from a spiritual perspective?  Could it possibly be the case that it is more difficult to be a Christian believer in Ireland than in Iraq?  […]

‘One hundred years ago, Europe was the cultural, economic, social and scientific powerhouse of the world.  Today, Europe has become eclipsed as a global “superpower”.  Indeed Europe is, in the opinion of many, rapidly becoming a socio-economic “has-been”.  I think the case is clear; any healthy sustainable vision for a “New Europe” must embrace, not deny its Christian roots and in this what applies to Europe also applies to Ireland.  […]

‘Europe is floundering because of its failure to warmly embrace its Christian heritage, it is declining because of its failure to respect the God-given dignity of every person and the revealed truths of Christian faith.

‘Furthermore I would suggest that when one takes the Christian leaven out of any society, that society’s development is greatly impaired.  Indeed I would go so far as to argue that society’s development will regress. [...]'

Parental involvement significantly reduces abortion level: New report

A new study shows that abortion is effectively reduced by around 15% in states where there are laws requiring parental involvement before minors pursue this option.

 The Family Research Council reported on the research conducted by Michael New, a former adjunct fellow with the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, a project of the council.

The study, published by the "State Politics and Policy Quarterly," found "solid evidence that Medicaid abortion funding restrictions, parental involvement laws and informed consent laws effectively lower abortion rates."

As well, it noted that "parental involvement laws reduce in-state abortion rates for minors by approximately 15%."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, affirmed that this research "tells us that parental involvement laws more effectively get parents involved in their kids' lives, and reduce the number of abortions."

He continued: "Almost invariably it is a parent, not a government employee or business entity, who cares most about a daughter's well-being.

"This is why we strongly support common sense laws that reaffirm parents' unique role as the decision-makers in the life of their child."

Perkins stated, "Politicians can talk about 'reducing abortion rates,' but if they truly want to do so they will support parental-involvement legislation and defund such organizations as Planned Parenthood that perform or promote abortions."

Link to complete study

3rd WORLD CORD BLOOD CONGRESS to be held in Rome

EUROCORD have announced details of their third annual conference WORLD CORD BLOOD CONGRESS III: CORD BLOOD TRANSPLANTATION AND IMMUNOBIOLOGY OF HAEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANT, which is scheduled to take place in Rome from October 27th-29^th

Eliane Gluckman, MD President, Eurocord, President ESH, pictured

The upcoming WORLD CORD BLOOD CONGRESS will cover a wide range of topics including cord blood transplant in adults and children, the role of HLA in cord blood transplant, stem cells, cord blood banking and regulatory issues. An international panel of distinguished scientists and clinicians will participate in this major international forum over three days of interactive conferencing. The scientific programme will comprise a series of plenary presentations and debates. Short oral communications selected from submitted abstracts will enable registered participants to present their own data.

 The WORLD CORD BLOOD CONGRESS is open to all the professional actors working in the fields related to cord blood biology and clinical applications, from both the public and private sectors, including physicians, research scientists, technicians, data analysts and nurses. The congress will also be of interest to healthcare policy decision makers.

Registration Fee: 600 euros (The registration fee includes the teaching material and lunch) 
Your seat in the conference will be definitively reserved upon receipt of your fee.

registration form

Matercare Rome conference 2011

Matercare International in association with the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) have announced that their 8th International Conference will be held on the August 31st - September 4th, 2011, at the Istituto Maria SS Bambina, in Rome. 

The Conference title this year is “The Dignity of Mothers and Obstetricians – who on Earth Cares!”, 

Photo shows Dr Robert Walley of Matercare

The agenda for the conference sets out the following

MOTHERHOOD.  To appreciate the importance of motherhood in our contemporary world at least four complementary approaches must be envisaged by those in whose professional expertise this responsibility lies.

FIRSTLY, the Catholic Obstetrician must be medically COMPETENT, skilled in all that concerns matters obstetrical and gynecological. This not only involves being informed professionally in all the skills associated in helping mothers medically. Legal, and social aspects are a fundamental part of the doctor's remit.

SECONDLY, the Catholic doctor must have the CONVICTION that Catholic teaching on ethics, magisterially guided, is not only true but totally beneficial for the patients requiring medical assistance within the scope of his or her competency.

THIRDLY, this involves the doctor's appreciation of the nature of society at large and of each particular local COMMUNITY within it.  Motherhood is foundational for the flourishing of every society, and for every individual community which is a constituent part of that society.

FOURTHLY, the doctor must appreciate that motherhood is so fundamental to human existence that profound COMPASSION is necessary. This involves compassion for all mothers and families, believers or not, who suffer to beget and bring up their children.

 

The Conference is being held under the Patronage of The Pontifical Academy for Life and The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care.

 

Standing up for Traditional Marriage

The Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) organisation reports that its student action group is travelling around various parts of the United States at present with the aim of alerting the ordinary citizens to the dangers posed to traditional marriage by the homosexual lobby in their efforts to have same-sex unions equated with marriage.   The young TFP people wear bright red streamers and, as they assemble at strategic points in a town, they pray and sing hymns.  A number of them hold placards with the message: ‘God’s Marriage = 1 man and 1 woman’, and calling on passers-by to: ‘Honk for Traditional Marriage’.   The reaction that they receive from the vast majority of motorists and truck drivers, as well as from pedestrians, is usually very positive.   Unfortunately, however, there is always a small group of a few foul-mouthed opponents who try to disrupt the proceedings and to displace the TFP students.  

To balance such behaviour the students tell of a typical occasion, when a lady who was passing by approached the group with a grocery trolley full of food which she insisted that they should accept.   As she left, she told the students – ‘God bless you for what you are doing.  If you need a place to stop, my house is 5 minutes away.’

As the report says: ‘As you can tell, the “tolerance” of the homosexual movement is an empty slogan, a one-way street:  anyone who wants to protect traditional marriage is not tolerated.’

However, the persistence and dedication of the TFP group was rewarded recently, when a Bill that – if passed – would have given legal recognition to same-sex ‘marriage’ was defeated in the Courts in the state of Maryland.    In 2007, the High Court of Maryland stated in a ruling that 

‘Marriage enjoys its fundamental status due, in large part, to its link to procreation.  This “inextricable link” between marriage and procreation reasonably could support the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman only, because it is that relationship that is capable of producing biological offspring of both members.’

12 year old Dutch Girl gives birth

A 12-year-old Dutch schoolgirl who gave birth during a school trip has been placed into foster care, according to reports

The unnamed girl from Groningen was out with classmates recently when she felt violent stomach pains. An alarmed teacher called an ambulance and when emergency services arrived they realised she was about to give birth.

Neither the girl nor her family realised she was pregnant, and she showed no signs of carrying a baby.

The schoolgirl, along with her baby, are said to be “doing well” in hospital.

25th March, International Day of the Unborn Child.

There are a number of days throughout the year that are celebrated by pro-life organisations in different parts of the world, March 25th however the celebration of the Annunciation has become a very significant date in the calendars of pro-lifers in many countries.

This year has been no exception with major manifestations of pro-life commitment being displayed in many cities throughout the world over the weekend.

It is reported that over 200,000 Spaniards rallied last weekend to shout Yes! to life in more than 70 cities all over Spain. Other countries and cities around the world have joined the International Day for Life and have also organized demonstrations. Entire families, grandparents, kids have joined to send a civic outcry to their political representatives, demanding a firm commitment to the defense of the first human right, the right to live from the moment of conception to natural death.

In Madrid for example it has been estimated that around 150,000-plus pro-lifers gathered to celebrate life and protest a new abortion law in Madrid on Sunday.  see HazteOir report

Pro-life marchers protesting the new law, chanted slogans such as “Yes to life”, “No to abortion”, and “Let me live.”  After speeches, a banner was raised more than 60 meters in the air by 120 colored balloons.  The banner read: “Everyone has the right to life.”
Ignacio Arsuaga, president of HazteOir, an organization that seeks political change through the voice of the people, applauded the participation of the many young people in the march.  “It is wonderful to see how our young people realize and commit to life,

Prague,  Saturday March 26 (CTK) - About a thousand people marched through Prague centre to protest against abortions, some carrying white wooden crosses, others photos of newborn babies, pictures of saints or banners saying "Gynaecologists, Don't Be Contract Killers" and "Tolerance From Conception".

"We don't agree with abortion. This is why we are here," a woman participating in the march said.

The 11th March for Life was preceded by a mass for unborn children celebrated by Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka at St Giles Church in the city's historical centre.

The number of abortions has recently been falling in the Czech Republic.

A petition calling for a ban on abortions was circulated at the event. It has had some 10,000 signatures under it so far.

A majority of the population are against the introduction of such a ban. See Prague Monitor report 

PASADENA - Thousands of abortion opponents walked 2.5 miles around the Rose Bowl Sunday after an opening prayer by Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez.

People from all over Southern California came together for Walk4Life, organized by LIFEsocal, a nonprofit created by students and parents from Pasadena high schools, and the Right to Life League of Southern California.

Before his prayer, Gomez said Jesus Christ spent nine months in the womb before being born.

"Why did he do this? To show us that human life is sacred, to show us that every life is precious to God, to show us that each of us is a child of God who is loved," Gomez said on a stage before a crowd of hundreds cheering him on.

"All life is sacred from conception to natural death. Let us ask our good God to bless us today and to be with us in all of our efforts to promote the culture of God." See Pasadena Star news report

 

Romanian Marches for Life 

On the 26th of March, right next day after Annunciation, the “March for Life” took place in four Romanian cities, simultaneously and with a perfect coordination. Following the tradition already established in many other countries, the provita movement in Romania wishes to awaken the citizens of a country where civic sense is seriously diminished by the economical problems and an acute moral crisis.


In the capital city Bucuresti, in Timisoara – the city where in 1989 started the rise for freedom from under the communist regime – and in two other cities, Satu Mare si Falticeni, almost 2000 people said “YES” to life, at the invitation of the organizational committee, which counted, among others, the Gift of Life association (an affliliate of HLI), the Provita Federation, the Alliance of Romania’s Families etc.

The brave new world of word play and ideological power struggle

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, permanent representative of the Holy See to the U.N. offices in Geneva addressed a conference organised by the Communion and Liberation movement at their headquarters in Rome Thursday February 17^th according to a Zenit.org report,

Archbishop Tomasi's address was titled "The Force of the Word. Truth and Ideology in International Organizations." 

Marta Carabia, professor of constitutional law at the University of Milano-Bicocca, also spoke and the event was moderated by the director of the International Center, Roberto Forlan.

Archbishop Tomasi told the meeting; 

"Husband" and "wife" is out, and "partner" is in. Also out: "man" and "woman." "Gender" is the word of choice today. Want to say "Contraception?" Try "reproductive health."

With these and similar word games combined with an extreme interpretation of "anti-discrimination," international institutions are imposing ideologies across the globe -- policies that oppose Catholic thought and influence daily life. And in general, people realize there's been a change too late.

"Geneva is a place where culture is generated daily," said Archbishop Tomasi, recalling that 30,000 employees of international entities reside there, holding more than 9,000 conferences every year.

To clarify the problem, the prelate recalled Benedict XVI's thought on the dictatorship of relativism: "A good part of contemporary philosophy states that man is incapable of knowing the truth. And, as a consequence, the man who is incapable of [truth] does not have ethical values."

Thus, the archbishop continued, "he ends up by accepting majority opinion as the sole reference point -- although history demonstrates how destructive majorities can be," as in the case "of the dictatorships imposed by Nazism and Marxism."



Moving over

According to Archbishop Tomasi, words from Judeo-Christian tradition are disappearing: words such as truth, morality, conscience, reason, father, mother, child, commandment, sin, hierarchy, nature, marriage, etc..

A new vocabulary that "represents an individualist ideology taken to the extreme and which inspires the guidelines of the employees of world governance" is coming to the fore, he said.

"The United Nations aspires to create a new international order and to do so it creates a new anthropology," as when it speaks of gender -- "not the one given by nature but the one chosen by the individual," Archbishop Tomasi explained. This undermines the very structure of society in what pertains to the family, he added.

A Thomist vision that exacts "conformity of the intellect with reality" is replaced "by a concept of reality as subjective and as a social construction in which truth and reality do not have a stable content," the prelate cautioned.

This "alliance between ideology and pragmatism" challenges Christian wisdom, he affirmed, even if in the long run "they will not be able to underestimate or simply ignore the anthropological realism of the Christian tradition."



Apples and pears 



Asked how these strategies come about, Archbishop Tomasi said it is a complex process, beyond the proponents themselves. He traced it to the dictatorship of relativism.

"To say that a pear is not an apple is not discrimination," the archbishop reminded. "And these soft laws are transformed into juridical norms. Then there is a new convention and it becomes law and it is applied even in a small village."

Annual Climb for Life May 7th

Pro-lifers in Ireland North and South are once again invited to take part in the annual Croagh Patrick climb for the unborn. This invitation is also extended to all our pro-life colleagues from other countries who may be able to attend.

The Climb for unborn life will be held this year on Saturday May 7th and climbers are requested to be there at 9.30am. The Rosary will be recited at Our Lady's Grotto at the base, prior to the ascent at 9.45 am. Climbers should arrive early and be ready and should depart in groups. The climb will be lead this year by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Derry), Fr Fidelis and two brothers. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be celebrated at the summit.

The purpose of the climb is to assist in creating awareness of the need for ongoing protection for the life of the unborn. From the moment of conception, every human being is unique, individual and unrepeatable. To interrupt the process of development of the unborn at any stage, is the taking of Innocent Human life

For our pro-life colleagues from abroad Croagh Patrick, which is situated near Westport in Co Mayo in the west of Ireland is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Ireland and attracts up to 1m. visitors annually, mostly pilgrims. For most pilgrims who visit Croagh Patrick, especially on Reek Sunday the last Sunday in July, the pilgrimage to the top of the sacred mountain is an act of penance and many climb barefoot.

Participants are encouraged to wear Pro-Life T-Shirts or other distinctive pro-life insignia as a witness but are also advised to wear appropriate foot wear, to come equipped with suitable rainwear and are also advised to ensure they have adequate hydration for the duration of the climb.

For further information contact Hilary Mc Bride at 0876311381 or by e-mail to hilarymacbride@yahoo.co.uk

Arizona ban abortion on the basis of race or gender

According to a recent Reuters report, Governor Jan Brewer on Tuesday March 29th signed a new bill into law that makes Arizona the first in the US to outlaw abortions performed on the basis of either the race or gender of the baby.

Under the new Arizona statute, doctors and other medical professionals would face felony charges if they could be shown to have performed abortions for the purposes of helping parents select their offspring on the basis of gender or race. The women having such abortions however would not be penalized.

Backers of the measure said the ban is needed to put an end to sex- and race-related discrimination that exists in Arizona and throughout the nation. They insist the issue is about bias rather than any broader stance on abortion.

"Governor Brewer believes society has a responsibility to protect its most vulnerable -- the unborn -- and this legislation is consistent with her strong pro-life track record," a spokesman said.

But opponents have maintained that while such abortions may be happening in other countries like China no clear evidence can found of it occurring in Arizona.

Planned Parenthood Federation the largest abortion provider in the US predictably condemned the governor's action in a statement to Reuters. "This law according to Bryan Howard, the group's chief executive creates a highly unusual requirement that women state publicly their reason for choosing to terminate a pregnancy -- a private decision they already made with their physician, partner and family,"

The law however contains no explicit provision requiring doctors to ask their patients their reasons for seeking an abortion, nor for patients to disclose such reasons. But opponents of the measure feel passage of the new law might make them feel more inclined to do so.

The law would take effect 90 days following the end of the current legislative session.

Commencement of scheme which provides morning-after pills free in Welsh pharmacies

 The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), in responding to the commencement of the scheme to have free availability of morning after pill in Welsh pharmacies, announced last November by Edwina Hart, the Welsh health minister have issued the following statement.

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC communications manager, commented:

 "Providing the morning-after pill threatens unborn children, promotes promiscuity, and undermines public health. Such promotion has an adverse effect on many young and vulnerable women. It encourages men to see young women as sex objects, who can be exploited without responsibility for the consequences. The rampant increase in STIs may be partly due to greater reliance on morning-after pills. The morning-after pill's manufacturers concede that it may cause an early abortion, by preventing newly-conceived human embryos from implanting in the womb. This is why the morning-after pill is 50 times stronger than the equivalent daily birth control pill. The morning-after pill is one of the many failed elements within the broader failure of the national teenage pregnancy strategy."

India’s population increasing but son preference rampant

India's population has grown by 181 million people over the past decade to 1.21bn, according to the 2011 census. See BBC report 

More people now live in India than in the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh combined. India is on course to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2030, but its growth rate is falling, figures show. China has 1.3bn people.

The census also reveals a continuing preference for boys - India's sex ratio is at its worst since independence. Statistics for the past 10 years show fewer girls than boys are being born or surviving. They show 914 girls were born for every 1,000 boys under the age of six, compared with 927 for every 1,000 boys in 2001 census.

"This is a matter of grave concern," Census Commissioner C Chandramauli told a press conference in the capital, Delhi.

Female foeticide remains common in India, although sex-selective abortion based on ultrasound scans is illegal. Sons are still seen by many as wage-earners for the future.

The population of India now comprises 623.7 million males and 586.5 million females.