file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1991: pln-0115.txt --------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 1, No. 15 November, 1991 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission Statement: This newsletter is intended to provide short articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life Issues. It is also intended is to help improve the communication among pro-lifers, and provide a forum in which discussions can take place. It is issued at least monthly, as time and material permit. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve (frezza@ee.pitt.edu). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) AMA ETHICS The AMA has adopted various resolutions concerning the physician's role in capital punishment. These resolutions have stated that as a profession DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE [ed. ephasis], physicians "should not participate in a legally authorized execution" beyond making a "determination or certification of death," and that it is "a violation of the fundamental concept of _primum non nocere_ (above all, do no harm) for a physician to assist, administer, monitor, consult, supervise, or otherwise participate in an execution..." This is a striking statement, when one considers the repeated state- ments the AMA has made concerning the legal execution of an unborn child, or in the assistance in the 'voluntary' execution of the aged and infirm. One cannot help but wonder if these are the same physicians who strangle 2nd and 3rd trimester children in the womb to avoid the complication of a live birth during an abortion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (2) THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION's POLICY ON ABORTION or WHERE HAVE WE COME FROM, and WHERE ARE WE GOING? WHAT IS ABORTION? 1859- "The slaughter of countless children; no mere misdemeanor, no attempt upon the life of the mother but the wanton and murder- ous destruction of her child; such unwarrantable destruction of human life." 1871- "The work of destruction; the wholesale destruction of unborn infants." 1967- "The interruption of an unwanted pregnancy." 1970- "A medical procedure." WHO SHOULD PERFORM ABORTIONS? 1871- "It will be unlawful and unprofessional for any physician to induce abortion or premature labor...and then always with a view to the safety of the child - if that is possible." 1970- "Abortion should be performed only by a duly licensed physician and surgeon in an accredited hospital." WHO ARE PHYSICIAN ABORTIONISTS? 1871- "Men who cling to a noble profession only to dishonor it; false brethren; educated assassins; these modern Herods; these men, who, with corrupt hearts and blood-stained hands, destroy what they cannot reinstate, corrupt souls, and destroy the fairest fabric that God has ever created..under the cloak of that medical profession; monsters of the iniquity." 1967- "Conscientious practitioners performing therapeutic abortions for reasons other than those posing a threat to the life of the mother; equally conscientious physicians who believe that all women should be masters of their own reproductive destinies and that the interruption of an unwanted pregnancy, no matter what the circumstances, should be solely an individual matter between the patient and her doctor." WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO PHYSICIAN ABORTIONISTS? 1871- "The members of the profession should shrink with horror from all intercourse with them, professionally or otherwise; these men should be marked as Cain was marked; they should be the outcasts of society; it becomes the duty of every physician in the United States...to resort to every honorable and legal means in his power to crush out from among us this pest of society." 1970- "They should be allowed to perform abortions as long as they are done in an accredited hospital acting only after consultation with two other physicians." WHAT SHOULD THE ETHICS OF ABORTION BE? 1871- "Thou shalt not kill; this commandment is given to all and applies to all without exception; it matters not at what stage of development his victim may have arrived - it matters not how small or how apparently insignificant it may be -- it is murder, a foul, unprovoked murder, and its blood, like the blood of Abel, will cry from earth to Heaven for vengeance." 1967- "The Committee does not intend to raise the question of the rightness or wrongness of therapeutic abortion; this is a personal and moral consideration which in all cases must be faced according to the dictates of the conscience of the patient and her physician." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) MANDATORY PET STERILIZATION San Mateo county California recently passed a pet ordinance requiring all pets be spayed or neutered. Specific exemptions were allowed for designated pet breeders, and for pets for whom the sterilization procedure would be dangerous. The council justified the policy of mandatory pet sterilization by noting the continuing problem of pet overpopulation and the resulting `destruction' of a million stray pets a month nationally. Analysis: Clearly the ordinance is not economically motivated. The cost of `destroying' stray pets is hardly exorbitant, and those costs can be retrieved through license fees upon pet owners. The ordinance is motivated by a moral concern about the `destruction' of a million stray pets a month. Dog life and cat life is considered to be worthy of respect. The moral principle of respect for dog life and cat life is considered compelling enough to legally mandate pet sterilization. The county of San Mateo is not going to stand by and idly watch dog life and cat life created knowing that that life will later have to be `destroyed'. We now live in a society where the wanton destruction of dog life and cat life is considered more morally and legally compelling that the wanton destruction of 1,500,000 unborn human beings each and every year through abortion. The government's response to the deaths of dogs and cats is a "draconian" policy of mandatory pet sterilization. The government's response to the deaths of millions of unborn human beings is simply to make sure everyone has an "equal right" to kill their unborn child with a publicly funded abortion. -Submitted by reader David Rasmussen, Raleigh, NC ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (4) LIFE CHAIN REPORT: We had close to 2,000 Christians in the Life Chain in Walnut Creek yesterday [Oct. 6]; Around 10,000 around the Bay Area. Not a great outpouring but a good effort since most of the local Chains started planning late and this was the first year for many organizers. It was a feast for the eyes seeing pastors with "Jesus forgives and heals" signs and grandmothers and toddlers out there as human billboards proclaiming God's truth that abortion is murder. Nationwide 771,463 people came out to participate in 371 Chains around the country. Notice how little news there was on this major public event by the national and local news? Elizabeth Taylor's wedding got more coverage! Does anyone s till believe the media is not the stronghold of Satan? -Submitted by reader Phil Sevilla ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (5) READER RESPONSES Regarding the article "A Personal Anecdote" - I'm not sure that we need to believe everything that a planned parenthood supporter screams at us. I have little trouble believing that they (like true communists) consider the truth to be less important than their cause. They will say anything that helps their cause, or sows dissension in the ranks of their opponents, regardless of its truth. Clearly this does not apply to all, or even a majority of pro-abortion advocates, but it does apply to Molly Yard, Smeal, and enough others to give me pause. Having said that, I fully agree that we can not ignore such criticisms, and we, who are claiming to be on the side of God (or good) must work especially hard to be above reproach. I can imagine that there are some pro-life counselors who simply can not handle someone who insists on killing their baby even after recognizing that the baby truly is a person. -Submitted by reader Jim Haupt - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I read Dorothy Nelson's contribution to the pro-life news. Naturally, it was disheartening. However, it is also true in my experience that the incident she describes is clearly in the minority. At the crisis pregnancy clinic in Ithaca, I don't believe they ever show the Silent Scream or any other pictures of aborted babies unless the woman expressly wants to see them. If she asks about abortion, the counselors tell her all the techniques and tell her about possible complications, as well the development of the fetus at her stage of pregnancy. The emphasis is on reconciling the woman with her baby, humanizing and personalizing the child for her. The woman may even listen to her baby's heartbeat. Thus, the goal is to dwell on the positive aspects, rather than the negative thoughts of aborting, blood, or destruction. While no one can deny that what Ms. Nelson describes can and does happen, I really believe that it is quite rare. And while PP does offer pregnancy assistance to some women, the comparison to the number of abortions they do is overwhelming. If anyone hears of such a thing happening again, they should try to get the name of the crisis pregnancy clinic, and report them to the national office that runs that group of clinics. Usually the clinic is either associated with Birthright or the Christian Action Council, both of which have national offices and I'm sure would be interested to know of such incidents. Here is the national office address of the Christian Action Council: CHRISTIAN ACTION COUNCIL 101 W. BROAD ST., SUITE 500 FALLS CHURCH, VA 22046-4200 -Submitted by reader Mike Arnum ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (6) OTHER WAYS TO USE THE NET... Regarding prolife news. I was interested in a parallel newsletter on pro-life tactics. That is pro-lifers discussing what has worked for them in persuading others to join the cause. The prolife news tends to "preach to converted", so to speak. It doesn't address, IMHO, how to deal with the unconverted. -Submitted by reader David Rasmussen [The option for a parallel newsletter is obvious, but I can also run a column specifically devoted to tactics, or discussions thereof. If anyone is interested in starting such a column, simply post their thoughts on tactics, and ask a few questions... -ed.] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (7) TO SERVE YOU BETTER or READER SURVEY In my varied attempts at serving the needs of the folks (like you) who read this newsletter, I would like to put out this readers' survey. Do not feel obligated to answer, as I don't need any of this information, but these are a few questions that always intrigue me: [My answers are in brackets] What do you prefer to be called? [Steve] How did you find out about the ProLife News? [It grew out of a local mailing I was putting out to pro-life people I knew in Pittsburgh] How did you become involved/interested in life issues? [Through a friend in my undergraduate classes(1982). Until asked, I had never thought about it before.] Do you belong to any pro-life organizations? [Pitt Students for Life, Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Federation for Life, American Collegians for Life, Roman Catholic Church ] What part of the country do you live in? [I live in Western Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh] What do you do? (meaning - what sort of account is this:) [I'm a PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh in Electrical Engineering, and this is one of my research accounts.] Do you have any particular special interests in prolife issues? [I have a particular interest in Post-Abortion Stress and the Christian aspects of abortion, euthanasia, etc..] If something related to your interests comes up, do you want to be contacted? (ie. asked for advice, made aware of events/prolife people in your area, etc..) If the answer is `yes,' how public do you want your address to be? [ Yes, Definitely Yes!!! - Please warn me first, or CC me. ] Are these newsletters too long or too frequent (please be honest). [ Sometimes, and yes ] Is there any other way that I or this newsletter could be of service? - Submitted by your editor, Steve. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the month: "We live in a world in which law and values are increasingly reshaped by science and technology. Nowhere has this process been more dramatic than regarding medical science and technology relating to human reproduction." - Joseph W. Dellapenna 23 February, 1989 from the conclusion of an historical brief provided to the Supreme Court for the "Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services" case. +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1- From the summer, 1991 Professional Ethics Report, newsletter of | | the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom & Responsibility, p. 4.| | 2- From the pamphlet "Medical Holocausts, _Then_ and _Now_" | | compiled by William Brennan, PhD.. | |QOM- From `The Historical Case Against Abortion,' reprinted in | | "Continuity" No. 13 Bryn Mawr, PA, Spring/Fall 1989, p. 83 | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor. end v1n15