file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993: PLN-0304.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 3, No. 4 February, 1993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Pro-Life 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 (frezza@ee.pitt.edu). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) JEWISH PRO-LIFERS SPEAK OUT Ever since the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, most jewish groups nationwide have taken the pro-choice stand. Such groups as the National Council of Jewish Women, Na'amat, B'nai B'rith Women, Hadassa, and others claim not to advocate abortion, but rather the woman's 'right' to make the choice whether to have [keep] the child. They cite individual freedom, Judaism's call for compassion, and opposition to legislating religious views as their reasons for their 'pro-choice' position. Many Jewish men and women, from all spectrums of the religious and political spectrum challenge these defenses for abortion- on-demand. Probably the most famous Jewish pro-lifer is Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who helped to found what became NARAL and for two years ran the largest abortion clinic in New York City. His conversion to the pro-life position was motivated "entirely by secular humanist principles." His views of the unborn changed because of the growing understanding of the humanity of the fetus in genetics and the advent of ultra-sound technology. He is the author of "The Abortion Papers: Inside the Abortion Mentality" and "Aborting America". He is also widely known for his film "The Silent Scream," which shows a first-trimester abortion from the fetus' point of view. There is strong opposition to the abortion stance within the Jewish community, and according to the Boston Herald columnist Don Feder, the jewish opposition to abortion is increasing. Feder himself used to be pro-abortion. His position he says, was motivated by a desire for maximum individual freedom. After he began to study what Halachah(Jewish Law) has to say about the issues, he began to think about "the unborn child and the stages of development, the arms and legs growing, a heartbeat." His focus changed from "What do I think is appro- priate?" to "What does God want me to do?" Feder comments that "Secular, assimilated Jews believe that Judaism and liberalism are synonymous." He goes on to say that few pro-abortion Jews claim that their views are compatible with tradition, "so they talk about Judaism's emphasis on compassion and individual rights. But responsibilities go hand-in-hand with those rights." Feder is the author of a recent book "A Jewish Conservative Looks at Pagan America". Like Feder, Washington Post and Village Voice columnist Nat Hentoff is opposed to abortion. But opposition to abortion has nothing to do with religion. "I reject the notion that certain lives are not worth living," he says. He adds that a distinct and human genetic code exists from the moment of conception, and to end the life of a developing human being simply for the sake of a woman's convenience is unethical, immoral and a violation of equal protection under the law. Hentoff is an atheist and a self-defined liberal. His primary reputation is as an authority on the First Amendment, and is the author of several books on First Amendment rights. Hentoff's involvement with the pro-life movement began in 1984 when a New York couple fought to end the life of their newborn, who had spina bifida. A number of Jewish and other groups rallied around the couple, with some labeling their plan "comparable to a late-term abortion." Hentoff commented that "I had been pro-choice without even thinking about it," before the incident. "Then I began to wonder, 'if that is what these people think abortion is all about, maybe there is more to it than I thought...How could someone be so quick to let a human being die?" Sharon Long and Paula Ross are New-Yorkers, of conservative Jewish families, and thoroughly pro-life. Long is the secretary for Feminists for Life. Ross works at the Legal Center for the Defense of Life, which coordinates free legal counsel for individuals in the pro-life movement. Long reached her position while working as a nurse. She realized that "all human life has to have infinite value and worth." She's confused by those who claim that the fetus is disposable one day, yet suddenly becomes a full human being the next. She says that there is no place after conception to draw the line at which the fetus becomes a person. As an ardent feminist and a case- worker in child-support enforcement in Queens, NY, she challenges the 'compassion' that abortion advocates claim. She believes that women "have an abortion not because they have a choice, but because they don't." She, like many pro-lifers, are strong proponents of greater funding and increased options for pregnant women and mothers. Ross puts it this way: "This is not a religious issue at all. It's a human rights issue." She resents assertions that the fetus is somehow "disposable tissue simply because its organs have not developed." Rabbis Yehuda Levin challenges abortion from a religious perspective. As the outspoken head of the New-York based Jewish Anti-Abortion League he comments, "All these groups like the American Jewish Congress, and these rabbis who support abortion on demand - that's religious consumer fraud. You want to do that, fine. Start your own religion. Just don't call it traditional Judaism." Some liberal rabbis also oppose abortion for the same reasons. Marc Gellman, a reform rabbi comments that his stance on abortion today is that "Abortion on demand is immoral." Gellman explains it thus: Halachah does not state that all abortion is immoral, but any abortion to save the live of the mother is permitted. Judaism has many laws that prevent us from doing anything to harm the innocent. One is not allowed to hunt for pleasure, for example, or to thoughtlessly tear leaves from a tree. "If you take Jewish law seriously, its obvious that if you can't rip a leaf off of a tree, you can't kill a human fetus - which is by anyone's account innocent." Unfortunately, many Jews do not agree with the positions taken by rabbis Gellman and Levin. A 1990 Wirthlin Group survey showed that 85% of Jews nationwide call themselves pro-choice, 11% pro-life, and 4% neutral. Among the general public, this same survey showed that 52% call themselves pro-choice, 41% pro-life, and 5% neutral. Rabbis Gellman adds that "The Jewish position on abortion is a lot different that what Jews say about abortion." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) ACROSS THE POND: ITALY Carla Ardenghi, was 28 years old when she became pregnant, after having been previously diagnosed with uterine cancer. She was told that only an abortion would save her life, as the cancer returned, and had spread to her spine. She refused cancer treatments which might have harmed her fetus. "Every day in my life is another day for the child i have inside," read an entry from her diary, which has since been made public. After going into a coma, Carla's second son Stefano was born by Cesarean section, weighing only 23 ounces. Stefano Ardenghi was born three months premature and his mother died soon after giving birth. Both the mother's death and the child's fragile life were given front-page treatment in the Italian press. By a 1978 Italian law, abortion is available on demand through the 12th week of pregnancy, and free in state hospitals. From the 13th-20th week, abortions are allowed if the mother's health is jeopardized, or the fetus is deformed. The AP Commented that this is one of Europe's "most liberal" abortion laws. Socialist Premier Giuliano Amato commented on abortion that only in essential cases should the right to life be dismissed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) ACROSS THE POND: NORTHERN IRELAND For some months now there has been considerable controversy in Belfast over the opening of the Brook Advisory Clinic. Brook runs 20 similar clinics in Britain and specializes in advisory services to young people on matters of sex. It came to Belfast at the invitation of the Eastern Health Board. Groups from across the religious divide have been protesting outside the Lower North Street premises. The High Court has just ruled that the Eastern Heath Board is within its rights in giving Brook an annual grant of #30,000. [From what i understand, Brook is known to refer for abortions. Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) NET RUMORS: CLINTON PUTS AN EAR TO THE INTERNET Evidently, this is the first time in history that the White House has been connected to the public through electronic mail. They claim to welcome your comments and suggestions for ways to improve your Public Access E-mail program. So, you can now send E-Mail to the Clinton/Gore team: Clinton has an E-Mail address via Compuserve, and one on America On-line. They are: 75300.3115@Compuserve.com (Internet) CLINTON PZ (America On-Line) Note: If you do not include your U.S. mail return address in your message, they will not send a reply. Please include that information in the message. - Marty Helgesen and Lynn Firestine ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO JOIN THE INTERNET? According to a "Newsday" article run in the Pittsburgh Post Gazzett (date unknown) there is a project sponsored by the House Information Services (HIS) to allow each member of the House of Representatives (and their staffs, etc.) to join the Internet. The project is headed by Jack Belcher of the HIS, a congressional computer networking department. Supposedly, the Internet will be made available to all members of the House, their staffs,their committees and even standing subcommittees in April of this year. In the article Belcher was quoted as saying "It's up to the individual member to decide if he even wants Internet access." Evidently, they also plan to make email available to our Congressmen in a one-way form: We send email, and HIS prints it and delivers it as a typewritten message. So contact your favorite pro-life congressman, and see if they are going to join the Internet in April! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) READER QUESTIONS: By the by, would you know the annual unborn-body-counts for Canada? - Alex Pruss ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) ANNOUNCEMENTS: 14-18 April, 1993 - Love, Life and the Family 12th World Conference, Houston, Texas: Human Life International, a world-wide Catholic pro-life organization is sponsoring this conference on pro-life/pro-family issues. For more information call (301) 670-7884 or write Human Life International, 7845 Airpark Rd., Suite E, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. 25-30 July, 1993 - International Humane Vitae Conference, Omaha Nebraska: The Pope Paul VI Institue and the Creighton University School of Medicine are sponsoring the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the issuance of Humane Vitae, which is a Catholic document issued in 1968 encouraging Catholic faithful to use natural methods of birth control. The Conference will include educators and researchers in human reproduction, with an emphasis on the Catholic moral perspective. Call (402) 390-9168 or write Pope Paul VI Institute 6901 Mercy Rd., Omaha, NE 68106 for information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "The rights of children as individuals begin while yet they remain the foetus." --Victoria Woodhull, first woman to attempt to run for President of the United States +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - Based on an article from the Detroit Jewish News, 29 tevet 5753, 22 | | January 1993, pp. 24-29. Many thanks to reader Lon Mendelsohn. | | 2 - From a 30 Jan. '93 AP article in the Contre Daily Times, State College,| | PA. (Page A1) Many thanks to reader Andy Sicree. | | 3 - From the Feb. 1, 1993 issue of THE IRISH EMIGRANT (No.313). Requests | | to be added to the distribution list should be sent to: | | "irish-net-REQUEST@cs.cornell.edu" | |QOM- from _Woodhull's and Claffin's Weekly_, 2(6):4,December 24 1870. Many | | thanks to reader Anne-Marie Gorman. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.