file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993: PLN-0317.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 3, No. 17 August, 1993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This 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 or the assistant editor Sean ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Clinton Appeals to the Supreme Court The Supreme Court recently accepted an appeal to decide whether Pro-Life activists who block access to abortion clinics can be sued under anti- racketeering (RICO) law. The Court will hear the appeal of a decision by a U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago which concluded that Pro-Life activists were not covered by federal anti-racketeering or antitrust law because anti-abortion protestors are engaged in political activity, and do not have any economic motive as required by the RICO statutes. The Clinton Administration said that the Supreme Court wrongly spared Operation Rescue and other Pro-Life groups, and urged the Supreme Court to overturn the lower-court ruling. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) "Who Decides?" a Michigan Euthanasia Case A disturbing euthanasia case is emerging in Michigan. As a result of a 1987 car crash, 42-year-old Michael Martin is almost totally paralyzed. He can neither talk nor control bodily functions -- but he can see and hear. His wife Mary Martin of Moline, Michigan, wants to discontinue his life-support. The Michigan State Medical Society supports her. On 20 July, the Michigan Court Appeals ordered a new hearing for Mary and the Medical Society to make their case. (Michael's mother and sister, as well as the National Legal Center for the Medically Handicapped, oppose terminating life-support.) Lawyers say the case raises two major issues: `Can a surrogate decide that it is in a patient's best interests to discontinue food or medical care, even if the patient is not terminally ill or in a coma?, and `Must patients must give advance, written authorization to discontinue treatment?' It is interesting to note that the County Judge, when presented with the case, refused to end intravenous feeding, though curiously he commented that it would be in Michael Martin's best interest to do so. Because Martin never expressed his views in writing, the Judge ruled against discontinuation. [So, as we live in a society that is so fond of birth control, we are also part of a society that is increasingly embracing death control. The "right to die" looks more and more like the "right to kill the inconvenient." Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Across the Pond: Ireland The legal position of groups wishing to provide abortion information [in Ireland] was recently thrown into some confusion by the Irish Supreme Court. It ruled by a four to one majority that the _Dublin Well Woman Centre_ was not entitled to give its clients details of abortion clinics overseas or to assist them in travelling abroad to obtain abortions. The _Well Woman Centre_ was seeking the removal of an injunction handed down by the courts some years ago. It was assumed that the position had changed following last November's referendum. The _Irish Family Planning Association_ believes that the latest ruling does not affect it, as it was never served with an injunction. It seems that the Supreme Court believes that abortion information can only be given in accordance with terms decided by the Oireachtas [Irish Parliament]. A Bill is promised for the autumn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) Across the Pond: People's Republic of China The New York Times for Wednesday, July 21, 1993 had a front page story with the headline, "Chinese Turn to Ultrasound, Scorning Baby Girls for Boys". It begins by quoting a peasant in "crude stone cottage" in a rural village, "'Last year we had only one girl born in the village -- everyone else had boys,' Y.H. Chen said in a tone of awe, as the others nodded agreement. He explained that for a bribe of $25 to $50 [a 'fee' for the ultrasound] a doctor will tell whether a woman is pregnant with a boy or a girl. "'Then if it's a girl you get an abortion,' he said, succinctly reflecting the great importance that the Chinese place on male heirs." The article also says, "Partly because of ultrasound scans to check the sex of fetuses, followed by abortions of females, the sex ratio of newborn children in China last year reached 118.5 boys for every 100 girls. In 5 of the 30 provinces, the sex ratio was more than 120 boys for every 100 girls." "Normally, women worldwide give birth to about 105 or 106 boys for every 100 girls. China's ratio last year was about 13 points off this international norm, meaning that more than 12 percent of all female fetuses were aborted or otherwise unaccounted for." The article goes on to say that the practice is common in other countries, especially in Asia. The article is too long to include in its entirety. However, the New York Times is widely available in libraries across the United States and (less widely) in some other countries. I encourage anyone interested in the abortion issue to find the article and read it. After reading the article, I sent the following letter to the editor of the Times: Your article on the widespread use of ultrasound to determine the sex of unborn children so that unwanted girls can be aborted reminded me of a t-shirt I saw a woman wearing a while ago. It had a large Venus-mirror female symbol with a small Venus-mirror female symbol inside it, and the words, "Equal Rights for Unborn Women". - Marty Helgesen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) The Right to Write, Part Three President Clinton and VP Gore are now both on the internet. According to the press release on the net, e-mail messages will be read and receipt immediately acknowledged. A careful count will be taken on the number received as well as the subject of each message. However, the White House is not yet capable of sending back a tailored response via electronic mail. They hope this will happen by the end of the year. The addresses are: > > - Caleb Coen, Alex Pruss -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- On another note, it seems that the _Boston Globe_ has also joined the net: they are now accepting Letters to the Editor over ELECTRONIC MAIL. This is great! The Globe is in great need of correction from time to time. So the next time you see another anti-Life _Globe_ editorial or article, its now a lot easier to respond. The address is . All submissions should be 200 words or less. - Eric Ewanco ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) What Works: Turn to the Experts Defusing the Population Control Justification Very often those who support abortion justify it with the spectre of the need for "population control," especially for developing countries. However, author Julian Simon in _Population Matters_ (Transaction Publishers, 1990), had this to say: [p. 189] "Simon Kuznets--a Nobel prizewinner, and perhaps the greatest statistical economic historian of modern times -- examined the records of the few countries that have century-long data series. And he and Richard Easterlin separately examined the records of the large number of countries for which data are available since World War II. Unlike the results with smoking and cancer, however, the studies did *not* reveal a correlation between the rates of population growth and economic growth. Many similar studies since then have corroborated this result. ... population economists widened their analysis to include such variables as geography, income level, form of economic system, and amount of investment. When they still found no relationship between population growth and economic development, the conclusion was strengthened that the former does not hinder the latter." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) For Your Information: Organizations of ProLife Doctors The following groups are national organizations of supposedly pro-life doctors: >National Federation of Catholic Physicians Guild >850 Elm Grove Rd., Elm Grove, Wisconsin 53122 >414-784-3435 >Assoc. of American Physicians & Surgeons >#1 Tuscon Blvd, Suite 9, Tuscon, AZ 85716 >1-800-635-1196 >American Association of Pro-Life OBs and GYNs >245 Mayfair Rd., Wauwatosa, WI 55226 >414-476-0306 >National Doctors for Life >11511 Tivoli, St. Louis, MO 63146 >314-567-3446 In addition Fr. Paul Marx is in the process of preparing a list of doctors throughout the U.S. who do not prescribe abortifacient contraceptives. Apparently there are quite a few. You can contact him or his assistant Fr. Matthew at Human Life International (HLI), 7845 Airpark Rd., Suite E, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Phone: 301-670- 7884. Fax: 301-869-7363. 'Hope this info is useful. - Dave Collart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) Announcement [New Book]: Politically Correct Death _Politically Correct Death: Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights_ by Francis J. Beckwith (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993). $19.99 large paperback (7 x 10, 320 pp., double-columned). This book deals with popular and philosophical arguments, from the simple to the sophisticated. It also deals with theological arguments which defend abortion rights. The book contains a critique of moral relativism (Ch.1), an explanation of American abortion law (Ch.2), as well as a chapter dealing with fetal development and fetal pain during abortion (Ch.3). The book includes 7 appendices, one of which lists all of the arguments in the book. The epilogue on the controversy of civil disobedience and abortion is written in dialogue form with a modern-day Socrates (in Peter Kreeft fashion) taking the pro-civil-disobedience position and a Christian police officer, Pearl Lee Gates, taking the opposite view. An abortion-rights attorney, Professor Hugh Jenix, argues against Socrates as well. It is been described by some reviewers as the most comprehensive book on abortion they have ever seen. Positive endorsements on the back of the book are from George Will (ABC News), Professor Teresa Collett (South Texas College of Law), Gary Bauer (Family Research Council), Professor Patricia Wesley (Yale University School of Medicine), and Professor J.P. Moreland (Director, M.A. Program in Ethics and Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology). The book will be the premium offer for Focus on the Family's _Citizen_ magazine for September. It can be ordered by calling Baker Books between 9 am and 5 pm (Central Time) at 1-800- 877-2665. The 24-hour fax # is 1616-676-9573. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) Reader Responses Re: Protests in the 1960s [v3n15] Although I'm on the edge of remembering the protests of the 60's, my recollect- ion is that there were so many peaceful as well as violent demonstrations, that the authorities had their hands full prosecuting the clearly violent people. The *SDS* (Students for a Democratic Society) and the *Weathermen* were committed to the overthrow of the government. So, those of us in junior high and high school who were in a few marches were no problem, even if we did get loud and cut class. Since in general, we're in a period of relative calm (no wars or tremendous internal upheval) the abortion protestors are getting all the heat. If anyone else has more specific information on restriction of demonstrations, I would welcome the knowledge. My own memory is that there were no restrictions on peaceful demonstrations. - Bev Bendiksen -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Re: Supporting Military Doctors [v3n15]: I would like to voice my opinion in support for doctors who refuse do abortions - I think it shows that as a group, the doctors, who are not allowed to have their religious /ethical views show, are bringing out what science and our dictionaries say about the beginning of human life, where it really begins, not at birth -- but at conception. - Kathi Anfang -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Re: Dilation and Extraction [v3n16] The D+X procedure has to be one of the most heinous and barbaric procedures ever described either publically or privately. It ranks up there (in its cold, clinical, debauched way) with the Nazi prisoner experiments of WWII, the butchery of Pol Pot, and highlights a disturbing trend to totally devalue human life. I just ate lunch. I almost lost lunch. My boss is asking why there are tears in my eyes. Why do we do this to one another? Convenience? No hospitalization insurance? I have to believe there is a greater agenda in there than just this? Have we descended so deep into the arms of the adversary? - Bryan Boyle [As a news editor, i think i have become too steeled to the horror of abortion and how many in our society devalue human life enough to permit (or worse - praise) abortion. My wife cried, when i gave her v3n16 of the newsletter to read. It took her two tries to finish reading it. Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "We need never fear the charge of crimes against humanity so long as we hold the power to define who does and who does not belong to `humanity.'" - Richard John Neuhaus +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - From an EP article reported in the _Spiritual Intervention Journal_, | | July 1993, v4 n2. Many thanks to reader Mark Shelby. "Life Action | | Advocates" publishes the _SIJ_, and can be contacted at 3232 SW 35th | | Boulevard, Suite 324 Gainsville, FL 32608 Annual dues are $20. | | 3 - From the July 26 issue of _The Irish Emigrant_ (No.338). To subscribe, | | send email to: . | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.