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Post by pumpkinpie on Nov 9, 2006 19:52:21 GMT -5
Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research By:Father Mark Hodges THE STEM CELL DEBATE IS about the value of human life at its beginning. Stem cells are "blank" cells which can become all 210 different kinds of human tissue. Researchers hope that someday these cells could provide cures for all kinds of serious diseases, even repairing vital organs. We have stem cells throughout our bodies, but they are most abundant in human embryos. Retrieving embryonic stem cells, however, requires killing those human beings. A raging debate is going on in our nation now, over whether or not taxes should support killing human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells for experimentation. Many influential groups have taken sides in the debate. You can guess where the pro-abortion groups stand. Drug and research companies also defend destructive embryonic stem cell research. Pro-life groups, of cource, are against it. The Vatican condemned research using human embryos as gravely immoral, because removing cells kills an unborn child. U.S. Senator Sam Brownback debated on the floor of the senate: "For the first time in our history, it is acceptable for medical researchers to kill one human being to help save another. Ultimately, what lies at the heart of this debate is our view of the human embryo. The central question in this debate is simple:Is the human embryo a person or a piece of property? If unborn persons are living beings, they have dignity and worth, and they deserve protection under the law from harm and destruction. If however, unborn persons are a piece of property, then they can be destroyed with the consent of their owner." The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Orthodox Church has spoken too. The position of the Orthodox Church on embryonic stem cell research is, "In light of the fact that Orthodox Christianity accepts the fact that human life begins at conception, the extraction of stem cells from embryos, which involves the willful taking of human life- the embryo is human life and not just a clump of cells- is considered morally and ethically wrong in every instance." In this article we will look at why the Orthodox Church has taken such a stand, how the Church has always stood uncompromisingly for the personhood of the human embryo, and what moral alternatives exist for stem cell research. Legally, research on human embryos is allowed because of a faulty Supreme Court definition of "personhood" at "viability" (when a baby can lie outside his/her mother) as worthy of state interest for legal protection. In fact, the whole pro-abortion argument hinges on the lie that there is such a thing as human life which is less than a person, hence unworthy of legal protection. Conversely, Orthodox Christians affirm the image of God from the beginning of human life, and we do not say at any time of development that one human being is of less value or less of a person than another human being. Stem cells can be "harvested" from human embryos only by killing them, while the Church has always denounced any such killing and championed the sanctity of human life. The earliest extra biblical document we have, The Didache, commands, "Do not murder a child by abortion," and warns that "the Way of Death is filled with people who are...murderers of children and abortionists of God's creatures" (5:1-2). "You shall not destroy your conceptions before they are brought forth." Both call the embryo a "child." Others, including President Bush, agree that killing humans for experimentation is wrong, but feel it should be allowed on embryos "already slated to die," such as victims of abortion or "spare" human embryos frozen in fertility clinics. This is faulty thinking, since two wrongs don't make a right. In cases of abortion, it is wrong to benefit from an immoral act. This is a universally accepted ethical principal. In cases of conceived human beings frozen in fertility clinics, again the Church opposes the killing of these little ones for experimentation. www.antiochian.org/stem-cell-research
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Post by legallybrunette on Nov 13, 2006 9:25:21 GMT -5
My friend was adopted 40 years ago and still feels bitter about the unknown circumstances of her birth. She tends to think 'the grass would have been greener if I'd known my birth mother'. I asked her some while ago, whether she wished she had never been born and she said that she waivers between wishing she hadn't been and then being thankful she was, only desiring a kinder upbringing (adoptive parents multi millionaires but excessive allowance - to this day - substituting all affection and proper parenting). I suspect that like all of us, adopted people have good and bad days but of course will face emotional confusion the rest of us don't have to. However, life is precious and all obstacles can be overcome. Life is what you choose to make of it but first you have to be given the chance to live it!
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Post by pumpkinpie on Nov 13, 2006 11:09:57 GMT -5
My friend was adopted 40 years ago and still feels bitter about the unknown circumstances of her birth. She tends to think 'the grass would have been greener if I'd known my birth mother'. I asked her some while ago, whether she wished she had never been born and she said that she waivers between wishing she hadn't been and then being thankful she was, only desiring a kinder upbringing (adoptive parents multi millionaires but excessive allowance - to this day - substituting all affection and proper parenting). I suspect that like all of us, adopted people have good and bad days but of course will face emotional confusion the rest of us don't have to. However, life is precious and all obstacles can be overcome. Life is what you choose to make of it but first you have to be given the chance to live it! Your back!!!! :)That's great!
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Post by skyloom on Nov 13, 2006 14:12:54 GMT -5
My friend was adopted 40 years ago and still feels bitter about the unknown circumstances of her birth. She tends to think 'the grass would have been greener if I'd known my birth mother'. I asked her some while ago, whether she wished she had never been born and she said that she waivers between wishing she hadn't been and then being thankful she was, only desiring a kinder upbringing (adoptive parents multi millionaires but excessive allowance - to this day - substituting all affection and proper parenting). I suspect that like all of us, adopted people have good and bad days but of course will face emotional confusion the rest of us don't have to. However, life is precious and all obstacles can be overcome. Life is what you choose to make of it but first you have to be given the chance to live it! Yes, we all have both good and bad days, Brunette. Thing of it is that those of us who were adopted are told how "lucky" we are and how "grateful" we ought to feel. We realize that there are also losses incurred in adoption... our birthparents' loss of a child, our own loss of a family and heritage, and our adoptive parents' loss of fertility and the expectation of having children in the usual way. To ignore those losses is to deny our own experiences. I suppose we cannot lie to ourselves that way.
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Post by skyloom on Nov 13, 2006 14:24:58 GMT -5
Pumpkin Pie, it's been my experience that most church theologians are notoriously bad at science. Recall, please, that even the Pope preached that condoms do nothing to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and so he forbid their use. True, condoms are not 100%, but they certainly DO help.
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Post by texasgirl on Nov 18, 2006 23:08:22 GMT -5
I personally do not approve of abortion, but at the same time I do not judge a woman who chooses to do it. I guess I'm kind of "live and let live" kind of person. I try not to judge others for what they do, they have to live with their decisions, I don't. I remarried and had my youngest son at almost 42 years old. Both of us nearly died in the process, and still I do not regret having him. He has been a joy in my life, and I think he was sent to us as a blessing to enjoy in our old age. What one person does with his or her life is their business, and I only have to answer for my own mistakes or decisions.
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Post by pumpkinpie on Dec 7, 2006 11:59:26 GMT -5
Laws Against Abortion Protect Women's Health By:Bradley Mattes (April 2006 Life Issues Connector)
An astounding report came out recently which analized world mortality. Data was collected from every country in the world. It was a very comprehensive study.
One of the main arguments of abortion industry, and that of the United Nations, has been that if abortion is illegal, more women will die from illegal, back alley abortions. Further, women's health in general would suffer without unfettered "reproductive rights," i.e., abortion-on-demand.
Let's look at some of the countries where unborn babies and their mothers are protected from abortion. Then let's compare them with countries known for legal abortion throughout pregnancy. If the pro-abortion theory is correct, women's mortality rates should be higher in countries that ban abortion.
There are two countries in particular that have been targets of abortion industry and the pro-abortion United Nations- Poland and Ireland. Both have laws protecting their most vulnerable citizens, preborn children. But according to the U.N. study, women's mortality is actually low in these two countries. Poland has only 13 deaths of women for every 100,000 births. Ireland is even better with only 5 deaths per 100,000 births.
Here is something else. When we compare the life expectancy of women in countries without legal abortion with those who have abortion-on-demand, the abortion free nations win every time, even when compared to the United States.
When the U.N. study looks at infant mortality, the pro-life nation of Ireland comes out on top. They reported only 7 deaths for every 1,000 babies born. This country that protects life in the womb has the best record of keeping babies alive in the air-breathing world. In comparison, Russia loses 12 babies for every 1,000 born.
If we want to protect the women of the world, if we want to empower them and make their lives easier and less dangerous, then abortion should be taken out of the equation.
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Post by skyloom on Dec 13, 2006 14:48:44 GMT -5
Laws Against Abortion Protect Women's Health By:Bradley Mattes (April 2006 Life Issues Connector) An astounding report came out recently which analized world mortality. Data was collected from every country in the world. It was a very comprehensive study. One of the main arguments of abortion industry, and that of the United Nations, has been that if abortion is illegal, more women will die from illegal, back alley abortions. Further, women's health in general would suffer without unfettered "reproductive rights," i.e., abortion-on-demand. Let's look at some of the countries where unborn babies and their mothers are protected from abortion. Then let's compare them with countries known for legal abortion throughout pregnancy. If the pro-abortion theory is correct, women's mortality rates should be higher in countries that ban abortion. There are two countries in particular that have been targets of abortion industry and the pro-abortion United Nations- Poland and Ireland. Both have laws protecting their most vulnerable citizens, preborn children. But according to the U.N. study, women's mortality is actually low in these two countries. Poland has only 13 deaths of women for every 100,000 births. Ireland is even better with only 5 deaths per 100,000 births. Here is something else. When we compare the life expectancy of women in countries without legal abortion with those who have abortion-on-demand, the abortion free nations win every time, even when compared to the United States. When the U.N. study looks at infant mortality, the pro-life nation of Ireland comes out on top. They reported only 7 deaths for every 1,000 babies born. This country that protects life in the womb has the best record of keeping babies alive in the air-breathing world. In comparison, Russia loses 12 babies for every 1,000 born. If we want to protect the women of the world, if we want to empower them and make their lives easier and less dangerous, then abortion should be taken out of the equation. There are holes all through that report. First, it's true that if safe, legal abortion is outlawed more women will die from complications of illegal abortion. It's also true that some women have health concerns that make it impossible for them to carry a pregnancy to term, and in order to save the woman's life, the fetus must be aborted. But I don't think anyone is claiming that, in general, women's overall health or lack of it has any relationship to abortion on demand. Then, there's the simple fact that many nations have better medical care for everyone, including women and children, than we have in the U.S. Actually, compared to other first world nations, our health care system leaves much to be desired. So, of course Irish women can have longer lives than women in the U.S. They have access to a better health care system. The U.N. ranks Ireland #19 in overall health care. The U.S. ranks #37. That alone should tell you a lot. www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
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Post by pumpkinpie on Dec 13, 2006 23:06:45 GMT -5
It does, it tells me I'm living in the wrong country, and I should be living in Ireland! I got my information from a newsletter I got in the mail.
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aimee
New Arrival
Posts: 4
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Post by aimee on Dec 17, 2006 1:55:47 GMT -5
Abortion to me, is the exact same as murder or the death penalty. I grew up in church, and was always preached to about abortions being murder. As I got older, and began to have my own children, I realized that it's not the baby's fault. He or she NEVER ASKED TO BE HERE!!!
My mom was adopted by what I know as my Grandparents, and I've watched and listened to my mom discuss her biological parents to me, and there's so much anger and hatred toward them,that I'm not convinced that adoption is necessarily the right answer to a situation or not. I know that many people have benefited from being adopted, my own mother as well.
My Granddaddy used to say," you've made your bed, now lie in it." There are many debates about the pros and cons of abortion vs. adoption. Some claim that if a woman is raped, then it's justifiable for a woman to have an abortion. I still look at abortion as an easy way out of a problem. This is still an innocent baby we're discussing. Whether or not this baby asked to be here, was a product of a rape,etc. This is a life!! jmho
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Post by pumpkinpie on Feb 12, 2007 11:15:17 GMT -5
Strict Abortion Bill Revisited in S.D. By: Joe Kafka Associated Press Writer
Lawmakers who watched as a near-total ban on abortions failed in South Dakota voting booths last year have revived the legislation with changes that may make the difference in public acceptance. But the bill's success is far from assured.
None of the Legislature's leaders, notably some sponsors of last year's bill, are joining the effort this year because waging last year's fight was so exhausting.
"It's far too soon to put our state through something of such a difficult nature again," said Democratic Sen. Julie Bartling, a prime sponsor of last year's abortion bill.
"The state needs to heal, and I just don't feel that we need to take this up in this legislative session again," she added. "The people have spoken."
The bill introduced in January includes exceptions for victims of rape or incest and if continuing the pregnancy would harm the woman's health significantly.
Last year's ban exempted only abortions needed to save a woman's life, and the lack of more exceptions was cited when voters repealed the ban in November. Public opinion polls have shown that a ban with rape and incest exceptions would pass muster with South Dakotans.
A chief sponsor of the current bill, Republican Rep. Gordon Howie, said legislators must not lose their momentum and noted that the repeal passed with only 56 percent of the vote.
The bill would allow rape victims to get abortions if they report the rapes to police within 50 days. Doctors would have to confirm those reports with police; doctors also would have to give blood from aborted fetuses to police for DNA testing in rape and incest cases.
In the case of incest, a doctor and the woman would have to report the identity of the alleged perpetrator to police before an abortion could be done.
Abortions could be done only until the 17th week of pregnancy in cases of incest and rape.
Opponents of both bills say this year's bill carries onerous reporting provisions for victims of sex crimes.
"Rather than helping rape and incest survivors, this bill does nothing more than re-victimize them by forcing them and their families into a web of government bureaucracy and intrusion," said Kate Looby, state director of Planned Parenthood in South Dakota. "Under this bill, the victim's privacy and confidentiality are lost entirely."
About 800 abortions are done each year in South Dakota, nearly all of them at Planned Parenthood Clinic in Sioux Falls, the state's largest city.
Utah also has legislation in progress that would ban abortion except for rape, incest, and saving the mother's health, and the bill would set up a trust fund to pay for the expected court challenge.
The Mississippi Legislature, which last year considered a near-ban, this year also added exemptions for rape or incest. Both versions allowed abortions to save a mother's life, but not her health.
South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican who signed the near-ban last year, said he was not prepared to say whether he would sign the current version.
Heather DeWit, 26, an after-school program director in Sioux Falls, said she's glad lawmakers have revived the abortion issue. Dewit voted in favor of last year's bill in November.
"I think they should look at it again and maybe look at it in a different way, with the exceptions, if that's what they think it'll take to get it through," DeWit said. "I don't think the exceptions are needed, but it seems like the voters want to see that."
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Post by happyhaddock on Feb 12, 2007 14:18:05 GMT -5
Even when abortion was heavily restricted in the USA, rich women could fly to Switzerland for a private operation. I would only support a total ban if the US established detention centres where women who wished to travel outside the country could be held until it was certain that they were not pregnant. Otherwise it is simply a restriction based on economics and not on absolute moral values.
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Post by pumpkinpie on May 9, 2007 13:55:47 GMT -5
Pope Sends Mexico Tough Abortion Message By VICTOR L. SIMPSON Associated Press Writer
Pope Benedict XVl denounced Mexico City politicians Wednesday for voting to legalize abortion, saying they should no longer receive Communion.
Flying to Latin America, Benedict was asked about comments by Mexico City church officials that the lawmakers would be excommunicated for having voted last month for the legislation legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
"It's nothing new, it's normal, it wasn't arbitrary. It is what is foreseen by the church's doctrine," Benedict told reporters aboard a plane to Brazil in his first full-fledged news conference since becoming pontiff in 2005.
Reporters flying with the pope took his comments to mean that he endorsed the comments made by Mexican churchmen that lawmakers should be excommunicated.
But the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, later issued a statement approved by the pope clarifying the remarks. The statement said the pope did not intend to excommunicate anyone. Politicians who vote in favor of abortion should not receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, Lombardi said.
Excommunication is the severest penalty the Roman Catholic Church can impose on its members. When someone is excommunicated "his status before the church is that of a stranger," the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia says. In practical terms, that means the excommunicated person is forbidden from receiving the sacraments and participating in public worship.
Church teaching calls for automatic excommunication for anyone who has an abortion. In Mexico City, church officials have said that doctors and nurses who perform the procedure, as well as lawmakers who supported its legalization, also would be excommunicated.
Many Brazilians are torn between the church's traditional teachings and the pressures of the modern world, and abortion is at the forefront. The procedure is illegal in Brazil except in cases of rape or when the mother's life is in danger. These cases amount to just 2,000 abortions a year, and polls show Brazilians are overwhelmingly opposed to expanding it.
Some 5,000 people - both Catholics and Protestants - marched against abortion Tuesday in the capital of Brasilia. Similar marches were held in Mexico.
Eds: UPDATES throughout with the Vatican CLARIFYING pope's comments, saying now he didn't intend to excommunicate anyone and that voting for abortion legislation is incompatible with receiving Holy Communion.
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Post by pumpkinpie on Jun 10, 2007 12:34:04 GMT -5
U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS PARTIAL- BIRTH ABORTION BAN On April 18, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 decision upheld the ban on the barbaric abortion procedure, called "Partial Birth Abortion" or intact Dilation and Extraction (D&E). After fouteen years of efforts by many pro-lifers, this hideous procedure has finally been outlawed. This is the first time the High Court has upheld a ban on an abortion method since the disastrous Roe v. Wade decision handed down in 1973. The Gonzales v. Carhart majority opinion was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and joined by Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Chief Justice Roberts. www.loraincountyrighttolife.org
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Post by pumpkinpie on Oct 23, 2007 13:28:27 GMT -5
Blessed By: Elton John
Hey you, your a child in my head You haven't walked yet Your first words have yet to be said But I swear... You'll be blessed
I know you're still just a dream your eyes might be green Or the bluest that I've ever seen Anyway,... You'll be blessed
And you, you'll be blessed You'll have the best I promise you that I'll pick a star from the sky Pull your name from a hat I promise you that, promise you that, promise you that You'll be blessed
I need you before I'm too old To have and to hold To walk with you and watch you grow And know that you're blessed
And You,- you'll be blessed You'll have the best I promise you that, promise you that, promise you that- You'll be blessed
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