by Carolyn Moynihan
One of the inventors of the contraceptive pill spoiled the holiday season for some diehard birth-controllers by publicly ruminating on the harm the Pill has done to Europe -- if not the rest of the world. The 85-year-old Carl Djerassi wrote a commentary in the Austrian paper, Der Standard, outlining the “horror scenario” of plunging birth rates the pill had helped to create.
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Japan sees more babies as solution to economic woes
by Carolyn Moynihan
In a week in which leading US politician Nancy Pelosi opined that preventing births was good for the economy, CNN reported that Japanese business leaders see more births as part of the solution to the recession. Keidanren, Japan’s largest business group, with 1300 major international corporations as members, has issued a plea to its members to help break the overwork syndrome that bedevils the country and let workers go home early to spend time with their families.
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In a week in which leading US politician Nancy Pelosi opined that preventing births was good for the economy, CNN reported that Japanese business leaders see more births as part of the solution to the recession. Keidanren, Japan’s largest business group, with 1300 major international corporations as members, has issued a plea to its members to help break the overwork syndrome that bedevils the country and let workers go home early to spend time with their families.
Continue...
US 'baby bust' may come without govt. funding
by Carolyn Moynihan
Another thing Nancy Pelosi should have thought of before trying to justify $200 million for birth control in the stimulus package: during the Great Depression of the 1930s the birth rate in the US fell to an unprecedented low of 2.1 children per woman, without the contraceptive pill or government intervention. During the inflationary “oil shock” of the 1970s, it fell again to 1.7 -- this time, no doubt, with the help of the Pill, but with how much government funding?
Since people seem likely to postpone births anyway during this recession, putting hundreds of millions of dollars at the disposal of Planned Parenthood could make the birthrate sink dangerously low. The Population Reference Bureau -- a population control organisation -- thinks there could be a “baby bust”, but we won’t know until early 2010, “when the recession will probably already be over.”
However, the problems from such a “bust” might only be beginning. ~ PRB, January 2009
http://www.mercatornet.com/family_edge/us_baby_bust_may_come_without_govt_funding/
Another thing Nancy Pelosi should have thought of before trying to justify $200 million for birth control in the stimulus package: during the Great Depression of the 1930s the birth rate in the US fell to an unprecedented low of 2.1 children per woman, without the contraceptive pill or government intervention. During the inflationary “oil shock” of the 1970s, it fell again to 1.7 -- this time, no doubt, with the help of the Pill, but with how much government funding?
Since people seem likely to postpone births anyway during this recession, putting hundreds of millions of dollars at the disposal of Planned Parenthood could make the birthrate sink dangerously low. The Population Reference Bureau -- a population control organisation -- thinks there could be a “baby bust”, but we won’t know until early 2010, “when the recession will probably already be over.”
However, the problems from such a “bust” might only be beginning. ~ PRB, January 2009
http://www.mercatornet.com/family_edge/us_baby_bust_may_come_without_govt_funding/
Young Brits cool towards marriage
by Carolyn Moynihan
Attitudes to marriage and family life among young adults in Britain differ markedly from their grandparents and even parents, with fewer than four out of 10 considering marriage as the best form of relationship. The annual British Social Attitudes report, based on interviews with 4000 people, found that 34 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds believe that women should work full-time once their youngest starts school, compared with just 15 per cent of over-50s.
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Attitudes to marriage and family life among young adults in Britain differ markedly from their grandparents and even parents, with fewer than four out of 10 considering marriage as the best form of relationship. The annual British Social Attitudes report, based on interviews with 4000 people, found that 34 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds believe that women should work full-time once their youngest starts school, compared with just 15 per cent of over-50s.
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Industrially produced babies
The case of the octupulets gets more and more ethically challenged. The grandmother of all these babies is not happy.
This case seems bad because it is so extreme. However, in my opinion, the extremity of the case only highlights what is wrong with Artificial Reproductive Technology, and what has been wrong all along. The babies are products of industry and technology, rather products of love and relationship.
Angela Suleman told The Associated Press she was not supportive when her daughter, Nadya Suleman, decided to have more embryos implanted last year.
"It can't go on any longer," she said in a phone interview Friday. "She's got six children and no husband. I was brought up the traditional way. I firmly believe in marriage. But she didn't want to get married."...
She said she warned her daughter that when she gets home from the hospital, "I'm going to be gone."...
Her daughter's obsession with children caused Angela Suleman considerable stress, so she sought help from a psychologist, who told her to order her daughter out of the house.
"Maybe she wouldn't have had so many kids then, but she is a grown woman," Angela Suleman said. "I feel responsible and I didn't want to throw her out."
This case seems bad because it is so extreme. However, in my opinion, the extremity of the case only highlights what is wrong with Artificial Reproductive Technology, and what has been wrong all along. The babies are products of industry and technology, rather products of love and relationship.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Are Children Worth It?
by Jennifer Roback Morse
Let us state it at once: Revolutionary Road is a bad movie, despite the awards it garnered from its Hollywood peers. The story is Hollywood's fantasy of the stultifying life in the 1950's suburbs. Unbelievable storyline, unsympathetic characters, and a socially irresponsible message: evidently these are the requirements for Hollywood awards.
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Let us state it at once: Revolutionary Road is a bad movie, despite the awards it garnered from its Hollywood peers. The story is Hollywood's fantasy of the stultifying life in the 1950's suburbs. Unbelievable storyline, unsympathetic characters, and a socially irresponsible message: evidently these are the requirements for Hollywood awards.
Continue...
The Super Bowl Commercial You Won't See
by Marcia Segelstein
That wonderful pro-life Obama commercial you may have seen here recently was supposed to run during the Super Bowl on Sunday. After first accepting it, NBC apparently changed its collective mind, saying it wasn't going to run advocacy ads during the big game.
Continue here to watch the ad.
That wonderful pro-life Obama commercial you may have seen here recently was supposed to run during the Super Bowl on Sunday. After first accepting it, NBC apparently changed its collective mind, saying it wasn't going to run advocacy ads during the big game.
Continue here to watch the ad.
'Obstacle course' restricts pro-life speech, access
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/30/2009
Pro-life counselors are not always extended free-speech rights -- and that's why one has taken the city of Pittsburgh to court.
The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering arguments in a Pittsburgh "bubble zone" case that deals with a 2005 ordinance that restricts access to and speech within the public areas surrounding abortion clinics.
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Pro-life counselors are not always extended free-speech rights -- and that's why one has taken the city of Pittsburgh to court.
The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering arguments in a Pittsburgh "bubble zone" case that deals with a 2005 ordinance that restricts access to and speech within the public areas surrounding abortion clinics.
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Homosexual 'marriage' - gateway to polygamy?
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/30/2009
Two polygamists in Canada are testing that country's law against their lifestyle.
According to the Associated Press in Vancouver, British Columbia, Winston Blackmore and James Oler have been accused of being married to more than one woman at a time. In fact, Blackmore, 52, and Oler, 44, lead rival polygamous sects in the town of Bountiful. Blackmore has been charged with having 20 wives, while Oler is accused of having a mere two.
Continue...
Two polygamists in Canada are testing that country's law against their lifestyle.
According to the Associated Press in Vancouver, British Columbia, Winston Blackmore and James Oler have been accused of being married to more than one woman at a time. In fact, Blackmore, 52, and Oler, 44, lead rival polygamous sects in the town of Bountiful. Blackmore has been charged with having 20 wives, while Oler is accused of having a mere two.
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Pro-life doctors protected by law...for now
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/30/2009
Medical professionals who don't want to perform abortions or fill prescriptions that are contrary to their religious or ethical beliefs now have some help.
A federal law called 45 CFR Part 88 is already on the books to protect people in the profession on the basis of conscience, and former President George W. Bush implemented rules to enforce the law. Matt Bowman of Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) notes that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have filed suit to block enforcement.
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Medical professionals who don't want to perform abortions or fill prescriptions that are contrary to their religious or ethical beliefs now have some help.
A federal law called 45 CFR Part 88 is already on the books to protect people in the profession on the basis of conscience, and former President George W. Bush implemented rules to enforce the law. Matt Bowman of Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) notes that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have filed suit to block enforcement.
Continue...
Stem cells - a cure for AIDS?
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/30/2009
At the Stem Cell World Congress, research has been presented that could mean a cure for AIDS at some point in the future.
In Palm Springs, California, adult stem-cell research experts met to discuss how AIDS could be treated by using stem cells from the infected patient's own body. Details of the research come from Dr. David Stevens of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.
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At the Stem Cell World Congress, research has been presented that could mean a cure for AIDS at some point in the future.
In Palm Springs, California, adult stem-cell research experts met to discuss how AIDS could be treated by using stem cells from the infected patient's own body. Details of the research come from Dr. David Stevens of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.
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Fighting FOCA with all he's got
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/30/2009
Senator David Vitter is vowing to do everything within his power to block the Freedom of Choice Act from moving forward in the Senate...
Vitter says the Freedom of Choice Act is not likely to come up for a vote in President Obama's first 100 days, but Democrats will be working to include provisions from that measure in appropriations bills. For example, he expects an attempt soon to eliminate the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding of abortions.
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Senator David Vitter is vowing to do everything within his power to block the Freedom of Choice Act from moving forward in the Senate...
Vitter says the Freedom of Choice Act is not likely to come up for a vote in President Obama's first 100 days, but Democrats will be working to include provisions from that measure in appropriations bills. For example, he expects an attempt soon to eliminate the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding of abortions.
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A life rich in significance
by Francis Phillips
A father’s struggle to understand the point of his daughter’s short, totally dependent life.
Kent Gilges’ oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1993. She seemed to be progressing well, but then developed a tumour on the brain. At eight months she underwent major surgery to remove it. During this process she suffered a stroke; from then until her death in 2004, she was never able to walk, talk, feed herself or even smile. In this poignant memoir her father pays tribute to a “tiny, insignificant, monumental life”.
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A father’s struggle to understand the point of his daughter’s short, totally dependent life.
Kent Gilges’ oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1993. She seemed to be progressing well, but then developed a tumour on the brain. At eight months she underwent major surgery to remove it. During this process she suffered a stroke; from then until her death in 2004, she was never able to walk, talk, feed herself or even smile. In this poignant memoir her father pays tribute to a “tiny, insignificant, monumental life”.
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The up side of Down
by Monica Regnal
A mother who has raised two children with an intellectual disability cannot comprehend the view that such lives are “not worth living”.
I am always bemused, as the adoptive mother of two girls with Down syndrome, when people assume that my husband and I did something particularly praiseworthy and saintly. No one seems to regard birth parents who keep children with disabilities, as Governor Sarah Palin did, so highly. Birth parents who choose to give up a child with Down syndrome can be subjected to criticism. However, if the baby is diagnosed with a disability before birth, the most desirable action for the benefit of all (including the child) appears to be abortion. Indeed, the quickest way to find “Down syndrome” in most pregnancy books is to look up “abortion”; what message does that send to pregnant women?
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A mother who has raised two children with an intellectual disability cannot comprehend the view that such lives are “not worth living”.
I am always bemused, as the adoptive mother of two girls with Down syndrome, when people assume that my husband and I did something particularly praiseworthy and saintly. No one seems to regard birth parents who keep children with disabilities, as Governor Sarah Palin did, so highly. Birth parents who choose to give up a child with Down syndrome can be subjected to criticism. However, if the baby is diagnosed with a disability before birth, the most desirable action for the benefit of all (including the child) appears to be abortion. Indeed, the quickest way to find “Down syndrome” in most pregnancy books is to look up “abortion”; what message does that send to pregnant women?
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Excuse me, Madam Speaker
by Jennifer Roback Morse
If Nancy Pelosi wants to save the American economy some money she needs to stop investing in irresponsible sex.
Nancy Pelosi made “stupid” history this week by her claim that “family planning” funds will stimulate the economy. Her argument, if you can dignify it with that term, is that reducing unwanted pregnancies will reduce the burden on taxpayers. But she doesn’t ask herself whether more contraception is really the answer to “unwanted” pregnancies.
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If Nancy Pelosi wants to save the American economy some money she needs to stop investing in irresponsible sex.
Nancy Pelosi made “stupid” history this week by her claim that “family planning” funds will stimulate the economy. Her argument, if you can dignify it with that term, is that reducing unwanted pregnancies will reduce the burden on taxpayers. But she doesn’t ask herself whether more contraception is really the answer to “unwanted” pregnancies.
Continue...
Voters in Wyoming push for traditional marriage amendment
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/29/2009
Traditional values groups in Wyoming are pushing a proposed constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage in spite of opposition from top political officials.
The proposal has a good deal of support from the people, but not from state politicians. Becky Vandeberghe of WyWatch Family Institute tells OneNewsNow about results of a survey of registered voters.
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Traditional values groups in Wyoming are pushing a proposed constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage in spite of opposition from top political officials.
The proposal has a good deal of support from the people, but not from state politicians. Becky Vandeberghe of WyWatch Family Institute tells OneNewsNow about results of a survey of registered voters.
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Homosexual 'marriage' bill advances in New Mexico
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/29/2009
A bill is being rushed through the New Mexico legislature that could lead to homosexual "marriage."
Hearings are being heard this week on the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act, which passed the state House by a 33-31 margin. Former New Mexico Congressman Bill Redman weighed in on the subject recently in an interview on Ruidoso Christian radio station KEDU.
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A bill is being rushed through the New Mexico legislature that could lead to homosexual "marriage."
Hearings are being heard this week on the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act, which passed the state House by a 33-31 margin. Former New Mexico Congressman Bill Redman weighed in on the subject recently in an interview on Ruidoso Christian radio station KEDU.
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Stimulus still funds anti-family programs
Charlie Butts and Jody Brown- OneNewsNow - 1/29/2009
A multi-million dollar proposal for contraception and abortion has been removed from the huge economic stimulus bill. But the bill still contains funding for controversial projects.
Earlier this week Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) vehemently defended the idea of spending millions of dollars on birth control and abortion as part of the economic stimulus package. "Contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government," she stated on ABC. But after pro-life advocates -- including several in Congress -- cast a spotlight on that portion of the package, it was removed. The U.S. House passed the stimulus package on Wednesday and has now passed it on to the Senate.
Continue...
A multi-million dollar proposal for contraception and abortion has been removed from the huge economic stimulus bill. But the bill still contains funding for controversial projects.
Earlier this week Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) vehemently defended the idea of spending millions of dollars on birth control and abortion as part of the economic stimulus package. "Contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government," she stated on ABC. But after pro-life advocates -- including several in Congress -- cast a spotlight on that portion of the package, it was removed. The U.S. House passed the stimulus package on Wednesday and has now passed it on to the Senate.
Continue...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dignitas Personae: On the Originality of Every Human Person
My friend Fr. James Schall, SJ, has an article up on Ignatius Insight on the Vatican Document Dignitas Personae. It was Fr. Schall, who brought to my attention, way back in the 1990's that something is owed to children. This was not an idea I was comfortable with, back in my libertarian days, to say the least. But as my life as mother was developing, I could not ignore the things I was learning about the human condition. (My dissatisfaction with libertarianism on the subject of children is what motivated me to write Love and Economics, but that is another story.)
Anyhow, here is what Fr. Schall has to say about what is owed to children in this essay on biotechnology:
Rather than focus on the negatives, that is, what the Church forbids us to do, Fr. Schall bids us pay attention to the positives. Every "no" is a "yes" to its opposite.
Read it all here.
Anyhow, here is what Fr. Schall has to say about what is owed to children in this essay on biotechnology:
The origin of the human child, moreover, in view of what it is, should only have its origin in marriage, not in scientific laboratories. "The origin of human life has its authentic context in marriage and in the family, where it is generated through an act which expresses the reciprocal love between a man and a woman. Procreation which is truly responsible vis-Ã -vis the child to be born 'must be the fruit of marriage.'" (#6). Marriage is not simply intended to be a human institution. In what it is, it is intended to be the proper and only place where human life should be begotten and brought forth. One might say, on this basis, that the Church is hopelessly romantic—which it is—but in defending the dignity of the person, it is defending what love itself is intended to be. (my emphasis: I love this part!)
The coming to be of new human life is a gift, not a right. The proper relation of a man and a woman is the only place where the good of the begotten child can properly flourish and be recognized in its origins in a relation of a man and a woman. Anything else that pretends to be marriage or a place for the inception of human life is, in principle, a violation of the dignity of an actual child.
Rather than focus on the negatives, that is, what the Church forbids us to do, Fr. Schall bids us pay attention to the positives. Every "no" is a "yes" to its opposite.
G.K. Chesterton once remarked, speaking of the Commandments, that though they often seem "negative" what in effect they do is make possible all the wonderful things we are free to do if we do not do what is wrong or forbidden. This is, I think, the effect of this Document. If we do not do, individually or as a society, what we are not to do as it violates our dignity, we are free to live the live that God intended for us, a life that really does enjoy the gift of children and the adventure of their lives.
Read it all here.
The Father Factor: Advanced Paternal Age
We are used to the idea that advanced age of mothers places children at risk for Downs' Syndrome. New evidence is coming to light that the advanced age of fathers may be a factor as well. This article from Scientific American is based on the Israeli study I have already reported on this blog, here, here, here and here.
But the article has some new info as well:
Read it all here.
But the article has some new info as well:
Researchers had analyzed medical records in Israel, where all young men and most women must report to the draft board for mandatory medical, intelligence and psychiatric screening. They found that children born to fathers 40 or older had nearly a sixfold increase in the risk of autism as compared with kids whose fathers were younger than 30. Children of fathers older than 50—that includes me—had a ninefold risk of autism.
The researchers said that advanced paternal age, as they call it, has also been linked to an increased risk of birth defects, cleft lip and palate, water on the brain, dwarfism, miscarriage and “decreased intellectual capacity.”
What was most frightening to me, as someone with mental illness in the family, is that older fatherhood was also associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. The risk rises for fathers with each passing year. The child of a 40-year-old father has a 2 percent chance of having schizophrenia—double the risk of a child whose father is younger than 30. A 40-year-old man’s risk of having a child with schizophrenia is the same as a 40-year-old woman’s risk of having a child with Down syndrome....
a 1912 study not(ed) that a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia was more common among the last-born children in families than among the first-born. Weinberg didn’t know why that was so, but he speculated that it might be related to the age of the parents, who were obviously older when their last children were born. Weinberg’s prescient observation was confirmed decades later when research showed that he was half right: the risk of dwarfism rose with the father’s age but not the mother’s.
Since then, about 20 inherited ailments have been linked to paternal age, including progeria, the disorder of rapid aging, and Marfan syndrome, a disorder marked by very long arms, legs, fingers and toes, as well as life-threatening heart defects. More recent studies have linked fathers’ age to prostate and other cancers in their children. And in September 2008 researchers linked older fathers to an increased risk of bipolar disorder in their children.
Read it all here.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Pro-family advocates fight to keep adoption amendment
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/28/2009
A Christian law society wants to help Arkansas residents keep a recently passed constitutional amendment.
Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Byron Babione explains the amendment. "The ballot initiative appears [as] Act 1, which is a law passed by the people that says that in order to adopt foster children in Arkansas, you need to be married and that you can't be a cohabiting couple," he explains.
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A Christian law society wants to help Arkansas residents keep a recently passed constitutional amendment.
Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Byron Babione explains the amendment. "The ballot initiative appears [as] Act 1, which is a law passed by the people that says that in order to adopt foster children in Arkansas, you need to be married and that you can't be a cohabiting couple," he explains.
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Exported abortion 'not what people need'
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/28/2009
Dr. Alveda King, niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks out about reversal of the "Mexico City policy," which occurred just days after Barack Obama became America's 44th president.
The Mexico City policy, first enacted via executive order by then President Ronald Reagan, prohibited use of U.S. tax dollars to fund or promote abortions in foreign countries. Dr. King, a well-known pro-life activist and speaker, notes that President Obama reversed that policy last week, pouring several hundred-million dollars into foreign abortion programs.
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Dr. Alveda King, niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks out about reversal of the "Mexico City policy," which occurred just days after Barack Obama became America's 44th president.
The Mexico City policy, first enacted via executive order by then President Ronald Reagan, prohibited use of U.S. tax dollars to fund or promote abortions in foreign countries. Dr. King, a well-known pro-life activist and speaker, notes that President Obama reversed that policy last week, pouring several hundred-million dollars into foreign abortion programs.
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Court says Christian school can expel lesbians
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/28/2009
An appeals court in California ruled this week in favor of a Christian school in an anti-discrimination case. In September 2005, California Lutheran High School in Wildomar expelled two girls after they admitted to the school principal that they had told other students they were lesbians, and that they had engaged in lesbian conduct with each other -- in direct violation of the school's code of conduct. The girls' parents then filed a lawsuit, claiming discrimination against their daughters.
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An appeals court in California ruled this week in favor of a Christian school in an anti-discrimination case. In September 2005, California Lutheran High School in Wildomar expelled two girls after they admitted to the school principal that they had told other students they were lesbians, and that they had engaged in lesbian conduct with each other -- in direct violation of the school's code of conduct. The girls' parents then filed a lawsuit, claiming discrimination against their daughters.
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The fight against FOCA begins
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/28/2009
Pro-life groups are gearing up to combat the Freedom of Choice Act.
Brad Mattes, executive director of Life Issues Institute, says the Freedom of Choice Act, or FOCA, is a dangerous bill that President Barack Obama has promised to sign. "FOCA, the Freedom of Choice Act, would kick to the curb every protective law that has been passed by Congress, state legislatures, or local communities," he explains.
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Pro-life groups are gearing up to combat the Freedom of Choice Act.
Brad Mattes, executive director of Life Issues Institute, says the Freedom of Choice Act, or FOCA, is a dangerous bill that President Barack Obama has promised to sign. "FOCA, the Freedom of Choice Act, would kick to the curb every protective law that has been passed by Congress, state legislatures, or local communities," he explains.
Continue...
Rejecting abortion using Obama's argument
Rev. Mark Creech - Guest Columnist - 1/26/2009
It's unfortunate, but America now has the most pro-abortion president in the nation's history. He has pledged to protect abortion rights and has wasted no time in advancing its cause. On Friday, January 23, Barack Obama rescinded the Mexico City Policy -- and with that action forced American taxpayers to fund the innocent slaughter of children all over the world.
But that's not all; in his campaign he promised to do more. He wants to pursue and sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act -- legislation that would essentially remove all state-level restrictions on abortion. And he wants to lift the ban on state-supported embryonic stem-cell research.
Continue...
It's unfortunate, but America now has the most pro-abortion president in the nation's history. He has pledged to protect abortion rights and has wasted no time in advancing its cause. On Friday, January 23, Barack Obama rescinded the Mexico City Policy -- and with that action forced American taxpayers to fund the innocent slaughter of children all over the world.
But that's not all; in his campaign he promised to do more. He wants to pursue and sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act -- legislation that would essentially remove all state-level restrictions on abortion. And he wants to lift the ban on state-supported embryonic stem-cell research.
Continue...
Undercover activist awarded for pro-life work
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/27/2009
The Gerard Health Foundation has awarded $600,000 in prizes to six individuals for their work in the pro-life movement.
One such recipient of the Life Prizes award is college student Lila Rose, president of Live Action, who had this response.
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The Gerard Health Foundation has awarded $600,000 in prizes to six individuals for their work in the pro-life movement.
One such recipient of the Life Prizes award is college student Lila Rose, president of Live Action, who had this response.
Continue...
Attorney: Lesbian custody case now an 'agenda' item
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/27/2009
A lesbian child custody case goes back to court this week.
Lisa Miller had a child named Isabella while in a lesbian relationship with Janet Jenkins in Vermont, but Miller left the relationship after converting to Christianity and moved to Virginia. Now, a Virginia judge is honoring Vermont's civil union law by ordering that Jenkins have visitation rights. (Previous article)
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A lesbian child custody case goes back to court this week.
Lisa Miller had a child named Isabella while in a lesbian relationship with Janet Jenkins in Vermont, but Miller left the relationship after converting to Christianity and moved to Virginia. Now, a Virginia judge is honoring Vermont's civil union law by ordering that Jenkins have visitation rights. (Previous article)
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What about the Children?
by Renee Smith
Kathleen LaBounty is 27 years old and has no idea who her biological father is.
Kathleen's problem is complicated further by the fact that she was conceived through sperm donation during the period of mandatory anonymous donations in the early 1980's.
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Kathleen LaBounty is 27 years old and has no idea who her biological father is.
Kathleen's problem is complicated further by the fact that she was conceived through sperm donation during the period of mandatory anonymous donations in the early 1980's.
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The Marshmallow Test: Kids and Learning Self Control
A sticky marshmallow can teach us a lot about kids, parenting and future success. Watch the video and find out why!
We live in a culture that says "Eat the Marshmallow!"
Watch the video here.
We live in a culture that says "Eat the Marshmallow!"
Watch the video here.
Dr. Morse radio interview
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse was on Dateline Radio America, Tuesday, January 27. Listen here.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Petition Against FOCA
Please take a few minutes to read about the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)that President Obama has promised to sign into law. This Act would undo thirty years of pro-life legislation at the state and federal levels. It would allow partial-birth abortion, force faith-based and other private hospitals to provide abortions, undo parental notification laws, etc.
You can sign the petition against FOCA at the website below. It'svery easy and takes about 15 seconds.
There is also an option to sign up for e-mail updates, including a processfor contacting your congressional representatives about this legislation.
Please pass this along to others.
http://www.fightfoca.com/
You can sign the petition against FOCA at the website below. It'svery easy and takes about 15 seconds.
There is also an option to sign up for e-mail updates, including a processfor contacting your congressional representatives about this legislation.
Please pass this along to others.
http://www.fightfoca.com/
Japan to workers: Go home and make babies
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Even before one reaches the front door of Canon's headquarters in Tokyo, one can sense the virtual stampede of employees pouring out of the building exactly at 5:30 p.m. In a country where 12-hour workdays are common, the electronics giant has taken to letting its employees leave early twice a week for a rather unusual reason: to encourage them to have more babies.
Japan's birth rate of 1.34 is below the level needed to maintain the country's population.
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Japan's birth rate of 1.34 is below the level needed to maintain the country's population.
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City official retaliates against Prop. 8 supporters
Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper - OneNewsNow - 1/26/2009
A California tax assessor wants to tax the Catholic Church after Proposition 8 was passed by voters.
LifeSiteNews.com reports Phil Ting, who supports homosexual marriage and fought against Prop. 8, is calling for a $15 million tax after the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco restructured its leadership and consolidated its property nearly seven months ago.
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A California tax assessor wants to tax the Catholic Church after Proposition 8 was passed by voters.
LifeSiteNews.com reports Phil Ting, who supports homosexual marriage and fought against Prop. 8, is calling for a $15 million tax after the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco restructured its leadership and consolidated its property nearly seven months ago.
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Culture of responsibility is culture of life
Star Parker - An African American Syndicated Columnist - 1/26/2009
In these uncertain times, some things remain constant. One is the arrival each January 22 of tens of thousands of pro-life Americans to Washington, DC, to note the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and to mourn.
...Unlike his predecessor, who annually addressed the shivering crowd, Mr. Obama declined their invitation to speak. However, he issued a brief press statement. But the statement was not about change but about the status quo, celebrating the 1973 decision. Maybe our first black president doesn't know that, despite blacks being just 12 percent of the American population, black babies constitute 37 percent of all our aborted children. One of every two black pregnancies is aborted.
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In these uncertain times, some things remain constant. One is the arrival each January 22 of tens of thousands of pro-life Americans to Washington, DC, to note the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and to mourn.
...Unlike his predecessor, who annually addressed the shivering crowd, Mr. Obama declined their invitation to speak. However, he issued a brief press statement. But the statement was not about change but about the status quo, celebrating the 1973 decision. Maybe our first black president doesn't know that, despite blacks being just 12 percent of the American population, black babies constitute 37 percent of all our aborted children. One of every two black pregnancies is aborted.
Continue...
European countries crack down on 'hate speech'
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 1/26/2009
An author and critic of Islam says the recent decision by a Dutch court to prosecute a Dutch lawmaker for comparing the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf does not bode well for the future of free speech rights in the United States.
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An author and critic of Islam says the recent decision by a Dutch court to prosecute a Dutch lawmaker for comparing the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf does not bode well for the future of free speech rights in the United States.
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Calif. lawmakers and the Prop. 8 backlash
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/25/2009
The California Assembly seems to be ignoring passage of Proposition 8.
According to Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families, resolutions and bills introduced before the Assembly seem to indicate that passage of the pro-traditional marriage initiative means little in the state capital.
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The California Assembly seems to be ignoring passage of Proposition 8.
According to Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families, resolutions and bills introduced before the Assembly seem to indicate that passage of the pro-traditional marriage initiative means little in the state capital.
Continue...
Obama condemned for expanding taxpayer funded abortions
Matthew Lee and Liz Sidoti - Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON - As he promised during the election campaign, Barack Obama on Friday struck down a ban against taxpayer funded abortions abroad.
Obama's move was warmly welcomed by liberal groups and denounced by defenders of unborn children.
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WASHINGTON - As he promised during the election campaign, Barack Obama on Friday struck down a ban against taxpayer funded abortions abroad.
Obama's move was warmly welcomed by liberal groups and denounced by defenders of unborn children.
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The largest, sustained human rights demonstration
by Sheila Liaugminas
Today is the 36th annual March for Life on the Mall of Washington. It is perhaps providential that the anniversary of Roe v. Wade which prompted the beginning of this annual demonstration occurs this week of January, two days after the inauguration of a man as president of the United States who was considered the most pro-abortion senator ever to run for high office during the primaries. Which is why…as much of the nation partied and celebrated Barack Obama’s ascendancy to the White House, many others in the nation prayed and held vigil.
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Today is the 36th annual March for Life on the Mall of Washington. It is perhaps providential that the anniversary of Roe v. Wade which prompted the beginning of this annual demonstration occurs this week of January, two days after the inauguration of a man as president of the United States who was considered the most pro-abortion senator ever to run for high office during the primaries. Which is why…as much of the nation partied and celebrated Barack Obama’s ascendancy to the White House, many others in the nation prayed and held vigil.
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The Pro-Life Obama Ad
From OneNewsNow.com
A video advertisement which has been called the "pro-life Obama ad" will soon be appearing on a major television network near you. The ad is the brainchild of CatholicVote.com, which was founded to educate and inform Americans on the "critical issues in the public policy arena." See LifeSite News.
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A video advertisement which has been called the "pro-life Obama ad" will soon be appearing on a major television network near you. The ad is the brainchild of CatholicVote.com, which was founded to educate and inform Americans on the "critical issues in the public policy arena." See LifeSite News.
Continue...
The Future of Abortion
by Marcia Segelstein
Frederica Mathewes-Green, writing for National Review Online, ponders the possibility that future generations may view abortion differently than the current one.For many baby boomers, abortion was hailed as a victory for women’s rights. And as long as those same boomers control the media and higher education, she posits that it’s unlikely that abortion will be seriously reconsidered.
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Frederica Mathewes-Green, writing for National Review Online, ponders the possibility that future generations may view abortion differently than the current one.For many baby boomers, abortion was hailed as a victory for women’s rights. And as long as those same boomers control the media and higher education, she posits that it’s unlikely that abortion will be seriously reconsidered.
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Abortion clinic reports raise 'red flags'
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/23/2009
Planned Parenthood of Indiana might be violating state reporting laws.
Indiana Right to Life conducted a probe of abortion clinic reports to the state -- mostly filed by Planned Parenthood -- and found a large amount of required information missing. Spokesman Mike Fichter explains.
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Planned Parenthood of Indiana might be violating state reporting laws.
Indiana Right to Life conducted a probe of abortion clinic reports to the state -- mostly filed by Planned Parenthood -- and found a large amount of required information missing. Spokesman Mike Fichter explains.
Continue...
Use of condoms misreported by young people
By Carolyn Moynihan
Here’s something to be taken into account when claims and counter-claims are being made about the relative importance of abstinence and contraceptive use in the ups and downs of teenage pregnancy and STIs. A study by Eve Rose of Emory University and colleagues conducted among 715 black women and girls ages 15 to 21, who were enrolled in an HIV prevention programme, showed that one third (34 per cent) of those reporting condom use every time they had sex had physical evidence (Y chromosome DNA in vaginal fluid) to the contrary.
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Here’s something to be taken into account when claims and counter-claims are being made about the relative importance of abstinence and contraceptive use in the ups and downs of teenage pregnancy and STIs. A study by Eve Rose of Emory University and colleagues conducted among 715 black women and girls ages 15 to 21, who were enrolled in an HIV prevention programme, showed that one third (34 per cent) of those reporting condom use every time they had sex had physical evidence (Y chromosome DNA in vaginal fluid) to the contrary.
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One-child policy drives Chinese mother to murder
By Carolyn Moynihan
China's unjust and inhumane population laws, which do not stop short of forced abortions, have driven a mother to procure the murder of her nine-year-old son, so that she could have a baby with her new husband. After Li Yingfang's first husband died, she gave custody of her son to the boy's grandmother. Under the one child policy, people who remarry may have a second child if their new spouse is childless, but Li's new husband had a daughter from his own first marriage, preventing the couple from having a child together legally.
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China's unjust and inhumane population laws, which do not stop short of forced abortions, have driven a mother to procure the murder of her nine-year-old son, so that she could have a baby with her new husband. After Li Yingfang's first husband died, she gave custody of her son to the boy's grandmother. Under the one child policy, people who remarry may have a second child if their new spouse is childless, but Li's new husband had a daughter from his own first marriage, preventing the couple from having a child together legally.
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Catholic Charities would like adoption services
By William T. Clew
The diocesan executive director of Catholic Charities in Worcester has urged Catholics to “speak up” about the state’s revocation of its contract with Catholic Charities “to find faith-filled adoptive families for the state’s most vulnerable children.”
Catherine Loeffler asked that people begin a conversation with the state to grant a religious exemption for Catholic Charities to again help place the most abused and neglected children in homes with faith-filled families.
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The diocesan executive director of Catholic Charities in Worcester has urged Catholics to “speak up” about the state’s revocation of its contract with Catholic Charities “to find faith-filled adoptive families for the state’s most vulnerable children.”
Catherine Loeffler asked that people begin a conversation with the state to grant a religious exemption for Catholic Charities to again help place the most abused and neglected children in homes with faith-filled families.
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Thursday, January 22, 2009
Co-ed dorms an issue in Idaho
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/22/2009
Bryan Fischer of the Idaho Values Alliance says the exposure of a co-ed housing plan is touching nerves. The University of Idaho is planning to launch co-ed dorm rooms this Fall, and then allow for co-ed bedrooms by special request. Fischer informed state lawmakers of the change in the university's housing policy, resulting in what he says was quite a bit of agitation among Idaho legislators over the new policy.
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Bryan Fischer of the Idaho Values Alliance says the exposure of a co-ed housing plan is touching nerves. The University of Idaho is planning to launch co-ed dorm rooms this Fall, and then allow for co-ed bedrooms by special request. Fischer informed state lawmakers of the change in the university's housing policy, resulting in what he says was quite a bit of agitation among Idaho legislators over the new policy.
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High court says no to protecting minors from porn
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/22/2009
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to revive the Child Online Protection Act, designed to protect children from sexual material and other objectionable content on the Internet.
Pat Trueman, who was a pornography prosecutor in the Ronald Reagan administration, is now special counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. He objects to the decision by the nation's highest court on Wednesday not to revive the federal law that would have barred websites from making harmful content available to minors over the Internet.
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The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to revive the Child Online Protection Act, designed to protect children from sexual material and other objectionable content on the Internet.
Pat Trueman, who was a pornography prosecutor in the Ronald Reagan administration, is now special counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. He objects to the decision by the nation's highest court on Wednesday not to revive the federal law that would have barred websites from making harmful content available to minors over the Internet.
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Same-Sex Marriage Used to Defend Polygamy in Canada
By Jeremy Hainsworth
Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) - Canada's decision to legalize gay marriage has paved the way for polygamy to be legal as well, a defense lawyer said Wednesday as the two leaders of rival polygamous communities made their first court appearance.
The case is the first to test Canada's polygamy laws.
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Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) - Canada's decision to legalize gay marriage has paved the way for polygamy to be legal as well, a defense lawyer said Wednesday as the two leaders of rival polygamous communities made their first court appearance.
The case is the first to test Canada's polygamy laws.
Continue...
What Youth Give Society
Interview With Vatican Aide on Upcoming Youth Day Plans
By Anita S. Bourdin
ROME, JAN. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is sending a message to young people for the next World Youth Days, and it is important for them to read it, affirms Father Eric Jacquinet.
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By Anita S. Bourdin
ROME, JAN. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is sending a message to young people for the next World Youth Days, and it is important for them to read it, affirms Father Eric Jacquinet.
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Families, the Crisis and the Church in America
Interview With Canada's Cardinal Ouellet
By Gilberto Hernández GarcÃa
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- There is plenty of good news to share about the Christian family in the world, and this is news that the Catholic Church offers, according to the archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
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By Gilberto Hernández GarcÃa
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- There is plenty of good news to share about the Christian family in the world, and this is news that the Catholic Church offers, according to the archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
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Technology, teens, and trouble
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/21/2009
Years ago a wink was considered flirting. Today young people use technology instead. The current trend among youth is to transmit nude or semi-nude photos or videos via cell phones. Marisa Nightingale of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy explains the phenomenon.
Continue...
Years ago a wink was considered flirting. Today young people use technology instead. The current trend among youth is to transmit nude or semi-nude photos or videos via cell phones. Marisa Nightingale of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy explains the phenomenon.
Continue...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
JRM's Ruth Institute Pro-life Mission
The Ruth Institute exists to promote lifelong married love to the young by creating a social and economic climate favorable to marriage. We accomplish our mission through speaking engagements to pro-marriage and pro-life groups across the country. This week, in recognition of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I want to tell you how we are able to assist the pro-life movement, thanks to your support.
Here at the Ruth Institute, we believe marriage is a key pro-life issue. The sexual revolution has taught us to think that sex is essentially sterile, and is nothing but a recreational activity, with no moral or social significance. Hence, we have come to think we are entitled to unlimited sexual activity without a live baby resulting. And we think we can safely act as if we have perfectly functioning contraception. Since neither of these points is true, we are almost certain to end up with pregnancies we can’t handle in relationships we can’t sustain. These are the situations which convince women they need abortion.
But being married takes the sting out of pregnancy: married women are far less likely to choose abortion. Sex within marriage creates the relationship that can handle a pregnancy. Conversely, a lot of sexual messing around before marriage turns out to be counter-productive, in that it reduces your chance of having a happier marriage later on.
This is why the Ruth Institute deals with the full range of pro-life issues as part of its mission to support marriage. All these issues are connected. This is why we provide inspiration and information to pro-life groups.
In St. Louis, I was the keynote speaker for the Archdiocese of St. Louis pro-life conference in October. The Archdiocese entitled their conference, “It Takes a Family,” partially in honor of my book, but also in honor of the Holy Family. Over six hundred people attended that conference. Later that day, I spoke at ThriVe St. Louis, a network of crisis pregnancy centers. My topic was “Smart Sex: Making the Hook-up as Un-Cool as Smoking.” You can get information about the Smart Sex book and CD series on the Ruth Institute website.
In November, I spoke at the Diocese of Phoenix Natural Family Planning conference. My theme was “The Prophetic Vision of Pope Paul VI.” Those of you who are not Catholic might think it would be a “tough sell” to explain why the famous “birth control encyclical” Humanae Vitae was prophetic. But I am convinced that history will be very kind indeed to Paul VI.
Later that same month, I was the keynote speaker for the annual dinner of the Life Legal Defense Foundation in Oakland. This organization provides pro-bono legal assistance to pro-life groups, including peaceful sidewalk counselors. I met some wonderful and interesting people there, including the Rev. Walter Hoye, an African-American pastor who recently lost his challenge to the statutes of the City of Oakland.
Most recently, I visited Reno, Nevada, to speak to the Catholic Professional and Business Club. That group made it possible for me to spend an afternoon with the residents of Casa de Vida, a maternity home for young women in crisis pregnancies.
The Ruth Institute exists to support events like these. Your generous support and enthusiasm supported all these activities. Most of the groups can pay for my time and travel. But if you think about the amount of research that goes into each talk, keeping up with the news and with new research, you will see that these speaking fees do not cover the full value of the services we provide. Only with your support can we continue to provide the high quality information the pro-life movement needs and deserves.
As we approach the dark anniversary of Roe v. Wade, please consider making a contribution to support the work of the Ruth Institute. The struggles of the pro-life movement foreshadow the struggles of the marriage movement. Once the courts have come down on the side of social and sexual revolution, we apostles of common sense and ordinary decency have very little room to maneuver. The Ruth Institute feels compelled to support the pro-life movement. The United States’ new administration is poised to be the most pro-abortion, anti- marriage administration ever. And we can’t let marriage go down without a fight. Check out the Ruth Institute site to see what we're doing in this battle.
Here at the Ruth Institute, we believe marriage is a key pro-life issue. The sexual revolution has taught us to think that sex is essentially sterile, and is nothing but a recreational activity, with no moral or social significance. Hence, we have come to think we are entitled to unlimited sexual activity without a live baby resulting. And we think we can safely act as if we have perfectly functioning contraception. Since neither of these points is true, we are almost certain to end up with pregnancies we can’t handle in relationships we can’t sustain. These are the situations which convince women they need abortion.
But being married takes the sting out of pregnancy: married women are far less likely to choose abortion. Sex within marriage creates the relationship that can handle a pregnancy. Conversely, a lot of sexual messing around before marriage turns out to be counter-productive, in that it reduces your chance of having a happier marriage later on.
This is why the Ruth Institute deals with the full range of pro-life issues as part of its mission to support marriage. All these issues are connected. This is why we provide inspiration and information to pro-life groups.
In St. Louis, I was the keynote speaker for the Archdiocese of St. Louis pro-life conference in October. The Archdiocese entitled their conference, “It Takes a Family,” partially in honor of my book, but also in honor of the Holy Family. Over six hundred people attended that conference. Later that day, I spoke at ThriVe St. Louis, a network of crisis pregnancy centers. My topic was “Smart Sex: Making the Hook-up as Un-Cool as Smoking.” You can get information about the Smart Sex book and CD series on the Ruth Institute website.
In November, I spoke at the Diocese of Phoenix Natural Family Planning conference. My theme was “The Prophetic Vision of Pope Paul VI.” Those of you who are not Catholic might think it would be a “tough sell” to explain why the famous “birth control encyclical” Humanae Vitae was prophetic. But I am convinced that history will be very kind indeed to Paul VI.
Later that same month, I was the keynote speaker for the annual dinner of the Life Legal Defense Foundation in Oakland. This organization provides pro-bono legal assistance to pro-life groups, including peaceful sidewalk counselors. I met some wonderful and interesting people there, including the Rev. Walter Hoye, an African-American pastor who recently lost his challenge to the statutes of the City of Oakland.
Most recently, I visited Reno, Nevada, to speak to the Catholic Professional and Business Club. That group made it possible for me to spend an afternoon with the residents of Casa de Vida, a maternity home for young women in crisis pregnancies.
The Ruth Institute exists to support events like these. Your generous support and enthusiasm supported all these activities. Most of the groups can pay for my time and travel. But if you think about the amount of research that goes into each talk, keeping up with the news and with new research, you will see that these speaking fees do not cover the full value of the services we provide. Only with your support can we continue to provide the high quality information the pro-life movement needs and deserves.
As we approach the dark anniversary of Roe v. Wade, please consider making a contribution to support the work of the Ruth Institute. The struggles of the pro-life movement foreshadow the struggles of the marriage movement. Once the courts have come down on the side of social and sexual revolution, we apostles of common sense and ordinary decency have very little room to maneuver. The Ruth Institute feels compelled to support the pro-life movement. The United States’ new administration is poised to be the most pro-abortion, anti- marriage administration ever. And we can’t let marriage go down without a fight. Check out the Ruth Institute site to see what we're doing in this battle.
Life Is
by Gina Parker Ford
While this week is filled with the celebration, the euphoria, and sadly the media hype of inaugurating a new President, it is vital for Americans not to overlook an important date that takes place just two days after Barack Obama's inauguration. January 22nd marks the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the mourning of the loss of life of 50 million babies that have been legally aborted since this decision made abortion on demand the law of the land.
Continue...
While this week is filled with the celebration, the euphoria, and sadly the media hype of inaugurating a new President, it is vital for Americans not to overlook an important date that takes place just two days after Barack Obama's inauguration. January 22nd marks the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the mourning of the loss of life of 50 million babies that have been legally aborted since this decision made abortion on demand the law of the land.
Continue...
Abstinence-education funding likely to get the axe
Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper - OneNewsNow - 1/20/2009
Conservatives in Congress are trying to plan ways to keep funding for abstinence education while working in a liberal atmosphere. In an article in the Spectator, David Bass of the John Locke Foundation believes Washington has a phobia of abstinence education. Funding for it runs out on June 1, and Bass believes the new president will then support abstinence-plus programs.
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Conservatives in Congress are trying to plan ways to keep funding for abstinence education while working in a liberal atmosphere. In an article in the Spectator, David Bass of the John Locke Foundation believes Washington has a phobia of abstinence education. Funding for it runs out on June 1, and Bass believes the new president will then support abstinence-plus programs.
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Monday, January 19, 2009
Pro homosexuals protest outside Warren church
Associated Press - 1/19/2009
LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Gay rights supporters marched outside the church of evangelical pastor Rick Warren, protesting his selection as an inauguration speaker.
About 100 protesters waved rainbow flags Sunday and voiced their displeasure at Warren for his opposition to homosexual marriage and at President-elect Barack Obama for choosing him to give the invocation at Tuesday's ceremony.
John Einsohn, one of the protest's organizers, tells the Orange County Register that Warren "preaches intolerance while pretending to be a friend of the gay community."
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Headlines/Default.aspx?id=390248
LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Gay rights supporters marched outside the church of evangelical pastor Rick Warren, protesting his selection as an inauguration speaker.
About 100 protesters waved rainbow flags Sunday and voiced their displeasure at Warren for his opposition to homosexual marriage and at President-elect Barack Obama for choosing him to give the invocation at Tuesday's ceremony.
John Einsohn, one of the protest's organizers, tells the Orange County Register that Warren "preaches intolerance while pretending to be a friend of the gay community."
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Headlines/Default.aspx?id=390248
Death by mail - Montana's new assisted suicide law
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/19/2009
Physician-assisted suicide is legal now in Montana, although the court ruling legalizing it is under appeal.
Doctor-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon and Washington, but Rita Marker of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide says what sets the situation apart in Montana is that the ruling has no boundaries or safeguards.
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Physician-assisted suicide is legal now in Montana, although the court ruling legalizing it is under appeal.
Doctor-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon and Washington, but Rita Marker of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide says what sets the situation apart in Montana is that the ruling has no boundaries or safeguards.
Continue...
Immigrants keep customs - prefer sons over daughters
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/18/2009
Researchers contend sex-selection abortions are reducing female births, and some of that is occurring in the United States.
Female babies are being aborted largely by Asian immigrant families in America, based on the age-old cultural prejudices in their home countries. Bill Saunders of Family Research Council is saddened but not surprised.
Continue...
Researchers contend sex-selection abortions are reducing female births, and some of that is occurring in the United States.
Female babies are being aborted largely by Asian immigrant families in America, based on the age-old cultural prejudices in their home countries. Bill Saunders of Family Research Council is saddened but not surprised.
Continue...
Next up for marriage amendment - Indiana
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/17/2009
Indiana wants the people to decide on a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage. The Indiana Family Institute is at the helm of the drive. Spokesman Curt Smith admits efforts in the past have not been successful.
Continue...
Indiana wants the people to decide on a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage. The Indiana Family Institute is at the helm of the drive. Spokesman Curt Smith admits efforts in the past have not been successful.
Continue...
Calling population control
Amongst the 1800 workers at a New Delhi call centre taking calls for US retail and technology companies are 17 graduates handling enquiries on birth control. Placed there to make their "socially sensitive work" invisible, the mainly female workers are paid by India's National Population Stabilisation Fund - a name that needs no further explanation. The Washington Post gives a run-down on India's 1 billion-plus population, quoting officials who say it will take some Indian states 18 to 45 years to achieve the stabilising fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. As a matter of fact some states must be below replacement already, as the national fertility rate is already down to 2.76.
The National Population Stabilisation Fund's executive director speaks of "empowering" callers with answers to their queries about contraception and related issues, but power to the people is clearly not the main motive of this -- and other -- population control strategies. And the effects can be drastic: badly-skewed sex ratios in favour of males in some states are largely the result of ultrasound scanning and abortion.
Many calls are made by cellphone and are said to be from areas outside big cities where there are few "health-care and social workers". When the centre opened in June 2008 it received almost 800 calls a day, but slowly the number declined to 250 a day. Staff blame this on the service not being toll-free. If it were free, says one agent, the calls could go up to 1000 a day. ~ Washington Post, Jan 5
The National Population Stabilisation Fund's executive director speaks of "empowering" callers with answers to their queries about contraception and related issues, but power to the people is clearly not the main motive of this -- and other -- population control strategies. And the effects can be drastic: badly-skewed sex ratios in favour of males in some states are largely the result of ultrasound scanning and abortion.
Many calls are made by cellphone and are said to be from areas outside big cities where there are few "health-care and social workers". When the centre opened in June 2008 it received almost 800 calls a day, but slowly the number declined to 250 a day. Staff blame this on the service not being toll-free. If it were free, says one agent, the calls could go up to 1000 a day. ~ Washington Post, Jan 5
The revenge of the cradle
Quebec, the Canadian province whose birth rate plummeted to 1.36 in the mid-1980s and threatened its French culture with extinction, has climbed back to 1.66 children per woman after efforts by the government to get inhabitants to have children. An initial baby-bonus scheme failed to deliver and generous day care subsidies were only partially successful, reports The Economist. But a more recent parental leave scheme that is more generous than anywhere else in North America saw births in the province jump by 8 per cent in 2006 and a further 2.6 per cent in 2007. Early figures for last year show the trend continuing.
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More spiritual kids are happier
The happiness of children has become one of the main preoccupations of scientists and educators in recent times. The evidence that increasing numbers of children are unhappy, and the fear that they may grow up to be miserable and unproductive adults, has even driven some scientists to look again at the influence of religion, or "spirituality", on children's happiness. University of British Columbia researcher Mark Holder and colleagues studied 320 children aged 8 to 12 from four public schools and two faith-based schools and found that those children who said they were more spiritual were happier.
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Friday, January 16, 2009
The long-term consequences of the hook-up culture
By Colleen Carroll Campbell
Once confined to dorm-room gossip sessions, salacious details about the hook-up culture on today's college campuses have become fodder for serious sociological analysis.
No fewer than four books on the topic have been published this year alone. Among them are sociologist Kathleen Bogle's unflinching investigation of campus sexual norms in Hooking Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campus and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Laura Sessions Stepp's alarming analysis of promiscuity's emotional costs in Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both.
Continue...
Once confined to dorm-room gossip sessions, salacious details about the hook-up culture on today's college campuses have become fodder for serious sociological analysis.
No fewer than four books on the topic have been published this year alone. Among them are sociologist Kathleen Bogle's unflinching investigation of campus sexual norms in Hooking Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campus and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Laura Sessions Stepp's alarming analysis of promiscuity's emotional costs in Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both.
Continue...
ACLU suing government for a contract with the USCCB
Suit decries US funding of Catholic outreach
By Maria Sacchetti
The US government is allowing a Catholic organization to limit a program for human-trafficking victims to groups that do not provide access to abortion or birth control, the American Civil Liberties Union charged yesterday in a lawsuit filed in Boston.
The US Department of Health and Human Services hired the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2006 to help immigrants who had been forced into prostitution or slave labor. The bishops have disseminated millions of dollars in federal funding the past two years to an array of nonprofits, including the International Institute of Boston, that directly assist victims.
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By Maria Sacchetti
The US government is allowing a Catholic organization to limit a program for human-trafficking victims to groups that do not provide access to abortion or birth control, the American Civil Liberties Union charged yesterday in a lawsuit filed in Boston.
The US Department of Health and Human Services hired the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2006 to help immigrants who had been forced into prostitution or slave labor. The bishops have disseminated millions of dollars in federal funding the past two years to an array of nonprofits, including the International Institute of Boston, that directly assist victims.
Continue...
World Meeting of Families address
"The Family Provides Ample Homework on the Give and Take of Love"
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the conference Helen Alvaré, law professor at George Mason University, gave today at the 6th World Meeting of Families, being held through Sunday in Mexico City.
"The Family and the Values of Human Life"
In 1995, in his encyclical "Evangelium Vitae," Our Holy Father John Paul II wrote that you and I are the "people of life because God, in his unconditional love, has given us the Gospel of life, and by this same Gospel we have been transformed and saved." (EV 79) Over the last 40 years in particular, several of our beloved modern popes have repeatedly urged Catholics to understand themselves as created with a call, an orientation to revere life itself, to guard it, from the moment of its first conception unto natural death.
Continue: http://www.zenit.org/article-24778?l=english
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the conference Helen Alvaré, law professor at George Mason University, gave today at the 6th World Meeting of Families, being held through Sunday in Mexico City.
"The Family and the Values of Human Life"
In 1995, in his encyclical "Evangelium Vitae," Our Holy Father John Paul II wrote that you and I are the "people of life because God, in his unconditional love, has given us the Gospel of life, and by this same Gospel we have been transformed and saved." (EV 79) Over the last 40 years in particular, several of our beloved modern popes have repeatedly urged Catholics to understand themselves as created with a call, an orientation to revere life itself, to guard it, from the moment of its first conception unto natural death.
Continue: http://www.zenit.org/article-24778?l=english
Fight the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)
Check out these links:
“A bad and harmful law:” Bishop Daniel Walsh of Santa Rosa urges Catholics to take action against ‘Freedom of Choice Act.’
USCCB’s statement last September on the Freedom of Choice Act.
Bailing out Big Abortion? David Freddoso on NRO is a must read.
“A bad and harmful law:” Bishop Daniel Walsh of Santa Rosa urges Catholics to take action against ‘Freedom of Choice Act.’
USCCB’s statement last September on the Freedom of Choice Act.
Bailing out Big Abortion? David Freddoso on NRO is a must read.
Sex Education Best Kept at Home
Bioethicist Presents Chastity as Love's Defender
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org)
Sex education is chastity education -- and these are lessons best taught in the family, said an expert at the 6th World Meeting of Families.
Italian Doctor MarÃa Luisa Di Pietro, associate bioethics professor at Rome's Sacred Heart University and president of the Science and Life Association, affirmed this during her address today to some 10,000 participants in the family meeting theological congress.
Continue: http://www.zenit.org/article-24789?l=english
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org)
Sex education is chastity education -- and these are lessons best taught in the family, said an expert at the 6th World Meeting of Families.
Italian Doctor MarÃa Luisa Di Pietro, associate bioethics professor at Rome's Sacred Heart University and president of the Science and Life Association, affirmed this during her address today to some 10,000 participants in the family meeting theological congress.
Continue: http://www.zenit.org/article-24789?l=english
Clarification of Statement on Homosexuality
"Desire Cannot Be the Foundation for the Law"
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org)
Here is a translation of a press statement released today by Monsignor Carlos Simón Vazquez, subsecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Various interpretations have been made regarding the reference Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, made in his words at the opening of the Theological-Pastoral Congress of Mexico. The cardinal wanted to underline three important aspects:
1. Homosexuality is not a necessary component of society, as is the family...
Continue...
MEXICO CITY, JAN. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org)
Here is a translation of a press statement released today by Monsignor Carlos Simón Vazquez, subsecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Various interpretations have been made regarding the reference Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, made in his words at the opening of the Theological-Pastoral Congress of Mexico. The cardinal wanted to underline three important aspects:
1. Homosexuality is not a necessary component of society, as is the family...
Continue...
Same-sex 'marriage' enthusiasts target New England
Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper - OneNewsNow - 1/16/2009
New England activist groups are developing a strategy to claim their region for homosexual "marriage" in the next three years.
Peter Sprigg of Family Research Council notes Connecticut and Massachusetts have already legalized same-sex marriage, leaving four states for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) to target.
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New England activist groups are developing a strategy to claim their region for homosexual "marriage" in the next three years.
Peter Sprigg of Family Research Council notes Connecticut and Massachusetts have already legalized same-sex marriage, leaving four states for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) to target.
Continue...
Is Playboy Marketing to Children?
by Marcia Segelstein
According to LifeSiteNews, members of the Scottish Parliament are calling for an investigation into whether Playboy is marketing sexually-themed products to young children. Some of the products in question include sexually themed children’s T-shirts, animal-print high-heeled slippers for babies, and pink pencil cases with the Playboy logo on them.Playboy denies that the merchandise was intended for children, according to the BBC.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=385924
According to LifeSiteNews, members of the Scottish Parliament are calling for an investigation into whether Playboy is marketing sexually-themed products to young children. Some of the products in question include sexually themed children’s T-shirts, animal-print high-heeled slippers for babies, and pink pencil cases with the Playboy logo on them.Playboy denies that the merchandise was intended for children, according to the BBC.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=385924
'Safe-sex' ed not working - abstinence ed necessary
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/15/2009
A pro-family advocate says a recent study on teen births in the U.S. makes the case for more abstinence education.
The latest Centers for Disease Control study on teen birth rates in the U.S. showed a slight uptick for the year 2006. Mississippi led the nation in the percentage of teens giving birth, while New Hampshire had the fewest.
Continue...
A pro-family advocate says a recent study on teen births in the U.S. makes the case for more abstinence education.
The latest Centers for Disease Control study on teen birth rates in the U.S. showed a slight uptick for the year 2006. Mississippi led the nation in the percentage of teens giving birth, while New Hampshire had the fewest.
Continue...
Hate crimes showdown looming in PA
Allie Martin - OneNewsNow - 1/15/2009
Pro-family activists in Pennsylvania are gearing up for a showdown over hate crimes legislation. Although the Pennsylvania state legislature has not convened, at least one state senator has asked colleagues to pass a hate crimes law with the addition of sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, and mental and physical disability language.
Continue...
Pro-family activists in Pennsylvania are gearing up for a showdown over hate crimes legislation. Although the Pennsylvania state legislature has not convened, at least one state senator has asked colleagues to pass a hate crimes law with the addition of sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, and mental and physical disability language.
Continue...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
What Children Really Need
by Marcia Segelstein
In case you missed it, there’s a study out confirming what may seem like basic common sense.
Children raised by both biological or adoptive parents, and who attend religious services on a regular basis, have fewer behavior problems, better social development, demonstrate more respect for teachers and other adults, get along better with other kids, show an understanding of other people’s feelings, and are better at resolving conflicts with family and friends.
Continue...
In case you missed it, there’s a study out confirming what may seem like basic common sense.
Children raised by both biological or adoptive parents, and who attend religious services on a regular basis, have fewer behavior problems, better social development, demonstrate more respect for teachers and other adults, get along better with other kids, show an understanding of other people’s feelings, and are better at resolving conflicts with family and friends.
Continue...
Abortion mill 'sting' illuminates misdeeds
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/14/2009
More information is surfacing about potentially illegal activities of well-known Wichita, Kansas, late-term abortionist George Tiller.
In Kansas, late-term abortions are illegal except under certain limited circumstances. Operation Rescue president Troy Newman notes that abortions are legal up to 24 weeks gestation. However, an investigation at Women's Health Care Services in Wichita reveals Tiller's employees could be manipulating the numbers.
Continue...
More information is surfacing about potentially illegal activities of well-known Wichita, Kansas, late-term abortionist George Tiller.
In Kansas, late-term abortions are illegal except under certain limited circumstances. Operation Rescue president Troy Newman notes that abortions are legal up to 24 weeks gestation. However, an investigation at Women's Health Care Services in Wichita reveals Tiller's employees could be manipulating the numbers.
Continue...
ACLU: No contraception? No federal dollars...
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/14/2009
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent the use of federal funds for religious and pro-life organizations that help victims of sexual trafficking.
According to an ACLU news release, the lawsuit was filed to ensure that groups or ministries who help victims of human and sex trafficking can provide a so-called "full range of needed services," including birth-control pills and other forms of contraception, the "morning-after pill," and abortion.
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The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent the use of federal funds for religious and pro-life organizations that help victims of sexual trafficking.
According to an ACLU news release, the lawsuit was filed to ensure that groups or ministries who help victims of human and sex trafficking can provide a so-called "full range of needed services," including birth-control pills and other forms of contraception, the "morning-after pill," and abortion.
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Is parental authority on the U.N. chopping block?
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/14/2009
The chancellor of Patrick Henry College is warning parents about a dangerous United Nations treaty.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child was established about 20 years ago. Although the U.S. has signed the treaty, it has not been ratified according to Constitutional mandate. Michael Farris, chancellor of Patrick Henry College, says if the treaty is ratified during the Obama administration, it would override all state laws regarding parental rights.
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The chancellor of Patrick Henry College is warning parents about a dangerous United Nations treaty.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child was established about 20 years ago. Although the U.S. has signed the treaty, it has not been ratified according to Constitutional mandate. Michael Farris, chancellor of Patrick Henry College, says if the treaty is ratified during the Obama administration, it would override all state laws regarding parental rights.
Continue...
A porn industry bailout? It's laughable...
Charlie Butts and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/14/2009
A requested $5-billion bailout for the pornography industry is likely a joke, says one pro-family leader.
Several news outlets reported last week that pornographers Larry Flynt (Hustler) and Joe Francis (Girls Gone Wild) stated their intentions to ask Congress for a $5 billion bailout of the "adult entertainment" industry.
Continue...
A requested $5-billion bailout for the pornography industry is likely a joke, says one pro-family leader.
Several news outlets reported last week that pornographers Larry Flynt (Hustler) and Joe Francis (Girls Gone Wild) stated their intentions to ask Congress for a $5 billion bailout of the "adult entertainment" industry.
Continue...
Gays in the military
by Sheila Liaugminas
The question came up at the early presidential debates last year during the campaign season, those somber moderators like Wolf Blitzer asking the lineup of candidates on stage to raise their hands if they support ‘gays openly serving in the military.’ Here’s what I don’t get…
Seriously considering the issue, with all due respect to all human beings no matter what their race, ethnicity, religion or orientation, I’m wondering why the ‘openly’ part of this activism. People serving together in all sorts of places have, in their private lives, their own particular manner of expressing their sexuality. Why are service members who have same-sex attraction demanding the ability to lead with their sexuality in daily social interactions and be defined by it, as opposed to who they are as a person?
Continue...
The question came up at the early presidential debates last year during the campaign season, those somber moderators like Wolf Blitzer asking the lineup of candidates on stage to raise their hands if they support ‘gays openly serving in the military.’ Here’s what I don’t get…
Seriously considering the issue, with all due respect to all human beings no matter what their race, ethnicity, religion or orientation, I’m wondering why the ‘openly’ part of this activism. People serving together in all sorts of places have, in their private lives, their own particular manner of expressing their sexuality. Why are service members who have same-sex attraction demanding the ability to lead with their sexuality in daily social interactions and be defined by it, as opposed to who they are as a person?
Continue...
Peddling death by all means
by Sheila Liaugminas
We aren’t paying enough attention, as a society, to the creeping threat of euthanasia.
Of course there are people and organizations heroically devoted to the dignity and civil rights of all human beings, but the public generally pays little to no attention to stories (even startling ones) unless they burst onto the nation’s consciousness because even the media can’t ignore them eventually. Like the Terri Schiavo ordeal, which is still largely misunderstood because the complicit mainstream media misreported it all along (except for one or two big name news folks).
Continue...
We aren’t paying enough attention, as a society, to the creeping threat of euthanasia.
Of course there are people and organizations heroically devoted to the dignity and civil rights of all human beings, but the public generally pays little to no attention to stories (even startling ones) unless they burst onto the nation’s consciousness because even the media can’t ignore them eventually. Like the Terri Schiavo ordeal, which is still largely misunderstood because the complicit mainstream media misreported it all along (except for one or two big name news folks).
Continue...
If doctors who won't kill are 'wicked,' the world is sick
by Licia Corbella
When doctors are called "wicked" for not killing patients, something is amiss.
Talk about Orwellian. A woman described as a "leading expert in ethics" has declared that doctors who refuse to kill their patients are "genuinely wicked." I'm not making this up.
Continue...
When doctors are called "wicked" for not killing patients, something is amiss.
Talk about Orwellian. A woman described as a "leading expert in ethics" has declared that doctors who refuse to kill their patients are "genuinely wicked." I'm not making this up.
Continue...
Merck to focus on 'non-ethical' vaccines
Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper - OneNewsNow - 1/13/2009
Pharmaceutical giant Merck has decided to produce vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella that only use cells from aborted babies.
According to LifeNews.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has halted production of its monovalent vaccines, which only accounts for two percent of the total sales but are also important to pro-lifers because they are made from animal cells instead of aborted baby cells. The company announced it will focus instead on MMR11 vaccines, which account for 98 percent of the sales but are produced from "aborted fetal cell lines."
Continue...
Pharmaceutical giant Merck has decided to produce vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella that only use cells from aborted babies.
According to LifeNews.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has halted production of its monovalent vaccines, which only accounts for two percent of the total sales but are also important to pro-lifers because they are made from animal cells instead of aborted baby cells. The company announced it will focus instead on MMR11 vaccines, which account for 98 percent of the sales but are produced from "aborted fetal cell lines."
Continue...
Short gain = more spousal benefits for same-sex couples
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/13/2009
A spokesman for the Family Research Council warns that a new law signed by President Bush last month erodes the notion that marriage is a "unique" relationship in American society.
The homosexual activist group Human Rights Campaign is "hailing" President Bush's decision to sign the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008. One provision of the measure, signed into law by Bush on December 23, makes it easier for homosexuals to leave their retirement savings to their same-sex partner in the event of their death, without the partner having to pay a tax penalty.
Continue....
A spokesman for the Family Research Council warns that a new law signed by President Bush last month erodes the notion that marriage is a "unique" relationship in American society.
The homosexual activist group Human Rights Campaign is "hailing" President Bush's decision to sign the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008. One provision of the measure, signed into law by Bush on December 23, makes it easier for homosexuals to leave their retirement savings to their same-sex partner in the event of their death, without the partner having to pay a tax penalty.
Continue....
Google to China: 'We're sorry for the porn'
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/13/2009
The Internet search engine Google has bowed to China's demand that it clean up its act.
Google and other major Internet sites were threatened by China because of the proliferation of pornography. But Pat Trueman of Alliance Defense Fund reports Google formally apologized.
Continue...
The Internet search engine Google has bowed to China's demand that it clean up its act.
Google and other major Internet sites were threatened by China because of the proliferation of pornography. But Pat Trueman of Alliance Defense Fund reports Google formally apologized.
Continue...
A nice note for Dr. Morse
"Having Dr. Roback-Morse speak at the University of Colorado was a great boon for faculty, staff and students. Approaching feminism from a different perspective certainly made them think, surprising them with her depth of thought and the greatness of the Christian understanding of femininity, sexuality and the modern world. We are very grateful for her presence and excellent presentation. We look forward to having her back!"
-Father Kevin R. Augustyn
Director of Catholic Campus Ministry
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center
Boulder, Colorado
-Father Kevin R. Augustyn
Director of Catholic Campus Ministry
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center
Boulder, Colorado
CCWF Conference Keeping Women Healthy in the Reproductive Years
January 31, 2009
Continuing Education for Health Care Professionals and Other Interested Public
California Catholic Women’s Forum Presents Keeping Women Healthy in the Reproductive Years
California Catholic Women’s Forum CCWF is a non-profit 501 c 3 organization offering educational opportunities and resources on gender-specific issues affecting women.
Questions about CCWF? Contact Michele Coldiron at mcoldiron@ccwf.org or 650-814-1995 www.ccwf.org
Continuing Education for Health Care Professionals and Other Interested Public
California Catholic Women’s Forum Presents Keeping Women Healthy in the Reproductive Years
California Catholic Women’s Forum CCWF is a non-profit 501 c 3 organization offering educational opportunities and resources on gender-specific issues affecting women.
Questions about CCWF? Contact Michele Coldiron at mcoldiron@ccwf.org or 650-814-1995 www.ccwf.org
More taxpayer money for abortions?
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/12/2009
Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) wants to put more money into the pockets of Planned Parenthood.
The Senate majority leader has introduced "The Prevention First Act" -- a measure that would provide billions of taxpayer dollars in part to promote abortion. Jim Sedlak of American Life League reports a large slice of the pie would go to Planned Parenthood -- and the bill would do other things, he adds.
Continue....
Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) wants to put more money into the pockets of Planned Parenthood.
The Senate majority leader has introduced "The Prevention First Act" -- a measure that would provide billions of taxpayer dollars in part to promote abortion. Jim Sedlak of American Life League reports a large slice of the pie would go to Planned Parenthood -- and the bill would do other things, he adds.
Continue....
Hospital could force staff to 'dismember preborn babies'
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/11/2009
A legal alliance of Christian attorneys is taking University of Wisconsin hospitals to task on second-trimester abortions.
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Matt Bowman has sent a letter to officials at the hospitals and clinics about implementing a secret and potentially illegal plan to perform the abortions with a jointly-operated clinic. "In Wisconsin there's a plan to take a legitimate medical facility and impose upon it -- by its leadership at the University of Wisconsin -- late-term, second-trimester abortions," he explains, "and pro-life health professionals at the facility who object are in danger of being required to participate in some way."
Continue...
A legal alliance of Christian attorneys is taking University of Wisconsin hospitals to task on second-trimester abortions.
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Matt Bowman has sent a letter to officials at the hospitals and clinics about implementing a secret and potentially illegal plan to perform the abortions with a jointly-operated clinic. "In Wisconsin there's a plan to take a legitimate medical facility and impose upon it -- by its leadership at the University of Wisconsin -- late-term, second-trimester abortions," he explains, "and pro-life health professionals at the facility who object are in danger of being required to participate in some way."
Continue...
Forced abortions - America's secret epidemic
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/11/2009
The Elliot Institute has released a report that exposes America's forced abortion epidemic.
Elliot Institute spokesperson Amy Solby tells OneNewsNow that one study found 64 percent of women who had abortions reported they felt pressured to abort by others. "Something like 80 percent of them said that they didn't get the counseling they needed to make a good decision, that often they were not given counseling at all, or that the counseling they had was inadequate," she explains.
Continue...
The Elliot Institute has released a report that exposes America's forced abortion epidemic.
Elliot Institute spokesperson Amy Solby tells OneNewsNow that one study found 64 percent of women who had abortions reported they felt pressured to abort by others. "Something like 80 percent of them said that they didn't get the counseling they needed to make a good decision, that often they were not given counseling at all, or that the counseling they had was inadequate," she explains.
Continue...
Retirement Home Loses Funding For Refusing Sexual Questions
A retirement home for British Christian missionaries in the U.K. is facing a funding cut because residents refused to answer questions about their "sexual orientation" on a government form. See LifeSite News.
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14th Amendment - no need for hate crimes legislation
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/10/2009
A Christian attorney says the hate crimes legislation that's been introduced in the U.S. House is entirely unnecessary.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) has reintroduced a bill that would expand the federal hate crime statute to include crimes motivated by bias against a person's sexual orientation or gender. The measure has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It passed the House in 2007, but Democrats failed to garner enough support for Senate approval and faced the threat of a veto by President Bush. Now, their prospects are brighter with a larger majority in both houses of Congress and Barack Obama in the White House.
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A Christian attorney says the hate crimes legislation that's been introduced in the U.S. House is entirely unnecessary.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) has reintroduced a bill that would expand the federal hate crime statute to include crimes motivated by bias against a person's sexual orientation or gender. The measure has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It passed the House in 2007, but Democrats failed to garner enough support for Senate approval and faced the threat of a veto by President Bush. Now, their prospects are brighter with a larger majority in both houses of Congress and Barack Obama in the White House.
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Prop. 8's ripple effect - Christians still
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/10/2009
In the aftermath of Proposition 8's victory in California, many violent incidents have been directed at Christians. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League tells OneNewsNow about the latest act of vandalism -- this time in San Francisco. "Gays trashed a Catholic Church in the Castro district, which is the gay community, by putting swastikas on the church with the name of the pope and the archbishop from San Francisco," he explains. "All done to protest the church's rejection of gay marriage."
Continue...
In the aftermath of Proposition 8's victory in California, many violent incidents have been directed at Christians. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League tells OneNewsNow about the latest act of vandalism -- this time in San Francisco. "Gays trashed a Catholic Church in the Castro district, which is the gay community, by putting swastikas on the church with the name of the pope and the archbishop from San Francisco," he explains. "All done to protest the church's rejection of gay marriage."
Continue...
A creation myth for the 21st century
By Lea Singh
Did anyone ever ask IVF children whether they wanted to go through life as genetic orphans?
This month, a court in British Columbia, Canada is expected to certify an important class action that was launched near the end of last year by a gutsy 26-year-old journalist. Her name is Olivia Pratten, and her lawsuit is likely to become a major thorn in the side of the booming fertility industry. Olivia was conceived with the sperm of an anonymous donor, and she is supposed to not care about her genetic origins -- after all, she was wanted and loved by her "intended" parents. But Olivia compares herself to adopted children, and like them, she wants the law to recognize her right to information about her biological parent.
Continue...
Did anyone ever ask IVF children whether they wanted to go through life as genetic orphans?
This month, a court in British Columbia, Canada is expected to certify an important class action that was launched near the end of last year by a gutsy 26-year-old journalist. Her name is Olivia Pratten, and her lawsuit is likely to become a major thorn in the side of the booming fertility industry. Olivia was conceived with the sperm of an anonymous donor, and she is supposed to not care about her genetic origins -- after all, she was wanted and loved by her "intended" parents. But Olivia compares herself to adopted children, and like them, she wants the law to recognize her right to information about her biological parent.
Continue...
Friday, January 09, 2009
Encouraging Larger Families
Our Ruth Youth video contest has been completed, and the winners will be announced soon. Check out the Ruth Institute site to see the videos. Congratulations to the winners of the cash prizes!
Advanced Paternal Age and Autism
An on-line friend has been compiling research and references on the impact of advance paternal age on children. There is evidence that older fathers are statistically more likely to have children with conditions such as schizophrenia and autism. I have alluded briefly to this research in some of my speeches and articles, such as this one.
This compilation of research runs to 223 pages. If anyone is interested in having this report, I will gladly forward it along to you.
This compilation of research runs to 223 pages. If anyone is interested in having this report, I will gladly forward it along to you.
Abstinence - more than just a pledge
Allie Mohler - OneNewsNow - 1/9/2009
A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention is speaking out about a recent study that said teenagers who take abstinence pledges are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who don't take such pledges.
Late last month, the federal government released the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which surveyed around 11,000 students in grades 7-12 over a period of years. According to the study, researchers found that more than half of the young people became sexually active before marriage, regardless of whether they had taken an abstinence pledge.
Continue...
A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention is speaking out about a recent study that said teenagers who take abstinence pledges are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who don't take such pledges.
Late last month, the federal government released the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which surveyed around 11,000 students in grades 7-12 over a period of years. According to the study, researchers found that more than half of the young people became sexually active before marriage, regardless of whether they had taken an abstinence pledge.
Continue...
Home-school protections in Idaho's plans
Pete Chagnon and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/9/2009
Idaho lawmakers will be considering a bill in 2009 that will give home schoolers legal protection.
Under current Idaho law, home schoolers have some shelter under the state's compulsory attendance law, which says children between the ages of 7 and 16 must be enrolled in public, private, or parochial schools unless their parents are providing "other comparable instruction." While Idaho's courts have understood that to include the right to home education, recent rulings around the country indicate that judges' perspectives can change over time.
Continue...
Idaho lawmakers will be considering a bill in 2009 that will give home schoolers legal protection.
Under current Idaho law, home schoolers have some shelter under the state's compulsory attendance law, which says children between the ages of 7 and 16 must be enrolled in public, private, or parochial schools unless their parents are providing "other comparable instruction." While Idaho's courts have understood that to include the right to home education, recent rulings around the country indicate that judges' perspectives can change over time.
Continue...
Valuing 'the wonder of life' inside the classroom
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/9/2009
A nonprofit organization is helping teachers advance the pro-life cause in the classroom.
The goal of Teachers Saving Children, Inc., is to help pro-life educators, both private and public, establish a respect for human life in the classroom and in professional educator's organizations. Connie Bancroft, the executive director, says the organization is run by a volunteer force.
Continue...
A nonprofit organization is helping teachers advance the pro-life cause in the classroom.
The goal of Teachers Saving Children, Inc., is to help pro-life educators, both private and public, establish a respect for human life in the classroom and in professional educator's organizations. Connie Bancroft, the executive director, says the organization is run by a volunteer force.
Continue...
Nebraska hopes to pursue abortion ban in near future
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/9/2009
According to a survey, Nebraska may be one of the most pro-life states in the nation.
An Associated Press survey of lawmakers in that state shows significant strength for the pro-life cause. The survey asked if the state should prohibit all abortions with the exception of saving the mother's life or a pregnancy caused by incest or rape. Twenty-three senators responded they would back a ban of most abortions, while four said they would not, and three were unsure.
Continue...
According to a survey, Nebraska may be one of the most pro-life states in the nation.
An Associated Press survey of lawmakers in that state shows significant strength for the pro-life cause. The survey asked if the state should prohibit all abortions with the exception of saving the mother's life or a pregnancy caused by incest or rape. Twenty-three senators responded they would back a ban of most abortions, while four said they would not, and three were unsure.
Continue...
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Pill inventor slams ... pill
Eighty five year old Carl Djerassi the Austrian chemist who helped invent the contraceptive pill now says that his co-creation has led to a "demographic catastrophe."
In an article published by the Vatican this week, the head of the world's Catholic doctors broadened the attack on the pill, claiming it had also brought "devastating ecological effects" by releasing into the environment "tonnes of hormones" that had impaired male fertility, The Taiwan Times says.
The assault began with a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard by Carl Djerassi. The Austrian chemist was one of three whose formulation of the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone marked a key step toward the earliest oral contraceptive pill.
Read the rest of this article here.
In an article published by the Vatican this week, the head of the world's Catholic doctors broadened the attack on the pill, claiming it had also brought "devastating ecological effects" by releasing into the environment "tonnes of hormones" that had impaired male fertility, The Taiwan Times says.
The assault began with a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard by Carl Djerassi. The Austrian chemist was one of three whose formulation of the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone marked a key step toward the earliest oral contraceptive pill.
Read the rest of this article here.
What do experts on gay parenting say? You’d be surprised.
by David Benkof
There’s more evidence that children need both a mother and a father whenever possible in an unexpected source: gay parenting manuals. These are the experts at gays and lesbians raising children, and several of them acknowledge that when children have two Moms or two Dads, they miss having a parent of the other sex. Some examples:
• The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook says some children accept their lesbian or gay parents, but “some children do express an intense longing for the other biological parent, talking about it frequently and emotionally…. Adolescents take particular interest in both their heredity and in gender-specific role models.”
The Lesbian Parenting Book says “It is very normal for children to long about and ask for a father…. It is natural to feel defensive when your child longs for a father. We encourage you to remain patient while she asks questions, sorts out information and comes to terms without knowing her father’s identity, or not having her biological father in her life. She needs to do it…. [Artificially Inseminated] children of lesbian parents may grieve never knowing their biological father.”
Read the rest of this article here.
There’s more evidence that children need both a mother and a father whenever possible in an unexpected source: gay parenting manuals. These are the experts at gays and lesbians raising children, and several of them acknowledge that when children have two Moms or two Dads, they miss having a parent of the other sex. Some examples:
• The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook says some children accept their lesbian or gay parents, but “some children do express an intense longing for the other biological parent, talking about it frequently and emotionally…. Adolescents take particular interest in both their heredity and in gender-specific role models.”
The Lesbian Parenting Book says “It is very normal for children to long about and ask for a father…. It is natural to feel defensive when your child longs for a father. We encourage you to remain patient while she asks questions, sorts out information and comes to terms without knowing her father’s identity, or not having her biological father in her life. She needs to do it…. [Artificially Inseminated] children of lesbian parents may grieve never knowing their biological father.”
Read the rest of this article here.
Economy goes down, abortion goes up
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/8/2009
The downtrodden economy may be taking a toll on the unborn.
One Planned Parenthood clinic alone, located in Fresno, California, reports a tripling of abortions since the economic downturn began. Peggy Hartshorn of Heartbeat International finds that statistic unfortunate because, as she points out, there are reasonable alternatives -- such as adoption.
"Unfortunately, a lot of women don't know that, and when they go to an abortion clinic -- particularly to a Planned Parenthood or other so-called 'family planning' organization -- if they have a crisis pregnancy, often they are not told of the alternatives," she points out.
Hartshorn points out Heartbeat International represents about half of the pro-life counseling services in the United States and can provide practical, Christian-based assistance. "We're available with our option line 24/7 -- a toll free number 1-800-395-HELP [and] with a website that's OptionLine.org."
Heartbeat International, according to Hartshorn, will help work out a plan to save the life of the baby and spare the mother of the proven emotional consequences of abortion.
The downtrodden economy may be taking a toll on the unborn.
One Planned Parenthood clinic alone, located in Fresno, California, reports a tripling of abortions since the economic downturn began. Peggy Hartshorn of Heartbeat International finds that statistic unfortunate because, as she points out, there are reasonable alternatives -- such as adoption.
"Unfortunately, a lot of women don't know that, and when they go to an abortion clinic -- particularly to a Planned Parenthood or other so-called 'family planning' organization -- if they have a crisis pregnancy, often they are not told of the alternatives," she points out.
Hartshorn points out Heartbeat International represents about half of the pro-life counseling services in the United States and can provide practical, Christian-based assistance. "We're available with our option line 24/7 -- a toll free number 1-800-395-HELP [and] with a website that's OptionLine.org."
Heartbeat International, according to Hartshorn, will help work out a plan to save the life of the baby and spare the mother of the proven emotional consequences of abortion.
Feminists worldwide promoting 'sexual genocide'
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/8/2009
Sex-selective abortion is rampant in many countries and continues to grow.
According to a publication in Orissa, the female sex ratio in India alone is at an all-time low. Steven Mosher heads the Population Research Institute, which monitors abortion internationally. "This is done in India in epidemic proportions. It's done in China," he notes. "It's done in many, many of the civilizations of East Asia and Southeast Asia."
Mosher contends it has been a losing situation for female children for centuries. However, he says the rise of Christianity has actually helped females, not hurt them, because the Bible recognizes them as having souls and also as the pinnacle of God's creation in Genesis 2.
Read the rest of this article here.
Sex-selective abortion is rampant in many countries and continues to grow.
According to a publication in Orissa, the female sex ratio in India alone is at an all-time low. Steven Mosher heads the Population Research Institute, which monitors abortion internationally. "This is done in India in epidemic proportions. It's done in China," he notes. "It's done in many, many of the civilizations of East Asia and Southeast Asia."
Mosher contends it has been a losing situation for female children for centuries. However, he says the rise of Christianity has actually helped females, not hurt them, because the Bible recognizes them as having souls and also as the pinnacle of God's creation in Genesis 2.
Read the rest of this article here.
Homosexuals immune to Mass. budget cuts
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/8/2009
A pro-family advocate says budget cuts are coming for Massachusetts schools, but programs aimed at promoting homosexuality need not worry.
Many states across the U.S. are facing budget deficits, and Massachusetts is not immune. Governor Deval Patrick and state lawmakers have already slashed millions from the budget, but more cuts are on the way.
Brian Camenker of MassResistance says more than 1,000 state jobs as well as public school funding have been cut, while mental health facilities have also been closed. However, pro-homosexual programs in Massachusetts' public schools have remained.
Read the rest of this article here.
A pro-family advocate says budget cuts are coming for Massachusetts schools, but programs aimed at promoting homosexuality need not worry.
Many states across the U.S. are facing budget deficits, and Massachusetts is not immune. Governor Deval Patrick and state lawmakers have already slashed millions from the budget, but more cuts are on the way.
Brian Camenker of MassResistance says more than 1,000 state jobs as well as public school funding have been cut, while mental health facilities have also been closed. However, pro-homosexual programs in Massachusetts' public schools have remained.
Read the rest of this article here.
Walking in a demographic winter wonderland
by Jennifer Roback Morse
Why are people averting their eyes from the coming collapse of population growth?
Demographic Winter is an independently produced film describing the consequences of the population collapse of industrialized countries. I have been amazed at the response, or I should say, lack of response to this film. Many of the reviewers either dismissed the thesis of the film, or changed the subject. The lack of serious American attention is surprising, considering that Demographic Winter has been translated in several languages, most recently, Romanian. (Full disclosure: I was interviewed as one of the experts for Part II, as yet to be released.) Commentators Left and Right are wandering through a Demographic Winter Wonderland with their eyes glazed over.
The film argues that falling population will mean a diminished quality of life for the aging generation and for future generations. For instance, pensions, both private and public, have to be paid for. When the retired population is too high relative to the working population, paying the promised pensions becomes an enormous burden. Either the young pay crushing taxes, or the elderly will not get what they expected, or both.
Consumer spending keeps the economy humming and the stock market climbing. When population shrinks, the demand for goods and services of all kinds shrinks. Harry Dent, one of the experts interviewed on the film, is an investment advisor. He discovered the significance of population growth by accident. He had a chart showing birth rates over a hundred year period on his desk next to a chart showing the stock market over the same period. He laid them over each other and realized that the stock market tracks birth rates with about a 40 year lag. That is because people spend the most money in their 40s. They buy the biggest house they’ll ever have; they feed, clothe and educate their children; they buy cars and vacations.
Read the rest of this article here.
Why are people averting their eyes from the coming collapse of population growth?
Demographic Winter is an independently produced film describing the consequences of the population collapse of industrialized countries. I have been amazed at the response, or I should say, lack of response to this film. Many of the reviewers either dismissed the thesis of the film, or changed the subject. The lack of serious American attention is surprising, considering that Demographic Winter has been translated in several languages, most recently, Romanian. (Full disclosure: I was interviewed as one of the experts for Part II, as yet to be released.) Commentators Left and Right are wandering through a Demographic Winter Wonderland with their eyes glazed over.
The film argues that falling population will mean a diminished quality of life for the aging generation and for future generations. For instance, pensions, both private and public, have to be paid for. When the retired population is too high relative to the working population, paying the promised pensions becomes an enormous burden. Either the young pay crushing taxes, or the elderly will not get what they expected, or both.
Consumer spending keeps the economy humming and the stock market climbing. When population shrinks, the demand for goods and services of all kinds shrinks. Harry Dent, one of the experts interviewed on the film, is an investment advisor. He discovered the significance of population growth by accident. He had a chart showing birth rates over a hundred year period on his desk next to a chart showing the stock market over the same period. He laid them over each other and realized that the stock market tracks birth rates with about a 40 year lag. That is because people spend the most money in their 40s. They buy the biggest house they’ll ever have; they feed, clothe and educate their children; they buy cars and vacations.
Read the rest of this article here.
Soldiers say they'd leave military if 'gay' ban lifted
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 1/7/2009
A conservative military watchdog is very concerned about a recent survey of military personnel that indicates a significant number of service members might leave the all-volunteer force if the ban on open homosexuals in the military is lifted.
The annual survey was conducted by the Military Times, which once again asked active duty personnel if they oppose the effort led by Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-California) to repeal the 1993 law -- Section 654, Title 10 -- which clearly states that open homosexuals are not allowed in the military.
Approximately 58 percent of the respondents indicated that they were in favor of continuing the ban. But Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, is more astonished at the response to a question that had never been asked on that survey before.
"In essence, what would you do if the law is repealed?" she relates that question. "The Military Times found that 10 percent of respondents said they would leave the military, and an additional 14 percent said they would consider ending their careers," she points out. "Now, even if half of those numbers turned out to be an accurate prediction, that would be devastating to our volunteer force. It would pretty much destroy the military as we know it."
She believes those who might consider leaving have legitimate concerns if the law is repealed. "The new policy would be forced co-habitation with homosexuals 24-7 in all military communities," Donnelly adds. "Corollary programs to make the program work would include professional diversity training to enforce acceptance and zero tolerance of anyone who disagrees."
Donnelly expects Tauscher to reintroduce the repeal legislation within the next several weeks.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=375472
A conservative military watchdog is very concerned about a recent survey of military personnel that indicates a significant number of service members might leave the all-volunteer force if the ban on open homosexuals in the military is lifted.
The annual survey was conducted by the Military Times, which once again asked active duty personnel if they oppose the effort led by Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-California) to repeal the 1993 law -- Section 654, Title 10 -- which clearly states that open homosexuals are not allowed in the military.
Approximately 58 percent of the respondents indicated that they were in favor of continuing the ban. But Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, is more astonished at the response to a question that had never been asked on that survey before.
"In essence, what would you do if the law is repealed?" she relates that question. "The Military Times found that 10 percent of respondents said they would leave the military, and an additional 14 percent said they would consider ending their careers," she points out. "Now, even if half of those numbers turned out to be an accurate prediction, that would be devastating to our volunteer force. It would pretty much destroy the military as we know it."
She believes those who might consider leaving have legitimate concerns if the law is repealed. "The new policy would be forced co-habitation with homosexuals 24-7 in all military communities," Donnelly adds. "Corollary programs to make the program work would include professional diversity training to enforce acceptance and zero tolerance of anyone who disagrees."
Donnelly expects Tauscher to reintroduce the repeal legislation within the next several weeks.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=375472
Planned Parenthood Covers Up Ohio Incest
From OneNewsNow.com.
According to a press release from the Idaho Values Alliance, Julia Piercey, who served as the Director of Education and Training for Boise's Planned Parenthood (PP) affiliate, will be named as a defendant in a civil suit against PP. Ms. Piercey allegedly broke Ohio state law by refusing to report the sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl at the hands of her own father.
The complaint alleges that:
Ms. Fairbanks' father had not only abused her since she was 13, he got her pregnant at age 16, at which point he brought her to the Planned Parenthood affiliate in Cincinnate where Ms. Piercey, as the Vice President of Education and Training, was in charge of training Planned Parenthood's employees. She was responsible to ensure that they understood their legal duty to report knowledge or suspicion of the sexual abuse of minors.
Alarmingly, a note in Ms. Piercey’s own handwriting reveals that Planned Parenthood had adopted a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy with regard to the sexual abuse of minors.
Despite the fact that Ms. Fairbanks informed Planned Parenthood’s staff that she had been forced to engage in sexual acts, Planned Parenthood staff did not report the suspected abuse to law enforcement officials, as they were required to do under Ohio law.
Since the Southwest Ohio PP went ahead and performed the abortion requested by Ms. Fairbanks' father to cover up his crime, and did not report the abuse of Ms. Fairbanks' to authorities, the incest continued. In fact, Ms. Fairbanks' continued to be abused for another year and a half. It was stopped only when Ms. Fairbanks' confided in her future college basketball coach, and he reported the abuse to authorities.
No thanks to Planned Parenthood, the father is now in prison.
Unfortunately, that is not the only case that Ms. Piercey's clinic covered up. In another similar situation, a 21-year-old soccer coach started a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl on his team, impregnated her, and took her to the same clinic for an abortion. He claimed to be her brother (despite a different last name) and paid for the abortion using a credit card. PP never even bothered to verify whether or not her parents had given consent to the abortion or tried to find out how old the girl's sexual partner was.
Eventually the coach was found out and spent three years in prison for sexual battery - again with no thanks to PP.
Amazingly enough, Ms. Piercey's clinic did not report a single instance of suspected sexual abuse from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2004. The latter case is tied up in court right now because PP is resisting requests to divulge statistical information on the number of abortions it performs.
The bad news is that Ms. Piercey now serves in that same capacity for the Boise, Idaho, PP affiliate.
There seems to be a pattern of failing to report minor sexual abuse going on here. Bryan Fischer, Executive Director of Idaho Values Alliance, says "It's hard not to suspect that Planned Parenthood avoids reporting requirements for the crassest of reasons: money. Doing abortions on minors is a gravy train for them, and they don't want a little think like obeying the law to interfere with that. If adult perpetrators know they'll get reported, they will be less inclined to bring minors in for abortions. And abortions represent big money for Planned Parenthood."
According to a press release from the Idaho Values Alliance, Julia Piercey, who served as the Director of Education and Training for Boise's Planned Parenthood (PP) affiliate, will be named as a defendant in a civil suit against PP. Ms. Piercey allegedly broke Ohio state law by refusing to report the sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl at the hands of her own father.
The complaint alleges that:
Ms. Fairbanks' father had not only abused her since she was 13, he got her pregnant at age 16, at which point he brought her to the Planned Parenthood affiliate in Cincinnate where Ms. Piercey, as the Vice President of Education and Training, was in charge of training Planned Parenthood's employees. She was responsible to ensure that they understood their legal duty to report knowledge or suspicion of the sexual abuse of minors.
Alarmingly, a note in Ms. Piercey’s own handwriting reveals that Planned Parenthood had adopted a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy with regard to the sexual abuse of minors.
Despite the fact that Ms. Fairbanks informed Planned Parenthood’s staff that she had been forced to engage in sexual acts, Planned Parenthood staff did not report the suspected abuse to law enforcement officials, as they were required to do under Ohio law.
Since the Southwest Ohio PP went ahead and performed the abortion requested by Ms. Fairbanks' father to cover up his crime, and did not report the abuse of Ms. Fairbanks' to authorities, the incest continued. In fact, Ms. Fairbanks' continued to be abused for another year and a half. It was stopped only when Ms. Fairbanks' confided in her future college basketball coach, and he reported the abuse to authorities.
No thanks to Planned Parenthood, the father is now in prison.
Unfortunately, that is not the only case that Ms. Piercey's clinic covered up. In another similar situation, a 21-year-old soccer coach started a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl on his team, impregnated her, and took her to the same clinic for an abortion. He claimed to be her brother (despite a different last name) and paid for the abortion using a credit card. PP never even bothered to verify whether or not her parents had given consent to the abortion or tried to find out how old the girl's sexual partner was.
Eventually the coach was found out and spent three years in prison for sexual battery - again with no thanks to PP.
Amazingly enough, Ms. Piercey's clinic did not report a single instance of suspected sexual abuse from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2004. The latter case is tied up in court right now because PP is resisting requests to divulge statistical information on the number of abortions it performs.
The bad news is that Ms. Piercey now serves in that same capacity for the Boise, Idaho, PP affiliate.
There seems to be a pattern of failing to report minor sexual abuse going on here. Bryan Fischer, Executive Director of Idaho Values Alliance, says "It's hard not to suspect that Planned Parenthood avoids reporting requirements for the crassest of reasons: money. Doing abortions on minors is a gravy train for them, and they don't want a little think like obeying the law to interfere with that. If adult perpetrators know they'll get reported, they will be less inclined to bring minors in for abortions. And abortions represent big money for Planned Parenthood."
Home schooling popular with more and more Americans
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/7/2009
The president of the National Home Education Research Institute says the state of home schooling in the U.S. remains strong.
According to a recent U.S. government report, approximately 1.5 million home schoolers are found in the country today. But Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. estimates that the current figure is something in the range of 2-to-2.5 million. He says there are two key points in his study of the home-school movement -- its rate of growth, and the reasons behind families' decisions to educate children at home.
According to Ray, the home-school movement has enjoyed an eight-percent growth rate over the last several years, and he sees that growth rate increasing over the coming years. Another reason he gives for the future growth of the home-school movement is that the first "major wave" of home-school graduates are now parents, and a good percentage of them are opting to home school their children.
"And a second key point [in my study] would be that the reasons for home schooling are very fundamental; they have not changed for a long time," he shares. "And the growth in home schooling shows that parents are very concerned about the education of their children -- and the Christian community in particular is realizing the 'biblical-ness' of home-based education."
But Ray adds that home schooling is not just a Christian institution. Although 70 to 75 percent of home schoolers are Christian, he points out that Muslims, agnostics, New Agers, and others choose to educate their children at home as well.
In addition to being the president of the National Home Education Research Institute, Ray is also the author of The World-Wide Guide to Home Schooling.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=375476
The president of the National Home Education Research Institute says the state of home schooling in the U.S. remains strong.
According to a recent U.S. government report, approximately 1.5 million home schoolers are found in the country today. But Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. estimates that the current figure is something in the range of 2-to-2.5 million. He says there are two key points in his study of the home-school movement -- its rate of growth, and the reasons behind families' decisions to educate children at home.
According to Ray, the home-school movement has enjoyed an eight-percent growth rate over the last several years, and he sees that growth rate increasing over the coming years. Another reason he gives for the future growth of the home-school movement is that the first "major wave" of home-school graduates are now parents, and a good percentage of them are opting to home school their children.
"And a second key point [in my study] would be that the reasons for home schooling are very fundamental; they have not changed for a long time," he shares. "And the growth in home schooling shows that parents are very concerned about the education of their children -- and the Christian community in particular is realizing the 'biblical-ness' of home-based education."
But Ray adds that home schooling is not just a Christian institution. Although 70 to 75 percent of home schoolers are Christian, he points out that Muslims, agnostics, New Agers, and others choose to educate their children at home as well.
In addition to being the president of the National Home Education Research Institute, Ray is also the author of The World-Wide Guide to Home Schooling.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=375476
ACLU challenges Arkansas adoption law
Charlie Butts and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/7/2009
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit to challenge a new Arkansas law that prevents unmarried couples who live together from being adoptive or foster parents. Act 1 -- approved by Arkansas voters in November -- limits adoptions to married couples, effectively barring singles, unmarried heterosexual partners, and homosexuals from adopting children. Jerry Cox of the Family Council Action Committee of Arkansas expected the lawsuit but believes the amendment is in the best interest of the children.
"Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist or social scientist to know that the best place for a child to grow up is in a home with a married mother and father -- a stable home like that," he points out. "Anything that departs from that moves in the wrong direction. We all know that."
According to The Associated Press, nearly 30 adults are plaintiffs in the ACLU suit, including a grandmother who has cohabitated with her same-sex partner for nearly a decade and is the only relative willing and able to adopt her grandchild. The state of Arkansas now has control of the child's future. In another case, a woman who wants to be a foster or adoptive parent cannot because she is not married to the man with whom she has lived for five years. The ACLU argues that in such situations the new law denies many Arkansas children a "chance at the largest possible pool of potential foster and adoptive homes."
But Cox believes the lawsuit promotes the homosexual agenda at the expense of the children. "This measure is not about the rights of adults," he contends. "It's about the welfare of children and the rights of children to be brought up in a good, stable home."
The ACLU argues that the law discriminates against homosexuals who cannot legally marry in Arkansas. However, Cox says it affects heterosexuals and homosexuals equally. He adds that he is confident the lawsuit will fail and Act 1 will "remain on the books." The new law went into effect on January 1.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=374230
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit to challenge a new Arkansas law that prevents unmarried couples who live together from being adoptive or foster parents. Act 1 -- approved by Arkansas voters in November -- limits adoptions to married couples, effectively barring singles, unmarried heterosexual partners, and homosexuals from adopting children. Jerry Cox of the Family Council Action Committee of Arkansas expected the lawsuit but believes the amendment is in the best interest of the children.
"Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist or social scientist to know that the best place for a child to grow up is in a home with a married mother and father -- a stable home like that," he points out. "Anything that departs from that moves in the wrong direction. We all know that."
According to The Associated Press, nearly 30 adults are plaintiffs in the ACLU suit, including a grandmother who has cohabitated with her same-sex partner for nearly a decade and is the only relative willing and able to adopt her grandchild. The state of Arkansas now has control of the child's future. In another case, a woman who wants to be a foster or adoptive parent cannot because she is not married to the man with whom she has lived for five years. The ACLU argues that in such situations the new law denies many Arkansas children a "chance at the largest possible pool of potential foster and adoptive homes."
But Cox believes the lawsuit promotes the homosexual agenda at the expense of the children. "This measure is not about the rights of adults," he contends. "It's about the welfare of children and the rights of children to be brought up in a good, stable home."
The ACLU argues that the law discriminates against homosexuals who cannot legally marry in Arkansas. However, Cox says it affects heterosexuals and homosexuals equally. He adds that he is confident the lawsuit will fail and Act 1 will "remain on the books." The new law went into effect on January 1.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=374230
Making sure there’s still a choice
by Sheila Liaugminas
President Bush has secured, for now, the rights of health care workers to exercise their conscience in practicing medicine morally, while all around the country liberal activism pushes to allow only one choice: theirs. The right of conscience must be protected if we are not to be a socialist state.
The rules make it so medical centers and staff aren’t forced to do abortions or refer for them.
They provide better enforcement for existing federal laws by potentially revoking federal funding from violators and making them certify in writing that they will respect conscience rights.
But these rights are unacceptable to the ‘choice’ crowd, who want their choice made law.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says he will lead a fight against the federal rule and is expected to file a lawsuit against it.
Though the new regulations have nothing to do with birth control, Blumenthal is echoing the arguments from leading pro-abortion groups who claim its access will be adversely impacted by them.
He said he will resume working with pro-abortion officials in the other states to derail the pro-life protections for medical centers and staff — slated to take effect on January 20.
Of course, that’s inauguration day. So what will happen to conscience clauses after that?
Here’s some cause for concern:
In April 2007, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, along with other pro-abortion legislators, re-introduced what is called the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). Denise Burke, legal counsel for Americans United for Life, describes FOCA as “a radical attempt to enshrine abortion-on-demand into American law.” The National Right to Life Committee describes FOCA as an attempt to “invalidate all limits on abortion.” Barack Obama has pledged his support for FOCA and promised Planned Parenthood that if he was elected president, he would sign FOCA into law if the legislation reached his desk.
Amazingly, many Americans still don’t know about the Freedom of Choice Act, a misnomer to beat them all. Here’s a re-cap…
If abortion is established as a “right” on par with the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, no American citizen will be able to object to any woman’s plan to have an abortion. FOCA puts the “right” to abortion on a collision course with the First Amendment rights of freedom of religion and freedom of speech. As [Denise] Burke states, FOCA is “a radical attempt to prematurely end debate about abortion.” Thus, not only can we expect abortions to increase in this country—despite the fact that abortion proponents often call abortion a “tragedy” and something they would like to see decreased in incidence—but no healthcare provider will be able to conscientiously object to a woman’s request to have an abortion. Healthcare providers, then, will be forced to go against their religious and ethical beliefs, or they will have to leave their professions.
Further likely consequences…
To name a few, FOCA will nullify the legal protections that have been afforded to Catholic hospitals, force all medical students to train to perform abortions, overturn parental notification and informed consent laws, and force American taxpayers to fund abortion, which many find morally objectionable.
Nurse and bioethics expert Nancy Valko, a friend, passed along this letter she sent to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Dear editor, As an RN of almost 40 years experience, I am shocked that a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial (”An unconscionable conscience rule” December 24, 2008) would state that doctors, nurses and pharmacists with ethical objections to participating in certain procedures or treatments just “should choose another profession.” This is not just about abortion. Legalized assisted suicide has just been passed in Washington state in addition to Oregon. Missouri has seen similar efforts. Should we then just choose another state?
And as a recipient of health care for almost 60 years, I am more than nervous about accessing a health care system solely populated by doctors, pharmacists and nurses who are comfortable with ending life.
We have enough problems as it is with medical ethics. We deny conscience rights at our own peril. Sincerely,Nancy Valko, RN
Unlike the citizens of Nazi Germany, who didn’t know the extermination had already started in the hospitals, we have been warned.
http://www.mercatornet.com/sheila_liaugminas/making_sure_theres_still_a_choice/
President Bush has secured, for now, the rights of health care workers to exercise their conscience in practicing medicine morally, while all around the country liberal activism pushes to allow only one choice: theirs. The right of conscience must be protected if we are not to be a socialist state.
The rules make it so medical centers and staff aren’t forced to do abortions or refer for them.
They provide better enforcement for existing federal laws by potentially revoking federal funding from violators and making them certify in writing that they will respect conscience rights.
But these rights are unacceptable to the ‘choice’ crowd, who want their choice made law.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says he will lead a fight against the federal rule and is expected to file a lawsuit against it.
Though the new regulations have nothing to do with birth control, Blumenthal is echoing the arguments from leading pro-abortion groups who claim its access will be adversely impacted by them.
He said he will resume working with pro-abortion officials in the other states to derail the pro-life protections for medical centers and staff — slated to take effect on January 20.
Of course, that’s inauguration day. So what will happen to conscience clauses after that?
Here’s some cause for concern:
In April 2007, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, along with other pro-abortion legislators, re-introduced what is called the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). Denise Burke, legal counsel for Americans United for Life, describes FOCA as “a radical attempt to enshrine abortion-on-demand into American law.” The National Right to Life Committee describes FOCA as an attempt to “invalidate all limits on abortion.” Barack Obama has pledged his support for FOCA and promised Planned Parenthood that if he was elected president, he would sign FOCA into law if the legislation reached his desk.
Amazingly, many Americans still don’t know about the Freedom of Choice Act, a misnomer to beat them all. Here’s a re-cap…
If abortion is established as a “right” on par with the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, no American citizen will be able to object to any woman’s plan to have an abortion. FOCA puts the “right” to abortion on a collision course with the First Amendment rights of freedom of religion and freedom of speech. As [Denise] Burke states, FOCA is “a radical attempt to prematurely end debate about abortion.” Thus, not only can we expect abortions to increase in this country—despite the fact that abortion proponents often call abortion a “tragedy” and something they would like to see decreased in incidence—but no healthcare provider will be able to conscientiously object to a woman’s request to have an abortion. Healthcare providers, then, will be forced to go against their religious and ethical beliefs, or they will have to leave their professions.
Further likely consequences…
To name a few, FOCA will nullify the legal protections that have been afforded to Catholic hospitals, force all medical students to train to perform abortions, overturn parental notification and informed consent laws, and force American taxpayers to fund abortion, which many find morally objectionable.
Nurse and bioethics expert Nancy Valko, a friend, passed along this letter she sent to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Dear editor, As an RN of almost 40 years experience, I am shocked that a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial (”An unconscionable conscience rule” December 24, 2008) would state that doctors, nurses and pharmacists with ethical objections to participating in certain procedures or treatments just “should choose another profession.” This is not just about abortion. Legalized assisted suicide has just been passed in Washington state in addition to Oregon. Missouri has seen similar efforts. Should we then just choose another state?
And as a recipient of health care for almost 60 years, I am more than nervous about accessing a health care system solely populated by doctors, pharmacists and nurses who are comfortable with ending life.
We have enough problems as it is with medical ethics. We deny conscience rights at our own peril. Sincerely,Nancy Valko, RN
Unlike the citizens of Nazi Germany, who didn’t know the extermination had already started in the hospitals, we have been warned.
http://www.mercatornet.com/sheila_liaugminas/making_sure_theres_still_a_choice/
The educational reform we need most
by Kevin Ryan
Smarter teachers? More parental involvement? More computers? Better assessment? Healthier lunches? Nope. Try harder-working kids.
School reform has become a real yawner. Even in the face of falling test scores, the exodus of the best and brightest teachers and employers’ anguished complaints about school graduates, the topic just seems to cause eyes to roll. The school reform debate is a revolving merry-go-round of predictable topics: hire better teachers, get parents more involved, have longer school years, longer school days, year-round schooling, more computers, more assessment, better teacher education. And round and round the arguments go.
Underlying all the reform talk is the educational blame-game. We don’t have the right teachers; get rid of the teachers’ unions; we’re teaching the wrong stuff, it’s a curriculum problem; we don’t have enough computers and technological support; parents are unsupportive and uninvolved; and that the hearty "money" perennial, the public is stingy and trying to do education on-the-cheap. What is missing from discussions of educational reform is the real problem, the elephant in the school house: the kids.
American children are, by and large, a mess. Their embarrassing academic performance in school (i. e., achievement scores in math and science) is only one indicator among many. In a recent survey, 64 percent admitting to cheating and 30 percent to stealing. Boys (35 percent) a little more than girls (26 percent). The same large-scale survey revealed that one in five has stolen from a friend and 23 percent have robbed from their own family! Well over half of our high school seniors are already sexually active, giving the US the highest rates in the developed world of illegitimate births and sexually transmitted diseases. One primary reason why American businesses have gone overseas is that young Americans don’t have a clue about how to put in a day’s work.
Of course, this is not accurate for all American youth. Approximately 15 percent of our children have used their educational opportunities and achieved some resemblance of mature adulthood. They have some semblance of self-discipline and know how to set goals and even how to achieve them. The great majority, however, are unskilled, unmotivated and unready for the harsh economic realities of the 21st Century which are rapidly closing in on them.
Honey, I spoiled the kids
It is, of course, bad form to blame the children. But, let’s face it. They are the ones who don’t do their homework, who have the work ethic of a slug. They are the one who come to school primarily to socialize with their friends, and whose idea of a tough day is when the batteries on their iPod run out. They are the ones whose idea of teacher harassment is being asked a questions, such as, "How come you’re late for class again?" Or worse, being given homework over the weekend. They are the ones whose deepest sense of human injustice is having the privacy to their lockers violated. They are the ones whose life horizon stretches to that blessed day when they get their own wheels. Or, perhaps, to getting away to college where the real party-hearty time begins.
This is not an allegation that our children are born defective. Or that the genetic material we send off to school is somehow substandard. Our homes and schools have pretty much the same stuff to work with as Finnish or Indian or Taiwanese homes and schools. Then why the glaring differences?
The problem is our children are addicted to pleasure. They have become the new Lotus Eaters. Over the last forty years, young Americans have drifted along in a corrupting culture that has made few demands on them. They wallow in a wrap-around world of instant gratification. They have no chores or work at home and no parents teaching them how to self-discipline themselves and how to work. Once they reach the age of, say, twelve or grow over five feet tall, teachers have little or no authority over them. Since school failure has so few consequences, kids can sink to whatever level they choose and still hang around in school to be with their friends.
Americans have evolved a unique children-raising process, based on the pleasure-principle. Parents are eager dispensers of happiness and strain to be their children’s best friends. Teachers have been reduced to nurturing guides, devoid of real clout. This youth culture of low expectations simply isn’t working. Children aren’t built for pleasure. They are built for challenges and growth.
If one thinks that the 21st Century will, indeed, bring on the Age of Aquarius and that America will be leading the world into a renewed Land of Milk and Honey, we can keep on fueling our kids’ pleasure addictions. If we think that the Post WWII era was a unique period of prosperity and now the rest of the world is aggressively competing with us for their share of the pie, then we need to rethink what we are doing with our children.
Parenting vacation time over
If there is one truism about our species, it is that human beings are adaptable to our surroundings. Our cultural surroundings are, however, made, and, as such, they can be unmade. History is filled with accounts of nations picking themselves off the floor and regaining greatness. We can make the culture our children need in order to grow and flourish. The places to start the cultural change are the home and the school.
Parents have to return from their prolonged vacation. We can’t outsource the raising of our children to their peer group, social agencies, or the media. This means a change in parental behavior and a change of goals. It means eyes off the TV and the golf ball and onto the world of our children. We need to reengage with our children on a very basic level, as in "I’m in charge until you are ready to go out on your own."
Once upon a time, before our romantic, progressive ideas about human nature starting dictating our parenting policies, the word "training" was synonymous with being a parent. We looked upon children as young animals needing to be trained how to think and behave. This cultural wisdom was everywhere in phrases like, "As the twig is bent, so the tree inclines." Practically, it means parents demonstrating, correcting, encouraging and, yes, punishing. Figuratively and literally, it means being "hands-on" parents.
Schools need a similar sharp change in direction. It goes without saying that parents should have the opportunity to be able to select the type of school they believe is best for their particular children. Little will change in our schools until the public school behemoth is forced by competition to improve. However, almost all schools need a shift in direction. Instead of catering to "where the student is," schools should focus on where the student should be. If educators are not ready to identify what a graduate should know (that is, a serious, no-nonsense curriculum) and, more importantly, what kind of person he or she be, then they don’t deserve the name "educator." But clear goals are not enough. We have to return the teacher’s authority that is central to education. No more toothless teachers or Jon Stewart wannabees masquerading as educators.
We need schools that have a strong culture, a culture have clear expectations for how people should behave. This means sensible rules and clear consequences. These in turn guide behavior. If some students cannot yet exist within a school culture, then they should be removed and placed in another, one with a stronger carrot-and-stick culture. If the handful of hardcore resisters need an educational Devil’s Island, then so be it. Teachers and administrators and school board members cannot continue to allow undisciplined, attention-getters to set the educational tone of a school.
Clearly, Americans are heading into rough economic waters. The relaxed spirit of the 1980s and 90s, which has lead to our passive, but indulgent child raising must go. We must pry our children from their pleasure addictions and get them ready for the new realities. If history has taught us anything it is that it is cruel to the pleasure-addicted.
Kevin Ryan founded the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University, where he is professor emeritus. He has written and edited 20 books. He has appeared recently on CBS's "This Morning", ABC's "Good Morning America", "The O’Reilly Factor", CNN and the Public Broadcasting System speaking on character education. He can be reached at mailto:atkryan@bu.edu.
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/the_educational_reform_we_need_most/
Smarter teachers? More parental involvement? More computers? Better assessment? Healthier lunches? Nope. Try harder-working kids.
School reform has become a real yawner. Even in the face of falling test scores, the exodus of the best and brightest teachers and employers’ anguished complaints about school graduates, the topic just seems to cause eyes to roll. The school reform debate is a revolving merry-go-round of predictable topics: hire better teachers, get parents more involved, have longer school years, longer school days, year-round schooling, more computers, more assessment, better teacher education. And round and round the arguments go.
Underlying all the reform talk is the educational blame-game. We don’t have the right teachers; get rid of the teachers’ unions; we’re teaching the wrong stuff, it’s a curriculum problem; we don’t have enough computers and technological support; parents are unsupportive and uninvolved; and that the hearty "money" perennial, the public is stingy and trying to do education on-the-cheap. What is missing from discussions of educational reform is the real problem, the elephant in the school house: the kids.
American children are, by and large, a mess. Their embarrassing academic performance in school (i. e., achievement scores in math and science) is only one indicator among many. In a recent survey, 64 percent admitting to cheating and 30 percent to stealing. Boys (35 percent) a little more than girls (26 percent). The same large-scale survey revealed that one in five has stolen from a friend and 23 percent have robbed from their own family! Well over half of our high school seniors are already sexually active, giving the US the highest rates in the developed world of illegitimate births and sexually transmitted diseases. One primary reason why American businesses have gone overseas is that young Americans don’t have a clue about how to put in a day’s work.
Of course, this is not accurate for all American youth. Approximately 15 percent of our children have used their educational opportunities and achieved some resemblance of mature adulthood. They have some semblance of self-discipline and know how to set goals and even how to achieve them. The great majority, however, are unskilled, unmotivated and unready for the harsh economic realities of the 21st Century which are rapidly closing in on them.
Honey, I spoiled the kids
It is, of course, bad form to blame the children. But, let’s face it. They are the ones who don’t do their homework, who have the work ethic of a slug. They are the one who come to school primarily to socialize with their friends, and whose idea of a tough day is when the batteries on their iPod run out. They are the ones whose idea of teacher harassment is being asked a questions, such as, "How come you’re late for class again?" Or worse, being given homework over the weekend. They are the ones whose deepest sense of human injustice is having the privacy to their lockers violated. They are the ones whose life horizon stretches to that blessed day when they get their own wheels. Or, perhaps, to getting away to college where the real party-hearty time begins.
This is not an allegation that our children are born defective. Or that the genetic material we send off to school is somehow substandard. Our homes and schools have pretty much the same stuff to work with as Finnish or Indian or Taiwanese homes and schools. Then why the glaring differences?
The problem is our children are addicted to pleasure. They have become the new Lotus Eaters. Over the last forty years, young Americans have drifted along in a corrupting culture that has made few demands on them. They wallow in a wrap-around world of instant gratification. They have no chores or work at home and no parents teaching them how to self-discipline themselves and how to work. Once they reach the age of, say, twelve or grow over five feet tall, teachers have little or no authority over them. Since school failure has so few consequences, kids can sink to whatever level they choose and still hang around in school to be with their friends.
Americans have evolved a unique children-raising process, based on the pleasure-principle. Parents are eager dispensers of happiness and strain to be their children’s best friends. Teachers have been reduced to nurturing guides, devoid of real clout. This youth culture of low expectations simply isn’t working. Children aren’t built for pleasure. They are built for challenges and growth.
If one thinks that the 21st Century will, indeed, bring on the Age of Aquarius and that America will be leading the world into a renewed Land of Milk and Honey, we can keep on fueling our kids’ pleasure addictions. If we think that the Post WWII era was a unique period of prosperity and now the rest of the world is aggressively competing with us for their share of the pie, then we need to rethink what we are doing with our children.
Parenting vacation time over
If there is one truism about our species, it is that human beings are adaptable to our surroundings. Our cultural surroundings are, however, made, and, as such, they can be unmade. History is filled with accounts of nations picking themselves off the floor and regaining greatness. We can make the culture our children need in order to grow and flourish. The places to start the cultural change are the home and the school.
Parents have to return from their prolonged vacation. We can’t outsource the raising of our children to their peer group, social agencies, or the media. This means a change in parental behavior and a change of goals. It means eyes off the TV and the golf ball and onto the world of our children. We need to reengage with our children on a very basic level, as in "I’m in charge until you are ready to go out on your own."
Once upon a time, before our romantic, progressive ideas about human nature starting dictating our parenting policies, the word "training" was synonymous with being a parent. We looked upon children as young animals needing to be trained how to think and behave. This cultural wisdom was everywhere in phrases like, "As the twig is bent, so the tree inclines." Practically, it means parents demonstrating, correcting, encouraging and, yes, punishing. Figuratively and literally, it means being "hands-on" parents.
Schools need a similar sharp change in direction. It goes without saying that parents should have the opportunity to be able to select the type of school they believe is best for their particular children. Little will change in our schools until the public school behemoth is forced by competition to improve. However, almost all schools need a shift in direction. Instead of catering to "where the student is," schools should focus on where the student should be. If educators are not ready to identify what a graduate should know (that is, a serious, no-nonsense curriculum) and, more importantly, what kind of person he or she be, then they don’t deserve the name "educator." But clear goals are not enough. We have to return the teacher’s authority that is central to education. No more toothless teachers or Jon Stewart wannabees masquerading as educators.
We need schools that have a strong culture, a culture have clear expectations for how people should behave. This means sensible rules and clear consequences. These in turn guide behavior. If some students cannot yet exist within a school culture, then they should be removed and placed in another, one with a stronger carrot-and-stick culture. If the handful of hardcore resisters need an educational Devil’s Island, then so be it. Teachers and administrators and school board members cannot continue to allow undisciplined, attention-getters to set the educational tone of a school.
Clearly, Americans are heading into rough economic waters. The relaxed spirit of the 1980s and 90s, which has lead to our passive, but indulgent child raising must go. We must pry our children from their pleasure addictions and get them ready for the new realities. If history has taught us anything it is that it is cruel to the pleasure-addicted.
Kevin Ryan founded the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University, where he is professor emeritus. He has written and edited 20 books. He has appeared recently on CBS's "This Morning", ABC's "Good Morning America", "The O’Reilly Factor", CNN and the Public Broadcasting System speaking on character education. He can be reached at mailto:atkryan@bu.edu.
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/the_educational_reform_we_need_most/
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