Birthright - Newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign

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'1 "' May 2010

is TheProLifeCampaign lobby a non-denominational group, itssupport drawing froma widecross-section of lrishsociety. promotes TheCampaign pro-life and education human lifeat all defends fromconception stages death. to natural for It alsocampaigns resources to support pregnant women andassist andthosein needof healing afterabortion.

Suley [eveals overwhelming support for pro-life position Thelatestresearchon lifeissuesshowsa substantialmajorityof the public favouringprotectionof humanlifeat its earlieststagesof development.

TheProLifeCampaign MillwardBrownLansdowne recently commissioned to carryout the researchon a quotacontrolledsampleof 950 peopleaged 18 +.

Q1 readsas follows: "Are you in favour of, or opposed to, constitutionalprotection for the unborn that prohibitsabortionbut allows the continuationof the existing practice of interventionto save a mother's life in accordancewith lrish medicalethics?"

The finding shows that 7oo/osupport constitutionalprotectionfor the unborn,13% opposeit and 167odon't knowor haveno opinion.

Whatdistinguishes this resultfrom pollsshowingsupportfor abortionis the distinctionit makes between necessarymedical interventionsin pregnancyand inducedabortion,wherethe life of the baby is directly targeted.This is a criticalethicaldistinctionwhich abortionadvocates constantly seekto blur.

Q2 reads: "Currentlyexperimentationinvolvingthe destructionof human embryos doesnot take place in lreland.Do you think the Ddil should enshrinethe protectionof the humanembryoin law or not?"

The finding shows that 58% supports D6il legislationto protect the humanembryo,13% opposeit and 29% don't knowor haveno opinion.

Bothfindingsarereassuring supportfor the as theypointto overwhelming pro-lifepositionat a timewhenlegislation is pendingthatcouldpermitthe deliberatedestructionof human embryosand as calls for abortion growlouder. legislation

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GeraldineMartin,ProfessorWilliamBinchy, CaitrionaCumminsand Dr Berry Kielyat the recentsurvevlaunchon rioht-to-lifeissues

Noah and the flood!

Professor Robert George of Princeton Universityand ProfessorWilliamHurlbut of StanfordUniversityin the US were in D u b l i n r e c e n t l ym e e t i n g p o l i t i c i a n s , academics and pro-life supporters, discussingthe casefor ethicalstem cell research that does not involve the destruction of human embryos.

ProfessorsGeorge and Hurlbut served u n t i l 2 0 0 9 a s me mb e rso f th e US President's Councilon Bioethics.

Addressingpro-lifesuppofters in Dublin, PfOfeSSOr GeOrge tOld the StOry Of NOah

pro-lifesupporters in Dublin Professors GeorgeandHurlbutaddressing

Benton Markham who was trapped in a flooded hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.When rescuersentered the hospital,Noah was an embryo trozen along with 1,400 others,in one of the canistersof liquidnitrogen.He was broughtby boat from New Orleansand subsequentlyimplantedin his mother'swomb. Born on January16th 2007, his parentscalled him Noah afterthat other flood survivor!

ProfessorGeorgeconcluded: In later years, if Noah were to look back to that troubledtime in New Orleansand ask himself whetherhe was rescuedthat day,whetherit was his lifethat was saved,there is only one answer he could reasonablygive: "Of course!"

Philip Nitschke's Greepy Gareer Pro-euthanasiacampaigner,Dr Philip Nitschkewas in Dublin recentlyto run a workshop on assistedsuicide.Roughly20 peopleattendedhis talk.

He first came to public attentionin Australiawhen in 1995 a law was enacted in Australia's NorthernTerritoryallowingassistedsuicide,partly as a resultof Nitschke'scampaigningfor it.

The FederalParliamentoverturnedthis law in March 1997 by a knife-edgevote in the Senate, with 38 againstassistedsuicide being legalisedand 33 for. In the brief period the law was in force, however,Nitschkehelpedfour peopleto kill themselves.

Nitschke's subsequentcareer makes for creepy reading. Before his promised return trip to lreland,possibly later this year, it is importantfor pro-life people to take a closer look at the euthanasiadebateand the argumentsagainstit.

Abortion is part of the history of racial oppression The EndangeredSpeciesProjectis a bold new multi-mediacampaignin the US Stateof Georgia target to raise public awarenessabout how groups like PlannedParenthooddispropottionately whenlocatingtheirabortionclinics.The new projectinvolveshigh AfricanAmericancommunities profilemediaevents,politicallobbyingand advertising- includinga strikingbillboardcampaign throughoutthe State.The projectis a collaborativeeffoft betweenthe RadianceFoundation,an educationalgroup that uses the media to illuminatethe intrinsicvalue of each person,and Georgias OperationOutrage. himselfborn as a It is mainlythe brainchildof RadianceFoundationDirectorRyanBomberger, result of rape. He hopes the project will make fellow African Americansmuch more conscious of the fact that the abortion industryspecifically targetsthem.

The initiativeis causingquitea stir in the US and putting abortion advocacy groups like Planned Parenthoodon the defensive.lt's about time too!

lrcland should learn frcm Galifornia's experience of funding embryo nesearch Thereare three billionreasonsnot to allowthe SupremeCourt rulingin R v. R to be used as a cover to legaliseresearchhere involvinghuman embryodestruction. ln 2OO4,Californiantaxpayersagreedto fund embryostem cell researchto the tune of $3 bitlion in the hope of findingcuresfor chronicdiseases.But sincethen,not a singlebreakthrough has taken place.

Now the Los Angeles-basedlnvestor's BusrnessDaily reports that the California Institute for RegenerativeMedicineset up to administerthe $3b has started divertingthe funds earmarked for embryo researchinto the ethicallynon-controversial adult stem cell research. protectionfrom human In the wakeof the SupremeCourtrulingin lrelandstrippingConstitutional embryosin vitro,the latestdevelopmentsfrom Californiatake on a significantadded meaning.

With her experiencein other ministries,MinisterHarney is in a positionto appreciatethe economicas well as the medical knock-oneffectsof making lrelandan internationalcentre of excellencefor the ethicallvnon-controversial adult stem cell research.

Honorary President: DesHanafin Chairperson: DrJoeMccaroll DeputyChairperson: CoraSherlock LegalAdviser:Professor WilliamBinchy Published by the ProLifeCampaign, 104 LowerEaggotStreet,Dublin2.

- 629302 T e l ;0 1 - 6 6 2 9 2 7F 5a x : 0 1 6 E m a i lp: r o l i f e @ i n d i g o . i e Website: www.prolif ecampaign.ie

MedicalAdviser:Dr BerryKiely LegalConsultant: Sjmons Caroline Secretary: JohnO'Reilly Martin Education Officers: Geraldine Dr RuthCullen

Forced killing of baby girls in Ghina forcedto abofttheir TheEconomisf recentlyrana coverstoryon thesituationin Chinawherewomenareroutinely gender girls girls systemic imbalance in the haslefta or elsehavethemkilledat bifih.Themasstargeting of baby youngmenin Chinathanthe entirepopulation population of youngmenin America. withmoreunmarried The Economrsfarticle, in the March issue, under the single-wordbanner headline,Gendercide,states "the and amountsto cumulativeconsequenceof such individualactionsis catastrophic" "carnage."

The lethalculturalbias againstgirls is concentratedprimarilyin China but also in countrieslike India,Taiwanand Singapore.

In additionto the humanrightsviolationinvolvedin killingany child,born or unborn, the specifictargetingof babiesbasedon genderis obscene.

Shamefully,but not surprisingly, radicalfeministgroups turn a blind eye to this widespreadgenderbasedhumanrightsabuse.Werethey to concedethat the lives of some unbornchildrenshouldbe protectedit would completelyunderminetheir rigiddogmathat unbornchildrenhaveno rightswhatsoever.

Assisting the Pro Life Gampaign The Pro Life Campaignneedsall the supportit can get to bring its messageto the wider community.

Perhapsyou are willingto devotesome of your free time to findingnew ways of bringingthe pro-lifemessageto your of the Pro Life community?Perhapsyou are willingto make a smallfinancialcommitmentto securethe implementation Campaign programmeover the next three years? Perhaps you have your own ideas on how you can best help the campaign?

Regardlessof how you wish to help, pleasetake the time to call us today and we will send you more details.

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