t eanc 0 VOL. 38, NO.2.
Friday, January 14, 1994
F ALL RIVER, MASS.
. FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
•
$11 Per Year
In U.S. and Britain
New perils for unborn WASHINGTON (CNS) - Resumption of federal funding of fetal tissue research is the latest step in the Clinton administration's efforts "to reduce the moral seriousness of abortion," according to a U.S. pro-life officia.l. Helen Alvare, director of research and information for the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for ProLife Activities, commented last week, two days after the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke announcl~d that it had awarded $4.5 million to three institutions for Parkinson's disease research using fetal tissue from elective abortions. In one of his first acts as president last January, Clinton lifted a ban on use of federal money for research involving tissue from voluntarily aborted fetuses. President Bush had ordered that such research use only tissue from miscarried fetuses. Ms. Alvare said Clinton and other supporters of fetal tissue research "have never attended sufficiently to the ethics" involved with this work and have been "divorcing science from ethics." In addition, she said, scientists disagree about the value of research involving fetal tissu.e, with many saying that "there is no evidence to show that it is effective." The grant will be shared by Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York; North Shore University Hospital on Long Island; and the Unive:rsity of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. The fetal tissue transplants will actually take place at the Denver facility. After evaluation at the New York health facilities, 20 Parkinson's patients will receive injections offetal tissue into their brains. Another 20 patients similarly evaluated will receive placebo injections. Neither the patients nor their doctors will know who gets the fetal tissue. Parkinson's disease, a progressive brain disorder that causes a gradual loss of the ability to control various muscles, affects about 500,000 Americans. Its cause is unknown.
Fetal Egg Proposal Meanwhile, in Britain, Catholic and pro-life groups have called for a national campaign to prevent use of aborted fetuses to provide eggs for infertility treatment. • The groups have asked churchgoers to write members of Parlia-
ment and the regulatory body, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, protesting what was called a "barbaric" practice. The authority was considering whether to permit scientists to extract ova from aborted babies to implant in women who could not otherwise have children. It planned to publish a consultation document on the issue and has invited the public to comment. Nuala Scarisbrick, of the pregnancy counseling group LI FE, said she feared for the well-being of any child born in such a way. She told the Catholic weekly newspaper The Universe: "At some point the truth will be made known. It will be extremely damaging to the child." Phyllis Bowman, director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said the procedure was "taking us one step further to the total manufacture of humans." She said the Briti~h government had been warned of this type of development, "but, they took the
BISHOP SEAN O'MALLEY imposes hands on Pawel Swiercz as he is ordained to the transitional diaconate. Deacon Swiercz will serve at Corpus Christi parish, Sandwich. Others, from left Rev. John F. Moore, seminarian Michael Racine. (Kearns photo)
linethat~lkofsuch poui~lit~s I.·~'~~~'_I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ was scare-mongering. Indeed we
~;~t~~~rd~,~~eb~ni:::t~o~~~~;;
but for the very obvious public
~~~~~e~nce that
this story has
"It is killing a baby to produce another," she added. "It is macabre in the extreme." Pro-life Member of Parliament David Alton said the issue must not be left to the hierarchy. "The burden shouldn't always fall on bishops. More and more people should get involved in prolife groups," he sai~. Dr. Peggy Norris, speaking for the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life, told The Unive:rse that babies born from this method would have no genetic history and it would not be· possible to tell anything about the baby's health from its family medical background. She said pressure for this method was increasing because there is a shortage of ova for in-vitro fertilization treatment of infertile women. Ms. Norris said many people believe they have a right to a child: "A child is a gift, if you have faith, it's a gift from God; if not, it's a gift from nature." She added that [she feared] children born as a result of the aborted fetus process would be treated as objects and if not up to "quality" would be disposeq of.
.r.
Increased emergency needs lace Catholic Charities USA WASHINGTON(CNS)- With statistics showing that demand for their agency's help has gone up 1,000 percent over the last 10 years, Catholic Charities USA officials say they feel caught in the middle. They say they are often forced to choose between providing either immediate or long-term help to millions of clients. "We are so busy helping people fight poverty that we are much less able to help them overcome poverty," said Jesuit Father Fred Kammer, president of Catholic Chari-' ties USA, the nation's largest private social service network. In 1992 alone, Catholic Charities served 2 million more people than it had the previous year, and 10.6 million people came to the agency's diocesan offices for food and shelter, according to the organization's annual survey results released in December. The results reflect a dramatic increase in the number of clients receiving emergency servicl;s such as food and shelter. Ofthis number, the greatest increase was in the number of children needing food from the agencies' soup kitchens
and food banks. For example, in 1991, the agencies served 1,493,252 children; a year later, the number nearly doubled to 2,704,788. "The facts in this survey should sound a siren of alarm for every American citizen, parent and politician," said Father Kammer. An analysis of survey results of the past decade shows a drastic
NOTICE At press time, The Anchor was notified by FatherStephen A. Fernandes, director of the Diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate, that the winners of an essay contest on "Why My Choice Is Life" have been named by U.S. Representative Peter Blute. The top essay in each of the two contest categories of grades 8 through 10 and 11 through 12 will appear in next week's Anchor.
change in the challenges facing Catholic Charities. In 1981, one in four clients received emergency aid; in 1992, three in four received such help. Father Kammer said the current survey reveals how Catholic Charities has been "forced to take up where the government and the economy have failed to ensure the basic necessities of life for millions of people." Another finding showed that the agency has been helping more people with the same or fewer resources as well as 20 percent and fewer volunteers than in the previous year. According to Rosemary Winder Strange, director of social services for Catholic Charities USA, 70 percent of the organization's diocesan offices now have waiting lists for social services and half of those agencies have waiting lists for counseling. "This is unfortunate," she said, "because when families are in trouble, they need a big infusion of help and they need it right away. Turn to Page Seven
Tonight! The Bishop's Ball i