file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993: PLN-0322.TXT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life Communications - Volume 3, No. 22 October, 1993
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to those
interested in Pro-Life issues. All submissions should be sent to the editor,
Steve <frezza@ee.pitt.edu> or the assistant editor Sean <sean.smith@cs.cmu.edu>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Across the Pond - England
NFP Defended in the _British Medical Journal_:
Pro-lifers frequently face an opposition that holds that all sexual activity is
permissible, and that restrictions -- like limiting abortions -- are
unworkable. This context makes both the content and coverage in a recent UPI
article interesting.
The London UPI article reports that according to the _British Medical Journal_,
a World Health Organization study has found that natural family planning is
just as effective as other forms of contraception. "It might be argued that
natural family planning -- being cheap, effective, without side effects, and
potentially particularly effective and acceptable in areas of poverty -- may be
the family planning choice for the Third World," says Dr. Bob Ryder from
Birmingham, the report's author. "It is important that the misconception that
Catholicism is synonymous with inneffective birth control is laid to rest."
What's interesting is that the UPI article confused the rhythm method (the old
and rather inaccurate method of trying to identify fertile periods through
calendar calculations) with either the CM/BBT or sympto-thermal methods (using
mucous, body temparature, etc. changes to detect ovulation) that actually
comprises contemporary NFP. And, naturally, this study received no mention in
the mainstream media.
- Sean Smith
[The reference is Ryder, R.E.J., `"Natural family planning": effective birth
control supported by the Catholic Church' _British Medical Journal_ SEP 18 1993
v 307 n 6906 p.723.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) The National Front - Elders' Appointement Approved
Led by senator Ted Kenedy, 65 Senators of the United States of America approved
Clinton's appointee for the post of Surgeon General. They took this action
despite a continuous stream of outcry, running roughly 100-1 against the
appointment.
Dr. Elders is a strict supporter of abortion-on-demand, repeatedly commenting
how only "planned and wanted" babies should be born. Her instruction to those
who support the right to life is to "get over their love affair with the
fetus", and has commented that anti-abortion activists "love little babies as
long as they're in somebody else's uterus." Her public characterization of
those who oppose the abortion choice has been: "Look who's fighting the
pro-choice movement -- a celibate male-dominated church." She completely
supports the importation of RU-486 despite the risks it would pose.
Elders has promised to proclaim the "condom solution" to every teenager in
America, advocating sex education classes for five-year-olds, and in reference
to her love for latex recently commented, "We've taught teenagers what to do in
the front seat of the car; now its time we taught them what to do in the back
seat." She is the same Joycelyn Elders who chose not to inform Arkansas
teenagers that they had been given defective condoms, and presided over a 17%
increase in the teen pregnancy rate during her tenure of office there.
It should come as no surprise that the Federal Government has poured $2 Billion
into the failed "safe-sex" message over the last 23 years. It may come as a
surprise that the Department of Health and Human Services has been developing a
proposal to funnel as much as $7 billion into delivering the 'safe-sex' message
into the hands of all 35 million US Children between the ages of 10 and 19.
Who will lead this campaign? Dr. Jocelyn Elders.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Missing the Feminist Perspective
Further comments on _Abortion Rites: A Social History of Abortion_
In response to David Cruz-Uribe's review of _Abortion Rites: A Social History
of Abortion_ [see v3n21] (Cruz-Uribe omitted the first part of the title), I
too was dissatisfied with Marvin Olasky's book. I picked it up because I saw
the jacket blurb by Frederica Mathewes-Green, an officer in Feminists for Life.
Olasky mentioned Mathewes-Green and Mary Krane Derr, also of Feminists for
Life, in his acknowledgements. I therefore expected that Olasky would at least
MENTION the feminist tradition of protecting unborn children and women from
exploitation -- perhaps that he would even mention Feminists for Life and its
work in continuing that tradition.
Instead, Olasky's book almost entirely ignores the contributions of feminists
to the pro-life cause. He mentions a single pro-life feminist, Elizabeth
Evans, who in 1875 wrote a book against abortion. In a footnote, he indicates
that Susan B. Anthony was involved in the movement against the legalization of
prostitution, but neglects to state that Anthony also repeatedly condemned
"child-murder," equating it with infanticide. Olasky produces a pro-life quote
from "one journalist," and only in the footnote names the paper in which the
article was printed: _The Revolution_. Few readers will know that _The
Revolution_ was the suffragist paper edited by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth
Cady Stanton.
Olasky trashes Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President, for
being a Free Love advocate, spiritist [19th century New Ager], and "wishy-
washy" in her abortion views. He fails to mention that Mary Krane Derr, who
has done extensive research on the pro-life feminists, considers Woodhull to be
adamantly pro-life. From my reading of Woodhull's "The Slaughter of the
Innocents" (published in _Woodhull and Claflin's Weekly_), I agree with Derr;
the statements Olasky quotes as ambiguous read quite differently in context.
Furthermore, while citing many other abolitionists, Olasky completely omits
pro-life feminist abolitionists such as Sojourner "Am I Not a Woman?" Truth.
In a chapter on pro-life doctors, he neglects all the pro-life women who were
doctors and health educators. He similarly forgets about Alice Paul, author of
the original (1923) Equal Rights Amendment, who called abortion "the ultimate
exploitation of women."
Mathewes-Green explained that she wrote her jacket blurb based on reading the
book in manuscript, when she believes it contained more about pro-life
feminism. She charitably suggested that Olasky used his knowledge of pro-life
suffragists in one of his other books, but when I checked _The Tragedy of Human
Compassion_ (1992) and _The Press and Abortion_ (1988), I noticed ONE reference
in the former -- and it's in parentheses: "some original NOW members who were
anti-abortion (like 19th century feminists)." Perhaps Olasky has been an
injustice by his editors, but he has certainly left his readers with the wrong
impression (i.e., none at all) about pro-life feminism. Even so, Olasky's book
has more intellectual integrity than does James Mohr's [the pro-abort he is
arguing against], and makes some points all serious pro-lifers should consider,
like the impossibility of decreasing abortion by legislation alone.
- Dr. Jean E. Graham
VP, Feminists for Life of Ohio
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Youth For Life Active in California
Youth for Life is a new pro-life group, focusing on the theme "through Our Lady
of Guadalupe, the Protectoress of the Unborn." In 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe
appeared in Mexico to end the sacrafice of children. Nearly 500 years later
her mission remains the same. The battle is now in America. The sacrifice is
abortion.
Our Lady has promised that wherever her image is present, she will melt hearts
and end abortion. She does not want our logic; simply our prayers, our
simpilicity and our obedience. Youth for Life draws on this promise,
processing her image out at the clinics which promote abortion, consecrating
the ground and praying the rosary. To those youth who gather in prayer at the
clinics, our blessed mother offers each one of them, "Peace, Her protection and
Her company."
To get involved with Youth for Life in your area or for additional information;
please contact Kevin Cunningham, Youth Director, at P.O. Box 4431 Mountain
View, CA 94040. Phone: 1-415-940-1280.
- Steve Sabram
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Ivy League Coalition For Life Convention
The Harvard Association for Life will be hosting the Ivy League Coalition for
Life Conference at Harvard on November 13th. It will be one heck of a
gathering. We hope to have Bill Cotter speak (head of OR in Boston), as well
as Marianne Glendon. Hope to see you there, if you can make it! Please
contact Tung Le <tle@husc.harvard.edu> for more information.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) What Works - Counter the Sidetracks
Recall the two shootings this year of abortionists. These shootings have
exposed those who oppose abortion to a lot of flack: in the eyes of the media
and of pro-choicers, all pro-lifers are murderous crazies without a moral
leg to stand on. This characterization can often end what might be a fruitful
discussion.
An emerging issue in the media -- the tragedy of child molestation --
suggests a counter-argument. We all agree that molestation is cause for
moral outrage. Recently there have been two incidents of an outraged parent
shooting the alleged molester in the courtroom. According to the logic
applied to pro-lifers, these sad incidents should remove any moral authority
from those who condemn child molestation.
Of course, this argument is absurd when applied to anti-child-molesters,
just as it is absurd when applied to pro-lifers. This is something to bring
up the next time someone brings up Dr. Gunn...
- Sean Smith
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Off-Line Resources
_The Supernatural Rescue Mission to End Abortion by The Sorrowful and
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress of the Unborn_
is published by the Apostalate of "The Missionary Image of Our Lady of
Guadalupe." This booklet contains a prayer service intended for use at
abortion killing centers. The prayer service includes prayers, hymns,
Psalms, a consecration, and special rosary meditations. If you are
interested in this booklet, please write: The Missionary Image of Our Lady
of Guadalupe, 26 Lake St, St. Albans, VT 05478
- Elizabeth Stevens and Eleen Kamas
For information on the [snail-mail] _California Pro-Life News_, write:
926 J Street Suite 1100, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 442-8315
- Steve Chaney
_Christian Research Journal_ ($14 for four quarterly issues), write Box 500,
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693. - Frank Beckwith
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) Reader Responses
Some Pro-Life Methodists (from v3n21):
In my area, Bensalem, PA (not far outside NE Philly), there's a United
Methodist church that I know is Pro-Life! A group of them were on our bus
a few years back for the March for Life in Washington (I think it was
January, 1990). Anyway, it's the Cornwells United Methodist Church, on
Bristol Pike in Bensalem, phone number 215-639-5644. --Felicia Ciaudelli
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9) Reader Questions
In looking through the latest catalog of Springer books in Psychology &
Psychiatry, I saw this listing. Has anyone else seen anything about this book?
_Born Unwanted: Developmental effects of denied abortion_
edited by Henry P. David, PhD, Zdenek Dytrych, MD, CSc, Zdenek Matejcek,
PhD, CSc, and Vratislav Schuller, PhD, CSc. 1988 144pp ISBN 0-8261-6080-8
Published jointly with Avicernum,, Prague, under the auspices of the
World Federation for Mental Health.
"This remarkable volume presents the results of several independent
studies on the developmental effects of denied abortion... Children were
followed through adolescence and early adulthood." -- _Transcultural
Psychiatric Research Review_
- Eleen Kamas
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Breast Cancer and Abortion (from v3n21):
I'm wondering about the [v3n21] article on Breast Cancer and Abortion. Could
the poster tell us if any of these retrospective cases have been published?
And if so, what journals did they appear in? Being a library assistant at a
Science Library, I have access to quite a few medical journals. I would like
to read up on this subject. Thanks.
- Marissa Ratcliff
[We are working to get the entire articles and bibliographies on-line as
resources for everyone. Please contact the editor if you would be interested
in this information as soon as it comes available - hopefully before early
November. Ed.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10) Looking for Help
-- A graduate student in California is doing a research project on risks of
abortion and incidents of abortion-related malpractice. He is especially
interested in information on Family Planning Associates, a California abortion
chain. He is especially interested in contacting anyone with sources of
information, personal experiences, etc..
-- A researcher in Massachusetts has noted that multiple sclerosis (MS) is on
the rise, chiefly among white middle/upper-class women ages 20-50. She wonders
if there could be an abortion link? (Or maybe the pill, or delayed/reduced
childbirth...) Are there any pro-life students with computer access who could
dig into this one?
-- Frederica Mathewes-Green of Feminists for Life of America was here in
Cleveland in the beginning of September, kicking off the National Women's
Coalition for Life _Project Real Choices_. In this project, she is
interviewing women who had abortions regarding the circumstances surrounding
their abortions, and is hoping to develop real alternative choices to abortion.
Her series of meetings was picked up (more or less) by the local press, and by
a reporter from the Associated Press. The AP story was not carried locally.
We're looking for a paper that did carry it. --Ron Graham
_If you are intereseted in responding to any of these requests, or have further
questions, please contact the editor Steve at_ <frezza@ee.pitt.edu>.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote of the Month:
"I'll just have to save him.
Because, after all,
A person's a person, no matter how small."
- Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss),
_Horton Hears A Who_
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Credits: |
| 1 - Based on a September 16 UPI report. |
| 2 - from the October 1993 _Monthly Letter_ by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on |
| the Family. References were provided for all quotations. To subscribe, |
| call 1-800-A-FAMILY. For more information on the failure of the 'Safe |
| Sex' message in the US, ask for the resources "CondomFailure" or |
| "AbstinenceWorks" from the editor. |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or
help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor. <frezza@ee.pitt.edu>