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BY rob1 Preventing Teen Pregnancy BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, Jan. 5 — In a letter to the British Medical Journal, Dr. Trevor Stammers argues that intact marriage of the parents is key to tackling the challenge of teen-age pregnancy rampant in England. Professor Stammers, a tutor in General Practice at St. George's Hospital Medical School in London, quotes studies saying: “Young people aged 14-17 who live in a two-parent family are less likely to have ever had sexual intercourse than young people living in any other family arrangement.” Ban on Fetal Tissue Research? ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 7 — A proposed ban on the use of fetal tissue from aborted babies in research at state institutions in Nebraska promises to cause rancor in the upcoming legislative session. A pre-session survey of state senators shows that the bill sponsored by Sen. Dwite Pedersen of Elkhorn would likely pass — provided it gets to a vote. Of the 48 senators who responded, 28 were against the practice and three were leaning toward opposition. Five did not respond to the question. Gov. Mike Johanns, a devout Catholic, has promised to sign the ban if it is passed by the Legislature. Michigan End-of-Life Care ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 3 — Michigan Gov. John Engler signed legislation intended to help people as they approach death by improving pain management and offering hospice alternatives. Pro-life groups hope the measure will help provide positive, life-affirming alternatives to assisted suicide. Much of the legislation is designed to encourage people to tell their families how they want to be treated as they near death. Pregnancy Center's Surprise SANFORD HERALD, Dec. 31 — The Reach Out Crisis Pregnancy Center recently received an unexpected gift when Donald Oldham, president of Sanford Contractors Inc., donated the property the center had been leasing. The center offers assistance to women or couples who are pregnant or have just had a child. The center has been in the same location for more than three years, but the nonprofit group had been leasing the property from Oldham and his company. When it came time to renew the lease this year, he decided to donate the property and building to the group. Ban on ‘Morning-After Pill’ LIFESITE DAILY NEWS, Jan. 4 — The Bureau of Food and Drugs of the Philippines recently de-listed the so-called morning-after pill, Levonorgestrel (750 mcg.), from its registry of drug products and directed the recall of all existing stocks in the country after finding that it is an abortive drug. The order, issued Dec. 7, also prohibited further importation of the drug. http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/life_notes21

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BY rob1 High Court to Study Drug Tests on Pregnant Women ASSOCIATED PRESS, Feb. 28 — The Supreme Court said it will decide sometime in 2001 whether public hospitals can test pregnant mothers for drug use and identify for police those who tested positive, reported the wire service. The court will determine whether a South Carolina hospital's policy aimed at detecting pregnant women who use crack cocaine violates the Constitution's protections against unreasonable search. The hospital discontinued its policy after a 1993 lawsuit was filed by the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy on behalf of 10 women who had been tested. A total of 30 maternity patients were arrested for child-endangerment while the policy was in place. South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon said the case will not deter the state's efforts. “South Carolina's policy of protecting unborn children from their moth-er's cocaine abuse will continue even at public hospitals,” he told the AP. “Search warrants can be used as well as consents to search.” Effort to Reduce Kosovar Birthrate Alleged ZENIT, Feb. 24 — A new series of documents was released yesterday by the Population Research Institute on the United Nations Population Fund's collaboration with the regime of Yugoslavian President Slobodon Milosevic to reduce the birthrate of Kosovar Albanians, raising concerns about violations of the U.N. Convention against Genocide, reported the Rome-based news service. ZENIT also reported that a senior U.S. State Department official, Elaine Jones, criticized the U.N. population fund for its work “to promote abortion and outdated contraceptives to Kosovars at the request of the Milosevic government.” Jones said that UNFPA “reproductive health kits sent to the region include ‘manual vacuum aspirators’ for first trimester abortions, ‘morning after’ pills, and various methods of birth control including the Pill, Depo-Provera, condoms and IUDs.” According to Jones, citing Population Research Institute reports on the United Nations Population Fund's Kosovo campaign, the effort was administered in a haphazard way which threatened the health of Kosovar women. Senate Hearings on Unborn Victims of Violence Act ASSOCIATED PRESS, Feb. 23 — A pro-life bill that would make killing an unborn child during a violent act a federal crime is a “flawed federal response” to assaults against women, the Clinton administration told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a public hearing, reported the news wire. Eleanor Acheson, an assistant attorney general, said the Justice Department would recommend President Clinton veto the legislation if it reaches his desk. The bill “may be perceived as gratuitously plunging the federal government into one of the most difficult and complex issues of religious and scientific consideration,” Acheson said. The legislation, passed by the House last September, would make it a separate offense to injure or kill an unborn child in the commission of a crime of violence against a pregnant woman. Sonja Inge, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the bill's effect would be “legally separating a woman from her fetus, which is like the beginning step of eroding her right to choose [an abortion],” reported the AP. Nicaragua Establishes ‘Day of the Unborn’ PRO-LIFE INFONET, Feb. 24 — Nicaragua has officially declared March 25 as the “National Day of the Unborn,” according to pro-life sources at Pro-Life Infonet. A decree published in the official Nicaraguan Gazette explains the decision was taken because “Article 23 of the Political Constitution of the Republic of Nicaragua declares that the right to life is inviolable and inherent to every human person.” The document also recalls that the defense of life of the unborn is a commitment adopted by all countries that adhere to the “International American Accord sovereign-ly recognized and ratified,” reported Pro-Life Infonet. After mentioning that “the right to life, inherent in each of the inhabitants of the nation and the world, is the principal axis of human rights and, therefore, merits the determined attention of the government,” the decree declares “March 25 of every year as the ‘National Day of the Unborn.’” http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/life_notes21

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BY rob1 Abortionists Gain from Vote by Senate Republicans ASSOCIATED PRESS, Feb. 3—The Senate Feb. 2 approved an amendment to a bankruptcy bill which would financially benefit groups that bring suit against pro-life protesters under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, the AP reported. The courts have imposed extremely large fines against pro-life individuals and groups convicted of violating the act, forcing many of the pro-lifers and their families to declare bankruptcy, AP said. The amendment, introduced by pro-abortion Sen. Charles Schumer, DN.Y., singles out pro-lifers and reduces their ability to seek bankruptcy protection. Republican senators were prepared to vote against the amendment but many changed position and voted for it to prevent Vice President Al Gore from casting a high-profile, tie-breaking vote, reported AP. The wire service added that Gore had hoped to show his opponent, Bill Bradley, and the abortion lobby his support for abortion by voting for the amendment Planned Parenthood Agrees Not to Perform Abortions NEWSDAY, Feb. 2—After submitting a written pledge to town officials stating that it would not perform abortions, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic this month in Massapequa, N.Y., reported the Long Island daily. The facility's application approved by the Department of Health last year listed a number of “services” that it would perform, which did not include abortion. Nonetheless, said Newsday, Planned Parenthood received the go-ahead only “after Town Supervisor John Venditto received a written promise from the group” assuring it would not perform abortions on site. Venditto, who won re-election on the pro-life Right to Life Party line, said “he had no regrets about slowing the process or taking the unusual step of getting a written promise from the group.” Under the agreement, Planned Parenthood would have to re-apply to the state Department of Health before being allowed to perform abortions at the location. ‘Choose Life’ Tags Stir Controversy THE TENNESSEAN, Feb. 4—A state senator wants Tennessee to have a “Choose Life” license plate and give half the proceeds of its sale to adoption facilities and crisis pregnancy centers, reported the state-wide daily. “I want to educate people that you can choose life,” said Sen. Micheal Williams, R-Maynardville. “I'm not trying to … make a political statement.” Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Tommy Haun, R-Greeneville, said he opposes the plates, said The Tennessean. The “Choose Life” plate would be patterned after one Florida adopted last year, Williams said. Proceeds in Florida go to crisis pregnancy centers, but the plate is facing a legal challenge from the National Organization for Women. A Florida judge blocked distribution of the license plates while she decides whether they amount to a political statement against abortion, said The Tennessean. NOW argued that the state improperly approved a “religious motto, which has frequently been used to harass, intimidate and, at times, [to] kill and maim those who seek to exercise their rights, including the right to choose abortion.” Abortionist Begins 120-day Jail Sentence ALBANY TIMES UNION, Feb. 8—Controversial Pennsylvania abortion practitioner Steven Brigham, medical director of an abortion facility in Phillipsburg, Pa., has begun a 120-day jail sentence in Albany, N.Y., on a tax conviction, said the state capital's daily. Brigham, who must make $8,188 restitution to New York state, could be released as early as April 6 for good behavior. Brigham also was convicted in Albany County in 1998 of a felony count of scheming to defraud, but that conviction was overturned in December by the New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division. Brigham's medical license was revoked in New York in 1994 after he was accused of botching abortions. In 1996, the New Jersey state attorney general filed 14 counts of negligence, gross negligence, malpractice and professional misconduct against Brigham for his abortion activities in that state. http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/life_notes21

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BY rob1 First Baby Appears on U.S. Currency PRO-LIFE ACTION LEAGUE, Feb. 3—The latest coin from the U.S. Mint features a mother with her child. “The new United States gold dollar coin is a sign of the changing attitude of Americans toward motherhood,” said Joseph Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League. “This is the first U.S. coin in the 208-year history of the United States Mint to honor an infant.” The U.S. Mint released the coin featuring the American Indian woman Sakagewea and her infant son Feb. 2. Sakagewea was the teen-age Shoshone woman who served as an interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark on their exploration through the Northwest Territory in 1804-06. Her son, Jean Baptiste was born on the trip. “For the past couple of decades motherhood has been treated as a second-rate vocation,” said Scheidler. “But polls show that women are, in increasing numbers, opting to leave the corporate world to take on motherhood as a full-time role. The new coin celebrates the contribution of not only Sakagewea, but of all mothers who focus their time and talents on creating stronger families and communities.” Schiedler hopes the coin becomes popular. “I hope that the image of the child on this coin will help Americans recognize the value of each and every child, born and unborn. We love it! We are calling it the ‘Pro-life Dollar.’” Ultrasounds Not Linked to Leukemia Risk REUTERS, Jan. 28—Ultrasound examinations in early or late pregnancy do not increase a child's risk of getting leukemia, doctors in Sweden said. They conducted a nationwide study on the effects of ultrasound and possible links to two types of leukaemia, Reuters reported. “We could not detect any association between exposure to ultrasound during pregnancy and lymphatic or myeloid leukaemia,” they said in a report in the British Medical Journal. The researchers compared the ultrasound exposure of all the children in Sweden diagnosed with leukemia between 1973 and 1989 and an equal number of healthy children, reported Reuters. Researchers said the risk of leukemia was not influenced by either the number of ultrasound examinations or when they were performed. Bill Targets Assaults on Pregnant Mothers DENVER POST, Feb. 2—Unborn children in Colorado are one step closer to legal protection from criminals that assault their mothers, the Post reports. A bill, passed by the House State Affairs Committee Feb. 1, would make it a felon to attack pregnant women and injure or kill the unborn child. “We have no laws in Colorado for the crime of a fetus dying,” said Rep. Lynn Hefley, the bill sponsor. “If a woman's purse is stolen, that's a crime and there's punishment for that. Stealing away an unborn child from a woman – there's no punishment for that.” Natasha Bergman, 17, of Colorado Springs told the committee that she had a miscarriage last June after her boyfriend punched her in the stomach when she was more than two months pregnant. She said he was charged with third-degree assault and harassment, but was never sent to prison, the Denver newspaper said. “Something needs to be done. You need to make a law that will punish guys that do that,” she said after the hearing. “They should have to hurt the way they hurt someone else.” The bill has several more steps before becoming law. http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/life_notes21

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BY rob1 Welcoming the 6 Billionth Baby THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Oct. 12—In response to the loud lamentations greeting the birth of the 6 billionth human, estimated to have fallen on Oct. 12, the editorial staff at The Wall Street Journal called the event an occasion to celebrate. It also ran an article by Nicholas Eberstadt called, “Six Billion Reasons to Cheer,” from which the following is taken. “The United Nations has officially designated today the ‘Day of Six Billion,’ marking the expected arrival of the earth's six billionth human inhabitant. To judge by the U.N.'s own pronouncements, this commemoration is meant to be not a celebration but a day of mourning and atonement. “High authorities at the U.N. today apparently fix their hopes for the plan-et's future on setting the Third World awash with modern contraceptives. Alas, their prescription is as flawed as their diagnosis. Peacetime fertility levels in Western Europe first dropped below the replacement level in the 1930's — long before the advent of the pill or the IUD. European parents back then knew where babies came from — and so do prospective parents in Asia, Africa and Latin America today. The single best predictor of society's fertility level is the desired family size for women of childbearing age — and population planners have yet to invent a pill that can alter those preferences. “The globe's six billionth member will enter a highly imperfect world. Terrifying material want still afflicts a fraction of mankind; for hundreds of millions of people in the sub-Sahara and the former Soviet Union, moreover, health conditions have worsened palpably over the past decade. Fortunately, those grim facts are exceptions to the overall sweep of 20th-century development. The great changes that have made it possible for the world to register its sixth billionth inhabitant are a triumph, not a tragedy. It would have been nice if the U.N.'s humanitarians could have peered beyond the glass of their limousine windows to see just that much.” Florida Judge Rules Against Parental Notification PRO-LIFE INFONET, Oct. 14—Parents in Florida don't have to know if their daughter is seeking an abortion, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis ruled, upholding a decade-old statement by Florida's courts that legislative attempts to limit abortion are unconstitutional, the Infonet reported. “The state will appeal the ruling, but as in rulings before it, Lewis's six-page order temporarily barring the state from enforcing the law cites a unique privacy amendment to Florida's Constitution. Florida's Supreme Court has relied on that amendment — granting every person ‘the right to be let alone and free from government intrusion into his private life’— to overturn limits on abortion,” added the Infonet's Steve Ertelt. In 1989, the Florida Supreme Court struck down a law requiring parental consent before a minor's abortion. The newest law, requiring only parental notice, was to take effect on Oct. 11. It will not be enforced while appeals continue. Florida Right to Life, calling parental notification a law that “will help restore sanity back in the family,” called it “bizarre” that a child cannot get her ears pierced without permission but can have an abortion without her parents' knowledge, Ertelt reported. http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/life_notes21

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