Parishes Pray for Clinics

PRIESTS FOR LIFE, May 19 — The organization Priests for Life has matched the nation's 19,000-plus Catholic parishes with its 700-plus freestanding abortion facilities so that every parish in America can focus on praying for the closing of one specific facility.

“This focuses the spiritual energy of the Church on the deadly energy of the abortion mills and brings our strengths against their weaknesses,“ explained Father Frank Pavone, director of Staten Island-based Priests for Life and architect of this project.

Some suggested activities for parishes are prayer vigils, sidewalk counseling and supporting alternatives to abortion. More information, including the specific clinic each parish is asked to pray for, can be found at www.priestsforlife.org/mills.

Right to Know in Alaska

ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS, May 16 — Women deserve to know about the development of their unborn child and the risks of abortion at least 24 hours before having an abortion, according to a bill approved by the Alaska Senate.

If the bill passes into law, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services will be required to prepare a packet of information on abortion, childbirth, assistance available to pay for prenatal care and for an abortion, and a statement that the father of a child is legally responsible to support the child. Women would receive the information in person or via fax, mail or the Internet.

Tennessee Won't Fund Abortion

KNOXNEWS.COM, May 16 — Pro-lifers have successfully cut funding for abortions from the Tennessee state budget.

While state officials insisted the government funds abortions only rarely, prolifers maintain that occasions may arise where the state might do so, such as when a female inmate becomes pregnant while in prison.

The House approved the amendment, which was sponsored by Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), on an unrecorded voice vote. It states plainly: “No state funds shall be used to fund abortions.“

In-Utero Surgery Saves Lives

THE THOMASTON TIMES, May 14 — Surgery carried out in utero has saved the lives of twins Grace and Camille Mercer, who were dying from Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, reported the Georgia newspaper.

At 19 weeks into her pregnancy, Carrie Mercer learned from a sonogram that her twin daughters were suffering from the syndrome, which causes an unbalanced flow of blood between two babies who share a placenta. One baby receives too much blood and nutrients; the other doesn't receive enough.

The Mercers contacted a fetal surgeon who had successfully treated TTTS, Dr. Ruben Quintero of the Florida Institute for Fetal Therapy and Diagnosis. During the laser surgery, Quintero severed veins and arteries connecting the twins — only those channels causing the transfer.

Mercer carried the babies to term, delivering two healthy girls who weighed within two ounces of one another and were the same length.