Who Is Anti-Science Now?

As you know by now, there was a huge embryonic stem cell find today. Scientists announced today that they have successfully reprogrammed adult stem cells back to an embryonic-like state. The Journal Nature says today that "Shinya Yamanaka of the University of Kyoto in Japan reported that his team had created pluripotent cells from human skin cells and, on the same day, a team of researchers led by James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, reported the same." Pluripotent cells are stem cells like embryonic stem cells which are believed to be able to become any kind of cell.

Bioethicist Wesley Smith says that " researchers reverted human connective tissue cells back to an embryonic- stem-cell-like state - and then differentiated them into all three of the body's major tissue types. If this work pans out, there will be no need to create human cloned embryos for use in embryonic-stem-cell therapies."

This means that embryonic stem cell researchers and supporters may have a supply of embryonic stem cells to work with and according to Yamanaka, "Any scientist with basic technology in molecular and cell biology can do reprogramming." 

Embryonic stem cell supporters and researchers said we were anti-science, anti-patient, anti-intellectual boobs who let our beliefs get in the way of science.  But, Yamanaka and Thompson's work was unbelievable and wasn't where scientists were looking and saying the best hope was!  Now that they have their supply of embryonic stem cells, and ones that are easier to procure than by cloning (nuclear transfer) and probably have more genetic compatibility with the donor, we'll see if there is something more driving cloning for embryonic stem cells or if there's something ideological going on like undermining Christianity or protecting abortion.  If we can cannibalize embryos for research, how can we oppose abortion? 

We'll see how the other side responds to success.  Now they have a couple sources.  They have this regression for embryonic stem cells, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood.  Their reactions will tell us a lot about them and what they have been saying the last several years.

How Can They Do That? Why Pro-Lifers Keep At It.

I look at pictures of aborted babies and I watch steaming video.  I do it to remind me what abortion is all about.  I watched them again today at Priests For Life's site. 

I've been in pro-life, anti-abortion work for a long time.  The rejection, your disbelief that others don't want to join you... all of that hardens you.  But no matter how long a pro-life worker has been working, or how many times he or she has seen pictures and video of the unborn child, seeing these images still breaks us up.  When we think we can't go on any longer, these pictures call us forward. 

And their broken bodies should.  What kind of humanity does a person have if he or she is not moved by inhumanity to other humans?  Their helplessness, weakness and dependency don't make them disposable.  They demand that we give them more protection and care!

Yesterday I was speaking at a local Christian school.  In the section where I was showing partial birth abortion diagrams.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a teen age girl wiping away a tear.  I showed other pictures found at the links below and two young ladies asked me afterwards, "how can they do that?"  How can they do that?

Images at Priests for Life.

Here are some links to streaming video I watched today at Priests For Life's Website. 

The abortion procedure is described here, with former abortionist Dr. Tony Levatino (22:00)
www.pfltv.com/sfydr

Body parts of aborted babies (5:00) www.pfltv.com/imag

Dr. Byron Calhoun examines aborted babies and describes their cause of death (14:00)
www.pfltv.com/babies 

Another Reason Pro-lifers Should Be Careful About Recommending The Pill

Most pro-life groups stay away from the contraception issue.  Our interest begins at conception and continues until natural death.  Abortion advocates want to force us into contraceptive distribution and education.  Though many pro-lifers probably support contraception, most organizations have stayed out of it. 

There are other reasons to stay away too.  More and more research is showing bad effects on women from the pill.  Not only does it cause women to gain weight, become agitated/depressed and kill the sex drive, a new study suggests it can cause 20-30 percent more clogging of the arteries for every 10 years of use.  This came up in a USA Today Article "Study Links Birth Control Pill To Artery Causing Plague." 

Jim Sedlak at American Life League notes some other problems with the pill in his November 14, 2007 STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood) update. "It has already been proven that the birth control pill can cause health risks. The pill can cause weight gain, acne, breast and cervical cancer and infertility. It lowers immunity to STDs and can also kill the baby that is inside the mother. Not only can the birth control pill cause abortions and increase chances of breast and cervical cancer, but now it has been proven that the birth control pill can endanger a woman’s heart".

Jim also says, "of course you wouldn’t find any of these scientific facts in Planned Parenthood’s “medically accurate” sex education programs. Planned Parenthood received an estimated $180 million of its $345.1 million clinic income during the 2005-2006 fiscal year from the sales of birth control products, including the pill."

Pro-Life Endorsement Confusion Gets More Confusing

Pro-lifers are going to have a tough time figuring out who to vote for in the primary season.  Only the Republicans have pro-life candidates. 

Pat Robertson has endorsed pro-abortion Rudy Giuliani.  I can't figure that one either, but then again Robertson once claimed credit for telling a hurricane to change course from slamming into his city... too bad for the victims in other towns that took the hit.

The Republican National Coalition for Life sent out an email Sunday with an article attached from Accuracy in Media's Cliff Kincaid that says that Fred Thompson is finished for his poor showing on Meet the Press.  Thompson unbelievably repeated a pro-abortion straw man/lie that pro-lifers would send you girls to prison for abortion and then said he wouldn't support a constitutional amendment and said he wouldn't support the pro-life platform before he said he would.  I'd say that would finish him off too.  But today National Right to Life endorsed him.

Mitt Romney has the endorsement of the senior statesman of the pro-life movement Dr. John Wilke, eminent pro-life attorney James Bopp, leading conservative Paul Weyrich, Fundamentalist Bob Jones and Mary Ann Glendon, the Catholic Harvard Law Professor, Editorial Board Member of First Things, US Ambassador to the Vatican and head of the Pontifical Council on Social Sciences, is an adviser to Romney.  Romney opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research and supports a life amendment.  Romney ran as a pro-abortion candidate for Senator and Governor of Massachusetts.

Senator Sam Brownback, who dropped out of the presidential race and is the leading pro-life leader in the United States Senate and author of the Human Cloning Prohibition Act, is supporting Senator John McCain.  McCain has a good abortion voting record but supports embryonic stem cell research and has alienated activists with his free speech limiting campaign finance bill.

Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson has yet to support anyone, but the only person of the big four noted above who seem to have a chance at his support seems to be Romney.  We'll see.  National Right to Life did not think pro-life Mike Huckaby had a chance to win.

It's going to be a bizarre season.  My reaction to the Thompson endorsement makes me think I'm leaning toward Romney.  We'll see.  I saw him in Sparks last month and he's very charismatic and well spoken.  I'm not totally happy with any of the candidates, but pro-lifers were nervous about President Bush too.  He turned out to be pro-life.  Too bad he's all action and no talk.  We'd like to see him use the bully pulpit.  We'll see what happens.  There are too many pro-lifers in the campaign and I fear that Giuliani will win by default, although his poll numbers are going down. 

UPDATE: American Family Association President Don Wildemon is supporting Governor Mike Huckabee.

Click here to see read the discussion between Hugh Hewitt and National Right To Life's David O'Steen on why NRL is supporting Thompson.  It's going to be a bizarre campaign.  I can see why NRL came out and chose someone.   There are too many pro-lifers in the contest spliting the vote and Rudy Giuliani is in danger of winning by this division.  That's a no brainer. 

My feeling on the angst toward National Right to Life-which is the best of the best along with the Catholic Bishops, is that they are asking us to support a candidate who doesn't have much juice.  Really, do you get excited about Fred?  But then again, if we all remember, it was hard to get excited about GWB in 2000 because he wouldn't say where he stood.  But he wasn't Al Gore.

The other thing is that the candidates aren't that good.  NRL is a great group.  We use their stuff all the time.  I think they are suffering/getting hurt by this because they had to choose someone at this time and the lack of a good candidate to get behind.  I think no matter who they chose, choosing someone from this field was going to cause angst.  But make no mistake, they had to choose someone right now in hopes of derailing Giuliani. 

Pro-Life Christian MD Under Investigation For Sharing Pro-Life Views

British MD Dr. Tammie Downes is under investigation for helping moms reconsider abortions.  The investigation began after Downes told who she helped women rethink their decision to abortion to the UK Daily Mail in May.  So much for abortion advocates gripping about a global gag rule!  What harm is done when women choose abortion?  The answer to that question puts you inside the mind of the abortion movement.  They are upset because it shows badly on abortion when moms choose life, and other things.  How warped can someone be to protest a woman being talked into giving birth?  That speaks for itself.