Pro-Life News Bytes September 25, 2007

Stand to Reason reports on Scott Klusendorf’s posting describing what a pro-life pastor looks like.
He points out that pro-life issues aren't a political or para-church issue; the nature of being human is at the core of the Biblical message and central to teaching and training Christians who can engage and not be taken in by the culture.
Are You/Do You Have a Pro-life Pastor?

Also from STR re the visit of Ahmadinejad to Columbia U.
I think the university president's comments and questions to Ahmadinejad were constructive, accurate, and useful, though essentially pointless. They didn't justify the appearance of Iran's president at the Columbia because everything he said is well-known, well-documented, and were ignored by Ahmadinejad.
What Do We Fear? Moral Relativism and "Tolerance"

BigBlueWave blogged yesterday on this important survey.
Religious conservative vote is becoming an electoral factor in Canada

Campaign Life Coalition to release report re election candidates
Campaign Life Coalition to Shortly Post Ontario Election Candidate Survey Results on Internet

Quite a few items in the news about schools

Leonard at Stand Your Ground reports
Those who've never been to a Christian school can have a glimpse of what it looks like thanks to this article in the Toronto Star. I find it quite fairly written, even though expressions such as "infuse the Ontario curriculum with Christian values" do seem like criticism.
A Look At Christian School

From the Toronto Star
The roots of discord over religious schools

Blogger A. Carlton Sallet of Upper Canada Catholic says
Here’s a few things nobody’s talking about when it comes to the whole funding for faith based schools / end funding of Catholic schools debate raging in Ontario:
Reality Check: De-funding Ontario's Catholic Schools

Father Alphonse de Valk at Catholic Insight
Catholic school boards bowing to secularism

StatGuy discusses serious flaws found in a study criticizing abstinence-only sex education.
Lessons in depravity

Suzanne reports on more news about Archbishop Raymond Burke, Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis Missouri. He’s my personal choice for the next Pope.
“No matter how often a bishop or priest repeats the teaching of the church regarding procured abortion, if he stands by and does nothing to discipline a Catholic who publicly supports legislation permitting the gravest of injustices, and, at same time, presents himself to receive Holy Communion, then his teachings ring hollow,” Burke writes.
Archbishop Burke: Deny Communion to Sinful Pols
Here’s the link to the story that Suzanne covered.

Blogger Orycteropus also has a post
Archbishop Burke, Abortion, and "Communion Cops"

Priests for Life is asking pro-lifers to sign their petition to the media to show the American people what an abortion is.

JivinJehoshaphat reports on the sad news that Pastor John Piper's son and daughter-in-law discovered their child, due to be delivered on Sunday, had died in the womb.
Life Links 9/24/07

And speaking of Pastor John Piper, who is a great friend of the Unborn, at the blogsite New Life From Heaven, one of John Piper’s quotes is included, along with other info which makes for a very unique posting.
Abortion?

Opinion piece from Pastor Chuck Baldwin
DOBSON IS RIGHT ABOUT GIULIANI

LifeSiteNews reports on Hillary Clinton
Biography Reveals Hillary Clinton Séance, Religious Devotion to Abortion

From LifeNews.com
A pro-life group that monitors charitable involvement with abortion businesses and pro-abortion organizations has published a new report criticizing Rotary International. Life Decisions International says Rotary has ties with groups that promote both abortion and population control
Pro-Life Org Blasts Rotary Club for Involvement With Pro-Abortion Groups

From Catholic Online
Text of the USCCB statement for Respect Life Sunday 2007

Winnipeg Sun reports that members of Edmonton's gay community are lashing out at controversial mayoral candidate Bill Whatcott over his anti-homosexual election platform.
Candidate anti-gay

Catholic Citizens supports Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo is his call for priests to imitate him by praying for one hour in front of an abortion facility during this year's national Forty Days of Life.
In Defense of Life Bishop Aquila urges priests to pray before ...

Michael Coren dishes out some compliments—and disdain for the entertainment industry
That's original

Blogger JohnOnLife takes on the duplicity of the “pro-choice” mantra
I am and I am not

New York state officials have decided to divert the millions in abstinence education funding the state receives from the federal government to comprehensive sex-ed programs.
New York State Officials Will Refuse Abstinence Education Funding

David Oliver, writer and researcher and specialist in bipolar disorder, warns that those who pressure the bipolar disorder woman facing an unplanned pregnancy into abortion may in fact be recommending something that ruins the life of women predisposed to mental illness.
Should A Woman With Bipolar Disorder Have An Abortion?

More about the mega-event in Aurora and the 40 Days for Life

From Killeen Daily Herald in Killeen Texas
Anti-abortion group prepares for 40-day protest near clinic

From Ms. Magazine
Judge Denies Injunction to Allow Aurora Planned Parenthood to Open

From Christian Newswire
Fr. Frank Pavone to Kick Off Rallies for 40 Days for Life

Heartbeat International weighs in on recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision “that deprives women of the right to hear the truth about abortion”
New Jersey Top Court Allows Doctor to Deceive Women

The Pine Log is the official newspaper of the students of Stephen F. Austin State University. Here’s an opinion piece on the morning after pill. Readers are invited to get the important truth about this dangerous medication.
Morning after pill should be easily available to all

International abortion advocate lectures at University of San Diego
Besides inviting Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and “reproductive rights” advocate Andrea Smith to address its students during this year’s Joan B. Kroc Distinguished Lecture Series, the University of San Diego also invited Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage. The University of San Diego claims to be a “Catholic” institution of higher education
“No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term”

Ken Connor discusses Three Core Principles in the Christian’s approach to poverty.
Last week, the Center for a Just Society reminded Christian Post readers of a message that is unambiguous in Scripture: Christians have a responsibility to freely and generously serve the poor.
Christian Compassion and Government Responsibility

The Christian Post reports on a recent meeting of Southern Baptist leaders.
Southern Baptists Consider Denomination-Wide Response to Clergy Sex Abuse

Yes Mary Smith It Is All About Babies

In Australia’s e-journal of social and political debate, Mary Smith poses a question today, “Is it all about babies?”

She asks,

Is the opposition to abortion simply about saving babies? Or, are there other motives behind the graphic images of advanced fetuses?

From there she launches her attack on pro-lifers, accusing them of being disingenuous because they focus on late term abortions when, in fact, she notes these are rare. She seems to think that abortions up to 20 weeks or so are perfectly fine and therefore that pro-lifers ought to admit that because women “act swiftly” [in killing their offspring], at least 90% of “terminations” shouldn’t be an issue.

She moves on to accuse pro-lifers, and particularly the Catholic versions, of having an agenda to eliminate all of society’s hard earned rights to abortion, contraception and sex education. She challenges the claims that emergency contraception can cause abortions and mocks the possibility that “A group of eight cells held together by the egg membrane is now a child!”

Her diatribe is full of disinformation and prejudice against the unborn child, never once raising the most important question of all. She seems incapable of grasping the simple truth: Yes! It IS all about the babies—and babies who are babies from the point of conception through to the day of birth, and beyond.

As usual, these types of “poor-choice” opinion pieces are poorly constructed in terms of reason and argument but they do pass the test with too many who are already fooled by the shallow slogans and rhetoric. A look into the comments box for these kinds of columns usually corroborates such superficiality and, unfortunately, not only that of poor-choicers.

Take a look at Mary Smith's article [reproduced below] and see if you can locate some of the distortions, generalizations, sloganeering, etc. Why not post a comment to this blog with your observations.

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Is It All About The Babies?

Is the opposition to abortion simply about saving babies? Or, are there other motives behind the graphic images of advanced fetuses?

Many anti abortionists, or pro-life activists as they prefer to be called, focus on the issue of late abortions even though the vast majority of abortions, about 90 per cent, are performed during the first trimester.

Most women facing unwanted pregnancy act swiftly, I cannot imagine that a woman would deliberately wait until the fetus reaches 20 weeks before having an abortion. Late abortions occur in cases of fetal abnormality and complications affecting the health of the woman. Other pro-lifers adopt a feminist facade and spread misinformation about the safety of legal abortion while conveniently ignoring the dangers of illegal, unsafe abortions which affect millions of women, mostly in developing countries.

By focusing on the few late abortions, the pro-life lobby hopes to harness public support in chipping away abortion rights. Indeed, not only do they want ALL abortions banned, they also want to ban contraception.

In El Salvadore and Nicaragua the Catholic Church pro-lifers succeeded in banning ALL abortions, including those necessary to save a woman's life, doctors are reluctant to provide emergency treatment to any woman with pregnancy-related complications and even fear to treat women with ectopic pregnancies. Their fears are not unfounded, any doctor accused of performing abortion, even to save a woman's life can spend up to 30 years in jail.

In the Philippines (PDF 114KB), it is estimated that about 400.000 illegal abortions take place every year, yet contraception is banned from public hospitals and clinics. The government endorses Catholic-approved Natural Family Planning only. But Natural Family Planning or abstinence does not work if women are forced by their husbands to have sex.

You need not take my word for this; check out what pro-lifers have to say about contraception:

"By outlawing contraception, you're closer to outlawing surgical abortion," says Matt Sande, director of legislative affairs for Pro-Life Wisconsin.

“Sande says the 1992 Supreme Court ruling that narrowly upheld Roe v. Wade - the court's landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion - forces the hand of abortion opponents because it reasoned that abortion was the legal fallback for contraceptive failure.

"So if, as the pro-life community, you're trying to outlaw surgical abortion but the court has told us its legal basis is founded on the necessity of abortion, shouldn't the pro-life community begin to take a look at contraception?" Sande says.

"We're trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, but the court is pointing us over here," he adds. Those who don't turn their attention to trying to outlaw contraception at this point, Sande says, hurt the anti-abortion cause.

And closer to home Nicholas Tonti-Filippini says:

The pro-life concern is that the effect of mini-pills such as Micronor, because they are unlikely to suppress ovulation, are much more likely to be abortifacient. The lining of the uterus is altered so that if the effect on cervical mucus fails to prevent the passage of sperm, then embryos created are likely to be unable to embed and develop in the lining of the uterus. The mini-pills do carry a significant risk of loss of human lives at an early stage.

Even if one of the modes of action of the pill is preventing the fertilised egg from attaching to the uterine lining, it would still not constitute an abortifacient action, the pill would not be acting to kill the fertilised egg but merely to prevent its implantation in the uterine lining. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines pregnancy as starting at implantation, when the fertilised egg attaches itself to the uterine lining.

In the US, 86 anti-abortion groups have committed to opposing all forms of contraception. Pro-life organisations in Australia also oppose contraception, even though they are not as vocal about it as their American allies.

Many pro-life websites are full of propaganda about how the pill and the IUD are abortifacients and that the Emergency Contraception pill is a form of early abortion similar to the actual abortion pill, RU486. The pro-life gospel goes something like this: "The pill/IUD alters the lining of the uterus and the six-day-old child cannot implant on the uterine lining and is sloughed off." Or, "Pills and IUDs kill people".

A group of eight cells held together by the egg membrane is now a child!

Pro-life organisations oppose not only abortion and contraception but sex education and even condoms for disease prevention. And it doesn't end here, the recently introduced Human Papilloma Virus vaccine is also under fire. As far as we know, the HPV vaccine does not have any abortive or contraceptive properties and it can help prevent cervical cancer, so why oppose it? If pro-lifers insist that women be told that having an abortion can lead to a great risk of developing breast cancer, why oppose a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer?

The plight of women in the Philippines, Nicaragua and El Salvador, illustrates what can happen when the Catholic Church-pro-life lobby dictates public health policy.

Promiscuity Pays: Canada Pimps Its Girls to Big Pharma

Recently, Vote Life, Canada! went on a fact finding mission related to the proposed use of the Gardasil vaccine. The result of that study was a report entitled Gardasil Vaccine Not the Only Option for Preventing Cervical Cancer. The report can also be found here.

Today, Henry Makow weighs in on the vaccine, with his usual keen insight, perhaps largely as a result of CBC’s recent shocking coverage. Much of the ground he covers is similar to Vote Life, Canada’s coverage. Here’s what he had to say.

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Promiscuity Pays: Canada Pimps Its Girls to Big Pharma

By: Henry Makow

The Harper government has allocated $300 million to vaccinate thousands of girls as young as age nine against a sexually transmitted disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), which occasionally causes cervical cancer.

The vaccine (Gardasil) only works on girls with no sexual experience. So instead of teaching these children that it is self-destructive and degrading to be promiscuous, the government is inoculating them as if they were going to become prostitutes.

Instead of selling these girls, the politicians are taking their cut up front, from big pharma, all in the name of protecting "public health."

This is the shape of socialism in the New World Order: enriching corporations by drugging the population.

In an interview with CBC-TV, a representative of Merck-Frosst, the maker of the vaccine, admitted that lobbying is how pharma business is done in Canada.

The 15 minute TV-Report, which can be viewed here, says this is the only case of government-mandated mass vaccination in the world. The last time the Canadian government took such drastic action was during a polio outbreak in the 1950's.

But there is no epidemic of cervical cancer now. In fact, it doesn’t even rank in the top 10 cancers affecting Canadian women. Whereas 400 women die of cervical cancer each year, over 5000 die of breast cancer.

At the same time, society is giving children the message that being "sexually active" is part of "becoming a woman." In fact, girls become women by preparing to become wives and mothers. Promiscuity just makes them feel worthless and unwanted.

In the TV report, a mother just laughs when her 13-year-old daughter announces her intention to become "sexually active" at age 16. A father thinks the new vaccine is really cool while his daughter sits beside him in stunned silence.

BOONDOGGLE WITH CONSEQUENCES

At best, this vaccination campaign is a boondoggle for Merck. At worst it could have many negative results. A reader from Argentina wrote that last Oct. the government tried to vaccinate girls for Rubeola but was stopped when some doctors revealed the vaccine contained a sterilization agent called prostaglandin.

A report for the Women's Health Network by a McGill University epidemiologist calls the Canadian program "premature and could possibly have unintended negative consequences for individuals and for society as a whole."

While as many as 50% of women get some form of HPV over their lifetime, the report says most of these do not result in cervical cancer and can be cured.

"Most HPV infections are cleared spontaneously. Recent research using available molecular detection technologies suggests that clearance occurs within one year for about 70 per cent of those infected, and within two years for 90 per cent. Thus, HPV infection and cervical cancer must not be conflated: most women who are infected with even a 'high-risk' strain of HPV will not develop cervical cancer."

The report also states that clinical trials were insufficient to test the efficacy of the vaccine since the subjects were too young to be exposed to HPV.

During the last six months of 2006, the (US) National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) got 385 reports of adverse reactions to Gardasil.

"There are twice as many children collapsing and four times as many children experiencing tingling, numbness and loss of sensation after getting Gardasil vaccination compared to those getting a Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) vaccination."

"There have been reports of facial paralysis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. And doctors who give Gardasil in combination with other vaccines are basically conducting an experiment on their young patients because Merck has not published any safety data for simultaneous vaccination with any vaccine except hepatitis B vaccine."

In May 2007, Judicial Watch reported 1600 adverse reactions to Gardasil including two deaths.

INSANITY

Next week in Toronto alone, 40,000 young girls and their parents will be pressured to allow an inoculation for a sexually transmitted disease. The reason for the pressure is that three injections are required over a six-months period i.e. the school year.

"My 12 year old daughter is facing this decision -- her MD. has suggested we vaccinate her right away," a mother posted on the CBC-TV web site. "I am NOT a sceptical person by any means but something about this whole campaign makes me very nervous. "

The unstated, and outrageous assumption behind this vaccination campaign is that promiscuity is the norm. Human papilloma virus will not be transferred if people are selective and monogamous (and use condoms.) These girls have never had sex. Most will not have sex for years. Many will not be promiscuous and will not need this vaccine.

The other assumption is that sex is a necessary social experience that is divorced from courtship, love, marriage and procreation. On the contrary, a girl's healthy psychological development is based on her participation in the natural life cycle by becoming a wife and mother. Thus she must consecrate herself sexually for future or potential husband.

Contrary to feminist ideology, women are fulfilled in this way, not by becoming dentists or mechanics. Many feminist organizations are in favor of Gardasil. This is consistent with my view that the hidden agenda of feminism is to undermine marriage and family. Far from fighting the "patriarchy," feminism shills for the establishment.

The current Canadian government pretends to be socially conservative and espouse "family values."

Surely it would be less hypocritical (and cheaper) to teach these girls that promiscuity doesn’t make them a woman. On the contrary, it ruins their chances for fulfillment by undermining their ability to bond permanently with their husband.

A young woman shouldn’t need more than a couple of long term relationships before she finds the right one. She doesn’t need to protect herself like a prostitute would. On the other hand, many politicians and doctors could use some Gardasil.

This gratuitous mass innoculation sets a bad precedent. I don't want to speculate what excuse they will find for the next one.

_______________________________________________________

Note #1: A report broadcast on NBC-News Saturday showed that Gardasil is being marketed in the US as a vaccine against HPV. One MD in Vermont has a waiting list of 288 girls. In fact, Gardasil prevents only four of about 30 strains of HPV, which represent only 70% of cancer causing HPV's. At $360 for the three doses, plus doctor's fees, there is alot of money at stake in this ruse. This is especially true since some doctors think cervical cancer is caused by feminine products and not HPV.

Note #2: According to Dr. Judith Reisman, more than 80% of newborn American children are being inoculated with a vaccine for Hepatitus B, which is a venereal disease. This is not a threat to children but it is a threat to pedophiles because it identifies children who have been sexually abused by them.

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Source:

Published originally at EtherZone.com

Gardasil Vaccine Not The Only Option For Preventing Cervical Cancer

Vote Life, Canada! prepared an analysis of the proposed use of the Gardasil vaccine, in response to a growing series of announcements (and attendant controversy) about its use in Canadian provinces. This article was directed at publication in Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest daily newspaper but at this point no final word has been received as to whether it will see publication there.

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Gardasil Vaccine Not the Only Option for Preventing Cervical Cancer

Last week the Right to Life Association issued a press release outlining its concerns regarding the provincial government’s newly announced HPV Vaccination Program. A small controversy erupted, with many Newfoundlanders quickly adding their viewpoints.

However, in the interests of informed consent for all Newfoundlanders, much more needs to be said about this vaccination proposal which will see 2,800 grade six girls throughout the province immunized from the human papilloma virus (HPV), a virus known to cause many types of cervical cancer. The province will fund the three year program with its allotment of $4.6 million from a $300 million federal total.

At first glance this appears to be quite a beneficial—even marvellous—project. Why not take steps to protect women from a dreaded disease and why not use one more vaccine, among many, in grade school in order to do so? But are there reasons to be skeptical of such a plan? If so, one ought to start first with the most serious concerns, those relating to the health and safety of those women who receive the Gardasil vaccine produced by drug giant Merck Frosst.

According to the U.S. based National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), among the symptoms and illnesses (2200 reported) of greatest concern associated with Gardasil and reported to FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) are death (seven deaths have been filed) and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

In describing GBS, NVIC quotes the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke: “GBS is a serious disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances, the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. These symptoms can increase in intensity until certain muscles cannot be used at all and, when severe, the patient is almost totally paralyzed. … Vaccinations can trigger onset of GBS.”

NVIC insists that the U.S. Center for Disease Control “should immediately issue a public advisory to doctors, parents, and vaccine recipients that Gardasil is associated with 15 reports of GBS in VAERS.” Yet Merck, as well as Canadian federal and provincial officials, have told us nothing about this.

Gardasil has undergone less than four years of testing and relatively few girls (1200) between the ages of 9 – 15 years were involved in the testing. More surprisingly, out of that total, a miniscule number (100) were nine years old. This does not generate a high level of confidence in the short term, or even the immediate, safety of the vaccine. We certainly have no answers about the vaccine’s long term safety, yet Merck (and our provincial government) proposes to make this age group the target population for mass vaccination. It is not surprising then that some have characterized the vaccination program as a huge Canadian experiment with young school girls as the guinea pigs. For example, might one of the side-effects of this vaccine be to render girls sterile at some point in the future?

Regarding the efficacy and costs of Gardasil, some significant difficulties are also posed. Very importantly, it must first be noted that HPV infection does not equate to contracting cervical cancer. The majority of women infected with HPV—even the high-risk variety—will not develop cervical cancer. In no sense does Canada have a cervical cancer “crisis,” and in no sense will Gardasil “eradicate” Canada’s cervical cancers.

A group of McGill medical specialists headed up by epidemiologist Abby Lippman will be publishing a summary of their numerous concerns about the Gardasil vaccine later this month in the August edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Lippman states emphatically that there is no such crisis of cervical cancer in Canada but that the flurry of recent announcements by politicians and the aggressive marketing techniques of Merck have manufactured an “epidemic of fear” in Canada.

Gardasil shows POTENTIAL to prevent SOME cervical cancer. There are more than 30 types of HPV which can cause cancer and for those women—firstly, who receive Gardasil; secondly, who receive Gardasil before being infected; and thirdly, whose protection by Gardasil is still active and effective [uncertainty prevails on this point]—there is protection against 4 of the most common types which together cause about 70 per cent of cervical cancers. When all is factored in, some believe the vaccine MAY help to prevent less than 17% of cervical cancers. Cancer experts predict that cervical cancer will take the lives of about 390 women this year in Canada.

The vaccine is given by means of three injections over a six-month period of time, and is very expensive, costing about $400 per person. The Canadian Women’s Health Network expresses doubt that the benefits of the vaccine justify such a high price tag and suggests that the money be used instead to improve the Pap smear process. Research has strongly and consistently indicated that if every woman were to receive regular Pap smears, cervical cancer in Canada could be virtually eliminated. Oddly enough, the Gardasil vaccine raises the specter that women might be lulled into a false sense of security, and overlook the acute need for Pap smears and routine exams by their physicians. If such proved to be the case Canada could conceivably see an increase in the rate of cervical cancer.

Further number-crunching raises more doubts—even a startling picture. Reliable indications are that Gardasil’s potency declines significantly after about four years yet cancer data show that the average cervical cancer patient is 47 years of age. If young school children are vaccinated at 9-13 years of age, how many injections or boosters during their lifetime might they need in order to stay protected? The higher the number the better for Merck’s bank account.

The HPV vaccine "touches on very deep sexual, social, ethical values," says Margaret Somerville, Faculty of Medicine professor at McGill University. A good mix of these is apparent in the hostile reaction to the message that government will take care of the risks of a disease that is spread ONLY by sexual promiscuity. At the root of such a reaction is the simple but profound truth, and moral standard, that a young man and young woman getting married, both having no prior sexual intimacy and contact, and both remaining faithful to each other for life, have ZERO risk of contracting HPV. HPV is spread only through the peculiarity of multiple sex partners. Like HIV, it is for all practical purposes a behavioural disease.

In a society where many outrightly dismiss, are ignorant of, or have abdicated their parental responsibilities for the moral (and sex) education of their children, this standard seems not only utopian but its very suggestion is said to be offensive and intolerable. Nevertheless, the Gardasil message is clear: “Your little girl, as young as nine, will not remain abstinent but will engage in, or is preparing to engage in, sexual activity. She needs to be vaccinated.”

Some have compared the Gardasil campaign to the push to promote condoms, which, in creating a false sense of security about “safe sex,” has resulted in overall increased risk. In the strategy to control the spread of STD’s, condoms have been a failure. “Condoms aren’t enough to do the trick—let’s throw in the Gardasil.”

Furthermore, widespread immunization by government meddles with the right of parents to choose the appropriate time to decide when and how their children will be exposed to the topic of sexuality. Against their better judgment and wishes they are forced to engage in the discussion.

Finally, some misconceptions need correcting.

The federal Health Canada website states: “Anyone who has had sex is at risk for HPV.” This is obviously not true in the case of the young man and woman described above whose lives and marriage are ruled by monogamous standards. Does the Canadian government assume all its citizens deal with multiple sex partners?

HPV is not like polio or some other serious, preventable disease treated with a vaccine. HPV is a disease contracted through vaginal, oral or anal sexual intercourse—and only by those means. Your daughter will not catch HPV by sitting next to someone who has it.

Gardasil offers no protection whatsoever against other serious STDs, such as Chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, AIDS; nor is it effective against the other more than 26 kinds of HPV.

Provincial Health Minister Ross Wiseman said he believes the vaccination program will do more good than harm. So is he saying that, after spending nearly five million hard earned health dollars to protect women from a cancer causing STD that comes only through multiple partner sex, if 2,800 young girls are vaccinated and some MAY be saved from cervical cancer twenty years or more hence but one or more girls die or are incapacitated after being vaccinated, that the program was a success? Perhaps Merck-Frosst, as well as our politicians, haven’t gone to such depths in their thinking. That possibility is indeed a scary—and dangerous—one.

Promote Abstinence, Not Disease Control: Vaccination Plan Sends Wrong Message To Girls

Yesterday I received email from the Right to Life Association of NL. It was news to me but the email informed me that on Monday of this week the provincial government had issued an announcement that a vaccination program is to begin this school year to protect approximately 2,800 Grade Six females against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is known to cause many types of cervical cancer. The vaccine to be used is the Gardasil brand.

In response to that announcement, the Right to Life Association issued the following press release:

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Concerns Over Government’s Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination Program

The Right to Life Association applauds the provincial government for showing concern for preteen girls by introducing a plan to vaccinate them against the human papilloma virus (HPV), a STD which could lead to cervical cancer. The Right to Life Association believes that this plan, while it has good intentions, is a cause for great concern because of its imperfections.

If the government was really concerned with the teenage STD infection rates, they would introduce an abstinence education program. The province’s current sex-ed curriculum may contain an abstinence element, but it is given only a fleeting mention, if any. The Right to Life Association has heard many complaints from parents, students, and teachers, that abstinence is not given enough attention in the school system. Many of those involved in the school system have asked for a comprehensive abstinence-ed curriculum.

As it stands now, the sex-ed curriculum may actually contribute to teenage pregnancy and STD infection rates. It could give children an impression that they have a green light to sexual activity. It can give them a false sense of security in their knowledge about the risks of sexual activity, resulting in them being less hesitant to engage in promiscuity. For example, HPV may be so widely spread because teens may not understand the instruction that condoms are not perfect. Clearly, a curriculum focusing on sex rather than abstinence does not work.

The HPV vaccination program may lead to the same result as contraception and sex-ed. If those receiving the vaccination are ill-informed about its limitations, they may embrace promiscuity more willingly. Therefore, the Right to Life Association encourages the government to present a strong message of abstinence along with the vaccination. It is through this message that these preteens can learn of the inherit value of their bodies, the sacred gift of sex, and the risks of promiscuity. Armed with this knowledge, preteens can truly begin to protect themselves from STDs such as HPV.

The news release garnered some good reaction, netting many media interviews for Patrick Hanlon, President of the Association, and securing a good report on the second page of the local newspaper entitled “Promote abstinence, not disease control: Health Association believes vaccination plan will send the wrong message to girls.”

For those unfamiliar with this subject matter, you can refer to a report compiled yesterday evening by LifeSiteNews.com. Apparently Ontario also announced plans to introduce the vaccine.

There have been many alarm bells rung over recent months concerning the Gardasil vaccinations. The story really hit hard after the announcement earlier this year from the Texas governor that mandated every school age girl in Texas as young as eleven receive the Gardasil HPV vaccination shots. The governor however was forced to rescind the order in early May due to public outcry and a vote from state lawmakers.

Aside from the question of mandating such a vaccine—an action not contemplated by the Newfoundland government—many other concerns about the use of the vaccine have come to light. WorldNetDaily has a useful account of the recent questions raised about the Gardasil campaign.

Parents should think very hard about the safety of this vaccine as well as the moral issues surrounding use of the vaccine.

Youth Under Attack: Pro-Contraception Sex-Ed.

In Issue One, 2007, of their quarterly magazine, Priests for Life Canada has an article by Fr. Jim Whalen entitled Youth Under attack: Pro-Contraception Sex-Ed.

It’s worth reprinting here.

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Youth Under Attack: Pro-Contraception Sex-Ed

Due primarily to the sexual revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, which promoted sex outside of marriage, as well as multiple sexual partners, teen sexual activity has multiplied and has resulted in increased sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as the spread of teen pregnancy. Each day in America over 42,000 cases of STDs occur: 10,000 of them among teenagers. Each day over 2,500 teen girls become pregnant. The situation rapidly went out of control. Until the 1970s there were only two primary STDs, and both were curable. Today there are over twenty-five STDs and many of them arc incurable. Teens have been sold a bill of goods by being told that a piece of latex or a pill will protect them from the devastating consequences of STDs and unwanted pregnancy.

Understanding what goes on in the teen brain will help clarify the picture. There are two different approaches. Two main branches are actively involved: the amygdala a lower portion of the brain, which is active at the level of feelings, impulses, and emotional responses, and the pre-frontal cortex, which is active in planning, decision-making, seeing consequences, moral intelligence, rational behavior, and abstract thinking. During adolescence, brain pruning takes place where strong connections are made in the brain based on whether they are used or not. Parts that are used are strengthened. Parts that are not used are eliminated. The so-called comprehensive or condom-based sex-ed teaches to the amygdala. The false reasoning is that since teens can’t seem to control their sexual urges, something must be done to protect them. Abstinence education and character development programs teach to, and help to develop, the pre-frontal cortex. Abstinence is the safest and healthiest lifestyle, providing emotional, cultural, social, and physical benefits for today’s youth. Youth are capable and mature enough to make healthy choices for their lives. Abstinence programs also teach to the amygdala by using stories, activities, and action-based learning.

Youth are under attack in pro-contraceptive sex-education programs. There is a need to clarify whether sex-ed is protection or promotion. In America, national studies of the most popular so-called comprehensive programs of sex-ed, a mere 4.7% of their content focused on abstinence. These programs include exercises such as: condom relay races, shopping assignments for condoms, fantasizing in class about sexual activity, encouraging alternative sexual activities, and acceptance of alternative life styles (e.g.: experimentation with various partners, showering together, fantasizing with or without a partner, etc.). The current message being taught in regard to responsibility is: (1) don’t rape or pressure anyone into sexual activity; (2) don’t make a baby; and (3) don’t catch or spread a sexually-transmitted disease. No comprehensive sex-ed program has been found to reduce the rate of STDs or pregnancy in program participants. The one program that reduced pregnancy involved injecting participating teens with the Depo Provera birth control. The National Institutes of Health reports that there is insufficient evidence that condoms offer protection against the most common STDs in America today, including Human Papillomavirus, Genital Herpes, Chlamydia, Trichomoniasis, Chancroid, and Syphilis. The fact is that teen sex produces far more pain than pleasure. “No sex outside marriage” is the golden rule that should be taught and followed. Wait until marriage is still sound advice as well as the wisdom of our Creator.

Teaching teens about contraception has not worked. Teens who do not exhibit self-control by engaging in sexual activity are not likely to exhibit self-control in the use of contraceptive devices (e.g., six steps to correct condom use). According to research, teens are more likely to act in the moment, impulsively, without thinking about consequences, especially when strong emotional and physical feelings are involved. Studies have shown that the typical use of condoms is inconsistent with teens and STD rates have increased significantly during the same time condom use has increased. Condom use can only reduce - not eliminate the risk of STDs. The consequences are very damaging (i.e.: each year 100, 000 to 200,000 females become infertile as a result of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PIV) caused by Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

The overwhelming majority of young people who have had sex regret their decision and wish they had waited. Research data shows the connection between teen sex, depression and suicide. Oxytocin, the bonding hormone that is released during sexual arousal is not stopped by contraception. Broken hearts are not protected by condoms. The majority of young people want to have lifelong stable marriage relationships. In a national poll, 95% stated they wanted a strong message to be delivered to abstain from sex until marriage.

A personal witness to a teenage break up reveals the emotional trauma experienced: “I was fifteen and we had been going out for a year. We went all the way. A few days after we broke up, it was the most painful time in my life. I was depressed, moody, nervous… I felt like a failure. I dropped out of sports. My grades weren’t terrific. I didn’t go out again until college. I’ve had mostly one night stands in the last couple of years. I’m afraid of falling in love” (college senior).

Waiting until marriage to be sexually active is possible for youth. It means starting out with a firm resolution with no exceptions. Abstinence is the healthy means to a chaste and happy lifestyle doing the will of God. It means tuning out the opposite messages and pressure from peers. It means making sure that when you date the person, your date understands your decision and respects it. It means showing real love means waiting. It means being responsible for each other, according to God’s law.

When teens are challenged by the truth, and by the facts, they can respond accordingly: “Treating the other sex with special consideration and high regard stems from choosing abstinence. An individual who desires to stay abstinent is rewarded a thousand times over. It feels good not to fret about STDs, and about not having to take care of a child while in high school. …My belief of sex involves two people who give their body and soul to each other for a lifetime” (Daniel Shallcross, age 17, Teens Speak Out essay contest winner).

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. Parents, priests, and educators should examine abstinence and sex-ed curricula being taught in their local school systems.
2. Offer positive options where needed to make necessary changes.
3. Contact local officials, school administrators, and legislators to let them know your opinion on this important issue.

Permission to use research info has been granted by Libby Gray Macke, Director, Project Reality, Co-author of A. C. Green Game Plan Abstinence Program & Navigator: Finding Your Way to a Healthy and Successful Future).

On the Internet, see Project Reality: Leaders in abstinence education since 1985.

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READERS TAKE NOTE: See this excellent related article recently published on Townhall.com. It’s entitled “Get the Government Out of Sex Ed” by Jennifer Roback Morse.