Sanctity of Life

E. Christian Brugger, D.Phil, writing at the Culture of Life Foundation: "To be consummative (i.e., to be an act by which the spouses become one flesh), intercourse must be 'marital.' To be marital, it must be performed 'in a human way' and must be 'in itself suitable for the procreation of children' . . . To be performed 'in a human way,' requires at a minimum that the performance is not contrary to human freedom . . . Those who contracept aim to render their act of intercourse non-procreative (i.e., unsuitable for the procreation of children). So they intend a non-marital and hence non-consummative act. It follows that should they conceive a child contrary to their intentions, they do so by means of a non-marital act. It is important to see that contraception as a moral act is not defined merely by some physical outcome. Rather, it is defined by what one intends as an end or a means."

LifeNews: "Another state is going after abortion practitioner and abortion business owner Steven Chase Brigham. He operates abortion centers known as American Women's Services in Voorhees, New Jersey as well as facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland, where he has also been disciplined for numerous problems. New Jersey authorities yesterday filed the papers required to start the process of potentially suspending Brigham's medical license."

"U.S. Appeals court on Thursday delayed a judge's ban on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research to consider the merits of the Obama administration's request for a stay.

ilsussidiaro.net [modified Google translation]: "[He is a Catholic Italian-American lawyer who was an] architect of the defeat of Barack Obama on . . . funding to research on embryonic stem cells . . . [Piero Tozzi] and the Alliance Legal Defense Fund (ADF), an association that has dared to challenge legally the power of the American president . . . [Q.] How did you manage to win this first battle against Obama [in] the difficult field of stem cells? [A.] Like Italy, the law of the United States decided to protect life in its early stages from research that aim to destroy it. The court ruled that the Obama administration, with guidance issued in April 2009 for funding for research using embryonic stem cells derived from human embryos created through in vitro fertilization 'clearly violated the law.'"

LifeSiteNews: "A federal judge has denied the U.S. Justice Department’s request to stay his order stopping the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) embryo-destroying stem-cell research, dismissing their allegations that scientific research over the past decade would be irreparably harmed . . . The attorneys litigating the case against the NIH are Advocates International, Alliance Defense Fund, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher."

LifeNews: "The attorneys for the scientists who are challenging the executive order President Barack Obama issued forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research are applauding a judge's decision yesterday to deny the Obama administration's request to delay his injunction . . . Advocates International and the Alliance Defense Fund are teaming up to help two adult stem cell scientists who brought the lawsuit."

Baltimore Sun: "The Maryland Board of Physicians on Wednesday upheld a suspension order against an obstetrician who ran an Elkton clinic in which an 18-year-old woman was badly injured during an abortion."

"Iowa says that corporations cannot make political ads without a PAC, which requires burdensome registration, record-keeping, and reporting requirements. But the Supreme Court recently ruled in a case called Citizens United that corporations have a First Amendment right to make political ads, without having to create a PAC. So Iowa requires the very thing the Supreme Court said is unconstitutional."

"The Board is considering amending the anti-conscience regulations to allow providers to refer patients to nearby providers if they have a conscientious objection to dispensing a drug."

Russell Korobkin writing at The Volokh Conspiracy: "Following the August 23 preliminary injunction issued by federal District Court Judge Royce Lamberth to block NIH funding of embryonic stem cell research, the Justice Department filed a motion requesting that the injunction be stayed pending an appeal to the D.C. Circuit. In a very short, 2-page order this afternoon, Judge Lamberth denied the stay motion . . . For practical purposes, the most important point in today’s order — and the one that should be the lead in tomorrow’s newspapers — is Lamberth’s surprising statement that his injunction does not prohibit the NIH from continuing to fund embryonic stem cell research that was permitted by the Bush Administration under its restrictive rules." Text of order in Sherley v. Sebelius | More information from Religion Clause.

ADF Attorney David French writing at Phi Beta Cons: "Yesterday, the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom launched a new video series, 'Hanna’s Story,' that tracks a (fictional) student's efforts to start a pro-life club on her campus. The series is based on our actual cases. You can watch the first one, which introduces Hanna, here."

Mercury News (AP): "The daylong religious event titled, 'The Call to Conscience,' was led by Lou Engle as well as other pastors and speakers to protest gay marriage, pornography and abortion. Many of those attending slapped red 'Life' stickers over their shirts and set up blankets and folding chairs facing a large stage with banners that read: 'Only One Hope God.'"

"A federal judge has denied a request by the Obama administration to allow it to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research while it defends President Barack Obama's executive order from a lawsuit alleging it violates federal law . . . "

Greeley Tribune: "The bad news for Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), and their allies is that personhood proponents recently turned in more than 126,000 signatures to put the measure back on the ballot, this time as Amendment 62. Even worse for abortion proponents, since beginning in Colorado in 2008, 40 states have started personhood drives. Personhood isn't just an amendment; it's a movement."

Journal-Sentinel: "A liberal advocacy group is suing Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth, saying he did not produce an e-mail he was required to release under the state's open records law. One Wisconsin Now posted a copy of the lawsuit Tuesday that it was filing against Southworth, who drew criticism this spring when he told area schools teachers could be criminally prosecuted if they followed the state's new sex education curriculum."

LifeNews: "The Planned Parenthood abortion business has temporarily closed its abortion center in Columbia. That leaves just two functioning abortion businesses in Missouri, with another Planned Parenthood abortion center in St. Louis and the Women’s Care Gynecology abortion clinic in Bridgeton, a suburb near the airport."

Miami Herald: "South Carolina voters who support abortion rights have no choice in November's gubernatorial election. For the first time in recent history both the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor are anti-choice."

Robert P. George, Yuval Levin, and Matthew J. Franck writing at National Review Online: "[I]t is the president who fails to be open to the inconvenient truth about the human embryo, namely, that from the single-cell stage of development onward, the human embryo is a distinct, determinate, self-directing, integrated human organism — a living member of the human species who, if given a suitable environment, will move along the seamless trajectory of biological development toward maturity. At the so-called 'blastocyst stage,' when the embryo might be destroyed to derive embryonic stem cells, he or she is already a living individuated organism . . . Is our humanity alone enough to merit protection and regard, or are we required to prove we have some other set of qualities or capacities to qualify for respect and protection?"

Mark Crutcher writing at CNSNews: "With a mountain of documentation, Maafa 21, is proving to audiences all across America that the real motivation behind the legalization of abortion was eugenics and racial genocide. In just over two hours, the documentary shows that the legalization of abortion was part of a campaign that had been created, promoted, and financed by a small cartel of ultra-wealthy elitists."

The Tech (MIT): "Many stem cell researchers have been left uncertain about their own future and the future of their field as they wait for a federal judge to decide whether to allow the NIH to fund human embryonic stem cell research, within and without of its walls . . . According to an article in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, Sherley and Deisher were 'recruited separately' by lawyers looking to challenge the federal policy. They had never met until last week, the Journal said . . . Gibson & Dunn referred inquiries to the Alliance Defense Fund. The Alliance Defense Fund and Human Life Advocates have both not returned inquiries."