World Family Policy Center Newsletter

* News relative to protecting the family worldwide *

Volume 4 Issue 37 - October 3, 2005

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Quote of the Day: “The family is the bedrock of our nation;

but it is also the engine that gives our country life….It is the

power of the family that holds the nation together, that gives

America her conscience, and that serves as the cradle of our

country’s soul.”

—Ronald Reagan (quoted in article by Allan Carlson,

WCF Sept 26, 2005)

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Today’s Contents:

A. Featured Articles:

1. Supreme Court Asked to Reconsider 'Partial Birth' Abortion Case

Related Article: Abortion Might Outgrow Its Need for Roe v. Wade

Related Article: Court upholds law protecting pro-life doctors

2. Adult stem cells restore feeling in paraplegic

Related Article: Wisc. Firm Opens (Embryonic) First U.S. Stem Cell Bank

3. Family Fact of the Week: Frequent Family Dinners

Related Article: Family dinners at home help teens to trim the fat

4. Violence Against Women Act Includes Children

5. Schwarzenegger Vetoes Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriage

Related Article: Petition bid to ban gay marriage said to gain

6. Education Secretary Plans Renewed Focus on Improving U.S. High

Schools

7. High court to hear challenge to Oregon's assisted suicide law

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FEATURED ARTICLES

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1. Supreme Court Asked to Reconsider 'Partial Birth' Abortion Case

Fox News

Monday, September 26, 2005

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has asked the Supreme Court to reinstate a ban on "partial birth" abortions (search), setting up a showdown that could be decided by the president's new choice for the court.

The appeal, which had been expected, follows a two-year, cross-country legal fight over the federal law.

An appeals court in St. Louis said this summer that the ban on late term abortion is unconstitutional because it makes no exception for the health of the woman.

The Supreme Court has already scheduled arguments in November in another abortion case, involving New Hampshire's parental notification statute. That case also asks whether the state law is unconstitutional because it lacks an exception allowing a minor to have an abortion to protect her health in the event of a medical emergency.

The court should review both cases, Solicitor General Paul Clement (search) said in the appeal, which was filed Friday and released on Monday.

To read entire article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170439,00.html

Related Article: Abortion Might Outgrow Its Need for Roe v. Wade

By JOHN LELAND

New York Times

October 2, 2005

WITH the confirmation last week of John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice of the United States, eyes turned to President Bush's next judicial nominee, who, on a closely divided court, may determine the fate of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that recognized a woman's right to an abortion. But such speculation overlooks a paradox in the abortion wars: while combatants focus on the law, technology is already changing the future of abortion, with or without the Supreme Court.

Even if the court restricts or eliminates the right to an abortion, the often-raised specter of a return to back-alley abortions is not likely to be realized, said Dr. Beverly Winikoff, president of Gynuity Health Services, a nonprofit group that supports access to abortion. "The conditions that existed before 1973 were much different than what they are in 2005," she said. "We have better antibiotics now and better surgical treatments."

But no change is bigger than the advent of an inexpensive drug called misoprostol, which the federal Food and Drug Administration approved for treatment of ulcers in 1988, but which has been used in millions of self-administered abortions worldwide. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, freeing states to ban abortion, this common prescription drug, often known by the brand name Cytotec, could emerge as a cheap, relatively safe alternative to the practices that proliferated before Roe.

"We won't go back to the days of coat hangers and knitting needles," said Dr. Jerry Edwards, an abortion provider in Little Rock, Ark. "Rich women will fly to California; poor women will use Cytotec."

Because it was never intended for use in abortions, it has not been widely tested for safety and effectiveness.

To read entire article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/weekinreview/02leland.html?ex=1128916800&en=bc0391ec28f191f0&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY

Related Article: Court upholds law protecting pro-life doctors

September 30, 2005

WorldNetDaily.com

A federal court dismissed a lawsuit that sought to overturn the Weldon Amendment, a law forbidding state and local governments that receive federal funds from discriminating against health-care providers because they refuse to perform or refer patients for abortions.

"This is a significant victory for pro-life health care workers who are protected by the Weldon Amendment," said Chief Litigation Counsel Steven H. Aden of the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom.

The law was signed by President Bush in 2004.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia made its decision Wednesday after granting two associations of pro-life medical professionals – Christian Medical Association and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists – the right to intervene as defendants.

To read entire article:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46589

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2. Adult stem cells restore feeling in paraplegic

September 28, 2005

WorldNetDaily.com

In an apparent major breakthrough, scientists in Korea report using umbilical cord blood stem cells to restore feeling and mobility to a spinal-cord injury patient.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Cythotherapy, centered on a woman had been a paraplegic 19 years due to an accident.

After an infusion of umbilical cord blood stem cells, stunning results were recorded:

"The patient could move her hips and feel her hip skin on day 15 after transplantation. On day 25 after transplantation her feet responded to stimulation."

Umbilical cord cells are considered "adult stem cells," in contrast to embryonic stem cells, which have raised ethical concerns because a human embryo must be destroyed in order to harvest them.

The report said motor activity was noticed on day 7, and she was able to maintain an upright position on day 13. Fifteen days after surgery, she began to elevate both lower legs about one centimeter.

The study's abstract says not only did the patient regain feeling, but 41 days after stem cell transplantation, testing "also showed regeneration of the spinal cord at the injured cite" and below it.

The scientists conclude the transplantation "could be a good treatment method" for paraplegic patients.

To read entire article:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46546

Related Article: Wisc. Firm Opens First (Embryonic) U.S. Stem Cell Bank

Fox News - Associated Press

October 04, 2005

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin-based research group will run the nation's first embryonic stem cell (search) bank under a four-year, $16 million federal contract, officials announced Monday.

The WiCell Research Institute (search), a nonprofit set up in 1999 to support stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin (search), will store and distribute the cells under a federal plan to reduce their cost.

"At a minimum, we will be a single portal so people can do one-stop shopping" for stem cells, said Carl Gulbrandsen, president of WiCell's board of directors.

In 2001, President Bush limited federal grant funding to projects involving 78 lines of embryonic stem cells that already were in existence, saying taxpayer dollars should not fund the destruction of human embryos. That policy has stifled the field, researchers say, and only 22 lines are now available for use.

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3. Family Fact of the Week: Frequent Family Dinners

World Congress of Families

September 20, 2005

"This report, The Importance of Family Dinners, which draws from the results of CASA's tenth annual back to school survey, finds that, compared to teens who have five or more family dinners per week, teens who have two or less are:

• three times likelier to try marijuana;

• two and a half times likelier to smoke cigarettes; and

• more than one and a half times likelier to drink alcohol.

...This year, 58 percent of teens report having dinner with their family at least five times a week, a substantial increase in family dining from the 1998 CASA survey, when the relationship of frequent family dinners to substance abuse risk was first measured. That's the good news. But the news could be a lot better:

• Overall, about one-quarter of teens and half of parents desire more frequent family dinners.

• About half of the teens and almost all of the parents who have fewer than three dinners with their families in a typical week would like to have more frequent family dinners."

(Source: Joseph A. Califano, Jr., "Accompanying Statement," The Importance of Family Dinners II, CASA Family Day, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, September 2005; http://www.casafamilyday.org/PDFs/FamilyDinnersII.pdf .)

For more on the family: http://www.worldcongress.org/WCFUpdate/Archive06/wcf_update_638.htm?search=family%20dinner

Related Article: Family dinners at home help teens to trim the fat

By Jennifer Harper

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

October 4, 2005

Harvard Medical School is asking doctors to recommend that youngsters eat old-fashioned family dinners at home to prevent obesity and curb risky habits.

"Doctors should encourage teens to limit their intake of food prepared away from home and eat family dinners together," said Dr. Elsie Taveras, a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist who led the research.

Home is simply healthier, she said. The prime benefit is "improved diet quality." But there's more.

"At-home dinners have also been found to reduce high-risk adolescent behavior such as tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use," said Dr. Taveras, categorizing the family dinner as "protective."

Other research supports such findings. A Columbia University study of teen lifestyles last year, for example, found that among teenagers who almost never broke bread with their families, 72 percent were more likely to use illegal drugs, smoke and drink alcohol.

The Harvard researchers tracked the food choices, weight, physical activities and social habits of 14,355 children, ages 9 to 14, from all 50 states.

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20051004-121729-8964r.htm

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4. Violence Against Women Act Includes Children

Focus on the Family

September 29, 2005

The U.S. House of Representatives has renewed the Violence against Women Act for the second time in 10 years and this time included children, offering improved counseling, safety and housing opportunities.

Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., saw the impact of domestic violence firsthand when he worked as a law enforcement officer.

"You finally gain entry and you look and you see kids cowered in the corner with blankets and pillows, hiding from the violence that's about to be committed," he said.

Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, said domestic violence often spans generations.

"Children in homes where domestic violence is present are more apt to grow up to be abusers themselves," she said. "And when they see violence, they are more likely to remain in relationships where they are abused."

Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., who was an original author of the bill, said it is aimed at breaking that cycle of violence by providing counseling to children who are victims of domestic violence.

To read entire article:

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038076.cfm

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5. Schwarzenegger Vetoes Bill Allowing Same-Sex Marriage

By John Pomfret

Washington Post

September 30, 2005

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday vetoed landmark legislation that would have made California the second state to allow same-sex couples to marry.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which squeaked through the legislature along strict party lines, would have recast the state's legal definition of marriage as a union between two people rather than between a man and a woman.

Arnold Schwarzenegger cited the approval of Proposition 22 in vetoing the legislature's bid to redefine marriage. (Rich Pedroncelli - AP)

The Sept. 7 vote marked the first time that a state legislature approved a bill authorizing same-sex marriage without a court order. The Massachusetts legislature passed regulations permitting same-sex marriage, but only after the state's highest court ruled that it must. . . .

In a statement, the Republican governor said that Californians had already voted on the subject in 2000 when they passed Proposition 22, also known as the Defense of Marriage Act, which held that marriage is between a man and a woman.

To read entire article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/29/AR2005092901722.html

Related Article: Petition bid to ban gay marriage said to gain

By Michael Levenson

Boston Globe

October 3, 2005

Activists backed by the state's four bishops say they are well on the way to collecting enough signatures to place a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts on the 2008 ballot.

Yesterday, organizers said they had collected some 25,000 signatures since Sept. 21, including thousands during the official launch of the drive this weekend. They said they had enlisted hundreds of volunteers who had canvassed in about one-third of approximately 659 Catholic churches in Massachusetts, finding a mostly supportive response.

By Nov. 23, they hope to have far more than the 65,825 certified signatures needed to advance the amendment toward the statewide ballot.

''We're a good third of the way there," said Larry Cirignano, executive director of CatholicVote.org, a Boston-based group that is helping to coordinate the effort. He was at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End yesterday, where scores of parishioners signed their names to the petition. ''This has been great. It's a good start. There's no question we're going to have the numbers."

To read entire article:

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2005/10/03/petition_bid_to_ban_gay_marriage_said_to_gain/

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6. Education Secretary Plans Renewed Focus on Improving U.S. High Schools

By Jim Brown

September 28, 2005

(AgapePress) - U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is turning her attention to improving America's public high schools. In her back-to-school address, the head of the Education Department said leaving U.S. high school students behind is not only "morally unacceptable," but also "economically untenable."

According to current statistics, while three out of ten U.S. students do not finish high school on time, five out of ten minority students fail to finish high school on time. That, according to Spellings, cannot be tolerated. "While we have encouraging results for younger children," she says, "the nation's recent education report card has shown no progress for high school students in 30 years. So it's time to focus on improving high schools."

Spellings is also taking note of the one million students who drop out of high school each year. She says members of this group cost the United States more than $260 billion dollars in lost wages, lost taxes, and lost productivity over their lifetimes.

In order to curb that trend, the Secretary of Education feels parental involvement is essential. She says parents must demonstrate more interest and become more active participants in their children's education.

"Take a look at your kids' after-school schedule this week -- the swimming, soccer, and football," Spellings suggests. "The numbers on your child's report card should be as important as the numbers on the scoreboard."

How well American students are doing is not just an "education issue," Spellings contends -- it is "everybody's issue." She says the U.S. Department of Education will be working with President Bush on supporting high school reform that focuses on reading, math and science to help more students reach the finish line on time and be ready for college or work.

To read entire article:

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/282005d.asp

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7. High court to hear challenge to Oregon's assisted suicide law

US says '97 measure violates drug statutes

By Brad Cain, Associated Press | September 29, 2005

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Julie McMurchie and her four siblings watched as their 68-year-old mother, Peggy Sutherland, lifted a lethal dose of barbiturates to her lips.

It was difficult for them to accept that their mother was about to die, McMurchie said. But Sutherland was in a long, painful struggle with lung cancer, and her children supported her decision to end her life, McMurchie said.

''We were all hugging and kissing her and telling her it was OK to let go," McMurchie said. ''Mom held up the glass of medication and said, 'I don't think anyone understands how much pain I've been in.' Then she drank it herself. She was asleep in five minutes and she died within 20 minutes."

Sutherland ended her life under Oregon's Death With Dignity law, legislation that took effect in 1997 that allows terminally ill patients to obtain lethal doses of medication from their doctors. No other state has such a law.

The Bush administration is challenging the measure, arguing that hastening someone's death is an improper use of medication and thus violates federal drug laws.

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on Oct. 5. Supporters of the assisted suicide law say a favorable high court ruling could lead other states to follow Oregon's lead.

To read entire article:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/09/29/high_court_to_hear_challenge_to_oregons_assisted_suicide_law/

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Note: The Featured Articles excerpts are highlights of current events and

do not necessarily represent the views of the World Family Policy Center

or Brigham Young University.

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Newsletter created and distributed by:

World Family Policy Center

J. Reuben Clark Law School

Brigham Young University

Managing Director: Richard Wilkins

Executive Director: A. Scott Loveless

Newsletter Editors: Joy S. Lundberg and Gary B. Lundberg

If you have any articles, editorials, or papers you would like

circulated through the WFPC News network, you may submit them to

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