As someone whose extended family has been significantly impacted by the foster care system, this story out of Illinois was of interest to me personally–but the implications for the over 2,000 children involved and for Christians are profound.

The Chicago Tribune recently reported week that the state of Illinois has acted to sever its longstanding relationship with Catholic Charities. The state has found Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services to be in non-compliance with the state’s new law authorizing civil unions. The Trib reports:

In letters sent last week to Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Peoria, Joliet and Springfield and Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said the state could not accept their signed contracts for the 2012 fiscal year.

Each letter said funding was declined because “your agency has made it clear that it does not intend to comply with the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act,” which the state says requires prospective parents in civil unions to be treated the same as married couples.

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Stanford doctors have shown that women with advanced breast cancer show greater survival when treated with aggressive chemotherapy and their own adult stem cells. Their study looked at long-term results for women with advanced, stage-4 breast cancer, who were treated 12-14 years ago with high-dose chemotherapy and their own, purified adult stem cells, compared to women who received chemotherapy and unpurified blood stem cells.

While the numbers of patients in this long-term study are small, the results are striking. Five of the 22 women (23 percent) who received their purified adult stem cells are still alive, four of whom have no sign of disease. Only seven of the 74 women (9 percent) who received the untreated cells are still alive, with five of those seven having no sign of disease. Women who received their own purified adult stem cells had a median survival of 60 months, whereas those receiving unpurified stem cells had a median overall survival of 28 months.

Senior author Dr. Judith Shizuru said:

“Our study suggests that the high-dose therapy strategy can be modified to include the use of cancer-free purified blood stem cells to yield better overall outcomes in women with advanced breast cancer.”

The results were published online in the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

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Last week in Aspen, Colorado, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas addressed New York’s new same-sex marriage law by saying “That’s New York, and that’s their business, and that’s fine with me…”

In his first interview on the issue since making those comments, Gov. Perry spoke with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins today to addresses the Aspen remarks, discuss the 10th Amendment’s application to marriage, and his support for a federal marriage amendment.

Gov. Perry commented:

“I probably needed to add a few words after that ‘it’s fine with me,’ and that it’s fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue. Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn’t changed.”

Listen to the rest of segment covering marriage here.  The unofficial transcript follows the jump below.

To hear the complete interview with Gov. Perry, tune in Friday to Washington Watch Weekly.

For more on the marriage issue, see FRC’s documentary, “The Problem with Same-Sex Marriage.”

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On July 20^th the New York Times published an editorial “Sound Medical Advice” which despite its name ironically included misinformation about the recent IOM report recommending that contraceptives be covered by all health plans with no co-payment.

The writer states that the report was guided by medical evidence but makes no mention of the dissenting committee member who would not put his name to the recommendations because “evaluation for evidence lacked transparency… The process tended to result in a mix of objective and subjective determination through the lens of advocacy.”

Additionally the writer suggested that “studies show that cost is a major barrier to regular use of contraceptives” when in fact the opposite is the case. The Guttmacher Institute, originally the research arm of Planned Parenthood, a group that stands to benefit enormously from this report, reports that only 12 percent of women not using contraception are doing so because of financial reasons.

Lastly, the writer criticizes groups, such as the FRC, who oppose this mandate but does not delve into the science and rationale behind the opposition: drugs included in this recommendation have modes of action that will not only prevent the creation of life, but also in fact destroy it in its early stages. While this might be an insignificant point to the writer of the editorial, it is of utmost significance to the millions of pro-life Americans who deserve transparency and should not be forced to pay for abortions.

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Reading Internet stories about late-term Florida abortionist James Pendergraft is like walking through a funhouse mirror – only the warped, grotesque image is the one that’s true.

For over a decade, abortion defenders have propped up this man as a hero to their movement, lauding him in their blogs, inviting him to speak at their rallies.  This man, who aborts babies as old as 27 weeks gestation and who sends women home to have abortions in their toilets or to emergency rooms for unwanted hysterectomies, has managed to continue profiting from his chain of abortion clinics for over a decade despite numerous run-ins with authorities, including repeated suspensions of his medical license.  But a little disabled girl might finally be his undoing.

In 2001 he was convicted of federal extortion charges and put behind bars after threats he made against county officials were caught on tape.  The abortion-rights crowd rallied behind him and invited him to speak at their rallies.  (Source)  His conviction was later overturned.

His license to practice was later suspended, Florida Department of Health stating that he showed “a flagrant disregard for the laws of the state of Florida and a willingness to endanger the lives and health of pregnant patients.”  (Source:  LifeNews)

After the suspension ran its course, he was suspended again.  See Operation Rescue.

Now, a morbid lawsuit over a failed abortion brought on behalf of the little girl who barely survived it has resulted in a verdict of 36 million dollars.  See Jill Stanek’s Article and LifeSiteNews.

The mainstream media has not reported on this verdict, but other sources say that attorneys on behalf of a young girl who survived one of Pendergraft’s abortions filed a lawsuit seeking a lifetime of medical care for the child, and they have won a $36 million verdict.  In 2001, the plaintiff’s mother, Carol Howard, apparently paid one of Pendergraft’s clinics $1,300 to abort her baby at 22 weeks gestation.  She was given multiple doses of RU-486, according to a source, and after 12 hours of labor left the clinic upset and in pain, later to deliver the baby girl in a hospital.  The child weighed 1 lb 6 oz at birth, and suffers from cerebral palsy, lack of function on one side of her body, strokes and brain damage, physical, emotional and cognitive delays, lung damage, chronic lung disease, and seizure disorders.  According to pro-life witnesses inside the courtroom, the Florida jury verdict orders Pendergraft to pay Howard $18,255,000 in punitive damages, $18,000,000 in compensatory damages, and over $400,000 in court costs.

Will this finally stop him?

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Dear Friends,

As the White House and Congress continue to debate how to restrain spending and curtail the size and reach of the federal government, American families are concerned with the economy we will be leaving our children.

Family policy is tied directly to economic policy. A society in which the unborn are expendable means we will not have the quantity of workers we need to help our economy grow or the tax base necessary to sustain programs on which many have come to depend, let alone vital needs like national defense. FRC President Tony Perkins recently made this point at a conference here in Washington, DC — social, security, and economic policy are intertwined, and cannot be divorced from one another.

There’s a reason why the Psalmist reminds us that “children are a heritage from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). It’s for the sake of that heritage that FRC continues to work in partnership with you for faith, family, and freedom.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

Educational Freedom and Reform

Homeschooling

• “Different children, different educations,” Krissy Proctor, Knoxville News-Sentinel
• “Many options for parents who want to homeschool kids,” Monica James, The Lighthouse

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U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth has ruled in the government’s favor on a federal lawsuit challenging current NIH guidelines that allow taxpayer funding of human embryonic stem cell research. In granting the HHS motion for summary judgement, Judge Lamberth dismissed all the plaintiff’s claims. Judge Lamberth had originally ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, Dr. James Sherley and Dr. Theresa Deisher, in a preliminary injunction in August 2010. That preliminary injunction temporarily shut down federal funding, until an Appeals Court placed a temporary hold on the injunction in September 2010. The Appeals Court eventually vacated the preliminary injunction in April 2010 in a 2-1 split decision. Supplemental briefings were filed in the case in June 2010.

In today’s opinion by Judge Lamberth, he noted that the April split decision by the Appeals Court tied his hands in terms of ruling on the main lawsuit

“At the outset, the Court notes that the D.C. Circuit’s opinion, vacating the award to plaintiffs of a preliminary injunction, constrains this Court on remand.”

and

“While it may be true that by following the Court of Appeals’ conclusion as to the ambiguity of “research,” this Court has become a grudging partner in a bout of “linguistic jujitsu,” Sherley, 2011 WL 1599685, at *10 (Henderson, J., dissenting), such is life for an antepenultimate court.”

The linguistic parsing is related to the interpretation of the Dickey-Wicker amendment, a rider placed by Congress onto funding bills since 1996, which says in part that no federal taxpayer funds can be used for “research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death. . .” The specific meaning of “research in which” has been the focal point of the arguments.

Judge Lamberth does say in another part of the opinion that:

“Research could destroy, discard, or subject to risk embryos without directly involving them.”

This statement agrees with his original decision regarding the merits of the preliminary injunction. Still, he obviously felt constrained by the Appeals Court.

While the decision is disappointing, it is hardly the end of the question or debate.

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One of highlights of the various 2011 state legislative sessions is the successful passage of many solid pro-life bills.  According to a recent report by Guttmacher, 80 bills restricting abortion were passed in 19 states, more than tripling the 23 passed last year.  This impressive number not only sets a record for the most life-affirming bills passed in one year, but it also more than doubles the previous record of 34 bills in 2005.

Some abortion advocates suggest that this is an example of legislators with extreme right-wing social ideologies “pushing” their agenda on the people in their state who likely do not agree with them on these issues.  They even go so far as to assert that there has been an all out “attack on women” by these state legislators. 

Now, thanks to Gallup poll data released today, we can check those assertions.  Are these pro-life legislators out of touch or do they reflect the feelings of the majority of Americans?  Are women feeling attacked and fighting back, or do they support and advocate bills that require their doctor to fully inform them of potential abortion risks, show them an ultrasound, and get parental consent for minors to receive an abortion?

Gallup says:

 “Of seven abortion restrictions tested in a July 15-17Galluppoll, informing women of certain risks of an abortion in advance of performing it is the most widely favored, at 87%. Seven in 10 Americans favor requiring parental consent for minors and establishing a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions. Nearly two-thirds favor making the specific procedure known as “partial birth abortion” illegal”

Data from this poll also affirms a striking consistency in polling data that abortion is not a man verses woman issue, with men pushing pro-life views on women who just want to make choices with their pregnancies.  To the contrary, four out of seven pro-life measures addressed in this poll scored a higher percentage of support among women than men!   

Read the Poll results in their entirety for yourself here.

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One would think that if anyone’s genes need reproducing, David and Victoria Beckham would have approval. But even in our success-obsessed culture today, the achievement and beauty of Mr. and Mrs. Beckham is not enough to get them off the hook among those who believe that one’s family size should be a debate for the whole world to weigh in on.

Recently, an article in the UK Guardian criticized the Beckhams after the birth of their fourth child, Harper Seven, calling them “environmentally irresponsible.”  Simon Ross, chief executive of the UK based Optimum Population Trust was critical of the couple: “We need to change the incentives to make the environmental case that one or two children are fine but three or four are just being selfish . . . The Beckhams, and others likeLondon mayor Boris Johnson [who also has four children], are very bad role models with their large families.” He went on to argue, as do many who are concerned with the world’s population, that with 7 billion people in the world and counting,  “there cannot be more people on this Earth than can be fed.”

Mr. Ross, like others with concerns about overpopulation and the world’s food supply, fail to take a few things into account.  When Thomas Malthus predicted in the 1800’s that the population would overtake the food supply, he failed to also predict the impact of the Industrial Revolution, along with many subsequent technological innovations that allow crops to be grown faster and in harsher climates than he could have possibly imagined.

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Jeffrey Kuhner has a powerful commentary piece in the Washington Times today.  The article was prompted by the Obama administration’s recent statement that Obamacare should cover contraceptives including those that many deem to be abortifacients.  Kuhner extends his observations to a wide-ranging assessment of the administration’s wider culture war against traditional Christian values.  It is worth reading.  (I would have reproduced some text but had difficulties with the W.T. website.)

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Dr. Richard Burt and colleagues at Northwestern University have just published a new study in The Lancet that provides more evidence for the success of adult stem cell transplant in treating system sclerosis (scleroderma). The autoimmune disease causes rigidity in the skin and organs, including lungs, of its victims; it exerts its fatal influence by essentially turning them to stone. Ten patients were treated with their own adult stem cells, and all improved at or before 12 months after treatment, compared with zero of the nine patients that received cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapeutic agent considered the “standard of care” for this disease. None of the adult stem cell-treated patients had their disease worsen, while 8 of the 9 chemo-treated patients showed worsening, and eventually 7 of the chemo patients switched to the adult stem cell treatment.

The researchers note that the adult stem cell treatment improves skin and lung function in these patients for up to 2 years (the length of the current study) and is preferable to the current standard of care.

The new report is accompanied by a commentary by Farge and Gluckman that says the Burt et al. study provides “the best data to date for transplantation in scleroderma”, and “Despite the small number of patients and short follow-up of ASSIST, the findings of this trial are important for patients with systemic sclerosis, the medical community, and policy makers.”

Dr. Burt is featured in a recently-released video discussing his ideas for use of adult stem cells to treat patients with autoimmune diseases. Burt and his team are using this technique to help treat patients suffering from some 23 different diseases, and the techniques he has developed are now being used in treatment centers around the globe.

Adult stem cells are helping patients now.

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The book Valkyrie has the same name as the movie starring Tom Cruise, but it’s very different. Written by Philip Freiherr von Boeselager, Valkyrie: The Story of the Plot to Kill Hitler, by Its Last Member, transports us into another world, the world of the German nobility, the upper reaches of the most powerful army created to that point in the history of the world.

Philip Freiherr Von Boeselager takes pains to describe his upbringing in a close-knit, devout family. Family and faith were central to the worldview of von Boeselager and his class. And duty, duty, as lived out in service to their country and its military.

Von Boeselager makes clear that his family had never accepted the Nazi regime’s philosophy or its acts. They had resisted joining the Hitler Youth and had remained loyal to their Christian values. But they lived in a nation state and were willing to put their lives on the line repeatedly to defend it. They believed that Germany had been unjustly branded with the charge of “War Guilt” from the First World War. Virtually all Germans believed this.

Von Boeselager’s older brother was a hero of the Eastern Front. Philip makes a point of telling us his brother never spoke with contempt of the fighting qualities of the Red Army soldiers against whom he fought. Still, the elder von Boeselager fought hard and with signal success.

Philip is drawn deeper into the plots to kill Hitler. The decisive incident seems to have been these officers witnessing a mass killing of civilians by Hitler’s Einsatzgruppen, mobile killing units. These units followed the armies, just as hyenas follow lions. Their victims were Jews and anyone perceived to be a threat. This included Gypsies. And then, there was the Commissar Order. That order meant instant death for any Communist, or political officer of the party, who was captured along with regular Red Army units.

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Last week FRC reported on the most recent adverse events related to RU-486.

The FDA report can now be viewed on their website.

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In 2005, Chen Guangcheng — a blind masseur and self-taught attorney — began to draw attention to the brutal Chinese “One Child” policy in the city of Linyi. Linyi, with a population of more than 10 million, is located in west-central China. After filing a class action lawsuit against Linyi officials complicit in the forced abortions and sterlizations of thousands of area residents, Chen was arrested by the Chinese authorities. In and out of prison since then, he is now in declining health.

Today, the respected Christian ministry ChinaAid sent out the following:

ChinaAid announced today that it is partnering with Women’s Rights Without Frontiers to spearhead a campaign to free blind activist Chen Guangcheng, whose health is in serious jeopardy because of repeated beatings and malnutrition he suffers in house detention. Women’s Rights Without Frontiers has released a new video demanding freedom for Chen and his family. This video was created by the China Aid Visual Studio.

Pray for Chen and contact Chinese officials to demand his release and that he and his family be provided with food and medical care. Contact the Chinese Embassy in Washington at chinaembpress_us@mfa.gov.cn or call Embassy officials at (202) 495-2266.

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NPR ran a story today on the Institute of Medicine’s report to be released tomorrow which will include a list of recommended services to be covered with no cost-sharing under the Obamacare law.

But there are a few key points that NPR did not include.  The real issue is not about “birth control” as such but rather about specific contraceptives that can function as abortifacients, in particular, emergency contraceptives. This isn’t a matter of opinion or political ideology.  The FDA approved label for Plan B suggests it can prevent implantation of an embryo. Moreover, the most recently approved EC, “ella”, is chemically similar to RU-486 and it may destroy an embryo after it is already implanted.

Additionally, this is a question of whether the government should mandate every health plan to cover these drugs free of cost. Whatever one’s position is on the issues of contraceptives, abortifacients, and such, it does not matter whether proponents of such drugs do not care about the effect on human embryos. The point is that many Americans do care, and many religious health plans would care, and that they should not be forced to violate their conscience.  Non-discrimination laws are in effect for this very reason. The IOM recommendations will potentially require people who are not in favor of these drugs to cover and participate in something they find objectionable. You don’t have to agree with such objections, but at the same time people should not be forced to violate their consciences.

Here is our letter to HHS with more information.

And here is more information on ella, taken from my public comments at the second IOM meeting on January 12, 2011:

“While the FDA approved the drug application of Ella as an “emergency contraceptive,” this drug is known to be chemically and functionally similar to the abortifacient drug, RU-486.  In a study published this month in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, “the mechanism of action of ulipristal in human ovarian and endometrial tissue is identical to that of its parent compound, mifepristone.”[1]

In one study of ulipristal on monkeys, 4 out of 5 fetuses were aborted.[2] On one with rats, all were aborted.[3] “[E]xisting studies in animals are instructive in terms of the potential abortive effects of the drug in humans.”[4]

A recent study concluded that “it can be reasonably expected that the prescribed dose of 30 mg of ulipristal will have an abortive effect on early pregnancy in humans.”[5] This is the dose of ulipristal now available as an EC in the United States.””

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Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston have enrolled their first patient in a trial to use adult stem cells to treat stroke up to 19 days after the stroke occurred. Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States.

The stroke patient was treated June 8 at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center after suffering a stroke May 23, by Dr. Sean Savitz of the UT Medical School. According to Dr. Savitz:

“This represents a new approach using stem cells for stroke. A major question in the field of stem cell research is whether we can extend the time window for administering stem cells. A longer window increases the number of patients that might be helped.”

Savitz is one of the investigators in the FDA-approved Phase II study. The study will investigate use of ALD-401, a therapy developed by the company Aldagen that uses a patient’s own bone marrow adult stem cells. The trial is a double-blind study.

This new trial proposes using the adult stem cell treatment up to 19 days after the stroke event. Dr. Savitz is also currently involved in another trial that treats stroke patients with their own adult stem cells, but injects the cells within the first 3 days after the stroke. Early results from this patient trial are very encouraging. Other studies have indicated that adult stem cells can have a positive effect long after the stroke occurs.

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Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) husband recently came under attack for his involvement in Christian-based counseling for individuals with unwanted homosexual attractions. While it is no surprise to see Christianity under assault from homosexual activists, these groups are also on the wrong side of medical research. In this interview with Washington Watch Weekly, FRC President Tony Perkins speaks with Dr. Julie Hamilton, President of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), about what the research shows and the importance of using this successful therapy to help patients achieve their self-identified goals.

Listen to the interview here.

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The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) produces an excellent daily newsgram from Israel.  Today’s report summarizes some data produced by pollster Stanley Greenberg based on questions to Palestinians living in theWest BankandGaza.  It is not encouraging:

“In related news, a recent poll of Palestinians living in theWest Bankand the Gaza Strip completed this week by American pollster Stanley Greenberg, which showed that a large majority of Palestinians have lost faith in the promise of the two state solution and are determined to create a single Palestinian State between the Jordan and the Mediterranean. The same poll showed a majority of Palestinians denied any Jewish connection to Jerusalem, supported the kidnapping of IDF soldiers and holding them hostage and teaching schoolchildren songs about hating Jews.”

Not only is this poll not encouraging, but the results don’t support the hypothesis that the Palestinians are very much interested in achieving Peace with Israel and the Jews who live there.  (Note: “denied any Jewish connection to Jerusalem” – relates to their nutty denial that the Jewish people had an ancient presence in Jerusalem. )

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Click here to subscribe to The Social Conservative Review.

Our country is grounded on the proposition that God has made each of us and given every person the “right to life,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Yet human dignity is being diminished increasingly in our culture. Whether discussing the unborn, the disabled, or the elderly, utility and power too often trump respect and compassion.

Our bodies are precious to God. “You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” writes David in the 139^th Psalm. If the God of the universe took such tender care with each of us, should we not also care for the most vulnerable among us, and put that care into practical action?

In his new book, Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter to Our Faith, Matthew Lee Anderson reminds us, “We cannot speak of the body without speaking of its mortality, for the God who became flesh did so in order that he might die. For Jesus, death was the precursor to the resurrection. For us, it is the power of Christ’s resurrection that allows us to stare death in the face” (p.165).

Staring death in the face, unflinching: That’s the power of the Gospel. Defending personhood, at all its stages: That’s fidelity to our Creator.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. Next Thursday, join FRC and Liberty University at our DC headquarters or via Webcast as we host the Washington, DC book launch of Resurgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America, by FRC Senior Fellows Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski.

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