Posts Tagged ‘pro-life’

VA AG Moves Against Abortion Providers

August 25th, 2010 by Nathan Curby

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued a legal opinion Monday that the state can hold abortion providers to hospital-type standards. Cuccinelli’s opinion would allow the state’s Board of Health to write new regulations requiring that doctors who perform abortions at the clinics hold hospital privileges, counselors have professional training and buildings undergo structural changes. The opinion does not force the board to act, and any new regulations are unlikely anytime soon. Eleven members of the 15-member board were appointed by previous Governor Tim Kaine (D), with four vacancies that current Governor Bob McDonnell (R) can fill.

Cuccinelli, a Catholic, has quickly earned a reputation for hitting tough issues head-on. In seven months in office, Cuccinelli has sued the federal government over the health care mandate, ruled that law enforcement can question immigration status, and investigated a former University of Virginia professor for allegedly manipulating data about climate change to obtain research grants.

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Posted in Government & Law, Sanctity of Life | 2 Comments »

Court Blocks Embryonic Stem Cell Funding

August 24th, 2010 by Nathan Curby

A federal judge on Monday temporarily halted Obama administration regulations designed to expand research on stem cells harvested from human embryos. The judge issued a preliminary injunction in a case brought by scientist studying adult stem cells.

In March 2009, President Obama released new regulations to ease restrictions placed by the Bush administration on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The new regulations allow funding to be used for research conducted from donated embryos with the donor’s permission. The administration attempted to sidestep legislative restrictions by only allowing funding to be used for the research after the embryos had been destroyed, and not for the actual destruction of the embryos. But Royce C. Lamberth, chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled that the distinction violates the law.

From the Boston Globe:

“Had Congress intended to limit the Dickey-Wicker to only those discrete acts that result in the destruction of an embryo, like the derivation of [embryonic stem cells], or to research on the embryo itself, Congress would have written the statute that way,’’ the judge concluded. “Congress, however, has not written the statute that way, and this court is bound to apply the law as it is written.’’

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Posted in Obama & Biden, Sanctity of Life, Science & Bioethics | No Comments »

Adult Stem Cell Studies Ahead of Embryonic

August 4th, 2010 by Nathan Curby

(Image: Wikimedia Commons/Ghanson)

For years, the pro-life movement has been accused of being against science for its opposition to embryonic stem cell research that supporters say could save lives. But supporters of embryonic stem cell research have largely ignored a more proven solution that does not require destroying embryos: adult stem cells.

Now, advances in medical care using adult stem cells are getting more attention. The Associated Press reports:

For all the emotional debate that began about a decade ago on allowing the use of embryonic stem cells, it’s adult stem cells that are in human testing today. An extensive review of stem cell projects and interviews with two dozen experts reveal a wide range of potential treatments.

Adult stem cells are being studied in people who suffer frommultiple sclerosis, heart attacks and diabetes. Some early results suggest stem cells can help some patients avoid leg amputation. Recently, researchers reported that they restored vision to patients whose eyes were damaged by chemicals.

Apart from these efforts, transplants of adult stem cells have become a standard lifesaving therapy for perhaps hundreds of thousands of people with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood diseases.

“That’s really one of the great success stories of stem cell biology that gives us all hope,” says Dr. David Scadden of Harvard, who notes stem cells are also used to grow skin grafts.

In 2001, former President George W. Bush restricted federal funds from being used for embryonic stem cell research. Shortly after coming into office, President Obama lifted those restrictions. But adult stem cells have potential that embryonic stem cells do not, such as the ability to stimulate tissue repair, or to suppress the immune system.

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Posted in Government & Law, Obama & Biden, Sanctity of Life, Science & Bioethics | No Comments »

Mothers Laud Crisis Pregnancy Centers at Capitol

July 27th, 2010 by Nathan Curby

Pray for mothers on Capitol Hill testifying to the good that Crisis Pregnancy Centers have done for them. Give thanks for CPCs and volunteers saving lives and encouraging young women facing unplanned pregnancies.

Terrie was pregnant and confused in the Fall of 2008. She was unemployed, and her boyfriend had kicked her out of his apartment. Opening the yellow pages to look for an abortion clinic, she noticed an ad for a crisis pregnancy center that offered help for pregnant women.

Now Terrie and other moms who opted to keep their babies are going to the Capitol to tell Congress how grateful they are for the help they received from pregnancy centers. Heartbeat International sponsors the “Babies Go to Congress” event, happening this week from Tuesday through Thursday. Heartbeat says that abortion advocates like NARAL Pro-Choice America are slandering pregnancy centers and lobbying for Congress to regulate them. “Babies Go to Congress” is an effort to show Congress the good that pregnancy centers are doing.

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Posted in Church & Religion, Government & Law, Marriage & Family, Sanctity of Life | No Comments »