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POPE: PASTORS MUST SPEAK OUT ON ABORTION "OPPORTUNE OR NOT"

"Do Everything Possible to Encourage Pregnant Women to Complete Their Pregnancy"

VATICAN CITY, Jan 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Yesterday Pope John Paul II met with the bishops of Hungary and one key message he imparted to them was the urgent need to defend life. "Notwithstanding your tireless dedication," the Pope said, "even in your country we note worrisome data which marks in many countries of the old continent the spread of an ever more preoccupying culture of death." He noted that the abortion statistics in the country were "alarming" and said "they must incite you to defend without fear and with clarity human life in every phase of its existence, from conception to natural death."

He urged the bishops to "Do everything possible to encourage pregnant women to complete their pregnancy." Pastors, he added, "must be ready to speak on every occasion, opportune or not."

For the full report of the meeting see the Vatican Information Service at:
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=11775

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UN PLAN TO TAX INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY TRADE FLOATED AGAIN

NEW YORK, Jan 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) - In a list of proposals issued yesterday by the United Nations to help poor nations deal with globalization , a suggestion to tax international currency transactions was made. The Washington Times revealed the suggestion found in paragraph 113 of the 64-page report. A 0.1 percent tax on $1.5 trillion worth of "speculative" currency transactions could yield $150 billion a year that could be used to stabilize volatile markets, said the report, compiled in collaboration with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and others.

But when the Times called UN officials about the suggestion, backpedaling began in earnest. "We have not recommended any such thing," Nitin Desai, the U.N. undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs. "It's one of the areas where the report is not clearly making an explicit recommendation but simply saying that someone has said, 'Think about it.' "

Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition Canada told LifeSite that suggestions for international taxation to fund the United Nations have been proposed since at least 1993 when they were brought up at the Copenhagen conference. Hughes noted such funding is "dangerous since it will be used to promote the UN's anti-family policies." He said that rather than funding the UN "we have to work with poor countries to develop their own programs rather than usurp their sovereignty with UN-dictated measures."

See the full UN report in pdf format at:
http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/aac257-12E.pdf

See the Washington Times report at:
http://washingtontimes.com/world/default-200113122721.htm

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PRIVATE GROUP OF CAPABLE SCIENTISTS TO CLONE HUMANS WITHIN 2 YEARS

WASHINGTON, Jan 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) - An international consortium of scientists with the resources needed to achieve human cloning have announced their plans to clone humans within two years. The two scientists of the group who identified themselves are Panos Zavos, a professor of reproductive physiology at the University of Kentucky, and Italian fertility doctor Severino Antinori.

Zavos is co-founder of a fertility clinic in Lexington, an andrologist and a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the nation's largest society of reproductive professionals. Antinori has gained a reputation in Italy for his successful efforts to help post-menopausal women become pregnant, including at least one woman who gave birth in her sixties.

Members of the scientific community who are horrified by such developments have scheduled meetings in New York to seek to address the problem. The conference on "Globalization and Technology" to be held on Saturday and Sunday February 24-25 will address the issues.

For more information on the conference see:
http://www.ifg.org

For media coverage of the human cloning plans see:
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53307-2001Jan26.html
http://www.latimes.com/print/20010128/t000008216.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1144000/1144694.stm

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EUROPEAN UNION MAY PAY INTERNATIONAL ABORTION GROUPS IN LIEU OF US

LONDON, England, Jan 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) - The decision of US President Bush to reinstate the Mexico City Policy, banning U.S. funding for abortion promoting groups, has angered European Union Development Commissioner Paul Nielson. CNN reports that Nielson suggested the EU may fund the abortion groups in lieu of the United States. "We will if necessary fill the deficiency," he said. The two groups hardest hit by the policy are the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).

Related coverage: Vatican Promotes, EU Damns Bush Abortion Funding Restriction
http://www.lsn.ca/ldn/2001/jan/0101244 .html

See the CNN coverage at:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/29/EU.abortion/index.html

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USE OF EMBRYOS AND ABORTED BABY TISSUES INSTEAD OF STEM CELLS PROPOSED

LONDON, England, Jan 31 (LSN.ca) - Trying to attract attention by putting forth a procedure for genetic treatment of disorders not involving cloning human embryos, scientists at Sheffield University believe they have a therapy that will "raise no ethical issues". The project involves the destructive use of embryos and tissue from aborted babies. However, rather than cloning and being forced to manufacture huge numbers of embryos or procure tons of carnage from abortion clinics, the project's need for human embryos and aborted babies is decreased by a replication process. Using the method, the researchers have developed a product for bone repair and assisting Parkinson's patients with added brain tissue.

The cells are triggered to become "immortal" or continuously replicating and the process has been tied to a temperature control so that when implanted into humans, body temperature will turn off the immortal effect and thus avoid tumors that would result with continued replication. The company set up to profit from the research, CellFactors, announced that the bone material called Skeletex will be ready for clinical trial within 12 to 18 months, with the Parkinson's treatment a year or two later.

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ACTOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AGAINST SINGLE PARENTHOOD

HOLLYWOOD, Jan 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) - With famous Hollywood actresses purposely getting pregnant to raise children on their own, the recent Salon magazine interview with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger contains a surprising criticism of the trend by the prominent actor. Salon's Christina Valhouli reports that Schwarzenegger considers single parenthood a "tremendous danger," the most pressing problem in the inner city today.

" All that stuff has increased largely because of a lack of parenting, and many households only have one biological parent -- so many of them are fatherless. It really creates a big problem," said the muscle-bound star of Terminator and similar action films. Although not a social conservative on many issues, Schwarzenegger sounds the part as he notes the cause of the problem: "Since the '60s, many more women have gone to work outside of the home. The husband is at work, the mother is at work. Now the kids are always alone."

The father of four comes by his observations first hand. "If I am away on a film for three weeks, even though I come home every weekend, you can see the kids getting out of control. One person cannot create the discipline and the guidance and helping with homework."

See the interview in Salon at:
http://salon.com/people/conv/2001/01/29/schwarzenegger/index1.html

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LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children reports that an attempt in the British House of Lords to block the provision of abortifacient morning-after pills from pharmacists without a doctor's prescription was defeated 177 votes to 95.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_1143000/1143501.stm

The National Post reported January 18th that the newly printed Canadian $50 banknote features the Famous Five, Canadian feminists who were advocates of eugenics. The new $10 bill has a remembrance and peacekeeping theme with poppies, doves, a female (presumably Canadian) soldier in a blue United Nations beret.
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20010118/440653.html

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US NEWS ROUNDUP

The Senate Judiciary Committee in a vote of 10-8 has approved former US Senator John Ashcroft to become the Attorney General . He now goes before the full Senate for another fierce showdown. Pro-lifers and Christians have been called on to support his confirmation at:
http://www.afa.net/ashcroft/default.asp
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20010131/aponline043645_000..htm

On Monday, President Bush signed a pair of executive orders creating a White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives which allows religious groups to compete in the provision of charitable services.

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