Thursday November 20, 2003

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Canadian Stem Cell Expert Speaks Out on Adult vs. Embryo Stem Cell Research

Says "embryonic stem cells have yet to be used to treat any form of disease"

TORONTO, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Dr. Peter Hollands, who holds a PhD in Stem Cell Biology from Cambridge University in the UK has spoken out on the controversy over adult and embryonic stem cells. In comments to LifeSiteNews.com, Dr. Hollands, who has worked with embryonic stem cells, noted the often overlooked fact that while adult and cord blood stem cells have been widely used for treatments, "embryonic stem cells have yet to be used to treat any form of disease."

Dr. Hollands, who worked as a clinical embryologist at Bourn Hall Clinic - the world's first IVF unit, says that "common sense" dictates that resources be directed toward adult over embryonic stem cell research. "Embryonic stem cells have many legal, moral, ethical and religious objections before even the practicalities of obtaining the cells, growing them, storing them and not least transplanting them are addressed," Dr. Hollands told LifeSiteNews.com. "Adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells are readily available, have no objections associated with them and are tried and tested in clinical use. Umbilical cord blood stem cells, for example, have been used over 3000 times for 45 different diseases!"

With numerous publications to his credit on the subject of stem cells and clinical embryology, Dr. Hollands takes issue with certain other researchers in the field who suggest that embryonic stem cells 'may work better'. A recent finding that adult stem cells can be used to repair muscle tissue, saw one of the researchers involved in the study, UBC's Dr. Fabio Rossi, said that "proposing (adult stem cells) as an alternative to embryonic cells, which may work better, is not the right thing to do." Commenting on Dr. Rossi's statement, Dr. Hollands said, "Why may they work better? We do not even know if they (embryonic stem cells) will work at all! The public must know that adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells are available, proven and ready to use for a range of diseases. We must get away from this idea of the promise of embryonic stem cells and look at the realities of adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells."

Dr. Hollands, who is currently the Scientific Director of Cells for Life, a private cord blood bank in Markham Ontario, also disagreed with those who contend there is a great need to continue study of embryonic stem cells. "We should focus our attention on the most readily available and usable type of cells and these are adult and umbilical cord stem cells. Embryonic stem cells at present are largely political rhetoric and scientific hype. Adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells are proven and ready to use. The public
needs to know this," he said.

See the Cells for Life website at:
http://www.cellsforlife.com

See a related story about Dr. Rossi's research:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/archives/story.asp?id=4B42FDFB-9A58-4AC0-B955-505CD6D52C0C

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Gallup Poll Shows U.S. Teens Significantly More Pro-Life Than Adults

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The results of a recent Gallup Youth Survey indicate most U.S. teens (aged 13 to 17) do not consider abortion to be morally acceptable, and most also believe that it should only be legal under specific circumstances, if at all.

The poll conducted in August 2003 revealed that more than 7 in 10 teenagers (72%) said that abortion is morally wrong. Thirty-two percent of teens think abortions should be illegal in all circumstances, and 47% said that abortions should be legal only under certain circumstances. Fewer than one in five teens (19%) believe abortion should be legal in all circumstances.

The young people are significantly more pro-life than adults. According to a Gallup Poll conducted in late October 2003, fewer than one in five adults (17%) support full legal restriction of abortion; 55% of adults believe it should be legal under certain circumstances; and 26% think it should be legal under any circumstances.

The poll found that teens who do not attend church are more likely than teens who attend church to find abortion morally acceptable. Only 12% of teens who attend church consider abortion morally acceptable, compared with 38% who do not attend church. And churchgoers are significantly more likely (40%) than non-churchgoers (26%) to say that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.

See the Gallup results online at:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/tb/educayouth/20031118b.asp?Version=p

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Vatican Theologian Slams U.S. Gay "Marriage" Ruling

Rome, Nov. 19 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - A top Vatican theologian on Wednesday criticized a US court's decision to formulate a right to same-sex "marriage." Father Gino Concetti, a moral theologian who writes for the official Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, said: "This is a great wound to human dignity that can never be justified."

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling on Tuesday that said any government rules preventing same-sex couples from marrying each other on the basis of their sexuality was unconstitutional. It also ordered the state Legislature to formulate a plan for legally recognized same-sex unions within 180 days.

Father Concetti called the decision "grave and presumptuous" and said it sanctioned a "moral disorder against God's creative plan." He said, "This (homosexual activity) is a moral disorder because it contradicts the natural order, which established a union founded on heterosexual relations."

Earlier this year, the Vatican issued a document reminding Catholics that legal recognition of homosexual relationships was a grave moral disorder and also reminding Catholic politicians that they could never support legislation that recognizes such unions. "This is against the creative plan of God, who made man and woman as two equal but complementary beings not only to love each other but to procreate," Father Concetti said.

See the full Vatican document on Homosexual Unions:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/jul/030731a.html

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Ford Foundation Stops Funding Anti-Semitism; Continues To Fund Anti-Catholicism

NEW YORK, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has announced that it has successfully persuaded the Ford Foundation to stop funding anti-Semitic organizations. The Ford Foundation had sponsored many of the most vile anti-Jewish groups that had assembled at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. Now Ford Foundation President Susan V. Berresford has agreed to develop "a series of measures to ensure that no future grants would go to organizations that in any way support terrorism, bigotry, or the delegitimization of Israel."

Catholic League president William Donohue commented on the move saying, "Congratulations to the ADL. There is no legitimate role in a democratic society for tax-exempt foundations to fund bigotry. Unfortunately, the Ford Foundation's record in this area is still not clean." Donohue points out that "The Ford Foundation is the largest single donor in the U.S. to one of the nation's most virulently anti-Catholic organizations, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC). The CFFC is not a critic of the Catholic Church-it is
its expressed enemy. For years it has worked to trash the teachings of the Catholic Church, mock the pope, and oust the Vatican from the U.N."

Pointedly, Donohue says, "Ford Foundation President Susan Berresford says she is opposed to funding anti-Semitic bigotry and the delegitimization of Israel. Yet under her tutelage, munificent grants are awarded annually to an organization that promotes anti-Catholic bigotry and the delegitimization of the Vatican nation-state."

Berresford cannot claim ignorance of the fact that her foundation funds anti-Catholic activities since in addition to Vatican and US Bishops Conference statements denouncing CFFC she was personally contacted on the matter. Donohue wrote to Berresford when she was appointed president of the foundation in 1996 over the concerns about the funding of anti-Catholic groups. However, Donohue says, "she made it clear that the Ford Foundation was quite comfortable with the status quo."

Donohue concludes, "In short, despite its recent pledge to stop funding anti-Semitism, the Ford Foundation continues to underwrite anti-Catholicism at an alarming rate. Its ties to bigotry, then, continue to mar its reputation."

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Governor Bush Asks for Jury Trial in Terri Schiavo Case - Also Asks for New Judge

TAMPA BAY, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Florida Governor Jeb Bush
filed papers Wednesday in a case defending 'Terri's Law' from a suit claiming the law is unconstitutional. The suit was launched by Michael Schiavo, the husband of the severely disabled Florida woman whose feeding tube was removed for nearly seven days before the Florida legislature passed the law permitting Bush to order the reinsertion of the feeding tube.

Last week a court blocked Mr. Schiavo's case from proceeding but on Tuesday an appeals court allowed the case to go forward, with the judge issuing statements seeming to indicate he was biased against Governor Bush, and requiring Bush to file papers in the case by Wednesday afternoon.

Bush's lawyer Ken Connor took to task the claims of Michael Schiavo which have been repeated often by the media but without proof. "Michael Schiavo is going to have to establish (at trial) that he has standing to represent his wife's interests," Connor said. "He's going to have to establish that her right to privacy is infringed, that the governor is interfering with her health care choice. You can't just say that. You have to prove it," he said.

Connor also asked for a replacement judge citing the actions of Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Douglas Baird as evidence of his bias in the case. "The court has, in the short time that this case has been pending, made it clear that the governor cannot be afforded a fair and impartial forum", said the Governor's filing.

See local coverage:
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/20/Tampabay/Jury_trial_sought_to_.shtml

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Massachusetts Governor Considering Homosexual 'Civil Union' Legislation Rather Than Homosexual 'Marriage'

BOSTON, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In considering the state reaction to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in favour of homosexual 'marriage', Gov. Mitt Romney is considering offering what he believes is compromise homosexual 'civil union' legislation rather than homosexual 'marriage' legislation.

The stance comes as a disappointment to pro-family groups who recognize that giving any marriage rights to other than genuine male-female married couples will inevitably undermine the important special status of marriage. Whether called 'marriage' or 'civil unions', it is understood that the net effect in either case is seen as alarming for the future of marriage and family life.

Reacting to the ruling immediately with a statement, the Governor said Tuesday, "I disagree with the Supreme Judicial Court. Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. I will support an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to make that expressly clear. Of course, we must provide basic civil rights and appropriate benefits to nontraditional couples, but marriage is a special institution that should be reserved for a man and a woman."

He expanded on those comments later in the week saying in comments to the Associated Press. "I believe their decision indicates that a provision which provides that benefits, obligations, rights and responsibilities which are consistent with marriage but perhaps could be called by a different name would be in conformity with their decision," he said. "Under that opinion, I believe a civil-union type provision would be sufficient."

See the Governor's release on the issue:
http://www.mass.gov/portal/govPR.jsp?gov_pr=gov_pr_031118_statement_gay_marriage.xml

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UN Report 'Discovers' People are Essential to Economic Growth

FRONT ROYAL, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new report form the United Nations Population Division has reached the earth-shattering conclusion that people are a key part of economic development, according to the November 19 PRI Weekly Briefing.

The report, entitled "Levels and Trends of International Migration to Selected Countries in Asia," reaches the conclusion that migrant labour is a good thing when it comes to building up the economies of developing countries. As such, the report may begin to unravel the anti-population ideology that holds sway in the developed world.

"Despite the crucial role played by migrant labor throughout Asia and much of the rest of the world, U.S. foreign policy continues to rely heavily on 'population planning' and 'fertility reduction' to jumpstart development," PRI observes. "Population control ideologues at USAID continue to claim that there is a vast unmet need for contraception, in the face of infant deaths for lack of life-saving basics. In fact, the greatest unmet need in many countries is for workers. Julian Simon was right when he called people, 'the
ultimate resource'."

To read or subscribe to PRI's newsletter:
www.pop.org

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St. Lucia Cancels Abortion Debate, Postpones Legalization

CASTRIES, November 20, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - St. Lucia's prime minister, Kenny Anthony, has cancelled parliamentary debate on his plan to partially liberalize the Caribbean island's abortion law, after 9,000 Catholics signed a petition demanding that the legislation be shelved.

The 90% Catholic nation of 160,000 was shocked in September when the government, without any significant public demand, introduced a bill to allow abortion in cases of rape, incest or for the "health" of the mother. After public pressure, the latest version of the bill provides for a "cooling off" period of 48 hours after requesting an abortion, including counselling.

The bill has now been twice postponed, and Anthony says it will now be introduced when Parliament meets, probably next month.

For newswire coverage:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=553&ncid=751&e=7&u=/ap/20031119/ap_wo_en_he/cb_gen_st_lucia_abortion

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LifeSite NewsBytes

10 Anglican Parishes Objecting to Homosexual Unions May be Locked Out of Churches
http://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id=296CE768-7A8B-4C9A-B5AA-1236E58A70C6

Minnesota Proposes Constitutional Amendment Banning Homosexual 'Marriage'
http://www.kaaltv.com/article/view/37318/

Federal trial begins for man charged with anthrax hoax on abortuary
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7304182.htm

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