Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of The Illinois Federation for Right to Life. They are presented only for your information.
Documentary Explores Debate over Stem-Cell Research
A new documentary from The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network addresses the controversy over life-destroying embryonic stem-cell research versus ethical, adult stem-cell research.
In "Lines That Divide," prominent scientists from both sides of the debate discuss the details surrounding modern-day research.
Wesley J. Smith, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, presents a pro-life perspective.
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Cloning for Stem Cells 'Redundant'
Australia's first application for a licence to clone human embryos for stem cell research should be knocked back because recent scientific discoveries have made the procedure redundant, critics say. Ethicists, religious heads and anti-cloning groups yesterday hit out at the joint move by Sydney IVF and Victoria's Monash Immunology and Stem Cell laboratories to seek permission from the National Health and Medical Research Council to clone human embryonic stem cells. The scientists want to implant discarded eggs left over from IVF treatment with diseased cells from an adult to create embryonic stem cells that are an exact replica of the donor, to help develop treatments for diseases.
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PETA Cancels Plan for Abortion-Related Billboard Campaign
An animal rights group has abandoned plans to run billboards in Wichita that urge people on both sides of the abortion debate to go vegetarian. "We are disappointed that our artwork has been rejected by the Wichita-area billboard companies," said Lindsay Rajt, campaign manager for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The proposed billboards were prompted by the shooting death of abortion doctor George Tiller last week. One says, "Pro-Life? Go Vegetarian;" the other, "Pro-Choice? Choose Vegetarian."
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'Tiller the Killer' Was Excommunicated
George Tiller had previously been excommunicated by a Lutheran congregation on account of his lack of repentance about and refusal to stop his occupation. That Lutheran congregation was a member of my church body, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Excommunication doesn't happen terribly frequently in this day and age but it's not unheard of. I don't know any of the specifics about his past congregation or what led to the discipline and anticipated learning more about it when it was covered by the mainstream media. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. When the news broke, I had many people who know that I'm Lutheran ask how it was possible that his church had not disciplined him or otherwise encouraged him to stop performing abortions. I had hoped that there would be stories exploring Tiller's religious beliefs and church membership and that the stories would explain the difference between the ELCA and the LCMS. There is obviously quite a difference between a church body that would discipline a practicing abortion doctor and one that would welcome him in membership.
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Opposition To Abortion Rights Declining Among Black Voters, Opinion Pieces States
"In recent years, conservative political strategists have painted African Americans as being more opposed to abortion than the white population," but experts believe that there actually "is a declining black support for conservative social policies like abortion," Tracie Powell, a former congressional fellow with the American Political Science Association, writes in a CQ Politics opinion piece. According to Powell, a recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey found that 49% of black U.S. residents -- who generally are considered more religious than the entire U.S. population -- are in favor of keeping abortion legal in most or all cases.
Powell continues that experts vary in their explanations of the declining opposition to abortion rights among blacks. She writes that Christopher Metzler, an associate dean at Georgetown University, said that economic concerns, such as the high unemployment rate for black workers, have become more important than abortion for the group. According to Powell, Metzler said that black U.S. residents also have started questioning the pro-life agenda because they received little support from conservatives in return.
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