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Pro-Life Update Each new year brings new possibilities and new challenges. We enter 2008 having recently lost a wonderfully outspoken Pro-Life hero, Congressman Henry Hyde. He accomplished much to help others understand the respect that innocent unborn children deserve and saved so many lives through his Pro-Life legislation. His legacy will forever inspire us. He was extremely vocal in promoting the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban during President Clinton’s tenure. Last year, this legislation finally became law. We now move forward in 2008 knowing that abortion on demand is truly vulnerable. Stem cell research is again in the news: amazing new technology has shown yet again that embryonic stem cell research is not necessary. A Japanese scientist has successfully transformed skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which act like embryonic stem cells. This research has inspired world-renown scientist, Dr. Ian Wilmut, to abandon human cloning in order to further pursue this new and exciting field. We have much for which to be grateful in 2008. Let us continue to work hard so that we can experience even more success.
Please read this issue of the Pro-Life Update carefully to understand some of the challenges we now face and how you—an educated Pro-Lifer—can advance the Culture of Life. Please share this information with your family, friends, and church congregations. Make copies. Spread the news.
35 Years after Legalized Abortion January 22, 2008, marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. In 1973, the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton court decisions legalized abortion on demand in America. Since then, women have been able to obtain abortions through all nine months of their pregnancies for any reason. However, on April 18, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court finally upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Act. This was a monumental step for the Pro-Life movement.
Chuck Colson of BreakPoint commented, “It took thirty-four years to get from Roe v. Wade to the first significant restriction of so-called ‘abortion rights.’ It’s a reminder that when it comes to eradicating social ills, we must never give up.” He went on to compare this victory with British Parliamentarian William Wilberforce’s victory in slowing the British slave trade. His victory came when he was able to pass legislation in 1788 that restricted the number of slaves that a ship was allowed to carry based on the ship’s tonnage.
This victory, although small, proved that the slave trade was vulnerable, just as our victory against partial-birth abortion proves that the abortion industry is vulnerable. Mr. Wilberforce, after almost 20 years of fighting, was eventually successful in abolishing the slave trade. Twenty-five years after that, slavery was abolished all together. We too—with patience, hard work, and diligence—eventually will be successful in abolishing the practice of abortion.
Henry Hyde: A Pro-Life Hero On November 29, 2007, former U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde passed away. He was 83 years old and had served as a Republican Congressman in Illinois for thirty-two years. He was a powerfully compelling voice for Life. He is perhaps best known for his Hyde Amendment, which prevented Medicaid or any other program under these departments from funding abortions except in very limited cases. Because of this powerful legislation, at least one million babies’ lives (and probably twice as many) have been spared.
Congressman Chris Smith, another Pro-Life stalwart, upon Henry Hyde’s death, reflected on his tremendous impact:
In the greatest human rights issue of our time—the right to life, Henry Hyde will always be known as a champion and great defender of children and their moms. Because of the Hyde Amendment countless young children and adults walk on this earth today and have an opportunity to prosper because they were spared destruction when they were most at risk. With malice towards none, Henry Hyde often took to the House floor to politely ask us to show compassion and respect—even love—for the innocent and inconvenient baby about to be annihilated.
Henry Hyde conveyed his own deeply felt convictions:
When the time comes as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the Pro-Life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, ‘Spare him because he loved us,’ and God will look at you and say not, ‘Did you succeed?’ but ‘Did you try?’
Congressman Hyde has surely heard this chorus of voices. Let us remember and pray for him—a true Pro-Life hero.
Future of Cloning and Embryonic Stem Cell Research In November 2007, Nature (a science journal) published an article asserting that scientists had just successfully cloned primate embryos. However, they used 304 eggs in order to make two lines of embryonic stem cells (one of which was chromosomally abnormal), making such a process profoundly inefficient and expensive.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Wilmut, the British scientist who made headlines for cloning Dolly the sheep in 1997, has recently decided to no longer pursue therapeutic cloning (whereby embryos are created for and destroyed through scientific experimentation). He had been awarded a license to clone human embryos in 2005, but he has now acknowledged, “Given the low efficiency, you wonder just how long nuclear transfer will have a useful life.”
Dr. Wilmut has instead decided to pursue research referred to as “dedifferentiation,” which was first conducted in Japan by Prof. Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University. This new, more promising research creates embryo-like stem cells without human eggs and without creating and destroying human cloned embryos. He has successfully transformed skin cells into what seem to be versatile stem cells; these cells are called “induced pluripotent stem cells” (iPS) and exhibit the typical activity seen in embryos. Dedifferentiation is much more scientifically promising than human cloning and is morally acceptable and preferable.
The Pro-Life movement still has much work to ensure that all people throughout the world are welcomed into Life and respected. If you would like any additional information on the topics discussed above, please send me a note or log onto www.TexasRightToLife.com. If you ever have questions about any Pro-Life issues, please be sure to let me know.
Yours for Life,
Dr. Joseph M. Graham President |
