Did You Know?

	(05/06/2008) Although we failed by a slim margin (39 votes on the “Minority Report” and 26 votes on the main motion) to alter the denominational relationship with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Lifewatch efforts at the 2008 General Conference were successful in strengthening the Social Principles paragraph on abortion (¶161.J). Click here and here to read the legislation.
	(04/15/2008) The Lifewatch office will be closed from April 20 through May 4 while we attend the 2008 General Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas. We will follow and promote passage of petitions which strengthen the Book of Discipline’s paragraph on abortion and petitions which require the denomination to withdraw from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). Please pray for our efforts and for God’s will in all things.
	(04/08/2008) According to a CBS News poll taken in July, 2005, 80% of Americans favor a law in which at least one parent be told before a girl under 18 years of age could have an abortion, while only 17% oppose such a law. Source: pollingreport.com, Accessed 4/8/08.
	(04/01/2008) “When you consider that women have been treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” Source: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in a letter to Julia Ward Howe, Oct. 16, 1871.
	(03/25/2008) “‘somatic cell nuclear transfer’ [SCNT] – a term researchers use to avoid the more incendiary word cloning, even though it is the same technology that created Dolly the sheep.” Source: Karen Tumulty, “The Politics of Science, Time Magazine, 7/31/06. Emphasis added.
	(03/18/2008) “In recent years, the number of abortions has fallen; the 1.2 million tallied for 2005 was down 8 percent from 2000, and the per-capita abortion rate was the lowest since 1974. But overall, since the Roe ruling on Jan. 22, 1973, there have been roughly 50 million abortions in the Untied States, and more than one-third of adult women are estimated to have had at least one.” Source: David Crary, “Financial strain a factor in abortions", USA Today, 1/18/08
	(03/11/2008) “A new human being is conceived when a sperm fertilizes an egg. The sperm has 23 chromosomes and so does the egg. But the fertilized egg has 46, half from each parent, and is generally unique. These 46 chromosomes, which are fixed at conception, establish the child’s sex and are a blueprint for how it will develop, both during pregnancy and after birth.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org
	(03/04/2008) “I know there are others … who feel the emptiness, the loss—both men and women—and don’t understand it. We’ve been told to get over it. Men are told it’s not our choice so we should keep our feelings to ourselves. We should be a man. But that was my problem. I wasn’t a man. A man would have spoken up. A man would have protected his baby and the mother. But I didn’t know…. I said nothing.” Source: Eric Slaughter, as quoted by Mary Ann Wyand in “Testimonials affirm sanctity of life at annual prayer service,” The Criterion, February 8, 2008.
	02/27/2008) “A decade of Pew Research Center polls shows that 18-to-29-year-olds are consistently more likely than the general adult population to favor strict limits on abortion. A Pew survey last summer found that 22 percent of young adults support a total ban on abortion, compared with 15 percent of their parents’ generation.” Source: “Young join fight to end abortion,” by Stephanie Simon, February 15, 2008.
	(02/20/2008) “Pope John Paul II … coined the term ‘culture of life.’ President Bush adopted it, and the slogan, as much as it pains us to admit it, moved some hearts and minds. Supporting abortion is tough to fit into this package.” Source: “Abortion’s battle of messages” by Frances Kissling and Kate Michelman, The Los Angeles Times, Jan. 22, 2008.
	(02/13/2008) Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand, the United States Supreme Court is listening. The Supreme Court cited The Justice Foundation's Amicus Brief (also known as a friend of the court brief) in its ruling on partial-birth abortion last year. Citing sworn testimony of women who had abortions presented by The Justice Foundation and acknowledging that abortion hurts women, the Court concluded that "some women come to regret" their abortions. "Whether to have an abortion requires a difficult and painful moral decision" and is "fraught with emotional consequence," the Court said. The Court also noted that "severe depression and loss of esteem can follow" an abortion but that there is no reliable data on the size of the problem. To that end, The Justice Foundation and Operation Outcry want to collect one million declarations from women and men who have been harmed by abortion. To learn more or to complete a declaration, visit their website. Source: The Justice Foundation and Operation Outcry.
	(02/06/2008) “Post-abortion grief does not just affect mothers of aborted children. Each of these babies has a father as well. Dr. Vincent Rue writes about ‘forgotten fathers’ who must also grieve their lost children. Some must deal with the guilt of having insisted that their children be aborted, having paid for the abortion, or having done nothing to try to stop it. Others must deal with the fact that they were unable to protect their unborn children, since fathers have no legal rights regarding the decision to abort.” Source: “The Psychological Aftermath of Three Decades of Abortion,” by E. Joanne Angelo,MD, The Cost of ‘Choice:’ Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion, edited by Erika Bachiochi, Encounter Books, San Fransisco, c. 2004, p.95
	(01/30/2008) “I’m very proud of my one hundred percent voting record with Planned Parenthood.” Source: Senator Hillary Clinton, United Methodist lay member, speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund gathering, July 17, 2007.
	(01/23/2008) Conception: Of the 200,000,000 sperm that try to penetrate the mother’s egg cell, only one succeeds. At that very moment, a new and unique individual is formed. Source: “Milestones of Early Life: How You Began Your Journey,” published by Heritage House ‘76, Inc., c.2005.
	(01/16/2008) Several pro-family and pro-life organizations have “teamed up to create [an] online Roe IQ Test to measure” people’s understanding of the 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions. You can take the test by clicking on the link: www.roeiqtest.com/ui/. Source: “Does America Know Roe?” by Devon Williams, Dec. 13, 2007. www.citizenlink.org/
	(01/09/2008) The 35th Annual “March for Life” takes place in Washington, DC at noon on Tuesday, January 22. Before the march, at 9:30 am in the United Methodist Building next door to the US Supreme Court, Lifewatch holds its annual Service of Worship, with Bishop William H. Willimon preaching. Following the march, also in the United Methodist Building, the Annual Lifewatch Board meeting commences at 3:00 pm. All are welcome and encouraged to attend the events of the day.
	(12/18/2007) “… the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to [all] on whom his favor rests.’” Source: Luke 2:10-14 (NIV)
	(12/11/2007) “While still in the womb, the child began to move, swallow and ‘breathe’ amniotic fluid. Since amniotic fluid is full of glucose (sugar), this gives the digestive system opportunity to learn its function.” Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure, published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(12/04/2007) “A new poll conducted by CBS News makes it clear that a majority of Americans are pro-life when it comes to the issue of abortion. The October survey finds 54 percent of Americans take one of three pro-life positions opposing all or almost all abortions…. According to the survey, just 26 percent of the public wants abortions permitted in all cases.” Source: “CBS News Poll: 54 Percent of Americans Take Pro-Life Position on Abortion,” by Steven Ertelt, October 19, 2007.(The poll can be accessed here.)
	(11/27/2007) “Children are the future. When you destroy your children, you destroy hope.” Source: Dr. Alveda King, niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
	(11/20/2007) “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Source: Psalms 95:1-2 (NIV)
	(11/13/2007) “Women who have had abortions are more likely to commit suicide, Finnish researchers reported in November of 1996. Mika Gissler and colleagues at Finland’s National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health used national records to check the rate of suicides up to one year after the end of a pregnancy, whether it ended in birth, miscarriage or abortion. ‘The suicide rate after an abortion was three times the general suicide rate and six times that associated with birth,’ they wrote.” Source: “Finnish Study Reveals Abortion’s Suicide Connection,” Reuter’s press release, London, 12/5/96.”
	(11/06/2007) At least ten separate petitions and resolutions related to the paragraph on abortion (¶161J) and withdrawing The United Methodist Church from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) have been submitted to the 2008 General Conference. Please contact the office if you want to help work for passage of these items.
	(10/30/2007) “Abortion is becoming commonplace and people are insufficiently troubled about terminating pregnancies, the Archbishop of Canterbury said on Sunday. …. The archbishop … pointed out the paradox he saw between those who campaign for greater ‘fetal rights’, condemning women who smoke during pregnancy, but fail to speak out about abortion.” Source: “Archbishop of Canterbury urges re-think on abortion,” Reuters News Service, London, October 21, 2007.
	(10/23/2007) “The child’s sex is determined at the moment of conception. With the help of an ultrasound machine, those parts are recognizable about 60 days after conception (at the end of the second month of pregnancy).” Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure, published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(10/16/2007) “It appears that the enactment of the FACE [Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances] Act, combined with the ascendancy of partial-birth abortion, had a significant impact on public perceptions of the abortion debate—and on perceptions of which side more clearly represents voters’ own values. As grisly details of partial-birth abortion procedures replaced confrontational (and often violent) clinic protests on the evening news, voters seemed to have changed their minds about who the ‘abortion extremists’ were.” Source: “Turnaround on Abortion” Study by Christopher Blunt, PhD and Fred Steeper, Overbrook Research, June 2007, p.3.
	(10/09/2007) “Researchers at a cancer center in Seattle have confirmed what previous studies have shown: women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer. They say fetal cells “transplanted” to the mother before birth are a source of this protective effect. That's something that abortion denies.” Source: “Researchers Explain Why Having Baby Reduces Breast Cancer Chances,” by Steven Ertelt, October 2, 2007, LifeNews.com.
	(10/02/2007) “For many people that experience an abortion, their initial response is relief. The ‘storm’ – the crisis – has passed. It was horrible, but it’s over now. They believe they can simply pick up the pieces and go on with their lives. The trouble is, … these people are left with undetected internal damage that left untended, results in a crumbing affect [sic]. They enter into a state of denial, unaware of the reasons for many of the painful (post-abortion syndrome) issues that begin to wreak havoc in their lives.” Source: Secret Sin: When God’s People Choose Abortion, by Mary Comm, Morgan James Publishing, LLC, Garden City, NY., c. 2007, p. 31.
	(09/26/2007) “Without known exception, the early American feminists condemned abortion in the strongest possible terms. In Susan B. Anthony’s newspaper, The Revolution, abortion was described as ‘child murder,’ ‘infanticide’ and ‘foeticide.’ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who in 1848 organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, also classified abortion as a form of infanticide and said, ‘When you consider that women have been treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.’” Source: “The Feminist Case Against Abortion,” by Serrin M. Foster, President of Feminists for Life
	(09/19/2007) “The [unborn child’s] eyes begin to develop early in the fourth week after conception.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org, p.5.
	(09/12/2007) According to Paragraph 507 of the 2004 Book of Discipline, “Any organization, clergy member, or lay member [individual] of The United Methodist Church may petition the General Conference….” Petitions and resolutions must be received by the Petitions Secretary by October 26, 2007. For complete instructions, click here.
	(09/03/2007) “According to the lawsuit, Jane Roe was 14 when her adult 21-year-old ‘boyfriend’ compelled her to abort her baby at Planned Parenthood’s Auburn Avenue facility on March 30, 2004. The man paid for the abortion by credit card claiming he was Jane’s stepbrother, even as the distraught girl gave out the name and address of her father to clinic employees.” Source: “Appeals Court Agrees to Conceal Planned Parenthood Records in Statutory Rape Case” by Peter J. Smith, Aug. 29, 2007
	(08/28/2007) “ … a 2003 survey by the Gallup Organization found that by a margin of 72%-to-26%, the public supports a law requiring that the husband of a married woman be notified if she decides to have an abortion. Gallup asked the same question in 1996 and 1992 and got nearly identical results.” Source: “Public Opinion Support Alito on Spousal Notification Even as It Favors Roe v. Wade,” 2005 PEW Poll, released 11/2/05.
	(08/21/2007) “Taste buds begin to form during the eighth week after conception. An unborn child actually has more taste buds than a newborn and probably has a sense of taste.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org , p. 9.
	(08/14/2007) “’During the heyday of condom-based programs, the rates of teen sexual activity, teen births and teen abortions grew. …. With the wider use of abstinence programs, all the trends have reversed direction and are going down.’” Source: Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, “Groups Mark Teen Pregnancy Day, Respond to Attacks on Abstinence Ed,” by Steven Ertelt, May 6, 2007
	(08/07/2007) In 2005, Planned Parenthood affiliated clinics performed 264,943 abortions (up from 255,015 in 2004), and provided prenatal care for 12,548 clients (down from 17,610 in 2004). Source: Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2005-06 Annual Report, p.4.
	(07/25/2007) Women are not the only ones who may regret their abortions. Men may also have unresolved feelings. Some encouraged or pressured her to abort; some abandoned her; some didn’t know about the pregnancy until after the abortion. Whatever the cause, help is available. Source: “Father No More” brochure, c. 2004. Contact the Lifewatch office or fatherhoodforever.org for more information.
	(07/17/2007) “[In June] the North Carolina and Mississippi Conferences, along with the regional bodies representing United Methodists in eastern Tennessee, South Indiana, and Northwest Texas … passed resolutions calling on the denomination to withdraw its membership in the radically pro-abortion Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC).” Source: “United Methodist Church Challenged to End Support for Abortion,” by John Lomperis, July 4, 2007
	(07/10/2007) “Lust takes us out of our bodies, ‘attaching’ our psyche onto someone else’s physical form. That’s why homosexual sex – and all other lust-based sex – is never satisfactory: It’s a neurotic process rather than a natural, normal one. Normal is normal – and has been called normal for a reason. Abnormal means ‘that which hurts us, hurts normal.’” Source: “How a ‘gay rights’ leader became straight,” by Michael Glatze, July 3, 2007
	(07/03/2007) “At eight weeks after conception, everything that will be found in the fully developed human being has been formed. All that is needed now is time to grow.” Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure, published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(06/27/2007) “A new study shows that the pro-life position on abortion has been gaining ground over the least [sic] fifteen years as more people identify themselves as pro-life. The new report shows a change in the public’s attitude on abortion…. …. …legislative efforts and new approaches are working … according to researchers Christopher Blunt, a political consultant at Overbrook Research, and Fred Steeper, a consultant at Market Strategies.” Source: “Study Shows Pro-Life Strategies are Working, More People Oppose Abortion,” by Steven Ertelt, 6/25/07. Read the study
	(06/20/2007) “U.S. scientists have cultured stem cells from human fat tissue, creating an alternate source for life-saving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.” Source: “Stem cells obtained from adipose tissue” (UPI), 6/18/07
	(06/13/2007) “About 37 percent of abortions are performed on African-American women, though they make up only 12 percent of the population. The abortion rate of black women is three times higher than that of white women and 60% of African-American women who become pregnant will have an abortion. More than 14 million abortions have been done on black women and abortion businesses are frequently located in minority communities.” Source: “Martin Luther King, Jr. Niece Says Abortion is Real Black ‘Quiet Riot,’” by Steven Ertelt, 6/6/07
	(06/06/2007) The 2007 annual conferences of The United Methodist Church are electing delegates to represent them at the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, TX, and the 2008 Jurisdictional Conference in Dallas, TX. To find out when your conference meets/met, click on the link [2007 US Annual Conference Dates]. Please pray for the election of godly delegates, both laity and clergy, who are more interested and concerned with obeying and pleasing God than with pleasing people.
	(05/29/2007) “But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” Source: Mother Teresa, National Prayer Breakfast, 2/3/94
	(05/22/2007) “In God’s ordering of creation, it is only the mother who can nurture her unborn child. All that the rest of us can do, then, is to nurture the mother. To help a child, we must help the child’s mother. Source: “The Jericho Plan: Breaking down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing,” by David C. Reardon, Acorn Books, Springfield, Illinois c.1996, p.1.
	(05/15/2007) “The penis begins to develop on about the 42nd day after conception, the same day that the beginnings of the toes are evident.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org
	(05/08/2007) “Following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that a federal ban on partial-birth abortions is constitutional, the Hart/Newhouse polling firm released the results of a survey it conducted for the Wall Street Journal showing that a majority of Americans agreed with the decision. …. The first question simply asked respondents if they favored or opposed the Supreme Court’s decision upholding ‘a law that makes the procedure commonly known as a partial birth abortion illegal.’ Some 53 percent of those polled agreed with the ruling in the case while just 34 percent were opposed to it. Source: “Poll: Americans Agreed With Supreme Court’s Partial-Birth Abortion Ruling,” by Steven Ertelt. May 6, 2007
	(05/01/2007) “The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) … denounced the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Federal ban on the procedure commonly known as Partial-Birth Abortion as a ‘serious setback.’ RCRC, which exists to promote the availability of abortion, is supported by several mainline Christian denominations, including the 8-million-member United Methodist Church. …. The United Methodist Board of Church & Society and the United Methodist Women’s Division belong to RCRC.” Source: “Press Release: UMAction Asks United Methodist Agencies to Quit Abortion Coalition,” April 20, 2007.
	(04/24/2007) The Abortion Recovery International Network (A.R.I.N.) works to “provide help, healing and hope to those wounded by abortion and … educate society on the affects of abortion on individuals and families.” Source: ARIN Mission Statement, www.abortionrecovery.info
	(04/17/2007) “A new study published by researchers at La Trobe University in Australia finds that women who are abused by their partners are more likely to have an abortion of an unexpected pregnancy than to keep the baby. …. The study backs up the contention made by research in the United States that an inordinate number of women who have abortions do so because they feel pressure or coercion from a husband or boyfriend.” Source: “Study: Women Having Abortions More Likely to Be Abused by Their Partner,” by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com, April 3, 2007
	(04/03/2007) “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” I Peter 2:24
	(03/27/2007) “By the 10th week, the unborn baby can squint, swallow and wrinkle its forehead.” Source: “The First Nine Months” brochure, published by Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO., c.1990.
	(03/20/2007) “The international community has now come to a consensus that the best place for a child to be raised is in a family with a mother and a father in an atmosphere of love and support. Children raised in families with both a mother and a father, whether adopted or biological, generally fare better on all measurable statistics. Children raised by a father and a mother are healthier, wealthier, happier and experience lower rates of drug use, delinquency, crime and demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement. In other words, for optimal development, children need parents.” Source: “Guide to Family Issues: Inter-country Adoption,” published by United Families International, c.2006, p. 5. www.unitedfamilies.org
	(03/13/2007) “Before my abortion … I wasn’t afraid of death. Whenever I thought of the day God would come for me, even while knowing I have sinned, with all of my sins, I wasn’t afraid. Now, I live with that fear. I feel that I don’t want to die because I wonder how I would face God if I should see him. I don’t have peace.” Source: Words spoken by Yeni in interview with Miguel Vazquez, “It Was Horrible, Horrible! A First-Hand Account of What Goes on Inside a Chula Vista Abortion Clinic,” by Miguel Vasquez, San Diego News Notes, January 2005. NOTE: If you recognize yourself in Yeni’s words, there is hope and help. Contact the Lifewatch office or one of the ministries listed in the “Where Can I go?” brochure elsewhere on this website.
	(03/06/2007) “Although the sperm from one [male] ejaculation may outnumber the egg by some 500 million to 1, fewer than 500 sperm reach the upper part of the fallopian tube where fertilization occurs. Of these, usually only one can fertilize the egg, plunging in headfirst as it penetrates the egg’s plasma membrane….” Source: “Beginning the Journey” by Susan Schiefelbein, The Incredible Machine, published 1986 by the National Geographic Society, p. 23.
	(02/27/2007) “A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) found that the majority of doctors in the United States had objections to resorting to abortion to kill an unborn child if a contraception fails. An even larger majority believe that it is ethically permissible for a physician to explain his moral objections to his patients.” Source: “Study Finds Majority of Doctors Object to Abortion for Failed Contraception” by Meg Jalsevac, Feb. 9, 2007, LifeSiteNews.com
	(02/20/2007) Preparations for the 2007 Annual Conferences are, or soon will be, under way. Lifewatch can provide materials for display tables. For more information, please call the office.
	(02/13/2007) “Between 1985 and 1999, the minor abortion rate [number of abortions per 1000 minor women] fell by almost 50 percent, compared to a 29 percent decline in the overall abortion rate. While a number of factors may have contributed to this decline, the impact of pro-life legislation on the incidence of abortion among minors cannot be overlooked. …. [P]ro-life legislation enacted during the 1990s, particularly parental involvement laws intended to influence minors, were effective in reducing abortion.” Source: “A Report … Analyzing the Effect of State Legislation on the Incidence of Abortion Among Minors,” by Michael J. New, PhD, The Heritage Foundation, Feb. 5, 2007, pages 1,8.
	(02/06/2007) The PAS (post-abortion syndrome) woman “is often given no societal support for processing what has happened to her, so she continues to deny the event, the feelings connected with the event, or both. Keeping memories and feelings pushed under is hard work, but the alternative is too painful for the woman in denial to face. Thus she will avoid anything that threatens to bring back those repressed thoughts and feelings.” Source: Terry Selby, The Mourning After, Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, 1990, p.51.
	(01/30/2007) “This isn’t another scandal. This is a baby, this is a life.” Source: Ashley Harder, 2007 Miss New Jersey USA
	(01/23/2007) “During the fourth month, fine palm lines have formed that can be used to permanently identify the child. Finger, palm and footprints are never duplicated among individuals.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org
	(01/16/2007) “Prior to 1973 – just think about this for a minute – the laws of America reflected an overwhelming pro-life consensus that children before birth deserve the protection of the law. That consensus was a secular consensus. Those laws were not written by clerics, or in monasteries, or by the great organized religions of America…. Not unique to our left or to the right, Democrats or Republicans, Liberals or conservatives, it represented the mainstream of America. My friends, it still is the mainstream of America, so don’t be fooled…. The American people have not accepted abortion on demand… We cannot become comfortable with it, because it’s fundamentally contrary to what we believe as Americans…. Every poll shows a vast and growing unease with the abortion license and the industry that serves it. I believe a pro-life consensus already exists in America. And it grows every time someone looks in a sonogram.” Source: Former governor of Pennsylvania Robert Casey (D), addressing students at Notre Dame University, 1999
	The 34^th Annual “March for Life” takes place in Washington, DC at noon on Monday, January 22. Before the march, at 9:30 am in the United Methodist Building next door to the US Supreme Court. Lifewatch holds its annual Service of Worship, with Dr. William “Billy” Abraham (Southern Methodist University School of Theology) preaching. Following the march, *also in the United Methodist Building, the Annual Lifewatch* Board meeting commences at 3:00 pm**. All are welcome and encouraged to attend the events of the day.
	(01/02/2007) “The public’s support for embryonic stem cell research has declined four percent, according to a new survey from Virginia Commonwealth University. Meanwhile, the number of people who oppose the controversial science has increased five percent from the last VCU poll.” Source: “Support for Embryonic Stem Cell Research Down 4% New Survey Shows,” by Steven Ertelt, December 14, 2006
	(12/19/2006) “… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’” Source: Matthew 1:20-23 (NIV)
	(12/12/2006) “… the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Source: Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)
	(12/05/2006) “The baby’s blood may be a completely different blood type from the mother’s own blood type. The baby never shares the mother’s circulatory system.” Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure, published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001
	(11/28/2006) “New research has found that more genetic differences exist among people than previous research had indicated. …. ‘We have to think of genetics in an entirely different way. We’re actually more like a patchwork of genetic code than bar codes that line up evenly,’ Dr. Scherer [a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and study co-author] said.” Source: “Prenatal Screening not so Accurate as Once Thought—‘Normal’ Children Killed as ‘Defective’” by Hilary White, Nov. 24, 2006, www.LifeSiteNews.com
	(11/21/2006) You are invited to attend THE ANNUAL LIFEWATCH SERVICE OF WORSHIP in celebration of life Monday, January 22, 2007 at 9:30 am at The United Methodist Building in Washington, DC. Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at the Perkins School of Theology, Dr. William J. Abraham, will preach. Following the service, you may want to attend the annual “March for Life” on the National Mall and the Lifewatch Board meeting (also in the UM Building) at 3:00 pm.
	(11/14/2006) “If I found out a friend was planning to have an abortion tomorrow, I would tell her that I was worried about her safety. Believe it or not, like sex, abortion isn’t just physical. It is very emotional and spiritual. Not only can it do a ‘number’ on her body, but it can also hurt her in other ways too.” Source: Kimberly Gloudemans, Miss California Teen USA 1997
	(10/31/2006) A 2002 study published in the Southern Medical Journal concluded that ”Compared with delivering women, women who abort have significantly higher rates of depression an average of 10 years after their first pregnancy event, even after controlling for previous psychologic state.” Source: Reardon, Ney, Scheuren, Couble, Coleman, and Strahan, “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome: A Record Linkage Study of Low Income Women,” Southern Medical Journal, August 2002, Vol. 95, No. 8, p. 839.
	(10/24/2006) [United Methodist Senator Hillary] “Clinton is lending her voice to a campaign by Planned Parenthood’s California affiliate to defeat a state ballot initiative that would require letting parents know when their minor teenager daughters are considering an abortion.” Source: “Hillary Clinton Tapes Phone Calls to Defeat California Abortion Proposal,” by Steven Ertelt, Oct. 19, 2006
	(10/17/2006) “Four months after conception, the baby’s heart pumped 6-1/2 gallons of blood each day through the baby’s body. The baby never shares the mother’s circulatory system.” Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure. Published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(10/10/2006) “… the pro-life group heading up the fight for the [South Dakota abortion] ban is turning the abortion debate on its ear. By employing pro-woman arguments that focus on how abortion hurts women and how women who have had abortions regret their decisions, leading abortion advocates are stumped on how to respond.” Source: “Abortion Advocates Struggle Responding to Pro-Woman, Pro-Life Message,” by Steven Ertelt, Oct. 9, 2006.
	(10/03/2006) “Nicholas and Lola Kampf, stand accused of kidnapping their daughter [Katelyn] and trying to force [her] to have an abortion. The pair face up to 30 years in prison on the charges, though prosecutors have said they will pursue a lighter sentence.” Source: “Teenager Kidnapped in Forced Abortion Bid Wants Her Parents Punished,” by Steven Ertelt, 9/27/06.
	(09/26/2006) “Knowing that if a true poll were taken, we would be soundly defeated, we simply fabricated the results of fictional polls. We announced to the media that we had taken polls and that 60 percent of Americans were in favor of permissive abortion. This is the tactic of the self-fulfilling lie.” Source: Dr. Bernard Nathanson, co-founder of NARAL
	(09/19/2006) “A New Zealand researcher who identifies himself as ‘pro-choice,’ an atheist and a rationalist has published a study linking abortion with an increased risk for mental health problems and he criticized the American Psychological Association for its absolutist stance claiming no link between abortion and mental health. Dr. David M. Fergusson’s study, published in the widely respected Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that compared to women who had never been pregnant and women who had been pregnant but never had an abortion, women who had abortions were at a higher risk for suicide, major depression, anxiety disorder and drug dependence.” Source: “New Research Links Abortion with Depression, Other Mental Health Problems,” Culture & Cosmos, Volume 3, Number 23, January 11, 2006
	(09/05/2006) “In addition to its rapid physical development in the womb… the child’s senses also start to emerge during the prenatal period. …. [T]he olfactory nerve, which is integral to the sense of smell, is present on the 35th day after conception. The foundation of the sense of smell is established on the 39th day when nerve fibers in the brain connect with the olfactory lobe.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan, c.2002, p.9. www.sfuhl.org
	(08/29/2006) “A supposedly new method of obtaining embryonic stem cells for research without destroying any human embryos appeared to be untrue. Upon further examination of the research paper making the claims, it appears all of the 16 human embryos Advanced Cell Technology used to come up with the process died during the procedure. …. ‘The press release from ACT told a different story and the media stampeded. In other words, they wrote off the press release, not the actual published science,’ [bioethics watchdog Wesley J.] Smith said….” Source: “Supposed New Embryonic Stem Cell Research Technique Killed All Embryos,” by Steven Ertelt, August 25, 2006
	(08/22/2006) “Ministry to Those Who Have Experienced an Abortion—We urge local pastors to become informed about the symptoms and behaviors associated with post-abortion stress. We further encourage local churches to make available contact information for counseling agencies that offer programs to address post-abortion stress for all seeking help.” Source: 2004 Book of Discipline, Social Principles, 161K
	(08/15/2006) “The Church’s teaching is countercultural…. Contemporary hearts are accustomed to embracing love as a feeling, a sentiment. However, the Church understands love, agape love, in a more willful way. According to the Church, Christian love is more about the sacrifice of self for the good of others than the realization of self for the good of self.” Source: “Salvation and Sexuality: What The United Methodist Church Teaches,” by Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, Special Report: Lifewatch, December 1, 2005.
	(08/08/2006) “A new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center … finds a strong majority of Americans want more restrictions on abortion and almost half say it should be illegal in all or most circumstances. The July 6-19 poll surveyed 2,003 American adults and found that 46 percent of Americans want abortion to be banned altogether (11 percent) or legal only in a few rare instances (35 percent). Along with those, another 20 percent said abortion should be allowed but want more restrictions on it—making a total of 64 percent of Americans who want abortions banned or restricted.” Source: “Majority of Americans Favor More Restrictions on Abortion, New Poll Shows,” by Steven Ertelt, Aug. 7, 2006,
	(08/01/2006) “Abortion is not a procedure most women undergo casually. It is something you are driven to in desperation, when the alternatives seem too awful to contemplate. Yet, ironically, the very act meant to produce relief, in the long run, often produces its own special brand of agony. …. Though the initial physical pain recedes, the emotional pain of abortion lingers like the phantom pain of an amputated limb. To our hearts, this deep, disturbing sense of unrest and regret is what is meant by the term Post-Abortion Syndrome.” Source: “her choice to heal: finding spiritual and emotional peace after abortion,” by Sydna Masse and Joan Phillips, Chariot Victor Publishing, c. 1998, pp.13-14.
	(07/26/2006) “There is evidence that the baby hears outside noise–music, traffic, TV, people talking, and his/her mother’s voice–by 18 weeks after conception.” Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure. Published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(07/19/2006) “The family of Terri Schiavo says news about a man in a coma for 20 years who awoke from it and regained his speech and movement capabilities shows the limitations of diagnosing a permanent vegetative state. Doctors said Terry Wallis was PVS, but he was actually in a minimally conscious state similar to Terri.” Source: “Terri Schiavo Family Says Terry Wallis Case Shows Errors Diagnosing PVS,” by Steven Ertelt, July 12, 2006
	(07/12/2006) “The vast majority of women [in the United Kingdom] believe that abortion is ‘cruel’ and that the existing law should be changed, according to the biggest ever professional survey of female opinion. …. Another key finding is that women overwhelmingly want Government money spent on charities offering alternatives to abortion, such as adoption. Eighty five per cent want to see more help given to women who want to keep their baby rather than further moves to make abortion easier.” Source: “Vast Majority of Women Believe Abortion is Cruel and Law Should Be Changed,” by Andrea Williams, July 1, 2006
	(07/06/2006) “Though the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has not taken a position on [post-abortion syndrome] (doing so would be highly unpopular in a field dominated by prochoice thinking), it nevertheless lists abortion as a stressor event that can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hence, in this indirect way, it recognizes the reality of PAS.” Source: “Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments,” by Randy Alcorn, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, OR, c. 2000, page 195.
	(06/27/2006) At 10 weeks after conception, the unborn baby has a unique set of fully-formed fingerprints. Nobody ever had or will have the same set. Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure. Published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(06/20/2006) “I think a noble goal for this country is that every child, born and unborn, ought to be protected in law and welcomed into life.” Source: George W. Bush, U.S. Presidential debate in Boston, 10/1/2000
	(06/13/2006) Many United Methodist Annual Conferences being held during the month of June will consider petitions related to abortion and/or the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). Is yours one of them?
	(06/06/2006) “Aside from the fact that abortion is the ‘taking of a life,’ I am mindful of what was brought out by our psychiatrists that in almost every case of abortion, whether legal or illegal, is a traumatic experience that may have severe kickbacks later on.” Source: Mary Calderone, then medical director for Planned Parenthood, October 19, 1959.
	(05/30/2006) “While lawmakers in Washington are calling for votes on a bill that would overturn the president’s limits on using taxpayer funds to pay for embryonic stem cell research, the controversial science has still not yielded any medical breakthroughs. …. At the same time, scientists continue to have tremendous successes with adult stem cells, which have already produced cures and treatments for dozens of conditions and diseases.” Source: “Embryonic Stem Cell Research Has Still Not Yielded Medical Breakthroughs,” by Steven Ertelt, May 26, 2006,
	(05/23/2006) “Planned Parenthood wants to expand its services to more areas, and the organization’s leaders hope a plush fast-service clinic … will attract a new group of women who value convenience and can afford to pay full price. …. Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit, but its leaders hope the new clinic will make enough money to help subsidize the rest of its operations.” Source: “Planned Parenthood Opening Quick-Service Clinics: No Abortions Performed at Quick Clinics,” AP report, May 22, 2006, www.nbc10.com
	(05/16/2006) "Although the child begins developing immediately after conception, the most visible advances occur during the third to eighth weeks. In fact, key organs are already developing in the third week - a time when many women are just beginning to wonder if they are pregnant." Source: "Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life," by John F. Cogan, May 4, 2002, page 4-5, www.sfuhl.org
	(05/09/2006) Even though the mother still has not felt movement, the unborn baby has perfected somersaults, backflips and scissor kicks by 12 weeks after conception. Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure. Published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(05/02/2006) “There are … discussions in bioethics organizations suggesting that some people might have an ethical obligation to commit suicide. Thus, a 1997 cover story in the prestigious bioethics journal the Hastings Center Report, philosopher John Hardwig argued that … ‘A duty to die is more likely when continuing to live will impose significant burdens—emotional burdens, extensive caregiving, destruction of life plans, and yes, financial hardship—on your family and loved ones. This is the fundamental insight underlying a duty to die.’” Source: “Right to Die Movement is Really About Euthanasia, Not Compassion,” by Wesley J. Smith, May 1, 2006
	(04/26/2006) “Mainline Protestant and Jewish leaders [met in 1973] at the United Methodist Building in Washington, DC, to discuss the Roman Catholic Church’s pledge to overturn the new U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. This meeting, called by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, [led] to the formation of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights (RCAR).” [The name was changed in 1991 to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC).] Source: www.rcrc.org/about/history.htm
	(04/19/2006) “Killing babies is not the way out of social problems or personal problems. Killing off your elderly or disabled is not the way to keep your healthcare budget in balance.” Pat Anderson, Schindler family attorney Source: “Former Attorney for Terri Schiavo’s Family: Case Changed Her Abortion View,” by Steven Ertelt, April 11, 2006
	(04/12/2006) During the 8th month of pregnancy, the baby’s skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. The baby absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per day; the fluid is completely replaced every three hours. Source: “The First Nine Months” brochure, published by Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO., c.1990.
	(04/05/2006) “After the Food and Drug Administration reported two additional deaths resulting from the use of the RU 486 abortion drug, pro-life groups and lawmakers again declared the drug unsafe and called for it to be taken off the market. Two abortion practitioners [Peter Bours and Warren Hearn] are surprised by the deaths and say the drug shouldn’t be used.” Source: “Abortion Practitioners Admit RU 486 Abortion Drug Unsafe, ‘Lousy’ for Women,” by Steven Ertelt, Apr. 1, 2006
	(03/29/2006) “By denying all legal standing to the unborn, and declaring abortion a matter of personal private choice, Roe has set us on the path toward a new eugenics.” Source: Dr. R. Kendall Soulen, sermon preached Jan. 23, 2006 at the Lifewatch Worship service. The complete sermon is printed in the March 2006 issue of “Lifewatch.”
	(03/22/2006) Brain function, as measured by EEG waves, has been recorded as early as 45 days after conception. Source: “What They Never Told You About the Facts of Life” brochure. published by the Human Development Resource Council, Inc., Norcross, GA. 2001 http://www.hdrc.org
	(03/15/2006) “A Rasmussen Reports survey [conducted March 1-2, 2006] found that 55% of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong most of the time. …. The Rasmussen Reports survey found that 47% of Americans believe it is too easy for a woman to get an abortion in the United States. Twenty-one (21%) say it is too hard, while 21% say the balance is about right.” Source: “Abortion Issue Remains Challenging for Americans,” Rasmussen Reports, March 7, 2006. (03/07/2006) “Abortion destroys self-worth and dignity. I bought into the idea that abortion was simply a matter of choice. I used abortion as birth control until after my fourth abortion. I felt inside that this action has to be wrong. I wish I had given more thought to the abortions I had. If just one person had said, ‘Star, what you’re doing is wrong,’ it might have changed the destiny of my life.” Source: Star Parker, founder of “Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education” (CURE).
	(02/28/2006) “An embryo, or a new human, comes into existence when a zygote is produced at fertilization by the combination of a sperm with an ovum. The sperm has 23 chromosomes and so does the ovum, but the zygote has 46 chromosomes. Although half of its chromosomes come from each parent, the zygote is genetically different than either of them, and is, in fact, genetically unique.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. May 4, 2002. www.sfuhl.org, p. 92.
	(02/21/2006) “According to new data published by the United Nations Populations Division, nations with permissive abortion laws do not experience lower rates of maternal mortality compared to nations with restrictive abortion laws. …. Both Ireland and Poland, favorite targets of the pro-abortion radicals for their strong restrictions on abortion, have better maternal mortality rates than Russia [67 deaths/100,000 births] and the US [17]. Ireland has … only 5 deaths for every 100,000 births. In Poland, … the maternal mortality rate is 13 deaths for every 100,000 births.” Source: “UN Data Show Banning Abortion Doesn’t Increase Maternal Mortality,” by Bradford Short, Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, 2005. www.c-fam.org
	(02/14/2006) NOW is the time to prepare and submit petitions to this year’s Annual Conferences. Contact the Lifewatch office for sample petitions and/or additional information.
	(02/07/2006) “… those who first defined the [feminist] movement, British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, early American feminist Susan B. Anthony, founder of the Seneca Falls Convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and author of the Equal Rights Amendment, Alice Paul, all opposed abortion on the basis of civil rights and as an exploitation of women.” Source: “FFL President Serrin Foster Responds to Columnist Ellen Goodman with a History Lesson on Feminist Opposition to Abortion,” July 29, 2004.
	(01/31/2006) “A new study conducted by a Bowling Green State University professor and an expert on consequences of abortion finds that women are more likely to be treated for sleep disorders or disturbances following an induced abortion compared to a birth.” Source: “Study Shows Abortion Increases Likelihood of Sleep Disorders for Women,” by Steven Ertelt, January 27, 2006.
	(01/24/2006) By the end of the eighth week the overwhelming majority (several thousand) of the body’s organs, structures and systems have already begun to develop. Few, if any, new structures begin to form after this time. During the remainder of the pregnancy, development consists mainly of growth and maturation of the parts of the body that are already present. Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org
	(01/17/2006) A Hamilton College National Youth Poll of high school seniors taken November 10-20, 2005 found that on the issue of abortion, two thirds (67%) believe abortion is always (23%) or usually (44%) morally wrong; two thirds would require parental consent before a woman under the age of 18 could legally obtain an abortion; and 70% of the female students said they would not consider abortion if they became pregnant while in high school. Only 13% would counsel a pregnant friend to have an abortion. Source: Hamilton College Hot Button Issues Poll: Guns, Gays and Abortion, January 2006.
	(01/10/2006) The 33^rd Annual “March for Life” takes place in Washington, DC at noon on Monday, January 23. Before the march, at 9:30 am in the United Methodist Building next door to the US Supreme Court, Lifewatch holds its annual Service of Worship. Following the march, also in the United Methodist Building, the Annual Lifewatch Board meeting commences at 3:00 pm. All are welcome and encouraged to attend the events of the day.
	(01/03/2005) “I am destroying life.” [self-described abortionist Dr. William F. Harrison] Source: “Offering Abortion, Rebirth,” by Stephanie Simon, Nov. 29, 2005, www.latimes.com

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