Did You Know?

	(07/27/10) “The heart begins to beat on about the 22nd day after conception, circulating blood throughout the child. The arms begin to form on about day 26, followed by the beginnings of the legs on day 28, the same day that the mouth opens for the first time.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan, c. 2002, page 5. www.sfuhl.org.
	(07/20/10) “… despite media hype and sweeping promises of hope, ESCR [Embryonic Stem Cell Research] has yielded no therapies; it is only the field of adult stem cell research that has been on the cutting edge of developing the “miracle cures” demanded by the public. Even better, the adult stem cells derived from patients are completely compatible with the body, and do not carry the risk of rejection or need drugs to prevent rejection, as is the case with therapies using embryonic stem cells.” Source: “Latest Adult Stem Cell Advance Gives Sight to the Blind,” by Peter J. Smith, 6/29/10
	(07/13/10) “Human life is sacred because, from its beginning until its natural end, it involves the creative action of God. The Fifth Commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. God alone is the Lord of life. No one has the right to end arbitrarily what God has begun, and sustained, through the gift of His love. …. People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment.” Source: “Before the Cross: Good Catholics cannot be pro-choice; The Fifth Commandment demands respect for life as God’s most precious gift,” by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, 7/6/10
	(07/06/10) “If I had my way, the Church would stop feeding the illusion that a wedding is the boundary between moral and immoral sex, between good sex and bad.” Source: “Sex and the church – An ordained single woman and The Discipline,” by Anonymous, General Board of Church & Society, 6/7/10 NOTE: For a more scriptural interpretation of marriage and sex, read Cindy’s report from a spring 2010 NAE forum, here
	(06/29/10) “Need help after abortion? Call 1-866-482-LIFE.” Source: National Helpline for Abortion Recovery
	(06/22/10) “Blood vessels begin to form about 13-18 days after fertilization. On about the 20th day, the foundation of the brain, the spinal cord, and the entire nervous system is established.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org.
	(06/15/10) “ … a recent study from the Barna Group examines a major fault line in American social life: abortion. …. The Barna study revealed five insights about abortion-related public opinion. Source: “New Barna Study Explores Current Views on Abortion,” June 14, 2010.
	(06/08/10) “Undercover pro-life journalists have released another hard-hitting expose showing an abortion facility not only hiding child sexual abuse, but offering to circumvent parental consent laws in order to keep a minor’s abortion secret from her parents. …. A nationwide undercover investigation into abortion clinics’ cover-up of statutory rape … revealed that ninety-one percent of abortion facilities agreed to hide the age of the minor victim. The group recorded over 800 calls to abortion clinics in which female callers posed as a 13-year-old girl pregnant by an adult and trying to hide the relationship.” Source: “Another Undercover Video Shows Kentucky Abortuary Failing to Report Child Sex Abuse,” by Peter J. Smith, 4/21/10
	(06/01/10) “One significant, and enduring, effect of The Pill on female sexual attitudes during the 60's, was: "Now we can have sex anytime we want, without the consequences. Hallelujah, let's party!" …. Seriously, folks, if an aging sex symbol like me starts waving the red flag of caution over how low moral standards have plummeted, you know it's gotta be pretty bad. In fact, it's precisely because of the sexy image I've had that it's important for me to speak up and say: Come on girls! Time to pull up our socks! We're capable of so much better.” Source: Rachel Welch, 5/8/10
	(05/25/10) “Far from an empowering option … the abortion seemed forced upon her by her budding career – and that it was a choice she didn’t really want to make.” Source: “TLC Singer Chilli Describes Abortion Grief: ‘I Cried Almost Every Day for 9 Years’” by Kathleen Gilbert, 5/14/10
	(05/18/10) “Slightly more Americans call themselves ‘pro-life’ than ‘pro-choice,’ 47% vs. 45%, according to a May 3-6 Gallup poll. …. All age groups have become more attached to the pro-life label since 2005…. Both genders have also become more likely to identify as pro-life, with the increase among women coming mainly since 2008, whereas the increase in men started after 2006. …. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,029 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 3-6, 2010.” Source: “The New Normal on Abortion: Americans More ‘Pro-Life.’” by Lydia Saad, 5/14/10
	(05/11/10) “The phrase ‘legalized abortion’ could easily lead respondents to believe that the effect of overturning Roe would be to make abortion illegal, when it would in fact be to restore abortion policy to the democratic processes.” Source: Ed Whelan, 4/30/10
	(05/04/10) On April 22, 2010 Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) introduced H.R. 5111, the “Protect Life Act” in response to concerns about the recently-passed health care bill. The bill, which was introduced with 50 Republican and Democrat co-sponsors, incorporates permanent, bill-wide statutory language to prevent federal funding for abortion or abortion coverage through government-related exchanges, community health centers, or any other program authorized or appropriated by the health-care bill. Source: Press release from Rep. Pitts, 4/22/10
	(04/27/10) “The pro-life movement in America is growing in leaps and bounds, attracting young, zealous women to defend the unborn in droves - a fact that even the president of NARAL has now admitted. NARAL's Nancy Keenan told Newsweek … that she considers herself a member of the "postmenopausal militia" – a phrase that captures the situation of pro-abortion leaders who are aging across the board, including the leadership of Planned Parenthood, and the National Organization for Women. …. In addition, Newsweek revealed that NARAL's own research on American youth shows more reason for Keenan to worry: a survey conducted by the group found that, while 51 percent of pro-life voters under 30 considered abortion a "very important" voting issue, only 26 percent of abortion supporters in the same demographic felt similarly.” Source: “NARAL’s President Admits: Pro-Aborts Aging, Pro-Lifers Young and Zealous” by Kathleen Gilbert, 4/21/10 “Media Malpractice at March for Life”
	(04/20/10) On day 1 of a woman’s pregnancy, the fertilized egg contains the plans for every detail of human development, including the child’s sex, hair and eye color, and height. Source: “Making an Informed Decision About Your Pregnancy” brochure. Published by Frontlines Publishing, Grand Rapids , MI. 1994.
	(04/13/10) “GBCS is pushing for grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception; expanded access to preventive health care services that help reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce abortions, and improve access to women’s health care and programs that reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents. …. GBCS is working with Religious Advocates Working Group, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and International Family Planning Coalition.” Source: General Board of Church and Society website, accessed 4/9/10.
	(04/06/10) “Reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal safe abortions. …. If we are concerned about abortion, then women should have access to family planning.” Source: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, news conference 3/30/10
	(03/30/10) Discover where you state stands on “choice-related state laws” by checking NARAL Pro-Choice America’s “2010 Report Card on Women’s Reproductive Rights”. Profiles for individual states are also available by clicking on the State Profiles link. Source: NARAL Pro-Choice America , assessed 3/29/10.
	(03/23/10) President Obama’s executive order on abortion is available: Click here Source: “Text of Executive Order on Abortion in Stupak-Obama-Democrats health Care Compromise,” by Steven Ertelt, 3/20/10
	(03/09/10) “While we United Methodists believe that persons have a right to health care, abortion is not normally a health care issue. Rather, it is a sinful behavior. Proposals in the recent health care debate to provide tax funding for abortions are very misguided. What you fund with tax dollars will increase.” Source: UM Bishop Scott J. Jones, sermon at the 2010 Annual Lifewatch Service of Worship, 1/22/10. The text of the entire sermon can be read here >>>
	(03/02/10) During the 11th week following conception, “If the region near the mouth is stimulated, the fetus will open its mouth and suck a finger.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org, p.52.
	(02/23/10) “I saw on the ultrasound a baby fighting for its life during the abortion procedure. And, when I saw that I realized that everything I had been told by Planned Parenthood and by the pro-choice movement – it's not a baby and it's just a mass of cells and it's not living – was not true.” Source: Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood Director, in an interview with CitizenLink.com, Jan. 8, 2010
	(02/16/10) “Induced abortion is the surgical or medical intervention in a pregnancy for the purpose of causing the death of the embryo or fetus. (If the procedure results in a live birth, the outcome is a preterm delivery, not an abortion.) Every abortion, then, is an iatrogenic [medically or surgically induced] death. Every post-abortion woman has undergone a real death experience - the death of her child.” Source: “Abortion Aftermath: The Complexity and Distortions of Post-Abortion Research” by Dr. David C. Reardon, c.2000, accessed 1/27/10.
	(02/09/10) “I’m pro-choice and Tebow clearly is not...They [NOW] aren’t actually ‘pro-choice’ so much as they are pro-abortion.” Source: “Tebow’s Super Bowl ad isn’t intolerant; its critics are,” by Sally Jenkins, 2/2/10
	(02/02/10) “Conducted by Marist Institute for Public Opinion in late December and early January, [a] new poll finds Americans of all generations are pro-life on abortion. But it is Americans who are under the age of 44 who oppose abortion more than older Americans. The survey, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, finds Baby Boomers (those aged 45-64) are the least pro-life, with 51 percent saying abortion is ‘morally wrong.’" Source: “Poll Shows Youngest Americans More Pro-Life on Abortion Than Baby Boomers,” by Steven Ertelt, 1/22/10
	(01/27/10) “The abortion provisions now in the Senate’s bill include circuitous accounting procedures that can be used to (falsely) claim that taxpayers will not be forced to directly pay for other people’s abortions.” Source: January 18, 2010 letter from Rev. Paul Stallsworth and John Lomperis, members of the Lifewatch/TUMAS board, to Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), a pro-life United Methodist who voted for the Senate health care bill in exchange for political favors for his state. (Read the entire letter HERE)
	(01/20/10) A December 2009 nationwide survey released by Girl Scouts of the USA found that … “one third of teenagers say they intend to wait until they are married to have sex compared to less than a quarter (24 percent) in 1989.” The same poll found that “girls are less likely than boys to say they would have sex (18 percent vs. 38 percent) or advise an abortion (6 percent vs. 12 percent)….” Source:“Nationwide Study Finds More Youth Today Say They Would Make Responsible Choices than Predecessors 20 Years Ago,” Press release of Harris Interactive poll done for the Girl Scouts of the USA, Dec. 2, 2009
	(01/13/10) A December 2009 nationwide survey released by Girl Scouts of the USA found that … “one third of teenagers say they intend to wait until they are married to have sex compared to less than a quarter (24 percent) in 1989.” The same poll found that “girls are less likely than boys to say they would have sex (18 percent vs. 38 percent) or advise an abortion (6 percent vs. 12 percent)….” Source:“Nationwide Study Finds More Youth Today Say They Would Make Responsible Choices than Predecessors 20 Years Ago,” Press release of Harris Interactive poll done for the Girl Scouts of the USA, Dec. 2, 2009
	(01/13/10) “When the calendar reads January, the majority of Americans who consider themselves pro-life according to several 2009 polls can count on one thing. That's the annual March for Life that sees hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates heading to the nation's capital. They gather for the event -- which sees a 20-30-person-wide sea of people for block after block parading down the main streets of Washington -- to mark their opposition to abortion.” Source: “March for Life and White House Protest Part of Pro-Life Events Marking Roe,” by Steven Ertelt , Jan. 11, 2010
	(01/06/10) On Friday, January 22 (the day of the 37th Annual “March for Life” in Washington, DC.), the Annual Lifewatch Service of Worship will be held at 9:30 am in the United Methodist Building next door to the US Supreme Court. Bishop Scott Jones, who presides over the Kansas Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church, will deliver the message. Following the worship service, also in the United Methodist Building, the Annual Lifewatch Board meeting commences at 11:30 am. All are welcome and encouraged to attend the events of the day.
	(12/23/2009) “You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas” Source: Psalm 65:5
	(12/16/2009) “The newly fertilized egg contains a staggering amount of genetic information, sufficient to control the individual’s growth and development for an entire lifetime. A single thread of DNA from a human cell contains information equivalent to a library of one thousand volumes, or six hundred thousand printed pages with five hundred words on a page.” Source: ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments by Randy Alcorn, revised edition c. 2000, ISBN # 1-57673-751-9, page 65.
	(12/02/2009) “’We won because [the Democrats] need us,’ says Mr. Stupak [D-MI]. ‘If they are going to summarily dismiss us by taking the pen to that language [abortion funding restrictions in health care bill], there will be hell to pay. I don't say it as a threat, but if they double-cross us, there will be 40 people who won't vote with them the next time they need us—and that could be the final version of this bill.’” Source: “The Man Who Made Pelosi Cry ‘Uncle,’” Nov. 9, 2009
	(11/25/2009) “As Congress remains embroiled in a massive debate over whether to force Americans to pay for abortions through the new government-run health care programs, a new CNN poll finds 61 percent oppose government funding abortions with public dollars. The poll found six in ten Americans favor a ban on using federal funds for abortions, such as the Stupak amendment recently added to the health care bill in the House.” Source: “CNN Poll: 61% Oppose Tax-Funded Abortions, 63% Oppose All of Most Abortions,” by Steven Ertelt, Nov. 18, 2009
	(11/18/2009) “A video describing a first-trimester abortion – produced by Priests for Life and published on YouTube – … has been viewed more than a million times. …Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life plays host as he describes in direct but delicate terms just exactly what happens during an abortion.” Source: “The reality of abortion – YouTube-style”, 11/14/09
	(11/10/2009) On Monday, November 9, Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, the President and Editor of Lifewatch, made a presentation to the “World Wide Nature of the Church” sub-committee in Lake Junaluska, NC. His presentation is available here...[Click]
	(11/03/2009) “We all start as one-celled beings. .... When is it determined that we are going to be human beings? This happens at the moment of conception.” Source: A Child is Born, published by Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, New York, NY, c.1966; Eighth Printing 1980, p. 50
	(10/27/2009) CareNet, a national network of Pregnancy Resource Centers, has introduced a new web site to help encourage young people to become pro life and active in pro life activities. They’re trying to grow and encourage the next generation of pro life activists. Please help spread the word with this web site, InspireLifeNow.org Source: Christine Mize, Lifewatch member and President of Jackson County (IL) Right-to-Life.
	(10/20/2009) “Public opinion on abortion has shifted toward a less liberal attitude in the last year … according to polling done in August by the Pew Research Center. ‘The shift in opinion is broad-based, appearing in most demographic groups in the population,’ Pew said in its analysis of the polling data.” Source: “Support Abortion? Not So Much, Says Pew,” Oct. 2, 2009 (The poll Overview can be found here)
	(10/13/2009) “Abortions raise the risk that a woman’s future babies will be premature or underweight, according to a Canadian medical study. For women who have had more than one abortion, the increased risk of a having a baby with low birth weight is 72 percent, and the risk of a premature birth jumps to 93 percent. In addition, the researchers found that a woman’s number of abortions correlated with the risk of complications during labor.” Source: “Abortions Raise Risks for Subsequent Babies,” 9/20/09
	(10/06/2009) “Freedom of choice is what makes us human and responsible. For a woman, the pre-eminent freedom is the choice to control her reproductive processes. Any theological or moral argument that subordinates a woman’s freedom to the imaginary screams of a fetus in early pregnancy is going to be less than human, no matter how much talk there is about the ‘preciousness of life.’” Source: “Between A Woman and Her God: Clergy and Women Tell Their Stories,” RCRC, c.2004, Forward, page 5. P.S. Both The United Methodist Church's General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) and the Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries (WD/GBGM) are affiliated with RCRC. Lifewatch believes these institutional relationships are inconsistent with United Methodist teaching on abortion. See Paragraph 161J in The Book of Discipline (2008).
	(09/29/2009) “Anxiety and panic disorders. Flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia. Drug and alcohol abuse. Suicidal thoughts and actions. Decreased fertility. Emotional problems. …. Those are just some of the documented psychological and physical effects of having an abortion. …. I am a woman and strongly in favor of women’s rights. I used to be pro-choice, but after discovering the horrifying effects of abortion on women, it is clear that abortion hurts women more than it helps them. Not only that, knowledge of the destructive side-effects are suppressed by pro-choice organizations….” Source: “Walk: Pro-Life Is Pro-Women,” by Michelle Walk, 9/28/09
	09/22/2009) “National abortion statistics in the U.S. are only available from two sources, privately from The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) [name changed simply to “Guttmacher Institute”] and federally from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Since Alaska , California and New Hampshire do not provide abortion data to the federal government, and since California accounts for more abortions than any other state in the U.S, the CDC numbers are somewhat speculative. AGI, on the other hand, is the research arm of Planned Parenthood, the world's largest abortion provider. While their data is helpful, they certainly have a position and agenda in regard to abortion.” Source: http://www.abort73.com. Accessed 9/21/09.
	(09/15/2009) “In his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night [9/9/09], President Barack Obama said the health care plan he is pushing will not provide federal money for abortions. But pro-life congressmen and Planned Parenthood agree that abortion would be covered under the plan under an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D.-Calif.) “Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa..) co-sponsored an amendment with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that would prohibited federal funding of abortion in the health care plan, but it was voted down by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Pitts said the bill will use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. He also said an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) that was approved by the committee will actually mandate federal payment for elective abortions. …. “Planned Parenthood, which was assured by Obama during his presidential campaign that his health plan “will provide essential services, including reproductive services,” has expressed its support for the House bill. ”In a Sept. 3 article on the “Daily Kos” Web site, Planned Parenthood Vice President Laurie Rubiner explained that the Capps amendment mandates that at least one insurance plan offering services to federally subsidized insurance purchasers must cover abortion.” Source: “Pro-Life Congressmen and Planned Parenthood Agree: Health Care Bill Funds Abortion,” Sept. 11, 2009
	(09/08/2009) “We should hire … colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.” Source: Margaret Sanger, Founder of Planned Parenthood, as quoted by The Collins Report, Jan. 22, 2009, http://www.collinsreport.net/
	(09/01/2009) In-utero movements begin, but are usually not felt by the mother, during the 12th week following fertilization. …. The first day that movement is noticed, called ‘quickening,’ occurs between the 14th and 18th week after fertilization. Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan. www.sfuhl.org, page 100
	(08/25/2009) "There is no difference between a first trimester, a second trimester, a third trimester abortion or infanticide. It's all the same human being in different stages of development. I finally got to the point I couldn't look at those little bodies anymore." Source: Dr. Arnold Halpern, former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic
	(08/17/2009) “Unsupervised, over-the-counter use of ‘emergency’ contraceptive and abortive pills is leading to menstrual problems, reports The Times of India . …. ‘Repeated us of EC wreaks havoc on a woman’s cycle, so the resulting menstrual chaos acts as a powerful deterrent to using this method too often,’ [Dr. David Grimes] said.” Source: “Over-the-Counter Abortion Pills Lead to Menstrual Complications,” by Patrick B. Craine, Aug. 4, 2009
	(08/10/2009) “CBS News has become the latest mainstream media outlet to come under criticism from pro-life advocates for covering up the abortion funding tucked away in the government-run health care plan. The Associated Press had covered up the abortion funding but recently flip-flopped and admitted it exists.” Source: “CBS News Covers Up Abortion Funding in Health Care in Misleading Factcheck,” by Steven Ertelt, Aug. 6, 2009
	(08/03/2009) “Having an abortion doubles the risk of having a premature birth in a subsequent pregnancy - that is the conclusion of a European researcher at a medical conference. …. Lead researcher Dr Robbert van Oppenraaij presented his findings before the collegium of scientists today at the annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam .” Source: “Researcher: Abortions Double Risk of Premature Birth in Subsequent Pregnancies,” by Steven Ertelt , June 29, 2009
	(07/21/2009) “The American people continue to move to the pro-life perspective on abortion according to the latest Moral Compass survey by the Knights of Columbus and Marist Poll. …. Among the key findings: 86% of Americans would significantly restrict abortion … 53% of Americans believe abortion does more harm than good to a woman in the long term … 79% of Americans support conscience exemptions on abortion for health care workers. This includes 64% of those who identify as strongly pro-choice. …. The survey of 1,223 Americans was conducted May 28-31 and has a margin of error of +/-3%.” Source: “New Poll Shows Americans Continuing to Move Toward Pro-Life Position on Abortion,” July 10, 2009
	(07/07/2009) During the ninth week of pregnancy (11 weeks since last menstrual period), the genitalia that began forming during the 7th week now become visible, indicating whether the child is a boy or girl. However, the doctor won’t be able to tell by ultrasound until the 12th to 20th week. Source: “Milestones of Early Life: How You Began Your Journey,” published by Heritage House ‘76, Inc., c.2005.
	(07/07/2009) “Through the Louise & Hugh Moore Population Project, the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society addresses issues specifically having an impact on women. Key issues of the project are HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, family planning and reproductive health, and human trafficking. The Louise & Hugh Moore Population Project works collaboratively with other agencies and/or organizations on issues that affect women. Its partners include United Methodist Women, United Methodist General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, Women's Edge Coalition, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Religious Advocates Working Group, and International Family Planning Coalition.” Linda Bales Todd directs the Louise and Hugh Moore Population Project for the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS). Source: The United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society website,accessed 7/6/09.
	(06/30/2009) “Speaking in Hilo Friday [June 26], Rev Walter Hoye of the Progressive Baptist Church of Berkeley, CA told a gathering of 50 Hawaii religious leaders about forces of “black genocide” which he says now kill as many African-Americans every three days as the KKK killed in 86 years of lynching. …. Said Hoye citing figures from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, ‘African-Americans are first, Hispanics are second’ in the percentage of abortions performed in the US . After decades of assault on the black family, progressive ministers such as Hoye are leading an effort to reverse the tide.” Source: “Progressive Berkeley minister denounces ‘genocide,’” by Andrew Walden, Hawaii Free Press, 6/28/09
	(06/23/2009) Post-traumatic stress disorder “is diagnosed when specific symptoms are present following an intensely distressing event. Typically, the traumatizing event is military combat, rape, assault, kidnapping, an accident, a natural disaster, war, or torture. …. Following the event, some – but not all – people re-experience it in dreams, flashbacks, or on the incident’s anniversary. …. Some victims feel numb, detached from reality and other people. They may not be able to recall details of the event, or they may be unable to forget them. Some will avoid thoughts, activities, or places that remind them of the event. …. When a survivor of a traumatic event has suffered for at least one month with re-experiencing, avoidance of stimuli, and hyperarousal, she qualifies for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. When these symptoms occur following an abortion, some have called the condition post-abortion stress syndrome (PASS).” Source: Unprotected: A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student, by Anonymous/Miriam Grossman,” c.2006, p. 85.
	(06/16/2009) “A pro-life group has launched a new social networking web site for teenagers and young adults called Teens for Life. …. The new Teens for Life web site, teensforlife.com, bills itself as the world's first social networking site dedicated to raising up a new generation of pro-life teens.” Source: “Pro-Life Social Networking Web Site Launched for Teenagers, Young Adults,” by Steven Ertelt , 6/11/09
	(06/09/2009) “A Louisiana nurse won her battle at the state Supreme Court [on May 15] when it refused to hear a hospital's appeal of a lower court decision siding with her. The nurse, Toni Lemly, sued St. Tammany Parish Hospital in 2005 after it refused to grant a reasonable accommodation for her religious beliefs. Lemly informed hospital staff that she objected to administering the morning after pill because of her religious beliefs.” Source: “Louisiana Nurse Wins State Supreme Court Battle in Plan B Conscience Case,” by Steven Ertelt , May 20, 2009
	(06/02/2009) “After a life of being pro-choice, I began to seriously ponder the question. I oppose the death penalty because of the slim chance innocent people will be executed and because I don’t believe the state should have the authority to take a citizen’s life. So don’t I owe a nascent human life at least the same deference? Just in case?” Source: David Harsanyi, “Is the Abortion Debate Changing?” 5/27/09
	(05/25/2009) “Hand-to-face contacts first occur 8 to 10 ½ weeks after conception. The hand touches the face slowly and the fingers often open and close. The child also sometimes inserts fingers into its mouth.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan, c. 2002. www.sfuhl.org, p. 8.
	(05/17/2009) “… when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion – there is not a tragedy in sight – only blessing.” Source: Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale (Episcopal Vicar), Sermon “Our Work is not Done,” July 21, 2007. Note: This is the pastor and sermon which Mark Tooley referenced in a recent column in “The American Spectator, “High Priestess of Abortion.” She received so many negative comments from the sermon that it was removed from her website. As of May 2, 2009 when I found it, it was posted here under the title, “Remarks of the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, Birmingham , AL”
	(05/12/2009) “The United Methodist renewal groups Lifewatch and Transforming Congregations have announced that they will host an educational seminar on May 21 in New Bern, NC entitled ‘Theology of the Body: An Ecumenical Introduction to John Paul II's Teaching.’" Source: “NC United Methodist Renewal Groups Host Ecumenical John Paul II ‘Theology of the Body’ Seminar,’” 5/7/09. For more information, contact Rev. Paul Stallsworth at 252-726-2175.
	(05/05/2009) “The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults reached on landlines and cell phones … finds public opinion about abortion more closely divided than it has been in several years. Currently, 46% say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%); 44% believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%). …. Among religious groups, support for abortion has steadily declined since August among white mainline Protestants (from 69% then to 54% currently). And just 23% of white evangelical Protestants now favor legal abortion, down from 33% in August and mid-October and 28% in late October.” Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Survey, “Public Takes Conservative Turn on Gun Control, Abortion,” published May 4, 2009 Source: Pew Research Center Publications
	(04/28/2009) “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released 2007 data today reporting that the number of teen births is at a record high. …. ‘When over two-thirds of public schools (68 percent) teach comprehensive sex education and those programs receive more than four times the amount of federal funding than the amount designated for abstinence programs, it’s time to ask Dr. Phil’s question, ‘How’s that working for you?’’ [Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse] says.” Source: “New Figures Showing Teen Birth Rate Rise Point to Need for Abstinence Education,” by Steven Ertelt, March 18, 2009
	(04/21/2009) “During the 15th week of pregnancy [17 weeks since the last menstrual cycle], ‘a wild production of nerve cells begins and continues for a month. A second surge will occur at 25 weeks.’” “Source: O’Rahilly, R. and Muller, F., Human Embryology and Teratology, 3rd Edition, c. 2001, as printed in “Milestones of Early Life: How You Began Your Journey” brochure by Life Issues Institute.
	(04/07/2009) “Abortion Recovery changes a person's life! Most abortion affective clients search out healing opportunities only when their pain becomes unbearable, they are triggered by something, or they are encouraged by a friend or family member to seek help. One of [the] goals at Abortion Recovery InterNational is to enlighten society by raising awareness of abortion and its aftermath. [They] also want to inform people of the recovery opportunities that are available world-wide.” Source: Abortion Recovery InterNational, Inc., April 1, 2009
	(03/31/2009) “President Obama is considering overturning the expansion [of ‘The Provider Refusal Rule.’] ‘The Provider Refusal Rule’ is a 30-year-old federal statute that permits health-care providers, based on their conscience, to choose not to perform abortions. The Bush administration’s expansion of the rule opens the door for health-care workers, including all hospital employees and those working in public health clinics, to … refuse to provide services…. [The 30-day] period of public comment closes April 9.” Source: "Urge repeal of expanded ‘Provider Refusal Rule'", GBCS website, 3/31/09 [NOTE: Known as the “conscience clause” to pro-life groups, Lifewatch believes this should be allowed to stand. We encourage readers to submit comments in support of the policy.]
	(03/24/2009) “We are heading for a situation where we’re deciding between care for the elderly and education of the young; and in which the quality of life of a family caring for a grandparent or great-grandparent in an advanced state of senility can be significantly impaired, perhaps over decades.” Source: “ South Park stops short of Baroness Warnock on the ‘duty to die,’” by Sam Leith, Sept. 20, 2008
	(03/17/2009) “Undercover videos produced by Live Action Films were used to help strip Planned Parenthood of the $292,000 in taxpayer funds it received from Orange County, CA. The videos, part of the ongoing Mona Lisa Project, clearly show Planned Parenthood employees ignoring the sexual abuse of minors, which mandatory reporting laws require clinicians to report.” Source: “Undercover Videos Get Planned Parenthood De-Funded,” by Brian Burke, 3/16/09
	(03/10/2009) "In the case known as the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves--even freed slaves, and all their descendants, had no rights protected by the Constitution and that states had no right to abolish slavery. The reasoning in Dred Scott and Roe v. Wade is nearly identical. In both cases the Court stripped all rights from a class of human beings and reduced them to nothing more than the property of others." Source: Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, March 6, 2009
	(03/03/2009) “The term embryo refers to the developing human being during the first eight weeks after conception. …. The embryonic period concludes at the end of the 8th week after fertilization and the fetal period begins. Few, if any, new structures are formed after this time. Development during the fetal period involves growth and maturation of structures that are already present.” Source: “Science Sheds Light on Unborn Human Life,” by John F. Cogan, p. 46. www.sfuhl.org
	(02/24/2009) “I have been on all sides of this issue for most of my life, and I can simply not escape the logic. That fetus a pregnant woman is carrying inside of her, regardless of the gestation stage, is a living, breathing human being. Yes, breathing – the amniotic sac forms 12 days after conception, and in the second trimester the baby is actually breathing the amniotic fluid. It’s not an ‘unviable tissue mass.’ Not a wart, a mole, a skin outcropping, a boil, or a bundle of uncoordinated cells. It’s not just a ‘fetus.’ It’s a baby. Not fully developed, true. Like an infant is not a fully developed and mature adult. But it’s a baby.” Disclaimer/warning! Some readers may find portions offensive. Source: Gary Graham (“Ambassador Soval” on TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise ”), “Flashpoint! A Woman’s Right To Choose,” 1/27/09
	(02/17/2009) “A chemist who led to the invention of the birth control pill says he regrets the demographic catastrophe that has resulted from people using the contraceptive device to separate reproduction from sexuality.” Source: "Pill creator regrets population decline", by Erin Roach, 2/5/09, Baptist Press
	(02/10/2009) “Obama’s decision to reverse the prohibition on funding for overseas family-planning providers may be the least popular thing he has done so far. This was an executive order that forbade federal government money from going to overseas family-planning groups that provide abortions or offer abortion counseling [The Mexico City Policy]. Fifty-eight percent of Americans disapprove of Obama’s decision to lift this ban, while only 35% approve of it. The ban on federal funds to these groups was put in place by Ronald Reagan, but lifted by Bill Clinton. George W. Bush re-instituted the ban after taking office in 2001, but Obama has once again lifted it.” Source: “Americans Approve of Most Obama Actions to Date,” Gallup Poll Jan.30-Feb.1, 2009
	(02/03/2009) “Forty-five women and six men, some at peace and some still anguished by their decision, came from as far as Alaska and California to join the event sponsored by Silent No More Awareness, and proclaim to the world how deeply abortion had hurt them.” Source: “Post-Abortive Women Express their Grief on Steps of Supreme Court,” by Kathleen Gilbert, Jan. 26, 2009
	(01/27/2009) According to a December 2008 Pew Forum research poll, 97 United Methodists served in the 87th US Congress (1961-1962), 78 served in the 96th US Congress (1979-1980), and only 57 United Methodists now serve in the 111th Congress (2009-2010). While their numbers have decreased, United Methodists are overrepresented in Congress compared to the US population as a whole. Source: “Faith on the Hill: The Religious Affiliations of Members of Congress,” The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, December 19, 2008
	(01/20/2009) “Only 9 percent [of Americans] said abortion should be legal for any reason at any time during pregnancy.” Source: “New Survey Finds Only 9% of Americans Support Unrestricted Abortion,” Jan. 5, 2009,
	(01/13/2009) “The 2008 General Conference added the sentence, ‘We support parental, guardian, or other responsible adult notification and consent before abortions can be performed on girls who have not yet reached the age of legal adulthood’ to the Social Principles paragraph on abortion. The new paragraph (¶161.J) appears on pages 105-106 of the 2008 Book of Discipline.” Source: 2008 Book of Discipline
	(12/23/2008) “I never questioned the judgment that it [abortion] has to be a woman’s choice, but the court should not have done it all.” Source: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
	(12/23/2008) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Source: Luke 1:32-33 (NIV)
	(12/16/2008) “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah , out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel , whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Source: Micah 5:2 (NIV)
	(12/09/2008) “…the defining feature of the human zygote is that it has the power ‘both to generate all the cells of the body and simultaneously to organize those cells into coherent, interacting bodily structures.’ Thus, from the first moment of fusion between sperm and egg, everything necessary to develop the adult human being is present, provided the new human embryo is allowed to develop in a safe environment and is able to access nutrition.” Source: “’When Does Human Life Begin?’ Even Earlier Than Many Suppose” by Susan E. Wills, Dec. 7-13, 2008 issue
	(12/02/2008) “The question wasn’t, ‘Should I have an abortion?’ but, ‘Do I trust God?’ Everything became clear: I’d told God he was Lord of my life. Now I needed to act on that belief.” Source: “The Day I considered Abortion” by Andrea Stone, Today’s Christian Woman, December 1, 2008
	(11/25/2008) “’RU 486 abortions are less messy for Planned Parenthood and more traumatizing for women, because the women are forced to deal with the blood and the dead baby at home – alone,’ [Kim Lehman, the head of Iowa Right to Life] told LifeNews.com.” Source: “Planned Parenthood Continues Violating FDA Guidelines on Abortion Drug,” by Steven Ertelt, Sept. 12, 2008
	(11/18/2008) "’The Right to Choose?’ Finish the sentence. Choose what?” Source: Cathy Callaghan, cofounder, Feminists for Life
	(11/11/2008) “At the moment of fertilization, a new and unique human being comes into existence with its own distinct genetic code. Twenty-three chromosomes from the mother and twenty-three chromosomes from the father combine to result in a brand-new and totally unique genetic combination. Whereas the heart, lungs, and hair of a woman all share the same genetic code, her unborn child, from the moment of fertilization, has a separate genetic code that is all its own. There is enough information in this tiny zygote to control human growth and development for the rest of its life.” Source: PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT, abort73.com, accessed 11/3/08.
	(11/04/2008) On September 18, 2008 the “Family Research Council released a study demonstrating which state level parental involvement laws are most effective in reducing abortions among minors. The study is the first comprehensive analysis of minor abortion data from nearly all 50 states between 1985 and 1999. Overall, the findings indicate that when a state enacts parental involvement law, the abortion rate falls by an average of approximately 13.6 percent. The study is available on www.frc.org .” Source: “Family Research Council Releases New Study on Successful Abortion Reduction Legislation,” September 18, 2008.
	(10/28/2008) By her own admission, General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) staff member Linda Bales is the United Methodist representative to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). Source: Linda Bales, GBCS
	(10/14/2008) During the fifth month of pregnancy (22 weeks since her last menstrual period), “ Mom may feel the baby kick, turn or hiccup and may be able to identify a bulge as an elbow or head.” Source: Tsiaras, A. and Werth, B., From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds, New York , Doubleday, 2002, p. xv (as reported in the “Milestone of Early Life” brochure, footnote #38)
	(10/07/2008) “Research which appeared recently in the Journal of Health Economics has found that young girls who are sexually active often experience feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, regret and shame, and are far more likely to suffer from depression than those who remain chaste. …. The study found that sexually active teen girls have more than double the rate of depression of those who are not sexually active – 19 percent compared to 9.2 percent.” Source: “Sexually Active Teenage Girls ‘Twice As Likely’ To Suffer From Depression,” by Thaddeus M. Baklinski, Sept. 23, 2008
	(09/30/2008) “Abortions in the United States fell 33 percent between 1974 and 2004 … a new report says...‘There’s been a shift in the population of women obtaining abortions relative to 30 years ago,’ said Rachel Jones, a senior research associate at the [Guttmacher] institute. ‘They are older, they are more likely to be unmarried, more likely to be mothers, and they are more likely to be women of color.’” Source: “U.S. Abortion Rate at 30-Year Low,” by Steven Reinberg, Sept. 23, 2008
	(09/23/2008) “I have always frankly admitted that abortion is murder, the extermination of the powerless by the powerful.” Source: Camille Paglia, Sept.10, 2008
	(09/16/2008) “A member of the American Psychological Association and one of the trained psychologists asked by the APA to examine their report on the long-term psychological effects of abortion on women, has concluded that it is nothing more than a ‘politically-motivated exercise’ in support of legal abortion. …. ‘Setting aside the quality of the study itself,’ [Rachel M. MacNair, Ph.D.] wrote, ‘citing only one study in support of a politically-desired conclusion cannot be explained in any other way than a politically-motivated exercise.” Source: “APA Insider says Report on Abortion is a ‘Politically-Motivated Exercise’ in Support of Legal Abortion,” by Hilary White, August 18, 2008, LifeSiteNews.com. For more articles on the APA study, read “American Psychological Association Ignores Abortion-Mental Health Problem Link,” Aug.13, 2008 and “Psychologists: APA Deceptive on How Abortion Adversely Affects Women, Men,” Sept. 9, 2008.
	(09/09/2008) To the UM paragraph on abortion (¶161.J), the 2008 General Conference added the sentence, “We affirm and encourage the Church to assist the ministry of crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that compassionately help women find feasible alternatives to abortion.” Source: 2008 General Conference – adopted April 30, 2008 by a vote of 796 in favor and 24 opposed.
	(09/02/2008) “No matter how it is worded or performed, abortion hurts women. This won’t stop until women stand up in unison and say, ‘This is unacceptable. We deserve better.’ Lack of emotional and financial resources are the real undue burden and abortion will never lift that.” Source: Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life, press release 6/28/2000. FFL Member Nominated for Vice President of the US
	(08/27/2008) “The pronucleus of the sperm, containing its 23 chromosomes, in about 12 hours migrates to meet the ovum’s pronucleus with its 23 chromosomes. Their fusion takes about 2 hours. …. This single celled human being divides into two cells, each containing the same total and identical DNA message, the same total contents. Two becomes three, three becomes four, then eight, sixteen, etc., as it moves down the Fallopian tube. Ultimately, each human being’s body contains 30 million million cells.” Source: Abortion Questions & Answers, by Dr. & Mrs. John W illke, Hayes Publishing Company, Inc., Cincinnati, OH , c.2003, pp.70-71.
	(08/12/2008) “In most of the United States, 24 abortions are carried out for every 100 live births. In New York, 72 abortions occur for every 100 live births. The continuing boom in abortions—90,157 were performed in the city in 2006, the last year for which statistics are available—apparently means that many women are using abortion as their birth control method of choice.” Source: “High abortion rate worries NY experts,” by Gale Scott, Crain’s New York Business.com, August 10, 2008.
	(08/05/2008) “An organization that is one of the leading research institutions on the physical, medical and mental health problems women face after abortion has launched a new web site to serve as a clearinghouse for post-abortion information. The Elliot Institute has launched AbortionRisks.org to keep track of problems.” Source: “New Web Site Clearinghouse Features Info on Abortion’s Risks, Complications,” by Steven Ertelt, Aug. 5, 2008
	(07/29/2008) “I was sleeping with a lot of guys and had more abortions than I would like to count. …. I felt if someone killed me, it wouldn’t even make a difference. But God showed me that it would make a difference.” Source: Sherri Shepherd, actress and co-host on “The View,” in an interview with the “Precious Times” magazine.
	(07/22/2008) “In a 2004 study published in the Medical Science Monitor, 65 percent of American women who had undergone abortions reported symptoms of PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder], which they attributed to their abortions, and slightly over 14 percent reported all the symptoms necessary for a clinical diagnosis of PTSD.” Source: VM Rue et.al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10:SR5-16, 2004 – as published in the Winter 2007 issue of “The Post-Abortion Review.”
	(07/15/2008) “In the United States, about half of all pregnancies are unintended, and 42% of unintended pregnancies are terminated by abortion.” Source: Guttmacher Institute, accessed July 13, 2008.
	(07/08/2008) “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, p. 6.
	(07/01/2008) The National Abstinence Education Association “hop[es] to organize a national march and rally featuring one million parents to support abstinence education for teens and young adults. … “[A] new website, www.parentsfortruth.org, has dozens of resources for families, including a new three-minute video that exposes the [explicit] curriculum now in place in thousands of U.S. schools.” Source: “Abstinence Education Proponents Prepare One Million Parent March,” by Steven Ertelt, www.lifenews.com, June 2, 2008.
	(06/24/2008) The recent General Conference changed one sentence of the Social Principles paragraph on abortion from “But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother~~, for whom devastating damage may result from an unacceptable pregnancy~~” to “But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child.” The 2008 Book of Discipline will reflect this change.
	(06/17/2008) “According to Dr. Vincent Rue, a psychotherapist who has researched the effects of abortion on post-abortive women for approximately twenty years, the term Post-Abortion Syndrome, or PAS, refers to a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that is characterized by the chronic or delayed development of symptoms resulting from impacted emotional reactions to the perceived physical and emotional trauma of abortion. In other words, long after the abortion you may develop an emotional or physical reaction; others may have chronic, continuing reactions to the abortion.” Source: “her choice to heal: finding spiritual and emotional peace after abortion,” by Sydna Masse and Joan Phillips, Chariot Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO., c. 1998, p.14.
	(06/10/2008) “In what may be a medical first, doctors at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne Australia successfully conducted surgery on an unborn child at a mere 22 weeks gestation, reports Australia’s The Age. …. Tests revealed that, other than the [Amniotic Band Syndrome] bands wrapped around her legs, [baby] Leah was a perfectly healthy child. …. [S]urgery to removed the bands was successful, and after Leah was born at 30 weeks gestation, doctors were able to perform reconstructive surgery on her foot. Now doctors say that Leah should be able to walk on both feet.” Source: “Unborn Baby Undergoes Successful Surgery at 22 Weeks Gestation,” by John Jalsevac, June 9, 2008, LifeSiteNews.com
	(06/03/2008) The unborn baby’s heart begins to beat on the 21st day after conception. Source: “The First Nine Months” brochure, published by Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO., c.1990.
	(05/27/2008) “With respect to abortion, the French public (77%) is … far more likely than the Britons (58%), Germans (52%), and Americans (40%) to say that it is morally acceptable. And while Muslim respondents’ attitudes on this issue vary across communities, they are less likely than Westerners polled to believe it is morally acceptable…. Religious Americans (22%) are also far less likely than the European and the U.S. publics surveyed to believe abortion is morally acceptable.” Source: “Moral Issues Divide Westerners From Muslims in the West,” by Magali Rheault and Dalia Mogahed. Gallop poll, May 23, 2008.
	(05/20/2008) “Each time I told another woman how good abortion is, in a twisted way, if she was OK, I was OK.” Source: Carol Everett, describing how she sold abortions, April 28, 2008.
	(05/13/2008) “Our culture is stuck in a rigid, polarized view of abortion and its aftermath. It’s either right, without victims or fallout, or it’s wrong. It’s either constitutional or it’s unconstitutional. This works at church or in court, but not in my line of work. …. To suggest that pregnancy and abortion do not touch essential parts of us is to deny our depth and sensitivity, and to diminish the awe and magnitude of creating a child. To compare abortion with a tonsillectomy – as a procedure you go in for, take a Tylenol, and get on with your life – is a hideous defamation of us all.” Source: UNPROTECTED: A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student, by Anonymous, M.D., c.2006, Penguin Group Publishers, New York, NY. ISBN#1-59523-025-4, p. 103.
	(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.

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