Priests for Life issued the following press release today…

Latest Medical Breakthrough Further Validates Pro-Life Support for Adult Stem Cell Research Says Dr. Alveda King

November 24, 2008

Atlanta, GA – Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said today that reports on the successful transplant of a windpipe grown from a patient’s own stem cells demonstrate the need for public and, perhaps, media education on stem cell research.

“It’s striking to me that almost every time I read about a new medical breakthrough using stem cells, I have to search well into the story before there’s mention that the stem cells were derived from adult humans or umbilical cords, not embryos,” said Dr. King. “Based on the news coverage of stem cell research I’ve read, it’s no surprise that the public, including some news reporters, are confused about stem cell experimentation.”

“Stem cell research using cells taken from adults or umbilical cords has resulted in over 70 successful medical treatments, the latest being an organ transplant,” added Dr. King. “Years of stem cell research using techniques that kill embryonic humans have led to nothing but dead ends because of tissue rejection and tumor growth. Absolutely all of the medical breakthroughs in stem cell research have come from using cells derived from sources other than human embryos. How many people know this? Further, how many people know that the pro-life movement has always endorsed this type of non-deadly stem cell research?”

“I respectfully call on the news media to accurately and truthfully distinguish between adult/umbilical stem cell research and embryonic stem cell experiments,” concluded Dr. King. “I also hope that the media will make clear that the pro-life movement enthusiastically supports stem cell research that does no harm to anyone, research that continues to blaze a path of new cures and treatments almost daily.”

Priests for Life is the nation’s largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.

In follow up to yesterday’s post, here is a link to the full statement of the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). In part it states:

The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself.

…

The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected.

Earlier this week, Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, spoke out against Barack Obama’s position on abortion. According to one news report, the Cardinal said  that all Americans should “rejoice” that a country that once tolerated slavery had elected a black man as the 44th President of the United States. The article went on to say that the Cardinal “notched up the pressure on the pro-choice President-Elect by comparing the treatment of the unborn today with that of black slaves in pre-Civil War America.” Cardinal George said:

If the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision, that African Americans were other people’s property and somehow less than persons, were still settled constitutional law, Mr Obama would not be President of the United States

Today, as was the case 150 years ago, common ground cannot be found by destroying the common good. The common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice.

Check out the full article on Catholic.org.

Stephen Kent of the Catholic News Service raised some great points in his recent column, published in the Georgia Bulletin. The word “Change” has been overused and poorly defined in recent political contexts. He writes:

It seems that what is sought is not so much change but conversion, a turning to something that enhances personal integrity and the good of the community.

Spiritual writers use a Greek word—“metanoia”—to denote a change of mind, a reorientation, a fundamental transformation of outlook, of a vision of the world and of self, and a new way of loving others and God.

There is some evidence that this desire for “metanoia” exists even if it is not yet recognized as such.

The column cites a pollster who thinks that “more and more Americans are rejecting the traditional American dream, which has been expressed in material terms, in terms of acquiring, and are moving toward wanting to lead a more genuine life, one that’s more fulfilling.”

Kent notes that this realization that materialistic pursuits don’t lead to true happiness is “what Catholic social teaching has said for years…A merger of spirituality and economy may be more than just change—it could be a conversion. Why settle for change when we could have conversion?”

Catholic apologist and author Patrick Madrid has a free video available on his website answering the question “Is it a sin to vote for a pro-abortion candidate?” The site’s promo:

In an effort to help raise awareness among Catholics and other Christians about the importance of voting pro-life, here is a 10 minute non-partisan discussion of key Scripture verses pertaining to abortion.

Download it here (WMV, 17.4MB)

Father William Maestri offers some great advice for Navigating the Political Season in the latest Georgia Bulletin.

…our Catholic faith, especially Catholic social teaching, calls for us to take seriously the responsibilities of citizenship. Participation is more than an exercise in civic virtue. It is a moral responsibility to promote the common good.

Sarah Palin’s announcement that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant was apparently triggered by left-wing rumors that the governor had faked her own recent pregnancy to pass off her daughter’s child as her own. See the blog post at The Practicing Catholic for the details and some commentary on the Reuters article.

Senator John McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate is a definite home run. She is an outspoken pro-family and pro-life politician and will help strengthen the Republican ticket in this November’s election.

Palin is the mother of five children, including a son named Trig who has Down syndrome. Her statements last April about being the mother of a special needs child speaks volumes about her faith, values and character:

Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.

Contrast this with Senator Barack Obama’s troubling abortion stand and there is no doubt which way Christians must vote this November: McCain-Palin.

It’s good to see many of our bishops clamping down on politicians who claim to be Catholic, but publicly denounce the Church’s teachings on the issue of life.

Today, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement against Nancy Pelosi which said in part, “In the course of a “Meet the Press” interview on abortion and other public issues on August 24, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion.”

FoxNews.com reports:

Archbishop of Washington Chides Pelosi; Denver Archbishop Warns Biden to Skip Communion

Irked by pro-choice Democrats who tout their Catholicism, the archbishop of Washington is chiding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for misstating church history and the archbishop of Denver is warning vice presidential hopeful Joe Biden not to take Communion.

…

Over the weekend, Biden’s pro-choice views raised the ire of Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput.

“I presume that his integrity will lead him to refrain from presenting himself for communion, if he supports a false ‘right’ to abortion,” Chaput told The Associated Press.

As for Pelosi, Chaput called her “a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.”

Chaput added that abortion “is always gravely evil, and so are the evasions employed to justify it.” During that 2004 presidential campaign, Chaput and a dozen other bishops called on Democratic nominee John Kerry to refrain from taking Communion. The church has also objected to former GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani taking Communion.

This past May, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was reprimanded by Archbishop Joseph Naumann for her support of abortion:

Having made every effort to inform and to persuade Governor Sebelius and after consultation with Bishop Ron Gilmore (Dodge City), Bishop Paul Coakley (Salina) and Bishop Michael Jackels (Wichita), I wrote the governor last August requesting that she refrain from presenting herself for reception of the Eucharist until she had acknowledged the error of her past positions, made a worthy sacramental confession and taken the necessary steps for amendment of her life which would include a public repudiation of her previous efforts and actions in support of laws and policies sanctioning abortion.

…

I have not made lightly this request of Governor Sebelius, but only after much prayer and reflection. The spiritually lethal message, communicated by our governor, as well as many other high profile Catholics in public life, has been in effect: “The church’s teaching on abortion is optional!”

I reissue my request of the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for Governor Sebelius. I hope that my request of the governor, not to present herself for holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider the serious spiritual and moral consequences of her past and present actions.

I applaud the bold stance being taken by these bishops. Hopefully, these politicians will recognize their errors, be reconciled to the Church, and properly use their public offices to uphold truth and life.

Hallmark, the nation’s largest greeting card company, has introduced same-sex wedding cards. According to the Associated Press story, “Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.” The article goes on to quote a Hallmark spokeswoman as saying, “It’s our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can.”

The same AP article notes that Hallmark’s largest competitor, American Greetings Corp., “has no plans to enter the market” with similarly targeted cards.

A friend who wishes to remain anonymous passed along her e-mail to Hallmark and the company’s response:

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Message to Hallmark:

I wanted to let you know that I am a loyal patron of Hallmark but am saddened to hear that your company is including a line of cards dedicated to same sex marriages. From what I read in the news article, Hallmark was not bowing to political pressure, but merely responding to the customer. Well, this customer does not appreciate this line of cards in your store. Please know that I will be shopping elsewhere for my cards, as I read that American Greetings has no plans to add a line such as this. Thank you.

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Response (Support Agent) - [to their credit, they responded in less than two hours]:

Thank you for your comment.

Beginning this summer, Hallmark’s selection of more than 200 wedding cards will include four cards that use specific language and images appropriate for same-sex wedding ceremonies or civil unions. Hallmark makes cards for all kinds of relationships and situations, and we have for years produced cards for relationships that might be defined as “non-traditional” - including heterosexual couples who are not married, those in mixed race or interfaith relationships and blended families - so people in each of these situations could find cards to meet their needs. It is our goal to be inclusive rather than exclusive so that our products appeal to the widest range of people who wish to communicate and connect with one another. Not every one of the more than 200 wedding cards we offer will be right for every relationship, but we want every consumer to be able to find one that is just right.

We understand that this is a sensitive issue for you and appreciate you letting us know your concerns.

Thanks,
Hallmark Customer Care
www.hallmark.com
1-800-HALLMARK

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It seems from the company’s response that they don’t really care about any moral ramifications of introducing this line of greeting cards. They really only care about seizing a market opportunity. If they can make a profit by selling this type of card, they will.

But at the same time, they appear to be trying to sneak this new line into stores “under the radar,” with no public announcement: a new product introduction press release is conspicuously absent from their corporate Current News page, at least at the time of this posting. Perhaps the secrecy is because they realize that a negative backlash from religious patrons — the kind that buy cards and gifts for real weddings, baptisms, confirmations, etc. — will hurt their business.

[FYI, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2357-2359) provides a concise overview of the Catholic Church's view on homosexuality]