Death of Parenting....continues
May 22, 2007
A 60-year-old women has twin boys. She wants her 6 year old son (also conceived using IVF) to have a siblings. What about parents?
Birnbaum said she underwent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) last year in Cape Town, South Africa, so her youngest son, Ari, would have siblings closer to his age and because she wanted older women to be able to deliver children “without a stigma attached.”
Do the math, when her twins are 12 - she is 72, Ari will be 18. Most likely will have to be their surrogate parent. The death of parenting continues in so many ways.
Plan A, B or C or is it Plan S?
November 21, 2005
I wrote on my other blog: iWestminster: There is no Plan B. I got me to thinking about the controversial drug Plan B. I thought it was a good question - is the drug appropriately named Plan B? Or should it have another name?
Here's how Ellen Goodman from the Boston Globe talks about Plan B.
Saving Plan B from the zealots
"If teenagers also need Plan B it's because Plan A -- abstinence -- fails more often than condoms. Too many teenagers end up pregnant, facing Plan C: abortion or motherhood. In the name of protection, we are leaving teenagers far too vulnerable."
As God is the Order and Controller of all things - but not the author of sin, we know that only by God's decretive permission did Plan A -- abstinence fail. But this does not mean we should go to Plan B or Plan C. We are to called to faithfully obey God's will, even after sin and failure - God will provide as we pursue His Plan A. This will not leave us vulnerable - but victorious with God's divine providence.
BTW: My new name for Plan B is Plan S (short for sinning - by disobeying and not trusting God's Plan A).
Terri's Final Hours
May 9, 2005
Terri's final hours were not peaceful. Terri was not unresponsive. Terri laughed, smiled and kissed. Fr. Frank Pavone was with Teri in her final hours and writes a compelling letter about those last few hours. Read it - and let's not forget. Terri's Final Hours: An Eyewitness Account - by Fr. Frank Pavone:
The Beginning, Middle and End of Life
April 1, 2005
The beginning of life in Massachusetts can now be a cloned life - created to be experimented on. Last night in Massachusetts the Senate and House passed legislation approving embryonic stem cell research on cloned human life.
In the middle of life, Terri Schiavo's life was taken because she was no longer deemed to have a worthwhile life.
At the end of life, the Pope has died after a lifetime of serving God trying to protect the beginning, middle and end of life.
I pray the next Pope, and all Christians, fight unfailingly to continue this critical fight in Massachusetts, the United States and the world to protect those created by God - in his image. Imago Dei.
Update: Reuters has reported the Pope has died, Foxnews is now retracting this news. I was touched by the initial reports.
PCA Blog - with Terri
March 26, 2005
I have been reading this blog by David and Tim Bayly Baylyblog: Out of our minds, too - two pastors of PCA Churches. They are in Florida at the hospice where Terri Schiavo lays dying. Everyday they post pictures, perspectives and news from Florida. In prayer and in spirit I am with them as they stand vigil with Shindler family, praying for Terri Schiavo. Check their blog often and pray with them!
The C-word debate
February 28, 2005
Robert Novak: The hinge of history sums up the cloning debate in Massachusetts nicely. The lines coming out of Massachusetts scientists and politicians would have the general reader think that being against cloning is being against cures for any disease. They've moved the arguement from foundational ethical/moral decisions to arguements about the desire to see the paralyzed walk and the old age "with dignity" (equating Alzheizmer's patients with losing their dignity - preparing the ground for another debate - euthansia). Read the article - its a great summation of a critical debate.
Terri Schiavo update
February 27, 2005
We are approaching Good Friday and La Shawn Barber's Corner post reminds me of Pontiaus Pilate. Another unwise judge, this time in the Terri Schiavo case. This judge is washing his hands as well. LaShawn Berber writes:
On March 18, barring a court order to the contrary, Michael Schiavo's wish will come true. The judge said he's no longer "comfortable" trying to keep Terri alive. He washes his hands of the whole mess:The judge wrote that he was no longer comfortable granting delays in the family feud, which has been going on for nearly seven years and has been waged in every level of Florida's court system. He said the case must end...."The court is no longer comfortable granting stays simply upon the filings of new motions," Greer wrote. "There will always be 'new' issues."
2000 years later and the courts remain morally ambivalent if not reprehensible. Keep praying for Teri and her family. Go to Terri's fight for updates and ways you can help.
Triple murderer execution stayed - Terri???
February 23, 2005
Kendall Coffey, Former US Attorney for Southern Florida on Fox News mentions William Elledge on death row for triple murder. He has been waiting 30 years for his execution. Terri Schiavo in a Florida hospice, waits her murder to start at 5:00 today.
Evangelicals stake an outpost in Bioethics
February 23, 2005
Joe Carter over at Evangelical Outpost accepts a job with The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. Congratulations to both parties. Joe is an influential blogger who has a one-two punch blogging style. Bioethics is a complicated, pit-laden, VERY serious concern for all Christians. We need more education and dialogue in the Christian community. Catholics have been good, getting better, while evangelicals have lagged in communicating sharp, worldview thinking. The addition of Joe to the mix shapes up to be win for evangelical voices in bioethics.
Terri's Cries unheard...
February 22, 2005
Horrible News The court remains silent! Michael Schiavo can slowly begin to starve Terri to death as soon as tomorrow. What can be said?
I'm reading Os Guinness's book Unspeakable - Facing up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror. Guinness quotes the Scottish skeptic and atheist, David Hume,
The first entrance into life gives anguish to the new-born infant and to its wretched parent: weakness, impotence, distress attend each stage of that life, and it is, at last, finished in agony and horror.
As Christians we cannot change the reality of Terri's sentence, but we cannot be skeptics. We must rest in the hope that God has heard our prayers and is glorified even in the face of evil. Let's pray for Terri's family, continue to take a stand against the evil of euthansia, and work to end this evil horror.
UPDATE: Judge Greer issues stay till 5:00 pm Wed. Terri fights!
Circle of Death
February 21, 2005
Stem cell research may be boon to fertility clinics / Insight gleaned in lab could help couples conceive
Oh, the many benefits of embryonic stem cell research!!! Here is another one - we can create more successful IVF outcomes (babies born). But does this tap into science's supply of embroyonic stem cells. If all these frozen embryos become born babies - where do we get the stem cells. Oh yeah, cloning.... The circle of death goes on.
Interesting quote from this article:
Fertility specialists hope the stem cell work will lead to better methods of handling embryos and perhaps provide a clearer understanding of human development at this very early stage. Ultimately, this could translate into improved IVF success rates.
Handling embryos, human development, early stage - could this mean embroyos are early humans and not just a mass of cells???? Funny how the truth comes out.
U.N. approves ban on human cloning
February 19, 2005
Question: When does the UN show wisdom that evades Massachusetts, California and New Jersey?
Surprisingly, when the UN calls for a ban on human cloning.
Massachusetts Senate President Robert Travalglini - take notice!
Governer Mitt Romney - Keep up the good fight!
Massuchusetts Stem Cell Debate
February 19, 2005
The Boston Globe publishes their account of embroyonic stem cell alternatives. Here is a fairer summary, and here is the transcript of the President's Council on Bioethics meeting last December where Dr. William Hurlbut of Stanford University proposed a way of getting embryonic stem cells without creating or destroying embroyos. Using a techniques called "altered nuclear transfer" embryonic stem cells would be made available without creating embroyos.
A human embryo is defined as any whole, living member of the species homo sapiens in the embryonic stage, which includes the stages of zygote, morula, and blastocyst. A human embryo is that which, barring natural failure or lethal intervention, will become what everybody recognizes as a baby.
First Things explains "altered nuclear transfer" as a type of embroyonic stem cell that once created never could and never would become a baby and, it therefore follows, is never a human being at any point. It is so to speak, human material, as an amputated ear is human material. Otherwise it could not provide human stem cells. But it is not a human being. It is human life but it is not a human life.
Contrast this explanation with Peter Koutoujian's statement (a Waltham, MA Democrat who is cochairman of the Legislature's Public Health Committee.)
This is science proposed by a nonscientist. This gentleman is a medical ethicist and his theory has been debunked by research scientists throughout academia. Even if this can be done, he's presenting a compromised entity. It is not the same as an embryonic stem cell. It is a damaged embryo so you can't even compare. You can't use apples to make orange juice.
With closed minds, and agenda driven politician's like Peter Koutoujian, Mitt Romney has a fight on his hands.
Terri's fight and God's miracles
February 14, 2005
God is a God of miracles. Who are we to usurp God's authority? Read this After 20 Years of Silence, Brain-Damaged Woman Begins Talking.
Now go to Terri's page. Man has decided that in 8 days (Feb 22nd) they are going to play God. Pray!!!!!
Make sure you scroll down and click on some of Terri's videos. You will never think the same!
Million Dollar Tragedy
January 30, 2005
Warning: If you want to see Million Dollar Baby don't read further. What is Hollywood up to now? Surprise, surprise they now add euthanasia to their list of acceptable choices. After all "it's all about choice" isn't it? Wittenberg Gate has a thoughtful post on euthanasia that should be read before rooting for the Academy Awards (guess which movie doesn't get my vote). This review by Emanuel Levy goes even further - Hollywood now takes shots at spiritual redemption and euthansia all wrapped up in one movie.
Million Dollar Baby is a spiritual, even religious, movie about the search for redemption of an old Irish Catholic who's become disillusioned with the church and the lack of significant family relationship. Through his relationship with Maggie, Frankie redeems himself and experiences a moral and emotional rebirth at the most tragic circumstances.
Tragic - you can say that again!
Where Silence Is Golden
January 29, 2005
I recently started a refresher course in American Sign Language. More than 30 years ago (yes, that long) I learned sign language at my high school. My school was a mainstream magnate school for the deaf/hearing impaired in the western suburbs of Chicago. There were over 100 deaf students. Some of the students took advanced science and math classes - I interpreted for those classes. Many of my friends were hearing impaired. They could speak and sign, we communicated using voice, gestures, lip reading and sign. We signed word for word what we spoke. Hearing and deaf could communicate easily, what you lost in sign you could make up with voice or lip reading. This was termed Total Communication. I had many hearing impaired friends. I was Maid-of-Honor for my best friend who was hearing impaired. My world was richer - I hope their world was richer as well.
On the other hand, a change was sweeping through the deaf community. The profoundly deaf students used a particular type of new sign language called American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a complete language in itself. It has its own grammer, vocabulary and cueing. It is NOT signed english. I had learned signed english. ASL was in its infancy in my school. Signed english is an exact word for word translation of every english word, even its tense is exactly signed.
In 2005 signed english is like speaking King James english to pre-teens. It is so ollllld!
More importantly, signed english is now termed offensive. It does not recognize Deaf Culture.
A new book Where Silence Is Golden reviewed by the WSJ (subscription required) highlights the war for and within the deaf world. It worries about Deaf Culture. It worries about the loss of ASL. The authors while condemning deaf schools of old, charterizing them "as an asylum where their bodies are managed and rendered powerless." probably abhor the mainstream model that my progressive high school modeled. Deaf schools - manage with power and control: Mainstream schools - slowly dilute the power of Deaf solidardity and uniqueness by intergrating students into a hearing community.
New worries now assualt Deaf Culture. The Orlando Sentinel in this article highlights these worries. The deaf worry about losing Deaf Culture through technology. Today the deaf can use email, text messaging, SMS, video relay and closed captioning to communicate with each other and a hearing world. To many deaf people are choosing to communicate with these new methods and not come together as a Deaf community. ASL is on the decline.
I find this debate interesting. Are the deaf to be "in the world and yet not of the world", or are they to be a protected minority - isolated in their solidarity.
I plan on blogging about this more. Its an important question for all minorities that face technolgical advances and medical miracles.
