February 2016 Newsletter

Posted By on February 18, 2016

 

Life Affirming News

 

Solomon asked for the wisdom to “discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9). In the name of Jesus, who grew in wisdom and accomplished His Father’s will, may His people today have the wisdom to discern between good and evil when it comes to the sanctity of life. Prayer: Wisdom from On High, in a culture where good and evil are blurred, help Your people be discerning of the truth and then share it boldly. Amen. 

 

A Christian’s Questions and Answers about IVF

Christian Life Resources

QUESTION: Does in vitro fertilization ALWAYS result in discarding (aborting) some embryos? Is this something a couple who had used this process would be aware of?

ANSWER: No, the process doesn’t always result in embryos being discarded — although, often, a doctor will transfer embryos to the woman’s uterus with the hope that at least one will implant. There are situations in which multiple embryos will survive and grow. At that point the couple will have to decide whether to abort or carry multiple children.

Many times the additional spare eggs are frozen, to be kept for use at a later date in the event the first implantation attempt doesn’t work. It is a costly procedure for a couple to have artificial fertilization. That’s why many couples choose to have extra embryos fertilized.

Generally several embryos are frozen and placed in “storage” after a successful pregnancy has taken place.

What a couple has to deal with is what to do with the remaining embryos. There are countless stories of abandoned embryos left in storage. There are many ethical questions regarding the legal rights of parents over them. Can they be willed to a child, given to a friend, etc. But, the fact remains that a child is conceived and is waiting to be born.

QUESTION: If no embryos are discarded or frozen, what ethical concerns about IVF still confront the Christian?

ANSWER: The most obvious concern is the low success rate for in-vitro fertilization. While there is a great variety in the way IVF clinics cite statistical success, the general rule is that up to 40 percent of women who go into IVF centers do not get to the point of embryo transfer because they fail to respond to medication. There is an approximate 20 percent success rate for IVF based on embryo transfer. In general, of those who enter IVF programs, success rate is 8 percent.

Failure to bear a child takes an emotional toll on many couples. Even with a successful embryo transfer into the womb, the odds of that new unborn child dying (four out of five) are just too great for Christians to proceed.

QUESTION: If I have undergone a successful or unsuccessful IVF procedure, was I wrong?

ANSWER: Perhaps yes, and perhaps not. Statistics indicate averages. Some fare much better than others. Statistics, however, provide us insight as to how risky a procedure can be for the mother and child. There is the possibility (a 20 percent chance) that your first IVF attempt is successful. That fact must be contrasted with the reality that most people would be critical of someone who risks the death of any child (born or unborn) when the odds are four out of five of the time the child will die.

 

Feds Request More Time to Craft Canada’s Assisted Suicide Law

LifeSiteNews.com / Jan 11, 2016

Canadian government needs 6-month window to draft landmark law legalizing doctor-prescribed death.

After hearing oral arguments Monday, the Supreme Court of Canada has deferred its decision on the federal Liberals’ request for another six months to draft a law governing assisted suicide.

Last February, Canada’s top court struck down the criminal prohibition of assisted suicide as unconstitutional, and gave the government a year to draft legislation to regulate the practice.

But government lawyer Robert Frater argued that the February 2016 deadline doesn’t give the federal Liberals enough time to consult with the provinces and territories on this “very complex” issue, reports the CBC.

“Our request to this court is based protection of the public and the rule of law and ensuring that there’s a comprehensive scheme in place,” the counsel for the attorney-general told the Court. “The number of issues that have to be dealt with here are extremely large and they are very complex.”

 

Netherlands Approves Euthanasia for Severe Dementia

LifeSiteNews.com / Jan 18, 2016

Public Health Ministries updates “guide” giving people suffering from severe dementia the option of euthanasia, even if they are unable to express the wish themselves.

The Netherlands government has decided to extend euthanasia to people with dementia who are incompetent to request death by lethal injection, if the person requested euthanasia while still competent.

The 2014 Netherlands euthanasia statistics state that out of 5306 euthanasia deaths; 81 people were lethally injected for dementia and 41 people died by euthanasia for psychiatric reasons.

To lethally inject a person who is unable to request death undermines the “safeguard” of consent. Even if the person, while competent, requested euthanasia for dementia, now the person is unable to change their mind.

 

Quick Updates from Center for Bioethics and Culture

Jan.8, 2016

Opponents of PAS in California Fail to Gain Enough Signatures for Referendum

The spokesman for the group Seniors Against Suicide announced that it failed to collect enough signatures for a ballot referendum to overturn California’s recently passed legislation on physician assisted suicide. The group noted that their efforts were not over.

Organ Selling Under Scrutiny

A recent Washington Post article took a critical look at the market for organs. As Scott Carney observed, “The one rule with organ markets is that human tissue always moves up — and never down — the social hierarchy.” He also made apt comparisons to the surrogacy enterprise in which the rich are eager to buy wombs and poor are exploited and coerced into selling theirs.

California Surrogate Mother Files Lawsuit to Defend Against Coerced Abortion

Last November, Melissa Cook, the California surrogate mother who was being coerced by the intended parent into an abortion, has filed a lawsuit seeking protection for her and the triplets she is carrying. This is expected to become a landmark case and could provide a shakedown of an industry that is long overdue for serious scrutiny.

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