Global Monitor

Open Letter Thanks President Bush

Pro-life organizations are sending an open letter to President George W. Bush, thanking him for enforcing the Kemp-Kasten Amendment, and applauding USAID for denying funding to Marie Stopes International, on the grounds that it is complicit with the “one-child” policy of the People’s Republic of China.

The letter goes on to point out that, “While the protests opposing this reasonable implementation of Kemp-Kasten protections are theoretical and lacking in evidence, the human rights violations perpetrated through abortion coercion are real and well-documented.”

The letter concludes by thanking the Bush administration for its strong stance on this issue, and encourages it to hold fast in the future.

# # #

Pro-Life Ireland vs. the Lisbon Treaty

In a move to convert the Irish, new concessions were made regarding the Treaty of Lisbon, a treaty which, if ratified by all 27 countries in the European Union, will effectively replace the current European Constitution.

In June of 2005, the Irish people voted resoundingly to reject the Lisbon Treaty for fear that it would rob them, among other things, of their right to self-rule on abortion, which is currently illegal in Ireland. The new concessions seem to protect their right to self-governance on life issues. The Irish will vote again on the Lisbon Treaty in August 2009.

See the Source: Hilary White, “Ireland to Hold Second Lisbon Treaty Referendum: Prime Minister Confirms,” LifeSiteNews.Com, 22 December 2008

# # #

30 Year Abortion Study: “No Evidence Abortion Good For Mental Health”

A new study funded in part by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, examined the link between various pregnancy outcomes and mental health disorders.

It found that, “women who had had abortions had rates of mental health problems that were about 30% higher than rates of disorder in other women. Although rates of all forms of disorder were higher in women exposed to abortion, the conditions most associated with abortion included anxiety disorders and substance use disorders. In contrast, none of the other pregnancy outcomes (pregnancy loss, live birth following unwanted pregnancy or a pregnancy having an initial adverse reaction, and other live birth) was [sic] consistently related to significantly increased risks of mental health problems.” (emphasis added)

The study goes on to discuss the implications for the abortion industry in “New Zealand and the UK, where over 90% of abortions are authorised on the grounds that proceeding with the pregnancy would pose a serious threat to the woman’s mental health.

In general, there is no evidence in the literature on abortion and mental health that suggests that abortion reduces the mental health risks of unwanted or mistimed pregnancy. Although some studies have concluded that abortion has neutral effects on mental health, no study has reported that exposure to abortion reduces mental health risks.” (emphasis added)

See the Source: David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood and Joseph M. Boden, “Abortion and mental health disorders: evidence from a 30-year longitudinal study,” The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008), 2008, pp. 444-451

# # #

Pope Criticizes Population Control in Peace Message

Pope Benedict XVI released his annual peace message on December 4th which touched on a number of political subjects but also went after population control campaigns. He criticized efforts that rely on abortion or try to use reducing the birth rate as a method of economic development.

The Catholic leader’s words come at a time when pro-life advocates are worried that incoming president Barack Obama will restore funding to the UNFPA and groups that promote and perform abortions in other countries.

In his 17-page message “Fighting Poverty to Build Peace,” the pope attacked the population control campaigns that wrongly believe a higher population hurts the global economy—even as some nations are facing economic troubles because of severe underpopulation.

“There are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have,” he said.

“Graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life. The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings,” he added.

The pope’s call also comes at a time when nations ranging from Russia and Taiwan to Bulgaria and South Korea face underpopulation problems.

See the Source: Steven Ertelt, “Pope Benedict Attacks Population Control Efforts Like UNFPA Backing Abortion,” LifeNews.Com, 10 December 2008
# # #

Never miss an update!

Get our Weekly Briefing! We send out a well-researched, in-depth article on a variety of topics once a week, to large and growing English-speaking and Spanish-speaking audiences.

Subscribe to our Weekly Briefing!

Receive expert analysis every Tuesday morning.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.