Friday, November 30, 2007

See BB Angelo and 'B'Attitudes

Don't get bit by the "Bah-Hum-Bug" this Christmas! Start the season off right...at Breakfast With An Angel on Saturday December 1st at 9:00am at Cofer's Chapel, 3915 Franklin Road in Nashville.

Breakfast With an Angel is sponsored by Nashville Right to Life and features BB Angelo and the "B"Attitudes in a Christmas program that reminds us that Jesus is the Reason for the season! Tickets are $5 per person with a maximum of $20 per household; all proceeds benefit Nashville Right to Life.

To order tickets or for more information, call 615-406-0713 or click here. Bring the whole family to Breakfast With an Angel Saturday December 1st at 9:00 am at Cofer's Chapel-or get that fly swatter ready! Food provided by Cracker Barrel and Krispy Kreme. Tickets will be available at the door.

Can't attend? Click Here to Make An Online Donation to Nashville Right to Life.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough

Researchers announced Tuesday that they created stem cells without destroying an embryo:

Both teams call the new cells induced pluripotent stem cells and say they look and act like embryonic stem cells -- the master cells that give rise to every cell and tissue in the body.

"We can now envisage a time when a simple approach can be used to produce stem cells that are able to form any tissue from a small sample taken from any of us," Ian Wilmut of the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said in a statement.

Both teams used just four genes to transform ordinary skin cells called fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells -- iPS cells for short.

"We are now in a position to be able to generate patient- and disease- specific stem cells, without using human eggs or embryos," Yamanaka said in a statement.

"These cells should be useful in understanding disease mechanisms, searching for effective and safe drugs, and treating patients with cell therapy," he added.
"Similar to human embryonic cells, human iPS cells should prove useful for studying the development and function of human tissues, for discovering and testing new drugs, and for transplantation medicine," added Thomson, whose team first discovered human embryonic stem cells in 1998.

RELATED STORY:How it could benefit the GOP

Friday, November 16, 2007

Breaking Down An Endorsement

Dave Andrusko at National Right to Life pens a column looking at the endorsement of Fred Thompson in more detail:
Not only was the NRLC board’s decision in favor of Thompson overwhelming, because those board members come directly from grassroots state and local organizations, it means the endorsement reflected the cumulative judgment of a wide swathe of our Movement, not Washington “insiders.”

In the judgment of our board Thompson best met the three criteria it established for endorsement: (1) the position of candidates on the life issues, (2) their records on the life issues, and (3) and their ability to win. The board of NRLC believes Thompson has the best chance of thwarting pro-abortion Rudy Giuliani in the GOP presidential primary and would be the strongest opponent for whichever militant pro-abortion emerges from the Democratic Party.

In the past 24 hours some have unfortunately suggested there are other considerations, but, in fact, there were none. The decision was straightforward and in harmony with NRLC’s guiding light-- we don't just want to make a statement; we want to make a difference in advancing the cause of life.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Legal Definitions

Colorado for Equal Rights can now move forward with its efforts to redefine the term "person" in the Colorado state constitution to include unborn individuals. Once they get the requisite number of signatures, the initiative will appear on the 2008 general election ballot.

From the story:
[The law] would grant personhood to the unborn from the moment of fertilization, meaning state and local laws protecting any individual life would be applied to the unborn. It targets a loophole U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun created when he wrote the original abortion opinion.

He concluded: "(If the) suggestion of personhood [of the preborn] is established, the [abortion rights] case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life is then guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment."

"Colorado, which regrettably was in the forefront of the movement to deny the right to life to millions of the unborn, has now taken the first step to restore the right to life to all Americans, regardless of age, dependency, national origin or condition," said John Archibold, a founder of Colorado Right to Life as well as National Right to Life.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

NRLC Endorses Fred Thompson

The National Right to Life Committee has endorsed our fellow Tennessean, Fred Thompson, for the Republican presidential nomination:
“As the first major grassroots organization to enter the Republican presidential race, National Right to Life is proud to endorse Fred Thompson,” stated Wanda Franz, Ph.D., president of National Right to Life. “Our endorsement is a testament to Senator Thompson’s long-standing pro-life record, his commitment to unborn children, and our belief in his ability to win.”

Fred Thompson has had a strong, consistent pro-life record throughout his political career. Thompson opposes abortion and believes the 1973 abortion on demand Supreme Court decision was wrongly decided and must be reversed. During his eight years in the United States Senate, he always opposed using tax dollars to promote or pay for abortion and supported the many pro-life measures such as parental notice and consent.

Thompson has also stated his opposition to the kind of stem cell research that requires killing human embryos, while supporting the kind of stem cell research that harms no one and is the only kind producing cures.

"I'm deeply appreciative for the past support by the National Right to Life Committee-PAC in my Senate campaigns, and today I am blessed and grateful to have received their endorsement for President of the United States," Thompson said in a statement. "In supporting me, those who have worked tirelessly to defend life are supporting a consistent conservative who has stood with them yesterday, who stands with them today, and will stand with them tomorrow."

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

NJ Stem Cell Vote Fails

Yesterday was Election Day, and on the ballot in New Jersey was a measure to fund embryonic stem cell research. While Right-to-Life groups were unsuccessful in trying to block the ballot proposal, it didn't matter:
New Jersey voters rejected a $450 million bond measure to fund stem-cell research, a defeat for Democratic Governor Jon Corzine, who backed the proposal with his own money and advocated on its behalf.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting, the question was defeated by 53 percent to 47 percent, according to nj.com, a Web site affiliated with the Star-Ledger of Newark. The measure would have authorized the state to borrow as much as $45 million annually for 10 years to fund scientists' work in the field.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Adult Stem Cells Treat Skin Disease

Medical researchers at the University of Minnesota are pioneering a clinical treatment that involves transplanting adult stem cells:
University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital physicians reported performing the first bone marrow and cord blood transplant to treat recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB.

Using a mouse model -- and in collaboration with investigators at Columbia University and the University of Minnesota -- researchers corrected the disease using bone marrow. They then determined which human adult stem cells would give rise to the development of type VII collagen -- the protein RDEB victims lack.

The boy received both umbilical cord blood and bone marrow from a perfectly matched sibling. Doctors anticipate being able to judge whether the treatment was successful by early next year.

Survivor

There is a good story in the Daily Mail about a pair of twins, one of whom had pre-birth complications. But when they attempted to abort him, he miraculously survived...

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Planned Parenthood and Criminal Behavior

Andrew Flusche at the American Life League has a piece looking at criminal charges filed against Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri and a little background into the history of the national organization:
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri currently faces 107 criminal charges stemming from 29 alleged unlawful late-term abortions. Even though a Johnson County district judge found probable cause that Planned Parenthood committed these crimes, the organization claims the charges are simply political. But is a pattern of illegal activity starting to emerge? Are we starting to connect the dots?

During its 2005-2006 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood reported a total income of $902.8 million. To provide perspective, this is more than the combined revenues during the same period for the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association. In Planned Parenthood’s almost-billion-dollar budget, $305.3 million came from you, the taxpayers.

In 2002, Diana Lopez bled to death after her cervix was punctured during an abortion at the Los Angeles Planned Parenthood. The California Department of Health Services cited Planned Parenthood for seven separate violations of health regulations, including failing to notify the health department of Ms. Lopez’s death within 24 hours. The other citations centered on failing to properly prepare for the procedure, advise the patient of risks and keep sufficient records about Ms. Lopez.

While Planned Parenthood would claim this was an isolated incident, the facts say otherwise. Earlier this year, 21-year-old Edrica Goode died from toxic shock after beginning an abortion procedure through Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties. The California Department of Health Services again filed a deficiency ruling against Planned Parenthood for failing to report Ms. Goode’s death within 24 hours. After repeating this same violation, it begins to look like Planned Parenthood does not respect medical regulations.

Planned Parenthood was required to turn over 29 patient files for a government investigation. During the investigation, the Johnson County district attorney determined that all 29 files revealed an unlawful late-term abortion.
Read the whole thing and help us defund Planned Parenthood

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Another Source of Adult Stem Cells

More advancements in stem cell research where researchers have found another source of adult stem cells that may hold the potential for clinical use:
For the first time, researchers have found stem cells within the intervertebral discs of the human spine.

They say it may someday be possible to use these stem cells to help repair degenerating discs in order to treat neck and lower back pain.

He noted that other researchers have used bone marrow stem cells to create new bone, cartilage and fat tissue.

"Our next step is to activate these disc stem cells and get them to repopulate the disc and make proteoglycans and restore the water binding," Shapiro said.

While the stem cells are present in degenerated discs, the researchers suspect there may be molecules blocking stem cell activity that could repair the discs. They said further research is required to learn more about these inhibitory molecules and to find ways to block their activity and promote natural healing of damaged discs.