November 2009 Newsletter
Posted By cmbuuck on December 15, 2009
Baby Safe Haven—Abandoned Infant Protection Law—ABOUT SAVE HAVEN…Every day newborn babies are abandoned by their desperate mothers, but thankfully there is a way to avoid these tragedies. Safe Haven Infant Protection Laws are designed to give parents in crisis a way to give up an unwanted infant safely, legally and anonymously. As long as the baby has not been abused, the person may do so without fear of arrest or prosecution. Since the first safe-haven law was enacted in Texas in 1999, all U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, have passed safe-haven legislation, and every state has reported lives saved through the existence of these laws. Due to less-than-perfect reporting methods, we are unsure of the exact number but know that in the past decade, these laws have saved well over 1,000 infants. THE PROBLEM…While our success has been remarkable, babies are still being illegally and unsafely abandoned, in part because women do not know that they have another option. The National Safe Haven Alliance is dedicated to reaching these women and encouraging them to make the right choice for themselves and their babies, whether it is a safe haven relinquishment, adoption, or parenting.
The Indiana Safe Haven Infant Protection Act:
- Allows a distressed parent to give up an unwanted infant safely, legally and confidentially
- Preserves the parent from arrest or prosecution for abandonment
- Requires no names or records
- Permits babies less than 45 days old to be given up at any hospital emergency room, fire station or police station in Indiana
- Makes medical treatment and social services available to the birth mother
- Puts the child into the custody of the Indiana Division of Family and Social Services Administration, which places the infant in a foster or pre-adoptive home
Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life…Campaign Set to Launch…Kansas City, Kan., Nov 12, 2009 / 08:03 pm (CNA).- The Family Research Council, (FRC) has announced the beginning of its campaign to spread awareness about how successful adult stem cells are in treating a variety of diseases. The most recent count places the number of conditions successfully treated at close to eighty. On Saturday, November 14, 2009, the FRC will kick off the “Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life Education & Awareness Campaign” at the Town Hall in Shawnee, Kansas. At the premier, they will publicly launch www.stemcellresearchfacts.com and present the stories of people who have been successfully treated with adult stem cells via short videos. Laura Dominguez knows firsthand about the impact a stem cell treatment can make. In the summer of 2001, when Dominguez was just 16 years-old, she was involved in a car accident that broke her neck, paralyzing her from the neck down. After a Portuguese surgeon took stem cells from her nose, cultured them, and used them to replace the scar tissue in her neck, she is now able to feel her body below her chest. She can grasp and move the mouse of a computer and is able to walk with leg braces. Though her range of motion is limited compared to her abilities before the accident, due to the treatment which used her own stem cells, she is no longer a paraplegic. David Prentice, Ph.D., formerly a professor at Indiana State University who now works full time with FRC, told CNA that this campaign is about awareness. “This (adult stem cell research) is out there. There’s more coming.” Prentice noted that the majority of people don’t even know about adult stem cell treatments and how effective they are. According to Prentice, the exact number of conditions that can be successfully treated by adult stem cells “is growing weekly. It’s over seventy, and soon it will be eighty.” Currently the most common and effective treatments using stem cells are various forms of cancers and anemias, he said, though adult stem cells have also repaired heart attack damage, treated leukemias, lymphomas, spinal cord injuries and helped patients with multiple sclerosis and juvenile diabetes. When asked about the embryonic stem cell research debate, Prentice noted, “No human beings have even been injected yet” in embryonic stem cell research. Published science, however, has verified the successful treatments of thousands of patients using adult stem cells. “Lets focus on helping the patients, and helping them now,” Prentice said. “We’re not even talking about embryonic stem cell research. It’s not helping anybody. It’s not even helping the lab rats.” Copyright @ CNA (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com)
Questions and Answers from “Clearly Caring”
Q: Why are you so worked up about assisted suicide? If I don’t want to live when my quality of life is gone, why should you have the right to tell me I don’t have options?
A: Your question indicates some misconceptions on your part. First, we do not convey our own opinions, but rather we share the message of God’s Word and apply Biblical principles to life issues. We are “worked up” about assisted suicide because the Bible makes it clear that we do not have the authority to determine the time of a person’s death, nor the right to take a human life (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 32:39). Secondly, you certainly can exercise your options regarding your health care, even when you are terminally ill. Our ministry is designed to help you identify the option that is consistent with God’s Word and the best choice for your situation. Rather than fighting for the right to end your life, we would prefer to find positive alternatives that help you make your last days as peaceful and beneficial as possible.
Q: I’m working on my medical directive and my attorney asked me some questions about my end-of-life wishes. He said that legally, I have total authority over my health care decisions. He used the term “patient autonomy.” How does that fit with my Christian belief that God is the final authority in life and death decisions?
A: Your attorney is correct in stating that you have the legal right to make your own medical decisions. You are also right in stating that God is the ultimate authority over life and death. The challenge for you is to apply your faith when making medical decisions. Your right to make medical decisions does not remove God’s ultimate authority over your life. Your role is to make decisions that are consistent with the directives of God’s Word. In other words, use your legal right to make life-sustaining decisions until there is evidence that God is bringing your life to a close. When it is clear that death is imminent, then accept His will and receive comfort and care until death.