July 2015 Newsletter
Posted By cmbuuck on August 10, 2015
Life Affirming News
Disposal of Aborted Fetal Remains
Indiana Right To Life / May 2015
SB 329 directs the Indiana State Department of Health, which regulates abortion clinics in Indiana, to issue emergency rules effective July 1, 2015 and final rules effective January 1, 2016, as to how abortion clinics are to dispose of aborted babies. In addition, in keeping with Indiana’s existing miscarriage law, women seeking abortions are to be informed of disposal methods and allowed to choose a different method at her own expense (e.g., burial).
The treatment of the bodies of aborted babies commands our dignity and respect. Indiana law was vague on the treatment of aborted remains, as was administrative law. A former Indianapolis Planned Parenthood abortion worker testified that she witnessed for three years the remains of aborted babies poured down the drain without any type of sanitation or treatment. An unborn baby’s body was found in the sewer system in Fort Wayne, Ind., as well. This is unconscionable from a human dignity standpoint, as well as an environmental concern.
Indiana Embraces Adoption
Indiana Right To Life / May 2015
“Indiana a National Leader in Adoptions”
What an exciting headline from WISH-TV! We believe adoption is a loving option and we’re thrilled to see Indiana as frontrunner among the states. According to the Indiana Youth Institute:
“Indiana has the nation’s fourth highest rate of adoption per live births, the ninth highest rate of adoption per nonmarital births, and the eleventh highest rate of adoption per 100,000 adults. Between 2009 and 2013, an annual average of 3,678 children were adopted in Indiana. Overall, 2.7 percent of Hoosier children now live in adoptive families.”
Gov. Mike Pence at an adoption fair: “We give credit to mothers who choose adoption as the best option for their children and the adoptive parents who open their hearts and their homes. We also recognize social workers and adoption agencies who work to facilitate adoptions domestically, internationally and through foster care. Finally, we laud those who raise the awareness of adoption as a loving option.”
Gov. Mike Pence pledged to make Indiana the most adoption-friendly state in the union. These numbers show we’re well on our way to reaching that goal! Last year, Gov. Pence appointed member to the Governor’s Adoption Study Committee. Since taking office, he has hosted numerous adoption fairs. And during the 2014 legislative session, Gov. Pence signed a bill providing the first-ever state income tax credit for Indiana parents who choose adoption.
Adoption empowers birth mothers and completes families. We stand with those working to promote adoption and are grateful for Indiana’s leading adoption efforts!
Three-Parent Children
by James Lamb / LifeDate / Summer 2015
The goal of the procedure that led to the reality of “three-parent children” is to prevent mitochondrial disease. This procedure is now allowed in Britain. The mitochondria are not part of a cell’s nucleus but exist in the cytoplasm of the cell separate from the nucleus. Mitochondria are often referred to as the cell’s “power house” or “battery.” The mitochondrion does contain some genetic material: 37 out of our 20,000 genes.
A variety of mitochondrial diseases occur when these genes are missing or defective. It can be determined through genetic testing if a woman’s egg cell has defective mitochondrial genes. Let’s call this woman Sally. The idea of this procedure is to use a donor egg with no mitochondrial disease. Let’s call our donor Jane. You remove the nucleus from Jane’s egg. Now you have an egg cell with no nucleus and a healthy mitochondrion. You take the nucleus from Sally’s egg and transfer it into Jane’s egg. Now you have an egg cell with Sally’s nucleus and her 20,000 genes and Jane’s mitochondrion with her 37 genes. That’s the basics.
Maternal Spindle Transfer – This is pretty much what is described above. Neither Sally nor Jane’s eggs are fertilized. Fertilization with Joe’s sperm happens after the transfer of Sally’s nucleus into Jane’s egg cell. Joe’s sperm makes him the third “parent” of the resulting embryonic child. This child, then, has genetic “input” from Jane’s nucleus, Joe’s sperm, and a tiny amount from Sally’s mitochondrion.
Pronuclear Transfer – The first thing that happens here is that both Sally and Jane’s eggs are fertilized with Joe’s sperm. Now you are no longer working with two egg cells but with two embryonic children. The child from Sally’s egg will have mitochondrial disease. The child from Jane’s egg will not. Next you do the same as above. Before the nuclei (already fertilized) can accomplish their first cell division, Jane’s nucleus is removed and discarded. Sally’s fertilized nucleus is transferred into Jane’s cytoplasm with the good mitochondrion.
There are many problems with these procedures. Maternal Spindle Transfer raises these issues:
The nucleus is subject to harm in the transfer.
There is uncertainty about genetic compatibility.
There is uncertainty about genetic abnormalities and the introduction of mutations.
The procedure violates the one-flesh union of marriage. “Three parents,” by definition, is contrary to God’s design.
Not all the embryos produced may survive and, thus, there may be a violation of the Fifth Commandment against murder and hurting and harming.
The First Commandment is always an issue in such technology. We fail to trust in God’s truth and put ourselves in the place of God.
The above problems are all inherent in Pronuclear Transfer as well. Plus, you definitely have the intentional destruction of human life inherent in this procedure. Many ethicists also oppose this technology because it might open the door to the creation of designer children.
While we can understand the great desire to prevent our children from contracting disease, we cannot resort to technology that does so at the cost of hurting and harming other children and violates God’s plan for procreation within the one-flesh union of marriage.
Adoption would be a God-pleasing way of receiving the gift of children without introduction of life-threatening technology.