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Michael J. Fox and Embryonic Stem Cells
September 9th, 2010When I was in high school, I think I was half in love with Michael J. Fox/Alex P. Keaton. His charm, boyish good looks and height (hey, I’m only 5 feet tall) made for an ideal heartthrob.
I still think he has a very charming personality and I sympathize with his struggle with Parkinson’s disease. I can only imagine what it must feel like to lack control over basic muscle function when your brain screams to control the simplest of movements. As the mother of two boys on the autism spectrum, it hurts to see their struggle. Our older son is very smart but struggles to find words to express himself–it’s as if he’s searching for a lost file folder in a disorganized file cabinet. It has taken him three years to acquire the speech of a two-year-old.
But would I trade a life for my son’s health?
No.
Mr. Fox recently wrote a column for CNN arguing that a judge’s decision to abide by the law and prevent federal funding for embryonic stem cell research somehow prevented good research from going forward. But this is not true.
What he fails to note in his column is that current research is showing adult stem cell therapies to be very effective in treating a variety of conditions and diseases. The number of treatments available-to-date using embryonic stem cells? Zero. Period.
In addition, several years ago, fetal tissue was touted as a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Patients’ brains were injected with fetal tissue and instead of getting better they significantly worsened. The theory is that the same problem could occur with embryonic stem cells. They can go “rogue” for the lack of a better term and do incalculable damage to the patient.
Autism is believed to be a problem with the synaptic pathways that should form in a child’s brain. I suppose one day stem cells could possibly cure that as well but I wouldn’t want that for my sons if it required the lives of hundreds or even thousands of tiny human embryos.
Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cells Blocked–Obama Admin to Appeal
August 31st, 2010A federal judge has blocked federal funding for embryonic stem cell research because–gasp!– it’s illegal!
Finally, someone with authority over this issue recognizes that fact.
The Dickey-Wicker amendment prevents federal funds from being used to kill human embryos and it’s currently in force. However, the Obama administration issued an executive order in 2009 that allowed federal funding.
And here we go back to the problem with executive orders. Presidents can issue executive orders but only if they don’t fly in the face of laws already on the books. This administration has tried to ignore established law by issuing the executive order and giving money to researchers.
My friend Steven Ertelt has more over at LifeNews.com.
TOPMedia Consulting
August 30th, 2010The new web project I mentioned a few weeks ago is closer to completion. I will be starting a media consultation firm and I am finalizing the web site.
As my children have gotten older and the boys’ autism spectrum disorders have improved, I would like to go back to what I love doing but with the flexibility of being able to take my sons to therapy and doctors appointments. Teaching has not turned out as well as I would have hoped. The school I have taught at for the past two years lost students this year and could not bring me back to teach.
The new firm is TOPMedia Consulting and I will be working with clients in developing skills in public speaking, public relations, crisis communications, and media training. In addition, I will be taking on some clients for the purposes of public relations management and offer services such as writing press releases and planning press conferences. Of course, potential clients include political candidates and staff members of public policy organizations.
In this day and age, it is becoming imperative that individuals in the spotlight watch what they say because words uttered in a public forum never go away.
Sorry for the lack of posts…
August 18th, 2010I’ve been working on a new project and trying to get a website off the ground.
Not being an IT person, working on a website using Apache, Joomla and etc. has been an eye-opening and frustrating experience. If you think you are smart enough for Mensa but then try to design a website nearly from scratch when you have no IT experience, you quickly learn that maybe you are NOT a candidate for Mensa.
I managed to do this WordPress blog which required a great deal of time and work to tweak but I finally pulled it together so I have every hope I will do so with this new one as well.
So I’m back to the grindstone but I will begin posting again soon.
Obama Administration Pushes Abortion Internationally
August 4th, 2010This article by Daniel Allott of American Values in American Spectator explains in a wonderfully simple way the complexities involved in how this pro-abortion administration has pushed abortion overseas– especially in the new Kenyan constitution.
Years ago, pro-abortion groups found that certain phrases resonated with the American public (“Freedom of Choice” is the prime example). They also found ways of including abortion in rules and law without using the actual word “abortion.” Allott points this out as well as why Kenyans are having difficulty understanding how this vague language in their proposed constitution can have a detrimental impact on their country.
It seems that abortion is the last frontier when it comes to Western Imperialism and this administration is determined to lead the way.
National Right to Life Surprises Pro-Abortion Groups!
July 31st, 2010As Politico notes, National Right to Life was able to get the jump on pro-abortion groups with the following.
The National Right to Life Committee’s press release from July 29, 2010 reads:
In New Rule Published Today, Obama Administration Backs Off Funding Elective Abortions in High-Risk Insurance Program — But Vows This is “Not a Precedent” for Decisions on Future Health Programs
The release opens with: “The Obama Administration, caught in a spotlight of publicity generated by mid-July releases from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), today issued a formal regulation that will prevent federal funding of elective abortions in just one of the new programs created by the health care bill signed into law by President Obama on March 23.”
I wrote recently about the states that were implementing health care coverage, including abortion, under the Obama plan. Of course, the President signed an executive order but executive orders really have no impact on existing legislation. National Right to Life was able to prove this– read the rest of the release at NRLC’s website.
National Right to Life pushed and pushed and was able to a) secure changes to the way abortion was included in health care plans for the moment and b) show that abortion is in health care and that this administration could change how this is implemented when and how it wants at any time.
Wonderful Book for Children about Life in the Womb
July 28th, 2010Justice Loves Babies is a book written by sisters Darlene and Danielle Wibeto about a little boy and his family anticipating the birth of his baby sister, Destiny. One night, Justice has a nightmare that someone is trying to take Destiny from his mother’s womb so he gets on his knees and prays for her. One of the obvious facts of the book is that children automatically equate an unborn baby with a living human being. They don’t see any difference between the babies in their mothers’ tummies and the babies they see in a crib months later.
Only adults who choose intellectual dishonesty see any “difference” between the baby in the womb and the one born months later.
Now I may have some come here and argue that the baby is just the “products of conception” or a “blob of tissue” but to those people I say: did you always believe that or did you learn from someone that because a baby doesn’t “look” like a baby until about 8 weeks or because a woman doesn’t want it that it’s not really a baby? Why? Why is it not a baby? Is it alive? Is it human? Is this entity you call “the products of conception” genetically different from its parents? If so, then maybe you should start calling “it” a he or a she.
Check out Justice Loves Babies.
Maryland Follows Pennsylvania in Offering Abortions in Its ObamaCare Plan
July 27th, 2010Contrary to the hot air that came out of the White House, and a certain Democratic congressman who was supposed to stand up for life (ahem, Stupak), abortion will be subsidized with federal money. And though Maryland is only the second state to offer a health insurance plan covering abortion, more will come.
Welcome to reality.
Upcoming Blog Talk Radio Show
July 27th, 2010This Saturday, I’m dusting off my Blog Talk Radio show and will be covering U.S. Supreme Court appointments and the 2010 elections. I’m still not adept at running the switchboard and talking so I won’t be able to open up phone lines for callers but it is a goal down the road. If you can’t join me at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, the shows are recorded and you can listen to them at any time. Just follow this link to my show.
Apologies for the Down Time
July 23rd, 2010We had an unauthorized charge on the card I use to pay for hosting for this web site and the bank had to issue a new card number. In the process, the site went down.
I also want to apologize for the scarcity of posts. We were busy with vacation and home improvement projects and I’ve been dragging my laptop around hoping to write posts but haven’t done so. My iPhone app for writing posts works just fine when I don’t have a son or daughter playing games on my phone!
Back from Vacation
July 16th, 2010We went to Disney World for vacation and had a wonderful but exhausting time. I’m always happy to be home but glad we went. Our boys seem to do so much better afterward.
Peter, our older son with the more severe autism, does seem to talk and communicate more during and after Disney World. This may become an annual event. I’ll post more on my autism blog.
Ultrasound Laws and the States, continued…
June 1st, 2010I wrote the following in response to comments made on the previous post and then thought this issue might deserve its own post rather that just a response to comments.
Comments on Friday’s post ranged from my apparent lack of faith in my gender’s intelligence to the cost of delivering a child. I tried to address as many of the comments as possible so I apologize for the lack of brevity and the shotgun approach I take:
I spent three years as a a biology major in college before switching to communications and have the equivalent of a minor in biology. I have also taught biology on the high school level. I am always amazed at how little high school and college students know about their own bodies let alone the development of an unborn child. Since most abortions are done on teens and women in this age group then, yes, I do believe many women are uneducated in this area and they are, sadly, not in the minority. Unless a woman reads up on fertility and the gestational development of an unborn child, her knowledge will be limited to what she has observed or learned from friends and hearsay. Not always the most accurate of sources. A sonogram that she can choose to see, allows for accurate dating of the pregnancy and an opportunity for the woman to learn more about her child.
As for parenting classes, most hospitals offer birthing classes and parenting classes in an effort to fill the educational gap many first-time parents have.
And, yes, I am a firm believer in the facts. A sonogram does not lie and medical research on the unborn child does not lie. Any human development textbook will tell you when the heart begins to beat (18-22 days after conception) or when brain waves can be detected (about six weeks after conception) among other landmarks in an unborn child’s development.
And yes, pregnancy can be expensive, the delivery of my three children (all three were considred high risk) in the hospital ran about $10,000 for each delivery and that number includes the hospital and doctor expenses. Of course, some women elect to give birth at a birthing center or at home with a duena which cuts these costs considerably.
Unlike an abortionist who relies primarily on abortions to cover expenses and salaries, my ob/gyn does not rely exclusively on obstetrics for his salary or overhead. He charges a flat rate for care and delivery during a pregnancy, regardless of the number of office visits, calls to his cell phone, and uneventful trips to the hospital. It may be surprising but he charges a flat rate of $2500 for nearly 10 months of visits, including the delivery. Considering that a late-term abortion can cost $1500 or more, carrying a child to full-term can seem almost a bargain.
Having a child and keeping him or her can be an expensive undertaking but doable. More importantly, having a child teaches you many things you cannot learn otherwise. You learn to love unconditionally and completely. You learn very quickly that no matter how much you read and know, you still have a lot to learn. You learn that life isn’t going to give you perfect children but you love them and ache for them and feel joy when they achieve something that didn’t seem likely to happen. You learn to hope. I don’t expect everyone will understand but those of you who have struggled to have children and have succeeded only to find out that some or all of your children have disabilities will know the joy I am talking about.
You cannot know what love–complete, unconditional, overwhelming, tilt-the-world-on-its-axis love– is until you hold that child in your arms and know that he or she is yours to protect and love. The responsibilty is an unbelievably heavy weight but the love you feel tempers it and makes it bearable.
And there is no such thing as the perfect child or perfect parent. You take it lumps and all, but it’s a fantastic gift just the same.
My Apologies; New York Times on Ultrasound Laws
May 28th, 2010First, I have to apologize for not posting anything over the last two weeks. It has been crazy dealing with students and finals and, to top it all off, my laptop no longer wants to cooperate with the firewall at school so I have not access to the internet with any regularity.
Now on to the commentary…
Yesterday’s story in the New York Times about state laws requiring utrasounds before abortions leaves the reader with the idea that ultrasounds do not change minds.
Yet, I remember when I was at National Right to Life we would get letters and e-mails on a regular basis from people who changed their minds about abortion after seeing an ultrasound.
Regardless of the decision a woman makes, it is in her best interest and the interest of her child that she make an informed decision. An ultrasound and information about her child at his or her stage of gestational development are crucial to making that decision.
For example, you wouldn’t buy a house, car, or computer and you wouldn’t send your child to college without knowing everything you can. You wouldn’t have bypass surgery without investigating your options and checking your surgeon’s qualifications. Why would a woman thinking about an abortion need anything less? How can she make an informed decision about an abortion without having access to information? About 20 states require ultrasounds be made available to a woman thinking about abortion but viewing the ultrasound images is voluntary. Abortion clinics in those states are required to do them and offer to let the woman see her unborn child on the screen.
Now, Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation would like you to believe that a woman can make an informed decision without having access to an ultrasound. She is quoted in the article as saying, “The laws don’t work. They inappropriately interfere with patient-doctor relationship, and they don’t respect women’s ability to make informed choices.”
Ahem…
The “doctor-patient relationship” she refers to probably is all of ten minutes old when a woman seeks an abortion. Most women getting an abortion do so in a clinic and have never met the doctor performing the abortion. This abortionist is not the woman’s regular doctor and prior to the moment in time when she seeks an abortion, they have had no relationship. So the “relationship” Saporta speaks of is superficial and temporary–certainly not a strong foundation for trust in a making such a life-changing decision. For that, a woman needs facts and information.
And regarding Saporta’s comment, “They don’t respect women’s ability to make informed choices,” I’m not sure how she justifies her conclusion when the whole point of the ultrasound laws is to give women real-time information so they can make an informed decision.
As with many liberal policies that sound patriarchal, one reads Saporta’s comments with the feeling that woman are ill-equipped to make these decisions unless the abortionist guides them. Of course, Saporta fails to note that the abortionist has a vested interest in the outcome. He or she gets paid much more for an abortion and because it is an abortion, most abortionists deal with cash or credit card payments in full. They generally don’t worry about co-pays or about an HMO paying a reduced rate.
But when do the facts get in the way of spin?
Sarah Palin Speaks at Susan B. Anthony List Celebration of Life Breakfast
May 14th, 2010Sarah Palin spoke at the SBA List fundraising breakfast. SBA List is a political action committee that supports pro-life candidates for office.
According to CNN, Palin spoke about a number of things and noted: “‘All across this country, women are standing up and speaking out for commonsense solutions.’ They are forming a ‘new conservative feminist movement’ that will help make ‘government work again for us.’”
Whether she gets the nomination or not, Sarah Palin is a political force. She is photogenic, knowledgeable and can rally and inspire conservatives in a way other candidates have not.
Could she be America’s Maggie?
Elena Kagan: A Transnational Judicial Philosophy?
May 14th, 2010Elena Kagan, President Obama’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, has very little to commend her in terms of her written opinions. The big complaint seems to be that she has written very few articles or papers that showcase her judicial philosophy.
However, based on what she has said, it is very possible that she would use international law, not just the U.S. Constitution, in forming her legal opinions.
This transnational legal philosophy is not new but is becoming more prevalent in our own legal system among liberal judges. In forming legal opinion, these judges use international laws and decisions in writing and developing their opinions and judgments. We have seen this with our own Supreme Court. Some of the decisions that have come out of the Court in recent years have referenced international law or decisions made by the courts of other countries.
What we all need to keep in mind is the election of any president gives him (or her!) the chance to impact the next 40 years of our lives by the nomination and confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court justices. Unfortunately, with this election, President Obama has been given a second opportunity to impact the Court in a possibly negative way and we will have to live with the consequences long after he has left the White House.
Franklin Graham Speaks Out
May 6th, 2010While many may be upset that Franklin Graham made a not-so-subtle political comment about the president, I think that Graham has the right of it. His father was not public in his criticisms but Franklin Graham is not his father and I think he recognizes that he cannot shy away from issues that the Bible clearly takes a stand on. It’s one thing to advise presidents, it’s another to ignore your faith in an effort to make politicians happy. Graham wasn’t rude, just accurate and truthful–something politicians should, but frequently don’t, value.
Supreme Court Nominee
April 27th, 2010The President plans to have a nominee in place by the end of May. And, as expected, claims he has no litmus test. Yet he also says he wants a nominee who recognizes women’s rights, etc.
No litmus test? Yeah, right.
More later.
Linda Douglass Leaving the White House
April 20th, 2010Veteran ABC and CBS reporter, Linda Douglass, joined the White House as the communications director on health care and is now leaving now that health care has passed.
Um, yeah. Many people argue that there is no media bias but when you see the surveys and watch members of the media as they jump into politics as communications directors and spokepersons, it’s impossible to believe that media bias doesn’t exist.
Is there bias on both sides of the aisle? Yes, but most members of the media tilt left. The point isn’t so much that the bias exists but that many let it creep into their reporting. I think this is a large reason why people tend to trust news sources such as talk radio or the internet that tout or proclaim their conservatism or liberalism. People are embracing more of a “What you see, is what you get” kind of mentality when it comes to the media.
Nebraska and Abortion
April 14th, 2010Nebraska’s law to make illegal abortions after 20 weeks is a logical conclusion to all of the research that has come out in the last 15 years about fetal pain.
Researchers have found that beginning around 18 weeks, an unborn baby is capable of feeling pain stimuli. In fact, research has shown that unborn babies in these early stages of nervous system development feel pain more acutely than adults or even infants because the nervous system is “raw” and the unborn baby’s body does not have defense mechanisms built yet. In other words, pain is not and cannot be tempered by these unborn babies’ bodies.
What science knows now about life in the womb is a thousand times more than what was known in 1973. We should repeatedly challenge Roe because of this knowledge and continually work to create real solutions to crisis pregnancies.
Media Bias Bigger Problem than Larger Campaign Contributions
April 8th, 2010Rasmussen finds that media influence is high.
http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2010/20100407022551.aspx
