In his presentation, “The Logic of Roe v. Wade and the Quality of Its Arguments,” Frank Beckwith noted that James Witherspoon’s 1985 article, Reexamining Roe: nineteenth-century abortion statutes and the Fourteenth Amendment, is the best short critique of Justice Blackmun’s distorted history of abortion law in Roe v. Wade. Add to this Joseph Dellapenna’s magisterial work, Dispelling […]
Category: Abortion
Janet Smith gave a great plenary address at this years UFL Conference on the question of whether it is morally permissible to lie to abortion clinic workers to obtain the truth about their practices. She notes at the outset that both St. Thomas and St. Augustine believed that all lies are immoral, but in some […]
Here is a link to a very good op-ed by Teresa Collett. Teresa explains why Gosnell could not have been prosecuted in Minnesota. http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/207450371.html?page=1&c=y&refer=y Richard M.
Categories
“Bioethics Hates the Light”
That’s the title of a recent blog post by Wesley Smith. http://www.nationalreview.com/human-exceptionalism/347188/bioethics-hates-light Smith’s post is a comment on the continuing controversy about the infamous article (by Guibilini and Minerva) in the Journal of Medical Ethics defending after-birth abortion–or infanticide. The article caused a firestorm, and is now the subject of a special issue of the Journal of Medical […]
Here is the opening of a recent LifeNews.com story about a bill (The DC Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act) that was introduced to ban abortion in DC after 20 weeks. “Rep. Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican, has introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on scientific evidence showing unborn […]
Top researcher: iPS cells ‘probably’ already embryos, have already made cloned animals An iPS cell is an induced pluripotent stem cell. They had been thought by many to be ethically safe to destroy during research and therapy. New research is calling that into question. (Via LifeSiteNews.com.)
Categories
R.I.P. Barbara Willke
Here is a link to a Lifenews.com story about the death of Barbara Willke, alongtime leader in the pro-life movement. Barbara Willke (along with her husband Dr. Jack Willke) received University Faculty for Life’s Smith Award in 2007. http://www.lifenews.com/2013/04/15/barbara-willke-godmother-of-modern-pro-life-movement-passes-away/ Richard M.
Here is a link to a federal district opinion invalidating Idaho’s Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. http://howappealing.law.com/McCormackVsHearn-DIdaho-030613.pdf Here is a link to a National Right to Life News story on the decision. http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2013/03/judge-overturns-idahos-pain-capable-unborn-child-protection-act-opening-the-door-to-an-eventual-hearing-before-the-supreme-court/ Richard M.
Here’s a link to a story in the National Right to Life News about Marco Rubio’s plan to introduce CIANA (the Child Interstare Abortion Notification Act). http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2013/02/senator-rubio-to-introduce-nrlc-backed-child-interstate-abortion-notification-act-ciana/ Teresa Collett (president of University Faculty for Life) and I have testified before congressional hearings in support of CIANA. Richard M.
Categories
Roe 40th Symposium
The Witherspoon Institute‘s Public Discourse is beginning a daily symposium commemorating the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Contributors include: Ryan T. Anderson, “On the Fortieth Anniversary of Roe v. Wade: A Public Discourse Symposium” Elise Italiano, “Forty Years Later: It’s Time for a New Feminism” Michael New, “Abortion Promises Unfulfilled” Daniel K. Williams, “The Real Reason […]