BY REBEKAH O’BRIEN

Ryan and Erica with their four adopted children Eli, Aaliyah, Brya and Samuel

Oct. 2, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Onufers knew they wanted to adopt. They’d known for a long time. What they didn’t expect was to be given four children from a “high-risk” situation…all at once.

After visiting China and seeing children in extreme poverty, Ryan and Erica were both convinced that adoption was part of their calling as a couple.

“We wanted to adopt before having any biological children, so that our adopted children would feel ‘chosen,’ not as though they were an afterthought.”

As they approached their five-year anniversary, they contacted an adoption agency and began the stressful process of filling out paperwork and allowing the agency to conduct a home study. But after only two months, they felt led in a different direction. They had previously decided on both foreign and domestic adoption, but their hopes to adopt a child from Haiti were soon disappointed when Haiti closed its doors to outside adoptions. Erica then phoned a local foster care/adoption agency and soon after signed up for training classes. 

“We decided on the first night that we wanted a sibling set of two, but that three would be our absolute maximum,” she told LifeSiteNews.

Five months after they began, and before their training was complete, the adoption agency left Erica a voicemail message.

“We know you’re not finished your training and aren’t to be placed for close to a year, but we feel like these children are a perfect fit for your family. There are four children.” 

More: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/i-know-these-are-our-children-couple-finds-joy-in-unexpected-adoption-of-fo

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Email

Print

BY CASSY FIANO

Oct. 2, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) – Despite the incredible number of medical advances which have enriched and extended the lives of people with Down syndrome, Trisomy 21 continues to be extremely misunderstood. Many people look at Down syndrome through the lens of outdated stereotypes and misconceptions.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month, celebrated each October, is one way to change that. The goal of Down Syndrome Awareness Month is, of course, to spread awareness, to educate about Down syndrome, and to celebrate people who have Down syndrome, and their abilities and accomplishments.

Watch Video and learn more: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/october-is-down-syndrome-awareness-month-here-are-the-facts

State Report Shows Abortions Spiked 5.3% Among African Americans in 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             CONTACT: Laura Beth Kirsop

DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 2013                              PHONE: (614) 547-0099 ext. 309

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Today’s release of the 2012 Ohio Abortion Report by the Ohio Department of Health shows that, following the historic 12 percent drop in abortions in 2011, abortions last year remained near the lowest levels ever, even with a slight rise from 2011. The 3 percent increase in 2012 (24,764 to 25,473) leaves abortions at the second-lowest level since 1976, when record-keeping first began, and significantly lower than 2010 levels (28,123 abortions).

The 2012 Abortion Report also reveals a:

• 5.3 percent overall increase within the African American community
• 1.7 percent overall decrease within the white community
• 30 percent decrease in abortions after 19 weeks gestation
• Increases in the major metropolitan areas of Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton Counties
• Decrease in Lucas County (Toledo), and;
• Decrease in teen abortions and increases in age groups older than 20

“We grieve for the loss of life represented by this report, and rise in abortions last year—even if it’s slight—is a tragedy that reminds us that our work is not done,” said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life. “Fewer babies are alive today—especially in the African American community—and the blame for that tragedy lies squarely on the shoulders of Planned Parenthood, the rest of the abortion industry, and every politician who campaigned on their behalf last year.”

Last year’s hard-fought presidential election again found Ohio as the key battleground state, which meant millions of dollars were spent there by abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood in their support of their political ally, pro-choice President Barack Obama.  Through political advertising, Planned Parenthood succeeded in further building their brand and expanding their business.

“As the first African American president, Barack Obama acted with complete irresponsibility and dangerous disregard by campaigning for and bringing business to an organization that has historically targeted minority communities,” continued Gonidakis. “The results speak for themselves: abortions among whites went down while abortions among African Americans increased. This is a crisis that last year’s election only worsened.”

Significant progress was made in decreasing abortions among babies older than 20 weeks. Following the passage of the Ohio Right to Life Late-Term Abortion Ban in 2011, abortions after 20 weeks gestation fell by 30 percent last year.

“Right now, the pro-life community is wondering how much higher last year’s abortions would have been without the life-saving laws that have already been enacted in Ohio,” said Gonidakis. “We fully expect Planned Parenthood and NARAL to celebrate the overall abortion increase, but we nevertheless hope that they will one day work with Ohio Right to Life, pregnancy help centers, and the rest of the pro-life community to lower the number of abortions and bring Ohio back to life.”

To read the full 2012 Ohio Abortion Report, click here.

To view a map of Planned Parenthood abortion facilities strategically placed in the counties most densely populated by African Americans, click here.

More: http://www.ohiolife.org/press-releases/2013/10/1/ohio-abortions-hover-near-historic-lows.html

By Jennifer Popik, JD, Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics

It’s dropped on the daily basis: Abortion should be legal except in cases where the life of the mother is threatened by the pregnancy. But should it?

Politicians who do not affirm the legitimacy of abortion under these circumstances are written off as straight-up lunatics. Who could be so callous, opponents ask, as to deny life to a pregnant woman whose life is threatened by her pregnancy? The truth is, there is one massive misconception about the “life of the mother” exception. That is the belief that abortion is sometimes necessary to save the life of the mother.

The abortion procedure is not – ever – necessary to save the life of a mother. There are, however, maternal health risks that require a treatment that cause the unfortunate, indirect, and unintentional death of an unborn child. For instance, in life-threatening ectopic pregnancies that require removal of a Fallopian tube, the pregnancy (including the unborn child) will be removed along with the Fallopian tube. The intention in this procedure is first and foremost to save the life of the mother, and in order to do so, a physician must perform a procedure that indirectly causes the death of her unborn child.

This is not an abortion. Furthermore, a true abortion – in which the direct intention is to end the life of a human being – is not a treatment for any type of maternal health risk. The death of a baby never saves his or her mother; procedures that may lead to a child’s death save the life of the mother.

The Association of Pro-Life Physicians, whose mission is to practice pro-life medical ethics as the only legitimate means of living out the do no harm clause of the Hippocratic Oath, clarified the subject with the following statement, which can be found within its broader context here:

More: http://liveactionnews.org/abortion-ever-necessary-save-life-mother/

Abortion is not popular among the medical community.

On September 29, Live Action writer Cassy Fiano talked about an article in which late term abortionist Susan Robinson said that abortion providers deal with a lot of stigma from other doctors.

Robinson is not the only abortionist who has discussed the stigma that abortionists face. The pro-abortion website Jezebel also addressed the issue in an interview with retired abortionist, Dr. Robert Livingston.

Livingston has been involved in the abortion industry for over 45 years. Before Roe v. Wade, he performed illegal abortions. When Roe was decided, he simply hung up his shingle and began practicing legally. This was a common phenomenon – often the same abortionists who did back alley abortions simply performed legal ones after Roe.

read more… http://liveactionnews.org/retired-abortionist-says-pro-life-movement-abortion-stigma-stronger-ever/

By Wesley J. Smith

I always say: If you want to see where things will go wrong next in society, read the professional journals.

An article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology advocates that the government set a “just price” for all cancer drugs. From the article (my emphasis):

Finally, we must challenge the status quo that sets drug prices arbitrarily without regard to the real value of a drug.

Assuming the government should have the power to dictate price–a problematic proposal, at best–how to do that? Quality of life!

The value of a new cancer drug should be measured by one of several parameters: one, improving survival or PFS [“progression-free survival”–how long a patient lives before his cancer worsens] (particularly important as an early surrogate end point for indolent tumors); two, improving quality of life; three, reducing/alleviating adverse effects compared with similar approved drugs or reducing toxicities of cancer drugs; and four, reducing cost.

To that end, we propose a value-based system for setting the initial price. Providers, regulators, patients and advocates, representatives of insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and other interested parties should all be involved in the discussion of initial pricing. The benefit quantified for FDA drug approval should be integral to drug pricing. Drug pricing could involve established measures of CE, life-years, or QALYs.

More: http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2013/10/price-controls-to-ration-cancer-drugs

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

Maria Gallagher

Labeling something as a “social issue” conveys the idea that it has to do with your social life — having fun, enjoying life, being in the company of others in a spirit of friendship.