Church Supports Abortion As Jamaica Seeks To Amend Law

Reverend Dr Marjorie Lewis, who represented the church body, [The United Church of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands] told members of a joint select committee yesterday  that her organisation supports abortion conditionally.

“What we are pointing out is that all Christians do not have the same view. We have, for example, a difference even on the question of contraception. The Roman Catholics do not sanction contraception, we do,” said Lewis.

She said her church had no problem with abortion in instances where a woman was raped or where incest was committed.

The reverend also said there was not a problem in a case where medical opinion pointed to severe disability and where the potential mother or child was at risk. However, Lewis argued that unwanted pregnancies should be avoided and abstinence should be considered and pursued.

She also encouraged the responsible use of contraceptives. 

Attempting to strike a compromise, the church leader said the society should raise the debate to another level.

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Japanese Create Stem Cells From Wisdom Teeth

Japanese scientists said Friday they had derived stem cells from wisdom teeth, opening another way to study deadly diseases without the ethical controversy of using embryos.  

Researchers at the government-backed National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said they created stem cells of the type found in human embryos using the removed wisdom teeth of a 10-year-old girl.

“This is significant in two ways,” team leader Hajime Ogushi told AFP. “One is that we can avoid the ethical issues of stem cells because wisdom teeth are destined to be thrown away anyway.

“Also, we used teeth that had been extracted three years ago and had been preserved in a freezer. That means that it’s easy for us to stock this source of stem cells.”

The announcement follows the groundbreaking discovery by US and Japanese scientists last year that they could produce stem cells from skin, a finding that was hailed by the Vatican and US President George W. Bush. Research involving embryonic stem cells — which can develop into various organs or nerves — is seen as having the potential to save lives by helping find cures for diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

But studies on embryos are strongly opposed by religious conservatives, who argue that such research destroys human life, albeit at its earliest stage of development. In the new research, cells were extracted from the wisdom teeth and developed for about 35 days.

The researchers then tested them and found that they were stem cells, which can develop into various other kinds of human cells, Ogushi said. As with last year’s skin cell discovery, the Japanese researchers said it would take time to put the use of wisdom teeth into practical use.

Ogushi estimated it would take at least five years to put the method into clinical use such as trial treatments of congenital bone disease.

“Because extractions of wisdom teeth are commonly operated in dental clinics, we can expect a lot of donors of stem cells,” he said.

FULL STORY

Christain Group Sues Google After Search Engine Refuses To Take It’s Abortion Adverts

Here’s an interesting article on the dailymail web site. It says that, “A Christian group is suing Google over the internet giant’s refusal to take its anti-abortion adverts.

The Christian Institute, a “non-denominational Christian charity”, wanted to pay Google so that whenever the word “abortion” was typed into the popular search engine, its link would appear on the side of the screen. The link would have read: “UK abortion law – news and views on abortion from the Christian Institute. http://www.christian.org.uk.”; But Google refused the advert because it said it had a policy of declining sites which mixed the issue of abortion with religious views. Its Dublin-based advertising team replied: “At this time, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain ‘abortion and religion-related content’.”

Google does, however, accept adverts for abortion clinics, secular pro-abortion sites and secularist sites which attack religion.

The Christian Institute has now started legal proceedings against Google on the grounds that it is infringing the Equality Act 2006 by discriminating against Christian groups. It is seeking damages, costs and the permission to publish its advertisement. Mike Judge, Christian Institute spokesman, said: “For many people, Google is the doorway to the internet. “To say that religious sites with material on abortion are ‘unacceptable content’ (while) advertising pornography is ridiculous”.

Downright hypocrisy if you ask me.

Fetus Found Aboard Jet

How heartless can a female get? Imagine a cleaning crew found a fetus in one of the bathrooms aboard a plane.

That’s right. Fetus- Bathroom – Plane. A Continental Jet at Bush InterContinental Airport, Sunday afternoon. The crew made the discovery 2 hrs later when they showed up.

Two hours after the plane landed and all passengers had disembark and the culprit [s] have gone on their merry way. Of course police and the FBI are investigating.

{Adapted frm Khou.com}

Cytotec – The Abortion Pill

 The Ministry of Health in Barbados is investigating the illegal use of a drug in abortions.

Misoprostol best know by the brand name – Cytotec - is known in the drug class – gastric mucosa protectant.

Misoprostol {Cytotec} is commonly use to prevent stomach ulcers in paients  using  nonsteroidal antiflammatory drugs {NSAIDS – the drugs commonly used for arthritis, inflammation and pain }.

Cytotec reduces the amount of acid produced in the stomach and protects the stomach lining from the effects of acid.

 Cytotec is also use in unwanted pregnacies. Taken orally or broken in pieces and inserted vaginally can ripen a woman’s cervix and induce labour. Without the proper medical supervision, however it can cause serious adverse effects including maternal or fetal death, uterine rupture and severe vaginal bleeding and shock.

And because of this Chief Medical Officer Dr Joy St. John has confirmed authorities will be stepping up their vigilance on the medication after reports surfaced about the rising use of the drug from women and men mainly in their 20′ and 30′ inquiring  according to one pharmacist.

The abortion drug can be brought over the counter for about $100.00, as opposed to a supervised abortion which would cost about $700.00.

{Adapted from http://www.nationsnews.com}