Baby Six Billion

Baby Six Billion

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director
Priests for Life

I received a letter the other day scribbled with the following words: "All the rest of God's creation cannot continue to be destroyed because the human species is breeding itself out of resources. Get real…The world is already saturated with unwanted humans!"

Another pro-abortion person told me the world "sighs with relief" when people die from disasters.

Interesting perspective.

This way of thinking is fueled by comments often heard at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), referring to a "world devastated by human activities." This description was used recently, as the world reached the "Day of Six Billion."

Our population has reached six billion. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Population controllers mourn it as a disaster. On the other hand, a prestigious group of international leaders recently signed a statement entitled "Welcome, Baby Six Billion," which pointed out that this event is a blessing.

Overpopulation fears are too often misplaced. The problem is neither that there are too many people nor that there are too few resources. The problems, instead, are selfishness, the use of food as a weapon by dictators, and the interference by some governments with food production and adequate distribution.

As far as the existence of resources, to quote the statement mentioned above, "Enough grain is produced for every person on earth to consume 3500 calories daily. If you add to that meat, fish, fruit and all other food sources, there is 4.3 pounds of food produced per person every day."

As far as the number of people, the statement points out, "Underpopulation, not overpopulation, is the greater threat to the world today. By the beginning of next year, over seventy countries representing over half the world's population will have below replacement rate fertility - defined as 2.1 children per woman. The populations of the developed nations are not doubling today, but are declining."

During the years I worked at the Vatican, there was hardly a day that some document from the United Nations did not come across my desk. No matter what the theme of the paper, the concern about "too many people" was rarely absent.

Except, that is, for the reports about what the experts in demography were saying. The concern over declining population has solid evidence to back it up, and meetings have been held at UN headquarters to discuss what to do about it. No clear solution is in sight.

We might get a clue where to start, however, by reflecting on our reaction to the birth of the world's Six Billionth Baby. Can we rejoice? Can we give thanks for life, which "is always a good" (Evangelium Vitae 30)? Can we bring ourselves, and at least one other person, to echo the sentiments of the recent statement which concluded by saying, "We are grateful that Baby Six Billion has come into the world. Baby Six Billion, boy or girl, red or yellow, black or white, is not a liability, but an asset. Not a curse, but a blessing. For all of us."

Canada Catholic Bishop Will Deny Politicians Communion if They Support Abortion

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 28, 2008
(

Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- A top Catholic official in Canada is encouraging elected officials of the Catholic faith to turn from their pro-abortion views if they want to continue receiving communion. Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast says he will first speak with politicians who support abortion and encourage them to convert to the pro-life perspective.

But, for those elected officials who continue to advocate legal abortions, he would tell them they shouldn't be taking part in the Christian sacrament.

“Given your stubbornness on this particular issue, you should not publicly receive the Eucharist until you’ve changed your mind," he told the Western Catholic Reporter about what he'd say.

Archbishop Prendergast's warning would be instructional rather than condemning.

“The bishop is not a policeman,” he said. “He is a father in Christ, a Shepherd of his flock.”

He also encouraged Catholic parishioners to do their own part to urge Catholic politicians to follow the teachings of the Church in their public policy.

“We all have to live our lives as faithful Christians in politics, in public life, in the schools and in every area of life,” he said. “As I get to know the politicians I will speak to them on these issues and hopefully we’ll be able to make progress."

Last month, Saint Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said St. Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus was wrong to make pro-abortion comments while attending a rally for pro-abortion presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Burke told the Post-Dispatch he would deny the coach communion because his views on abortion and human life are so far out of step with the Catholic Church.

The Catholic leader received significant attention during the 2004 presidential election for saying he would not give communion to Democratic candidate John Kerry, who backed abortion and embryonic stem cell research।

How does the birth control pill work?

All birth control pills:

Act to suppress ovulation - but does not always succeed in doing this. What doe this mean? That "breakthrough" ovulation can occur.

Cause changes in the cervical mucus- but this doesn't always have its intended effect, which is to prevent the sperm from reaching the ovu.

Cause change in the lining of the womb- so that it doesn't grow to its proper natural thickness. If a fertilized ovum (in essence, a human embryo and therefore a human life) comes into the thinner, altered lining of the womb, the embryo cannot implant,a nd so dies. This is chemical abortion.

Slow the movement in the fallopian tubes. This sometimes results in an ectopic pregnancy.

-Love Life Magazine Volume 1 no. 2, page 15

A summary of "An Analysis of the Estimated Figure of induced abortions in

sharing with you another insightful article from the prolife newsletter 7/28/08:

A summary of "An Analysis of the Estimated Figure of induced abortions in
the Philippines in 2000 as published in a 2006 Guttmacher Institute report
by Susheela Singh et al"

By Dr. Roberto De Vera
University of Asia and the Pacific

In the 2006 Guttmacher Institute report "Unintended Pregnancies and Induced
Abortions in the Philippines: Causes and Consequences", Susheela Singh et al
estimated that there were 473,000 induced abortions completed in the
Philippines in 2000 using a method consisting of three steps. First, based
on reports gathered from 2,039 hospitals which contained the top ten leading
causes of admission in the 1999-2001 period, they arrived at an estimate of
the number of women in 2000 who were hospitalized due to complications from
both induced and spontaneous abortions. Second, they calculated the number
of women hospitalized for induced abortions by subtracting the estimated
number of women hospitalized for spontaneous abortions (or miscarriages)
from the estimated number of women hospitalized for induced and spontaneous
abortions. Finally, they arrived at the estimated number of women who had
induced abortions by multiplying the estimated number of women hospitalized
for complications due to induced abortions by 6 to account for the women who
had induced abortions who didn't go to the hospital.

We find that their method overestimates the figure of induced abortions in
the Philippines in 2000 because of three flaws. These flaws had the effect
of 1) overestimating the figure for women hospitalized for spontaneous and
induced abortions due to an assumption that is weakly supported by
statistical data; 2) underestimating the number of women hospitalized for
complications due to spontaneous abortions (or miscarriages) because it
mistakenly covers only those women with spontaneous abortions occurring in
12th to 22nd week of pregnancy who were hospitalized for complications; and
3) using a multiplier which most likely is higher than the ratio of the
number of women who have induced abortions to the number of women who are
hospitalized for complications due to induced abortions.

Using modified version of the Singh et al methodology (corrected to account
for the above flaws), we arrived at an alternative estimate of 25,924
induced abortions in the Philippines in 2000 (1.3 abortions per 1,000 women
in the reproductive age). Using a second method, we multiplied 0.0117, the
share of induced abortions to live births by the number of live births in
2000, to arrive at second estimate of 20,831 induced abortions in the
Philippines in 2000 (1.1 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age). We
consider these two estimates of induced abortion in the Philippines in 2000
to be more reasonable than the 473,000 estimate (24.5 induced abortions per
1,000 women of reproductive age) published in the 2006 Guttmacher Institute
report.


Ma. Fenny C. Tatad
Executive Director, Bishops-Legislators Caucus of the Philippines

Titus 2 Wife And Mommy For The Glory Of God: The truth about birth control

Titus 2 Wife And Mommy For The Glory Of God: The truth about birth control

GLOBAL FILIPINO NATION CAUTIONS NATIONAL OFFICIALS ON POPULATION POLICY

This statement focuses on population policy in the context of poverty
alleviation goals of the country. The main contention is the fact that
population control measures are not effective in bringing down birth rates.
The statement abstains from contentious debates relating to women's rights,
health issues, pro-life vs. pro-choice polemic, the religious stance,
environmental impact, eugenics and nativism. Those important debates, which
should be reserved for separate fora, do not directly relate to poverty
alleviation.
-------------------------
Global Filipino Nation (GFN), an international association of global

Filipinos, their families and onshore Filipinos advocating good governance,
has cautioned national officials from labeling divergent views on population
policy and control as "narrow-minded, parochial and stupid". On the
contrary, GFN asserts that worldwide economic history and empirical evidence
do not support the policy premise that population control measures
effectively bring down birth rates, thus advancing poverty alleviation
goals.

Evidence shows that population growth rates decline, not a result of
deliberate population policy, but due to economic growth, education and the
rise of women's rights.

At the lowest stage of economic development, population growth rates tend to
be high. Children, including sons and daughters of age and married, serve a
social insurance function: working in the fields, contributing to family
income, fulfilling household tasks, helping finance the schooling of
siblings and providing for the old age of parents.

As societies grow economically, incomes rise and formal forms of social
insurance develop -- resulting in the reduced value of children as an
informal form of social insurance. Awareness and expectations of social
mobility spread, inducing the youth to postpone the age of marriage and
couples to reduce the number of children. Movements promoting women's
rights and gender equality have contributed to a decrease in the number of
children.

Worldwide population control measures adopted have not been effective. They
have been introduced generally when population growth rates have been on the
decline in many countries, including China. Even the Philippines is
undergoing a perceptible population growth decline, with the rate dropping
from the 3%+ levels of the 60s to the current level of 1.95% as estimated by
the Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board. Growth rate data
would be more meaningful if net migration figures are revealed.

Birth rates in highly-developed countries have decreased to bare replacement
levels. Many Western nations, such as the U.S. and Canada, grow only due to
immigration. Some European countries are facing an absolute decline in
population. Japan would experience a declining population as the post-World
War II generation dies off. More and more observers are becoming fearful of
too many elderly people rather than too many babies. Ironically, the still
relatively robust birth rate of the Philippines has served as a national
social safety net, given population migration *cum* remittances.

Policy makers should exercise caution lest they succumb to the geopolitical
goals of developed countries and the perceived post-Cold War era concerns
about immigration pressures, national security and environmental
degradation. Policy makers, especially politicians, should also resist the
temptation of formulating judgments on what is good for families and making
major decisions in the lives of the people.

GFN urges policy makers to focus on pro-growth policies, including
dismantling the special interest obstacles to growth, rather than apply
resources to misguided population policy.

source: prolife e-mail newsletter

Understanding the Catholic Stand: Why Pills Cause Early Abortion

Us Filipinos should always defend life--because life is for everyone: born or unborn. That is why it's important to appreciate where the Church stands on controversial issues and why.

Here's a way to learn more why we should defend our Catholic faith's stand against the Reproductive Health Bill.

The Church is against the bill because, among other things, the Reproductive Health Bill will allow abortion. How? The Catholic Church has always taught that "Life begins at conception" that is, upon the union of the sperm and the egg.

Population Control groups are now insisting now that "life begins at implantation." This gives them the excuse to destroy the fertilized egg (3-5day old fetus/baby) before implantation which is what most contraceptive pills do. Some 15 years ago, oral contraceptive pills had 400 mcg. of ethinyl estradiol to prevent ovulation (ovary's production of a mature ovum) but caused nausea and headaches, which made it unpopular. They reduced ethinyl estradiol to less than 10% (30 mcg), to make it more popular. Oral contraceptive pills today have reduced contents of ethinyl estradiol, which allows ovulation (production of a mature egg and the union of the sperm with the egg). BUT why won't you get pregnant? Oral contraceptives now have an added chemical, levonorgestrel, that prevents implantation of the fertilized egg ( 3-5day old fetus/baby). This causes early abortion.

I am learning much from the website of Pro-Life Philippines, which tackles contraception and other anti-life issues: www.prolife.org.ph