The Week in Review: 21-27 January, A.D. 2007

The March for Life
God bless, them, the Canadian-base LifeSite has covered the March for Life, and will do more of it in upcoming days. Their link is here:
http://www.lifesite.net/
I know there's a lot of links regarding the march in the Catholic blogosphere. I'm more concerned with the mainstream media because, you know what? That's where the folks I work with on a day to day basis get their information. They don't even know the Catholic blogosphere exists, much less do they get any information from it. Heck, for that matter, I try to limit my time on the internet, and this is why:
Study- Americans spend more time with computer than spouse...
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_5075438
Having said that, though,

Where did the March for Life go?
As of Wednesday morning, there was a media blackout regarding the March for Life. As of Friday morning (when I put this little piece together), there still is, among the mainstream media, including the mainstream "alternative media" like Drudge Report. Jeff Miller over at The Curt Jester commented on this on his Monday , 22 Jan post, "Newsworthy means advancing their agenda" (he also has an interesting link, but I won't put it here. Go to his blog). I didn't expect to hear anything about it on our local NPR radio station, and I can't say anything about what's on TV, since we don't have one. If I had to guess, though, on a multiple choice test regarding TV coverage, I'd check the answer, "Minimal coverage, and what there was came with lots of pro-abortion spin." But, nothing on Drudge Report, except the oblique reference to Bush's telephone call (linked below). WorldNetDaily? Nothing. Although WorldNetDaily, in general, does an excellent job regarding abortion and it's offspring, they have been silent on this. However, WNF did post an excellent commentary by David Kupelian,
Lies and fraud of Roe v. Wade
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53872

How about Catholic News Service? These two articles. The first is a pretty good overview,
Culture of life means changing hearts, president tells March for Life
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0700411.htm

The second is the usual namby pamby pish posh one expects from our frightened senior prelates.
Cardinal- 'Reasons for rejoicing' exist despite legalized abortion
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0700393.htm

I'd do considerably more rejoicing if some of our frightened senior prelates had the guts to go head to head with some of our "Catholic" abortion-supporting politicians... But never mind that, let's look at the data.
The most recent data available from the CDC is from 2003, and this data shows the number of abortions as showing, at best, minimal decreases, with the overall numbers holding more or less steady at around 850,000 (CDC) or around 1 million (Alan Guttmacher Institute[1]) per year. Most abortions are still being performed on women who are unmarried (82%) white (55%) and under 25 years old (51%)[2]. Teenage girls (19 years old or less) accounted for 20% of all abortion in 1995, 18.8% in 2000, and 17.7% in 2003. Yes, that is a slight decrease. Women aged 20-25 accounted for 32.5% of all abortions in 1995, and 33.5% in 2003[3]. That's a slight increase and, interestingly, parallels the increase in out of wedlock pregnancy rate among 20 somethings (see link below). What we really have is a more or less steady state situation, with percentages in individual subcategories (such as age) swishing around a bit. Further, these data sets track primarily traditional surgical abortions. Medical abortions, on the other hand, are rapidly rising, and are far more difficult to track. In 2003 they were 8% of all abortions reported to the CDC[4], a small fraction of the overall number, to be sure, but an over 400% increase from 2001.[5] And, none of these data sets counts the unknown, and unknowable, number of early abortions caused by hormonal contraceptives - the birth control pill and all it's friends. Not to mention good old Plan B.

In the same article, Cardinal Rigali stated that the Church's position on abortion is "one of profound concern for the unborn..." Gosh, and all this time I thought the Church's position was that abortion represented the murder of an innocent person, an act which is a mortal sin and which could, if unrepented, land the one who had the abortion (as well as though one who performed it, and possibly those who assisted) in Hell for all eternity. Silly me.

Lest you think I'm being too hard on our frightened senior prelates, try this:
Bishop and Priest Hasten to Apologize to Pro-Abortion Politician for Homily Calling Him to Account
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012502.html
The deacon had some guts, and his superiors pulled the rug out from under him. Try this:
First Things' Fr. Neuhaus Criticizes Archbishop Wuerl on Pro-Abortion Politicians Fiasco
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012501.html

On the positive side, though, we have this:
Lawsuits threatens Planned Parenthood, other abortion clinics
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53807

And this:
Mom, meet your (unborn) child!
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53829

But, on the grim side, I have maintained that American medical students are simply marinated in the liberal left wing pro-death culture. Granted, I graduated from medical school twenty years ago this June (self disclosure! And, yes, Frank, it's true...two decades since we graduated. Who's the old man now? Huh?) so maybe things have changed. But Drudge ran a link a day or two ago, which apparently crashed the link's site, and has since been removed from Drudge. Or, at least I can't find it. But
Denise Hunnell over at Catholic Mom (http://catholic-mom.blogspot.com/) commented on it, and now it's up at LifeSite:
“Roe v. Wade Week” at Yale Features Do It Yourself Abortions
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012503.html

The Society Section...
Informed Choice — Mental Health and Abortion
http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/9736

Informed-Choice Bill May Have Tough Time in Congress
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003693.cfm

Out-of-Wedlock Babies- Intended . . . Or Not-
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/12225/BLI/datadigest/index.htm

Canadian City Councillor Fined $1000 for Saying Homosexuality “not Normal or Natural”
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07011902.html

...and Entertainment:
SHOCK- Bestiality film premieres at Redford's SUNDANCE...
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-121sundance,0,6997847.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

No Buyers for Dakota Fanning Rape Movie
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246698,00.html

Pope Says Parents Must Counter Media’s “Formative” Influence on Children
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012507.html

You bet'cha.

Here's the financial news:
Payment For Stem Cell Eggs Debated
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=40562

RICHARD BRANSON LAUNCHES 'VIRGIN' STEM-CELL STORAGE COMPANY
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9068-2566831,00.html

And foreign affairs:
Vatican says Chinese church growing; pope to write Chinese Catholics
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0700380.htm

Miscellaneous,
FDA Considers Lowering Acceptable “Failure” Rate on Approved Contraceptive Pills
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012411.html

I've included this for interest, but also because there's a minor error in the article. As those of you who've been bravely soldiering on with the stem cell series will immediately recognize, it's not a zygote which is aborted by oral contraceptives (or, for that matter, the IUD or any other hormonal contraceptive method: injected, implanted, or pasted on), it's the blastocyst.

And, the Last but not Least department.
Contraceptive side effects study needed- panel
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070124/ts_nm/contraceptives_fda_dc

Lights 'not of this world' mystery finally solved
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53936

I told you so.

Ciao.

Endnotes
[1] "Facts in Brief: Induced Abortion in the United States" The Alan Guttmacher Institute, Washington, DC/NY,NY, 2005. Available at www.guttmacher.org AGI is the pro-abortion arm of Planned Parenthood, but they keep good data, probably more accurate than CDC, which undercounts abortion data by 20% or more.
[2] "Abortion Surveillance - United States, 2003." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports Surveillance Summaries 24 November 2006, Vol.55/SS-11
[3] ibid, Table 1
[4] ibid, Table 8
[5] ibid, Table 1