Vanity ......

By following the link to http://www.lifenews.com/nat2486.html you will be able to read an unpleasant and disturbing article about the lengths that some people will go for the sake of beauty and rejuvenation and the lengths that others will go to cater for them and make money in the process.

One of the "by-products" of an aborted child is thought to be helpful in reversing the physical effects of ageing. There are clinics around the world that now offer a service to women who put vanity and personal appearance so high on their list of values. I say women but I dare say there are more than a few men who might want to look younger.

So abortion isn't enough. There is the dubious use of embryonic material for stem cell research, which at least has , as its objective, health improvement, however dubious the means of achieving this; but then we have the use of embryonic material for pure vanity. In a utilitarian age, it is not surprising that re-cycling can descend to such wicked depths. It seems odd that the re-cycling of body parts of their victims by the Nazis for medical and scientific purposes was rightly condemned, yet we take embryonic material for beauty purposes.
Is there a difference?

Abortion advertising

There is news today about a three month consultation on the proposal to allow advertising of pregnancy advice services (though abortion will not be mentioned) and condoms on television, including before the watershed. The word consultation needs to be taken with a pinch or two of salt. I suggested it is a PR word for a done deal.Why a done deal? Because the Government and such services work hand in hand to promote "good sexual health" and to educate young people about safe and responsible sexual activities. In fact they have been working together for a long time and with so much success that we have the highest rate of teenage pregnacy in Europe and alarming levels of sexually transmitted diseases. So succsessful has this information and education strategy been that they now would like to extend it via television into our front rooms.

What seems to have missed their attention is that the strategy has failed. Time for Plan B? Not really, they don't have a Plan B which does not include promotion of their "services" and sale of their products, including abortion both surgical and medical. But like the War and the Germans abortion is something we musn't mention.

The reality is that while we have a popular culture that is built significantly around sex and the promotion of sex as a must have lifestyle issue, it is hardly suprising that young people, at whom large parts of this culture is directed, will be influenced in their "lifestyle" choices. These influences are present in television programmes, including TV soaps aimed at younger people. It is unavoidable in the music business and in promotional music videos and live shows. It is part of much popular literature and used to sell just about anything. Access to sex is also probably now regarded as a Human Right. So even the best "sexually educated" young person is going to find a great deal of counter pressure given the influences around them. And of course we have a significant teenage alcohol problem in this country which adds further pressure and risk. Education is going to have limited impact in the face of the power of popular culture. In fact, the statistical evidence of pregnancy and STD levels would suggest that the not inconsiderable education and health promotion efforts to date have had limited success.

These are the inevitable outcomes of society that over promotes the cult of celebrity and its attendant manifestations in popular culture. Until we begin to stop buying into the deceits of popular culture, education on sexual health and behaviour will continue to fail, wasting time, money and lives. Unfortunately the tactics of the educators too often mimic the style of pop culture to get their message across. Popular culture has nothing to offer in terms of sex eucation

Cult of Death

Those who oppose the Gospel of Life are in the process of trying to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. No doubt encouraged by their success in eliminating millions of lives ( or foetuses as they might say) in the rest of the UK they want, in a spirit of democracy and social justice, to extend the same opportunities to the people of Northern Ireland. Well, we have the evidence of 41 years of lies and betrayal to guide us on this and that tells us that once you open the door slightly to something like this you finish up having it kicked in in your face. So if you want to do something to stem the tide sign the petition on the 10 Downing Street website. I understand the address is: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Anti-Abortion. The petition closes on 11/3/2008. You can also just Google 10 Downing Street and follow from there. Do it!

God or Mammon?

Our 2 Cardinals have both made robust comments about changes to the Abortion Act, in particular reminding our MPs about their duties as Catholics against their duties as an MP. They clearly face a dilemma; either way offending some element of their constituency. One Lancashire MP, if newspaper reports are correct, works it out along the lines of: I am an MP who is a Catholic, not a Catholic MP. Sounds like the influence of a good Jesuit education or a talent for political spin.



But it won't wash. You cannot resolve such a moral dilemma by choosing a noun instead of an adjective. If this MP chooses to abstain or to take a pro-abortion stance then it is clear which element of the constituency has the strongest call.



Yes it is difficult and we encounter the old arguments about back street abortions etc. all of which were and would be terrible and wicked things; but this MP and all other Catholic MP(or those MP who are Catholic) do not have the luxury of choice. Church teaching is clear and absolute and carries spiritual consequences for not following it.



It is difficult for an MP in this situation but they chose to take the responsibility of the offfice and they cannot trim their consciences when awkward decisions are to be made.



In fact they could take a stand and be a great example for the rest of us, because we are now entering a time in this country where the silent persecution of Catholics and other Christians has begun and will increase. The new religion of political correctness and the hidden agendas of those in power leave no room for the older faiths.



If that last thought sounds paranoid, read your newspaper more carefully and listen to the TV news reporting of religious matters. Battle is joined there are no non-combatants any more.