Jivin J’s Life Link 3-8-11
by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat
- Abby Johnson and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards have dueling editorials in AOL News on the federal funding of PP. From Abby’s piece:
And while Planned Parenthood says abortions make up just 3% of its services, I found they used an sleight of hand, unbundling family planning services so each patient shows anywhere from five to 20 “visits” per appointment (12 packs of birth control would show up as 12 individual visits).
- Scientists have developed a new test where they by testing a pregnant woman’s blood, they can determine if the she is carrying a child has Down Syndrome:
The blood test has been developed by the scientists in Cyprus after they identified the key DNA difference that flags up DS, a chromosomal condition caused by presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. Infants with DS, which is characterized by severe physical and mental impairments, have an extra copy of Chromosome 21. As DNA can cross the placenta from the baby to the mother, the blood test looks for chemical differences and extra chromosomes – a telltale defect in unborn babies.
- A Maryland county has settled a lawsuit with pro-lifers who were arrested and strip searched after displaying graphic images of abortion. Part of the lawsuit requires Harford County to ensure that those type of searches never happen again to people exercising their freedom of speech.
[Photo via SanDiegoDownSyndrome.org]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
That’s good that it was settled in court. When there smart enough to figure out how to kill millions of babies with minimal effective public outcry there smart enough to intimidate, thankfully we still live in a democracy and our freedoms help balance madness.
Fantastic, a non-invasive test for DS… that’ll let them use all those great in-utero therapies that cure DS… oh… wait… the therapy is to kill the patient. No thanks.
Exactly, Joshua. This test exists to eliminate people with DS from our world. It’s disgusting.
What a beautiful child! I love his fuzzy hair!
Cecile Richards says in her article: “Where will all these people get basic care if the House proposal becomes law?”
Funny. I used to think that getting basic health care was found at the doctor’s office (that’s where I go). There’s also other clinics that provide basic health care. There ARE places besides PP where people can go to get healthcare. PP is NOT the only place to get affordable healthcare.
Richards says: “It will simply leave more women with nowhere to turn for their basic health care needs.”
See my above comment.
Richards says: “Their budget proposal would also increase needless deaths from breast and cervical cancer, by cutting off access to tests that can detect those conditions while they are still treatable.”
My sister is a breast cancer survivor. She actually caught it way earlier than most and it wasn’t with PP’s help. Actually it was her Natural Family Planning chart (NFP) that alerted her to a problem. She went to the doc and the doc said she had breast cancer and was very surprised by how early they caught it. The doc said normally breast cancer wasn’t caught that early. She’s been in remission for years.
Also, women can learn how to do self-breast exams, which can help alert to potential problems. A doc that does breast exams can teach you how. My doc and my mother taught me.
There’s places that aren’t PP that provide mamograms as well.
Richards says: “Affordable birth control actually saves the taxpayers money — about $4 for every dollar invested.”
Affordable family planning? Sure, no problem. Check out Natural Family Planning. There’s several methods and if you’re within the limits of the Arch-Diocese of Galveston-Houston I know NFP teachers there that within the Standard Sympo-Thermal Method (SST) can give you a price break if you need it. Also Couple To Couple League might be able to help too (http://www.ccli.org ). There’s other methods as well.
Speaking of Downs’ my angel is now 20. Has overcome leukemia, hyperthyroidism, and is in remission with the Juvenile Dermatomytositis. Now he’s napping after eating pork roast tacos. Having had added more to my life in his 20 years than one would think possible. Thank you Lord that when the world would try to usurp your role your still more than able to add a little drama to their lives. Gracias Senor.
Why do tax-payers have to pay for this? Abortion and other methods of population control appear to be PP’s main concern: From their IRS Tax form of 2008 (copy for public inspection), this is their stated mission:
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC.
13-1644147
FORM 990, PART III, LINE 1 – ORGANIZATION’S MISSION ===================================================
THE PURPOSE OF THE FEDERATION IS: (A) TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP:
– IN MAKING EFFECTIVE MEANS OF VOLUNTARY FERTILITY REGULATION, INCLUDING CONTRACEPTION, ABORTION, STERILIZATION, AND INFERTILITY SERVICES, AVAILABLE AND FULLY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL AS A CENTRAL ELEMENT TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE:
– IN ACHIEVING, THROUGH INFORMED INDIVIDUAL CHOICE, A U.S. POPULATION OF STABLE SIZE IN AN OPTIMUM ENVIRONMENT; – IN STIMULATING AND SPONSORING RELEVANT BIOMEDICAL, SOCIO-ECONOMIC, AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH;
– IN DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE INFORMATION, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. (B) TO SUPPORT AND ASSIST EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE SIMILAR GOALS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
STATEMENT 1 09507L 2231 V08-8.3 2129793 82
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/PPFA_FY09_Form_990_Copy_for_Public_Inspection.PDF
Since one of the arguments I’ve seen here against prenatal testing for Down Syndrome has been that it occasionally produces a false negative, I can only assume that news of a new test where there is no threat of that happening will be well-received.
Yes, joan, YAY for no “normal” babies being accidentally offed. Just the ones who aren’t. Oh, glorious progress.
(I just remembered – you’re the one who likes to joke about people with DS, like Trig Palin. You could hardly resist a comment about this, could you? You’re a bigot, joan, plain and simple.)
myrtle, I didn’t know you had a son with DS. God bless you! I bet you’re his angel, too. :)
Thanks for the great pics, LastDem. People think I’m weird when I say Down Syndrome kids are cute. I think that dwarf babies are cute, too. But then again, all babies are adorable to me.
I looked at their study Papageorgious et al Nature Medicine, 2011). No false-positives and no false-negatives. So, yes, it is good news, in a sense, that this seemingly superior test will likely have fewer deaths due to mistakenly believing that the developing child has Down syndrome.
However, there is a limit: they tested only 40 altogether: 14 Down syndrome, and 26 without.
By testing only 40 altogether, they cannot yet determine the actual rate of false positives and false negatives; there could be a fair amount who, biologically on this blood test will be predicted to have one outcome (Yes/No Down Syndrome present or not), but are actually the other.
The analyses work by evaluating characteristics in the blood, then giving a score to these characteristics. They then “weight” the score. If the resulting score is above zero, that child is labeled as likely DS. If below zero, then labelled likely not. For these 40 test cases, the scores for each group get fairly close to that zero mark, indicating that with a greater sample, the range could overlap zero (and so be a false test result) for either group.
So, this looks like it is better than the prevailing tests, where 5% of babies tested to have DS actually do not (false positives). So, yes, so far it looks like a lower portion of babies will be aborted for mistakenly testing as DS, but the results presented so far are not able to declare a zero error rate. That type of evidence is not yet published / broadcast.
More important: moms with their down Syndrome babies:
http://picasaweb.google.com/BarbarasMommyLife/OurLittleExtrasMomsCelebrateDownSyndrome?feat=embedwebsite#
Joan, the only reason WE mention DS testing is to inform the women that decide to abort that their purpose for aborting may not achive the consequence they were seeking: they were possibly aborting their “normal child.” Our stance Joan is that aborting for the reason of DS is called Eugenics and that leads to Hitler’s mentality and reasonning. It is wrong to abort for DS.
Hi joan,
Regarding false-positives:
An article at Suite101.com reports results from one study that showed a 3.5% occurrence of false positives which would require the mother to be retested with amniocentesis. It’s reported that clinical use is two years away, FYI.
I was happy to read the last line of the article where the author, Sheila Holloway, states (in a round-about way) that she’s not in favor of mothers aborting their Down’s babies. She writes, “An alarming number of parents decide to terminate the pregnancy”.
http://www.suite101.com/content/new-prenatal-test-for-down-syndrome-a356732
Three sources are listed at the end of her article.
Where will people go without Planned Parenthood? This is a serious, serious issue that needs to be addressed.
When Planned Parenthood disappears, so will all of the services they provide.
Who will be left to squeeze a woman’s breasts and call that a breast exam, taking credit for the mammography that they never administered?
Who will be left to purchase the lowest quality condoms and pills, guaranteeing that their patients contract STD’s, for which they will then charge to test and treat?
Who will be left to provide such substandard contraception, and be able to claim that 54% of all women showing up for abortions conceived in the month that they were using those substandard contraceptives?
Who will be left to help enable such reckless behavior in children, helping those children to deceive their parents?
Who will be left to test for the HIV contracted through the combined effects of promiscuity and failed condoms dished up daily at PP’s across the land?
Who will aid and abet pedophiles and sex traffickers?
Who will be left to accept donations earmarked for the abortions of African Americans?
Who will be left to counsel women contemplating abortion that the heart does not start beating until six months?
Who will be left to drive the STD’s rates through the roof by admonishing people to contravene the CDC’s own Fact Sheet on male condoms?
Hopefully nobody will be left.
Hopefully we’ll grow up and get a clue from the CDC data.
Hopefully Cecile will retire on her blood money to some remote corner of the planet and rid our nation of her shadow.
In the drive to defeat Planned Parenthood in my community, I’ve constructed a website with a good amount of information with great links. It’s very serviceable for parents’ groups. Spread it around:
http://proudparentssi.wordpress.com/
“Who will be left to enable such reckless behavior in children, helping those children to deceive their parents?”
Solution: be a better parent.
Kel
Thanks. I’ve learned a lot being Daniel’s caregiver and his mom. When I come here and hear people intelligently advocating for life it brings healing to my spirit.
Megan, I can assure you that a great many good parents have seen their children misled by these beasts. One should not have to fund pigs like Cecile and company with their tax dollars and then suffer the need to be more vigilant.
Eliminating the predatory agency seems to be the best solution.
Solution: be a better parent.
What a great diversion from the topic at hand. Children are susceptible to negative outside influences, even when they have great parents. PP tries to break the parent/child bond, undermining what is a parent’s responsibility, not theirs. They think they KNOW BETTER.
Dr.Nadal
I’m hoping that all monies taken from Planned Parenthood will be invested in quality health care for women. And of course the possibility of that happening will increase when all women have a better sense of their legacy as American women.
Solution: Be a better parent.
That is an awesome solution. And if parents just had to parent their children and not Planned Parenthood too things would probably be a little less complicated.
Myrtle, not to get personal, but do you get many negative comments about your child? I hope not. I ask this because I mentioned I have family members who are really hostile towards mentally handicapped people, especially those with DS. Sometimes I think that they really hate them.
I mentioned to a relative that I thought that children with dwarfism were often adorable and she looked absolutely disgusted, then recited a whole litany of physical problems that little people often have — in other words, their lives are so miserable that they should be dead. And these words were coming from a practising Christian. Sad.
phillymiss
I love to answer questions about Daniel. It validates my job as his mom and caregiver. I’ve encountered a lot of ignorance but I’ve also encountered a lot of caring people and the good far outweighs the bad. For so long I was so concerned about being a good Christian that I would just tolerate ignorance. Now I don’t so that makes a big difference. When he was younger and I would bring him to the store he would get a lot of stares and it really bothered me. I had to just make up my mind not to let it bother me. Now if it happens I really don’t notice. The biggest hurts I encounter with Daniel is we’re economically disadvantaged so he qualifies for certain programs. A few not many have come into my home with the attitude that of course because I was economically disadvantaged that they knew not only what was best for my son but also what was best for me. I’ve seen Daniel through leukemia, hyperthyroidism, Juvenile Dermatomytositis since he was ten he has stopped walking 3 times now not only does he walk he walks well. So that lets me know I must be doing something right. I think home training has a lot to do with it. My mom and dad were both kind people. Once when he was in the hospital it was before he was diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyocitis an aide came into my room to help me and told me her daughter was handicapped and that she was in a group home and of course that was the best place for her. I felt kind of intimidated like she was suggesting that was probably the best solution for Daniel too. The human mind though is very complicated. She might have just been feeling a little guilty she wouldn’t or couldn’t keep her daughter at home. I doubt seriously your family thinks dwarfs would be better of dead. Maybe you should ask them.
Megan says:
March 8, 2011 at 4:53 pm
“Who will be left to enable such reckless behavior in children, helping those children to deceive their parents?”
Solution: be a better parent.
Being better parents is something every parent should strive for, this is true. However, like another poster pointed out, even parents who work hard to be good parents (and are) and who love their children immensely could still suffer the hurt of their child going to PP and PP helping the kid lie to said parents.
Myrtle, Daniel is clearly one heck of a tough guy. :)
Thanks for your wonderful story. Did you know that George Will has DS child? Not a big fan of George, but he’s taught his child to play chess!
Marauder
Yes he is.
phillymiss
George Will the journalist? I’m not surprised there are people with Downs’ who go to college. Daniel doesn’t speak a lot but lately even that is improving.
Myrtle,
It sounds like you are an awesome mom!
I love your comment March 8 @ 5:33 pm!
Janet
I don’t know about awesome. Most of the time I’m too tired to be awesome. And I lack a lot of the tools I need to be awesome but I am very stubborn. I kind of plod along and everything works out. I really believe what I posted. I don’t think it’s fair to expect someone to be a good parent when the deck is stacked against them. We live in a democracy though and agencies can be held accountable. People just need to remember the reason they got angry in the first place and continue to fight until the situation changes.