This week on the Pro-Life World View, we bring you interesting articles discussing a prophetic Mexican cardinal, a striking change of editorial policy on euthanasia and assisted suicide by an influential British newspaper, and a miracle baby born at the height of Hurricane Helene.
As abortion is decriminalized in Jalisco Mexican Cardinal decries murder of innocents
Diego López Colín – CNA
As abortion is decriminalized in Jalisco, Mexican cardinal tells legislators they will have to answer to God.
With fitting prophetic clarity, Mexican Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega has reminded politicians in his State’s legislature that “One day they will stand before God and have to answer why they passed a law intended to destroy innocent lives, which is what abortion is.” Jalisco State joins ten others that have decriminalised abortions for babies up to 12 weeks of gestation. Decriminalising abortion “should be called for what it is,” the Cardinal said, “murdering the innocent.” In New Zealand, abortion is legal up to birth, with the only requirement being that after 20 weeks, the “health practitioner reasonably believes that the abortion is clinically appropriate in the circumstances.”
The Times view on assisted dying
Alex Schadenberg – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
Influential British newspaper reverses editorial policy on assisted dying legislation
In a striking reversal of editorial policy, The Times, the influential British daily national newspaper, published a leading article warning of the dangers of a so-called assisted dying bill that would be debated in Parliament in Westminster later this year. The role of doctors would change from “preservers of life to … purveyors of death”; the “disabled or elderly and infirm … could come under insidious pressure to end their lives rather than be a ‘burden’ to family and society”; and the “slippery slope” argument has “an increasingly clear basis in reality” as shown by the experience of other countries. As Family Life International has also pointed out, in its submission to the seriously problematic Review of New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Act, currently in progress, The Times points to a different way forward: “to improve the specialist palliative care for all to a standard of excellence currently experienced by only some.”
Miracle babies were born during Hurricane Helene including baby Phoenix at 29-weeks
Grace Porto – LifeNews
Miracle Baby Born during Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene may have been a devastating hurricane of epic proportions, but that didn’t stop more than 30 babies from deciding it was time to be born. At least one couple consider their baby’s birth to be miraculous since tiny Phoenix was born at just 29 weeks, and at one stage, they didn’t think they could even have children. Phoenix is thriving despite her dramatic start. Storms rage, and yet the cycle of life still turns, or as one new Dad put it, “and then she pops out looking like this, it’s hard not to just fall in love.”
Assisted dying in NZ: Reviewers say oversight is so limited that wrongful deaths could go undetected
Isaac Davison – NZ Herald
Ministry of Health blocks review committee from investigating concerning cases of assisted death
Two of a three-member committee responsible for reviewing euthanasia and assisted suicide deaths under the End of Life Choice Act were blocked by the Ministry of Health from receiving vital information regarding cases that aroused their concerns. These concerns included the patient’s diagnosis, their prognosis, the assessment of their capacity or evidence of suspected coercion. One committee member resigned when they were told to “assume nothing was wrong” on receiving assisted death reports with blank sections.
Michelle Kaufman, Family Life International’s National Director, said:
“It is alarming that essential information about deaths have been withheld from people charged with ensuring the End of Life Choice Act is implemented in the way it is intended, even if the entire law is immoral. Members of Parliament need to be fearless in getting to the bottom of these apparent abuses of process by the Ministry of Health.”
The lethal risks of rushing the review of End of Life Choice Act
Alex Penk – The Post
Increasing pressure on patients to decide in favour of a euthanasia
In an opinion piece, Alex Penk, the chief executive of Ethos, a New Zealand education and advocacy body, draws attention to the publication of disturbing documents revealing that Health NZ and organ donation services are enthusiastic about “creating a clinical pathway to facilitate donation of organs and other tissues following assisted dying.” Such a clinical pathway risks increasing pressures on patients and families to decide in favour of euthanasia or assisted suicide. He laments the lack of scrutiny of euthanasia reports due to the Review Committee not meeting for several months in 2023. All this is in the context of the fundamentally flawed End of Life Choice Act which, whilst it’s based on supposed freedom of choice, concedes that coercion is hard to detect by requiring only that doctors must “do their best” to ensure patients are not being pressured into choosing to end their lives through euthanasia or assisted suicide.
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