Facts of Life Email: March 17, 2006

CURRENT LIFE ISSUES:

u Only 2 of the 38 patients who used Oregon’s assisted suicide law last year were ordered to undergo a psychological exam before taking their own life. The Death With Dignity Act requires Oregon doctors to order such an exam if they think the judgment of a patient seeking assisted suicide is impaired by a psychological disorder. The findings released in Thursday’s annual report on assisted suicide show a continuing downward trend in such referrals. The law took effect in 1998; in its first two years, doctors referred more than 30% of patients for psychiatric exams. Those numbers plunged to between 13 and 19% in the third, fourth and fifth years. In each of the past three years, doctors ordered psychiatric exams for just 5%. Learn more about Oregon's law and the dangers of euthanasia in California!

u A treatment using adult stem cells to help heart patients rebuild their hearts is undergoing the second phase of its trials. Baxter International will use the cells to treat 150 patients to create new blood vessels in their cardiovascular system. This is the first phase-two study of its kind approved by the FDA. The first phase, involving 24 patients, found great success with many having to take fewer nitrate tablets or being able to resume activities such as walking or using a treadmill — tasks they were unable to do before the trial began. Heart disease is the single leading cause of death in America, responsible for an estimated one in every five deaths; a successful treatment could have profound impact. Learn more about medical and ethical benefits of adult stem cell research!

u The Supreme Court is hearing the partial birth abortion case with more information than previous cases. Cathleen Cleaver Ruse of the Family Research Council wrote that the “most profound difference” between the current partial-birth abortion case and the previous one “is that now there is a genuine trial record... Not since Roe v. Wade has so much information about the practice of abortion been available in the public record.” Much of the information in the case involves “first person” accounts of physicians talking about procedures that would be banned under the law. But “hard evidence” such as medical records sought by the Department of Justice was denied by hospitals. Follow this story on our news page.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CPLC:

u The 2006 CPLC Youth Oratory Contest State Finals are just around the corner! It's not too late to get involved, we need your help to make sure every pro-life student has the chance to speak!  It's easier than you think! Visit www.californiaprolife.org/speak or contact our office for all the details!

JOIN THE ADVENTURE!
CPLC has a variety of educational resources for you to share with your community. Learn more about all the current issues and how to get involved!

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"Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem."
Walt Whitman

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California ProLife Council (CPLC) www.californiaprolife.org is the largest statewide organization in California solely dedicated to pro-life issues. CPLC is a non-sectarian, non-partisan, non-profit grassroots organization of pro-life groups and individuals in California dedicated to protecting and fostering the most basic value of our society-respect for LIFE itself. We seek to educate our community in regard to abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide, to identify and organize the pro-life population of the state into an effective team, and to restore respect for human life to public policy. California ProLife Council is the California affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, Inc. www.nrlc.org

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