No War with Iran!         This summer has been a busy one across the United States for local rallies. On July 28, many events to support defunding Planned Parenthood took place, motivated by the recent undercover video investigation by the Center for Medical Progress, and August 26 was a day for supporting the multi-country deal with Iran to keep them from developing nuclear weapons and prevent war. Both events naturally had plenty of consistent-lifers attending, from Rochester New York to Portland Oregon.   Lisa Stiller and Beaverton Oregon rally organizer Peg Wills    ^^^^^^^   Watch out for “Pink Out” Day: September 22           Planned Parenthood supporters are declaring a U.S.-wide “Pink Out” day of action, for people to show their support for PP by wearing pink on September 22. You might want consider your attire that day accordingly.         ^^^^^^^   Yet Again: Lower Maternal Mortality           When the countries of Poland and Nicaragua banned legalized abortion, their maternal mortality went down -- contrary to abortion defender’s predictions. Now comes a new study in the British Medical Journal that took advantage of the fact that the 32 states in Mexico have differing laws on abortion. Since they’re all similar in culture and national politics, they can be compared.         What authors find is that once again, maternal mortality is lower in those states that have more restrictions against abortion than in those states that don’t.         However, in discussing the statistical findings, the researchers say, &ldqldquo;Although less permissive states exhibited consistently lower maternal mortality rates, this finding was not explained by abortion legislation itself. Rather, these differences were explained by other independent factors, which appeared to have a more favourable distribution in these states.”         In other words, just as in Poland and Nicaragua, being sensitive to the needs of pregnant women and therefore providing the services they need seems to be associated with abortion’s unavailability. Conversely, abortion’s availability seems to be associated with more laxity in seeing to pregnant women’s needs. (See quotation below.)   ^^^^^^^ Latest CL Blog           Bill Samuel (CL President) asks “Does the Consistent Ethic Water Down Life Issues?” His answer, of course, is no – read on to see his reasons.   ^^^^^^^   Quotation of the Week Tina McCormick Babies or Parts: What Science Do We Want?  New Boston Post, August 30, 2015             Our encounter with infants, with the weak and needy, makes us truly human and perfects our personhood. It invites our compassion and triggers a nurturing impulse without which a society cannot survive . . . The exploitative cutting up of a human fetus dehumanizes all those who take part in the process:  the nurse, technician, and doctor. Their impulse to protect and nurture is numbed. It is their humanity, not just that of the fetus, that is at risk.

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