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Staying informed on 'drastic changes' in life issues

The LCMS

The first months of 2009 have seen a flurry of federal policy changes in life issues, prompting LCMS Life Ministries to post news bulletins about President Obama’s overturn of the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and a proposed change in health care workers’ “conscience rights,” among other actions.

LCMS Life and Health Ministries Director Maggie Karner attributes what she calls an unusually high number of news alerts to “drastic changes in policy toward life issues from the new federal administration” plus an intentional effort by Life Ministries and the LCMS Sanctity of Life Committee to take a more active leadership role in the public square.  

“As pro-life Christians, it is critically important that we stay on top of these issues — especially now, because the Obama administration has proven so far that they are not sympathetic in any way to pro-life causes,” Karner said.

The summer issue of Life Ministries’ Notes for Life reviews the first 100 days of the Obama administration’s policies and appointments and their impact on life concerns, from birth to death. (The new issue of the free, quarterly newsletter is scheduled to arrive in electronic mailboxes around May 7. To receive a copy, register at http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/enews/login.asp. Select Notes for Life in the “World Relief and Human Care” folder.)  

For news bulletins posted by Life Ministries, visit www.lcms.org/?14944. Recent bulletins address:

  • The April 22 decision by the Food and Drug Administration to comply with a district court ruling and lower the age to 17 to obtain the “morning-after” pill without a prescription.
  • A proposed repeal of health care workers’ “conscience rights.” (These longtime laws protect medical staff from being required, for example, to perform services they deem immoral or unethical without suffering consequences such as a job loss from an employer that receives federal funding.)
  • The overturn of the previous ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
  • An update on the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill intended to overturn federal, state, and local legislation that places limits on abortion, including limits on public funding for abortion.

    • In addition to providing information about life issues in the news, Life Ministries bulletins also offer specific suggestions on how concerned Christians can take follow-up actions.

    Posted May 5, 2009

     

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