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Humanity has resorted to the buying, selling and trading of babies created in God's image and likeness to be advertised and sold as a mere commodity for profit with which is experimented, used, cloned and subsequently frozen and/or burned. Take a look at the face of the baby in the picture and then think of his siblings and fellow humans which are being harvested for body parts, frozen and incinerated.

The more our culture blindly accepts killing, organ harvesting and treating other human beings as mere property, the further we slide into moral relativism, and it will be very difficult for us some day to make the argument that our own killers should respect our human dignity.

45 Million babies have been aborted in abortion mills, how many have been aborted in fertility clinics? I bet the numbers will astound us. There are thousands of clinics such as this one all across America.

Adoption instead of Abortion

The Facts of Prenatal Development

Is it a human being?

"From the moment a baby is conceived, it bears the indelible stamp of a separate distinct personality, an individual different from all other individuals." Ultrasound pioneer, Sir William Liley, M.D. 1967.

"After fertilization has taken place a new human being has come into existence. This is no longer a matter of taste or opinion. Each individual has a very neat beginning, at conception." Dr. Jerome Lejeune, genetics professor at the University of Descartes, Paris. He discovered the Down syndrome chromosome.

"It is scientifically correct to say that an individual human life begins at conception." Professor M. Matthews-Roth, Harvard University Medical School.

"By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception." Professor Hymie Gordon, Mayo Clinic.

When does the heart begin to beat?

At 18 days [when the mother is only four days late for her first menstrual period], and by 21 days it is pumping, through a closed circulatory system, blood whose type is different from that of the mother. J.M. Tanner, G. R. Taylor, and the Editors of Time-Life Books, Growth, New York: Life Science Library, 1965, p.

When is the brain functioning?

Brain waves have been recorded at 40 days on the Electroencephalogram (EEG). H. Hamlin, "Life or Death by EEG," JAMA, Oct. 12, 1964, p. 120

Brain function, as measured on the Electroencephalogram, "appears to be reliably present in the fetus at about eight weeks gestation," or six weeks after conception. J. Goldenring, "Development of the Fetal Brain," New England Jour. of Med., Aug. 26, 1982, p. 564

How early do some organs form?

The eye, ear and respiratory systems begin to form four weeks after fertilization. K. Moore, Before We Were Born, 3rd ed., 1989, p. 278

And function?

Very early, e.g., glucagon, a blood sugar hormone, has been demonstrated in the fetal pancreas 6 weeks after fertilization, and insulin by 7 to 8. F. Cunningham, "Pancreas," William’s Obstet., 19th ed., 1993, p. 183-4

Thumbsucking has been photographed at 7 weeks after fertilization. W. Liley, The Fetus As Personality, Fetal Therapy, 1986, p. 8-17

When does the developing baby first move?

"In the sixth to seventh weeks. . . . If the area of the lips is gently stroked, the child responds by bending the upper body to one side and making a quick backward motion with his arms. This is called a ‘total pattern response’ because it involves most of the body, rather than a local part." L. B. Arey, Developmental Anatomy (6th ed.), Philadelphia: W. B. Sanders Co., 1954

At eight weeks, "if we tickle the baby’s nose, he will flex his head backwards away from the stimulus." A. Hellgers, M.D., "Fetal Development, 31," Theological Studies, vol. 3, no. 7, 1970, p. 26

Another example is from a surgical technician whose letter said, "When we opened her abdomen (for a tubal pregnancy), the tube had expelled an inch-long fetus, about 4-6 weeks old. It was still alive in the sack. "That tiny baby was waving its little arms and kicking its little legs and even turned its whole body over." J. Dobson, Focus on the Family Mag., Aug. ’91, pg. 16

When are all her body systems present?

By eight weeks (two months). Hooker & Davenport, The Prenatal Origin of Behavior, University of Kansas Press, 1952

When do teeth form?

All 20 milk-teeth buds are present at six and a half weeks."Life Before Birth," Life Magazine, Apr. 30, 1965, p. 10

And include dental lamina at 8 weeks. Med. Embryology, Longman, 3rd Ed., 1975, p. 406

How about nine weeks?

At nine to ten weeks, he squints, swallows, moves his tongue, and if you stroke his palm, will make a tight fist.

By nine weeks he will "bend his fingers round an object in the palm of his hand." Valman & Pearson, "What the Fetus Feels," British Med. Jour., Jan. 26, 1980

When does he start to breathe?

"By 11 to 12 weeks (3 months), he is breathing fluid steadily and continues so until birth. At birth, he will breathe air. He does not drown by breathing fluid with-in his mother, because he obtains his oxygen from his umbilical cord. This breathing develops the organs of respiration." "Life Before Birth," Life Magazine, Apr. 30, 1965, p. 13

"Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy decreases the frequency of fetal breathing by 20%. The ‘well documented’ higher incidence of prematurity, stillbirth, and slower development of reading skill may be related to this decrease." 80 F. Manning, "Meeting of Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons," Family Practice News, March 15, 1976

"In the 11th week of gestation fetal breathing is irregular and episodic. As gestation continues, the breathing movements become more vigorous and rapid." C. Dawes, "Fetal Breathing: Indication of Well Being," Family Practice News, Mar. 16, 1976, p. 6

Episodic spontaneous breathing movement have been observed in the healthy human fetus as early as ten weeks gestational age. Conners et al., "Control of Fetal Breathing in the Human Fetus," Am J. OB-GYN, April ‘89, p. 932

When can she swallow?

At 11 weeks. Valman & Pearson, British Med. Jour., "What the Fetus Feels," 26 Jan. 1980, p. 233

What of detailed development, like fingernails and eyelashes?

Fingernails are present by 11 to 12 weeks; eyelashes by 16 weeks. Fingerprints are completely established during the fourth month of gestation. Hamilton et al., Human Embryology, Fourth Ed., 1972, p. 567

At what point are all her body systems working?

By 11 weeks. "Life Before Birth," Life Magazine, Apr. 30, 1965, p. 13

How does the size of the baby increase in weight?

At 12 weeks (three months) she weighs about 30 gm (1.0 ounce); at 16 weeks about 170 gm (6 ounces); and at 20 weeks (four months), approximately 454 gm (one pound).

When is taste present?

"Taste buds are working between 13 and 15 weeks gestation" (11 to 13 weeks after conception). Mistretta & Bradley, Taste in Utero, 1977, p. 62 Bradley et al., "Dev. Taste Buds . . . ," J. Anat. 101 (4) 1967, p. 743-752

How about hearing?

"Auditory sense is present in the infant 24 weeks before birth [14 weeks after conception]. This involves brain functioning and memory patterns." M. Clemens, "5th International Congress Psychosomatic," OB & GYN, Rome: Medical Tribune, Mar. 22, 1978, p. 7

The Gift of Life (Donum Vitae) 1987

Instruction on Respect for Human Life In its Origin and the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain Questions of the Day

Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

		Foreword
		Introduction
		Respect for Human Embryos
		Interventions upon Human Procreation
		Moral and Civil Law
		Conclusion

Australian Pro-Lifers Fight to Stop "Selective Breeding"

What does Donum Vitae teach pro-life Americans?

By Elden Francis Curtiss, Archbishop of Omaha

Fetal tissue and stem cell research, in vitro fertilization and embryo preservation-each has generated a great deal of attention and controversy in a very short amount of time. These research endeavors and advances present the dangerous temptation to treat the conception of life as a thing which may be disposed of once it has served a designated purpose, but they have also renewed the energy of efforts against the destruction of human life through abortion across our country.

In 1987 the teaching of the Catholic Church on biomedical research and reproductive techniques was presented to the world by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the document Donum Vitae. This formal instruction, written in answer to inquiries from around the world, presented a moral evaluation in light of Church teaching of procedures and techniques of artificial procreation.

Donum Vitae is a short document with an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The opening sentence declares the fundamental principle guiding all of its considerations:

"The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it."

Life, as our condition of being and our experience of reality, is a gift. The gift of life is entrusted to each individual and to the society of man. The privilege of life that we have is of "inestimable value."

The gift of life is often put at risk by deadly intentions such as abortion and by seemingly good intentions such as the desire for a child. For this reason, Donum Vitae stresses that responsibility must be exercised out of utmost respect for and in authentic service of life as a gift. When the Church exercises her responsibility as teacher and guide, she does so not as a scientist or expert in technology but as one who loves Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, and proclaims His Gospel of salvation. Through this apostolic activity the Church endeavors to lead man to discover the fullness of truth.

In evaluating the moral quality of techniques that result in artificial human procreation, the Church begins with the declaration of the fundamental and inviolable value of human life. She hastens to also uphold the special nature of the transmission of human life in marriage. While the technical prowess of science and medicine has reached a level that only a generation ago would have been thought impossible or miraculous, the Church extends the prudent caution, "What is technically possible is not for that very reason morally admissible."

Medical procedures must protect life

In its first chapter, Donum Vitae stresses the dignity and integrity of the human embryo as a creature of God's making. The embryo deserves care and medical attention just as any other human being. Prenatal diagnosis, an increasingly available and even prescribed procedure, may be used as long as the developing child is not subjected to disproportionate risks. However, it is always prohibited if it is, or could be, used for an induced abortion. The same can be said for any medical procedure or surgery that might be prescribed for a developing child. Amazing stories have been told of delicate operations or therapeutic procedures performed on unborn children to save their lives, repair organs or remedy threatening conditions so that the child at risk might be born and enjoy the gift of life in the world.

These complex medical and research activities are evaluated as moral or permissible in relation to the ways that they protect and preserve the dignity and integrity of the human person alive in the womb. Experimenting on or taking commercial advantage of the unborn in the womb, and even more strongly, the production of human embryos through artificial means so that experimentation or commercial advantage might be possible, is always forbidden as immoral.

Although techniques for cloning, manipulation and selection of genetic material and preservation of embryos are far more advanced today than at the time of the publication of Donum Vitae, the words of the instruction remain true, even prophetic:

"...attempts or hypotheses for obtaining a human being without any connection with sexuality through 'twin fission,' cloning or parthenogenesis are to be considered contrary to the moral law, since they are in opposition to the dignity of both human procreation and the conjugal union.

"Freezing of embryos, even when carried out in order to preserve the life of an embryo-cryo-preservation-constitutes an offense against the respect due to human beings by exposing them to grave risks of death or harm to their physical integrity and depriving them, at least temporarily of maternal shelter and gestation."

In vitro fertilization and artificial insemination have become commonplace today. Donum Vitae drew attention to a serious consequence of these technical interventions: "The connection between in vitro fertilization and the voluntary destruction of human embryos occurs too often." Yet these procedures have captured the public's imagination, even among pro-life people, with little attention to the consequences they have on the fundamental value of marriage and the family.

Donum Vitae identifies the techniques for sperm donation as a feature of in vitro fertilization between spouses (homologous) and involving individuals other than the spouses (heterologous). Church teaching declares even homologous fertilization morally unacceptable because it violates the dignity and integrity of marriage, the dignity and integrity of the conjugal union and its proper acts, the unity of the human person and the right of the child to a proper relationship to his proper parents.

Only those techniques which serve to facilitate and help the conjugal act between spouses to attain its natural purpose, rather than substitute for the act, are morally acceptable. The instruction, however, acknowledges the felt sense of suffering by spouses who cannot have children or are fearful of conditions that might result in birth defects or other disabilities for the child to be born. It calls upon the community of believers to be solicitous in support of these spouses and challenges spouses to unite their trials with the Lord's and find in them motivation to serve the needs of the community in specific ways.

The third chapter, "Moral and Civil Law," calls upon legislators and public authorities to be vigilant for the common good and safeguard the dignity and fundamental rights of all persons. In a technological world, the family deserves and needs special protection.

Though not the last word the Church will present to a world ever in pursuit of change, Donum Vitae casts a bright light on the conception of life. Sensitive awe and sober vigilance will need to stir with new vigor in the lives of the faithful and people of good will everywhere, so that human life is acknowledged for its inestimable value. Pro-life people have the privilege of kindling and promoting this vigor for the gift of life.

"By defending man against the excesses of his own power, the Church of God reminds him of the reasons for his true nobility; only in this way can the possibility of living and loving with that dignity and liberty which derives from respect for the truth be ensured for the men and women of tomorrow."

"In the light of the truth about the gift of human life and in the light of the moral principles which flow from that truth, everyone is invited to act in the area of responsibility proper to each and, like the Good Samaritan, to recognize as a neighbor even the littlest among the children of men."

Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss, Archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska, since 1993, is also a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family and a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Marriage and Family Life.