LIFE DIGEST: Unborn babies have memories, study says
- Jul 21, 2009
Unborn children have memories, according to a new study from The Netherlands.
Researchers at two medical centers found unborn babies at 30 weeks gestation show short-term memory, according to The Washington Times. By the time the unborn children reach 34 weeks of development, they “are able to store information and retrieve it four weeks later,” The Times reported.
Also in this edition: Arizona’s Brewer signs pro-life bills, Bill would ban human-animal hybrids and Pro-lifers gain win in U.N. document.
The results were based on a study conducted on 100 women and their unborn children. Scientists gave the women a series of buzzes on their stomachs for one second each with a “fetal vibroacoustic stimulator” at five points during the final eight weeks of pregnancy, according to the report. They used ultrasound imaging to measure “fetal learning” patterns, particularly through the baby’s eye, mouth and body movements.
The children adjusted to the vibrations and sounds to the extent they would no longer respond, according to the report. That process is called “habituation.”
“It seems like every day we find out marvelous new things about the development of unborn children,” said Randall O’Bannon, director of education and research for the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, The Times reported. “We hope that this latest information helps people realize more clearly that the unborn are members of the human family with amazing capabilities and capacities like these built in from the moment of conception.”
Arizona’s Brewer signs pro-life bills
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer charted a different course from her predecessor by signing into law July 13 measures that should reduce the number of abortions in the state.
According to The Arizona Republic, the Republican chief executive enacted legislative initiatives that:
- Mandate a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion,
- Require parental consent prior to an underage girl undergoing an abortion;
- Prohibit partial-birth abortions, which are performed on nearly totally delivered babies normally in at least the fifth month of pregnancy;
- Protect pro-life health-care workers from being forced to participate in abortions or to prescribe Plan B, a “morning-after” pill that has abortifacient qualities.
Brewer’s actions contrasted with those of former Gov. Janet Napolitano, now secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. From 2003 to 2009, Napolitano, a Democrat, vetoed all abortion limitations approved by the Arizona legislature, The Republic reported.
“Governor Brewer today has shown Arizonans that she cares about the values that matter most to them: protecting life and protecting families,” said Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, according to The Republic. “These bills protect women, children, parents and the civil rights of health-care workers.”
Bill would ban human-animal hybrids
Sen. Sam Brownback, R.-Kan., has introduced legislation to prohibit the creation of human-animal hybrids.
If enacted, the Human-animal Hybrid Prohibition Act, S. 1435, would bar the creation of beings made from the genetic material of both people and animals. Without a ban, such hybrids could be created for research purposes in laboratories. A British government agency has approved the creation of hybrids for research in that country.
“This legislation works to ensure that our society recognizes the dignity and sacredness of human life,” Brownback said in a written statement July 9. “Creating human-animal hybrids, which permanently alter the genetic makeup of an organism, will challenge the very definition of what it means to be human and is a violation of human dignity and a grave injustice.
“Tampering with the human germ-line could be the equivalent of setting a time-bomb that might detonate many generations down the line; but once it is set, there is no reversing course,” he said.
The bill has 20 cosponsors, with Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana the lone Democrat.
Brownback and Landrieu have sought to gain passage of a comprehensive ban on human cloning in recent years but have been unsuccessful.
Pro-lifers gain win in U.N. document
Pro-life advocates recently won an important victory internationally.
An effort led by Ireland, Malta and Poland helped prevent abortion-friendly language from being included in a final United Nations document agreed upon the week of July 5-11, according to the Friday Fax, a publication of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. The final declaration for the Economic and Social Council did not include contentious language interpreted to support abortion rights.
The Obama administration had introduced language that called for “universal access” to “sexual and reproductive health services, including universal access to family planning.” The term “reproductive health services” has been widely interpreted by U.N. members to include abortion. Several European countries strongly backed the effort, Friday Fax reported.
The final version, agreed upon at Geneva, Switzerland, was approved by consensus without the divisive language on “reproductive rights,” according to the report. Some terminology regarding “sexual and reproductive health” was included in the declaration, but it was restricted to usage previously agreed upon to not include abortion rights.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to protect the sanctity of human life. If you would like to learn more about this issue, additional resources are available here. If your church is interested in purchasing bulletin inserts or other materials on the sanctity of human life, please visit our online bookstore and erlc.com.
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