In today’s News:
Pro-life display is vandalized
Vandals destroyed a pro-life cross display this week at an Arkansas church, the latest in a growing string of vandalism and other violence against pro-lifers. According to the Magnolia Reporter, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Magnolia set up 150 white crosses on its lawn earlier this month to raise awareness about the victims of abortion. The crosses represent the number of unborn babies who are aborted every hour in the U.S. On Monday night or early Tuesday morning, however, someone vandalized the display, knocking over many of the crosses and a banner, the report states. Volunteers with the Knights of Columbus fixed the display Tuesday afternoon, according to the report.
China cracks down on Christian literature
China has been tightening restrictions on the distribution of religious materials in recent months by threatening fines, the closure of printing shops or even imprisonment for selling Christian books or allowing customers to photocopy hymns. Bitter Winter, a publication that monitors religious liberty violations in China, reports that this month, Chinese Communist Party officials in Luoyang, a prefecture-level city in the central province of Henan, searched a local printing house for banned religious materials. A worker at a second photocopying business in Luoyang revealed that the ban on illegal religious materials applies to the photocopying of hymns. Those who print religious materials face harsh repercussions, including fines, and in some cases, imprisonment. In April, 2018, the Chinese government banned online retailers from selling the Bible. Legally, the Bible can only be distributed by government-approved agencies that supervise the Christian churches in China.
‘Right to Die’ laws raise questions
The expansion of medical aid in dying across the United States has not only created a professional and moral dilemma for practicing physicians, but it has also raised concerns within the disability community, among others, about the negative consequences these laws could have on the country. John B Kelly, the New England regional director for Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights group focused on opposing medical aid in dying and euthanasia legislation, has become a vocal opponent to the passing of these laws. Laws relating to medical aid in dying add to this “better off” messaging, Kelly said, because they create the perception that personal autonomy should be regarded above anything else. Once that autonomy is taken by a terminal illness, people sometimes think that their life is no longer worth living. Oregon’s annual data showed that 87 per cent of patients who used the end-of-life option in 2019 reported a loss of autonomy as one of their main reasons. About 90 per cent said decreased ability in participating in activities that made life enjoyable was another key reason, and 72 per cent said a loss of dignity impacted their decision. Oregon became the first state to pass its death with dignity act, which allows a person 18 years or older with a terminal prognosis of six months or less to receive a prescription drug that would end their life.
