Religion & Ethics Australia Digest

A weekly public affairs review from the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College

No. 029, 18-24 March 2005  ² edited by Rod Benson

News reports

Abortion

America’s pro-choicers are wielding a new principle that’s tough to argue with, writes Andrew Sullivan. Time 7 Mar 05

Women undergoing an abortion for a second or subsequent time were much more likely than woman undergoing a first abortion to have experienced physical abuse by a male partner, sexual abuse, or coercion. More.

A Church of England curate has lost her campaign for two doctors to be prosecuted for performing a late abortion on a foetus with a cleft palate. The Times 17 Mar 05

Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, says that abortion may not be a party issue but it is a public matter of immense weight. Sunday Times (UK)
20 Mar 05

Bioethics – cloning

Of all the questions about California’s ambitious plans to publicly finance human cloning projects for medical research, one of the thorniest may be how scientists plan to gather the thousands of eggs they’ll need from women. More. *

Self-preservation of society is at the heart of an international ban on human cloning, says Amin Abboud. SMH 24 Mar 05 *

Bioethics – embryo

In a report into human embryo research in Britain, the commons science and technology committee will suggest that human embryos could be implanted into animals for research purposes. More. *

The New Zealand government will allow fertility clinics to perform pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for serious inherited disorders. NZ Ministry of Health press release 15 Mar 05

Bioethics – IVF

Hundreds of Australian couples wanting to choose the sex of their baby at IVF clinics will now be turned away, following a new Government ruling that it is unethical. West Australian 19 Mar 05

Bioethics – stem cells

Diana Schaub, a Loyola College professor and adviser to President Bush, is convinced that cloning and embryonic stem cell research are evil. She says this belief was formed, in part, by watching Star Trek. Baltimore Sun 19 Mar 05

State governments have rejected a plan by the Prime Minister to extend restrictions on stem-cell research using excess IVF embryos. Under the current agreement, research is permitted only on excess IVF embryos created before 5 April 2002.
AFR 21 Mar 05 *

Queensland researchers have bucked received wisdom by proving that adult stem cells have the same life-saving potential as those from embryos. Aust 22 Mar 05

Archbishop George Pell will refer to Rome an Australian scientific breakthrough that could make obsolete the moral and ethical debate surrounding embryonic stem cell research. Aust 22 Mar 05

A bid to prolong restrictions on embryonic stem cell research for another year could delay Australian breakthroughs and drive top scientists overseas. The Age 22 Mar 05

Bioethics – withdrawal of treatment

Pennsylvania and Washington doctors have proposed a five-step method for resolving family conflicts over end-of-life treatment issues. Washington Times 16 Mar 05 *

The US Senate today unanimously passed legislation aimed at prolonging the life of a brain-damaged woman.
SMH 21 Mar 05 * Also. *

Dr Roseanna Capolingua, Chair of the Australian Medical Association’s Ethics and Medico Legal committee, argues that the Schiavo case goes to the heart of principles of medical ethics. More. *

There’s nothing simple about the case of Terri Schiavo. But there is a simple way to end the legal wrangling. Transfer Terri to the care of her parents and let Michael get on with his life. Aust 22 Mar 05

Every week, dozens make the same decision Terri Schiavo’s family is fighting over, write Thomas Maugh and Bryn Nelson. SMH 22 Mar 05 *

The debate in the US about end-of-life care would be no clearer here, writes Bernadette Tobin. NSW Health’s recently released guidelines for end-of-life care contain nothing to help people judge whether a life-sustaining treatment is inappropriate. SMH 22 Mar 05 *

A US federal judge last night refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube, denying an emergency request from the parents of the brain-damaged woman whose fate has become the focus of a national political debate. Aust 23 Mar 05

America is absorbed in a political and ethical debate over the fate of a brain-damaged woman, Terri Schiavo. In Australia, out of the public’s gaze, the same medical dilemma is common. When is it right to pull the plug on life?
The Age 23 Mar 05 *

After intervening in the Terri Schiavo controversy, members of Congress are exploring whether to pass more sweeping legislation that would apply to other cases of incapacitated patients who did not leave behind instructions for their medical care. LA Times 23 Mar 05 *

Terri Schiavo will probably die in the next three weeks of a fatal heart rhythm brought on by the chemical imbalances that arise from extreme dehydration. Washington Post 23 Mar 05 *
Consumerism

Australians go shopping for the thrill of the purchase rather than the pleasure of using the goods. SMH 19 Mar 05
Consumer spending and the needs of the environment are on a collision course and Australians will have to cut back on what they consume or face a growing mountain of rubbish. SMH 19 Mar 05

Counselling

Just what is “biblical counseling?” It is a loosely held view that the Bible alone provides guidance for the myriad of concerns persons in pain may present to the counselor. More. *

Courtship

Forget cyber love, mobile-phone dating is fast, furious and immediate – perfect for young people who are surrounded by disposable items. Don’t fancy the dude or dudette in question? Simply delete and dial on. SMH 19 Mar 05 *

Divorce & remarriage

When no-fault divorce was introduced, it was seen as a way of ending marriages that both parties agreed were over. But it has worked in a way not envisaged by its proponents. Aust 21 Mar 05 *

Ethics – business

Ethical codes now abound in business, but their actual use is less prevalent. More.

Ethics & preaching

It is possible to preach sermons that are faithful, pastoral, and which deal with critical issues, and to do so without stirring up unnecessary conflict in the church. Addressing the deepest levels of the issues, rather than the political or social details, is a special gift of the church. More.

Euthanasia

A group of euthanasia supporters is developing a suicide pill, writes Philip Nitschke. SMH 19 Mar 05 *

Evangelism

Melbourne has several thousand new Christians after visiting American evangelist Franklin Graham ended his three-day festival at Telstra Dome yesterday afternoon. The Age 21 Mar 05

Executive salaries

Big investors called for a fresh debate on termination perks yesterday after research found that top executives extracted an average of $4 million for leaving their posts. AFR 18 Mar 05

Fundamentalism

Franklin Graham, a prominent leader of the Christian Right in America, will speak at Festival Victoria to be held at Telstra Dome this weekend. Graham’s political views and influence are comparatively well known. Less understood are Graham’s controversial views on Islam and eschatology, argues historian James Boyce. Aust 18 Mar 05

Health policy

Figures revealing that patients are waiting longer for elective surgery are proof that it will take more than just money to ensure Australians receive the medical care they need. Aust 21 Mar 05

Homosexual rights

The Catholic Church has given support for a Bill giving equal rights to same-sex couples in areas such as property, inheritance, superannuation and medical laws, and bring SA in line with other states. The Advertiser 17 Mar 05

Homosexuality & faith

More than 6300 people have left the Uniting Church through the bitter debate about homosexuality and 119 congregations have split, a conservative group within the church claimed yesterday. The Age 21 Mar 05

Housing

The St Vincent de Paul Society has backed community action opposing NSW Government plans to bulldoze 3000 homes on a public housing estate in Minto, in Sydney’s south-west. CathNews 17 Mar 05

The house price bubble has finally burst. In its aftermath, three questions arise. More.

Illness – mental

Mental health campaigners today urged the government not to use case of a psychiatric patient who cooked and ate a friend’s brain to push for more draconian laws to restrict the rights of mentally ill people. The Guardian 17 Mar 05

Judiciary

If other professionals behaved in the same way as our leading lawyers, they would be run out of town, argues the AFR leader.
AFR 18 Mar 05

Peace

Thousands of people rallied in cities and towns across Australia on March 18-20 to mark the second anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. More.

Pluralism

For all the claims of the unifying role of religious belief, the continuing mayhem in Iraq is only one example of how the misuse of religion can bring hatred rather than love and conflict instead of peace Aust 19 Mar 05

Politics & faith – US

For evangelical Christians who gathered in Florida last month for a conference aimed at “Reclaiming America for Christ,” the goal is not just to convert individuals but to reshape US society. More. *
Power

One in 10 Australian managers are deceitful, cold-hearted manipulators bent on attaining power for its own sake, new rsearch shows. SMH 22 Mar 05

Refugees

Thirty of Australia’s longest-term immigration detainees are having their cases reviewed and could be freed because they have converted to Christianity since arriving. SMH 21 Mar 05

Prime Minister John Howard today denied immigration detainees were more likely to be allowed to stay in Australia if they converted to Christianity. SMH 21 Mar 05

Howard has softened the hardline mandatory detention policy credited with winning him the 2001 election, agreeing to release up to 100 asylum-seekers from behind razor wire after relentless campaigning by Coalition MPs and human rights activists. Aust 23 Mar 05 *

A small number of asylum seekers will be released into the community under a new bridging visa. SMH 23 Mar 05

Asylum seekers in long-term detention will have to give up any future refugee claims and end all legal action before they are released into the community under a new visa to be created by the Federal Government. SMH 24 Mar 05

The push for a softer line towards asylum seekers has come from conservatives, writes Miranda Devine. SMH 24 Mar 05 *

Religious liberty

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart’s Vicar for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations has explained its support for the Islamic Council of Victoria’s anti-vilification case against Catch the Fire Ministries. CathNews 22 Mar 05

Sex education

It is probably time that we gave up worrying about unanswerable questions regarding the age of consent and started to get real with adequate sex education to prepare young people for a safe and healthy adult sex life. More.

Taxation

Removing tax shelters for the wealthy could fund tax cuts for all, while closer alignment of the corporate tax rate with the highest marginal rate would make it unnecessary for high-income earners to use trusts and companies to minimise tax. Aust 19 Mar 05

A few core principles should underpin reform of taxation and industrial relations, argues John Roskam, a research fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs. AFR 23 Mar 05 *

Terrorism

Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic terror group in the Philippines, have allegedly deployed ‘sleepers’ to bomb churches in Manila over Easter. RLP Bulletin 23 Mar 05
Unions

Sydney University’s famous Manning Bar could get poker machines, turnstiles may be put around campus retail centres to keep out non-members, and Orientation Week could be dumped in student union plans to survive voluntary unionism. SMH 21 Mar 05

Women – ministry of

While official teaching of the Southern Baptist Convention is that women ought not lead churches as senior pastors, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary says youth ministries should also be male-led. More.

Other items of interest

Take a break and take a walk down the Via Dolorosa this Easter weekend. More.

William Reiner of the University of Oklahoma discusses the phenomenon of children born with intersex or genitalia which are neither male nor female. More.

Say hello to the new political correctness, which turns Jesus’ famous words on their head by condemning the splinter in other people’s eyes while ignoring the lumber in their own. More.

Rowland Croucher reviews In Search of the Good Life: The Ethics of Globalization, by Rebecca Todd Peters. More.

Harnessing the religious right is an act of politics, not faith, writes John Carmody in a review of God Under Howard: The Rise of the Religious Right in Australian Politics by Marion Maddox. More.

SMH columnist Adele Horin unplugged her family’s television for a school term – with surprising results. More.

Fasting as a spiritual practice is not about improving your health, or becoming thinner. It’s about attentiveness, compassion and freedom. More.

Professor Nik Rose from the London School of Economics talks about how society will deal with the promises, hope and hype around biomedical breakthroughs. More.

Muhammad’s vision of tolerance will rid Islam of hatred and discord, says Reza Aslan. The Islamic Reformation is already here. More.

The Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne has launched Talking about other Faiths: A Position Statement. More.

Religion & Ethics Australia Digest is published by the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College, 120 Herring Rd, Eastwood NSW 2122 AUSTRALIA. Telephone (02) 9878 0201. Back issues are available at http://www.baptistsocialissues.org.au/review.htm Views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Centre for Christian Ethics, Morling College or the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT. Abbreviations: AFR=The Australian Financial Review; Aust=The Australian; SMH=The Sydney Morning Herald. An asterisc (*) following an entry indicates that the article contains significant new information. To receive a free copy of READ by email each week, email and type “subscribe to READ” in the subject line.