Roundup: Uganda to Outlaw Female Genital Mutilation

Jul 8, 2009, 10:39am

Amy Dempsey

Uganda to Outlaw Female Genital Mutilation; Pope and Obama May Find Common Ground; Pro-Life Groups Rally to Keep Abortion Illegal in Ireland

Uganda to Outlaw Female Genital Mutilation
Uganda’s
President Yoweri Museveni asked a crowd, "God knew what he was doing
when he created us. Do you think you are more intelligent than God?"
referring to the practice of female genital mutilation when he launched a campaign
to outlaw FGM, writes Lynn Harris in Salon.com.

Harris writes:

"The president also dismissed any defense of FGM as a "cultural" practice, calling it dangerous not only to women but also to the babies they may later have trouble bearing. According to the Guardian, he also ‘pledged to help provide an alternative source of income for women who earn a living circumcising girls.’"

Pope and Obama May Find Common Ground
Pope Benedict XVI’s new social teaching, called Charity in Truth, was released Tuesday. According to USA Today, it calls for creation of a new worldwide economic authority, for redistribution of
the world’s wealth, protections of workers, respect for the
environment, and a refusal to accept an "anti-birth" mentality that
promotes birth control or abortion.

Although
some Catholic bishops were upset that Obama received an honorary degree
by the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic school, Benedict and
President Obama will meet for the first time Friday afternoon, the article said.

Abortion
rights group Catholics for Choice’s president, Jon O’Brien, came out
with a statement giving praise for the pope’s economic message, but
condemned his opposition to birth control and condoms for AIDS
prevention.

According to the article, O’Brien said:

"… Because of the hierarchy’s opposition to modern methods of family
planning, the means to exercise responsible procreation and sexuality
are not mentioned except in a condemnatory way. Given this distorted
perspective, some of Pope Benedict’s words on development aid miss the
mark…It is time for Pope Benedict to hear from fellow world leaders that
the church hierarchy’s stance on sexual and reproductive health and
development aid is causing those living in poverty more pain.
Certainly, President Obama could be the one to deliver that message."

Pro-Life Groups Rally to Keep Abortion Illegal in Ireland
The Catholic News Agency reported that anti-abortion groups organized a rally that took place Saturday to promote keeping Ireland "abortion free."
Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute who told the crowd "We
will not falter and we will not fail, not while our children’s lives
depend on it. We will stand together, work together, and pray together
and we will keep Ireland abortion-free."

According to the article, Norma McCorvey, the American plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court
pro-abortion decision Roe v. Wade, told the Celebrate Life event that
she was now seeking to overturn her case, which made abortion legal
across the United States.

Currently, abortion is illegal in Ireland, but the pro-life advocates
were fighting against an attempt by the Department of Health to allow
abortions under certain guidelines, and the push for embryo research.

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:

July 7: Journal Gazette & Times Courier: Teutopolis resident has led anti-abortion efforts for more than three decades

July 7: Missouri Family: Teen pregnancy in the Latino community

July 7: Holland Sentinel: (Letter) Reforms shouldn’t fund abortion

July 7: LifeSiteNews: Pro-life Groups Ask for Comprehensive Investigation of Nebraska Late-term Abortionist LeRoy Carhart

July 7: Las Vegas Sun: Alleged unsafe abortion prompts warning from state

July 7: USA Today: Pope, Obama may find common ground in ‘Charity in Truth’

July 7: Psychology Today: That Movie Again: Genetic Influences in Adoption

July 7: SmarTrend: Teva Stops Shipments on Generic Birth Control Pending Infringement Case

July 7: Lusaka Times:Abortion on the rise in Zambia

July 7: Alternet: My First Abortion Party

July 7: Yglesias/ThinkProgress: NARAL President Nancy Keenan on Abortion and Health Reform

July 7: LifeNews: Ohio Poll: Majority Oppose Abortion, Tax-Funding, Say Abortions Hurt Women