“You young people have in a special way the task of witnessing today to the faith; the commitment to bring the Gospel of Christ - the Way, the Truth and the Life - into the third Christian Millennium, to build a new civilization - a civilization of love, of justice and of peace.”

- Pope John Paul II, Santiago de Compostela, August 1989

Inspired by John Paul II’s message of love and commitment from 1989, youth volunteers and several tech-savvy priests have come together for the incredible purpose of bringing “the Gospel of Christ…into the third Christian Millennium.” Under Archbishop George Pell’s blessing, Xt3.com was thoroughly thought out, volunteers were recruited to keep ‘faithbook‘ running, and even a priest was recruited to answer the predictable numerous Catholic questions.

What is Xt3? I spent several hours pondering this slightly cryptic URL. Xt3’s FAQ’s have a simple explanation for the short, but sweet call sign: “Xt3 represents Christ (Xt) in the 3rd Millennium.”

Some however, may benefit from a brief history lesson on Christian symbols. Several early Christian symbols came from when Greek was the language of the hour, including , ‘chi rho’ which one of the symbols for Christ; , ΙΧΘΥΕ or “icthus” which means fish and also contains the beginning letters for the phrase “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” Both of these symbols contain the individual Greek letter Χ, “chi”, which begins the Greek word Christos (Χριστóς), “anointed.” It seems then that Xt is utilizing the “chi”, perhaps adding a cross and adding on the 3 to represent the third Millennium for good measure. Call me silly and round-about, but that is how I finally figured out the Xt3 URL.

Xt3, though, is more than just a cool name. It is a social network designed to link users around the world and provide them with the chance of a lifetime - World Youth Day. With WYD less than a month away, Xt3 administrators are helping users connect pilgrims around the world who are going to to Sydney. Site administrator James Van Schie hopes Xt3 connects people before the big event:

Somebody in Mexico could log on, create a profile, find there’s a group from the Sydney Archdiocese where they’ll be coming, connect with that group, start introducing themselves, exchange ideas and talk about what the event’s going to hold for them.

For those who cannot attend, Xt3 is an amazing opportunity to connect with pilgrims who have attended past WYDs or who are attending the 2008 event and “virtually attend.” Pilgrims can connect with online friends who are unable to attend and communicate their experiences via videos and pictures. One site volunteer hopes Xt3 will be able to provide footage of various talks and events for individuals unable to attend.

Personally, I was introduced to Xt3 just a few days ago, but obviously I am hooked. Much like Facebook in the social network sense, Xt3 allows you to meet new people around the world, share photos and videos, join groups and basically “hang-out” online. What is vastly different about Xt3 - what has drawn me and and keeps me coming back - is the purpose of Xt3 as well as the feeling of wellbeing and safety. Now, I’m not trying to make Xt3 sound “granny” or anything. What I mean is Xt3 is safe for people of all ages, traditions and religions. Just look at the beginning of their ‘Terms and Conditions’ policy to grasp the idea:

As a Catholic site we encourage debate and dialogue from all traditions, while requesting that you respect our Catholic ethos. We would ask you to treat all members with charity and respect, and for this reason personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please do not join this site to promote beliefs or practices that oppose the Catholic faith.

Any content that is vulgar, sexually-explicit, discriminatory, blasphemous, hateful, threatening, satanic or violating any laws will be removed. Similarly any messages that harass, insult, belittle, bully or threaten another member will be removed.

The point of Xt3 is to meet “safe” people, people you can trust! Many of these people are attending WYD; they are looking to meet people prior to their journey to Sydney. Naturally they want to meet people they feel comfortable sharing their personal stories and pilgrimage experiences with. The internet can be a terribly frightening place, but Xt3 offers a safe-haven for Catholics as well as peoples of differing faiths and traditions to come together and share their hopes and prayers as they “build a new civilization.”

Others are joining so they can utilize the “Ask a Priest” feature on the site. This section offers a dedicated priest, Father John Flynn, who is there to answer questions ranging from Sacraments to sex, science to social justice, and everything in between. Father gives clear, concrete answers with ample textual backup. Many times he also gives extra sources for his answers that are also extremely helpful to the questioner.

“Ask a Priest” is also a group discussion that is open to the floor. From the discussions I have read have it is clear that different views are not quashed, which should allay any fears that the site only allows the most devout Catholics to participate. Father Flynn is present to answer questions and offer the Church guidance along the way, but many of the discussions are lay driven.

Perhaps JPII may not have envisioned the mammoth, smooth-running social network that is Xt3.com, but I wouldn’t doubt that our beloved “Extreme Papa” - God rest his soul - is smiling down on this awesome achievement!

As a Catholic, I hold dear the life of Christ, the life of Mary and the lives of all the Saints. I firmly believe that we should seek to live like all those who have entered into heaven before us, especially Christ, because to seek the summum bonum (highest good) is to lead a life in communion with God according to His precepts.

Unfortunately there is one “tiny” problem with trying to follow the lives of Christ and the saints - I’m not one. Of course the ‘Confessions of St. Augustin,’ the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son and a fair number of priests have told me that some of our most devout members of heaven weren’t always on God’s “A” list. That, however, is not always as comforting to me as you may think. What I find more encouraging in my daily quest to lead a more Christian-centered life is to seek out other Catholics and Christians who are clearly on the path of good works and righteousness in today’s world.

I love seeking out people and groups who have found ways to express the Christian, specifically the Catholic faith. Finding these people and groups and how they have personally experienced Christ in their lives renews my own faith. One such couple that has recently peeked my interest is Joey Kerlin and Britt Shankle. Brought to my attention by none other than my dear friend, Cranky Catholic, this duo has created a stunningly blunt, but hilarious look into their marriage preparation. With less than a year to go until their January 2009 wedding, this Catholic couple decided to create a weekly podcast explaining ever aspect of their experiences on the road down the aisle.

With uproariously funny anecdotes that lighten the loving, but naturally intense feelings surrounding marriage preparation Joey and Britt create a basic down to earth marriage guide. Naturally Joey and Britt highlight their experiences as a Catholic couple, but after listening to their podcasts, I found that many of their stories benefited all Christians and indeed all people preparing for marriage, even people already married. One personal story with joking overtones that caught my attention was of their sponsor family:

“He and his wife and and his eight children are sort of our sponsor family for our engagement. They have been married about 15 years…and they have been kind enough to take us under their wing…and show us the loops of marriage…not loopholes, mind you, there’s no getting out of it!”

Even better is their story of how they met. Their story, as they themselves admit, is a bit long, but is well worth the ear-full. I won’t spill the rice; you just have to listen to it yourself. Their story is in the April 1st podcast with a continuation in the April 5th edition. The fact that they can joke and play openly in such a loving way shows that they are preparing themselves for a lasting relationship long past the day of “I do.” There is no mistake that Joey and Britt absolutely take the Sacrament of Marriage very seriously, which is why their advice is so pure of heart.

They have gone above and beyond their duties as Catholics in preparing for marriage and are gracious in sharing their experiences with us. It is truly a blessing to see couples taking marriage so seriously, but also with the ability to laugh at themselves. So often couples today take the easy route of divorce when marriage and life does not work the way they wanted it to. It is obvious that Joey and Britt have absolutely no intention of ever letting that idea take a foothold in their marriage.

For those of you who think you are already married and don’t need their advice? Think again! My darling Andrew and I will be celebrating year four of our marriage on June 26, and we are desperately listening to each podcast to make sure we didn’t miss any of Joey and Britt’s golden kernels.

Marriage is for life and we love that this beautiful young couple is starting early on their long, loving journey. My only prayer, other than Joey and Britt are blessed each and every day of their lives, is that the podcasts keep coming after January 24, 2009 - their wedding date - with many, many more years of excellent Christian advice for married couples!

Many of my readers have noticed my recent tiff online. Thankfully I have left that battle where it stands, although my counterpart tells me that I am to expect a “slam” of an article on Monday. Oh well!

However, as a follow up to my own thoughts on the subject, I recently received a delightful and honest question. I believe it should be shared with you all because the answer is terribly important in light of recent events: “Where do you look when you are examining questions of ethics in writing?”

Naturally the Internet is a medium in which almost every person on earth can enter out their thoughts without much regard for who they hurt or what rules they break. However, many bloggers are taking up the metaphorical pen and urging all online writers to follow some decorum online.

Personally, I follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as my model for writing and journalism. For everything online - questions about blogs, comments, flaming, and more - I defer to the excellent advice of The Original Mud Puppy and Lisa Williams’ weblog.

Armed with these three advisers, it is difficult to err in your quest for a decent, ethical article. I encourage all writers, especially those holding themselves out to be experts on a topic, or even those holding themselves out to be commentators on a given topic, to follow the codes of ethics. Doing so will not only reflect well on them as a writer, but it will also create a sense of decency and politesse around the web.

Not often do I get to say these words: Lawyers are fabulously funny people!

Okay, I am saying this with a touch of sarcasm. Surely I should have realized that the tide would come into port again sooner or later. Once Andrew’s article, ‘How to handle legal issues like a man,’ and my article, ‘Gender Crisis: handling issues like a gentlePERSON,’ had finally been picked to death, I should have bet that some lone wolf would write. What I didn’t expect was to be so poorly represented as to be completely silenced.

You would think that lawyers, especially left-leaning lawyers, would be careful about protecting their twisted misunderstanding about the First Amendment, what is widely known today as “free speech.” Most liberals pride themselves on tolerance of differing viewpoints. Unfortunately I found neither of these qualities in our trite responder.

No, sadly Andrew and I were stunned today when we learned that JHS - she does not reveal her identity online - verbally slapped my husband and implied that he sexually harassed every woman on earth by writing that men should be gentlemen. Oh yes, you heard correct. Apparently Ms. J believes that a man telling other men to behave like gentlemen and not like little boys or pigs is a terrible thing. A tragedy of society that mocks women and will cause the degradation of us all!

I still don’t follow this logic of Ms. J, though she probably considers the mere fact of my common courtesy of “Ms.” to be derogatory. Pardon your years of etiquette, Mother and Grandmother, I am sure you meant well when you were teaching me!

On top of this huge reputation blow for Andrew, we also learned that Ms. J has little need for those pesky ethics. Rather than attribute quotations to their appropriate writer, she took the worst sentences she could find on the comments section below Andrew’s article, found ones made by other writers and attributed them directly to Andrew. Of course when I say the “worst” comments, they really are not that terrible, but they certainly were not made by Andrew.

Naturally Andrew and I both pointed these errors out to our California counterpart, but to no avail. Andrew originally posted this on Ms. J’s site, but she later cut out the tidbit about the quotations being from Mark:

I am the author of the post linked to above: How to Handle Legal Issues Like a Man. I respectfully ask that you please correct your article. The two quotes that you attribute to me were actually posted by a commenter named Mark in this comment. Please correct this error. Finally, please note the very first sentence of the article that I wrote: “Unfortunately many males in our society do not handle their problems like true men.” The article was solely intended to encourage people of the male gender to conduct themselves in a well-mannered, civilized fashion.

Thank you for promptly correcting the mistakes in your article. Andrew

All of the top blog etiquette writers agree that standards of journalism should be kept in blogging as well as every effort of writers to correct erroneous errors in posts, and many of them agree that editing or deleting comments simply because they disagree with you is poor etiquette indeed. In a second attempt to ask Ms. J to correct her errors, Andrew politely emailed her the same information above. Regretfully he was met with a hostile email and has yet to see any corrections to the post copy:

From:
Date: Wed, Jun 4, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Subject: Re: Inquiry from a Colloquium Reader: Your article that mentions me

I am at work and do not have time to double-check that now. If you had simply emailed me in the first place, I would not have had to edit your comment. I will deal with your issue later tonight. My recollection is that I quoted your response to a comment. If necessary, I will clarify.

By this time I began writing my own response to the day’s events. Here is what I left for Ms. JHS in her comment box:

Dear J,

I am taken aback by your post, especially in lieu of your atrocious misuse of Andrew’s character. Andrew’s article never directly said nor indirectly implied that women should “take it like a man.” Your carte blanche implication that he is sexually harassing every woman on the planet simply by asking men to be a little more decent in their daily dealings is out of line. Perhaps you read the wrong article of his, but when is a little politesse - on the part of a male, female or any other person - such a bad thing? Sorry, but it isn’t.

On a journalistic note, your post admonishes writers to be mindful that they “have a responsibility to treat our readers with respect.” Certainly you lacked that decorum in this post. You not only attributed quotations from another individual to Andrew, you also edited his commentary asking you to correct this error. Twice the journalistic no-no. Please be more careful of serious errors such as these before you attempt to ruin someone’s professional reputation. It simply does not fit with your espousal of civility, integrity, honesty and competence.

Admittedly a bit stern, but sometimes a touch of firmness is needed when boundaries are crossed; even more so when professional reputations and ethical standards are at stake. Sadly my comment was deleted without even a brief, contrite, derogatory, or ‘other’ explanation. I received no email from Ms. J as to why she rejected my comments. I do not actually care what the substance of her response is, but etiquette is just so darn polite!

I know it is simply impossible to talk to walls, but it is always fun to try. Thankfully Andrew and I are good humored about today. We have done a fair amount of laughing and eye rolling, but if a small town lawyer from Lodi, California truly desires to come across the U.S. and challenge my husband to a man-eating contest, well she better have a big mouth because he happens to be 6′3″!

Many prayer groups today find that their rights to peaceably assemble on public sidewalks and right-of-ways are being dangerously threatened. Not too long ago I too was a prayer leader. Our group exercised our rights to pray on a public sidewalk in a very busy part of town and quite often we were met with confrontations and hostile individuals.

In order to curb these volatile situations I consulted a dear friend, who also happens to be an attorney at the Rutherford Institute. He gave me some excellent pointers:

• Have an emergency contact plan. My group created business cards for all our members with my phone number, our church phone number and a lawyer’s number. The church and lawyer were instructed to call me 24/7 in the event of an emergency.
• Always have a phone, camera or video recorder with you in case of emergency.
• If you are harassed, assaulted or in some other danger, do not be afraid to call the police. On one occasion a man I knew was run off the sidewalk with a Hummer while praying the Rosary. However, we had the emergency plan in place and I was able to take care of the situation immediately.
• Be Prepared! Know your local laws and ordinances about where you can stand and how and what types of literature you can pass out.
• Be kind, but firm with your local police. Know that you have rights and do not be afraid to ask for a badge number or a chance to call your lawyer. However, do be nice to the police. Hostility will not get you on good terms with the officers. There is no need to be a martyr!

Having an emergency plan in place before you go out to pray can save a lot of heartache later on. Once our group learned these simple but effective planning techniques, the confrontations towards us were drastically cut down because we were prepared to handle them.

As a pregnancy counselor and prayer leader outside a Virginia Planned Parenthood, I have learned a lot over the years. Ministering to vulnerable women, men, and their preborn babies is extremely important, but can also be very overwhelming if you are unprepared.

If you do not have formal training as a sidewalk counselor from a reputable program or pregnancy center stop! Please do not go out blind to your local abortion clinic. Ministering without any training will not benefit women or babies. Actually, it could possibly lead to legal trouble if you say or do something inappropriate.

This is definitely not meant to deter anyone from ministering at clinics. In fact, ministering is a wonderful opportunity; one that should be met with zeal and love.

Romans 12 implores us to offer our lives as a “living sacrifice to God.” We are all parts of the one body. In being part of this “one body” we are asked to do simple tasks like getting a woman to a pregnancy center. We do not have to do the whole counseling session right there. Rather, we only have to be a witness, a part, just one small link in the bigger chain.

Here are some simple suggestions to help you get started in ministering:

• Your local Pregnancy Center can train and equip you with the tools you need to guide women toward true help. Many centers have annual or semiannual training sessions for around $25.00 per person. It is well worth the cost to learn how to properly minister to women in need.
• Form a small group and approach your local center with a proposal to trade training time and resources for help in guiding clients to their door.
• Once you are trained, know the local laws regarding abortion clinics.
• Always be polite and prayerful in your approach, never aggressive. A smile and a kind word go a long way!
• Do not yell at the women or abortion workers. No one listens to anger and shouting.
• Remember to work with your local Pregnancy Center - it is about the babies and the moms!

Know that God has prepared tools for you, so do not be scared to reach out to your area churches and CPCs to find them! You are not alone in your mission, so do not try to take the world on your shoulders. Be brave enough to admit when you need help.

A dear friend came to me frustrated about her local pregnancy center. Wanting to help, I offered to take her out for coffee. As we chatted, the truth slowly unfolded that she had recently discovered that the center near her was telling women that contraceptives were “okay.”

Screeching break sounds!

I couldn’t believe my ears. Sad but true, many pregnancy centers are misinformed about birth control and the dangers they pose. Many contraceptives actually cause early abortions. However, there is something you can do!

• Get the name and number of your local pregnancy center and call them to learn about their policies.
• If the pregnancy center near you is not pro-life, schedule an appointment to talk with the center director. Use this appointment as a chance to open up a dialogue and minister to them.
• Listen to the reasons behind their policies before you start sharing information with them.
• If you do need to share the pro-life truth with them, come prepared with specific questions about their ministry. This will allow you to frame your response more to their needs. Also, make sure that the reasons you give them for becoming a 100% pro-life pregnancy resource center are both scientific reasons as well as moral reasons.
• Remain calm when you speak. Remember that you have the truth. Do not get angry or abrasive in your tactics.

Exodus 23:22 says, “If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you” (NIV). For me this has means listen to the opposing arguments so that the Holy Spirit can show me the best way to counter them.

And guess what, it works! If you listen to others, they will listen to you.

Recently my beloved husband wrote a post on handling legal issues like a man. While this is out of my normal scope, given that I know little to nothing about legal issues, I simply had to toss my two cents in to the pot when his simple article exploded into a battle of the sexes and the sexless.

Those near and dear to Andrew and me know that my husband runs a little into right field. As for me, let’s just say that I would have a seat in the nose-bleed section off of right field if they would even let me into the stadium! Yes, I am on the record as a “card carrying, ultra conservative” Catholic. However, I come from a melting pot of family values and am quite accustomed to hearing every argument under the rainbow when it comes to political issues, moral issues, or what-have-you.

However, there is one argument, regardless of the various values and wide political views that members of my family have, that has never wavered: gender. This does not mean that gender roles have remained unchanged in my family. It simply means that gender is unchanged. From my ultra conservative view to the most flaming liberal in my family, we all agree that women and men have inherently different parts. Dipping down to the most basic biological level, women are built with the ability to carry and birth children and men are typically built to endure the heavy lifting and the hard labor.

Frankly I do not have a problem with owning up to how I am built. It is when we start discussing gender roles that even I can draw a sharp breath. I was brought up knowing that men and women can do most things quite equally. Nevertheless, I was still brought up in the glorious “Southern” tradition that women and men should treat each other with respect because the sexes are dependant upon each other.

My mother taught me that a gentleman should open doors for ladies, remove their hat in a presence of a lady or inside a building, should pull out a lady’s chair at the table, should stand when a lady leaves or returns to the table, and should always ask before laying a single finger on a lady (even if it is to assist her with getting out of the car). Conversely, ladies should always say “please” and “thank you” to a gentleman for his help and should acknowledge him for his respectfulness.

Some women and men today see these actions as archaic. I honestly see them as respectful and necessary mechanisms to keep society at a certain level of politeness and decorum. So many times I see hate and hurtful behavior of one human to another. I am of the mind that this is because we are trying to convert society to the “gentlePERSON” mantra rather than preserve the gentleman and lady interactions of yesterday.

Preserving politeness does not mean that we will necessitate a degradation into gender stereotypes. In fact, quite the opposite may occur because we have learned so much in the last century about gender and gender roles. I say all this cautiously because I will honestly always be better at cooking and administrative tasks than my husband, and he will always be better at using power tools and fixing computers. However, my husband and I gladly divide and conquer the chores in our home as do the other married couples in my family. We are acutely aware that we can both clean a toilet with equal ability, and that our respective genders have absolutely no effect on how we each hold the brush.

What truly matters is that we know and understand that we are biologically built different. Beyond that we desire a human difference, a respectful differentiation that stems from biology, but is ultimately held in the social court.

Though his true identity is known to few, his presence is known to many. Cranky Catholic, as he is known in the blogosphere, is a deeply devout Catholic with a world of experience and knowledge and a bone or two to pick with society.

Surprisingly, Cranky Catholic is not a cranky, cantankerous, crabby or otherwise bad-tempered person. No, he is actually terribly funny and can quite possibly send you into a laughing fit so serious it may send you to the emergency room. I am also sure he has made milk come out someone’s nose at least once in a school cafeteria before.

Many sitting on the “right”-side of the fence have applauded his snipes and gripes, his jabs and pokes at leftist media and their abortion inclination. “Mr. Cranky” has posted commentary on conservative blogs like Jill Stanek and American Life League. He is the constant kernel in the craw of large left blogs like RH Reality Check and Feministing. Though the left-wingers typically try to blow him off with as much pompous steam and derogatory comments as possible, even Amanda Marcotte, indisputably the ‘Queen Bee’ with the poisonous stinger of the RH Reality Check mogul, has trouble shaking this man!

Even with all his popularity on other blogs, Cranky Catholic has finally decided to settle into his own URL. You can now find his musings and aggravations about life at his newly launched blog, www.CrankyCatholic.com. Also on the site are two new additives by our favorite Catholic. The first is “Pop Stupid.” This fabulous little tidbit is loaded with illustrious little blurbs, or should I say verbal screw-ups, from the more famous members of society. The second is “Mass Destruction” and cautions you to “hold onto your breviaries” as it takes you on a tour of the more sacrilegious-minded of the Catholic faithless.

And just to allay any fears you may have, I don’t doubt “Mr. Cranky” still plans his stunning crash appearances on other blogs. After all, we would never want him to quit bothering Ms. Marcotte and her miscreant band of writers!

Roderick King takes carrots from hungry rabbits.
Image compliments of and copyrighted by Cranky Catholic.

Life is so beautiful, so magical. It is hard to believe that it begins with the act of one man and one woman coming together in the ultimate show of love! When the sperm and egg unite to create a new human being something greater than words can express takes place.

Unfortunately we have lost sight of this beautiful act. With the advent of contraceptives, we mercilessly kill our preborn children before they have a chance to even start their long journey in life. But do not take my word for it. See for yourself how contraception manufacturers and scientist have twisted words over the years to fit their own agendas.

Prior to the mid-1960s, medical personnel appear to have had at least some belief in their Hippocratic Oath of “do no harm.” At least scientist and doctors saw “the instant of fertilization” as paramount to the beginning of life. The U.S Department of Health Education and Welfare published the following in their Public Health Service leaflet No. 1066 in 1963:

“All the measures which impair the viability of the zygote at any time between the instant of fertilization and the completing of labor constitute, in the strict sense procedures for inducing abortion.”

Clearly health workers viewed newly created humans, fertilized eggs as they are called today, worthy of our attention and care. However, this did not last long. Just as everything else in the psychedelic 60s broke every fad, manner and rule, so too did doctors break their oath to the most innocent of humans.

In 1965 the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology redefined pregnancy by saying, “Conception is the implantation of a fertilized ovum.” They published this quandary of a statement in their Terminology Bulletin No. 1, “Terms Used in Reference to the Fetus.” ACOG once again “clarified” their warped idea of pregnancy by changing the definition in 1972 to, “Conception is the implantation of the blastocyst.” A truly impersonalizing and dehumanizing definition, this head-scratcher was published in the Obstretric-Gynecologic Terminology handbook, ‘Gametogenesis and Fertilization.’

What is a blastocyst? The most common definition I found was “a hollow ball of cells filled with fluid.” This, however, is just another attempt to completely dehumanize newly created life!

With this new definition of pregnancy, the makers of oral contraceptives were free to create their pills with an eye to not only preventing ovulation and thickening cervical mucus, but also changing the lining of the uterus. The last mechanism - changing the lining of the uterus - makes it difficult, if not impossible, for a preborn child to implant in the womb. When he cannot implant in the womb, he is denied necessary nourishment and is expelled from the body during menstruation.

This is a chemical abortion!

Oral contraceptives recognize this third mechanism in their own full-patient prescribing information. They do not advertise this point openly, but they have gone on record for noting the abortifacient properties of the pill. As quoted in the booklet ‘Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?’ by Randy Alcorn, a representative of the Ortho-McNeil said, “If you end up with a fertilized egg, [the baby boy or girl] won’t implant and grow because of the less hospitable endometrium.”

The makers of oral contraceptives and ACOG have known for decades that life begins at conception. They have even gone out of their way to change the definition of pregnancy just to legitimize their work. If they can see that when life begins, why can’t the rest of society? Why don’t we stand up to the pressures of pharmaceuticals and ACOG and demand that they treat life, all life from creation to natural death, with more dignity and respect?