Why everyone should visit Kuala Lumpur by Guest Blogger Marta Valez

Why everyone should visit Kuala Lumpur by Guest Blogger Marta Valez










Why everyone
should visit Kuala Lumpur Hello! My name is Marta and I came to Kuala Lumpur from
Europe a few months ago. I have to confess I never taught about Malaysia as I
place where I would live… or even visit.
Honestly in Europe the information we have about
the country is really low and even though I did my research before deciding to
come here I never knew exactly what to expect.
Can you believe that when I showed my friends the skyline of Kuala
Lumpur, with all the skyscrapers, they couldnt believe it? I am not saying
that everyone has this perception but a lot of people associate Malaysia with
this image of an exotic country, a paradise beach with wood houses and not much
more. Well my friends, I have to say that Kuala Lumpur and
Malaysia are much more than that (and you bet that one by one Ill make sure to
tell this to everyone that I can). For
me Kuala Lumpur was nothing else than a pleasant surprise: a place where the
west meets the east, the big skyscrapers meet the busy and sometimes confusing
Asia. My reasons to say everyone coming to Asia should stop by
Kuala Lumpur and local people should (because sometimes they dont) appreciate
more what they have? The food, the people, the weather (although thats
arguable), the landscapes and the rooftops.I never travelled everywhere but I can imagine that here it
is possible to find something from everywhere. Big buildings with amazing
rooftop bars, trendy restaurants and the coolest clubs: I have to say I dont
miss Europe Social Life that much; Paradise islands one/two hours and a few
bucks away; amazing places to shop, from all the expensive brands to the
bargaining in Chinatown;
amazing food: a mix of indian, Indonesia, chinese, thai and so forth (the
hardest part is to choose) I can only strongly advice everyone to try the
NasiLemak in the banana leaf (the most typical from Malay cuisine, composed by
rice boiled in coconut milk, peanuts, anchovies, egg and cucumber and it can be
accompanied by chicken or fish) and the Naan, that is nothing more than indian
bread, but it is on my top 3 favorite things here (and we cannot get it like
this n Europe).Obviously I miss things from back home: Stupid things like having for seasons,
expressos (Italian coffee), good football matches (ahaha); but I have to
confess that Malaysia is a place where I could see myself living. I decided to write about this topic to try to appeal to two
different audiences: to foreign people that dont know much about Malaysia be
sure youll book the next flight and for locals that dont appreciate Malaysia
and KL and they should: do it. Malaysia has a lot to growth and develop, it is
truth! But its really worthy as it is now as well!

The Nine Times When You Should Thank Your Customers

The Nine Times When You Should Thank Your Customers



During this season of giving thanks, I thought I'd bring back one of the mostpopular posts from myBlog. Here it is from 2012:

In your leadership role, it's vital that your team members know how to deliver excellent customer service. "Knock Your Socks Off" type service as book editor Ann Thomas and Jill Applegate would say.

Part of delivering excellent customer service is saying "Thank You" to your customers and knowing when to say "Thank You".

Thomas and Applegate recommend telling your customers "Thank You" during at least these nine situations:When they do business with you...every time.
When they compliment you (or your company)
When they offer you comments or suggestions
When they try one of your new products or services
When they recommend you to a friend
When they are patient...and even when they are not so patient
When they help you to serve them better
When they complain to you
When they make you smileYou and your team members can say "Thank You":Verbally
In writing (and don't underestimate the power of personal notes via snail mail)
With a small, tasteful, appropriate gift

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize 2013

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize 2013


The winner of the Rogers Writers' Trust has been announced. The prize goes to:


A Beautiful Truth by Colin McAdam

Told simultaneously from the perspective of humans and chimpanzees, set in a Vermont home and a Florida primate research facility, "A Beautiful Truth"--at times brutal, other times deeply moving--is about the simple truths that transcend species, the meaning of family, the lure of belonging, and the capacity for survival. A powerful and haunting meditation on human nature told from the dual perspectives of a Vermont family that has adopted a chimp as a surrogate son, and a group of chimpanzees in a Florida research institute. Looee, a chimp raised by a well-meaning and compassionate human couple who cannot conceive a baby of their own, is forever set apart. He's not human, but with his peculiar upbringing he is no longer like other chimps. One tragic night Looee's two natures collide and their unique family is forever changed. At the Girdish Institute in Florida, a group of chimpanzees has been studied for decades. The work at Girdish has proven that chimps have memories and solve problems, that they can learn language and need friends, and that they build complex cultures. They are political, altruistic, get angry, and forgive. When Looee is moved to the Institute, he is forced to try to find a place in their world. " A Beautiful Truth "is an epic and heartfelt story about parenthood, friendship, loneliness, fear and conflict, about the things we hold sacred as humans and how much we have in common with our animal relatives. A novel of great heart and wisdom from a literary master, it exposes the yearnings, cruelty, and resilience of all great apes.

Colin wins $25 000 as well as the statue. For more information on the prize winner and the finalists check out The Writers' Trust of Canada.

Nature Nurture Making Pirogis

Nature Nurture Making Pirogis

Nature/Nurture?
Who knows...
I know I love baking
I know my first attempts at creating food
always yielded failure when protein and a stove were involved
but when an oven and flour came into play?
I seemed to have some sort of magic touch
okay, that's an exaggeration
I created things that were edible, on the first try
and it was such a different experience, it felt like I had a magic touch

So, when I explained to my Grandmother that I could bake but I could not cook
she told me it was genetic
within my DNA there was a baking gene but not a cooking gene
My Great Grandmother supported the family during lean times
through making pies and cakes for Howard Johnson restaurants
which makes me smile to know
to imagine someone sitting down on a teal and stainless bar stool
round, backless and mounted into the ground,
ordering a cup of coffee and a slice of pie
knowing that pie, the "what flavor you got today, Joyce?"
was my Great Grandmother's, from her home oven?
Her baking skills brought people in daily
but she couldn't cook herself out of a paper bag?
Yes, this baking thing, there must be a gene. Because as a 20-21 year-old
while I was trying not to burn down my kitchen making spaghetti from a jar and box
I could make the most amazing sugar cookies and the most delightful icing
as if I'd been doing it all my life

I've become a better cook
and I'm learning to enjoy it more
but, Chris is for certain, the better cook out of the two
I am pretty good with a slow cooker
I can cook a bird in the oven
and I can make sauce and soups from scratch
but if you are at my house and a really good meal is served
it is likely Chris made it

But, I'm not sure if this is the result of my mythical baking gene
or if it has to do with some of my memories around food
the ones that are trapped so deep, you don't even know that they're there for certain?
I never tried a pirogi until I was in my 20's. You know the frozen boxes from the grocery store?
at least that's what I always thought
something about Chris, triggered a memory
I was five, I remember my Mother telling me my babysitter was polish
really from Poland
I remember my favorite days were when she made these things out of dough
she always let me help and it was really, really fun. We didn't bake from scratch at my house. My Mom worked full time and ran 3 children to multiple activities and appointments. I'm surprised, knowing what I know now, she didn't feed us fast food every day of the week.
Once they were cooked, they were so yummy and unlike anything I'd ever tried before
Well Chris is also polish
and I kept wondering if I could figure out what I made with her and make them for him
because I think the reason my Mother told me she was polish is because I wanted to make them at home too
but my Mom didn't know how because my Mom is not polish
it was a polish recipe
and it hit me...maybe we were making pirogi's, from scratch, from my babysitter's family recipe book?
it certainly never reminded me of the frozen things from the grocery store
but, frozen pizza is probably nothing like real Italian pizza either
so, Chris and I found a recipe and gave it a try
and yes, as a little tiny thing, just five years old
my favorite activity was baking pirogis with my babysitter
hands down. I loved it. I got to help! Flour was a messy, messy thing but nobody worried about the mess
and they tasted really good. Something I made was good. Really good. Unlike my sad but valiant attempts to create the art, pottery, and pot holders from the activity kits of my older siblings, I was actually good at it. It was, uniquely mine.
I also carry, somewhere locked away, the happy memory of something baking in the oven
at my Grandmother's house
and I wonder if the appeal of getting messy, the happy outcome, and the positive recollection from deep within my mind of the smell of things baking
led me to become a baker but not a cook?



Who knows? The nature/nurture debate continues. But, if you asked my Grandmother she'd tell you all women in my family are encoded with special DNA. The kind that can burn down a kitchen with a Lean Cuisine but can somehow, without effort, create the most delicate cream puffs, completely from scratch.

The other interesting thing around my baking gene...the same family from which I inherited said gene is also full of poets. Poets and writers I never met or never knew, until the advent of social media. I have a great aunt who published books of poetry and was a professor. Her daughter is a hobby author like me. I have a writer cousin in Mexico, and right in the very same, very small town, another cousin who enjoys doing poetry slams. Genetic? Or learned?

kate says ...

kate says ...


Kate is equal parts mischievous and hilarious. Yesterday Garry said she knew the GPS coordinates for the candy I have stashed in my church bag for the Beehives. She raided it more than once, which was so frustrating! However, the other day, she made me laugh so hard! We were driving home from something and Lexi said she had to use the bathroom, but that she thought she could "hold it" for a few more minutes. Kate immediately said, "I can hold it for you!" I'm actually laughing about it as I type. She was so sincere!Much of what makes us laugh around here is the things Kate says. She says some funny words that I want to remember. Unfortunately my list of her unique vocabulary has disappeared twice. I imagine I'll keep adding to this list as my limited memory improves.Bekis=BreakfastAngel Muffin=English muffinUh-ola bar=Granola BarChaksip=ChapstickNakim=NapkinAnd some phrases:Yeah, sureHold you stand up=hold me while you are standing, not sittingTan I {insert something she wants to do} like 40 minutes?...
This conversation captures another theme in Kate's life:

Lexi: Mom! Kate peed!
Me: Peed where?
Lexi: Over there!
Me: Where over there?
Lexi: She's right there, Mom. She peed in her diaper.
Me: You mean she's wearing a diaper, and she peed in it?
Lexi: Yes. I could feel it when she was sitting on my back.Kate often takes it upon herself to change her wet diapers, and to remove the poopy ones before alerting me to the situation. And yet she won't sit on the potty. We're in a funky in-between stage on the issue. I probably need to buckle down and give potty training another go. Maybe over Christmas break. Maybe next summer....Kate has the best laugh EVER. It's this jolly, gut-busting super-giggle that makes me so happy.Kate currently favors climbing pantry and refrigerator shelves and dresser drawers, changing her clothes five times a day, smearing diaper cream everywhere, filling the bathroom sink with water, emptying brand-new toilet paper rolls, and trying to fix chocolate milk for herself. On the upside, she can put on her own shoes.She's darling, for sure, but exhausting. I'm pretty sure she could tell you that herself.

Fox C-6 Watchdogs Documentation Contradicts Superintendent Dianne Critchlow's Statements at June 2013 Board Meeting!

Fox C-6 Watchdogs Documentation Contradicts Superintendent Dianne Critchlow's Statements at June 2013 Board Meeting!


Fox C-6 Watchdogs: Documentation Contradicts Superintendent Dianne Critchlow's Statements at June 2013 Board Meeting!

Documentation Contradicts Superintendent Dianne Critchlow's Statements at June 2013 Board Meeting!
After I spoke during Public Comment at the June 2013 Fox C-6 School Board meeting regarding an open Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education and a Final Agency Decision from the USDA finding Fox C-6 and Missouri DESE non-compliant with Section 504, ADA and the ADAAA, Superintendent Dianne Critchlow stated that:
"We are in compliance with every complaint to date and one is in litigation and we cannot discuss it."If you read the Monitoring Letters issued by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (ED OCR) and the Final Agency Decision from the USDA using the links below, you will find that our Superintendent's statement was false.

Why would our Superintendent say that we cannot discuss these issues? Because it doesn't reflect well on her or the district. If Superintendent Critchlow is truly keeping our school board informed on these issues, I would think the board would want to know why it has taken our District more than 4 years to meet the obligations of the Resolution Agreement they signed with ED OCR in May of 2009. Our school board should also be asking why the District is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees rather than correcting their documentation and complying with the law.

I'm sure our Superintendent had no idea that ED OCR would find a lot more problems in our District than just not wanting to properly follow Section 504 law. If you read the ED OCR Monitoring Letters you will see that the majority of the problems are with the district's policies and handbooks and complying with Section 504, ADA and ADAAA. It seemed to be a systemic issue which is why the Washington D.C. Office for Civil Rights decided to conduct a District Wide Compliance Review. The District Wide Compliance Review was initiated in March of 2010. Of course, the District attorneys argued that ED OCR was basically picking on our District and harassing them. Needless to say, ED OCR denied their request to rescind the District Wide Compliance Review. However, the District has done a very good job of dragging things out while spending a lot in legal fees.

I think that we should discuss the fact that our District can't seem to accomplish what the they originally agreed to have done by August 31, 2009. By reading through the original Resolution Agreement and then the Monitoring Letters and attorney responses, you will find that the District informed the ED OCR that it would have the policies and procedures updated by July 31, 2010 after it didn't make the 2009 dates. Then in 2012 the District informed ED OCR that they planned on having the updated policies and procedures completed by July of 2012. Well, that didn't happen either! So, here we are in July of 2013 and the District still hasn't completed revising its documentation.

Now that the USDA Office for Civil Rights (USDA OCR) has asked the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for assistance in bringing Fox C-6 and Missouri DESE into compliance, it appears to demonstrates the fact that our school district and many like ours simply ignore the federal agencies. I think this is mostly due to the fact that ED OCR "allows" the District to "voluntarily comply". And, since ED OCR just issues new deadlines and doesn't actually perform and enforcement, the school district's ignore them. It will be interesting to see how much money our school board plans to allow our Superintendent to spend on these issues before they decide to comply with the rulings and fulfill their obligations to the Resolution Agreement.

Below you will find some of the documentation showing the District's lack of compliance. Our Superintendent has a tendency to just throw out statements thinking or hoping everyone believes her. I like to provide the evidence that shows that what she says isn't always true!

Letters from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (ED OCR) and the USDA OCR document the fact that our district is NOT in full compliance.

The complaints I spoke of at the June 2013 board meeting are not in litigation. Only the Department of Justice can litigate a complaint with the District. Currently the USDA is working with Missouri DESE hoping that they will bring our district into compliance with the USDA's Final Agency Decision. If MO DESE fails to do so, the DOJ will then step in to bring about compliance. At that time, the District may possibly end up in litigation. But, at the moment, these complaints are not in litigation. Superintendent Critchlow throws out the litigation claim to keep things behind "closed doors" rather than speaking about them in the public session of the board meetings.

Not to rule out any possibilities! But, perhaps Superintendent Critchlow is simply having a difficult time accepting the fact that the Monitoring Letters from ED OCR and the USDA Final Agency Decision aren't accolades for our District. If you're curious, give them a read and see what you think. How would someone would document this on their resume as an accomplishment?

Click on the links below to open the documents from ED OCR, USDA OCR and our school district attorneys to get an understanding of how compliant or non-compliant the Fox C-6 School District really is with these agencies. Our school district has certainly invested a lot of money in attorney's fees just to keep from filling out proper paperwork like 504 Plans for students in our District!


Documentation From Federal Agencies ContradictsSuperintendent's Statements
May 1, 2009 Fox C-6 School District Resolution Agreement with ED OCR

December 8, 2009 ED OCR Issues First Monitoring Letter to Fox C-6 for May 1, 2009 Resolution Agreement

February 26, 2010 Fox C-6 District Attorney Teri Goldman Response to ED OCR's December 2009 Monitoring Letter and Conference Call

March 11, 2010 ED OCR Complaint Notification to Fox C-6 Regarding Due Process Hearing Officer Selection

March 19, 2010 Fox C-6 District Wide Compliance Review Notification Letter from ED OCR

Due Process Hearing Officer Selection Concerns
Would you be concerned if you were going to have go through a Due Process Hearing against your school district and the school district gets to choose the Due Process Hearing Officer to hear the case? Would you be more concerned if the school district chose a Due Process Hearing Officer that was a former law associate of the school district Attorney representing the school district in the Due Process Hearing? How about if you found out that they co-represented school districts together at law firms against parents? Would you be concerned if you found out that the two attorneys were presenters at a convention answering questions on the rules of Due Process and discussing topics such as "Testifying in Due Process Hearings"?

Section 504 Procedural Safeguards typically state that the parent or the school district can request a Due Process Hearing to resolve disputes Section 504 decisions. The safeguards state that the school district will choose the Due Process Hearing Officer. The Due Process Hearing Officer is typically an attorney who acts like a judge to hear both parties on a matter and render a decision. A hearing officer is supposed to be "Fair and Impartial". A quick Google search of the hearing officer chosen by the District immediately raised red flags considering the hearing officer chosen by the District was Mr. John Brink who was a former law associate of District attorney Teri Goldman in two different law firms. The choice of hearing officer can easily sway the outcome of a hearing. I know they are supposed to be "Fair and Impartial". But, as proof of my concern, I found several cases where Mr. Brink and Ms. Goldman while working for the same law firms co-represented school districts on cases. What was more troubling was the fact that Mr. Brink and Ms. Goldman were listed together as presenters at the 2007 Missouri Speech Language Hearing Association (MSHA) convention speaking about the rules pertaining to Due Process with one of their topics listed as "Testifying in Due Process Hearings". This is why we filed a complaint regarding our concerns over the school district's choice of the Due Process Hearing Officer with ED OCR.

District attorney Teri Goldman responded to ED OCR investigating our concerns. In her response to ED OCR she stated, "Since 2002, Ms. Goldman occasionally sees Mr. Brink at professional conferences (perhaps 1-2 times per year) and does converse with him at such conferences. Beyond that, she has no personal relationship with him. Since 2002, Ms. Goldman and Mr. Brink have not served as co-presenters contrary to the Simpson's representation. Neither Ms. Goldman nor the District know the basis for the Simpson's assertion in that regard."That's why I submitted the convention schedule brochure PDF document from the 2007 MSHA conference to ED OCR documenting our concern along with a photo of Mr. Brink and Ms. Goldman seated together at the conference luncheon. These documents were found on the MSHA website along with the URL links. Shortly after ED OCR reviewed our complaint and responses from the District, Ms. Goldman and Mr. Brink, the documents were removed from the MSHA website where they had been posted for nearly 3 years. I found it odd that the documents disappeared so quickly after ED OCR investigated our concerns.

So, is Ms. Goldman's statement true about not serving as co-presenters with Mr. Brink? I kept a copy of the MSHA Convention brochure and photo from the luncheon just in case. The session description can be found on page 24 of the program schedule from the following link:
2007 Missouri Speech-Language Hearing Association (MSHA) Convention Schedule

Below is District attorney Teri Goldman's response to ED OCR regarding our concerns of the Due Process Hearing Officer selection. Mr. Dan Baker stated that he was originally concerned after I brought it to the attention of the District and ED OCR that Mr. Brink and Ms. Goldman were former law associates. However, after speaking with District attorney Teri Goldman and she assured Mr. Baker that Mr. Brink would be fair and impartial, Mr. Baker was no longer concerned about the choice of the hearing officer. Apparently, Mr. Baker didn't know that Ms. Goldman and Mr. Brink were former law associates during a January 2009 Due Process Hearing that Mr. Baker was involved in with another family at Fox that was decided in favor of the school district.
March 22, 2010 Fox C-6 District Attorney Teri Goldman's Response to ED OCR Regarding Due Process Hearing Officer Selection Complaint
March 29, 2010 Fox C-6 District Attorney Teri Goldman's Letter to Russlyn Ali, Assistant Secretary of Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education Regarding District Wide Compliance Review
April 7, 2010 ED OCR Enforcement Director Randolph Wills Notifies Fox C-6 that District Wide Compliance Review Will Proceed
April 21, 2010 Fox C-6 Makes Request for Due Process Hearing
August 18, 2011 - Fox C-6 and MO DESE Found
Non-Compliant with Section 504, ADA and ADAAA
This ruling was handed down from the USDA after reviewing the Due Process Hearing that was put on by the District and heard by the District attorney's former law associate who was hired by the District as a Due Process Hearing Officer. The same attorney was hired by the District in January 2009 as a Due Process Hearing Officer for another case in the District and the hearing officer ruled in favor of the District on that case too. I wonder how truly "Fair and Impartial" former law associates are in hearing cases? You'll have to read the USDA's take on the Due Process Hearing Officer's decision.
August 18, 2011 USDA OCR Final Agency Decision Finding Fox C-6 and MO DESE Non-Compliant

March 13, 2012 - Fox C-6 Still Non-Compliantper ED OCR
ED OCR points out a lot of flaws in our District's student handbooks and school board policies that need to be updated. They also point out the fact that there are at least 7 different people identified in the District documentation as the District's 504 Coordinator on page 12. One of the persons listed hasn't worked for the District since 2008. I have to say that ED OCR is fairly thorough in their reading over of our District's Policies, Procedures and Student Handbooks.
March 13, 2012 ED OCR Monitoring Letter Update Sent to Fox C-6 Documenting Obligations Still Not Satisfied per the May 2009 Resolution Agreement


August 3, 2012 - Fox C-6 Still Non-Compliant per ED OCR
More of the same but with a little more detail of what needs to be corrected starting on page 10 of the document.
August 3, 2012 ED OCR Monitoring Letter Update Sent to Fox C-6 Documenting Obligations Still Not Satisfied per the May 2009 Resolution Agreement


April 25, 2013 - Fox C-6 Still Non-Compliantper ED OCR
The following April 25, 2013 ED OCR Monitoring Letter informed the Fox C-6 School District that it still has not met its obligations from the May 1, 2009 Resolution Agreement signed by Dan Baker. There have been 4 monitoring letters sent to the district since May 2009. Deadlines for were given and never met. Therefore Fox C-6 IS NOT in compliance as Superintendent Critchlow stated at the June 2013 board meeting. It seems that our district has a serious problem with being able to update its school board policies and regulations. It has now been 3 years since our district informed ED OCR that it would have completed the updates of board policies and regulations.

ED OCR is still waiting for board policy updates and changes to its manuals. ED OCR has been allowing the District to "voluntarily comply" for more than 4 years. The District has still not complied. Why not? Perhaps it is time for our school board to ask Superintendent Critchlow why the District under her leadership hasn't been able to meet the obligations of their May 1, 2009 Resolution Agreement with ED OCR.

It has also been nearly 3 years since District attorney Teri Goldman informed ED OCR that they should be completing the board policies and procedures updates by July 31, 2010. Taxpayer dollars are being spent by our District and ED OCR for failing to comply with the May 1, 2009 Resolution Agreement. Perhaps it's time for our school board to start looking for new leadership in our school district.
April 25, 2013 ED OCR Monitoring Letter Update Sent To Fox C-6 Documenting Obligations Still Not Satisfied per the May 2009 Resolution Agreement

Cover Reveal The Betrayal of Flynn Monroe

Cover Reveal The Betrayal of Flynn Monroe

Look at what I've got!
The Blurb:Flynn Monroe is used to taking abuse. Why else would he stand by and let his girlfriend rename his ship something as derivative the Lightning Bug? (He was perfectly happy with the ­Bloodless Warrior) When she brings him a job – one that isnt on the level any way you spin it – he cant help but wonder if shes playing him for a fool. The problem is, with Calliope, he wants to be that fool.
Calliope Druthers has been sinking her claws into Flynn for months. Shes almost got him where she wants him – if it werent for his suspicious brother. When a grey diamond heist is waved under her nose, she cant resist the temptation of stealing the precious, engineered stones from prim society types like her parents.
If she can pin the whole thing on a puppy-dog-eyed Flynn… so much the better.
***
Jesse Bray, artist graphic designer extraordinaire, designed a whole new font and the cover for me. He is fantastic and amazing!

My novel should be up and available to read on Amazon NEXT WEEK (fingers crossed)! And it I think it looks fantastic on the series page next to the Novella!

Appeal to Minister Reilly to reconsider his position on abortion

Appeal to Minister Reilly to reconsider his position on abortion



Geneva Monday 20th May, meeting with James Reilly
attending the World Health Assembly as part of Irelands Presidency of the EU.
ELNs Patrick Buckley approached Minister Reilly and following introductions appealed
to him to reconsider his position on abortion.

Minister Reilly
was presented with information on the right to life of the unborn and the consequences of abortion for women's health.
When his officials realised he was being lobbied on the abortion
issue they hastily intervened and rushed him away saying that he was already
late for a meeting.
The information given to Minister Reilly on the right to
life confirmed the scientific fact a new human life begins at conception and is
a continuum advancing through all stages until natural death and that at all
points of development each individual is a living member of the human species homo sapiens.
That from conception each unborn child is by nature a human
being and as a member of the human family is entitled to recognition of his/her
inherent dignity and to protection of his/her inalienable human rights which
are recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other international instruments. That justice requires that governments protect the basic
rights of every member of the human family and that the law should therefore protect
unborn human beings just as it protects each of us. Any policy that permits the
killing of unborn children is gravely unjust.
The information given to Minister Reilly on the consequences
of abortion for women's health, confirmed that there is no such right as a right to abortion
under international law, either by way of treaty obligation or under customary
international law.
That evidence shows that legalizing abortion usually
increases the number of abortions that occur. In the United States, the number
of abortions rose from an estimated 98,000 per year to a peak of 1.6 million
following total legalization in 1973 and that more than 54 million abortions
have been performed in the US since that time.
That abortion—even in countries with excellent maternal
health care—poses serious risks to women, which are well documented.
That possible
physical complications of surgical abortion include hemorrhage, infection,
cervical laceration, and uterine perforation. non-surgical or chemical (ru486)
abortion can cause severe pain, cramping, nausea, hemorrhage, infection, and
incomplete abortion. That these complications are sometimes so serious they
result in the death of the mother. That the possible long-term effects of abortion include
sterility, miscarriage, premature birth, an increased risk of breast cancer,
and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, which can lead to death if not treated promptly.That abortion can also have numerous psycho- social
consequences, including grief, depression, drug abuse, and relationship
problems. Many women (and men) now regret their decision to have or participate
in an abortion.