ANTI-ABORTION VIEWS SPOTLIGHTED.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer MISSION HILLS - Galvanized gal·va·nize tr.v. gal·va·nized, gal·va·niz·ing, gal·va·niz·es 1. To stimulate or shock with an electric current. 2. by the 20th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Roe v. Wade, case decided in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Along with Doe v. Bolton, this decision legalized abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, a large group gathered Saturday to discuss medical ethics medical ethics The moral construct focused on the medical issues of individual Pts and medical practitioners. See Baby Doe, Brouphy, Conran, Jefferson, Kevorkian, Quinlan, Roe v Wade, Webster decision. issues. Organizers estimated the turnout at the sixth annual Commitment to Life conference to be around 1,000, filling the auditoriums of Alemany High School for the daylong series of lectures. Initially conceived by Cardinal Roger Mahony His Eminence Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the fourth Archbishop of Los Angeles, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991. , the conference is intended to showcase a number of anti-abortion beliefs, spokeswoman Jenny Biondi said. Mahony gave the opening remarks Saturday. Though organized under the auspices of the Catholic Church, the conference was attended by those of a variety of faiths. Even the speakers themselves differed in their ideologies. ``I'm not part of the right-to-life movement,'' said Wesley J. Smith The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. Wesley J. Smith is a lawyer and an award winning author,[1] , who lectured against euthanasia. ``But we agree on the issues I'm concerned with.'' The former Van Nuys attorney was impressed by the turnout, which left some attendees sitting on the floor in packed halls. ``These are committed people who want to do what's right,'' he said. Past programs have drawn only 600-800 participants, and those connected with the event expect future conferences, to be held in Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral downtown after its 2003 opening, to attract even more. Like Smith, many of the speakers in the day's 15 programs focused on ethics, including fetal parts research, the abortion pill abortion pill See Contragestive, Oral contraceptive, RU-486. RU-486, cloning and embryo stem research. ``The scientific world of the future is frightening,'' said conference head Licia Nicassio. ``We kept that in mind when selecting our speakers.'' Bernard Nathanson Bernard Nathanson (born 31 July 1926 in New York) is a medical doctor and pro-life activist from New York. Nathanson graduated in 1949 from McGill University Facility of Medicine in Montreal.[2] He has been licensed to practice in New York state since 1952. , who said he was a former abortionist abortionist /abor·tion·ist/ (ah-bor´shun-ist) one who performs abortions. turned anti-abortion activist, delivered the keynote address. He also spoke out harshly against artificial reproduction technology and genetic manipulation in a seminar offered later in the day. The largely female audience welcomed Nathanson and the other speakers, listening receptively. Organizers stressed the variety of religious faiths represented at the conference. ``These issues cross the lines of religions,'' Nicassio said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Roger Mahony gives opening remarks Saturday at the Commitment to Life Conference in Mission Hills. The sixth annual gathering of anti-abortion forces drew about 1,000 people from a variety of faiths, organizers said. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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