Dear Brothers and Sisters,I welcome you with joy, and I greet each one of you present at this opportunity for meeting and reflection dedicated to Huntington’s Disease. I wholeheartedly thank all those who worked to make this day possible. I am grateful to Dr Cattaneo and to Mr Sabine for their introductory words. I would […] More
Ever since I first read the Letters of Saint Ignatius of Antioch in the 1950s, one passage from his Letter to the Ephesians has particularly affected me: “It is better to keep silence and be [a Christian] than to talk and not to be. Teaching is an excellent thing, provided the speaker practices what he […] More
Tridimensional Visualization and Analysis of Early Human Development The study published in the journal Cell used 3D images of human embryos that revealed previously unknown features of human development. The images showed that an adult-like pattern of skin innervation is established before the end of the first trimester http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)30287-8?utm_source=email+marketing+Mailigen&utm_campaign=News+4.27.17&utm_medium=email Summary Generating a precise cellular and […] More
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O August Queen of Victories, O Sovereign of Heaven and Earth, at whose name the heavens rejoice and the abyss trembles. O Glorious Queen of the Rosary, we, your devoted children, assembled (on this solemn day*) in your Temple […] More
Fem Psychol. 2017 Feb;27(1):15-33. doi: 10.1177/0959353516678010. Epub 2017 Feb 12. Constructing abortion as a social problem: “Sex selection” and the British abortion debate. Lee E1. Abstract Between February 2012 and March 2015, the claim that sex selection abortion was taking place in Britain and that action needed to be taken to stop it dominated debate […] More
Here, some special indulgences that are available to us during the Holy Week Holy Thursday1. “Down in Adoration Falling” (Tantum ergo) (Roman Breviary) PLENARY INDULGENCE when recited on Holy Thursday2. A PLENARY INDULGENCE is granted to those who visit the Most Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour ( (together with the three prerequisites […] More
During the second half of the pregnancy, external stimuli can awake the fetuses, although they spend most of the time in sleeping state; the presence of ENIn is absolutely not enough to guarantee an effective anesthesia during surgery. Thus, direct fetal analgesia/anesthesia is mandatory, though further studies on its possible drawbacks are necessary. J Matern […] More
God created man and woman in His image so that they may be happy both in daily human life and as children of God, sharing in God’s life and finding fulfilment through an unselfish gift of themselves. But man, misled by the devil who made him doubt God’s word, decided to depend only on himself. […] More
What is a forced marriage? forced marriage happens when one or both participants are coerced into matrimony – without their free consent. They may have been emotionally blackmailed, physically threatened or abused. Forced marriages differ from arranged ones, which may have been set up by a relative or friend, but are willingly agreed to by […] More
Lord, teach us to not love only ourselves,to not love only those who are dear to us,to not love only those who love us. Teach us to think of Othersand love especially those whom no one loves. Lord, make us suffer the sufferings of others. Give us the grace to understand that in every moment,there […] More
Meruelo, Castro, Cota, Tapert AbstractSex hormones and white (and grey) matter in the limbic system, cortex and other brain regions undergo changes during adolescence. Some of these changes include ongoing white matter myelination and sexually dimorphic features in grey and white matter. Adolescence is also a period of vulnerability when many are first exposed to […] More
Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes in Couples with Infertility With and Without Assisted Reproductive Technology: With an Emphasis on US Population-Based Studies. Luke B. Abstract Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive within one year of unprotected intercourse, affects an estimated 80 million individuals worldwide, or 10-15 percent of couples of reproductive age. Assisted reproductive technology […] More
It is indeed a great trial for a couple to realize that there are difficulties for them to conceive a child. There are, in fact, very few couples who are completely sterile without any possibility of pregnancy, while some other couples, appoximately 10 %, are “hypo-fertile”, which means they will take longer to conceive a […] More
Substance use and misuse and suicidal thoughts and behaviors tend to co-occur. The purpose of this study was to examine whether (a) suicidal ideation and attempt are related to onset of alcohol, nicotine and cannabis use and dependence; (b) early use of alcohol, nicotine and cannabis is associated with onset of suicidal ideation and attempt; […] More
The relationship between religion and gambling has only rarely been investigated in sociology and related fields. Prior studies have found that religion, broadly defined, deters gambling, with different religious traditions exhibiting varying degrees of deterrence. Our study, a quantitative analysis of a recent representative sample of U.S. adults, theorizes and tests how three different dimensions […] More
O Risen Christ,You breathe your Holy Spirit on usand you tell us: ‘Peace be yours’.Opening ourselves to your peace –letting it penetrate the harsh and rocky ground of our hearts –means preparing ourselves to bebearers of reconciliationwherever you may place us.But you know at timeswe are at a loss.So come lead usto wait in silence,to […] More
Will his life be happy or unhappy? It does not depend on the severity of the handicap. It does not depend on the number of cells in his brain. But it depends on his surroundings, because for him, as for each one of us, happiness is mainly to love and be loved. The child is […] More
An enormous pressure is put on developing countries to diminish their birthrate. Measures are forced upon them which often run contrary to human respect. For example, a certificate of sterilization must be produced in order to get a job in certain societies. International organizations will only give financial aid on the condition that birth control […] More
Gujarat, a state in western India, once was known as the world’s dairy capital. But today it is the place to go to rent a womb.Gujarat is the site of almost half of India’s surrogacy market and is known by its critics, of which I am one, as a giant “baby factory.” I traveled to […] More
In Beating Hearts: Abortion and Animal Rights, Sherry F. Colb and Michael C. Dorf, two Cornell Law professors, rationalize their simultaneous support for animal rights and opposition to the rights of unborn humans. The authors, a man and a woman who live with their “two human daughters” and three “adopted” dogs, are decidedly pro-choice. They […] More
