Monthly Archives: September 2006

Feed Me, Bitterman!

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I now have a venus flytrap.

I love these things. Imagine: a plant so hateful that it felt the need to evolve a way to trap and kill animals. What stories would it tell us if it could speak? What blasphemous litany would it write? This plant refused to allow its vegetative nature to limit it. The venus flytrap overcame its base nature and raised itself unto the position of carnivore. No victim, that plant. I'm sure it's only the first step. Give these guys a few million years, and they'll be eating small rodents. Now that I'd like to see.

My new plant requires a name. Henceforth, let it be known as Steve.

I'm thinking about designing an experiment to determine if Steve can eat french fries. The way I figure, plants don't have hearts. What's cardiac disease to them? Just think, there could be a form of life that can eat french fries all day and suffer no detrimental health effects.

The venus flytrap could well be the ultimate form of life.

Plan B: Literature Review (Part I)

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The mode of action of [emergency contraception, EC] has become he subject of heated debate in North America and in several Latin American and Caribbean countries. The main question is centred on whether or not EC prevents pregnancy by interfering with post-fertilization events. This issue is of importance for many people who consider that a new human life begins at the time that fertilization is completed. Accordingly, interference with post-fertilization events would lead to loss of human life. In spite of a lack of scientific evidence to support a post-fertilization effect, this possibility is used as an argument to turn legal, political and religious constituencies against the availability and use of EC. (Ortiz, et al, 2004)

In order to satisfy my own curiosity and my critics, I’ve reviewed recent scientific literature related to the question of whether or or not Plan B is abortifacient. I do not wish to appear to be in any way “rooting” for Plan B and/or its supporters. I am not. However, I have been very frustrated by the way that many of my fellow pro-lifers have repeatedly stated confidently that Plan B sometimes acts after fertilization and is therefore abortifacient. I do not believe such confidence is supported by scientific evidence. The goal of this literature review is to present a fair appraisal of the likelihood of postfertilization effects caused by Plan B to the pro-life community.

For the most part my analysis will proceed in chronological order, but I’ll begin with a newer article (Croxatto, Ortiz, and Müller, 2001) that provides an brief primer on the relevant reproduction science. Continue reading →

Helping Our Persecuted Brethren

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I really don't have anything new to say about the Muslim anger over what Benedict said; I will merely reiterate that he cited one dialogue between an Emporer and a Muslim that touched on the nature of God and reason, and that he did not try to make that Muslim a representation of all of Islam. For the best (from what I've seen) source on what the Pope really meant, go here. (HT: Amy Welborn)

Now as fun as it is to pontificate on faith and reason, and the clash of civilizations or lack thereof, Christians in the Middle East and North Africa have been sorely pressed for a long time, and if it wasn't this statement of Benedict that sparked the current round of church-burnings and shootings, it would have been something else in the near future.

I urge you to support groups like CNEWA or Aid to the Church in Need; I know from personal experience that you can set up monthly automatic donations with CNEWA (either a general donation or a specific sponsorship of a child, seminarian or novice religious).

Importantly, CNEWA also helps education Americans about the Eastern Churches–it may be surprising to many Republicans that some Palestinians are Christian, and they are getting the greasy end of the stick from Muslim and Israeli alike. 

CNEWA's ecumenical outreaches may mean that they'll be helping the Orthodox Palestinians rebuild their churches that were damaged in this most recent outbreak of violence.

Plan B: Preview of Literature Review

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In order to satisfay my own curiousity and my critics , I've begun a review scientific literature related to the question of whether or or not Plan B is abortifacient . Here are the articles currently on my reading list. Feel free to suggest others.

  1. Croxatto HB, Devoto L, Durand M, Ezcurra E, Larrea F, Nagle C, Ortiz ME, Vantman D, Vega M, von Hertzen H. Mechanism of action of hormonal preparations used for emergency contraception: a review of the literature. Contraception 2001;63(3):111-121.
  2. Durand M, del Carmen Cravioto M, Raymond EG, Duran-Sanchez O, De la Luz Cruz-Hinojosa M, Castell-Rodriguez A, Schiavon R, Larrea F. On the mechanisms of action of short-term levonorgestrel administration in emergency contraception. Contraception 2001;64(4):227-234.
  3. Kahlenborn C, Stanford JB, Larimore WL. Postfertilization effect of hormonal emergency contraception. Ann Pharmacother 2002;36(3):465-470.
  4. Croxatto HB, Ortiz ME, Muller AL. Mechanisms of action of emergency contraception. Steroids 2003;68(10-13):1095-1098.
  5. Muller AL, Llados CM, Croxatto HB. Postcoital treatment with levonorgestrel does not disrupt postfertilization events in the rat. Contraception 2003;67(5):415-419.
  6. Croxatto HB, Brache V, Pavez M, Cochon L, Forcelledo ML, Alvarez F, Massai R, Faundes A, Salvatierra AM. Pituitary-ovarian function following the standard levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive dose or a single 0.75-mg dose given on the days preceding ovulation. Contraception 2004;70(6):442-450.
  7. Gemzell-Danielsson K, Marions L. Mechanisms of action of mifepristone and levonorgestrel when used for emergency contraception. Hum Reprod Update 2004;10(4):341-348.
  8. Ortiz ME, Ortiz RE, Fuentes MA, Parraguez VH, Croxatto HB. Post-coital administration of levonorgestrel does not interfere with post-fertilization events in the new-world monkey Cebus apella. Hum Reprod 2004;19(6):1352-1356.
  9. McGregor JA, Equiles O. Risks of mifepristone abortion in context. Contraception 2005;72(5):393-393.
  10. Mikolajczyk RT, Stanford JB. A new method for estimating the effectiveness of emergency contraception that accounts for variation in timing of ovulation and previous cycle length. Fertility and Sterility 2005;83(6):1764-1770.
  11. Pruitt SL, Mullen PD. Response to letters to the editor regarding Contraception or Abortion? Inaccurate Descriptions of Emergency Contraception in Newspaper Articles, 1992-2002. Contraception 2005;72(5):396-397.
  12. Pruitt SL, Mullen PD. Contraception or abortion? Inaccurate descriptions of emergency contraception in newspaper articles, 1992-2002. Contraception 2005;71(1):14-21.
  13. Spinnato II JA, Mikolajczyk R. Emergency contraception — a different interpretation. Contraception 2005;72(5):395-395.
  14. Stanford JB, Larimore WL. Description of Emergency Contraception in the Media. Contraception 2005;72(5):394-395.
  15. Trussell J, Jordan B. Mechanism of action of emergency contraceptive pills. Contraception 2006;74(2):87-89.