By Micaiah Bilger - LifeNews.com

At least two possible coronavirus vaccines that are on a fast track for development use cell lines from aborted babies.

Despite a strong outcry from pro-life and Catholic leaders and despite ethical alternatives being available, a number of research teams still are using the cells from aborted babies in their work, Newsweek reports.

These include Janssen Research & Development USA, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, and the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, which could be the first to make a coronavirus vaccine available in the United States, according to the report.

Both research groups are on a Trump administration short-list for funding to develop a coronavirus vaccine by January 2021, the report states.

Other researchers also using cell lines from aborted babies include CanSino Biologics, Inc. and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology and the University of Pittsburgh, Science reports.

Some are using a cell line from a baby who was aborted sometime around 1972, while others are using one from a baby who was aborted in 1985, according to the report.

As the report explains:

Decades-old fetal cell lines are already used to make a number of common vaccines, including against chickenpox, shingles, Hepatitis A and Rubella. A cell line is the term used to describe a culture of animal cells, in this case taken from fetuses, that can be cultivated repeatedly in a lab. The relatively common technique sees viruses grown in the cells, as the bugs aren’t alive and need a host to replicate.

​According to Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who was not involved in the protests, this results in vaccines created using this method containing residual or “very, small, small, small quantities of trace DNA” from the original fetuses.

University of Pittsburgh researcher Andrea Gambotto said the cell lines from aborted babies are more useful than ethically-derived sources.

“Cultured [nonhuman] animal cells can produce the same proteins, but they would be decorated with different sugar molecules, which—in the case of vaccines—runs the risk of failing to evoke a robust and specific immune response,” Gambotto said.

But other scientists disagree. Earlier this year, the Charlotte Lozier Institute identified 60 potential treatments for the virus that are being investigated using materials that do not come from aborted babies.
Respected researchers Drs. James L. Sherley, MD, PhD and David A. Prentice, PhD recently reviewed the vaccines in development for the coronavirus and published a list identifying which are being made ethically and unethically. They found at least 10 companies that are not using cell lines from aborted babies in their vaccines.

Pro-life leaders also have highlighted how ethical alternatives to cell lines from aborted babies are available, including pluripotent stem cells and tissue from placentas, umbilical cords and amniotic fluid. In 2018, the Trump administration created a $20 million grant to invest in these ethical research alternatives.

Catholic and pro-life organizations have been advocating against research using aborted baby body parts for years. During the coronavirus crisis, they have renewed calls to scientists to abide by basic ethical standards in their efforts to save lives.
​
According to the Catholic News Agency, a Canadian Catholic archbishop recently took his pro-life advocacy a step further by donating thousands of dollars to an ethical vaccine research project at the University of British Columbia.

Earlier this spring, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure vaccines are being produced ethically.

“… we think it’s very important at this moment to let the voice not only of the Church but other concerned citizens to voice that we want to—we all want a vaccine, we realize that’s important for our public health, but we also want a vaccine that has no ethical problems in the way it’s developed,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, earlier this spring.

​SOURCE:  LifeNews.com









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Temperatures are rising. Check out these energy efficient tips for keeping cool at home, as well as information for summer and wildfire safety. 

Energy tips

1. Block heat from the sun: During the hottest hours of the day, cover windows to block the sun’s heat. Opening windows in the evening can help your home cool back down.
2. Use ceiling fans: Ceiling fans are an efficient way to cool your home.
3. Maintain your air conditioner: Follow manufacturer instructions for maintaining your air conditioning unit to ensure it’s operating efficiently. Change the filter every 1-2 months.
4. Turn down your water heater by a few degrees: Many water heaters are set higher than the temperature we actually use. Reducing this by a few degrees can reduce your energy costs.
5. DIY Project/Weatherproof your home: Weather strip and caulk drafty windows and doors to keep cool air in and warm air out.

If you’re on a Time-of-Use pricing plan, remember that shifting some energy use outside the hours of 4-9 p.m. can also result in savings on your energy bill. Regardless of your payment plan, if you’re worried about spikes in your energy bill during the summer, consider  signing up for SDG&E’s Level Pay program. It averages your costs throughout the year, making your energy bill more predictable and easier to budget for. Learn more at sdge.com/lpp.

 Summer Safety

1. Don’t chain or overload power strips: We know spending more time at home, especially when it’s hot, can lead to the need to plug in many devices. Be mindful of how many devices you plug in and never chain power strips together. Both can result in fire danger.
2. Use air conditioners safely: Avoid plugging air conditioners into extension cords or power strips. Always keep the area around your air conditioning unit clear of anything that could easily catch fire.
3. Clean clothes dryer vents and lint filters thoroughly: Cleaning dryer vents and lint filters not only help your machine run more efficiently, it also mitigates fire danger; a buildup of lint inside your dryer can be a fire risk.

Following home safety tips for fire prevention is a great first step to keep your home and family safe. Remember to prepare an emergency plan if a fire or other emergency happens in your area. You can find checklists to help make sure you and your loved ones are prepared at sdge.com/checklists.

SDG&E is committed to helping you stay safe and informed throughout the year. For more information on summer safety, efficiency tips and available programs to help with your summer energy costs, visit sdge.com/summer.

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Got this email today from the Center for Family - 
​
"The UN Secretary General allowed the second highest UN human rights staffer to remain in her post for five years despite evidence she falsified her credentials to get the job and take the $2 million in salary. Kate Gilmore just left the UN with benefits now chairs the board of trustees at International Planned Parenthood Federation, where she is attacking U.S. pro-life foreign policy." Source
​
SO - she's a liar and a cheat - AND a thief (when you take a salary that you don't deserve because you lied about your credentials, that's stealing) - and Planned Parenthood Federation welcomed her with open arms. Go figure...

The California LifeLine Program is a state program that provides discounted home phone and cell phone services to eligible households. These discounts can help you lower the cost of your phone bill. Only one discount per household is allowed (except for teletypewriter users and for Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program participants). Each household must choose to get the discount either on a home phone or on a cell phone, but not on both. To learn more, visit Californialifeline.com or cpuc.ca.gov. You can also call 1-866-272-0349 (English) or 1-866-272-0350 (Spanish).

Federal Assistance is available too. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offers help with utility bill payment, home weatherization and other assistance. Learn more at 211sandiego.org.
​#sdge
​

By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D.

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 28 (C-Fam) The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders launched online medical abortion guidelines that its partner group acknowledges will be used for do-it-yourself abortions.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), says it “has teamed up with” HowToUseAbortionPill.org to create an online video guide on how to use pills to abort an unborn child up to 22 weeks. In a cartoon-based guide, MSF shows how to “push out the pregnancy,” in “a process that is similar to miscarriage.” MSF says its “goal is to ensure that everyone” can get the information “no matter who you are, where you are.”

“The fact that Doctors Without Borders is a recognizable, reputable group also might make people more comfortable with the procedure,” an unidentified representative of HowToUseAbortionPill.org said in an interview with Vice. “We do not see this piece as an instructional guide for self-managed abortion,” she said of the video. “However, we know that much of our online content…is used for self-managed abortion.”

HowToUseAbortionPill.org alerts users to the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made it illegal to sell the abortion drug mifepristone online or in pharmacies, that five U.S. states have made self-induced abortions illegal, and 18 states prohibit telemedicine abortions. The website calls itself “an online community run by dedicated individuals who believe that all women, regardless of where they live, should have access to a safe abortion option.” There is no information giving the names of its staff, an address, or who funds the website.

The HowToUseAbortionPill.org program manager said that, “because the how-to videos are available to the general public in multiple languages,” the MSF guide, ostensibly meant for health professionals in humanitarian settings, “can double as a complete guide to doing your own abortion, outside of medical supervision.”

Doctors Without Borders/MSF is a critic of the U.S. Mexico City Policy that bans taxpayer funds for promoting or performing overseas abortion. The group says it does not take U.S. funds, and that it is not affected by the policy.

“You don’t need any advanced technology or specialized medical interventions in order to provide medication abortion safely,” the MSF website says. “All you need” are information, medications, and  “mutual respect and trust,” and for that reason, abortions have increased “for millions of women and girls around the world—and especially in low-resource and humanitarian settings.”

Children born prematurely at 22 weeks have survived outside the womb. Doctors Without Borders/MSF warns humanitarians in the video guide that if the child makes noise or moves after the abortion, it could be upsetting for the woman who has aborted the child. It says that the woman may want to hold the aborted “pregnancy,” take it home, and even give it a burial.

MSF does not list abortion among its humanitarian services on its website, but says it is part of its maternal health program, arguing that “unsafe abortion” is the fifth leading case of maternal mortality after postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, complications from delivery, and hypertensive disorders. “Of all these, unsafe abortion is the only one that is completely avoidable,” the MSF website says. It does not say list avoiding abortion as a way to avoid maternal deaths.

SOURCE:  c-fam.org/friday_fax/doctors-without-borders-teams-up-with-do-it-yourself-abortion-group/

​Make your life a little easier with SDG&E’s new mobile app. We listened to your feedback and redesigned the app because having the right tool to manage your SDG&E account is important.
Why should I download the app?

1. Tired of remembering passwords? The app can identify you and log you in with fingerprint or face recognition.
2. Short on time? Pay your energy bill on the spot, anywhere, any time.
3. Experiencing a power outage? Report it in a snap with the app. You can also view the current outage map along with restoration information.
4. Looking for a better way to stay in control of your energy costs? Use the app’s self-service features to track and review your energy use and sign up for email or text alerts.

Download the SDG&E app now in the App Store or Google Play. Learn more at sdge.com/mobileapp. 

The abortion pill is frequently marketed to women as a simple, more private method of abortion, similar to a miscarriage. Planned Parenthood says the abortion pill is “a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy” which is “kind of like having a really heavy, crampy period.” While Live Action News has discussed the fact that it isn’t as safe as some make it out to be, and that numerous women have had horrifying experiences with the abortion pill, what’s not often discussed is the fact that it is often far less than “effective.” Thousands of women could potentially be in need of emergency care or a second abortion when the abortion pill fails.

Abortion advocates are pushing “self-managed” abortion as safe and simple, yet their own statistics reveal that the abortion pill regimen fails between 7,000 to 24,000 times annually — or even as high as 31,000 times a year. This means women could potentially need a second (surgical) abortion. Currently, an FDA safety system known as REMS requires prescribers of the abortion pill to accurately determine the correct gestational age of the preborn baby, detect an ectopic pregnancy if one exists, and have a means to provide emergency care to patients. In many cases, the abortion facility will require the woman to return to verify that the abortion was complete. If abortion advocates succeed in getting the FDA to do away with REMS, abortion advocates will shift that responsibility to the woman or teen girl, many of whom may be unaware that their abortions were incomplete. This is potentially life threatening.

The abortion pill regimen consists of two pills: Mifeprex (regulated under the REMS system) and Misoprostol. The regimen is approved for use through 70 days (10 weeks) of pregnancy. The FDA’s 2019 label for Mifeprex makes it clear that the failure rate increases as the gestational age advances. 

How many abortions are done via the abortion pill annually?
Planned Parenthood’s former research arm and “special affiliate,” the Guttmacher Institute, reports that the abortion pill currently accounts for nearly 40 percent (39%) of reported abortions in the United states. According to their data, in 2017 there were 339,640 medication abortions committed nationally out of 862,320 total reported.

What is the failure rate of the abortion pill?

Live Action News reviewed several abortion facility websites and found a variety of answers:
​
Claim of 95% effective/5% failure rate:

• In 2019, the Guttmacher Institute claimed, “Medication abortion is highly effective, with a success rate of more than 95% [5% failure rate] using the standard protocol.” 
• Women’s Health Specialists of California
• All Women’s Health Centers

Claim of 98% effective/2% failure rate:

• Southwestern Women’s abortion.
• My Choice Medical Center.
• Carefem, which is taking part in the TelAbortion clinical trial.

Claim of 95-98% effective/2 to 5% failure rate:
Camelback Family Planning: “Mifeprex… is 95-98% effective…. If the pregnancy tissue has not passed, you might need a D&C or to repeat the Misoprostol.”

Claim of 96-98% effective/2-4% failure rate:
West Alabama Women’s Center: “There is a 96-98% chance the medications will be successful in bringing on an abortion.”Asked how the patient will know the abortion is complete, the clinic advises, “The only way to be certain that the abortion is over is to come back to the clinic for your follow-up visit.” They add, “The embryo is usually a small amount of white tissue, and sometimes it is inside a blood clot. Even if you see it close up, it doesn’t look like a baby…. However, the further along in the pregnancy the greater the chances are of seeing fetal parts.”

What about gestational age?

According to a Planned Parenthood document as well as current online information for patients, failure rates for the abortion pill vary by gestational age:

• 8 weeks or less- 94% to 98% effective/2 to 6% failure rate.
• 8 to 9 weeks  –  94 to 96% effective/4 to 6% failure rate.
• 9 to 10 weeks – 91-93% effective/7 to 9% failure rate.

What does the manufacturer claim?

DANCO Laboratories’ website reads, “Mifeprex*(mifepristone) is 93-98% effective for safely ending pregnancy (2-7% of women will need a surgical procedure to end the pregnancy or stop heavy bleeding).” DANCO cites this same statistic in an online pamphlet.0

​GenBioPro is the company that makes the generic version of Mifeprex, (approved in 2019). Their online pamphlet states, “Every year in the United States, more than 200,000 women manage their unwanted pregnancy through medical abortion…. 2-7%—will need a follow-up surgical procedure to end their pregnancy or to stop too much bleeding.” 

Based on this, how many chemical abortions fail annually?

• Using the 200,000 number from GenBioPro as a base total, this translates into 4,000 to 14,000 abortion pill patients who run the risk of needing a second, more invasive surgical abortion.  
• Using Guttmacher’s 2017 total of 339,640 chemical abortions as a base along with failure rates of 2% to 7% noted by the manufacturer, we calculate a range between 7,000 and 24,000.
• Using Planned Parenthood’s percentage range (2% to 9%) against 339,640, we calculate that abortion pill failures could affect 7,000 to 31,000 women annually.

Warnings: 

Little Rock Family Planning abortion facility warns patients that they should not obtain a medication abortion if, “You cannot easily get emergency medical help should a problem occur.”
Northland Family Planning abortion facility warns that, “A medical abortion has a slightly higher failure rate than surgical abortion….” The facility calls the purchase of abortion pills online “dangerous,” writing:
We know that more women are attempting to buy pills online to end their pregnancies; however, when you buy pills from the Internet you do not know what you are really getting. While rare, if you experience an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus) and it is not properly diagnosed and treated by a physician, it could be life threatening….The abortion pill, prescribed by a physician, is a safe way to have a self-managed abortion at home. It is in your best interest to be seen by a physician who is an expert in abortion care.

Shockingly, this late-term abortion facility in Florida advises women, “It is possible up to 4, 5, 6 or 7 months or further to undergo a medical chemical abortion procedure.”

Pro-abortion ER Doctor Dara Kass pointed out, “Recently published results of the Gynuity pilot project showed that 8 percent of their patients who received abortion medication sought follow-up care at a local urgent care clinic or emergency department.” Using the 339,640 (and growing) annual number and we estimate that 27,000 women could report to an emergency department after a “self-managed” abortion every single year. 

In 2018, the FDA updated its adverse effects reports on legally dispensed abortion pills, revealing 24 deaths of women associated with the abortion pill since its approval. The report documents that abortion pills have caused nearly 4,200 reported adverse effects, including 1,042 hospitalizations, nearly 600 instances of blood loss requiring transfusions, and other serious complications. But under 2016 changes, abortion pill manufacturer DANCO no longer has to report non-fatal adverse effects, so we have no way of knowing what the number really is.

SOURCE:  https://www.liveaction.org/news/incomplete-abortion-pill-thousands-emergency-care/

Did you know residential energy use per person in California is lower than that of any other state except Hawaii? 1 The chart below gives a general idea what typical household energy costs are per year in the U.S. 

​You can see your own home’s energy use breakdown by category and get a personalized savings action plan at sdge.opower.com. To log in you’ll need your SDG&E My Account User ID and password. If you’re not a My Account user, you can enroll at sdge.com/myaccount. Once logged in, select “Ways to Save” in the top right-hand corner. If it’s your first visit, you’ll be prompted to take a quick survey about your home. Your “Home Energy Analysis” will automatically populate. Here’s an example:

​You’ll receive energy-saving tips based on the areas you use the most energy, like this:

#sdge ​#energytips4u

There are many lifestyle changes we can make without breaking the bank. Here are some no-cost and low-cost ideas to help you save energy and money while staying comfortable during the colder winter months.

1. Take advantage of heat from the sun

• Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home.
• Close the curtains at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

1. Cover drafty windows

• Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
• Install tight-fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty.
• Find out about other window treatments and coverings that can improve energy efficiency.

1. Adjust the temperature

• When you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10° to 15° for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills. A smart or programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature. 
• If you have a heat pump, maintain a moderate setting or use a programmable thermostat specially designed for use with heat pumps.

1. Find and seal leaks

• Seal the air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.
  • Find out how to detect air leaks.
  • Learn more about air sealing new and existing homes.
• Add caulk or weather-stripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.
  • Find out how to select and apply the appropriate caulk and weather-stripping. 

1. Maintain your heating systems

• Schedule service for your heating system.
• Furnaces and heat pumps: Replace your filter once a month or as needed. Find out more about maintaining furnaces or boilers and heat pumps.
• Wood- and Pellet-Burning Heaters: Clean the flue vent regularly and clean the inside of the appliance with a wire brush periodically to ensure that your home is heated efficiently. Find other maintenance recommendations for wood-and pellet-burning appliances.

1. Reduce heat loss from the fireplace

• Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney.
• When you use the fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly – around 1 inch – and close doors leading into the room. Lower the thermostat setting to between 50° and 55°F.
• If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
• If you do use the fireplace, install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.
• Check the seal on the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible.
• Purchase grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room.
• Add caulking around the fireplace hearth. Find out more techniques to improve your fireplace or wood-burning appliance's efficiency. Learn tips for safe and efficient fireplace installation and wood burning.

For more tips on how to save energy this winter, visit sdge.com/winter.
Source: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/fall-and-winter-energy-saving-tips
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At first, “A Christmas Love Story” has all the hallmarks — if you’ll excuse the pun — of a typical Christmas TV movie.
A single lady choir director, Katherine, gets her youth choir geared up for the holidays. A young man, Danny, shows up as a volunteer for the props—but as soon as the choir director exits the room, he’s on the piano, crooning out a tune with the skill of a pop star.
Naturally, there’s an “obstacle:” The dad of the young man, Greg, doesn’t want his son to spend time in choir because the goal is for him to work at a financial firm, not live in a garret while chasing singing stardom.
And of course, of course, because this is a Christmas movie not made by a Grinch, Greg is a widowed, attractive guy who as soon as he meets Katherine starts to realize that maybe a life singing is better than a life on Wall Street.
So far, so normal.
Then, “A Christmas Love Story” has a unique twist.
Look, I’ve grown fond of Hallmark movies over the past couple of years. But I look to them much as I look to sugar cookies: insubstantial, cheerful fluff. In short, I don’t anticipate being genuinely moved one iota when watching them.
But “A Christmas Love Story” somehow manages the impossible.
We find out that Katherine gave up a child for adoption when she was younger, and shortly after, that Danny is her son — and the whole reason he volunteered to help with the choir is that he wanted to meet her. The two have a short, beautiful conversation in which Katherine expresses her joy that Danny’s adopted mom was the right woman to raise him and her happiness at seeing her son grown up.
It’s a wonderful moment—and as I found out later, all the more poignant because the actress depicting Katherine, Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, was adopted herself.
In an article published on People in 2015, Chenoweth says:
I knew that my birth mother loved me so much that she wanted to give me a better life. And my parents, Jerry and Junie Chenoweth, were looking to adopt a baby and found me—literally less than one week after I was born.
Growing up, my parents explained my adoption by telling me, “We chose you.” It was a wonderful way to put it to an adopted child. And I think it’s true. An adoption is a full-circle blessing.
Chenoweth added, “I would thank my birth mother for loving me enough to make such a huge sacrifice. It’s a great gift for me to be able to say: ‘I know that I came from love, and I know that I have love.’”
No wonder the scene was so powerful.
When my dear friend, fellow Hallmark movie aficionado and Susan B. Anthony List vice president of communications Mallory Quigley, tweeted about the movie’s pro-life message, Chenoweth responded that it was “told from my gut.”
“That scene happened to me,” Chenoweth said on Facebook Live, per The Daily Wire. “I am adopted and I had this virtually same conversation with my birth mom.”
“I remember [my birth mom] saying to me, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’” she added. “And I was like, ‘There’s nothing to forgive. You gave me such a great life.’ I got the right parents.’”
If you’re looking for a family-friendly movie this Christmas season that affirms the value of all human life, check out “A Christmas Love Story.” It’s a powerful reminder, in this season of counting our blessings and cherishing our loved ones, that people matter the most—and every one of us deserves a chance to live.
LifeNews.com Note:  Katrina Trinko writes for The Daily Signal. Reprinted with permission from the Daily Signal.