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This week marks the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision on the matter of Roe v. Wade - the landmark case that granted women the constitutional right to have an abortion. In the 34 years since the court's ruling there have been more than 45 million abortions in the United States. In the year 2005 alone, there were nearly 1.3 million abortions in the US. Approximately one out of every four pregnancies in the US will end in an abortion.

The Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade remains one of the most controversial cases in US history. This week thousands of protestors around the country are taking to the streets hoping to make their voices heard on abortion issues. Among the press there is speculation that the new conservative court could make restrictions on abortion or even overturn Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, many protestors have focused their efforts on the issue of partial birth abortion. The controversial 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act has been struck down three times in federal court, and is now before the high court. The Supreme Court heard arguments in November and it is expected to rule on the case by June. The court's highly anticipated decision will set the standard for future legislation regulating abortion.

Last year the Supreme Court ruled on another abortion case, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The case concerned a New Hampshire requirement that pregnant minors notify their parents or guardians before having abortions. The statute was invalidated by a federal appeals court, because it did not contain an exception if the minor's health is at risk. In a unanimous opinion, the justices determined that the lower court was wrong to abolish the entire law and instructed it to find a more "modest" remedy.

Abortion advocates were outraged by the Ayotte ruling. However polls show that most Americans are in favor of parental notification laws. After all, such restrictions on abortion are only reasonable. Yet abortion activists continue to vehemently oppose any limitations on abortion. Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, wrote the following on the subject of abortion and our constitutional rights:

"...There are no absolute individual rights in our Constitution. The Framers forged a system protecting individual rights while recognizing legitimate countervailing interests of the state. In that balanced system, even such fundamental rights as the freedom of speech and free press, association and religion have been subject to some limitations.

For example, when states prohibit screaming "fire" in a crowded theater, they are not diminishing free speech. Such reckless conduct is not part of any reasonable definition of the right to free speech, just as the categorical exclusion of required parental participation is not part of any reasonable definition of the right to an abortion.

Pro-choice advocates would make abortion the only absolute right in our Constitution, even though it was not fully recognized by the Supreme Court until 1973. Conversely, parental rights have been recognized since the founding of our Republic but are routinely dismissed when they collide with the almighty right to an abortion...

What these groups fail to recognize is that the rights of speech, association and religion mean little if parents cannot teach and reinforce moral choices within their families. Family values and integrity are not the enemies of the right to privacy but the very things that privacy is meant to protect."

Abortion has been postured as an issue of women's rights and as a way of advancing the freedoms of women. The truth is, however, abortion doesnt help women, it hurts them. Abortion is damaging physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. While abortion has been promoted as a means of freeing women, it in fact can and has brought women great bondage and suffering. In the end, however, abortion is not chiefly a matter of statistics, politics, or even health. Abortion is a moral issue. The Bible teaches that children are a blessing from God and it repeatedly condemns killing the innocent. God considers human life precious because God made humankind in His own image. Indeed, we can praise our Father in heaven for we are "fearfully and wonderfully made."

Several people have been killed and over a hundred others were injured in violent protests that erupted this week in Lebanon. Protestors clashed with police and blocked roads with burning tires. Opposition to the government - lead by the terrorist organization Hezbollah - organized a general strike that effectively brought all of Lebanon to a screeching halt. The violence is the most recent attempt by Hezbollah and its allies to topple the Lebanese government.

Ever since Hezbollah's self-declared victory over Israel in July, Hezbollah has embarked upon an aggressive campaign for power in Lebanon. In November, terrorist leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah threatened to call for protests in opposition to the government. Nasrallah has predicted that the current Lebanese government would "go" and a new one would take its place. In addition to mass protests, Hezbollah has attempted to topple the country's weak democratic government by organizing boycotts and strikes. They could even attempt to shut down electrical power, water, and government services in an attempt to further destabilize the region.

The current government, lead by Fuad Siniora, is supported by Western powers. It opposes Syria's interference in Lebanese affairs and is cooperating in the UN investigation into the assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri - in which Syria is suspected of being involved. Lebanon's government is weak - the country is in the midst of an economic crisis. Thus it is perhaps only a matter of time before the government falls and the opposition seizes control.

Hezbollah is an important player in Lebanon's politics and a major provider of social services to thousands of Lebanese Shiites. It operates hospitals, schools, orphanages and a television station. Its base is in Lebanon's Shiite-dominated areas, including parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. In addition, US intelligence reports say that Hezbollah cells operate in regions including Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. Hezbollah has become so powerful, that some commentators have described the terrorist organization as a "state within a state."

According to the UN Security Council resolution that ended the Israeli-Hezbollah war this past summer, Hezbollah was supposed to be disarmed. But, not surprisingly, that never happened, and Iran and Syria are now taking advantage of the current calm to re-arm the terrorist organization. Iran does not yet have the military strength to carry out a direct attack on Israel, thus it uses Hezbollah as its proxy.

Lebanon has been described as the "lynchpin of the Middle East." This tiny republic on the Mediterranean, with its mixed Muslim and Christian population, holds tremendous importance for the future of the Middle East. The US government, as well as the EU and the UN, have repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining the stability in Lebanon. In many ways it is the pawn at the center of Middle East strategy - this is true for both sides of the conflict. Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Lebanon would be the arena of defeat for Israel and America. What is happening in Lebanon will have important implications for the Middle East and the rest of the world. For more information on the Mid-East conflict, clink on the links below.

Democratic Assemblywoman Sally Lieber wants to tell California parents that they may no longer legally spank their small children. The proposed law would make it illegal to spank any child under the age of four. Parents who violate the law could spend up to a year in jail and pay as much as $1,000 in fines. The bill has sparked immediate controversy. Those opposed to the measure say the law intrudes on the rights of parents to discipline their children as they see fit.

Reasonable people understand that there is a big difference between a quick swat on a child's behind and a beating. However it is important for us to acknowledge that, unfortunately, child abuse does exist. There are parents who do real physical harm to their children – whether in anger, or in the name of discipline. Yet there are already child abuse laws in place to deal with such situations. Lieber told newspapers that she wants to make the discipline of children a "black and white" issue. She does not see any difference between beating a child and having consistent, sharp but loving, consequences for intentional disobedience.

For parents who rely solely on other forms of discipline, such as time-outs or removing privileges, it may seem as though this bill does not apply to them. However such legislation has many broader implications that should be of concern to all parents. The bill implies that lawmakers, not parents, should dictate how children are brought up. It is important to look beyond the mere words of the bill. Parents should be concerned about the entire philosophy behind it. It would seem as though Lieber believes that the state is the true guardian of children, and that parents are merely convenient caretakers. Even those who do not believe in physical punishment should protest the hubris of a legislator who thinks she has more of a right over your children than you do.

The Bible gives the job of raising children to the parents, and most specifically, to the father. The father is responsible for properly raising his children, and for making sure they are disciplined - to make sure they honor him and their mother.

The Bible lays out the duties and responsibilities of the parents and the children, describing the honor that children should have for their parents (Ex 20:12; Deut 6:7; Eph 6:1; Col 3:20). The responsibilities of the parents to train up their children are clearly prescribed, including corporal punishment (Prov 22:6, 22:15; 23:13). Proverbs 29:15 says "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." Furthermore, the failure of parental authority will be one of the characteristics of the end times (Mt 10:21; Mk 13:12; Rom 1:30).

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)."