Attention Students and Teachers:

Summer is (Almost) Over

By Joseph M. Landrum

As the summer wanes, it is time again for teachers and students to prepare for a new school year. The Educational Trust Fund stands ready to assist in any way it can. I would like to refresh your memory about some of the resources we have available and point out a very helpful new item we have.

Many of you may not be aware that we have an outstanding new resource. This is a new fetal development brochure titled a baby's first months. Not only is it beautiful and highly informative, a baby's first months fits nicely into a purse or pocket and can be easily distributed. (See page 13.)

This is our best tool for describing the wonders of fetal development in scientific detail with extensive footnotes. It includes full-color photos of the unborn child at various stages of development.

This is a "must have" for any student defending the pro-life cause or any teacher discussing human development in biology class. The booklet makes only brief references to abortion near the end, allowing the pictures and descriptions to speak for themselves.

The Trust Fund also has a number of fact sheets on various aspects of the abortion issue, and these are available for purchase on our web page. They can be viewed at www.nrlc.org/onlinebrochures/Downloadables/FactSheets.htm.

They discuss such topics as the activities of Planned Parenthood, the dangers of the two-drug abortion technique, RU 486, the disproportionate impact of abortion on minorities, abortion statistics, and the issue of fetal stem cell research. For those without Internet access, single hard copies are available on request. You are free to make as many copies as you need.

The fact sheets present a great deal of information in a compact format and can easily form the basis for essays, presentations, and classroom discussions. The range of topics they deal with makes them useful for classes in government, sociology, biology - - you name it. Check the web page - - www.nrlc.org - - frequently, as we are always striving to add new fact sheets to the list.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked resources we have is the Research Bulletin of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change. The Association is an organization of professionals in various clinical and academic fields. The Bulletins are generally 8-12 pages long and go into detail about some particular area of pro-life concern. An overview of the back issues is available at www.abortionresearch.com (no longer working link 2/16/2006), and you can request single copies for $1.00 each.

These are excellent resources for teachers and students in advanced high school or college classes, and they cover a wide range of topics associated with the harmful effects of abortion. Issues covered in detail include the relationship between abortion and breast cancer, the impact of abortion on teens, the danger abortion poses to later pregnancies, the increase in self-destructive behaviors following abortion, the effects of abortion on marriage and other relationships, and sociological aspects of abortion in other countries. Each issue is well footnoted for those who wish to pursue a particular topic.

As you may have noticed, I frequently refer to the Internet for these resources. Teachers and students are well advised to start their research there.

On our web page, for instance, government students can search for information about bills NRLC supports and opposes. Students in government and political science classes will no doubt want to keep a close eye on the race for the White House (yes, it has begun already), which NRL News will cover in detail. There also is a great deal of material here for students learning how grassroots citizen groups can impact the course of a nation.

Scanning the NRLC web page, students researching, say, the connection between abortion and breast cancer or the controversial topic of embryonic stem cell research can search the indices of NRL News going back to 1998 for articles dealing with these topics (there are quite a few articles on each). They will also find links to other organizations with particular expertise.

Students wanting more information on euthanasia and assisted suicide can read the detailed four-part series, Why We Shouldn't Legalize Assisting Suicide, which presents strong pro-life answers to the arguments in favor of legalization. Again, the address is www.nrlc.org.

If you wish to request materials from the Trust Fund or if you are a student who needs a little more information, please let us know and we will try to assist in any way we can. You can reach us at education@nrlc.org, or at (202) 626-8829, or by writing us at 512 10th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20004.

Joseph M. Landrum is Administrative Assistant for Public Information for the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund.