ABOUT THIS ISSUE ...

Human Life Review, Spring 2006 by Conlon, Anne

. . . the Human Life Foundation was delighted to host a "book launch" at Fordham University this spring for Review contributor Melinda Tankard Reist's Defiant Birth: Women Who Resist Medical Eugenics (Spinifex Press). Ms. Reist, a peripatetic Australian who's also travelled to Rome, London, and Washington, D.C. to promote her important and eye-opening book, was introduced by Nat Hentoff, the Foundation's 2005 Great Defender of Life honore. Our thanks to both of them and to the many subscribers who helped make the event a big success. In this issue we reprint a chapter from Defiant Birth ("The Story of Grace," p. 35); and we have a store of books in the office for anyone who wishes to order one ($15.95). Insisting on Life, the collection of Mr. Hentoff's work we published in conjunction with our award dinner last year, is also available ($10.95)-just give us a call (212-685-5210) or email us at humanlifereview@mindspring.com if you're interested.

Ramesh Ponnuru, whose work for National Review we regularly reprint, also has a new book out-The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life (Regnery). As you will see in the chapter we feature here ("Weeding Out the Unfit," p. 29), it too is an important new contribution to the pro-life intellectual arsenal. You can order a copy on National Review's website, nationalreview.com, or check your local bookstore.

Chris Smith of New Jersey has been a tireless crafter of pro-life legislation in the House for 25 years. I had the pleasure of meeting him last April at a Crisis dinner honoring him and his wife Marie. During his remarks, the congressman mentioned a recent floor speech he'd given which, he later agreed, would also be at home in the Review. "Planned Parenthood: Time to take a Second Look at Child Abuse Inc." (p. 15) is another reason we can be happy this Mr. Smith went to Washington.

Not far from D.C. is Front Royal, Virginia, home of Human Life International, the Catholic organization (no relation to us) that describes itself as "pro-life missionaries to the world." We're happy to welcome Brian Clowes, HLI's research director, whose first article for us, "The Mathematics of Applied Scientific Racism" (p. 52), documents how pro-death missionaries to the world like Planned Parenthood systematically target minorities for abortion.

We'd also like to extend a "Welcome back" to Harold O.J. Brown ("Choice before Life: The Victory of the Abstract over the Real," p. 64) who last wrote for us in 1996, and to Ian Hunter, whose March address to the Southwestern Ontario Right to Life Annual Banquet we include here. "Honouring Life" (p. 71) is dedicated to the memory of John Muggeridge, our late senior editor. As it happens, Mr. Hunter's last article for us, in 1992, was an appreciation of John's father, Malcolm.

Finally, a mea culpa: last issue I said the National Catholic Register was the nation's oldest Catholic paper. Not so. Both the Wanderer and Our Sunday Visitor, I'm told, have been around longer. Still, at 79, the Register's no upstart.

ANNE CONLON

MANAGING EDITOR