What Teachers and Students Need to Know BEFORE School Begins.

Believe me, students and teachers, I feel your pain as summer fades. But if we can reflect for a moment on the coming school year without becoming too depressed about the nearing end of summer, I wanted to alert you to some new resources and remind you of some of the best received materials the Educational Trust Fund has available that might help in your academic endeavors.

First, let's deal with books, DVDs, and videos. (Prices are in parentheses.)

Heard of "stem cells"? Many have, as they've been all over the news. But as most pro-lifers know, you often don't get the whole truth just by watching the news.

The Educational Trust Fund has a new resource, a DVD titled Stem Cells and Cloning. Presented by NRLC President Dr. Wanda Franz, this is an excellent primer, a helpful introduction to a topic that can be mind-numbingly complex.

This easy-to-follow presentation discusses what stem cells are, the key difference between adult and embryonic stem cells, and the use of cloning as one method to obtain embryonic stem cells--and why pro-lifers oppose that. Dr. Franz discusses the scientific interest in stem cell research, looking at the often overlooked successes with adult stem cells, as well as the often glossed-over ethical aspects of lethally extracting stem cells from human embryos.

In contrast to adult stem cell research, embryonic stem cell research requires killing human embryos, whether those embryos were originally created to bring a child to birth or were created solely for research. This DVD can be a perfect introduction to this subject in biology classes, or in government classes dealing with current events ($10--no extra shipping!).

Another new resource is Angela Franks' Margaret Sanger's Eugenic Legacy. Pro-life chapters or individuals might consider purchasing a copy or two and donating them to high school, college, and public libraries. This thoroughly researched and footnoted book is best suited for college or advanced high school students. Ms. Franks discusses the eugenic philosophy behind the rhetoric that guided Planned Parenthood's founder, and still guides many advocates of abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and assisted suicide ($15).