Dr. James Watson to me, May 2004: 'They say I'm a killer'

In light of Dr. James Watson's recent fall from grace and the revelation that Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer requested $900,000 in taxpayer funds for his lab, it seems like a good time to republish the story of my run-in with the DNA pioneer.

The following post originally appeared May 13, 2004:

Last night, at a formal event at New York City's elegant Hotel Pierre, I was introduced to Nobel laureate Dr. James D. Watson, who, along with Dr. Francis Crick, discovered the double-helix structure of the DNA molecule.

I was introduced to the gaunt, aged legend by another scientist, who proceeded to tell Watson about his biomedicals company, which funded work in the genetics field.

Watson interrupted him: "Is your company geared towards research or service?"

The scientist paused for a second, taking in the unusual question. "Research," he answered.

"That's the problem with these companies today!" the Nobel laureate erupted. "Everyone's doing research in genetics and nobody's doing service. Because it's too controversial"—he sneered—"to help mothers so that they can give birth to healthy babies."

My mouth was open wide enough for flies to come in. I was taken aback at the sheer rudeness of the outburst—to see an esteemed scientist speak to an admiring colleague that way. Even worse, I couldn't believe the swiftness with which Watson almost immediately turned the conversation toward his obsession. And I was kicking myself for having forgotten what that obsession was, after reading about it when it hit the newswires nearly a year ago.

Still, if you read a seemingly sensationalistic story on the Web site of an advocacy organization*, you tend to take it with a grain of salt. Call me naive, but I couldn't have conceived the depth of Watson's conviction about the extinguishing of "undesirables" if I hadn't heard it from the legend himself and—I'm very sad to say—seen the expression on his face. I'm afraid it is no coincidence that Watson's institute is based at the same Cold Spring Harbor laboratory where Charles Davenport conducted his sickening, Carnegie-funded eugenics experiments.

"They say I'm a killer," Watson went on, his tired eyes taking on fire. "It's those right-to-lifers."

"They say I'm a killer," he repeated, "and everyone's afraid of offending them." He was still looking at the other scientist. The scientist, whom I know didn't share his views, maintained an attentive silence—partly, I believe, out of gentlemanly respect, and partly out of not wanting to put gasoline on a fire.

But I had nothing to lose. So I took a deep breath, adjusted my jaw so it was back in line with my upper lip, and said, in the gentlest voice I could muster, "I'd love to know more about why you feel that way, as I'm a right-to-lifer myself."

Watson looked me in the eye and told me he was qualified to advocate in favor of mothers choosing to abort "unhealthy" children because he wished he could have aborted his own son, who is mentally handicapped.

He went on, unprodded, to say that he was an "unbeliever," so he was sure he would have had no moral qualms about killing his own child.

It was the same horrible sentiment he expressed to the Australian paper The Age last year:

Declaring "I'm not a sadist", the man who co-discovered DNA said that parents, especially mothers, should have a right of genetic veto over the make-up of their child.

"Any time you can prevent a seriously sick child from being born, it is good for everyone," Dr Watson told The Sunday Age. "Most mothers wouldn't want to have dwarfs."....

He says he has never seen a soul in a test tube.

There was no way that I could argue with him—it wasn't the time or place, and I don't believe I could have swayed him. But I'm sure he could see the emotions on my face—the desire to be respectful, mingled with stifled horror and pity.

I could only wonder what would make someone whose work had brought so much healing decide that the best way to prevent sickness is to kill people.

TRACKBACKS (May 2004):

• Charles G. Hill adds some insights.


• Andrew Careaga posted an item about his own encounter with Dr. Watson.

*This link, which has gone dead since I wrote the original blog entry, led to an article on an ultraconservative Web site accusing Watson of being a eugenicist.

Fired Planned Parenthood employees strike back

Jill Stanek has some fascinating details on recent lawsuits by former employees of Planned Parenthood Chicago Area.

'A friar walks into a bar ...'

Congratulations to my friend Michael J. New, a University of Alabama assistant political science professor who has gotten wonderful local publicity for the latest season of the Theology on Tap series that he books in Tuscaloosa. Not only did the campus paper feature the event, but even the local TV news did a story — quite a coup in an area where the Catholic presence is relatively small.

The TV news clip features Michael as well as the latest series' first speaker, the assistant vocations director for the EWTN friars.

Author, Author!

Jeff Miller's witty take on an answer book to Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great reminds me of something G.K. Chesterton wrote in The Everlasting Man:

"One of my first journalistic adventures, or misadventures, concerned a comment on Grant Allen, who had written a book about the Evolution of the Idea of God. I happened to remark that it would be much more interesting if God wrote a book about the evolution of the idea of Grant Allen. And I remember that the editor objected to my remark on the ground that it was blasphemous; which naturally amused me not a little. For the joke of it was, of course, that it never occurred to him to notice the title of the book itself, which really was blasphemous; for it was, when translated into English, 'I will show you how this nonsensical notion that there is a God grew up among men.' My remark was strictly pious and proper; confessing the divine purpose even in its most seemingly dark or meaningless manifestations."

'Doulas' hired to help abort Latinos

Mark Shea reports on an article I sent him about the abortion industry's promotion of "abortion doulas" to the Latina community. Marcel at Aggie Catholics has more.

Sister Christians' overtime* November 17

Since returning from my talk at the cathedral in Worcester (video of which should be on YouTube soon), I have not been able to blog as much as I would like because I have been very busy with work at my full-time job as director of the Love and Responsibility program for the Cardinal Newman Society. One of the initiatives on which I am currently working is the upcoming Sisters of Life Co-Worker training at Seton Hall University, which will be the first ever to take place on a college campus, co-sponsored by Seton Hall's Campus Ministry.

On my agenda at work today is to write a press release for the training, but in the meantime, since you're kind enough to spend some of your online time at this blog, below is an excerpt from the letter I wrote inviting Campus Ministry to co-sponsor the training. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 17, and is open to all interested Catholic college students, regardless of whether they attend a Catholic institution. The free admission includes lunch. Seton Hall is easily accessible by train from New York City and northern New Jersey. If you are interested in attending and would like further information, please write me, dawneden -at- cardinalnewmansociety.org (replacing the "-at-" with an atsign). Please include your name and your e-mail address at college (the address of yours that ends with ".edu").

From my letter pitching Campus Ministry on the training:

I am the director of the Cardinal Newman Society's Love and Responsibility program. Our goal is to give Catholic college students a personal understanding of the Church's teachings on chastity and the culture oflife, by creating initiatives that will engage them proactively.

Having volunteered for the Sisters of Life when I lived in the New York area, I have witnessed the Sisters' unique charism for helping pregnant women. (You can read background on the order at http://sistersoflife.org/.) Spending time with them, one can see why theirs is among the fastest-growing orders; they exude the joy of Christ's love.

Essential to the Sisters' ministry is their network of volunteers, known as Co-Workers. Co-Workers are trained to show pregnant women the heart of Christ through listening to them and being present for them in a compassionate way that will help get out of crisis mode.

There are several ways that the Sisters' Co-Worker program is different from other types of pro-life initiatives that aid pregnant women on or near college campuses:

1. The Co-Workers' goal is to give aid, not arguments.

Following the Sisters' charism, Co-Workers do not engage in pro-life vs. pro-choice debate with the women whom they help. Their focus is not to make abortion unattractive, but rather to encourage pregnant women to connect with their innate desire to bear their children. Through the compassion they offer, Co-Workers help pregnant women see that a choice for life is really a choice for God's blessing in their own lives.

2. The Co-Workers are not social workers.

As a point of contact between pregnant women and the Sisters of Life, Co-Workers are able to connect pregnant women with those who can help them get shelter and other practical aid, but that is not their primary mission. They are there to give love, friendship, a listening ear, and prayer.

3. The Sisters of Life's approach is geared towards helping women get the help they need to not only have their children, but to raise them as well.

I mention this because it touches on the heart of the Sisters' ministry. The Sisters are concerned with the lives of entire families, not just the babies themselves. While they have aided women who opted for adoption, the vast majority of the women whom they have helped have chosen to raise their children.

* * *
*That's the lyric I always thought Night Ranger was singing.

Chaste time in Old Town tomorrow night*

Don't forget, if you're in the D.C. area, I'm speaking on The Thrill of the Chaste and signing copies of the book tomorrow night in the Lyceum at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Old Town Alexandria, Va., at 7:30 p.m. It's part of the church's "Sermon on the Mount" series. Admission is free, and there will be wine and cheese (but, sadly, no Cheez Doodles) beforehand.

*Many apologies for writing "tomorrow" even though I originally posted this before midnight October 28. I meant tomorrow as in October 30. Just caught the error (though the date's correct in previous entries and on the linked flyer). Let me know if you showed up at the church the wrong night and I'll make it up to you somehow.

From widower to Father

On New Jersey priest Father Ed Blanchett's home page, there is a tribute to "A Very Special Person." As I happened across his Web site this afternoon, I clicked on the link expecting to read a tribute to someone close to him who passed on — perhaps one of his parents or a brother or sister.

I did not expect to read a beautiful tribute to his late wife, whose passing at 45 of acute leukemia will be ten years ago next week (All Saints Day).

"Mary taught me to enjoy life to the fullest and to fight the adversities that are thrown at us with all of one's strength," Father Blanchett writes. "When that has been done and we are called back to God, it is possible to depart with grace, peace and inner confidence. My life has been greatly enriched by knowing her, and it's a result of her example and the strength that was given to me in my hours of need that have placed me on the road to serving God's people. How can I accept His strength (as I had put it at the time, 'I could feel Him holding me with both arms') and not want to show others how to draw from that same strength?"

Read the whole tribute. If you would like to let Father Blanchett know that your thoughts and prayers are with him as the anniversary of his wife's passing approaches, his e-mail address and a contact form are on his home page.

It's Greek to him [UPDATED]

A Philosophy 201 instructor at Catholic University of America writes that he used an excerpt of The Thrill of the Chaste to teach Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. While I'm not yet aware how exactly my book came in helpful, just the fact that it was used sounds like an honor — especially as I don't (yet) know Nichomachean from Nickelodeon.

UPDATE: The instructor, Paraic Maher, has since explained to me how he used it — at least, as best as he can explain it to one not familiar with Aristotle — but I don't want to spoil things for you should you take his course someday.

I can tell you that the excerpt he used was from Chapter 1, and it happens to be online — so, those of you who know Nicomachean Ethics can have fun figuring out what elements of the chapter proved instructive. The section in question is the one that begins halfway down the Web page, "All my adult life, I've struggled with my weight," and continues to the end of the chapter.

I look forward to reading your conjectures about the previously unknown (to me) Nichomachean elements of this piece of literature. Don't worry, there won't be a test.

* * *

A bit of inside information: The variety of Cheez Doodles to which I refer in the chapter (and which I miss very much now that I've moved to Washington, where instead of Wise we have the far inferior Utz), is Crunchy Original.

London britches staying up ...

... 'cause they're finding fulfillment while keeping their clothes on! Thanks to my wonderful thrillofthechaste.com webmaster Saint Kansas (who also designed Dr. Miriam Grossman's site), you can now download the Thrill ofthe Chaste talkI gave October 8 at London's historic Farm Street Church. The download is also available via the "Audio" section of the thrillofthechaste.com Multimedia page.

Following are some photos from what was for me a beautiful evening, taken with my camera by Damian Polly of Pure in Heart, an excellent speaker himself (he teaches chastity and the theology of the body). Many thanks to Diocese of Westminster seminarian Robert Colquhoun and everyone at the John Paul II Centre in Dublin (which organized my Ireland/London tour) for setting up the talk.

But first, a shot taken earlier that afternoon of me about as happy as you'll ever see me. I am delighted at meeting Father John Edwards S.J., the author of beautifully and expertly written spiritual books who is in residence at the Mount Street Jesuit Centre at Farm Street Church. One of his books, A New and Special Way, bears an introduction by the now-Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I've yet to read that one, but am a great fan of his Ways of Loving and Ways of Forgiveness.

I take questions and answers following my talk in the parish hall:



The crowd of nearly 100 mingles in the lovely hall following my talk:



Most of the crowd were young adult women, as could be expected given that my book's directed at them, but there were also a good number of blokes:



Scene from the book-signing table; at far left is event promoter Robert Colquhoun, the seminarian mentioned above:

Virginia is for chaste lovers

As the Tour of the Chaste continues, I'm getting set to speak at the historic St. Mary's in Old Town, Alexandria, and at the Center of Christian Study at UVA, among other dates:

October 27

Participate in two panels at Society of Catholic Social Scientists conference, Queens, N.Y. See the conference Web site for details.

October 30

Talk, St. Mary's Catholic Church "Sermon on the Mount" series, Alexandria, Va., 7:30 p.m., free.

November 6

Talk on "Body and Sex: Beyond Pleasure," Center for Christian Study, Charlottesville, Va., 8 p.m., free.

November 10

Talk on "The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On" and signing, Justin's Grill, East Syracuse, N.Y., 8:30 a.m. Sponsored by Advocating the Vocation of Women (AVOW). For information, contact Karen Stein, (315) 655-3837.

Buy The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On on Amazon.com.

Golden

Father Tom Euteneuer has a beautiful column in honor of his parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

'Bella' note

Thomas Peters of American Papist reviews "Bella" and loves it. I haven't seen it myself.

Fox on the run

My dear friend Todd Starnes, a Fox New Radio anchor, is currently gearing up to complete the New York Marathon for the first time — just two years after he had aortic valve replacement surgery. (He ran in the marathon last year but did not finish.) I highly recommend you read his inspiring accounts of his experience during the runup to the marathon in his blog on the Health section of FoxNews.com.

Planned Parenthood's Holy Cross-pollination

News comes today from Off the Record that the College of the Holy Cross, which today openly defied its bishop by hosting a Planned Parenthood/NARAL-affiliated "Preventing Teen Pregnancy" conference, refers its students to the local Planned Parenthood abortion mill.

Off the Record's Diogenes notes that the Holy Cross student-health Web site refers students to a sexually transmitted disease testing hotline that is in fact Planned Parenthood's local phone number.

"No, Holy Cross doesn't refer students to Planned Parenthood for abortions," Diogenese observes. "Holy Cross refers students to Planned Parenthood for STD tests. But Holy Cross does refer students to Planned Parenthood.

"So tonight," he adds, "when Planned Parenthood representatives participate in a panel at Holy Cross on teen pregnancy, it won't be the first point of contact. They're already working together."

Updates on the Holy Cross situation are available on the Web site of my employer, the Cardinal Newman Society.

Thank you

The event tonight at St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester, Mass., where I spoke on behalf of the Cardinal Newman Society about the Catholic approach to "Preventing Teen Pregnancy" (as opposed to the approaches that will be touted tomorrow at Worcester's College of the Holy Cross) went wonderfully well. No, it was beyond wonderful. It was a high point of my life.

"Only nervous speakers need water." — Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Photo by Tim Post.
From all appearances, everyone in the audience of nearly 150 — including numerous Holy Cross alumni, some of the college's current students, and the leaders of Harvard's True Love Revolution club— were behind the event's mission, which was to show support for Bishop McManus, who is urging Holy Cross to be faithful to its Catholic identity.

Among the many joys of the evening for me was getting to meet so many longtime Dawn Patrol commenters, including Chris Arsenault and his lovely wife; Bud (a Holy Cross alum); and Christopher J. Casey — who I learned has, in the time since he first began commenting on this blog years ago, become Father Casey.

The event was also a reunion of sorts, as the Cardinal Newman Society's videographer happened to be Julian Ahlquist, the oldest son of the American Chesterton Society's Dale Ahlquist, whom I first met on the Chesterton pilgrimage to England in August 2004. Also there, by coincidence — okay, it's corny, but I have to call it a "God-incidence" — was Monsignor Tom Sullivan, who was among the 29 other people on that same pilgrimage. Both had seen me at a time when I was vehemently Protestant (as I was when I first became a Christian). It was beautiful to have their presence and prayers as I talked about the grace God had worked in my life, including how I came to enter the Catholic Church.

Which brings me to why I typed "Thank you" uptop. Thank you if you are one of the readers who prayed for me and for this event. In the coming weeks, there should be video available on the Cardinal Newman Society's Web site. In the meantime, please know that it was successful beyond my imaginings. It was a great blessing to be part of such an outpouring of faith, fellowship, and support for a wise and brave bishop.

He's good papal

Local D.C. Catholic blogger Thomas Peters of American Papist got
himself nominated for a $10,000 blogging scholarship. The rub is he needs a
couple thousand more votes to "make a good showing," as he puts it. He's
the only Christian blogger to be nominated this year. If you want to
vote, it only takes a few seconds to cast your virtual ballot (his name is second from the bottom).

Thrill of the haste

Signing copies of my book cover after speaking at Seton Hall University (my book hadn't arrived in time), September 25, 2007
Well, I'm rushing off again, this time to speak tonight at Brooklyn's Theology on Tap and tomorrow at St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester, Mass. — the latter to provide a Catholic alternative to the College of Holy Cross's Planned Parenthood/NARAL-affiliated teen-pregnancy conference. See the Appearances page of thrillofthechaste.com for details on those and other upcoming talks.

I would be very grateful if you would please keep me in your prayers and pray especially for God's blessing on the Worcester event. It's important that members of that diocese show support for Bishop Robert J. McManus, who has exhorted Holy Cross to be faithful to its Catholic identity. As Father Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, has noted, "it is very encouraging to see a bishop take a bold stand in defense of his people and the integrity of the Church."

Seeking satire

Reading about Rudy Giuliani's talk to the Values Voters summit, I couldn't help wishing the Curt Jester would bring Moloch out of blogging retirement to comment.

UPDATE: Moloch rises to the challenge: "You can just imagine how much we demons like politics – it is like mother's milk to us if we had mothers. I guess it is a good thing we like politics so much considering how many politicians we have down here. ... I just enjoy so much [Giuliani's] call for people to trust him to do not what he wants to do, but what they want him to do. 'Trust me I will not follow my inner convictions' is a great reverse take on what politicians usually say."

Tour of the chaste

I've been so busy with touring and work that I haven't had a chance to post my upcoming talks. Here's the latest list — including one this coming Monday, a Theology on Tap event in Brooklyn. If you're in the New York City area, please come!

Should you want me to speak at your event, please contact the good folks at the Ambassador Agency.

October 22

Talk and signing, Brooklyn Theology on Tap, Greenhouse Cafe, 7717 Third Avenue, Bay Ridge, N.Y., 7:30 p.m., free.

October 23

Talk on "Preventing Teen Pregnancy: The Catholic Approach," a counter-event to College of the Holy Cross's NARAL/Planned Parenthood-affiliated teen-pregnancy conference. All are invited to show support for Bishop McManus, who has urged Holy Cross to be faithful to its Catholic identity. The Cenacle at St. Paul's Cathedral, Worcester, Mass., 7 p.m., free.

October 27

Participate in two panels at Society of Catholic Social Scientists conference, Queens, N.Y. See the conference Web site for details.

October 30

Talk, St. Mary's Catholic Church "Sermon on the
Mount" series, Alexandria, Va., 7:30 p.m., free.

November 6

Talk on "Body and Sex: Beyond Pleasure," Center for Christian Study, Charlottesville, Va., 8 p.m., free.

November 10

Talk on "The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On" and signing, Justin's Grill, East Syracuse, N.Y., 8:30 a.m. Sponsored by Advocating the Vocation of Women (AVOW). For information, contact Karen Stein, (315) 655-3837.

Buy The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On on Amazon.com.

Am busy preparing for Diocese of Worcester event in advance of Holy Cross conference (see below), so may not have time to post today. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Chaste away from Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., is planning to host an October 24 conference on preventing teen pregnancy that will feature Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. In doing so, the college is expressly defying Diocese of Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus, who issued a strongly worded statement urging the college to uphold its Catholic identity.

My employer, the Cardinal Newman Society — whose mission is to renew and strengthen Catholic identity at America's 224 Catholic colleges and universities — is presenting an event at St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester on the night before the teen-pregnancy conference. A Holy Cross alumnus and a current student will speak briefly, followed by a talk from me on chastity. The purpose is to support Bishop McManus and to call attention to the message that Holy Cross and all Catholic colleges should be giving with regard to human sexuality and the culture of life. Here is the official press release — please tell your friends:

Please Join Us for an Important Talk on…

“Preventing Teen Pregnancy: The Catholic Approach”

What Holy Cross Could Have Done to Address This Critical Problem

Featuring CNS Love & Responsibility Program Director Dawn Eden

Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
St. Paul's Cathedral, Worcester, Mass.

Please join The Cardinal Newman Society, in cooperation with St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Worcester Diocese’s Respect Life Office, on the eve before the College of the Holy Cross hosts a conference on teen pregnancy that includes representatives from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.

Despite a strong and courageous statement from Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus condemning the conference and asking Holy Cross to cancel the event, the college’s President has steadfastly supported it and says he will let it take place.

In her talk, Miss Eden will detail how Church teachings on chastity offer a solution to not only the problem of teen pregnancy but also the wider problems of family breakdown — while abortion, contraception, and other "solutions" offered by Planned Parenthood and their allies exacerbate those problems. She will also place the issue, in accordance with Church teachings, into the context of what steps Catholic colleges can and should take to promote Catholic values on life, love and sexuality.

This event is open to the public and The Cardinal Newman Society encourages a strong showing of support for Bishop McManus’s principled stand.

I would be grateful for your prayers as I and my colleagues at the Cardinal Newman Society, along with the Respect Life office of the Diocese of Worcester, prepare for this event. Thank you.

Changing times

"I had a dream last night that it was possible to trade the wasted years in one's life, in the manner of corporate polluters who trade pollution credits. There was some website you could log onto that hooked you up with a trading partner."

— Pentimento, "In Search of Lost Time." She is a dear friend of mine, and her articulate, thoughtful blog is a delightful discovery.

Welcome, Belfast Telegraph readers

I'm sorry to say that the article you read about me today included a made-up quote that is completely contrary to my message. I complained when the original article appeared in the Irish Independent and the newspaper, instead of correcting it, simply reprinted the story in its Belfast outlet. You can read all about it in my entry on the Irish Independent hack job.

ZENIT gets the thrill

Got a lovely surprise today: ZENIT, the Web site known for its coverage of the Vatican, has a favorable profile of me — "Aiding Rudderless Women."

Buy The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On on Amazon.com.

Vocational training

Among the many highlights of my tour of Ireland and England was the John Paul II Centre's Theology of the Body conference, held last weekend at the Avila Carmelite Centre in Dublin. My duties included moderating two panels — one of men, the other of women — on living out the vocation of chastity. Above is the men's panel, consisting of (from second left) a married man, Fergal McDonnagh; a single man, Damian Polly of Pure in Heart (a group that does chastity presentations in Irish schools), and Father Fergal L.C. (I didn't get Father Fergal's last name.)

Nearly 100 people attended the conference, the vast majority of them young adults. It's very exciting to see what is happening in Ireland right now. To many onlookers, things probably look pretty dismal, as Catholic church attendance has been down for some time and there has been a corresponding decline in religious knowledge. But this conference and the Legion of Mary's one last June suggested for me what I suspect the state of the Church was like in America during the early 1990s, at the dawn of the New Orthodoxy. After decades where the social gospel took precedence, young people are hungering for a greater experience of holiness.

In 1919, before his conversion to Catholicism, G.K. Chesterton wrote regarding the faith of the Irish, "The Protestant generally says, 'I am a good Protestant,' while the Catholic always says, 'I am a bad Catholic.'" I really loved being surrounded by fellow "bad Catholics" at the theology of the body conference, all of them so interested in learning what it takes to be a good Catholic.

Chastity will get you everywhere

Arrived home today from Dublin/London tour and am exhausted. Tour went wonderfully, capping off with a talk last night before a very positive and engaged, standing-room-only crowd of nearly 100 in the hall of Farm Street Church in Mayfair, London. (Oli, a Dawn Patrol reader whom I had the pleasure of meeting there, has some details.) Many thanks to everyone who came to that talk and my Ireland appearances.

I will have a few photos to post in the coming week, and will share more about the tour after getting rest. In the meantime, I thought it might be interesting to run down most (not all) of the appearances I've made since The Thrill of the Chaste came out. These are from the Appearances page on thrillofthechaste.com, which will be updated shortly with upcoming dates. I have been truly blessed to be able to speak about my book in so many different places and before such a variety of audiences.

2006:

December 7
Discussion, book signing: Borders Books and Music, 576 Second Avenue, New York. 7 p.m.

December 13
Talk and signing: Blessed Sacrament Church, Arlington, Virginia, 7 p.m.

December 14
Talk and signing: Catholic Information Center, Washington, D.C. 6 p.m.

Talk for young-adult group: St. Stephen Martyr Church, 2436 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 7:30 p.m.

December 15
Book signing: Borders Books and Music, 8027 Leesburg Pike, Suite 100, Vienna, Virginia. 7:30 p.m. Call (703) 556-7766

December 16
Talk and signing, Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore, 4:30 p.m.

2007:

January 3
Debate with Virginia Vitzthum, author of the upcoming book I Love You, Let's Meet: Adventures in Online Dating. Topic: "Is Chastity a Good Idea for Singles?" Lolita Bar, 266 Broome St. at Allen St., Manhattan. 8 p.m. Sponsored by the Jinx Athenaeum Society.

January 24
Speech: "Theology on Tap," New Haven, Connecticut.

February 5
Talk and signing: The Center for Pastoral Leadership, 28700 Euclid Ave., Wickliffe, Ohio. 7 p.m. Sponsored by the Cleveland Catholic Forum and the Diocesan Vocation Office.

February 6
Talk and signing: St. Therese Church, 5267 East 105th Street, Garfield Heights, Ohio. 8 p.m. Sponsored by St. Rose Young Adult Group.

February 11
Talk and signing: The University Parish of Saint Joseph in Greenwich Village, 371 Sixth Ave. 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the New York University GradLaw group.

February 21
Talk and signing: DeSales University, 7:30 p.m.

March 13
Talk and signing: Newman Hall at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 7:30 p.m.

March 14
Appearance: Sex Out Loud, Illini Union, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

March 20
Talk and signing: "Sexless in the City: Why the Happiest Singles Are Saving Themselves for Marriage." Fellowship Dallas, 7 p.m.

March 22
Talk and signing: Dallas Christian Leadership Luncheon at Southern Methodist University's Umphrey Lee Ballroom, 12:15 p.m. (214) 349-1109 or (214) 232-7248.

Talk and signing: Catholic Campus Ministries/Catholic Young Adult Ministries, Theology on Tap at Tipperary Inn, 5815 Live Oak (corner of Skillman and Live Oak), 7 p.m. Talk and signing, Theology on Tap at Metro 53, East 53rd St. at 2nd Ave. Doors open 7 p.m.; talk at 7:30. Free.

April 12
Talk and signing: Saint Mary's Parish Center, Greenwich, Connecticut. 8:00 p.m.

April 13
National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Washington, D.C.

April 14
Book signing: Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 1741 South Willow Street, Manchester, New Hampshire. 4 to 5 p.m.

April 17
Talk and book signing: Bellarmine University, Louisville, Kentucky. 7 p.m.

April 19
Talk and signing: Theology on Tap — Cincinnati; Tickets Sports Cafe, 100 W. Sixth Street, Covington, Kentucky, across from Mother of God Church, 7:30 p.m.

April 25
Panel discussion and book signing: "All About Sexual Morality," with Monsignor William Smith; Rectory, St. Paul the Apostle. 415 West 59th St. in Manhattan. 7 p.m.

May 10
Speech, New York Young Republicans Club. Soldiers', Sailors', Marines' and Airmens' Club, 283 Lexington Avenue, New York. 7:15 p.m. Also speaking: Star Parker, founder of CURE.

May 11
Twenty-second annual Ball for Life, 370 Park Avenue, New York. 7 p.m. Contact Chris Slattery of Expectant Mother Care for a special "Friend of Dawn" ticket discount.

May 21
Radio interview, "Seize the Day" with Gus Lloyd, Sirius Catholic Channel, 6:40 a.m. Eastern.

June 6
Interview: Catholic Answers Live, EWTN Radio, 6 p.m. Eastern.

June 9 and 10
Speech: God is Love, annual Catholic Youth Conference, All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland.

June 15
Speech: "The Girl Who Was Thirsty: How G.K. Chesterton Opened the Door to My Conversion." 26th annual G.K. Chesterton Conference, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. 7 p.m.

June 28
Talk and signing, Theology on Tap, Saints and Sinners Pub, Woodside (Queens), New York, 7:30 p.m.

July 10
Talk and signing, Views from the Veranda series at St. Alphonsus Church, Chicago, Illinois, 7 p.m.

September 15
Talk and book signing, Women for the Third Millennium breakfast, Dallas, Texas. Visit the Women for the Third Millennium Web site for tickets.

September 18
Talk and signing, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. Sponsored by Hope Pregnancy Resource Center

September 19
Talk and signing, Tan Oak Room, MLK Student Union Building, University of California, Berkeley. 7 p.m. Free. Sponsored by the Lepanto League at Cal and the St. Anthony of Padua Institute.

September 25
Speak to freshmen at Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J. Private event.

October 3
Speak to Newman Society, University College Dublin, Ireland, 1 p.m.

October 4
Debate, University College Dublin, 7 p.m.

October 6 and 7
Theology of the Body conference, Dublin. Contact the John Paul II Centre for details on this or other Dublin appearances.

October 8
Speak at Farm Street Church, London, England, 7:30 p.m.

Born to be used

Father Thomas Berg LC neatly elucidates  why the creation of so-called "savior siblings" is wrong::

First of all, it would commonly entail recourse to IVF though couples are known to have conceived a savior child naturally prior to the advent of [preimplantation genetic diagnosis] for screening embryos. As I’ve noted before, IVF is immoral because through it, a child is manufactured as the result of a technician’s hand, rather than being generated through the unitive love of the child’s parents.

A second element of the moral disorder here is that this process requires the manufacture of multiple embryos. All the embryos are screened using PGD – a process which exposes the developing embryos to some risk – by removing one or two cells from each embryo in order to conduct the genetic testing necessary to determine whether the embryo is a match. When a genetic match is found, there remain multiple developing embryos – all of them genetic siblings to the first child – who are either frozen, destroyed in research, or simply “discarded.” ...

A third element of the moral disorder is the way it reduces newly conceived human life to the level of an object. The mere fact that a child’s very existence is solely due to his or her ability to cure an older sibling is stunningly utilitarian. Parents of savior children reassure critics that they love the specially-created child as much as any. Nonetheless, the child is brought to term on the calculated determination of his or her usefulness in curing an older sibling. But for that, the child would not exist.

Read the whole essay.

Raising my Eire

The Irish Independent has a feature on me today that would be impressive publicity were it not partly fabricated and borderline libelous.

Writer Deirdre Reynolds, who interviewed me over the phone and typed my answers without taping them, mangled my words in many places and, most damagingly, put an edgy paragraph of her own with a quote mark at the beginning — making it look like I said it.

The purported quote reads: "And just because you're not having sex, it doesn't mean you can't still have fun with your clothes on. While doing the business is strictly off-limits, those engaging in chastity can still pick 'n' mix other pleasures of the flesh."

I never said that or anything remotely like it. It is completely contrary to my message and that of The Thrill of the Chaste.

From the context, it appears as though the quote mark was simply misplaced and that Reynolds did not mean to attribute her words to me. Nonetheless, it is libelous because it appears as a quote and, throughout the article, she did not take adequate care to quote me accurately. My press representative in Ireland is writing a letter to the editor, as it appears the Independent does not publish corrections.

An Uncertain Future
A Guest Post by Fallen Sparrow

Much discussion of Catholic teaching concerning human sexuality focuses on birth control, abortion, and chastity; these are the politically volatile issues, the issues that generate robust debate and passionate argument. Lost in the fray are some more nuanced, but still important points.

I wrote previously about using chastity as an excuse to avoid intimacy, in part because there are some who believe we Catholics are opposed to sex because we are opposed to sex outside of marriage. I have a friend who is convinced that sexuality and spirituality are inherently incompatible, for example.

So, too, it must be said that, while we regard children as a blessing, and we believe that sex should always be open to procreation, the Church does not condone having children at any cost. The Church regards artificial insemination and similar techniques as "gravely immoral" not because it is in the business of saying "no" or because it is opposed to scientific research, but because, "[t]hese techniques...infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage," (CCC 2376) and because "[t]hey dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that 'entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the dominion of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person.'" (CCC 2377)

***

I recently happened to see an article about a 60-year-old woman in Japan who was impregnated with a donated egg in the United States, placing her on track to be the oldest single mother in Japan. The article also mentions that a 66-year-old woman had a daughter in January 2005, and a 63-year-old Englishwoman had a baby boy last year.

After pausing to reflect on this miracle of modern science and medicine, I marveled at the bleak future the child faces, should he be viable. The article notes that Japanese medical guidelines strictly limit births from donated eggs to married couples, and that single motherhood is quite rare; as a result, it took the woman quite a bit of time to find a doctor willing to take her on as a patient.

"'Considering that she's 60 years old and single, which means high risk and an uncertain future for a child, I had to make a tough decision about whether to handle the pregnancy,' said Yahiro Netsu, gynecologist at Suwa Maternity Clinic in Nagano, central Japan, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. 'But she wanted a child, and I decided to do all I can to help her through expected difficulties.'"

And so, it would seem, a mad fantasy is in the process of being fulfilled. Three persons, possibly very much unknown to each other, are used to conceive and gestate a baby at considerable risk to both the surrogate mother and the baby himself, aided and abetted by American doctors. If she wanted a baby, why didn't she have one when she was of childbearing age? Why put herself at risk suddenly? More importantly, what will become of the child?

The story does not indicate what sort of support system this woman has: no mention is made of friends or relatives who will be there to support her and to help raise the child; what is mentioned is that she is single. And so, it is not entirely unlikely that this child will be alone with the surrogate mother. At 60, it is not unlikely that her own parents are deceased or certainly aged. He is not only being deprived of the opportunity to know his mother and father, but he is
looking at the prospect of spending his childhood and adolescence looking after an elderly parent.

As we place ourselves further under the dominion of technology, perhaps we will find we need to pause and reflect on the degree to which we are willing to go to fulfill our own desires, even at risk to ourselves; we will need to examine whether or not to implement our bad ideas, merely because they are scientifically possible.

See you in church

It's been a wonderful week here in Dublin and Drogheda, and now I'm off to London to speak tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Farm Street Church.

London has long been an important city for me, and until recently, when I moved to Washington, it was my favorite city in the world. I have been there ten times, including in 1982, when I blew my bat mitzvah gift money on a two-week trip with my mother (when I sneaked a peek at the script of "The Meaning of Life" in Monty Python's offices); in 1992, when I spent two weeks living in the guest house at Abbey Road (doing interviews for my Hollies liner notes); in 1998, when I interviewed Julian Lennon in a rehearsal studio, and the last time I was there, in the summer of 2004, when I took part in a G.K. Chesterton pilgrimage hosted by the American Chesterton Society's Dale Ahlquist. This will be my first time there as a Catholic.

Considering how important Chesterton was to my conversion, it feels like my life is coming full circle as I return to the place where he made his name. I am so thankful to be speaking there and hope you will come if you are in the vicinity.

Eleanor Ruder, RIP
A Post by Guest Blogger Fallen Sparrow

I have just learned that Eleanor Ruder, the founder of The Bridge to Life passed away on October 4 after a prolonged bout with cancer. I was blessed to have had the opportunity to meet her and interview her in the winter of 2006 for the New York Daily News' now-defunct "Big Town, Big Heart" series under the guidance of the fearless Dawn Eden.

Eleanor started Bridge to Life in the early 1990's after retiring from working full-time at a bank and looking at ways to help others around her; she was a devout Catholic and was always pro-life. In that time, Bridge to Life has helped countless needy pregnant women who are considering abortion to choose to keep their babies, assisting them with referrals to counseling, health care, housing, as well as by providing baby clothes, toys, carriages, and other material needs.

When asked why she did this, she replied, "basically, because I am pro-life. The primary reason was, if you ask a woman to choose life, you better be there to help her."

In that sentence, she eroded the last bit of resistance I personally had toward the pro-life cause; I was, prior to that, what one might call "soft" on the pro-life cause. I was, like many politicians you hear today, "personally opposed" but not certain it was my place to publicly state that position. Additionally, I was under the mistaken impression that the pro-life cause was primarily people ranting about the evil of abortion without doing anything to assist the material needs of pregnant women; suddenly, I found myself interviewing a woman who was energetic, passionate, enthusiastic, and truly radiant in her kindness who was dedicating her "golden years" to assisting others in need.

She proudly displayed for me a collage of some of the mothers and children she had helped over the years; she kept in touch with them and told me how the mothers would still call her and tell her about the children who were alive today in part because Eleanor was there to provide assistance in their time of need.

Please pray for the soul of a warm, caring, and generous woman, as well as her family and friends, and the ongoing mission of the organization she started.

Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.

UPDATE: In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to The Bridge to Life, Inc., 129-20A 18th Avenue, College Point, New York 11356.

'Farm' me to you

Greetings again from Dublin — having a wonderful time and hope to blog about my appearances here when I get home next week. Right now I just have time for a quick reminder to those in London that I'll be speaking this coming Monday at 7 p.m. in the hall at Farm Street Church in Mayfair — hope to see you there!

Oliver's story

Good morning! Today I am off to visit Drogheda for the first time, where I will see a local priest, Father John Hogan, whose first career choice was that of opera singer. With his former compatriots in mind, he founded the Fraternity of St. Genesius. From the Fraternity's Web site:

The primary object of the Fraternity shall be the spiritual accompaniment of the men and women who dedicate their lives to working in the theatrical and cinematic arts. It seeks to respond to the call of the Church to show pastoral concern for those working in these areas and to participate in the Church’s mission recognizing the duty inherent on the baptized to preach Christ in the world.

The chief means by which the Fraternity will accomplish this aim is by the prayer and daily sacrifices of its members expressed in fraternal love in response to the command of Christ himself to love our neighbour and as a means of living and serving that unity which exists between the baptized within the Mystical Body of Christ.

For those of you who know Drogheda, be assured that I intend to see the head of St. Oliver Plunkett.

Quote of the day

"Is there anything less romantic than having sex while wearing a condom?"

— Justin Shubow, "When Harry Met Sal," an astute critique of the vogue for man-crush comedies ("Superbad," "Wedding Crashers"), on National Review Online

Good day in Blackrock/Last chance to catch 'Life on the Rock' video

Greetings from Blackrock, Dublin, where I am about to leave for a morning of press interviews very kindly arranged by my host, Anne-Maree Quinn of the John Paul II Centre. After that, I've got a 1 p.m. talk for University College Dublin's Newman Society. Details of my other Dublin appearances and my talk this coming Monday in London are on the Appearances page on thrillofthechaste.com — hope to see you at one or more of them if you are in this lovely corner of the world.

Also, I believe today and tomorrow are your last chances to view the streaming video of my "Life on the Rock" appearance before it is replaced with a new episode. Go to EWTN's Streaming Video and Audio page and click on the "View" link next to "Life on the Rock" under the "Archived Video in RealVideo" category in the left column.

My birthplace sells for $15 million

Thanks to Kevin Walsh for the tip.

Let Freedom Ring
A Guest Post by Henrietta G. Tavish

The abortion rights movement has traditionally hated free speech. Its advocates have been on a rampage the past couple of years to prevent crisis pregnancy centers from communicating with pregnant women, an effort that has caused even some ACLU board members to dissent. Last year, pro-choicers last year forced Amazon to modify a search engine which suggested "adoption" to users who searched for "abortion," even though the message was controlled by an algorithm which merely reflected customer preferences. And they've fought hard to insure that no one see the dreaded words "choose life" on a license plate.

Too much public debate about abortion doesn't serve the pro-choice purpose, because it inevitably involves the use of, well, the unsavory word "abortion" and gets people to thinking about what it involves. When forced themselves to discuss the topic, abortion advocates use breezy euphemisms such as "choice," "access" and "women's health." "People respond best" to those phrases, explained one Planned Parenthood site, which simultaneously cautioned its readers to "[not] engage in 'when is it a baby?' conversations. Even when it recently tried to defend its deceptive opening of an abortion clinic, Planned Parenthood omitted the "a" word from its press release.

But now, it seems the tide is turning.

NARAL Pro-Choice has fought, and won, a battle to compel Verizon to permit the abortion group to send text messages to its supporters. Although Verizon had originally deemed the subject of abortion to be too "controversial and unsavory" for its subscribers and had exercised its legal right to regulate the topics of discussion permitted on its mobile network, it chose the path of more speech rather than less. NARAL President Nancy Keenan, celebrated the victory over at her organization's officially sanctioned blog, BushvChoice:

Let’s hope Verizon has learned a lesson today: citizen participation in democracy is neither ‘unsavory’ nor ‘controversial . . . [I]t is yet another reminder of why we must remain vigilant in fighting against third-party interference in how citizens participate in the democratic process.

I know that this episode has taught NARAL a lesson -- the abortion debate in America must be vigorous and robust. Doubtlessly, Ms. Keenan has directed her group's blog to embrace this new-found notion of freedom and abandon its prior practice of deleting comments from pro-lifers and even pro-choicers (like Katha Pollitt) who disagree with it. So let's all click over to BushvChoice and thank NARAL for its generous change of heart and its embrace of democracy over censorship.

[Note: If you do post at BushvChoice, please copy and save your comments. If they are deleted, send them to me at henriettagtavish-at-gmail.com and I'll post them here later in the week.]

The price of 'liberation'

"One of the historical ironies is that the ['Sex and the City'] lifestyle has been promoted most ardently by women .... They pitch it as liberationist and as a return to nature. As it’s played out, however, it has de-natured young women, objectified them, and locked them in rather cramped emotional prisons."

— Mike Aquilina, vice president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology,  reviews The Thrill of the Chaste.