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British Columbia
Parents and Teachers for Life
E-Mail Bulletins
What immediately follows is the
June, 2009,
issue; and following it on the page is the May,
2009,
issue of a bulletin sent
out by e-mail (usually monthly) to members and other
pro-family, pro-life supporters anywhere the world.
If you fit into one of those categories and wish to receive our
bulletin, please e-mail us (executive ["at" sign] BCPTL.org) your
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Links to other websites are given as found in the
original bulletin, but you should be aware that with the passage of
time a number of these links may expire (and will no longer
work)
British Columbia
Parents and Teachers for Life
E-Mail Bulletin
June,
2009
A
Message to Our Members and Other Pro-Family Individuals and
Organizations:
Please
visit us at our website: www.bcptl.org
E-mail
address: executive@BCPTL.org
Phone
(voice and fax): 604-512-9594.
To
ensure that you receive future issues of this Bulletin, please add ListMaster@bcptl.orgto
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. We would be happy to hear that you have done that.
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Note:
This issue of the
BCPTL
E-Mail Bulletin comes
in two forms. The same bulletin is also attached. Some
subscribers have been having difficulty reading the
Bulletin
easily because it is excessively wide for their screens, and have
found that it is easier to read the Bulletin
in attachment form.
Contents
of This E-Mail Bulletin
1.
What Should We Do to Advance the
Pro-Life Cause in the Era of Obama?
2. The
British Columbia
Election: No Cause for Rejoicing for Pro-Family, Pro-Life People
3.
News and Views from
Internet and E-Mail Sources
4.
Pro-Life, Pro-Family
Events
What
Should We Do to Advance the Pro-Life Cause in the Era of Obama?
(A
Response to Suggestions for a Change in Approach on the Part of
the Pro-Life Movement)
These are times of challenge for pro-lifers.
In the face of the unwillingness of the Canadian
government to change the abortion situation in Canada, and in the face
of the election of a president in the United States who has made
it clear that he will impose no limits
on abortion, pro-lifers are re-evaluating their strategies.
Changing methods to meet new conditions can be essential.
Even when we are advancing a cause that is just and based on a
timeless principle, it is still a healthy thing to consider new
strategies, so long as we do not
--on the one hand--adopt methods that are out of keeping with the
message, or--on the other hand--water down our approach and so weaken
our impact.
In a very public way a pro-life broadcaster has enunciated what
he terms a new strategy for pro-lifers in an article published in The
National Post (May 21, 2009). When a pro-life
activist such as the author of “A Wise New Strategy for
Pro-Lifers” writes, he is deserving of attention.
The fact that we pro-lifers have a common aim, however, does
not prevent our having different ideas about how those aims should be
carried out, and should not prevent our respectful discussion of those
differences.
In the course of his essay the author writes approvingly of
Preston Manning, who is now free of politics but who, when in
politics, “always worked hard to keep the hot potato of abortion . .
. from landing in his party’s hands.”
Manning, according to the author of the article “A Wise
New Strategy,” is not “in favour of using religious or moral
arguments in the public square.”
The idea that we should abandon moral arguments against
abortion, along with the attendant idea being put forward that we
should abandon our opposition to leaving the unborn without legal
protection apparently spring from an understandable desire to find new
strategies for the pro-life movement. The belief that
the unborn child is human, with a life that deserves protection has
been, and must remain, the core principle of the pro-life movement. Whatever
other arguments we use, we cannot give up the moral argument against
induced abortion; and we must continue to take the position that the
law should protect the unborn.
True, it is a fundamental principle of communication that we
must consider the nature of the audience when we communicate, and in
addressing a variety of audiences we may bring forward a variety of
arguments besides the humanity of the unborn.
In speaking out for life and against abortion we sometimes
address our remarks to the general public, sometimes to politicians,
sometimes to mothers in pregnancy crises.
Our methods of communication should vary according to which of
these or other audiences we are addressing.
The pro-life movement has long suited its methods of
communication to varying audiences.
For example, the television advertisements that we have seen in
this province and others sponsored by Signal Hill’s predecessor
Pro-Life BC, have emphasized compassion and understanding for
expectant mothers. Campaign
Life Coalition of Canada speaks to politicians, and takes into
consideration political possibilities.
The Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform has used a blunt, graphic
approach in seeking to make university students rethink or think for
the first time what their positions on abortion should be.
In British Columbia Parents and Teachers for Life we have
sought to bring out the contrast between legitimate parental rights
and state-sponsored schools being permitted to engage in abortion
counselling and referrals. These
considerations, however, should not prevent each of these groups, in
its own way, from presenting a moral argument.
Induced abortion is one of the great evils of our time.
Whatever group we seek to engage, we are dealing with human
beings with a sense of right and wrong.
If we abandon the use of moral argument in the debate on
abortion we give up one of our strongest weapons:
a means of argument that is potentially capable of moving any
human heart.
In the essay “Strategy,” the author speaks of taking the
high ground. Surely in
advancing a moral argument we are
taking the high ground. It
is right to point out that “Abortion hurts women,” and we may
indeed cause many to think when we use this slogan.
But we should never forget the essential evil of abortion,
which is that “Abortion kills children”—and in one way or
another we should surely continue to convey that message to the
public.
Preston Manning’s advice, says the author of “Strategy,”
is to “Broaden one’s base. Ensure
that your tactics are wise and gracious.
And do not let zeal for the cause override your long-term
plan.” All very good.
But perhaps we need other advice as well, like:
Never forget why you are in the struggle.
Ensure that you communicate the essence of your message.
And do not let opposition cause you to weaken your message.
In one way or another, while being “wise as serpents,
gracious as doves,” to employ Manning’s biblical reference, we
still need to be faithful to our message.
In many ways we have perhaps not been frank enough.
Most Canadians—and I would say most Canadians who are
pro-life—are unaware that in Canada abortion is legal right up to
and including the time a baby is born. I
doubt that most people in
Canada
have any concept of the huge numbers of abortions that take place.
This ignorance has not resulted from any lack of tact on our
part. It may have resulted
from some of us not being frank enough.
The pro-life movement has kept a flame alive in very difficult
times. The recent March
for Life in
Ottawa
demonstrated that the movement is very much alive.
The participation of many young people contradicts the
generalization that the movement is an aged one (though we do need new
leadership to stand in the breach with the old).
Especially considering the climate in which pro-life leaders
have worked, they have accomplished much.
This does not mean that we should not consider changing methods
for changing times. But in
doing so let us not abandon the fidelity to principles that is
necessary to keep our consciences clear and to ensure that the
pro-life message remains vital and effective.
Ted
Hewlett (May, 2009)
The
British Columbia
Election: No Cause for Rejoicing for Pro-Family, Pro-Life People
The results of the provincial election held in
British Columbia
in May provide little cause for comfort to the pro-life, pro-family
community. Those incumbents who were elected share the
responsibility not only for the fact that pro-abortion counselling and
referrals are allowed in the public schools, but also for their
apparent approval of the notorious Corren Agreement, or at least their
failure to make public any objections to it. The new MLA's (with
the exception of one independent) were candidates for the governing
party that bears the chief responsibility for those iniquities, or
were candidates for a party that we may expect to be enthusiastic
about supporting the status quo as regards those two issues.
The only party
officially opposed to the Corren Agreement did not elect any MLAs.
We do
not know how many of our readers made the effort to ascertain the
position of their local candidates. We are sire that those
on the scene locally who by their investigation of candidates'
positions and their support for candidates who are stand for life
and family are in the best position to influence local
politics.
Now
we are faced with the results of the election, there are still
things we can do. It may be that some of the new MLAs in
particular could be influenced by the representations of parents
and their supporters who are opposed to the misuse of the schools for
pro-abortion and anti-family propaganda. If we had just one
MLA willing to raise his or her voice regarding the issues we
have mentioned, that could awaken a lot of people.
At
any rate, it is abundantly clear that parents must look out for
the safety of their own children. Those who are aware of
the educational situation need to make others aware of not only the
dangers but the opportunities for alternatives for providing sound and
safe schooling for children and young people.
News
and Views from Internet and E-Mail Sources
Note:
We pass on the items of news and opinion in this section for your
information. Not all opinions expressed will necessarily
coincide with
those of BC Parents and Teachers for Life, the publishers of this E-
Bulletin.
If the
child in the womb could share her thoughts on the horrific killing and
dismembering of millions of her fellow innocents, this surely would be
what she might say:
“Dear fellow human beings, I know there are some people out there
who want to be ‘non-confrontational’ about my fellow little
innocents being slaughtered by abortionists. They believe they have a
‘new,’ ‘wise,’ and ‘strategic’ approach to this heinous
crime. Their words sound nice and reassuring. But, of course, they are
not the ones being killed. Don’t they realize that there is nothing
‘compassionate’ about killing us? And if they are ‘not concerned
with the law,’ (there is no law) or any law prohibiting abortion,
then they should be. And so, these murderous atrocities perpetrated on
we the innocent continue unabated in depraved acts of lawlessness.
[To read the rest of the article immediately above, go to: http://graysinfo.blogspot.com/2009/06/your-words-are-killing-me-imaginary.html
.]
From
the United Mothers, Fathers and Friends Newsletter for June 8, 2009:
Victory!
Alberta
Enshrines Parental Rights
History
was made in the Alberta Legislature Tuesday, June 2, at 1:20 a.m. as
parental rights were enshrined in the Alberta Human Rights Act with
the passage of Bill 44 by a vote of 35 - 7.
This
is the first time that the fundamental rights of parents have been
recognized in human rights legislation in our nation.
Bill
44 included a proposal that the Government of Alberta enshrine in
Alberta Human Rights Legislation the right of parents to be notified
when school curriculum or materials include the explicit teaching of
religion, human sexuality or sexual orientation, as well as the right
of parents to opt their children out of participation in such
curriculum or materials without academic penalty to the child.
Thank
you
Alberta
for upholding the family as the fundamental unit of society, and for
setting this profound precedent for the rest of
Canada
!
.
. . .
Take
Action
Alberta
: Send your 1 click letter
Let
us not neglect our opportunity to say thank you for enshrining
parental rights!
Send
your 1 click letter to Premier Stelmach, Minister Blackett, Education
Minister Hancock, and your MLA to let them know of your appreciation
for the MLAs who voted in support of the family as the fundamental
unit of society by enshrining parental rights in the Albert Human
Rights Act.
Take
Action:
Send
your 1 click letter. “Thank
you
Alberta
for Enshrining Parental Rights”
http://unitedmothers.ca/links/1click/
All
it takes is 5 minutes to make a difference.
.
. .Take Action Other Provinces: Send your 1 click letter
Residents
of other provinces: Send your 1 click letter encouraging your premier
and justice minister to enshrine parental rights in your human rights
act.
Send
your 1 click letter today. “Our
Province Needs to Enshrine Parental Rights” http://unitedmothers.ca/links/1click/
All
it takes is 5 minutes to make a difference.
[To
read more from the United Mothers and Fathers Newsletter the material
immediately above was taken from, go to:
http://www.bcptl.org/rights.htm#victory
]
Federal
government announces $400,000 for Pride
Toronto
[The excerpt immediately following is from the homosexual
publication xtra.ca
"Where Queers Conspire," June 16, 2009]
In what is surely an effort to make
Toronto
's Pride festival as fabulous as possible
Canada
's federal government has announced a plan to dish over $400,000 to
Pride Toronto.
Diane Ablonczy — minister of state for small business and
tourism, and a former member of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance
party — made the announcement Jun 10. "The Government of
Canada
is proud to show its commitment to the tourism industry, particularly
during this difficult economic period," states Ablonczy in a
press release... (emphasis added)
Winnipeg Pride through the eyes of a teen
PRIDE / Prairie event scores best attendance ever; check out our
photo gallery
Text
by Kaj Hasselriis, photos by Brynn Hughes / National / Monday,
June 15, 2009
Winnipeg
Pride . . .
[The excerpt immediately following is from the homosexual
publication xtra.ca
"Where Queers Conspire," June 15, 2009]
The theme for this year's Winnipeg Pride parade was "Grow with
us," and grow it did — by leaps and bounds.
At least 5,000 enthusiastic queers turned out for the Jun 14 event,
the first beautiful sunny day of the year.
The event is clearly hitting a growth spurt. Teenagers outnumbered all other age
groups in attendance, especially at the post-parade festival. [bold-facing
supplied by the editor of this BCPT: Bulletin]
One of those teens . . . . took pictures for Xtra.ca. took
pictures for Xtra.ca. . . . .
MassResistance
MassResistance
is a pro-family organization in
Massachusetts
standing against the almost unbelievable propagandization of youth by
the pro-homosexuality movement going on in that state. We have
not included in this Bulletin some of the perversions going on in the
name of tolerance and being peddled to the young as normal. A
check of the MassReistance website may wake up some to the real nature
of what we are opposing. Some of the headlines on
this website include:
UNBELIEVABLE:
"Transgender prom" for kids in Boston City Hall includes
bizarre adults, homosexual acting out, drug use, BDSM, & more
and
Horrific
"Fistgate" conference for kids recalled as Barack Obama
appoints Kevin Jennings to Dept. of Education
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
'Gay' activist to oversee public
classroom 'safety'
Homosexual group founder handed federal
Education Department post
Posted: May 29, 2009
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
The founder of the homosexual activist group GLSEN, which promotes
homosexual clubs in high schools, middle schools and grade schools and
is the driving force behind the annual "Day of Silence"
celebration of homosexuality in many districts, has been handed a
federal appointment where he will be responsible for overseeing
"safety" in the nation's public schools.
Linda Harvey of Mission America,
which educates people on anti-Christian trends in the nation, said it
is nothing more than a "tragedy" for an open homosexual who
has "had an enormously detrimental impact on the climate in our
schools" to be in such a position.
The appointment of Kevin Jennings was posted – with little fanfare –
on a government list of federal jobs recently. He was named by U.S.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan to be the Assistant Deputy Secretary
in the Office of Safe Schools.
He previously worked to raise money for the presidential campaign for
President Obama.
In the new
post, he'll be working on "safe schools" programs for
educational institutions nationwide, said
Harvey
.
[To read
the rest of the article immediately above, go to http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=99560
.]
UK
, American, Canadian
Pro-Life Groups Condemn Tiller Murder
By Alex
Bush
June 1,
2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In the wake of the murder
of late-term abortionist George Tiller, pro-life groups from across
North America and the UK have condemned the killing as “heinous,”
“deplorable,” “cowardly,” “senseless,” and
“unconscionable.”
Abortionist
Tiller was renowned for performing late-term abortions in
Kansas
, many of them post-viability. The abortionist only recently found
himself in court facing 19 counts of performing illegal late-term
abortions, but was found “not guilty” by a jury last month.
He had also survived a previous murder attempt in 1993.
Scott
Roeder, a man with no affiliations with the mainstream pro-life
movement, has been taken into custody and is expected to be charged
with allegedly murdering Tiller.
LifeSiteNews.com
has obtained statements from some 20 pro-life groups, all unanimously
condemning the murder. The statements stress that while Tiller
was involved in perpetrating a great evil, all life is sacred,
including the lives of abortionists. They also stress that the
pro-life movement wishes to change abortion laws by legal means and
not by violence. (To read all the statements, click here)
“Pro-lifers
do not answer violence with violence,” said Stephen Borden, a Pastor
in a pro-life African-American coalition, in response to the news of
the Tiller slaying.
Dr. Alveda
King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a colleague of Borden,
said that she “wanted to share with [Tiller] the harm [she]
experienced from abortion.” She continued, saying that she had
a deep desire for Tiller to “join me in repentance.”
“I am
deeply sorry that his life was taken before that could happen,” King
said.
Dr. James
Dobson from Focus on the Family issued a statement saying that members
of the organization “categorically condemn the act of vigilantism
and violence.” Dobson said that
America
was built on the rule of law, and despite the verdict in Tiller’s
case “he was acquitted by the court and declared ‘not guilty’ in
the eyes of the law. That is our system, and we honor it.”
Jim
Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition in Canada and
Vice President of International Right to Life said that not only is
the murder of abortionists “seriously damaging to the pro-life
cause, it is also deeply contrary to everything that is meant by the
phrase pro-life.”
The Family
Research Council issued a statement saying that they “strongly
condemn the actions taken today by this vigilante killer and we pray
for the Tiller family and for the nation that we might once again be a
nation that values all human, both born and unborn.”
The
UK
group Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) director
John Smeaton said on his blog, “SPUC has always condemned violence,
whether against abortionists or unborn babies.”
“Those
responsible [for violence against abortionists] have on each occasion
acted as individuals, and not members of any pro-life group,” he
continued.
The
American Life League’s executive director Shaun Kenney said that
“Leaders within the pro-life movement often discuss justice in
connection with our mission to end the tragedy of abortion.
Today, Dr. George Tiller's life ended in an act defying those
principles.”
“We
firmly hope the perpetrators of this act are apprehended, that the
facts be made known, and that justice according to the law is
preserved and dispensed.”
Brian
Burch, president of CatholicVote.org, said in a statement that “We
cannot create a Civilization of Love with such violence. We call
upon all people of good will to pray this week for the soul of Mr.
Tiller and to pray that our society will abandon every form of hatred
and violence.”
Burch
quoted Cardinal John O’Connor, who said that killing abortionists
“discredits the right-to-life movement. Murder is murder. It’s
madness. You cannot prevent killing by killing.”
The
National Right to Life Executive Director David O’Steen said that
the “pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and
increase respect for human life. The unlawful use of violence is
directly contrary to that goal.”
List of
pro-life groups condemning the murder . . .):
Society
for the Protection of Unborn Children
40 Days
For Life
Operation
Rescue
Center for
Bio Ethical Reform
American
Life League
Focus on
the Family
Women
Influencing the Nation
Campaign
Life Coalition
Kansas
Coalition for Life
Family
Research Council
The
Christian Anti-Defamation League
Kansas
Family Policy Council
Susan B.
Anthony List
Priests
for Life
Kansans
for Life
Stand True
National
Right to Life
CatholicVote.org
Kelowna
Right to Life
Real Women
of BC
[The above list,
published shortly after the event, must be considered only a partial
list of those who condemn the action.]
Posting on the
BCPTL website:
British Columbia Parents and Teachers for Life
Joins in the
Condemnation of the Murder of Tiller
The
news of the killing of abortionist George Tiller reached the editor of
this website late, while he was travelling. The rejection of
violence in carrying out our objectives is an essential part of our
principles, as it is of pro-life groups in general. We have no
hesitation in stating BC Parents and Teachers for Life's condemnation
of this shocking act of killing George Tiller.
[The excerpts
immediately following are from the newsletter of ARPA
Canada
, an active organization that is working among Reformed churches.]
Important
Summer Action Item: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Since ARPA
Canada started we have been encouraging our readers to be proactive
and respond to the growing push for euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Sure enough, a bill has now been introduced in Parliament that has the
goal of legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia. It is scheduled
for debate in Parliament at the end of September. The time to
act is now!
Details of Bill C-384
Bloc
Quebecois MP Francine
Lalonde has introduced this private members bill, her third
attempt at doing so. The two previous attempts only failed because
elections were called. It is very unlikely that an election will be
called before this bill is voted on. Be prepared for a major public
and Parliamentary debate on this issue through the fall and winter.
The full
text of C-384 is available by clicking
here. In their analysis of this bill, the Euthanasia Prevention
Coalition points out that "Bill C-384 does not limit intended
death to the terminally ill and it does not define terminal
illness." Added to this, the bill "allows intended death for
people who experience depression or other chronic mental
conditions." They also state that "Bill C-384 measures
competency based on "appearing to be lucid". The term
"appearing to be lucid" does not assure that the individual
is actually lucid." Click
here to read the full analysis from the Euthanasia Prevention
Coalition.
In her short
speech in Parliament that she delivered when introducing this
bill, Lalonde referred to how times are changing. She argued that the
"slippery slope" that is often referred to has not been
happening in countries that have decriminalized this. She also
emphasized that this is all about advancing dignity and compassion.
How likely
is this to pass? A June 2007 poll conducted by Ipsos Reid found that
71% of Canadians were in favor of physician-assisted suicide. That
number quickly dropped to 45% in a different poll that also discussed
the rights of the disabled, palliative care, and the need to protect
vulnerable Canadians. The point is that pro-euthanasia advocates are
using words like dignity and compassion to mislead the public and
advance their pro-death cause. If we don't respond with the truth of
euthanasia, a majority of the public may support this bill. We don't
know where the MP's stand on this but a vote will likely be close.
Details of Motion 388
The news
isn't all bad. Shortly after Lalonde introduced her bill to legalize
euthanasia, Member of Parliament Harold Albrecht has introduced a
motion (M-388) that urges action against those who counsel or assist
in suicides, specifically targeting those suicides that are promoted
through the internet. This comes after
a
number of stories involving individuals who were encouraged over
the internet to kill themselves. The motion reads "That, in the
opinion of the House, for greater certainty, the government should
take steps to ensure that counselling a person to commit suicide or
aiding or abetting a person to commit suicide is an offence under
section 241 of the Criminal Code, regardless of the means used to
counsel or aid or abet including via telecommunications, the Internet
or a computer system."
Although
this may seem like a very narrow motion, the point is that it is a
bold statement to Parliament that euthanasia and assisted suicide laws
need to be strengthened rather than done away with.
From
Christianity Today online:
Stopping
Discrimination
Proposed
EU law may force out faith-based social services.
Sarah
Eekhoff Zylstra | posted 5/20/2009 on Christianity Today online
Under
an anti-discrimination directive passed by the European Union
Parliament in April, Christian churches, schools, and social services
in
Europe
cannot limit their membership to those who share their beliefs. The
directive, which the parliament passed by a 360-277 vote, must be
passed unanimously by member states for it to become law.
The
directive expands anti-discrimination protection beyond employment to
health care, social benefits, education, and "access to goods and
services." Originally intended to protect the disabled, the
proposal was expanded to include discrimination against religion and
belief, age, or sexual orientation. Exemptions in the draft
legislation for "organizations based on religion and belief"
were removed before the final vote.
"In
its present form, I would say I am extremely concerned," said Don
Horrocks, head of public affairs for the European
Evangelical Alliance "It is very serious, though many regard
it as extreme." He believes the directive is unlikely to be
passed in its present form, and expects that the government may hold
public consultations before it is finalized.
If
the directive were passed into law, faith-based social services would
face problems, said Luke Goodrich, legal counsel at the The
Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
For
example, faith-based schools and daycare centers could be barred from
taking applicants' religion into account for enrollment and
employment. Marriage counselors and adoption agencies could have less
discretion in accepting clients.
[Read
the whole article "Stopping Discrimination" in Christianity
Today online at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/5.11.html
.]
British
Churches to be Forced to Hire
Active Homosexual Youth Workers under Equality Bill
By Hilary
White
LONDON, May
21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com ) - British churches will be forced to
accept practicing homosexuals or "transsexuals" in positions
as youth workers and similar roles, under upcoming equality
legislation, the government has said. The Labour government's Equality
Bill will prohibit churches from refusing to hire active homosexuals
even if their religion holds such behavior to be sinful, said deputy
equalities minister Maria Eagle.
The
legislation is due to come into force next year, and churches fear
that it will force them to act against their religious convictions in
a broad range of areas. Eagle indicated at a conference called
"Faith, Homophobia, Transphobia, & Human Rights" in
London
, that the legislation "will cover almost all church
employees."
"The
circumstances in which religious institutions can practice anything
less than full equality are few and far between," she told
delegates. "While the state would not intervene in narrowly
ritual or doctrinal matters within faith groups, these communities
cannot claim that everything they run is outside the scope of
anti-discrimination law.
"Members
of faith groups have a role in making the argument in their own
communities for greater LGBT acceptance, but in the meantime the state
has a duty to protect people from unfair treatment."
The bill
allows a religious exemption for roles deemed to be "for the
purposes of an organized religion" but restricts this definition
to those who conduct liturgical celebrations or spend their time
teaching doctrine.
The Daily
Telegraph quoted Neil Addison, a Roman Catholic barrister and expert
on religious discrimination law, who said that the bill will leave
churches powerless to defend the fabric of their organization.
"This is a threat to religious identity. What we are losing is
the right for organizations to make free choices," he said
Equality
commissioners include the homosexual lobbyist, Ben Summerskill, the
head of the leading British homosexualist activist group Stonewall.
Summerskill has called for churches to be forced to employ homosexuals
and for the police to stop Christians who were peacefully protesting
against 'gay rights' laws outside Parliament.
Tony Grew,
a homosexualist activist and the former editor of PinkNews.co.uk,
wrote recently that the Equality Bill will "entrench gay rights
in all aspects of public life." Grew wrote on PinkNews that the
bill will open unprecedented opportunities for homosexuals.
The bill,
he said will cover central government departments, local authorities,
education bodies, NHS bodies and the police service, plus a wide range
of other public and private bodies, including churches and church-run
institutions. It will impose the "Equality Duty" on all
organizations providing public services, he said, such as residential
care homes that "would have to consider the needs of same-sex
couples."
Read
related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Enforced
"Diversity" will make
Britain
"
First
Modern
Soft
Totalitarian
State
"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09050602.html
UK
: Religious
Schools May Not Teach Christian Sexual Morals "As if They Were
Objectively True"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030504.html
Even an
Openly Homosexual Actor has Condemned New UK Law Which Would
Criminalize Criticizing Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07101101.html
"Climate
of Fear" Growing in
Britain
for Christian Civil Marriage Registrars
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08052204.html
[The excerpt immediately below is taken from an article in the homosexual
online publication Xtra.ca
. Apparently
pro-homosexuality activists were quite upset about proposals to have
parents’ rights enshrined in the Alberta Human Rights act. ]
Alberta
bill threatens lessons on gay life
EDUCATION
/ Queer leaders and teachers unite in opposition
Kaj
Hasselriis . . ./ National / Thursday, May 21, 2009
The
Alberta
government has proposed a new law that gay and lesbian leaders say
will seriously hamper teachers' ability to raise the issue of sexual
orientation in schools.
"It's
a huge step backwards," says Melissa Luhtanen, president of the
Calgary Outlink Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity [More]
Canadian
Evangelical Leadership Looking to Increase March for Life Attendance
By Alex
Bush
TORONTO
,
Ontario
, May 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bruce Clemenger, president of the
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), said in an interview with
LifeSiteNews.com that the EFC "will be exploring ways in which we
can encourage more participation" for the annual March for Life
in the future.
In a
recent EFC weekly update Clemenger strongly encouraged
Evangelicals to make the trip to
Ottawa
for this year's March for Life.
Clemenger
also said that he was impressed with "the number of youth
attending from Catholic schools" and with the "positive and
upbeat" attitude of those in attendance "despite the
weather."
"We
are gaining momentum, evidenced by the size of the rally, the number
of young people, the number of MPs and the encouraging reports about
the energy in the pro-life caucus," Clemenger said.
Clemenger
told LSN that his participation "with the leaders of the Catholic
Church" struck him personally. This was the first year in the
history of the pro-life event that the Canadian bishops put the full
weight of their official support behind the march. Nearly a dozen
bishops joined the marchers earlier this May.
Clemenger
led the opening prayer at the March, saying, "We stand and bear
witness to the truth of life. We ask that You would bring us a
government that will honour life. God, our Father, we ask that
these killings stop and that together we can foster a Canadian
identity built on relationships of healing."
He
continued, "Give us words of wisdom as we choose life, as we
affirm the dignity of all human life, and give us strength as we plea
for the protection of unborn children."
Tuesday
May 26, 2009
Bruce Clemenger's Opening
Prayer at the 2009 Canadian March for Life
[from LifeSiteNews.com, May 26, 2009]
Go,
our Father, author of life, sustainer of life, we thank you for every
provision. We acknowledge your sovereignty, your righteousness and
your justice.
We know
that our lives are not ours; we recognize that we are but stewards of
all we have and all that we share, including our very lives.
Forgive us,
and be merciful to us, when we have not fulfilled our stewardly task;
when we have failed to protect life, when we have not properly cared
for the most vulnerable amongst us.
We are
mindful of the many children in
Canada
who are waiting for homes – we are thankful to those caring for them
now, and enlarge your vision among us to include every child with
loving parents and a secure home.
We stand
and bear witness to the truth of life. We ask that you would bring us
a government that will honour life. God, our Father we ask that these
killings stop and that together we can foster a Canadian identity
built on relationships of healing. Show us the path of LIFE in this
dark time.
Give us
wisdom to use what you have entrusted to us; Give us strength in our
resolve to protect and care for all human life.
Give us
words of wisdom as we choose life, as we affirm the dignity of all
human life, and give us strength as we plea for the protection of
unborn children.
Give us
wisdom, and give us strength, we pray
I ask this
in the name of Jesus
And all
those who love life say amen
California
Supreme Court
Upholds Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
By
John
Schwartz
Published:
May 26, 2009
The
California Supreme Court upheld a ban on same-sex
marriage today, ratifying a decision made by voters last year that
runs counter to a growing trend of states allowing the practice.
The
decision, however, preserves the 18,000 marriages performed between
the court’s decision last May that same-sex marriage was lawful and
the passage by voters in November of Proposition 8, which banned it.
. . . .
CBC
"Engaged in Blatant Media Censorship" Says CLC about Lack of
National Coverage for March for Life
CLC lodges formal complaint to the CRTC
By Alex
Bush
May 25,
2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), the Canadian
pro-life organization that every year organizes the National March for
Life, is accusing the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) of
engaging in "blatant media censorship." According to the
pro-life group, "for a broadcaster who is funded by the taxpaying
Canadian public" CBC's failure to give national coverage to this
year's March for Life "certainly constitutes unethical journalism
and professional misconduct."
A letter
signed by CLC president Jim Hughes was sent to the CBC Ombudsman today
. . . .
"How
is it that CBC's national news desk has in the recent past given
lengthy coverage to a paltry 200 individuals at a pro-marijuana rally
on the Hill," asks the letter, "but fails to notice 12,000+
prolife citizens overflowing the grounds of Parliament Hill?" .
. . .
Contact information for the CRTC and the CBC Ombudsman:
CRTC:
Toll-free: 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
Outside
Canada
: 819-997-0313
Media inquiries: 819-997-9403
CBC
Ombudsman Vince Carlin
E-mail: ombudsman@cbc.ca
Telephone: 416/205-2978
12,000:
Canadian 2009 March for Life Smashes Previous Attendance Records
By John
Jalsevac
May 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Under the threat of dark clouds and
sometimes through pouring rain, a record-smashing crowd of 12,000
Canadians today gathered on Parliament Hill for a rally and then
marched through the streets of
Ottawa
in protest against 40 years of legalized abortion in
Canada
.
The number of participants significantly exceeded last year's
record-breaking crowd of 8,000, making it by far the largest crowd in
the 12 years that the march has taken place. . . . .
Pro-Life,
Pro-Family Events
An
Invitation to Help Us Inform Others of Pro-Family, Pro-Life Events
In this E-Mail Bulletin we regularly carry brief
announcements of pro-life, pro-family, non-denominational ,
non-partisan events. If you are responsible for
advertising events such as we have mentioned, feel free to send
us brief advertisements of them for free publication, at
our discretion, in this
E-Mail Bulletin .
Events arranged by date (information taken mainly from the
rather more
extensive pro-life calendar circulated by Bill Van Eldik):
Jun 17
Wed - -
Chilliwack
Pro-Life Society’s AGM - 7:30p.m. at St. Mary’s Auditorium,
8909 Mary Street
,
Chilliwack
.
Jun 27
Sat -
Kelowna
Right to Life is once again hosting its fundraising GOLF TOURNAMENT
& DINNER at the Kelowna Springs Golf Club on
Penno Road
in
Kelowna
. This year's event will feature a silent auction, door prizes, and
guest speakers. Registration for the 9-hole event is $85.00 and dinner
only tickets are selling for $30.00. This event was a near sell-out
last year, so please call (250) 862-8202 to register soon!
Jun 21
Sun - (Fathers Day) - PRO-LIFE SUNDAY - Special collection for
pro-life at all churches. Is your church an enthusiastic participant
in this once-a-year fundraiser for pro-life? If not, call your pastor,
perhaps with an offer to help organize this important event. Call your
local Pro-Life society or Right to Life organization for details.
Jul 30
- Aug 3 - AGRIFAIR. Come and visit the Abbotsford Right to Life
display booth during the Agrifair. The fetal models attract many
people, especially children, and brochures on a variety of topics
relating to life issues are available for anyone interested.
Sep 26
Sat - Annual WALK FOR LIFE, (ALWAYS the last Saturday in
September!)
sponsored by the
Chilliwack
Pro-Life Society. Registration 8:30 a.m. Come out for fun &
exercise. Free lunch for participants - balloons and entertainment for
the kids! Rain or Shine! For more info contact the office at
(604)795-3091.
Oct 4
Sun - LIFE CHAIN in communities listed below (All Life Chains are
scheduled for the hour of 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. unless indicated
otherwise.) ABBOTSFORD & MISSION -Signs can be picked up at the
Sevenoaks
Alliance
Church
parking lot at 1:30. For location and other info call Abbotsford Right
to Life - (604)852-4623 CHILLIWACK - For details call Chilliwack
Pro-Life Society, 604-795-3091 or <mailto:cpcpro@dowco.com>
KELOWNA - 1:30 p.m. Location: corner of Hwy 97 & Gordon Avenue in
Kelowna. For signs & details: <mailto:marlonbart@hotmail.com>
LANGLEY - Along 200th St from 64th Ave to 56th Ave. Signs available at
Tim Hortons on Willowbrook Dr starting 1:30. Please arrive 15 min
early to find parking and be in position for 2:00 p.m. Those who are
unable to stand for one hour are encouraged to bring a chair. For
info: Langley Pro Life (604)534-1195, or <mailto:lifechain@langleyprolife.org>
SURREY
- Location: from 64th Ave to104th Ave along
King George Hwy.
For signs & further details call Surrey-Delta Pro-life at
604-574-0225 or <mailto:sdpro-life@telus.net>
VANCOUVER - We will meet for a silent prayer witness at
Children's Hospital on Oak and about 28th Ave from 2.00 p.m.
to 3.00 p.m. All church groups and individuals are invited to help
make this a large grassroots movement in solidarity with other Life
Chains across
North America
. Please arrive 15 min early to find parking and be in position by 1.45
p.m. Please bring signs from previous Life Chains, if possible. Please
spread the word and we ask each recipient to forward this announcement to
their Email list and/or to their church/group bulletin contact.
For more information, contact Pastor John Kaptein at (604)708-1142
(home) or Betty Green at 604 733-6266.
Nov 6
Fri - (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE AND VENUE) Abbotsford Right to Life
is having its ANNUAL FUND-RAISING DINNER at
Sevenoaks
Alliance
Church
,
2575 Gladwin Rd.
, Abbotsford, at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Musical
entertainment. Featured speaker will be author and debater Michael
Horner. For info, contact 604-852-4623 or visit [http://www.abbotsfordrtl.ca]
Nov-Dec
-
SALE
OF CHRISTMAS CAKES - the major Annual Fundraising event for Campaign
Life Coalition through all
Christian
Churches
. To order call your pastor or church pro-life contact. Church reps
call Joe Fernandez, tel. (604)729-1925,
or <mailto:jobfern@telus.net>
(Greater
Vancouver
, Lower Mainland,
Fraser
Valley
).
2010
May
12-14 Wed-Fri - OTTAWA - A three-day program of prayer vigils, church
services and conferences that will be highlighted on Thursday by the
thirteenth annual NATIONAL MARCH FOR LIFE. Mark your calendars now for
this important event! Despite the heavy rain, last year’s March drew
more than 12,000 participants, smashing the previous year’s record
by 50%! If you are unable to attend the
Ottawa
march, you may want to join one closer to home (see below).
May 14
|