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News and Views

Table of Contents for This Page:

Canada Finally Moves Age of Consent for Sex from 14 to 16

Rainbow Sash Movement Plots Papal Protest

New 'Bully' video game raises teachers' concern

[U.S.] CDC: 1 in 4 Teen Girls Has Sexually Transmitted Infection

Abortionist Morgentaler Not on Order of Canada List for 2008

Jean Chretien to Receive Order of Canada for His "Legacy" - "Same-Sex Unions"

Private member's bill would protect unborn crime victims

Fire the censors

Drug-resistant staph passed in gay sex -US study

Senior at centre of life-support battle improving but Grace [Hospital] Still Seeking the Rught to Pull Plug

A News Release Regarding a New Website:  ProWomanProLife.org

Catholic Insight under 'human rights' attack

Biased Abstinence Ed Report Draws Criticism

Bella (an excerpt from a "Plugged In"  Online review)

"Social conservatives move on to next marriage debate"

"[U.S.] Senate Passes Dangerous Hate-Crimes Amendment"

Not SoMiraculous

GSAs: not as innocent as they may seem

"Thousands cheer gay pride parade"

Playing fast, loose

U.S. Senate passes stem-cell funding bill

Telus Drops Porn Service After Complaints Onslaught

Appeals Court Rebuffs ACLU; Boy Scout Jamboree Will Go On

Renfrew County Family Action Council 2006 Ontario Report

Stem Cells Discovered in Amniotic Fluid, Scientists Announce

Landmark ruling allows children to have three parents

Decision of Ontario Court of Appeal to Allow 3 Parent Families

Court ruling allowing 3 parents for boy raises concerns for custody battles 

Same-Sex Marriage Setback in Massachusetts

Madrid Restaurant fined for refusing to host gay wedding reception

"Healing the Culture was a Great Conference"

Speaker Fr. Robert Spitzer Addresses Morality of Bill C-338

Deal threatens education rights, archbishop says

Who Will Write the Social Justice 12 Course?
  [in British Columbia]

Anti-homosexuality brochure held up at Canada Post

L.A. billboards say AIDS a 'gay' disease

California Court Upholds 'Gay Marriage' Ban 

"Schwarzenegger Vetoes Two Anti-Family School Bills"

Chanting the Mantra of Harm Reduction

Pope assails Canada's laws allowing same-sex marriage and abortion 

"How Britain is turning Christianity into a crime"

Germany Uses Nazi Era Law to Imprison Mom for Homeschooling; Family Flees to Austria

Christian Psychologist Suspended by Police over Former Affiliation with Pro-Family Group

Knight: Despite Claims, Pension [in the U.S.A.] Reform Not Endorsement of 'Alternative Family Lifestyles'

Chanting the Mantra of Harm Reduction

"Brains" Behind Ugandan AIDS Success Condemns Toronto AIDS Conference “Abstinophobia" and “Matriphobia”

Germany Drops Opposition to EU Embryo Research Funding

Canada Unborn Victims of Violence Bill Loses Appeal to be Declared Votable

Pedophilia Party Launched in the Netherlands

Pedophile's sentence too harsh, court rules

WWU Student Arrested for Destroying Anti-Abortion  Display

Canadian Victory for Christian Freedom: Bible = Hate Literature Ruling Reversed

Canadian Supreme Court Nominee Says Judges Should Not Decide Policy

Judge sets July 10 date for trial in homosexual activist lawsuit 

Nine Pro-Life Members of Parliament in New Canadian Government Cabinet

Activist Supreme Court Chief Justice Lectures Canadian Prime Minister on Court Appointments

MPs vote against raising age of sexual consent  [in Canada]
   (September, 2005)

Swedish Pastor Acquitted of Inciting Hatred Against Homosexuals

Canada Legalizes "Sex Clubs"  -- "14 Year Olds Will be Exploited"

MP Questions Cable Porn

One in nine has 'silent sex disease'

Mother No Longer Knows Best, High Court Told  (in the U.K.)

Canadian Government Caught Funding Anti-Christian Bigotry - Minister Won't Apologize

"British Columbia School District Cancels Explicit Gay Propaganda Play"

Ethicists Seek Halt to Harvesting Stem Cells from "Fresh" Embryos

"Allstate on list of top 10 pro-'gay' firms"

"Evangelist Proposes to Combat Homosexual Agenda in Public Education"

Thoughts of a Social Conservative after the Montreal CPC Convention of March, 2005

[U.S.] Government Web site touts sexual abstinence

"Conservative Caucus Backs Down on Controversial Measure to Stifle Debate at Convention"

Group Expresses Concern in New Brunswick Over Nature of "Comprehensive Sex Education" Program.

Canada Dumping Tens of Millions into Controversial United Nations Population Control Agency

US Supreme Court Rejects Massachusetts Gay "Marriage" Challenge

School Ordered to Pay $100,000 for Censoring Christian Student over Homosexuality

President Bush Chides Kerry on Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage

"Supreme Court of Canada of Canada is a Political Toy"  [REAL Women         of Canada press release]

"Judges Party with Homosexual Activists"

New York Times:  Many Homosexuals Don't Believe in Marriage

Focus on the Family--Canada, CFAC, and REAL Women of Canada Asked the Supreme Court of Canada to 
    Hear an Appeal of the Ontario Court of Appeal Decision on Same-Sex "Marriage"

Warning over sex health crisis  [in the United Kingdom]

Canadian Federal Government Uses Voucher System for Native Education

Interim Article Charges "Incredible Media Bias During Election"

Liberals Poll Ontarians on Opinion about Possibility of "Scary" Evangelical Christians in Government  [May 4, 2004 article]

Bill C-6 [Canadian Parliament]

Supreme Court of Canada Hands Down Ruling on Spanking

"Evidence Found for Effectiveness of  Reorientation Therapy"

In British Columbia: Surrey School Board Again Rejects the Three Pro-Homosexuality Books as Teaching Resources

"Pro-Gay Education Gets Rights Hearing"

Citizens' Rights Institute Denied Intervener Status
in Homosexual Education Case.in British Columbia

Supreme Court of Canada Rules Against Surrey in "Surrey Books Case."

"The Persecution of Chris Kempling"

"Homosexual Murderer Should be Charged with Hate Crime, Group Says"

"Unions Stage Wall-Mart Protest"

Human Rights Complaint Against Alberta Pastor Who Wrote Protest Letter

Evidence Unnecessary, Guilt Obvious [article on Chris Kempling]   

Canadian Judge Fines Man $10,000 for Possession of Child Porn

Another Family [in Ontario] Investigated for the Way Children are Disciplined

BC Unity Leader Calls on Premier Campbell to Protect Marriage

"Raise age of sexual consent, Alberta says"  [November, 2002 Report]

Author Advocates Lowering Age of Sexual Consent; Denigrates Parental Role

"A Massachusetts Miracle"

Rock for Life Tells MTV "Stop Deceiving Our Generation."

"Catholic Demonstrators Target Abortion Clinic" [Globe & Mail]

Ontario Court Gives Mixed Message . . . [and] Christian Printer Decides 
Against Appeal

BC Parents and Teachers for Life Lose Their "Founding Mother"

Instructions for Shutting Down Pro-Life Display Given on a British Columbia "Pro-Choice" Website

"Canadian Delegation Leanding Attack on Pro-Life Groups at the UN"

"Gay teen takes Catholic school to court over prom date"

Bishop and Federal Minister Take Opposite Sides on Homosexual Prom Date

"Gay" Student Wants to Bring Boyfriend to Catholic School Prom

Outgoing BCTF President Warns of Liberals' Reported Plans

Hope for Use of Adult Stem Cells

Religious Freedom on Trial

CBC Apologizes

Pro-Homosexuality Activists Use Tragic Death to Attack Opponents

Canadian Government and United Way Sponsor S & M Youth Workshop

"Parents' Mass Campaign Against Sex Lessons" [in Scotland--Dec., 2001]

 

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Canada Finally Moves Age of Consent for Sex from 14 to 16

 By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

OTTAWA, March 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canada's new age of sexual consent, raised to 16 from 14, was signed into law on Feb. 28 after passing in the Senate by a narrow 3 votes.

As reported last December by LifeSiteNews.com, the Conservative Government's Bill C-2, the 'Tackling Violent Crime Act', passed the House of Commons on November 28, 2007. This bill included a provision to raise the age of consent for sexual activity from 14 to 16. At 14, Canada's age of consent was among the lowest of Western nations, where it typically varies between 16 and 18.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper had threatened to call an election if Bill C-2 wasn't passed in the Senate by March 1, 2008. Even though the Liberal dominated senate complained there was not enough time to meet this deadline, the possibility of giving Harper an opportunity to launch an election over the issue pushed them into action.

Nineteen senators voted for the bill, sixteen voted against, while thirty-one senators - all Liberals but one - abstained from the vote, and another twenty-seven didn't show up at all.

In an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press, senior cabinet minister Vic Toews said it was satisfying to see Bill C-2 become law, and that his government's decision to pressure the Liberals to pass the bill or go to the electorate was the right one.

"Most of the measures in the legislation had Liberal support during the last election campaign, and it should never have taken this long to get them into law," Mr. Toews said.

Roz Prober, co-founder of the Winnipeg-based children's rights group Beyond Borders, told the Free Press, "Common sense has prevailed. Raising the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 is a huge protection for children. People were stunned to see Canada was so far behind the eight ball on the age of consent."

 

 

Rainbow Sash Movement Plots Papal Protest
Gay advocacy group to throw ashes and blow whistles at pope during April US visit

By Michael Baggot

March 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Rainbow Sash Movement, a homosexual activist group, announced their plans to protest Pope Benedict XVI's opposition to homosexual behavior during his April visit to the United States.

The RSM plans to throw ashes at the Pope, because "ashes are an ancient and appropriate greeting for a sinner who has caused the Church so much division and pain," stated the movement.

"We will also be greeting him with whistles; these were used by the Polish People to show shame for the violation of human rights by the Communist Government prior to the end of the cold war," added a RSM statement.

"We are a community of Catholic GLBT along with our allies who work for change in the Church. To continue to hide our identity only enables shame and homophobia. We are committed to working from within the Church," says the movement.

The RSM is best known for its large Pentecost Sunday protests, in which openly practicing homosexual, bisexual, and "transgendered" individuals identify themselves as such with multicolor sashes and demand Holy Communion during Mass.

The Pope has been a vocal opponent of homosexual "marriage". In January 2007, after praising traditional families, the Pope said, "projects that aim to attribute to other forms of union inappropriate legal recognition appear dangerous and counterproductive."

The RSM contrasts with ministries in the Church that support Catholics in their efforts to live a life of chastity and to overcome homosexual inclinations when possible. The Courage apostolate, founded by Fr. John Harvey, OSFS in 1980, has five main goals: Chastity, Prayer and Dedication, Fellowship, Support, and Good Example.

Courage professes complete fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church, including those regarding homosexuality.

"Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,'" states the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Catechism adds that those with homosexual tendencies "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."

"It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church's pastors wherever it occurs. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law," stated a 1986 Vatican document on the pastoral care of homosexual persons, issued by the then Cardinal Ratzinger.

"But the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered," added the document.

 

 

New 'Bully' video game raises teachers' concern

Jennifer Moreau, Burnaby Now

Published: Saturday, March 08, 2008

The B.C. Teachers' Federation is calling for parents to boycott a new video game that it says makes light of bullying and promotes violence.

Bully: the Scholarship Edition is just one more reason the provincial government needs to regulate the gaming industry, said Irene Lanzinger, president of the provincewide teachers' union.

"We try to teach kids how to treat each other with respect," Lanzinger said.

"These games give kids the counter-message."

Lanzinger said while academics debate whether violent games lead to violent actions, teachers see children acting out violent behaviour at school.

"It is of no comfort to me that some experts say this doesn't have an impact on children. It is not a healthy psychological experience for a child to play a game that glorifies bullying and violence," she said.

Released March 4, Bully: the Scholarship Edition shows scenes of violence, crude humour, sexual themes, tobacco and alcohol use and "animated blood."

In the trailer, the game's hero is seen smacking another student.

As part of the call for regulation, the teachers' federation pointed to comments that Burnaby-Willingdon MLA John Nuraney made a couple weeks ago in the Victoria legislature.

"It may be of interest to this house to know that one of the top video games for boys in grades 3 to 6 is Grand Theft Auto.

"While it is admirable that our children of today adapt very quickly to this technology, it is also alarming that without proper guidance and supervision, they can fall victims to the unscrupulous predators," Nuraney said.

In an interview with the NOW, Nuraney said he "totally agrees" with the BCTF's position on Bully: The Scholarship Edition, but the issue of regulating the industry is still under discussion.

"The dangers are known to all. I think it's a question of jurisdiction," he said, adding it's not clear if regulations would fall under provincial or federal government mandates.

"The only thing it seems right now is to bring more awareness," he said, adding parents need to supervise the children's activities, including those on the Internet.

Bully: The Scholarship Edition was released by Rockstar, which also produces Grand Theft Auto.

Calls to Rockstar's Vancouver office were redirected to New York, and not returned by NOW deadlines.

From Burnabynow

From citizenlink.com  Feb. 11, 2008

[U.S.] CDC: 1 in 4 Teen Girls Has Sexually Transmitted Infection

'We’re missing a tremendous opportunity to talk to them about the benefits of being abstinent until marriage.'

One in four teen girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That adds up to more than 3 million girls.

Among girls who admitted having had sex, the rate was 40 percent, The Associated Press reported. Human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, is the most common STI in teen girls ages 14 to 19, the CDC found.

But the CDC conference in Chicago , where the study was released, ignored a key component, said Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action.

“With such high disease rates in teenagers, we’re just missing a tremendous opportunity to talk to them about the benefits of being abstinent until marriage," she told Family News in Focus. "This is the time to teach kids about personal accountability and abstinence education. As it looks from this conference, the CDC is not grabbing that opportunity and taking it."

Klepacki said not only is the abstinence-until-marriage message left out of the discussion at these conferences, the topic is often mocked by experts at the CDC. 

[Click here to read the whole article on  citizenlink.com  .]

 

Abortionist Morgentaler Not on Order of Canada List for 2008

By Hilary White

OTTAWA, February 20, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Earlier this month, LifeSiteNews.com reported that some Canadian abortion activists were stepping up efforts to have Dr. Morgentaler awarded Canada's highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, for his years of advocacy for legalizing abortion and for the thousands of abortions that he personally has performed.

In a piece appearing in the Globe and Mail, several of Canada's most prominent abortion advocates proposed a public campaign to have Dr. Morgentaler awarded the Order of Canada. They said that the matter was especially urgent now that he is ill and not expected to live much longer. The prestigious award is not granted posthumously.

Cathie Colombo, Dr. Morgentaler's assistant, went so far as to say it is "blasphemy" that he has not yet received the award.

But today, a media release from the office of the Governor General, who is responsible for granting the award, showed that Dr. Morgentaler is not included on the list for this year.

More than any other single person, Dr. Henry Morgentaler is responsible for the current Canadian legal situation, in which there is no law restricting or regulating abortion. Morgentaler's decades of campaigning for abortion resulted in the criminal code statute prohibiting abortion being struck down by the Supreme Court in 1988. Since then Canada has been left in a state of lawlessness, in which abortion is effectively legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

Jakki Jeffs, the head of Guelph Area Right to Life Association, told LifeSiteNews.com today that she contacted the Governor General's office and was told that the office that oversees the Order of Canada "had a file" about Dr. Morgentaler and that he had been nominated several times. Jeffs pointed out that although this does not mean that Dr. Morgentaler will be granted the award next year, it is nevertheless important for pro-life Canadians to let their opinions be heard.

Pro-life organizations are not the only groups in Canada to have qualms about Dr. Morgentaler's work. In his testimony before the Professional Corporation of Physicians of Quebec, Morgentaler admitted to having committed at least 7,000 abortions himself. However, in a 1976 investigation into his work, that organization suspended Morgentaler's medical licence for a year, stressing that the reason was not only that abortion was illegal but that he had conducted the abortions.

Morgentaler was cited "for not holding a valid interview before the abortion, for failing almost completely to gather a case history of his client, for failing to perform the necessary pregnancy test or blood test, for not obtaining pathological examination of the 'tissues' removed and for failing to follow up the state of health of his patients afterward."

The panel also declared that Morgentaler's behaviour reflected "an attitude which is primarily directed to protecting his fees." Morgentaler currently operates six private for-profit facilities across Canada. In 2002 the paper Le Droit revealed his gross annual revenue to be $11 million from his abortion practices.

The 1976 ruling from the disciplinary medical board said his practice was one which "confers a mercenary character on the doctor-patient relationship," and said it was "incapable of reconciling [Morgentaler's] behaviour with the humanitarian concern that [he] invoked throughout his defence."

The Order of Canada, given on behalf of the Crown by the Queen's representative, the Governor General, is intended to recognize Canadians who have made lifelong commitments to bettering Canadian society. This year, the new members include Al Davidson, who worked promoting nature conservation, Flora Dell, who worked to improve the health of older Canadians, and Terrence Gillespie, who dedicated his career to improving the health and well-being of children suffering from cystic fibrosis.

In June, 2005 the University of Western Ontario conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree upon Morgentaler in the midst of protests by students and others. 12,000 signatures were acquired on a petition asking the UWO to reverse its decision.

To Contact the offices overseeing the Order of Canada:
The Governor General of Canada
Attention: The Chancellery of Honours
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A1
info@gg.ca

Phone: (613) 993-8200
or toll-free in Canada and the United States at:
1 800 465-6890
Fax: (613) 998-8760

 

 

Jean Chretien to Receive Order of Canada for His "Legacy" - "Same-Sex Unions"

By John-Henry Westen

OTTAWA, February 20, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - It seems playing a key role in legalizing homosexual 'marriage,' over the objections of a majority of Canadians, is one way to get named to the Order of Canada, Canada's most prestigious award.

Governor General Michaëlle Jean will give the nation's highest honor for 'lifetime achievement' to former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, making him a Companion of the Order, on Friday February 22. The notice that was sent out by the Governor General's office, noting the award recipients and their major contributions to Canada, cited Chretien's "legacy" of homosexual unions.

"His government's legacy includes a number of social reform and humanitarian initiatives, such as recognition of same-sex unions and the abolition of landmines," said the citation. Chretien supported same-sex 'marriage.' However, he was replaced as Prime Minister by Paul Martin prior to the issue coming to a final vote in the House of Commons.

That the honor is being given to Chretien, and that his support for homosexuality has been singled out as one of the prime reasons for his receiving the award, should not come as a surprise to Canadians. Governor General Jean, who made her first affront to family values when, during her induction in 2005, refused to swear on the Bible, awarded same-sex 'marriage' pioneer Rev. Brent Hawkes with the Order of Canada last year.

Hawkes' claim to national fame is also his homosexual 'marriage' activism. In 2001 Hawkes illegally "married" a lesbian couple in his Toronto church, and when the Canadian government would not recognize the "marriage" as valid, he took the government to court. Subsequently, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice recognized the "marriage" as legal, beginning a process of judicial activism that eventually culminated in the legalization of homosexual "marriage" by Canada's Parliament.

In an affidavit before the Supreme Court of Canada, Hawkes bashed a Vatican document on homosexual unions, and statements by Catholic bishops on the same, as "expressions of hatred that should not be tolerated in our society."

At the time the courts forced various provinces to permit homosexual 'marriage', and even later when Parliament voted to legalize it, polls regularly showed that a majority of Canadians were opposed to the redefinition of marriage. One such Canadian, who was personally affected by homosexual parenting, has spoken before numerous legislators about her experiences, warning of the dangers to children.

Dawn Stefanowicz, author of "Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting," told LifeSiteNews.com that Chretien does not deserve the Order of Canada, precisely because of his pushing of homosexual 'marriage' on the nation.

"Regrettably, Chretien will be known as the prime minister who socially deconstructed and redefined the family unit through the recognition of same-sex unions," she said. "Against the better expressed judgment of many Canadians, Chretien chose to pander to some special interest groups in the name of equality. As an adult survivor who grew up with a father who had numerous homosexual liaisons and involvements in the subcultures in North American cities, I know the incredible pain and longsuffering I endured. As well, there are many adult survivors who have contacted me sharing similar concerns and challenges."

Stefanowicz concluded, "Unequivocally, children will always have their best outcomes and opportunities when they are raised in married father-mother-headed families where gender is defined as male and female."

Dawn can be contacted at: dawnstefano@sympatico.ca
Or you can order her book at: http://www.dawnstefanowicz.com
Or call 1-877-421-READ (7323)


To express concerns:

Conservative Leader
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
pm@pm.gc.ca

 

 

From:  Canoe.ca   February 14, 2008

Private member's bill would protect unborn crime victims

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA - Conservative MP Ken Epp is seeking support for a private member's bill that would recognize the unborn as separate victims when their mothers are killed or harmed in an attack.

Epp says the Unborn Victims of Crime Act has nothing to do with abortion but is meant to fill a major gap in the law.

But critics say that's a backdoor effort to reopen the abortion debate by sneaking a recognition of fetal rights into Canadian law.

Epp cited several cases where the killers of pregnant women were charged for the mother's murder - but not for the death of her fetus.

That's because the law does not recognize the unborn as human beings until they are born alive.

Epp says his proposed act is supported by people of all political stripes because it narrowly focuses on cases where a third party harms or kills a fetus in a criminal attack.

Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

 

He said the bill is constitutional and would not change the Criminal Code in any way that might undermine a woman's legal access to abortion.

A spokeswoman for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada vehemently disagrees. Spokeswoman Joyce Arthur says the bill has been promoted by right-to-life groups, and that it would create redundant protections. Judges and parole boards can already take into account whether a convict has injured or killed an unborn child, she said.

The bill is to be voted on March 5, but would be derailed if an early election is called

 

 

Fire the censors

As ‘human rights’ tribunals act like thought police, there is a simple solution:
Change our human rights statutes

 

The free-speech controversies currently swirling around Maclean’s magazine and Alberta journalist Ezra Levant ultimately can be attributed to one thing: the legislation that allows Canada’s human rights commissions to act as censors. Amend the various human rights acts blanketing the country and the problem vanishes.

Disturbingly, however, the issue does not seem to be on any government’s radar, either in provincial capitals or on Parliament Hill.

The background to the cases in question is fairly well known by now. Maclean’s and its writer, Mark Steyn, are the subjects of complaints filed at the Canadian, Ontario and B.C. human rights commissions by the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC). The CIC is claiming that Steyn’s writings about Muslims’ high birth rate “subjects Canadian Muslims to hatred and contempt.” Levant, my former employer at the now-defunct Western Standard, was taken to the Alberta Human Rights Commission by complainants upset with the magazine’s publishing of the notorious Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

What is legally significant here is that each commission is governed by its own unique human rights act, and that those acts appear to give the commissions varying degrees of power to censor journalists who might have offended some of their readers. Of the above-named jurisdictions, B.C.’s legislation appears to pose the greatest threat to free speech; Ontario’s the least.

Section 7 of B.C.’s human rights act makes it an offence for any person to publish “any statement, publication, notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation” that so much as “indicates discrimination or an intention to discriminate” against a protected group, or “is likely to expose a person or group or class of persons to hatred or contempt.” No actual discrimination or hatred has to occur for an offence to occur. And, as pointed out on these pages over the past few weeks, truth is not a defence.

Alberta’s law is similar to B.C.’s, but adds an important caveat: “Nothing in this section shall be deemed to interfere with the free expression of opinion on any subject.” This would seem to give Levant, for example, the ability to trump his critics. But the fact is that last November, in a case involving a Christian pastor who was critical of homosexuality, human rights panel chair Lori Andreachuk ignored this protection and went so far as to rule that even the right of free speech enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms “does not trump the protection afforded [homosexuals] under the Alberta human rights legislation.”

The human rights act of the last of the three provinces in question, Ontario, contains no provisions similar to B.C. and Alberta’s limitations of speech rights.

Section 12 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, on the other hand, makes it unlawful to publish or display “any notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that (a) expresses or implies discrimination or an intention to discriminate, or (b) incites or is calculated to incite others to discriminate.”

Furthermore, Section 13 makes it an offence for anyone “to communicate telephonically [a definition that includes the internet] … any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt.”

Human rights proponents have argued that such restrictions are necessary to protect minorities from language that will lead to their being discriminated against or subjected to hatred and violence. But, as Alan Borovoy, general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, famously observed last year, censoring otherwise free speech was never the intention of activists, like himself, who helped bring human rights laws into being in the first place.

This may be true in most cases, but in my home province, for example, the B.C. act’s infamous Section 7 was specifically enacted in 1993 by the NDP government of the day to gag cantankerous right-wing columnist Doug Collins (since deceased). In 1998, the NDP considered broadening the act even further at the urging of the pro-choice lobby, which tried to persuade then-attorney-general Ujjal Dosanjh to criminalize criticism of abortionists.

Although the episode was virtually ignored by the mainstream media of the day, I remember it quite well because of the growing threat it posed to free speech. I especially recall that, in writing about the prochoicers’ demands, I interviewed an erudite and eloquent public-policy expert who spoke passionately about this threat.

“Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society,” the man said. “It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this very scary stuff.”

That person was the president of the National Citizens Coalition, a politically astute fellow by the name of Stephen Harper, a man who, of course, has now gone on to much bigger and better things.

I don’t think it would be too much to ask of Mr. Harper now that he put his words into action, and move to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to eliminate the commission’s censorious powers. Perhaps such a move would inspire Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell to act similarly.

All three leaders should realize that their governments’ human rights laws are badly flawed, and that the longer they remain unamended, they are, in effect, acting as a barrier separating all citizens from their fundamental right to free speech.

In this light then, we should all exclaim: “Mr. Harper, Mr. Stelmach and Mr. Campbell: Tear down this wall!”

Terry O’Neill is a Vancouver editor and writer.

 

 

 

Drug-resistant staph passed in gay sex -US study

Reuters online, Mon Jan 14, 2008

By Amanda Beck

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - A drug-resistant strain of potentially deadly bacteria has moved beyond the borders of U.S. hospitals and is being transmitted among gay men during sex, researchers said on Monday.

They said methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is beginning to appear outside hospitals in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

Sexually active gay men in San Francisco are 13 times more likely to be infected than their heterosexual neighbors, the researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

[Click here to read the whole article at Reuters online.]

Senior at centre of life-support battle improving

But Grace still seeking the right to pull plug

Sat Jan 12 2008

By Kevin Rollason

TWO weeks after Samuel Golubchuk's family went to court to stop doctors from pulling him off life support last month because he had minimal brain activity, he showed signs he was improving neurologically.

A week later, while doctors still argued to disconnect his ventilator and pull out his feeding tube, the 84-year-old Golubchuk was seen by medical staff to be "awake".

 

But on Friday in court, more than a month after the battle to keep him alive began, lawyers for the family and doctors were continuing to argue because the physicians say they still need to have control over deciding when to pull the plug.

After court, the family's lawyer, Neil Kravetsky, said Golubchuk is alive today only because of the court's intervention.

"He would be dead if the injunction had been off," Kravetsky said.

 

"What does awake mean to you?"

But lawyer Bill Olson, who represents Grace hospital, said even if Golubchuk has improved, he still isn't as well as he was when he entered the hospital's intensive care unit and his prognosis continues to be dim.

Olson said even if the judge gives the doctors the green light to pull the plug, it might not happen because the doctors would re-evaluate Golubchuk's medical status to see if the action is still warranted.

"All the court is ruling on is who has the right to make the judgment," he said.

Olson said the medical system would bog down if final life decisions were taken from the hands of doctors and given to the courts.

At the end of the hearing on Friday, Justice Perry Schulman of Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench said he would either render a decision on the matter or give the lawyers "directions" sometime next week.

Golubchuk suffered a brain injury in June 2003 when he fell, but he could still communicate and understand.

He was living at Deer Lodge Centre, but was admitted to Grace in October for pneumonia and pulmonary hypertension.

But after Golubchuk's health continued to go downhill and doctors believed his situation to be hopeless, they told the family they were going to take him off life support on Nov. 30 of last year.

 

Schulman, who began hearing the precedent-setting civil case last month, is being asked to rule on whether Grace doctors have the right to take Golubchuk off life support against the wishes of his family.

Golubchuk's family has been arguing the doctors would be violating his Orthodox Jewish religious beliefs and committing a sin if they hasten his death.

 

A News Release Regarding a New Website:

[We are happy to pass on this news release.]

ProWomanProLife.org

Canada without abortion. By choice.

——————————————————————————————
For immediate release

January 14, 2008 (Ottawa)— Today marks the launch of Canada’s first pro-woman pro-life group, ProWomanProLife, which can be found online at www.prowomanprolife.org

ProWomanProLife celebrates women, life and freedom and is being launched to mark the Morgentaler decision of January 28, 1988, which removed all restrictions on abortion in Canada at any stage of a pregnancy.

The founding director of ProWomanProLife, Andrea Mrozek, says it is time women took a non-partisan, non-religious stand against the idea that abortion is good for women and furthermore, not just a choice, but a “right.” “We have no hidden agenda here but a very open one: To eradicate abortion in Canada, not by legislation or force, but because that is what women choose. Women should band together to remove abortion from our cultural landscape,” she says. Mrozek is joined by a board of five professional women: Brigitte Pellerin in Ottawa, Raji Shankar in Toronto, Rebecca Walberg in Winnipeg and Dr. Sheryl Alger and psychologist Teresa Fraser in Calgary.

Mrozek notes that abortion has become a pressing issue of freedom of speech. “Pro-lifers are told what they can and can’t say in politics, and pro-life clubs are currently being banned on our university campuses. No Canadian should be comfortable with this suppression of dialogue, irrespective of how they feel about abortion,” Mrozek said.

To address the freedom of speech issue as well as the harm that abortion does to women, children and families, ProWomanProLife will blog with abandon. Our long-term goal is to become a charity that offers women better choices. But the first step is to raise our voices against the conventional, harmful wisdom that a willingness to kill her unborn child liberates a woman.

-30-

For further information please contact founding director Andrea Mrozek at

         613-875-5888 or at andrea@prowomanprolife.org

ProWomanProLife.org is the grassroots endeavor of the founding board, is not affiliated with any other organization and depends entirely on donations of time and money from individuals.

 

 

From CatholicInsight.com :

Features
Catholic Insight under 'human rights' attack
By Staff

Hardcopy Issue Date: January 2008
Online Publication Date: Dec 18, 2007, 12:24

Catholic Insight has joined a range of Canadian publications, groups and individuals who have become targets of human rights-based legal attacks recently.

In February 2007, Rob Wells, a member of the Pride Centre of Edmonton, filed a nine-point complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, alleging that C.I. has targeted homosexuals as being a powerful menace, made negative generalizations about them, portrayed them as preying upon children, blamed them for problems in society and the world, portrayed them as dangerous or violent by nature, conveyed the idea that they are devoid of any redeeming qualities and are innately evil, used inflammatory and derogatory language to create a tone of “extreme hatred and contempt,” trivialized or celebrated past persecution or tragedy involving them and called for action to be taken against them.

Wells’s complaint consists of three pages of isolated and fragmentary extracts from articles dating back as far as 1994, without any context. C.I. counters that these isolated quotes are not meaningful without the contexts of the articles themselves from which they were culled; in fact, most of them are even out of context from the sentences from which they were taken.

C.I. regards all of these charges as unfounded and made with the intent to harass. It intends to defend itself vigorously should the CHRC proceed. The magazine has continually emphasized that, with the respect to homosexual activity, it follows the guidance of the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has made clear that persons with same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity and that every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.

At the same time, however, the magazine notes the Catechism declares homosexual acts are ones of grave depravity and intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law, close the sexual act to the gift of life, do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity and cannot be approved under any circumstances.

From its beginning in 1993, the magazine has traced and exposed homosexual activists for their attacks against Christians defending the traditional order in law and society and their use of derogatory language against all who stand in their way. Many of C.I.’s articles have quoted homosexual activists, such as the former Burnaby, B.C. MP Svend Robinson, who was known to denounce opponents as “bigots,” “homophobes” and “hatemongers.” The magazine has never replied in kind, but rather has adhered to the maxim, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”
[Click here to read the rest of the ariticle on the Catholic Insite website.]

 

Biased Abstinence Ed Report Draws Criticism

 [From CitizenLink   Nov. 9, 2007

Author works for company that produced condom-based sex ed curricula.

Abstinence educators are crying foul over a report that claims their programs do not delay the initiation of sex, hasten the return to abstinence or reduce the number of sexual partners among teens.

Douglas Kirby, author of the study, is a staff member of ETR, a company that specializes in condom-based sex education curricula.

Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said that alone should cast doubt on the validity of the research.  

 . . . .

Klepacki [also] said that the biased study used a small sample of abstinence programs to make broad conclusions. And she added that it's certainly no accident the report was released just as Congress considered how much funding it will give to abstinence education.

“And then these reports are reported as fact in our liberal media.”

[Click here to read the whole of the above article on the CitizenLink web page.]

 

__________

 

Bella
(an excerpt from a "Plugged In"  Online review)

The name Bella means beautiful. And it's a word that does not in any way apply to Jose or his life when we first meet him. Scruffy and forlorn, Jose hasn't been the same since a tragic accident ended his promising soccer career. Now he's the head chef at his brother's fancy restaurant.

People worry about Jose.

Working at that same restaurant is a young, unmarried woman named Nina who does not want to be pregnant. But she is. And her morning sickness and late arrivals get her fired.

No one worries about Nina—except Jose.

Jose is drawn to the troubled woman and offers his help. She's suspicious of his intentions at first, but her situation and his quiet persistence motivate her to accept the proffered friendship. Still, she brushes off his gentle encouragement to let her baby live. Nina has come to the conclusion that if her life is ever going to be normal again she must abort her little girl.

This artistically low-key yet emotionally complex and compelling story focuses on two friends—one damaged by the past and the other afraid of the future—who help each other make a pair of life-changing choices.

[To read the whole "Plugged In" review, click here.]

Social conservatives move on to next marriage debate
By Jennifer Ditchburn, THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA -

 

 Nearly a year after Parliament shelved the same-sex marriage debate, Canada's socially conservative thinkers are shifting gears and pushing government to promote and support the traditional family unit. There was nary a mention of same-sex marriage at a policy conference Thursday of the Institute for Marriage and Family Canada. Instead, speakers that included economists and writers emphasized the benefits of marriage to the social fabric and the economy. With Prime Minister Stephen Harper announcing a $13.5-billion surplus would ultimately translate into tax reductions, the notion of income-splitting was a popular topic.

 

Right now married Canadians are taxed as individuals, but allowing them to split the total family income would be especially advantageous in situations where one spouse stays at home. "If we have high taxation, people also appear to have fewer children," said David Quist, executive director of the institute. "The two go hand in glove and that's a large part of what today is, to talk about strong family and strong society. If we have a weak family, we will in turn have a weak society as well." Said Douglas Cryer of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada: "There's things to consider, such as income splitting and other measures the government can do to strengthen marriage. Ultimately, it's a cultural as well as a government issue. We can't ask government to solve the problem of marriage. All of us need to work on it together."

 

Most alarming to many participants was a Statistics Canada study released earlier this month that suggested fewer Canadians are getting married and more are in common-law relationships. Still, a married couple remained at the centre of 70% of families.

 

American economist Jennifer Roback Morse, a research fellow at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, said her own research has shown that marriage is a much healthier proposition than co-habitation. She said women and their children who lived with boyfriends were more likely to face violence. She too suggested legislators should be encouraging marriage through their policies and regulations. "They should be looking at not treating cohabitation as equivalent to marriage," said Roback Morse. "Living together for one year is not equivalent to marriage, and it's not good policy to say it is. Taxing people as individuals is a mistake, it's better to treat marriage as a real functioning unit."

 

All speakers emphasized the welfare of children as central to supporting traditional marriages. Fellow economist Doug Allen, of Simon Fraser University, suggested the government could help by revising its position on child support. He argued the guidelines for payments result in some custodial parents - mostly women - getting too much money. He said the system acted as an incentive to divorce for some. "For me the main goal is to have a greater proportion of children living with two married parents,"

said Allen.

 

But is the Conservative government listening? Income splitting is still being actively discussed in Harper's circles, and modest steps were taken in the last budget to remove any unequal treatment between singles and married couples. His government did away with the concept of a national child-care program, but introduced a $100 per month taxable payment for every child a family has under the age of 6. Jason Kenney, one of the party's leading social conservatives and secretary of state for multiculturalism, attended most of Thursday's conference. Quist is optimistic the message is getting through. "The family advocates are having the best hearing that they've had with this government for many, many years...," Quist said. "I find that encouraging. There are people who are willing to listen to some of the discussions that are going on today or similar discussions in the public sphere.

 

CitizenLink, September 27, 2007: 

[U.S.]  Senate Passes Dangerous Hate-Crimes Amendment

Democrats don't have enough votes to override a promised veto.

Democrats passed a hate-crimes measure today, but failed to collect enough votes to override a pledged presidential veto.
The amendment, which would create a new federal class of crime based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity," is attached to a Defense spending bill.

Five Republican senators who voted in favor of hate-crimes legislation in 2004 switched their votes today and opposed the measure. They are: Sens. Lamar Alexander, Tenn.; Robert Bennett, Utah; John Ensign, Nev.; and Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens, both of Alaska.
 [Read the rest of this article on CitizenLink.]

 

 

Not So Miraculous

TV commercials plug it, the FDA approved it, news highlights tout it, but there are serious concerns about the new vaccine Gardasil® from Merck. Medical Accountability Network Executive Director Dr. Moira Dolan has reviewed the information made generally available to physicians and outlines here the essential components of informed consent for what is being billed as a miracle anti-cancer vaccine. [The following are some quotations from her article.]

"Gardasil® vaccine is Merck's first big drug development since the Vioxx® disaster. The basis for many Vioxx® lawsuits is that Merck withheld information that clearly showed the dangers of the drug. The company's record does not inspire trust.

"The Vioxx® situation revealed a more treacherous problem existing within the FDA itself. FDA insiders exposed how the agency deliberately ignored abundant test information showing that Vioxx® was dangerous to cardiac patients. The systemic failure of the FDA to weigh the risks and protect the public without undue influence of the manufacturers was brought to light by Vioxx® but it has not yet led to any meaningful changes at the agency. In spite of thousands of Vioxx® product liability suits still unresolved, Gardasil® has gotten fast track FDA approval, soon to be followed by Glaxo's Cervarix®."

"Does the vaccine work?
Who studied the vaccine in humans?
It is a crucial part of full informed consent to let patients know that all human studies submitted to the FDA were done by or financed by the drug manufacturers. It cannot be brushed aside that these studies have limited to no independent scientific review. In fact, it takes a formal Freedom Of Information Act request to obtain the exact study reports and statistical analyses that the drug manufacturer gave to the FDA.

"What is the effect of the vaccine on HPV infection?

  • In the general population the Merck vaccine prevented genital warts that were due to vaccine-type strains.
  • The vaccine prevented human papillomavirus infection with four HPV subtypes in people who weren't already infected with these types.
  • The vaccine did not prevent infection with the HPV types that are not contained in the vaccine.
  • HPV disease due to one of the many subtypes NOT included in the vaccine still occurred. Vaccinated subjects got infected with non-vaccine HPV types at the same rate as non-vaccinated subjects.
  • In subjects who were already infected with a particular vaccine virus type, the vaccine did not prevent disease due to that type, but it did prevent new disease caused by the other vaccine subtypes.
  • The studies that the drug maker gave to the FDA did not tell if condom use was tracked; this is very important missing data, since condoms alone are responsible for a 70% reduction in all types of HPV. The vaccine gives 100% protection against four HPV types and no protection against other HPV types, whereas condoms give 70% protection against all HPV types.

"What is the effect of the vaccine on cervical cancer?
Since HPV is found in connection with most cervical cancers, the theory was that a vaccine against HPV would prevent cervical cancer. However the vaccine studies couldn't demonstrate this, simply because there were no cases of cervical cancer in the vaccinated group or in the group that got dummy shots. So they used a substitute measure (a 'surrogate marker') for cancer. They compared abnormal pre-cancerous Pap results in people who were vaccinated versus not vaccinated.

"The vaccine is nearly 100% effective in preventing four types of HPV infection. Two of the four subtypes included in the vaccine are currently responsible for 70% of cervical cancer. So we would expect a 70% reduction in precancerous Pap results, right?    However pre-cancerous Paps only went down by 12% to 45%, depending on which population was studied."

"Is the HPV vaccine safe?
Can the HPV vaccine actually make infection worse?
The study showed an increase in pre-cancer related to the vaccine types in the people who already had these infections before they got the vaccine. It is possible that when infected girls whose immune systems have not cleared the virus from their bodies are vaccinated, the vaccine may lead to an increased number of cases of a pre-"you get the vaccine.

"How does the HPV vaccine affect fertility? Birth defects? Risk of cancers? Breast milk?
Five subjects who got the Merck vaccine around the time of conception had babies with birth defects, whereas no birth defects occurred in this time period in the subjects who got dummy shots. The manufacturer also specifies that the vaccine has not been tested to see whether it could cause cancer. It is not known if the vaccine virus-like proteins or the antibodies pass into the breast milk. Merck says that it should not be given to pregnant women.

"The longest portion of the study only lasted just under four years. Thus there is no long term data on how it affects the ability to become pregnant (fertility)."

"Who would benefit from the vaccine?
If you have risk factors for HPV infection such as multiple sex partners and no condom use, and you are not already infected by one or more of the subtypes targeted by the vaccine, this vaccine protects you from HPV infection by the four subtypes, but not non-vaccine HPV types.
If you have cervical cancer risk factors such as nutritional deficiencies, multiple sex partners or smoking, the vaccine prevents some episodes of growth of pre-cancerous cells and it may prevent cancer. The vaccine is 12.2% to 16.5% effective in the general population in reducing pre-cancer Pap results. The vaccine is 45% effective over the short term in girls who have never had any of the vaccine-type HPV infections.
The long term safety and effectiveness of Gardasil® is unknown. Effects on causing cancer, infertility, gene mutations, birth defects and effects in breast milk have not been adequately studied in humans.
"

Click here to access the whole article on the "Medical Accountability Network."

GSAs: not as innocent as they may seem

Gay Straight Alliance promotes sex-toy workshop for youth.

untabi[From the California Catholic Daily online, June 25, 2007]

The Gay Straight Alliance, which has clubs for homosexual and lesbian students on college, high school, and, now middle school campuses, this month promoted a “Pleasure Physiology and Sex Toys” workshop in its internet publication, GSA Network News.

The workshop, hosted by the San Francisco-based Center for Sex and Culture, was scheduled for June 14 at the Pacific Center in Berkeley. The Center, said the News, “will encourage your personal sexual exploration in this fun, informative workshop. Join us for a discussion on pleasure physiology and sexual response, and learn how to choose and use sex toys safely.”

The workshop, the News, “is for youth 14 and over,” but those “under 18 need permission from a parent/guardian to attend.” Further, “this event is also free free free @ the Pacific Center,” said the News, “so come on down and invite a friend won't cha.”

The Center for Sex and Culture says its mission is “to provide non-judgmental, sex-positive sexuality education and support to diverse populations.” The Center says it is “not the only organization trying to effect sex-positive cultural change,” but, unlike other organizations that do “sexuality education,” the Center wants “to make ourselves available to the widest range of people we can, with classes that run the gamut from informational to experiential.”  . . . .
[Click here to read the whole article in the California Catholic Daily online.]

"Thousands cheer gay pride parade"
[But see Michael Corren's article immediately below.]

 

Jun 24, 2007 07:01 PM
Canadian Press
[Note the enthusiasm expressed by the writer in this article.]

Thousands of people lined downtown Toronto's streets Sunday afternoon to enjoy the city's Pride Parade, Canada's largest gay pride celebration.

. . . .
Mexican tourist Nancy Figueroa, on a visit to Canada with her husband and daughter, said there were no parades like this where she is from and praised Canada's open-mindedness.

"It's good for the people to express themselves, what their preferences are," Figueroa said of the parade.

Figueroa had brought her daughter to the event in order to expose her to gay culture.

"(She) won't see something like this as something forbidden, or as something that is not right," she said. "Hopefully in the future, (she) will see this like something normal."

Several politicians also joined in the march, including Toronto Mayor David Miller, Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory and Liberal MP Michael Ignatieff.  [boldface by editor of BCPTL website]

The event brings in an estimated $80 million to the local economy.

 

 

Toronto Sun  online
June 30, 2007

Playing fast, loose

By MICHAEL COREN
Now that the downmarket bacchanalia of the Gay Pride parade in Canada's largest city has ended we really should pose some of the serious questions that mainstream media seemed terrified to ask last week. Questions that apply to any such event in Canada or elsewhere in the world.
First is the basic issue of truth. The media constantly claimed that at least a million people attended the Toronto event. Which would indicate enormous approval of and support for homosexuality. The million myth was given again and again until it became, as it were, a self-evident truth.
Problem is, it's almost impossible to accept. The average person takes up two square feet of space, meaning that the parade last weekend would have extended for at least 20 km. This is only if both sides of the street were packed solid.
In fact there was plenty of space between the onlookers and the event took up perhaps two km. There may have been 250,000 people present, maybe more or maybe less. But anyone who has seen a photograph of a million strong crowd knows that such a mass of humanity could never fit into the core of a city.

. . . .

The police have a sophisticated grid system that indicates the size of a crowd. Odd, then, that they have said nothing when we hear of the magic million. Just as odd as their failure to arrest people over the years who take off their clothes during the Pride march.

There is ample photographic evidence of the nudity and of officers standing by, grinning and doing nothing. For a community that claims only to want equality, one wonders why the law does not apply to all when it is broken.
Which bring us to question of whether it is abusive to take a small child to a parade where a significant minority of people are semi-naked, simulate sexual activity, bump and grind and even whip each other for some bizarre form of titillation.
There were many parents who took their small children to Gay Pride. Yet if, for example, a parent sat a five or six-year-old down in front of a television and showed a DVD of people pretending to have sex and taking their clothes off, would we regard them as loving and responsible moms and dads or would we call the Children's Aid Society?
 

Taking vulnerable and powerless little children to Pride, however, has become a badge for those who boast how progressive they are. Proving that broad-minded often means empty-headed.

 

Gay men and women deserve respect and dignity and have the same right to march as any other group. Difficult to see what was dignified about what went on a few days ago and hard to understand why so many people are so reluctant to state the obvious.

[Click here to read the whole article in the Toronto Sun online.]

 

 

[U.S.] Senate passes stem-cell funding bill

CNN, April 11, 2007

Story Highlights

• 63 votes in favor will not be enough to override promised veto
• Bush resists funding research that destroys living human embryos
• Stem cells hold promise for treatment of variety of conditions

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate approved a measure that would roll back President Bush's 2001 limits on embryonic stem-cell research Wednesday afternoon, but the margin was short of the two-thirds needed to override a promised veto.

Bush used the only veto of his presidency to date to kill a 2006 effort to loosen his policy on stem-cell research, which bars the use of federal funding for work that would destroy human embryos.

In a statement issued after Wednesday's 63-34 vote, he said he would veto the new bill as well, saying it "crosses a moral line that I and many others find troubling."

"I believe this will encourage taxpayer money to be spent on the destruction or endangerment of living human embryos -- raising serious moral concerns for millions of Americans," he said.

But the president said he would sign a Republican alternative that would encourage other forms of stem-cell research without changing his 2001 policy. That measure passed by a 70-28 vote.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Republican bill was aimed at providing "cover" for lawmakers who wanted to vote against a popular issue.

"Americans, by a huge majority, favor stem-cell research because they see the suffering of their own friends and relatives and neighbors. ... They put their faith in science," said Reid, D-Nevada.

The measure passed Wednesday would allow researchers to obtain stem cells from embryos created for in vitro fertilization that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics. The House of Representatives passed a similar bill in January, but it also fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

One of the Senate bill's principal sponsors, Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, said the bill had the support of three senators who did not vote Wednesday, meaning supporters were just one vote shy of the 67 needed to override a veto.

[Click here to read the whole story on CNN online.]

 

Telus Drops Porn Service After Complaints Onslaught

By Gudrun Schultz

VANCOUVER, B.C., February 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Telus announced yesterday the company would cancel pornography sales through its cellular phone service, CanWest News Service reported earlier today, after losing contracts and receiving hundreds of customer complaints.

Jim Johannsson, director of media relations for Telus, said the volume of individual complaints played a significant role in the company's decision to withdraw the service.

Beginning in January, adult customers were offered a porn delivery service that allowed them to download images or video clips for $3 or $4 dollars each. Several thousand users had registered for the service, according to Johannsson.

Numerous LifeSiteNews.com readers issued complaints to Telus via the contact information provided by this news service.

Archbishop Raymond Roussin, of the Vancouver Catholic archdiocese, actively opposed the Telus program by directing nearly 130 Catholic parishes and schools to cancel their contracts with Telus Mobility. The B.C. Catholic newspaper, published weekly by the archdiocese, included a 12-page special section covering the issue in this week's edition. A front page editorial criticizes Telus for "hitching its financial future to the abuse-ridden and pain-filled pornography industry."

In a statement issued Tuesday, Archbishop Raymond Roussin said he was "pleased and grateful that Telus is amending its decision. This is for the greater good of the community as a whole and I'm glad Telus is recognizing it," the Archbishop said.

Telus officials had defended the company decision to offer what it referred to as "adult content" by pointing out that most cell phones are capable of accessing the Internet, allowing users to download hard-core pornographic material at will. The Telus service limited images to full or partial nudity and avoided more explicit content.

Archbishop Roussin said last week that Telus' defense was "inadequate."

"So pervasive is the problem of pornography in our society today and so lucrative are the profits from this segment of the industry, that mobile phone providers are willing to take substantial risks in terms of their image."

"They do so by turning a blind eye to the enormous and widespread problems resulting from pornography: the abuse of countless vulnerable persons - including children, women, and men - who view pornographic material, those who are portrayed in sexually explicit material, and those who suffer from the behavior of their loved ones."

Johannsson told CanWest the company had "taken to heart" the concerns expressed by customers. "(Providing adult content) is not a business our customers want us to be in."

"Some of our corporate customers, too, have called to try and understand the direction we were going," Johannsson said.

Gordon Keast, who runs a communications company in Surrey, B.C., is suing Telus over the company's refusal to cancel his three-year cellphone contract, after he objected to the new pornography service, CanWest reported.

"At the time I renewed my contract with Telus in November they didn't market and sell pornography. Now they do, and as a subscriber I don't want my fees to underwrite their pornography business," said Keast. He filed suit yesterday in small claims court, seeking $3,000 for alleged breach of contract.

"Consumers have the power to shape the marketplace," Archbishop Roussin said, in his directive to churches and schools. "I strongly urge you to use your influence to protect our society from the destructive effects of the proliferation of pornography."

See coverage by The B.C. Catholic:
http://www.rcav.org/media/

http://bcc.rcav.org/07-02-19/Pornography_and_Sex_Addiction.pdf

CitizenLink.com   April 5, 2007
[in the U.S.A.]

Appeals Court Rebuffs ACLU; Boy Scout Jamboree Will Go On

by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor

Challengers claimed military aid for event was unconstitutional.

 The 2010 National Scout Jamboree is moving "full-speed ahead."

A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that plaintiff taxpayers from Chicago — represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — had no standing in a case that accuses the military of violating the U.S. Constitution by allowing the Boy Scouts of America to use its facilities.

The ACLU sued the Department of Defense in 1999 over its support of the National Scout Jamboree, because Scouting has a "duty to God" requirement.

"We are very gratified that the 7th Circuit found as it did that the ACLU had no standing to bring this lawsuit in the first place," said Bob Bork, spokesman for the Scouts. "This is very exciting news. It's full-speed ahead."

The Boy Scouts have held the National Scout Jamboree every four years at Fort A.P. Hill near Fredericksburg, Va. Seven presidents have attended the Jamboree, and an estimated 300,000 visitors attended in 2005, along with 43,000 Scouts and their leaders. The 2010 Jamboree will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

In another case — this one in San Diego — the 9th Circuit has ruled the ACLU and its plaintiffs have standing to sue the Scouts over use of a public park. The Scouts have asked the court to rehear their appeal. That case and the Jamboree case could reach the Supreme Court at the same time.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the 7th Circuit correctly rejected the notion that any taxpayer with a generalized grievance over the federal government's support of Scouting can use the federal courts as a personal veto tool.

"This national obsession by atheists, secularists and homosexual activists with the Boy Scouts over the years has been disgraceful," he said, "in light of the contributions that organization has made to our national life since its inception here in 1910."

 

Renfrew County Family Action Council  

2006 Ontario Report

 

     If nothing else, 2006 was the beginning of awareness, that parents, could no longer ‘sit on the fence’ with social issues in Ontario . As much as the provincial government and the media tried to make all social issues grey matter, the homosexual aggressiveness forced many parents to stand up and pay attention to issues like abortion, same sex marriage, secular evolution and their effect on our school children.

In Ontario we are especially burdened with a gay/abortion secular government and an ‘opposition’ PC party who shares the same platform. In addition we have a gay activist deputy premier who said he wants to remove any religion in schools, an openly lesbian education minister, a gay attorney general and a teachers union that is using homosexuals to further their cause against organized religion in the school system. It should be noted that less than 1% of the 52,754 full-time and 16,137 part-time elementary teachers in the Ont. Teachers Federation reported having a disability, was gay or lesbian or Aboriginal. Where is the voice of the other 99%?

In July/06, the BC Parents and Teachers for Life asked 3 simple questions;

  1. Is parental consent required, except in case of emergency, for health care for minors?

 2. Specifically, are minors subjected to abortions without any requirement for parental consent?

 3. To what extent are students subjected to pro-homosexuality propaganda in the schools, and if they are subjected to such propaganda, is this with
     the permission or connivance of the government?
[*]

 In August/06 the Renfrew County Family Action Council sent the questions to the public school administration and subsequently to our local MPP. Neither has given a definitive answer but we can be . . . sure they all know their salary and benefits to the penny.

We really don’t know the education system until we test it. We do know that these 3 matters leave our education system open to health risks, large litigation settlements and abuse by people who clearly have no mandate from the parents.

The Ontario public and separate school system is corrupt in structure where boards kow-tow to Toronto for funding, teachers kow-tow to greedy unions and a handful of secular beaurocrats, with a personal agenda, know how to milk the whole system. As long as they could keep interest and information away from the public , they were safe. That time has passed. Parents must take back our education system.

 

Ken O’Day, chairman,

Renfrew County Family Action Council

Eganville, Ont.                                                                      7-Jan-07
[*
The questions given were sent out in the July, 2006, BCPTL E-Mail Bulletin  to our readers outside of British Columbia, with a request that we be informed of the answers for other provinces and territories.  Thanks to Ken O'Day for the information from Renfrew County Family Action Council.]

 

Stem Cells Discovered in Amniotic Fluid, Scientists Announce
Scott Norris
for National Geographic News

January 8, 2007

Stem cells have been discovered in amniotic fluid, the liquid that 
surrounds a fetus during pregnancy, scientists have announced. 

The cells appear to rival embryonic cells in their ability to give 
rise to all of the major tissue types present in the human body. 

Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North 
Carolina, used the amniotic stem cells to form bone, muscle, nerve, 
fat, blood vessel, and liver cells. 

The report by Anthony Atala and colleagues appears in yesterday's 
edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology

The finding raises new hope for advances in tissue repair and organ 
regeneration without the ethical objections that have surrounded 
embryonic stem cell research. 

Such objections arise because embryonic stem cells must be harvested 
from a fertilized human egg, which is destroyed in the process. 

In contrast, amniotic stem cells can be collected during a routine 
medical procedure that draws fluid from the womb without harming the 
developing fetus. The cells can also be taken from the placenta that 
is expelled after delivery. 

In a teleconference Friday, Atala said that while it is too soon to 
know their full therapeutic potential, the new stem cells have 
advantages over other stem cell types because they are so potent and 
fast growing. 

"I don't think these cells are going to replace [human embryonic 
stem cells], but they provide another choice and are more readily 
available," Atala said. 


Engineering Organs 
Amniotic fluid is known to be rich in fetal cells of various types, 
and physicians have already used some of these to clone "patches" of 
connective or muscle tissue for repairing certain birth defects. 

Atala said the cells his group isolated are unique in their ability 
to form a range of cell types, while also possessing characteristics 
of adult stem cells that generate only a single type. 




The researchers used special chemicals to coax the amniotic stem cells
to develop different specialized structures and functions. 

Cloned lines of the cells grew readily in the laboratory, with populations 
doubling every 36 hours.   
[Click here to read the whole article at National Geographic online.]




Landmark ruling allows children to have three parents

 Peter Brieger, CanWest News Service

Published: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 
[Saskatchewan StarPhoenix]

 

TORONTO -- Ontario's highest court has ruled a child can have three parents, in a landmark case experts say rewrites the definition of a family.

Calling it an "important and novel case," the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned an earlier judgment that denied a woman status as the legal guardian of a boy she has been raising with her female partner.

"This is the first time in Canada that three parents will be recognized on a birth certificate," said Karen Busby, University of Manitoba law profes