Articles for Month: May 2001

The plaintiffs in the two historic U.S. Supreme Court abortion rulings are returning to court seeking a reversal of the rulings which were originally in their favour. A press conference today announced the filing of affidavits and briefs by now pro-life Norma McCorvey and Sandra Cano, the Roe and Doe, respectively, of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions. Those decisions suddenly forced abortion on demand on all the States of the Union.  https://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0530-111.html After reviewing a new federal regulation, a Missouri judge has decided that Planned Parenthood still is not entitled to receive any state […]

OTTAWA, May 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), an Ottawa-based alliance of 32 Protestant, evangelical churches and colleges, has endorsed civil disobedience against abortion and other moral evils as a justifiable Christian response under certain circumstances. In a discussion paper released May 29 the fellowship says civil disobedience, “can be a legitimate Christian calling” according to reason and biblical teachings. Defined as “a conscientious, public, non-violent act contrary to the law,” the paper lists illegal picketing and demonstration, assisting illegal refugees, picketing abortion clinics and trespassing on defence or military sites as acceptable forms of civil […]

STURGEON FALLS, ON, May 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Show the Truth Canada, a pro-life organization which uses large signs depicting the horror of abortion, has completed a “Back to School” project in Sturgeon Falls and North Bay on April 24-25, 2001, Peterborough May 15 – 16 and in Sudbury May 23- 25. The group’s effort met with great successes and powerfully communicated the horror of abortion to supporters and foes alike. With as few as 12 and as many as 30, the pro-life demonstrators did one-hour presentations outside 6-10 different high schools, both public and separate, over the two days. […]

LOS ANGELES, May 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A research team at the University of California has performed a transplant of cells from a heart-attack victim’s bicep muscle into his heart and the results look promising. Dr. Robb MacLellan, the group’s principal investigator, explained that skeletal muscle cells taken from the arm or leg may function in the same way as heart cells, hopefully one day making transplants unnecessary. Dr. Gregg Fonarow, another UCLA physician who is working on the trial told the National Post that using the patient’s own muscle cells, called myoblasts, also allows scientists to sidestep the ethically […]

PC Leader Shows “He wants to exclude social conservatives” CALGARY, May 31, 2001 (LSN.ca) – For the first time in Canadian history, a former prime minister is going to lead a gay pride parade. Progressive Conservative Leader and former prime minister Joe Clark, who calls himself a “Catholic”, will marshal the Gay Pride parade in Calgary June 10. The Calgary Sun reports Clark’s press secretary Marie-Chantale Lepine confirmed he was to lead the parade and added, “He was honoured to be asked.” Hermina Dykxhoorn, president of the Alberta Federation of Women United for Families, told the paper that Clark’s gay […]

See Michael Coren’s Sun Media column: “Psst! Day’s a nice guy”  https://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/coren.html Hear Michael Coren’s Real Audio broadcast on private school funding https://www.lifesitenews.com/coren/audio/052901privateschools.rm The National Post reports that Ontario’s Conservative government has bowed to public school pressure and agreed to hold limited parliamentary hearings on its new tax credit for private school tuition.  https://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010530/577260.html The Montreal Gazette reports that Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day is calling for uniting with the Tories before next year in order to be ready to take on the Liberals in the next election. However, PC Leader Joe Clark is refusing to discuss the possibility.  https://www.southam.com/montrealgazette/newsnow/cpfs/national/010529/n0529108.html […]

TUPELO, MS, May 30, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Illinois Court of Appeals recently reversed the trespassing conviction of sidewalk counselor Laura Carroll. She was arrested while was offering abortion-bound women alternatives to abortion. Carroll, now Sister Mary Alix, writing from the Sisters of Saint John Convent, where she recently received her habit, wrote “All Glory to God!… I am grateful, …for the Court’s thoughtful and prudent ruling advancing the cause of justice and peace.” The American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (AFACLP), which handled Carroll’s case explained that her “crime” was walking onto an abortion clinic’s parking lot […]

WASHINGTON D.C., May 30, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Two prominent researchers have asserted that a recent study—purporting to show that abortion causes a drop in crime—is simply not supported by the facts. The study, “The Impact of Abortion on Crime,” by John Donohue and Steve Levitt, was published in the May 2001 issue of the Quarterly Journal of Economics. STOPP International’s national director, Ed Szymkowiak reports that Ted Joyce, Ph.D., of the National Bureau of Economic Research, has released a counter study, using the same data, which shows that Donohue and Levitt are wrong. Joyce found no causal effect of abortion […]

Priests for Life and Elliot Institute Highlight Post-Abortion Testimonies NEW YORK, May 30, 2001 (LSN.ca) – In an effort to provide a platform for women’s voices to be heard by both supporters and opponents of abortion, Priests for Life and the Elliot Institute have announced a combined effort to make an expanded number of women’s testimonies available to the public through the internet. Over the years, both of these organizations have collected numerous testimonies and case studies. With the permission of those who wrote them, the testimonies have been posted at www.priestsforlife.org and the Elliot Institute’s www.afterabortion.org Launching the resource, […]

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Former ‘Superman’ actor Christopher Reeve and seven scientists have launched a lawsuit against the Bush administration for halting funding for research involving the destructive use of human embryos. While the Bush administration has only put funding on hold by ordering a review of the issue, the scientists allege that the administration is causing “irreparable harm” and “preventing or delaying the advent of a cure for paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and other debilitating conditions.” AP reports that the administration has less than 60 days to respond to the suit. Reeve has been a staunch proponent […]

VANCOUVER, May 30, 2001 (LSN.ca) – 1,000 Vancouver-area pro-lifers gathered on the evening of May 28 at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre for the Focus on Life Benefit dinner to raise money for pro-life television ads. The event was backed by the Pro-Life Society of BC, the Christian Advocacy Society of Greater Vancouver, and the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The three main speakers were Archbishop Adam Exner of Vancouver, Gary Thomas of Bellingham, Washington, who is founder and director of the Centre for Evangelical Spirituality and Mother Agnes Donovan of New York, the Superior General of Sisters of Life – […]

During commencement ceremonies on May 20 at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan slammed President George W. Bush for abandoning the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. Annan said “Imagine melting polar icecaps and rising sea levels, threatening beloved and highly developed coastal areas such as Cape Cod with erosion and storm surges. Imagine a warmer and wetter world in which infectious diseases such as malaria and yellow fever spread more easily. This is not some distant, worst-case scenario. It is tomorrow’s forecast.’’ The Boston Globe’s weather forecast for May 21, was a high […]

American Life League has condemned a poll by the by the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research on embryonic stem cell research as: “the most transparently misleading and potentially destructive survey.” Judie Brown, president of American Life League said “the repeated use of the term ‘fertilized egg’ in the survey instead of the scientifically correct term ‘human embryo’ was intentionally done to confuse and mislead those being polled. This generates a false front of support for experimentation that treats persons as disposable property.” The famed musician Prince, known for his vulgarity and pornographic presentation, has reportedly become a Jehovah’s […]

BEIJING, May 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Once again published reports are showing that sex-selective abortions are creating havoc in China. A report in today’s Washington Post reveals that recent census figures show that 117 boys are born in China for every 100 girls, but in some small villages where the one child policy is rigorously enforced, that ratio reaches 140-100. The report indicates that despite laws forbidding sex-selective abortions the situation is growing worse. One woman interviewed by the Post reported that ultrasound machines used in sex-selective abortions are in “every county” and “even (in) townships.” The report details disastrous […]

OTTAWA, May 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – While medical journals have been hesitant to publish studies showing abortion’s link to breast cancer, researcher Brent Rooney has discovered no such difficulty in studies showing a link between abortion and preterm birth. Rooney has compiled a list of twenty-seven studies published in major medical journals showing a significantly elevated risk of premature birth from prior induced abortions. Medical research indicates that preterm birth increases the risk of respiratory distress and asthma, Cerebral Palsy and death. Moreover, a preterm birth is often a LBW (Low Birth Weight) one (a birth weight under 2500 gms […]

STRATFORD, PEI, May 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – REAL Women Canada has endorsed a letter writing campaign to the government of Prince Edward Island over the case of Dagmar and Arnost Cepica. The Christian couple who ran a bed-and-breakfast out of their family home were forced to close down their operation and pay a fee to two male homosexuals for refusing to comply with a PEI Human Rights Commission (HRC) order mandating that they allow practicing homosexuals to rent rooms in their home. Christian freelance journalist Charles Moore has already written the PEI Minister of Tourism to protest the treatment of […]

OTTAWA, May 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Shaw Communications Inc., the Calgary based cable company which serves most cable markets west of Winnipeg, is asking the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to allow it to exempt customers from having to subscribe to a homosexual channel. The Financial Post section of the National Post reports today that Jim Shaw, the company’s chief executive, explained that his company would face a “consumer revolt” if it forced customers to accept PrideVision, a homosexual channel, as part of their cable package. PrideVision is one of 16 English-language digital channels set to launch this fall […]

Successful chastity presentations by a pro-life group in Calgary has raised the ire of abortion supporters in public schools.  https://www.globeandmail.ca/gam/National/20010528/UCALGN.html A crowd of more than 6,500 Christians from across the country gathered for the Canadian Prayer Assembly on May 19, 2001. Like the first national prayer gathering held last May in Ottawa, the event brought Christians of all denominations together for collective prayer and praise. (Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)

Successful chastity presentations by a pro-life group in Calgary has raised the ire of abortion supporters in public schools.  https://www.globeandmail.ca/gam/National/20010528/UCALGN.html A crowd of more than 6,500 Christians from across the country gathered for the Canadian Prayer Assembly on May 19, 2001. Like the first national prayer gathering held last May in Ottawa, the event brought Christians of all denominations together for collective prayer and praise. (Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)

VATICAN, May 28, 2001 (LSN.ca) – At the close of the extraordinary consistory of Cardinals in Rome last week it was announced that the Vatican would issue a lexicon of terms relating to new concepts of sexuality and to the family. Cardinal Alfonso L—pez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said the work would explain new terms such as “sexual health” and “gender differences.” Zenit News reports that the manual would include the studies and reflection of the Church, especially that of Vatican delegations to U.N. world conferences on population, women, social development, and shantytowns. See the […]

DUBLIN, May 28, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Dutch abortionist Rebecca Gomperts, 34, is ready to launch her abortion ship this June and her first stop will be off the shore of Dublin, Ireland. The Sunday Times reported that the ship is equipped to carry out 20 abortions a day and “under Dutch law, can perform abortions where medically appropriate.” The Dutch pro-abortion group, the Women on Waves Foundation, has contacted pro-abortion groups in Ireland and thus received an “invitation” from the Irish groups. Mildred Fox, an independent and pro-life Irish politician said, “If she [Gomperts] breaks the law, she will have […]

VANCOUVER, May 28, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Completing a court case concerning the right of a father to have his children bear his last name, Vancouver Supreme Court of Appeal Justice Mary Southin ruled that British Columbia law no longer considers marriage to be a “social institution of paramount or … any importance.” Writing the 2-1 majority decision, Southin concluded that BC law gives biological mothers complete rights over their children, including the sole right to name them. “The legislature has left no ‘gap’ in this question of a child’s name and surname,” she said. ” It has decreed that fathers […]

OTTAWA, May 28, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Tory Leader Joe Clark has charged that Alliance leader Stockwell Day “is going to be trying to recruit to the party a lot of people who … could in fact radicalize the Reform Alliance party and … cause a lot of people who are moderates—who have been moderates on most policy issues since Reform began—to feel less and less comfortable in the new Alliance party.” Many have seen the comments as intolerance further alienating social conservatives from the Tory Party, realizing that the term “moderate” is political code word for pro-abortion. In a post-election […]

OTTAWA, May 28, 2001 (LSN.ca) – On Friday the Canadian Alliance’s ruling council suspended Rick Anderson, adviser to former Reform leader Preston Manning. The Globe and Mail reports that three of Anderson’s supporters, Cliff Fryers, Nancy Branscombe and Thompson MacDonald, walked out of the meeting. Fryers, Manning’s former chief of staff, told the press, “I believe Mr. Day is, without a doubt, the worst abomination we could possibly see in politics today,” and referred to supporters of Mr. Day as the “forces of darkness.” Branscombe commented, “I am sick. I am just so frustrated.” (Globe and Mail May 26, 2001) […]

Catholic News Service reported that Bishop Thomas V. Daily of Brooklyn has raised the specter of “black genocide” in pointing out to his predominantly black congregation, that 57 percent of black babies are aborted in the diocese. These figures do not hold for Hispanics or whites, leading the bishop to point to the disproportionate impact of abortion on the black community. “Almost 8,000 more black babies were killed than were delivered in the Brooklyn Diocese in 1997,” Bishop Daily said. (with files from Washington Update of the Family Research Council) The Michigan Attorney General’s office indicated that the opinion by […]

Canadian Alliance MP Deborah Grey’s riding has voted to reject an early leadership review for Stockwell Day.  https://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/05/25/day_grey010525

BERLIN, May 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The dreaded Nazi experimentation on human beings has left German doctors with a healthy disgust for research on human beings and thus a rejection of human embryo research. AFP reported that on Wednesday a meeting of 250 doctors, representing Germany’s 370,000 physicians, rejected as “ethically unacceptable” the use of embryos for genetic research. At the meeting in Ludwigshafen, the group voted against softening the 1990 law that bans embryo research in Germany. “To kill on order is not a medical practice,” they said in a statement. They also voiced their opposition to euthanasia, which […]

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A new combined vaccine, TWINRIX¨, against both Hepatitis-A and B has been developed and is being recommended for children aged 1 to 18 years. The vaccine, by Glaxo SmithKline, however is tainted with the specter of abortion since it uses the Hepatitis-A vaccine, which was cultivated on aborted fetal tissue. The pro-life group Children of God for Life, which specializes in factual documentation of vaccines from abortion, notes that the same situation exists for the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine where Rubella is the “tainted” ingredient in the combo vaccine. The pro-life group notes […]

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – President George W. Bush has nominated John M. Klink to head the influential Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration Bureau at the State Department. The nomination was met with surprise, as it was not the selection of Secretary of State Colin L. Powell who had recommended another candidate. However, the media and pro-abortion groups are attempting to derail his nomination by suggesting that a pro-lifer is unfit for public office. The New York Times suggests that Klink would oversee an annual budget of more than $800 million that is chiefly distributed to international agencies […]

TORONTO, May 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby, best known as the lawyer of choice for abortionists and of the pro-abortion movement, has come out swinging against the constitutionally guaranteed funding of Catholic schools in Ontario. A press conference intended to be a coalition of groups fighting the intended Ontario tax credit for parents wishing to send their children to private schools, had as its main speakers Alan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties and Clayton Ruby. The group was furious that Ontario was even considering a partial tax credit for parents who send their children to private, […]

GENEVA, May 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Last week, at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, Canadian Health Minister Allan Rock volunteered Canada to take the lead in an “international effort” to curb abuses of “human dignity” involving unchecked New Reproductive Technologies (NRT). While Rock expressed noble sentiments, the Canadian government’s own record on regulation of NRT abuses is considered by many to be abysmal. In addition, the Liberal government’s militant pro-abortion record is also considered evidence that it would not be a sincere protector of the ‘human dignity’ of early human life. Canada is one of the few countries […]

Bill McGill, Canadian Alliance co-secretary confirmed that Rick Anderson is scheming to oust Stockwell Day as leader of the Party. McGill told reporters that Anderson asked him this month to join the Dump Stock crusade. McGill said “This campaign, he (Anderson) said, must go on until he resigns, months if necessary … We disagreed and I finally hung up, telling him to stop destroying our party with his constant scheming.” Last week, CA’s Bob Dechert was the first to publicly expose Anderson’s scheming.  https://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010524/571651.html Catholic News Service reports that Dana Scallon, the well-known singer and member of the European Parliament, […]

NEW YORK, May 24, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A panel of judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday that pregnant illegal immigrants in the United States have no right to prenatal care under Medicaid. Lawyers argued that once children are born in the United States, even to someone who is here illegally – and are indisputably citizens, thus such children could argue that it was unconstitutional for prenatal care to be denied. The New York Times reports that the appeals court panel, made up of Judges Jon O. Newman, Amalya L. Kearse and Ralph […]

OTTAWA, May 24, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) petition, seeking to protect the disabled by ensuring Robert Latimer does not receive a lesser sentence or clemency for murdering his 12-year-old disabled daughter, has now been put on line. Those wishing to sign the petition may do so at the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition page: www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca “If Robert Latimer is granted executive clemency it will send a message to Canadians that killing a disabled person is a lesser crime. We must show our support for the disabled and other vulnerable Canadians now,” said EPC’s Alex Schadenberg.

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, May 24, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Researchers in the United States have developed a microchip that automatically carries out portions of the in vitro fertilization process and hope to be able to automate the entire process soon. The New Scientist reported yesterday that “in a move recalling Aldous Huxley’s famous production lines for making babies in Brave New World” researchers David Beebe and Matthew Wheeler have found, with experiments on mice, that the automated procedures are superior to the traditional methods which involve human manipulation of sperm and egg and eventually human embryos. The researchers say they expect the […]

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2001 (LSN.ca) – After getting elected on the Republican ticket and with support from Republican-leaning groups, Sen. James Jeffords left the Republican Party Thursday, declaring himself an independent. First among the few reasons he cited for his bolt was his pro-abortion views. “Looking ahead, I can see more and more instances where I’ll disagree with the president on very fundamental issues – the issues of choice, the direction of the judiciary, tax and spending decisions, missile defense, energy and the environment, and a host of other issues, large and small,” Jeffords said. Republican’s and Republican leaning groups […]

OTTAWA, May 24, 2001 (LSN.ca) – On May 23 the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) urged the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC) to specifically prohibit the patenting of human life at any stage of development. The CBAC consultation asked for input on patenting higher life forms. Within its consultation document (on page 8 in footnote 9) it clarified that if one is to exclude human beings from patents then one must define human beings and questions whether human embryos should be included in the definition. “The question of whether or not higher life forms should be patentable creates unease for […]

OTTAWA, May 24, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF), an arm of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) organization has issued a response to the discussion paper published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on human stem cell research. The COLF paper, released yesterday, points out clearly, citing professional reports, that science confirms that embryos are human beings from conception. “There is no longer any question that the embryo is a human being. This is not only a well accepted scientific given but the very reason why the human embryo is so valuable […]

The Toronto Star reported Friday May 18 that the Global Television Network is facing a Human Rights complaint after terminating the contract of TV reporter Colleen Thorpe last February-nine days after she advised her bosses she was pregnant with twins. Catholic World News reports that the Latin American bishops’ council (CELAM) ended its 28th Ordinary Assembly with a message calling on Catholics to defend life, strengthen democracy, and fight poverty in the continent. In the document, the bishops renewed, “in the name of Jesus,” their “commitment to the defense of each human life, from its conception to it’s natural end. […]

ROME, May 23, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The center-right coalition, elected with a majority government in Italy May 13, includes pro-lifers. The coalition called Casa delle libert^ or ‘House of Liberties’ is headed by Silvio Berlusconi, media tycoon and former prime minister. The coalition is pro-business, against big government and socially conservative. The socially conservative element comes from the influence of the Christian Democrats who have encouraged the coalition to honor life and family. During the campaign Prime Minister Berlusconi called “for a more convinced defence of life”. Recalling this campaign promise, Monsignor Giuseppe Betori, secretary of the Italian bishops’ conference, […]

NEW YORK, May 23, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The National Abortion Federation (NAF) has launched a $2 million campaign to promote the abortion drug RU-486 known as mifepristone or under its brand name Mifeprix or finally under its marketing name, “the Early Option Pill.” The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that the ad will appear in popular women’s magazines including Cosmopolitan, People, Vanity Fair, InStyle, Jane, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Fitness, Health, Self, First for Women, Essence and Marie Claire but it has been rejected by Redbook for fear of “negative reader and retailer reaction.” A NAF press release notes the ads are […]

LONDON, May 23, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Every year in Britain the bodies of nearly 500,000 unborn children are incinerated along with clinic waste such as used syringes and soiled swabs, according to an investigation by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The investigation found that environmental legislation, which stops most hospitals from incinerating the bodies on site, means that 10,000 foetuses are transported to 37 regional incineration units every week. Most of the bodies are those of the estimated 300,000 unborn children who die each year in miscarriages during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy as well as the 180,000 […]

TORONTO, May 23, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Jesse Farquharson, the first patient in Canada to undergo stem cell treatment with stem cells extracted from his own umbilical cord blood, has been released from hospital in half the expected time. Jesse, now 11 months old received the stem cell transplant April 19 and doctors at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children told his parents he would likely spend two months in hospital recovering. However, due to his rapid recovery he was released from hospital May 18. The National Post reports that the Bolton, Ont., boy was four months old when he was diagnosed […]

BRITAIN CHANGES RULES TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST PRO-LIFE PHARMACISTS Britain’s professional body for pharmacists has altered the “conscience clause” which allowed pro-life pharmacists to “object on grounds of conscience to the dispensing of certain medicinal products for the control of fertility, conception or termination of pregnancy.” The Royal Pharmaceutical Society changed the wording last week to say: “Pharmacists assuming responsibility for any pharmacy function . . . must ensure that before accepting employment pharmacists must disclose any factors which may affect their ability to provide services.” Pro-life pharmacist Caroline Hubert commented: “This would effectively render pharmacists who have a conscientious objection […]

BEIJING, May 22, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Sun Zhonghua, a 34-year-old mother of two boys aged 12 and 13, was beaten to death by Chinese birth-control officials who wanted to sterilize her against her will, according to her relatives. Agence France Presse reported that the women from southeast China’s Fujian province was taken forcibly from her home Wednesday after refusing sterilization due to medical reasons. While officials claim she jumped to her death from a window in the birth-control clinic, family members said the large bruises on her head and the types of injuries to other parts of her body could […]

VATICAN, May 22, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Pope John Paul II met with the bishops of Italy last Thursday after Italians had elected Silvio Berlusconi as Prime Minister. Zenit News reports that in his discussions with the bishops, the pope appealed to the new government for four commitments to Italy for the support of the family, defence of human life, recognition of private schools, and solidarity. The Pope called for a commitment “in favor of human life, from conception until its natural end.” He also called the government to “safeguard the rights of the family based on marriage, without confusing it […]

ZAGREB, May 22, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Yesterday Croatia became the 32nd country to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). LifeSite has learned that Paraguay ratified the Rome Statute on May 14. The numbers of signatures to the statute is currently 139. The ICC will assume universal jurisdiction, even over countries that have refused to sign on to it, once 60 countries have ratified the agreement. Pro-lifers have warned that the ICC is a dangerous tool in the hands of United Nations feminists, population controllers and one-worlders. Gwen Landolt of REAL Women Canada told LifeSite “The ICC […]

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Dr. Robert Spitzer, the psychiatrist who released a study two weeks ago showing that “contrary to conventional wisdom some (homosexuals) . . . can and do change (sexual orientation)” has been assailed by homosexual activists. The rage has been so volatile that Spitzer canceled his appearance at a press conference on Monday citing concern for his family. The inaugural issue of the Culture and Family Report (CFR) by Concerned Women for America reports that Spitzer had planned to appear at a press conference at the National Press Club, hosted by Anthony Falzarano of Parents […]

WASHINGTON, DC, May 22, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, Raymond Flynn, has asked a Catholic university to retract an award it conferred on a pro-abortion advocate at this year’s commencement ceremonies. Flynn, now President of Catholic Alliance, put his support behind Fr. Peter West of Priests for Life who publicly called on Msgr. Robert Sheerhan, President of Seton Hall University to rescind the honorary Doctorate bestowed on Dr. Dolores Cross. Cross, who served on the National Abortion Rights Action League’s “National Commission of America Without Roe’”, was honoured at the Seton Hall ceremony on May 7. […]

Catholic activist Gary Morella commented on the recent study indicating that abortion has lowered crime. He states “How can you say that with increased abortion comes decreased crime? This statement is oxymoronic. Abortion IS a crime. It’s one of the most heinous of crimes, killing innocents in the womb.” Canadian abortionist Henry Morgentaler boasts in the National Post that the abortion and crime study validates his 30-year old theory about eliminating the unwanted.  https://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20010518/566819.html Zenit News reports that Mexican President Vicente Fox’s eldest daughter will help launch a campaign against unwanted pregnancies among adolescents, by promoting sexual abstinence. Ana Cristina […]

VATICAN, May 18, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Vatican has declared that Catholics must recognize that Church teaching on the dignity of human life and on human sexuality are unchanging. In an article in the May 16 edition of L’Osservatore Romano, marked by three asterisks signifying the publication was approved at the highest levels of the Vatican, theologians were warned away from the temptation to answer questions “with responses that are more conforming to the sensitivities and expectations of the world than to the thinking of Christ.” See the Catholic News Service coverage:  https://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/20010516.htm

OTTAWA, May 18, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The recent case of Regina McKnight of South Carolina, who was found guilty Wednesday of killing her unborn child by abusing crack cocaine during pregnancy, highlights the increasing difference in attitude toward the unborn in the U.S. and Canada. After 15 minutes of deliberations Knight was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Explaining the Canadian situation, Dr. Margaret Somerville of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law told the National Post, “The Criminal Code in Canada says you don’t become a human being until you are delivered from the body […]

OTTAWA, May 18, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Bob Dechert, a member of the Canadian Alliance national council and former Ontario Conservative, has revealed that the recent mutiny within the Canadian Alliance party has been orchestrated by Rick Anderson. Dechert told the Ottawa Citizen that he was approached by Anderson four weeks ago to join “a dirty little scheme” to oust leader Stockwell Day. The Anderson plot involved a continuing chain of defections and embarrassments for Mr. Day until Parliament recesses at the end of June. Dechert told the Citizen: “He (Anderson) made it very clear that he had come to the […]

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Jacques Cohen and his colleagues at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., who pioneered the creation of the first genetically modified child by combining genetic material from two women and a man, have concealed evidence of problems with their research. Cohen’s study, published in the March journal of Human Reproduction said that all the children born by the technique appear to be completely healthy. However, the Washington Post reports that Cohen et al. failed to mention, “that the perfect record of healthy births was attained because they aborted a developing fetus that was […]

EDMONTON, May 18, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The College of Pharmacists of Alberta is asking Alberta pharmacists to vote (before May 28) on whether to endorse a program to make the abortifacient morning after pill or so-called “Emergency Contraceptive Pills” available directly from pharmacists without a doctor’s prescription. The College’s letter asking support for the program and the resolution drawn up by the College are considered by some to be misleading and potentially harmful to the profession’s reputation. Copies of the mail-in ballot and discussion paper distributed by the College indicate a considerable bias in favour of a yes answer to […]

A South Carolina woman was convicted Wednesday and sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing her unborn child by using crack cocaine during her pregnancy. A jury found Regina McKnight, 24, guilty after deliberating just 15 minutes. McKnight’s lawyers said they will appeal.  https://www.accesswaco.com/shared/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V6485.AP-Crack-Mom-Trial.html Lord Robert Winston, one of the pioneers of in vitro fertilization has chastised his colleagues for engaging in human cloning and germline therapy.  https://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=46035 A pro-life song entitled Whale Song is currently #5 in plays and downloads in the World Fusion music charts at mp3.com:  https://genres.mp3.com/music/world_folk/world_fusion/

TORONTO, May 17, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Ontario Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty has come under fire for attacking the Conservative government’s plan to allow partial tax-credits for private schooling. McGuinty characterized the credit as pandering to the wealthy to the outrage of religiously motivated private schoolers. “The vast majority of those people who chose faith-based schooling are hard-working low- and middle-income people,” said John Vanasselt, of the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools. The Associated Press reports that Vanasselt, whose alliance represents more than 130 Christian schools with more than 25,000 students, said he was upset with Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty’s attacks […]

EDMONTON, May 17, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Gregg Cunningham, executive director for the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, was in Alberta over the weekend speaking at a provincial Life Conference. Cunningham called on Canadian Church leaders to become active on life issues. He was adamant that the involvement of pastors is essential to the pro-life movement. “There’s really no hope of getting people energized about this issue if we can’t get pastors energized,” he said. Conference organizer Patty Nixon told LifeSite that Cunningham challenged churches to realize that the pro-life fight is more than just one of the many programs it should […]

LITTLE ROCK, May 17, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A long-time pro-life demonstrator told police he was stabbed Saturday while picketing an abortion facility. Missionaries to the Unborn, a pro-life news service, reports that Attorney J. Fred Hart, 51, was treated at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center for a stab wound in his side and released Saturday. According to police, Hart and another pro-life advocate, Jim Dawson, 70, of Vilonia were in front of the Family Health Care Clinic abortion facility in Little Rock when two women pulled up in a black 1994 Chevrolet pickup. “The passenger [in the truck] started yelling […]

OTTAWA, May 17, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 8-1 today in favour of Trinity Western, a Christian university whose students were refused accreditation by the British Columbia College of Teachers (BCCT) since the school’s code of conduct requires students and teachers to refrain from “homosexual behaviour” and other objectionable actions such as abortion. The Supreme Court upheld the decisions of lower Courts, which ordered the BCCT to grant accreditation to the teacher education program of Trinity Western University. Writing on behalf of the majority, Justices Iacobucci and Bastarache said that the BCCT failed to take “into […]

President Bush has officially submitted to the Senate his nomination of John D. Negroponte as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Pro-life groups have found him not a worthy candidate. https://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20010515/t000040722.html Republican Senator Jesse Helms has introduced legislation that would effectively cut off federal funding to public schools that refuse to allow Boy Scouts to use their facilities because of the group’s stance on homosexuality. https://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,24831,00.html US Census data indicate that unmarried co-habitation has increased 72% in the last decade. The numbers increased from 3.2 million unmarried-partner households in 1990 to 5.5 million in 2000. https://www.usatoday.com/news/census/2001-05-15-cohabitate.htm

A number of dissident “Catholic” organizations have exposed themselves as pro-abortion after endorsing the Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) campaign to lobby politicians to rescind the Mexico City Policy. The failed CFFC effort was endorsed by Catholics Speak Out, Dignity/USA, National Coalition of American Nuns, Women-Church Convergence and the Catholics for Contraception. Added to the list was a Latin-American group called Voces Catolicas. https://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0515-125.html United Nations has overlooked its protocol and given its population controller of the year award to one of its own. Dr. Nafis Sadik, former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the […]

REGINA, Sask., May 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – On Monday, Bill Whatcott of the Christian Truth Activists, was charged with “Unlawfully distributing literature on University of Regina Property.” Whatcott had been distributing literature at the University of Regina campus exposing the horror of abortion on demand. The literature contained a photo of a living pre-born child and a pre-born child who was killed by abortion Whatcott was contacted by the University administration and was threatened with a lawsuit if he didn’t go back to the university to retrieve his literature. Believing the university action was a threat aimed at silencing an […]

TORONTO, May 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – In a press release issued last week, the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops praised, “the Ontario government for having taken a first initiative to support parents who for conscientious reasons choose to send their children to faith based independent schools.” The press release notes “the OCCB has long been in support of parental choice in such matters.” The government proposes to phase in a partial tax credit, beginning in the 2002 taxation year, that would be provided for kindergarten, elementary and secondary tuition fees at independent schools in Ontario. The credit rates, to be […]

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – WorldNetDaily reporter Terrance Jeffrey has received confirmation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that publicly funded research requiring human tissue taken from babies aborted beyond the 20th week of pregnancy was performed in the United States. After a drawn-out inquiry process, NIH’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison finally conceded that a fetal tissue “research protocol at the University of Pennsylvania did require 20-week-old tissue.” Jeffrey’s investigative prowess secured from NIH a written statement saying that, since sometime prior to 1999, researchers at Penn have used “approximately 15-18” post-20-week fetuses in creating these […]

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A new Zogby America poll has found that a majority (62%) of Americans say they would support federal legislation requiring all welfare recipients to use birth control as a condition of their public benefit eligibility. The March 2001 survey of 1,000 likely voters nationwide, also showed 33% would oppose any such mandate, while another 5% are not sure. Interestingly Democrats (58% support, 38% oppose) are less supportive of such a mandate than Republicans (66% support, 29% oppose) or Independents (63% support, 32% oppose). There was a noted difference in support of the measure between […]

VATICAN, May 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – In a letter signed by the pope, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) has censured Rev. Marciano Vidal, 64, a professor of moral theology in Spain for his writings claiming falsely that the morning after pill and other such methods which intervene after fertilization and before implantation are not abortifacient. Also problematic for the Vatican were Vidal’s writings suggesting that voluntary sterilization, masturbation, homosexual sex, and in-vitro fertilization are not necessarily wrong. Vidal, professor at Spain’s Higher Institute for Moral Sciences and a professor of moral theology at the Pontifical University […]

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), is praising today’s action by the U.S. House of Representatives in reaffirming President Bush’s policy against funding overseas organizations that perform abortions or that lobby to legalize abortion. By a vote of 218-210, the House removed language from a State Department authorization bill (H.R. 1646) that would have overturned the pro-life “Mexico City Policy,” which President Bush recently reinstated. In a written communication to the House on May 8, the White House said that the entire bill would be vetoed unless the pro-abortion language was removed. NRLC […]

The birthrate in England has dropped to 1.66 children per woman, the lowest level ever recorded according to the latest government figures. For immediate release May 15, 2001 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-200322,00.html France will decide Thursday on extradition of James Kopp to the United States. https://www2.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisStory=84169553

TORONTO, May 15, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Media flocked to hear Canada’s leading abortion crusader, Henry Morgentaler, while ignoring a press conference held by former communist/pro-abortionist Merle Terlesky last Tuesday. Terlesky staged the event in the heart of Toronto’s “gay ghetto” on Church Street to herald the publication of his book, From Pro-Choice to Pro-Life: The True Story of a Former Communist, which describes his conversion from acting as a quasi-Canadian agent for the Soviet Communist party (and being paid by it) to a Christian pro-life advocate. Despite all major media being notified of the event, no one turned up to […]

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2001 (LSN.ca) – American Life League (ALL) has reacted to the announcement of a new so-called contraceptive patch which a recent Canadian-led study has said is as “good” as the birth control pill. According to the scientific write-up on the patch it uses estrogen and progestin which act in several ways, one of which is to hamper implantation of the embryo in the uterine lining. ALL President Judie Brown notes “That’s abortion. It kills a living human being in his earliest stages of development.” The principal author of the Canada-U.S. study was Marie-Claire Audet of the Centre […]

SYDNEY, Australia, May 15, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Professor Alan Trounson, of Monash University in Australia has admitted that he killed over 40 human embryos in various experiments seeking to extract stem cells since 1995. Trounson claims that the stem cells are now self-replicating and thus “Hypothetically, we would never have to go back and use another embryo.” Trounson called the stem cells derived from the deliberate lethal experimentation on human beings in their first stages of life, “an incredible resource for humanity.” He said he would make them available to interested scientists the world over. For more see the Sydney […]

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The American Psychological Association (APA) has set itself up as a pro-abortion lobby group with its recent political “action alert” to reverse the Mexico City Policy banning US funds to groups which promote abortion overseas. Employing the language of pro-abortion activists, the APA called on its members to “contact your U.S. Representative today or tomorrow to enlist his/her support to reverse the ‘global gag rule.’” LifeSite has obtained a copy of the pro-abortion political activist alert which was distributed to the APA’s pwr-l list by the APA Public Policy Office May 14. Pro-life observers […]

Catholic Priest Fr. Ron Meyer in a recent letter to “Catholic” pro-abortion Conservative Leader Joe Clark wrote: “You are correct in saying that the abortion issue is divisive . . . We need to realize that the Gospel of Jesus is divisive. Are we going to accept His teachings or will we reject them? Do you know what is really divisive? The judgment that leads to eternal life or eternal damnation is the height of divisiveness . . .

ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT RULES UNBORN CHILD IS A PERSON The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an unborn child is a person in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by a man whose wife and unborn child died during birth procedures. The decision reversed a lower court ruling by citing a 1999 law that changed the state’s criminal code to include a living fetus of 12 weeks gestation in the definition of a person.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20010511/aponline063125_001.htm The US House voted Thursday 252-165 to withhold some funds slated for the United Nations, until the United States is reinstated on a U.N. Commission on Human […]

Hear Michael Coren’s reaction to the National Post article by Gordon Gibson concerning the influence of pro-lifers in the Canadian Alliance.  https://www.lifesitenews.com/coren/audio/051401gibsonarticle.rm See U of Western’s Prof. Ian Hunter’s column in today’s National Post entitled: “Humpty Dumpty’s take on free speech Say, see and do what you want, but don’t dare oppose abortion.”  https://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?f=/stories/20010514/562329.html Scottish pro-lifers are planning to carry out citizens’ arrests on abortionists committing illegal abortions in order to have the matter addressed in court. The pro-life group Precious Life has gathered information showing that the 1967 Abortion Act does not permit late-term abortions and those performed for […]

NEW YORK, May 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi is attempting to use his influence to pressure Wal-Mart to sell the abortifacient morning after pill Preven. Hevesi, who is campaigning for mayor, was ridiculed for his obvious electioneering by Mayor Guiliani’s spokesperson Sunny Mindel. “Once again, Alan Hevesi is putting political pandering ahead of his responsibilities as the city’s chief fiscal officer,” said Mindel. The New York Post reported that Hevesi claimed his interest in the case was genuine because of his role as an adviser on investing the city’s pension funds, which own more than […]

DENVER, May 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Pro-abortion U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette was uninvited from a speaking engagement at a dinner put on by the Denver Archdiocesan Housing Committee. When pro-lifers learned of the speaking engagement through a newspaper announcement, emails, faxes, calls and letters informed Denver’s Archbishop Charles Chaput who reacted by demanding that the invitation for DeGette be withdrawn. DeGette vetted her outrage at being uninvited with the media and in a letter to the bishop. She admitted that she was surprised by the invitation to speak considering her own pro-abortion views but whined that her rejection was due […]

VANCOUVER, May 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Mary Wagner, the 26-year-old pro-lifer in BC who has served time in prison for praying within an abortuary bubble zone, was convicted of breach of probation in court Friday and sentenced to 18 months probation. Miss Wagner was charged following a confusing series of events which began when she was sentenced on October 16 for a previous ‘violation’ of the ‘access to abortion’ bubble-zone law. Miss Wagner maintains that on that occasion she was released without having been given a copy of her probationary conditions, but recalls having been instructed by Justice Craig to […]

HERNANDO, FLA, May 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – An 19 year old girl has had a very happy Mother’s day after giving birth to a healthy baby despite having been injected with the chemical abortifacient methotrexate at an abortuary. The St. Petersburg Times reported yesterday on the “miracle” birth of Alexandria Nicole Saia born April 5. While still 18, Nicole Saia found herself pregnant and was pressured by the father of the child to have an abortion. Nicole relates: “When I went to the abortion clinic, I talked to the counselor. I was crying and I told her that I didn’t […]

OTTAWA, May 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Most March for Life activities this year took place on Friday, May 11, but the day before, in conjunction with the March, the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus (PPLC) held a press conference to affirm their support for pro-life values. The three co-chairs, Maurice Vellacott, Elsie Wayne and Paul Steckle all issued statements. Mr. Steckle, the Liberal co-chair, mentioned the recent majority support given by Parliament to a motion about the need to combat Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He noted the hypocrisy of such a vote in light of Parliament’s refusal to acknowledge the humanity of the […]

OTTAWA, May 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – March for Life 2001 was a success with some 3,300 in attendance in the nation’s capital on Friday, demanding an end to discrimination against unborn babies. The most remarkable feature of this year’s March was the large percentage of young people in the ranks of the pro-life demonstrators. This trend has been growing each year to the point that the march is becoming a more youth-oriented event. Members of Parliament who addressed the crowd were especially impressed with the number of youths and young families. The long, impressive line of marchers and their sea […]

Members of the US Congress are considering withholding money from the United Nations in response to the decision to kick the United States off the human rights commission while leaving Sudan on the panel. A planned amendment to State Department legislation, backed by Republican Representative Henry Hyde and Democratic Representative Tom Lantos, would protect a $582 million UN dues payment but withhold a final $244 million payment until the United States regains the Human Rights Commission seat it lost last week.  https://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=71358 Fox News reports that laws against sodomy have been repealed in Arizona.  https://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,24289,00.html The Omaha World Tribune reports […]

OTTAWA, May 10, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A new Environics poll says 55% of Canadians strongly (29%) or somewhat (26%) support marriage between same-sex couples while 41% of Canadians strongly (30%) or somewhat (11%) oppose it. The survey conducted between April 5 and 24 says that the number of Canadians approving of homosexuality has doubled in the last five years with 21% of Canadians strongly approving of homosexuality and 23% somewhat approving. In contrast, 37% of Canadians say they strongly (24%) or somewhat (13%) disapproved of homosexuality. The National Post reports that 73% of respondents aged 18-29 supported homosexual marriage but […]

EDMONTON, May 10, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Lorne Gunter, a columnist with the Edmonton Journal and an Editorial Board Member at The National Post responded to a piece in yesterday’s Post calling on the Canadian Alliance to “lose the pro-life fight.” In his rebuttal, Gunter points out that “While pro-lifers admit their ultimate goal is a ban on most or all abortions, they would be happy with any victory, even a tiny one, such as outlawing the grotesque practice of partial-birth abortion. By contrast, the suggestion of even the slightest restriction sends pro-choicers into histrionics. To call even just for a […]

OTTAWA, May 10, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The short form of the Canadian Census for May 2001 asks about homosexual relationships. Question Number 5 asks: “IS THIS PERSON LIVING WITH A COMMON-LAW PARTNER?” then goes on to explain that “Common-law refers to two people of the opposite sex or of the same sex who live together as a couple but who are not legally married to each other.” Question Number 6 then asks for the: “RELATIONSHIP TO PERSON 1” and explains “For each person living here, describe his/her relationship to Person 1.” Each person in the house hold is numbered and […]

TORONTO, May 10, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Ontario Conservative Government has introduced a plan to give a partial tax credit to parents who choose to send their children to private schools. During his budget presentation yesterday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced the “Equity in Education Tax Credit” officially described as to “assist parents who want their children educated in their religion and culture but find the cost of sending their children to independent schools prohibitive.” The government proposes to phase in a partial tax credit, beginning in the 2002 taxation year, that would be provided for kindergarten, elementary and secondary […]

Catholic News Service reports that Catholics United for the Faith is urging its 10,000 members to pray daily that the church “take appropriate, decisive action” against Catholic politicians who support abortion. “We encourage pastors of souls who have pro-abortion Catholic legislators within their jurisdiction to exercise their moral and, if need be, canonical authority to bear prophetic witness to the truth,” said an eight-page position paper issued by the group April 30. Calling abortion “a pressing human rights issue” and “always and everywhere an abominable crime,” the paper noted that there are currently about 70 Catholics in Congress “who consider […]

The “Family Planning Association” is going to court to try to force Northern Ireland to provide abortions. In the High Court in Belfast the association in Northern Ireland will seek leave to apply for a judicial review.  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=LxhbxiNd&atmo=LxhbxiNd&pg=/et/01/5/9/nabor09.html

Hear Michael Coren’s LifeSite commentary on the BC elections at:  https://www.lifesitenews.com/coren/audio/050801bcelection.rm Also see LifeSite’s BC Election page now detailing candidates views on life issues:  https://www.lifesitenews.com/elections/provincial/BC/index.html

PARIS, May 9, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The United States has submitted a request to the French government for the extradition of James Kopp, suspected in the shooting death of abortionist Barnett Slepian. AP reports that France’s Justice Ministry received the request on Friday and that a court in the northwest city of Rennes has three months to decide whether Kopp will be extradited. While French justice officials have said Kopp would not be extradited if he risks facing the death penalty in the United States, U.S. Attorney Denise O’Donnell said, “The death penalty issue has not yet arisen in this […]

VANCOUVER, May 9, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Gordon Gibson, one-time provincial Liberal leader in British Columbia, has called on the Canadian Alliance to abandon its deeply held views on grassroots process and shut down pro-life members of the party. In a column in today’s National Post, Gibson says that “Stockwell Day’s winning margin as leader of the Alliance was provided by pro-lifers” and says that in a leadership battle “pro-life might sustain Mr. Day in as leader.” However, Gibson pontificates that this is the death knell for the Alliance and thus urges the party to “go outside its own constitutional provisions” […]

WASHINGTON, DC, May 9, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Dr. Robert Spitzer, “the” instrumental figure in the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from its diagnostic manual of mental disorders, has announced a new study, which has altered his beliefs on the issue. “Like most psychiatrists,” says Spitzer, “I thought that homosexual behavior could be resisted, but sexual orientation could not be changed. I now believe that’s untrue—some people can and do change.” Spitzer presented his study today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. In the most detailed investigation of sexual orientation change to date, Spitzer interviewed […]

SURREY, May 9, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Elections BC has ordered Our Lady of Good Counsel church to cover up a church sign during the advance poll and on Election Day. The location has been designated a polling place for the May 16 BC election. The sign in question depicts an unborn child with Mother Theresa caption “God’s gift to the Family.” It also offers contact numbers for various crisis pregnancy help lines. John Hof, President of Campaign Life Coalition BC, is shocked that Elections BC would impose this arbitrary restriction on a church. “Their mandate should only extend to political […]

Massachusetts is joining other states in considering legislation that would require doctors to tell women they may be at greater risk of breast cancer if they have an abortion.  https://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,22955,00.html An exclusive Jewish Manhattan private school has banned Mother’s Day saying it is discriminatory to homosexual men who raise children together.  https://www.nypostonline.com/commentary/30052.htm Pro-Life Info-Net reported that the Archbishop of Cincinnati led a pro-life prayer vigil outside an abortuary. About 250 pro-life advocates met outside the Women’s Med Center abortion facility on Friday as the Rev. Daniel Pilarczyk, Archbishop of Cincinnati, held a prayer vigil. (Dayton Daily News; May 5, 2001)

KAMPALA, May 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala of Kampala was quoted in newspapers in Uganda as condemning abortion and all its euphemisms as propounded by the United Nations. The Cardinal warned of “Sensitization seminars with catching names as reproductive health, family planning, safe motherhood.” He rejected the deceptive language saying, “The words are very persuasive but what is contained inside is the gospel of death.” The Cardinal condemned the so-called health clinics where “Abortion and contraceptives are preached daily . . . you know them and they all speak the same language. Their duty is to terminate life.” […]

AUSTIN, May 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Texas Medical Association has endorsed abstinence, defining it in their policy as “the healthiest and most effective way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in unmarried adolescents.” The Houston Chronicle reports that doctors who met at the TMA’s annual meeting Friday debated the primary promotion of abstinence. Dr. John Gill, a Dallas orthopedic surgeon and one of the delegates in attendance said, “We hope this strong statement by the medical community will empower parents. We’re not afraid to take a stand on risky behaviors such as drugs, smoking and drinking and driving. […]

OAKVILLE, ON, May 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Barbara Cadbury, the founder of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada (PPFC), has died at age 91 in Oakville, Ontario. Planned Parenthood reports that Mrs Cadbury and her late husband George led the campaign for ‘family planning’ in Canada throughout the 60s, and worked with the infamous eugenicist Margaret Sanger as editor of the magazine “Round the World News of Population and Birth Control”, published by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). Following Sanger’s racist reasoning that the populations of colored people should be reduced, in 1954, under IPPF’s auspices, the Cadburys […]

PRINCETON, May 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – It was a Canadian, Harold T. Shapiro, who gave Princeton University notoriety for having given tenure to one of the world’s best-known promoters of infanticide – Dr. Peter Singer. Dr. Shirley Tilghman, another Canadian, is replacing Shapiro as Princeton University president after Shapiro announced his retirement after serving at the post for 13 years. While the fact that Tilghman will be the first female president the University has had, the appointment will not do much to pull Princeton out of the ethical gutter it jumped into with Singer. As head of the National Institutes […]

OTTAWA, May 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais has put out a letter in support for the 2001 March for Life. In his letter, the archbishop welcomes “all Catholics and people of good will who call for an end to discrimination” to “join others from across the nation on Parliament Hill to stand for the sanctity of all human life.” Picking up on the theme for this year’s March – “No to Discrimination” – Archbishop Gervais says, “Discrimination is also practiced by people who uphold the archaic view that children in the womb are not human beings, and […]

The Family Research Council has come out against the morning-after pill saying that it causes “the destruction of a human life already conceived- That is Abortion, Not Contraception.” FRC’s Life Policy Analyst Teresa Wagner said, “Unfortunately, some groups within the medical profession are aiding the abortion industry by deliberately toying with the terminology of pregnancy: They falsely claim that pregnancy begins upon implantation of the embryonic human being in the uterus, rather than at the time of fertilization when the life is created.”  https://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-01-2001/0001482772&EDATE= Catholic News Service reports that the late pro-life hero Cardinal John J. O’Connor, who died May […]

The first admitted live births of genetically altered humans have been reported. The children have genetic material from two women and one man as scientists used genetic material from a donor to overcome their mother’s infertility problems. This is the first reported case of successful ‘germ line therapy’, a practice banned in most countries since the genetic alterations will be passed on to successive generations.  https://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/newsid_1312000/1312708.stm

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Over three years after mercilessly and culpably allowing the death of one of his patients, abortionist Dr. John Biskind has finally been sentenced to five years in prison. In April 1998 LouAnne Herron, was left to bleed to death after Biskind punctured her uterus during a late term abortion she underwent at the now-closed A-Z Women’s Center. On Friday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Wilkinson also ordered Biskind to pay $12,841.40 in restitution. He has 20 days to file an appeal. Biskind’s abortuary administrator, Carol Stuart-Schadoff, 63, was found guilty of negligent […]

BLOOMINGTON, MINN., May 7 (LSN.ca) – American Life League and the Population Research Institute are presenting a major pro-life conference this June 20-24 in Bloomington. “A Celebration of Life World Family Conference” plans an opening Mass with Bishop John Yanta of Amarillo Texas followed by a Pro-Life Youth Rally, a United Nations training day, a banquet to honor Father Paul Marx founder of Human Life International and much more. The conference list of speakers includes Judie Brown of American Life League, Steven Mosher of Population Research Institute, Joe Scheidler of Pro-life Action League, Jim Hughes of Canada’s Campaign Life Coalition […]

NEW YORK, May 7, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Dolores Cross, who served on the National Abortion Rights Action League’s “National Commission of America Without Roe’”, will be given an honorary doctorate today by Seton Hall University. Fr. Peter West of Priests for Life points out the scandal noting “Catholic schools bestowing honors on abortion advocates weakens the Church’s witness to the sanctity of human life.” In an email letter on the subject Fr. West asked, “If Dolores Cross were discovered to be a racist, anti-Semite or anti-Catholic she would be immediately uninvited. Why don’t we have the same reaction to those […]

OTTAWA, May 7, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) issued a press release Tuesday indicating that the Government of Canada “gave 9.1 million Canadian dollars in 2000 as its regular contribution to the UNFPA.” The release notes that the Government, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has decided to grant an extra $900,000 for 2001 to procure contraceptives for developing countries. The massive donations to UNFPA is very disturbing to pro-life Canadians as it is well known that the UNFPA supports China’s draconian one-child policy. In October 1998 the U.S. Congress, with strong bi-partisan support, refused […]

OTTAWA, May 7, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The pro-life arm of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) organization has endorsed the March for Life 2001. In a letter released Friday the Catholic Organization for Life and Family invites Canadians to partake in the May 11 March for Life in Ottawa noting that “People from across the country will come to Ottawa to stand up for life, particularly the life of the smallest and most vulnerable human being, the unborn child.” Quoting from a homily delivered by Pope John Paul II in Washington at the beginning of his pontificate, the CCCB […]

Agape Press reports that for the first time in the organization’s history, an open homosexual will lead the American Civil Liberties Union. In a statement, which may cause particular concern for conservatives everywhere, Anthony Romero says he will work to make the ACLU even more prominent in local communities.  https://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/32001b.asp President Bush has signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to post a notice informing union workers of a 1988 Supreme Court decision. It says workers can ask for a refund of all dues not spent on collective bargaining. The move will assist workers from unknowingly funding leftist political causes […]

The German state of Bavaria is fighting a law granting basically all the rights of marriage to homosexuals. The mostly Catholic state has asked for an injunction to stop the law from taking effect on August 1. https://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_282532.html US doctor confirms China is selling organs from prisoners. https://www.VillageVoice.com/issues/0118/baard.shtml

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The National Conference of Catholic Bishops is demanding that pro-abortion physicians stop lying about the abortifacient effects of the morning after pill. Cathleen Cleaver, spokesperson for the NCCB, responded Wednesday to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) call to promote advance prescriptions of the so-called “morning after” pill. Dr. Thomas Purdon, the new head of ACOG, issued the call on Monday at ACOG’s annual meeting. Dr. Purdon and ACOG claim falsely that the pill is “emergency contraception” which will reduce abortions. “American women are being misled: this drug will act as an […]

SPRINGFIELD, IL, May 4, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Elliot Institute has joined a national effort to give post-abortive women a voice in the federal courts. According to Dr. David Reardon, director of the Elliot Institute and a nationally recognized expert on post-abortion complications, “This is a great opportunity, through legal affidavits, for women to provide testimony to the federal courts, and ultimately to the Supreme Court, regarding the devastating effects abortion has had on their lives.” Thousands of affidavits from post-abortive women are being gathered in which women describe how they were either pressured into unwanted abortions, misinformed about risks, […]

UNFPA Ramps Up War On Third World Population ISTANBUL, May 4, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A press release from the United Nations Population Fund reports that the organization is seeking nearly $1 billion for “family planning supplies (read: abortifacient drugs and devices) and condoms.” Moreover, the press release notes that an additional $4 billion will be required to make “these commodities accessible in developing countries” in 2002. UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid made the plug for cash at a forum set up by wealthy corporations interested in third world population control including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Population Action International, […]

St. Joseph’s Hospital’s 30 Pieces of Silver HAMILTON, May 4, 2001 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite has published a few photos of the pro-life protest outside the venue where former US President Bill Clinton spoke yesterday at a fundraiser for a Catholic hospital. Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition joined in the protest holding a sign reading “Yes! I’m judgmental. Bill Clinton = Abortion.” Hamilton-born physician, Dr. Paul Ranalli, has granted LifeSite permission to reproduce his opinion piece, which was published in the Hamilton Spectator. In his hard-hitting article, Dr. Ranalli concludes that “Even before the final take is counted, […]

NEW YORK, May 4, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Two new studies have shown yet again that there are ethical sources of stem cells, negating the push for the nightmarish use of living human embryos for such research. Ethical stem cell research can thus be conducted using stem cells from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placentas, human fat tissue, and the brain cells from deceased adults. In a study published in the journal Cell today, lead researchers, Dr. Neil Theise of New York University School of Medicine and Dr. Diane Krause of Yale University School of Medicine, show that stem cells derived […]

US LOSES VOTE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE In a surprise vote by members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council Thursday, the United States lost its seat on the UN Human Rights Commission. The United States polled last among the four candidates for three seats allocated to Western European and associated countries on the Geneva-based commission. https://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500557825- 500796399-504267503-0,00.html?group=global The House International Relations Committee voted 26-22 yesterday to overturn President Bush’s Mexico City Policy. However, conservative leaders are confident the pro-abortion measure will not pass in the House. https://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20010503/t000037365.html Employing a delay tactic, the Bush administration has stated that […]

VANCOUVER, B.C., May 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The British Columbia election is less than two weeks away and pro-life candidate evaluations have been carried out by Campaign Life Coalition British Columbia (CLCBC). CLCBC President John Hof told LifeSite that the election was progressing very well in BC with Chris Delaney, leader of the Unity Party (the only party with a pro-life plank) with a 39% approval rating in the polls. On May 16, the Liberal Party of BC is set to defeat the NDP. While the Liberal Party is also pro-abortion, the NDP were militantly so, having made the pro-abortion […]

HAMILTON, May 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Former US President Bill Clinton arrived in a 20-car motorcade to the Hamilton, Ontario banquet hall for his speech at a Catholic hospital fundraiser yesterday. Some 50 city police officers, 40 RCMP and an undisclosed number of secret service agents patrolled the area with little to do since roadblocks prevented many protestors from arriving at their destination or delayed others long past Clinton’s arrival time. The front of the dinner dinner hall was blocked off by steel crowd control fences, with snipers on the rooftop. A nearby gun was club shut down and a […]

OTTAWA, May 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Health Minister Allan Rock appeared today before the Standing Committee on Health to present draft legislation on New Reproductive Technologies. From a pro-life perspective the proposed legislation is fundamentally flawed from beginning to end. While the legislation does ban cloning, both reproductive and therapeutic, the legislation allows for the destructive use of human embryos for research purposes. The document speaks of respecting “human dignity” on the part of the human embryos but then goes on to allow experimentation on these tiny helpless human beings. The document specifically allows for “the derivation of stem cells […]

NEW YORK, May 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite reporters are on the scene at the Intercessional meeting for the preparatory committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly on Children. They report that the European Union, Canada and Latin American countries are pushing for anti-life and anti-family additions to the outcome document. After a January preparatory conference, where many member states expressed displeasure with the draft document “A World Fit For Children,” the document was redrafted, giving rise to the current intercessional meeting. The European Union, pushing its social leftist agenda, is seeking to include a statement on “the […]

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, May 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A document which outlines a plot to assassinate Catholic Church and other pro-life leaders in Nicaragua, has prompted Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman to order police to provide special protection for Managua’s Cardinal Miguel Obando and several of the country’s Catholic bishops. The document, allegedly produced by a pro-abortion group and which was given to Cardinal Obando by trustworthy sources, contains a plan to “wipe out” bishops, priests and laymen who are fighting the legalization of abortion in the country. State-owned Radio Nicaragua reported on the news and quoted Cardinal Obando warning that the […]

A federal appeals court yesterday struck down a court order that prevented members of the pro-life group Christian Defense Coalition from coming within 20 feet of any abortuary within the Capital Beltway, saying the measure was “overbroad.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30475-2001May1.html The pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Law and Policy reports today that U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) is poised to introduce legislation to reverse President Bush’s reinstatement of the “Mexico City policy.” The initiative is part of an organized coordination of pro-abortion groups to overthrow the pro-life policy.  https://www.crlp.org/pr_01_0501hircggr.html https://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=14543 Time magazine has done a profile on the pro-abortion group Medical Students for […]

SYDNEY, May 2, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is set to go to the High Court to argue against a federal court decision last year allowing lesbians and single women use of in vitro fertilization to become pregnant. The High Court has granted intervenor status in the case to the feminist group, “The Women’s Electoral Lobby,” who will argue against the church’s position. The Catholic Church condemns all in vitro fertilization since, among other things, it causes the loss of life for numerous embryos created. The argument in this case will be more specifically to the tragedy […]

LONDON, May 2, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Britain’s longest established pro-life group, has been granted leave by the High Court in London for a legal challenge to sales of the abortifacient morning-after pill from pharmacists. On Wednesday, the High Court granted permission to bring a judicial review of the reclassification of the Levonelle-2 morning-after pill as a drug available to women over 16 from pharmacists without a doctor’s prescription. John Smeaton, SPUC’s national director, was pleased with the decision to allow a hearing. He said, “this is a major public policy issue […]

OTTAWA, May 2, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Stockwell Day, Leader of the Official Opposition, released a statement after the Alliance caucus meeting today saying, “I am pleased to announce that Canadian Alliance Members of Parliament unanimously endorsed the steps outlined in a strategic plan presented this morning. The plan contains a ‘to do’ list for every one in the party, including myself.” In an article in today’s National Post, writer Don Martin, lays out some of the facts around the very public rupture within the Alliance caucus, suggesting that they point to an organized conspiracy. In “Et tu, Preston, Deb, Chuck, […]

OTTAWA, May 2, 2001 (LSN.ca) – As the March for Life – May 11 – nears, thousands of hours of preparation and planning are coming to fruition. In Ottawa pro-life MPs are preparing to address the assembled crowd and pro-lifers from across the country have begun preparations for their journey to the nation’s capital to stand up for the unborn. In that spirit, LifeSite has revamped and updated its March for Life page. In addition to all the information and contact numbers you will need to attend this year’s March, you will also find photos, slideshows and videos of past […]

Catholics and Pro-lifers Being Forced Out of Ob/Gyn Profession ST. JOHN’S, Nfld., May 2 (2001) – Dr. Robert Walley, Founder of MaterCare International and one of the organizers of a conference in Rome sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, has said that the West is forcing its anti-life philosophy on mothers in developing countries through agencies of the UN.” The comments came in an interview published yesterday by Zenit News promoting the June 17-20 conference entitled “The Future of Obstetrics and Gynecology: The Fundamental Human Right to Be Trained According to Conscience.” Dr. Walley, professor of OB-GYN […]

HAMILTON, May 2, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Far from being embarrassed at having consented to a fundraiser starring former US President Bill Clinton, St. Joseph’s Catholic hospital in Hamilton, Ontario is set to give the notorious partial-birth-abortion supporter a gift. The front page of today’s Hamilton Spectator carries a photo of Kathy Wellwood, “a director at St. Joe’s Foundation,” showing “Bill Clinton’s gift for his visit here.” LifeSite will be at the protest outside the Hamilton venue where Clinton will be speaking tonight. As LifeSite reported earlier, pro-lifers are staging a peaceful “welcome” outside Carmen’s Banquet Centre from 5:00 to 6:30 […]

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has assailed a New York Senator who’s letter linked Priests for Life’s Fr. Frank Pavone with violence. Cathleen Cleaver, director of planning and information for the pro-life secretariat of the NCCB, wrote to Schneiderman, saying his remarks about Father Pavone, and “by extension, others in the pro-life community” could only be described as “misleading, insulting and inflammatory.”  See original story: https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/apr/010425.html#5 The telling story of a day in the life of an abortuary.  https://news.excite.com:80/news/uw/010423/university-16

Fabien Leboeuf, the former executive director of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (during the scandal around the World March of Women) has been replaced by Robert Letendre effective May 14.  https://www.devp.org/testA/news/communiquesau-a.htm The British High Court ruled against a fertility clinic wanting to implant more than three embryos at a time in fertility treatments. The case involved a woman aged 46 who has attempted IVF eight times unsuccessfully.  https://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/story.jsp?story=68596 Annanova reports that Brazil’s Health Ministry is planning to include condoms in the food baskets it distributes every month to poor workers, in a supposed effort to prevent the […]

CHICAGO, May 1, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Dr. Thomas F. Purdon, the newly appointed head of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, used his first opportunity to address the ob/gyn College as its leader to urge doctors to grant advance prescriptions of the abortifacient morning after pill. Purdon, incoming president of the College, presented the plan to circumvent the block on over-the-counter availability while the group continues to advocate for over-the-counter sales. Speaking enthusiastically in support of the abortifacients Purdon said, “The impact is just incredible, and I don’t think that we’ve paid enough attention to it.” See the AP […]

LONDON, May 1, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The British government is proposing genetic screening of babies for all pregnant mothers to detect Down’s syndrome and other disorders. Twenty pilot projects have been set up and the BBC reports that by 2004 all pregnant women will be offered non-invasive Down’s syndrome tests. While the government is attempting to paint the screening tests as beneficial to the babies, the British pro-life group, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has expressed concern. A SPUC spokesman commented: “Experience indicates that women who receive positive test results for these conditions are put under great […]

VERNON, BC, May 1, 2001 (LSN.ca) – On February 12, Dr. Laurance Jordan, Vernon British Columbia’s lone abortionist, was ordered to pay $70,000 for a botched tubal ligation. Beverly Gail Brandon went to court for alleged medical malpractice following a tubal ligation, which was carried out by Jordan on December 11, 1998. Court transcripts note that “in the course of the operation, the plaintiff’s aorta, where it passed through her abdomen, was cut or punctured causing considerable bleeding.” Although Justice Wilkinson noted that the patient had been warned of the dangers of the operation, he nevertheless awarded Brandon $70,000. General […]

HAMILTON, ON, May 1, 2001 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite has learned that metal barriers have been erected around Hamilton’s Carmen’s Banquet Centre in anticipation of President Clinton’s visit. Hamilton media also report that the Hamilton Gun Club, which is located nearby, is also to be shut down for the duration of Clinton’s appearance. As LifeSite reported yesterday, pro-lifers are staging a peaceful protest tomorrow outside the Banquet Centre from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.. However, security concerns over the event are likely linked more to rumours that other groups, such as Serbian groups and those affected by the tainted blood scandal, are […]