Politics
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Monday February 26, 2001
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Print- PRO-LIFER ARRESTED IN B.C. FOR VIOLATING BUBBLE ZONE
- CALGARY BISHOP REBUKES CHRETIEN AND CLARK AS "SCANDALOUS"
- NEW DISCOVERY ERODES RATIONALE FOR USING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS
- CHRISTIAN U.S. SENATOR WELCOMES ADVICE
- ABORTED WOMAN WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST PLANNED PARENTHOOD
- PRO-FAMILY FORCES SEEK TO BLOCK EXPECTED BUSH APPOINTMENT TO CANADA
- BUSH MAY BACK KYOTO PROTOCOL
- LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
- US NEWS ROUNDUP
PRO-LIFER ARRESTED IN B.C. FOR VIOLATING BUBBLE ZONE
TODAY'S HEADLINES
VANCOUVER, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - He used to be a militant pro-abortion activist, but Merle Terlesky, who switched to the pro-life side of the abortion conflict last year, has now been arrested for protesting against abortion in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Kamloops Daily News reported today that Mr. Terlesky was arrested and jailed Friday evening while attending a pro-life meeting. The arrest stemmed from a warrant dated back to February 1 and based on alleged violations of the province's bubble zone legislation as it pertains to Vancouver's Everywoman's Health Centre.
Mr. Terlesky is being charged with violating the bubble zone law and for uttering threats against abortuary workers, an allegation which he vigorously denies. "I categorically deny making threats to clinic staff or patients or anyone within the vicinity of the clinic," he told the Kamloops paper. He was released from jail Saturday morning after agreeing to comply with the orders of his release.
John Hof, president of Campaign Life Coalition British Columbia, says he is looking into Mr. Terlesky's arrest. He took the opportunity to attack the bubble zone law, which bans abortion protesting within 50 metres of the entrance of Everywoman's clinic. Pro-life protesters do not have the same freedoms as other British Columbians when it comes to taking a stand against something they don't believe in. "You can protest APEC, the World Trade Organization and all these others things, but you can't pray about abortion in a bubble zone. It's insane," he said.
For more, see:
http://www.southam.com/kamloopsdailynews/
Back to TopCALGARY BISHOP REBUKES CHRETIEN AND CLARK AS "SCANDALOUS"
CALGARY, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Alberta's Catholic Bishop Fred Henry, surprised pro-lifers today with a column published in the Calgary Sun chastising Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark for their "pro-choice" stance on abortion. Both leaders profess to be Catholic themselves, although, as Bishop Henry noted, "no Catholic can responsibly take a 'pro-choice' stand when the 'choice' in question involves the taking of innocent human life."
The column came as a surprise because of Bishop Henry's recent hostility to pro-lifers over the March of Women. He was a strong advocate of Catholic participation in the openly pro-abortion, pro-homosexual March, although the Bishop's past record has been one of being publicly pro-life.
Citing some of the Liberal and Tory leaders' more recent comments on abortion, voiced during the recent election campaign, Bishop Henry called the conduct of both men "scandalous." Citing Pope John Paul II, he wrote that civil leaders have a duty "to make courageous choices in support of life, especially through legislative measures. No one can ever renounce this responsibility, especially when he or she has a legislative or decision-making mandate which calls that person to answer to God, to his or her own conscience and to the whole of society for choices which may be contrary to the common good." (Evangelicum Vitae 90).
For the complete article, go to:
http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/henry.html
NEW DISCOVERY ERODES RATIONALE FOR USING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS
SCOTLAND, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Those who support the use of embryonic stem cells for research (killing the unborn child in the process) are rapidly losing their justification for continuing this practise. BBC reported Friday that the company which cloned the infamous "Dolly" sheep has announced a new discovery which could make the use of adult stem cells an even more viable alternative than it already is.
The American subsidiary of Edinburgh-based PPL Therapeutics has succeeded in converting skin tissue from cows into beating heart cells. This was done by 're-winding' the genetic clock of the skin cells so as to create 'unprogrammed' master stem cells. "The reverted cells were then programmed to develop into functioning beating heart cells, in the laboratory," reported the British broadcaster. Dr. Ron James, managing director of the company, said that he believed the technology would be equally applicable to humans."
The news was welcomed by religious leaders and pro-life forces. It is an "encouraging breakthrough" and "certainly a step in the right direction," said Dr. Donald Bruce, a spokesman for the Church of Scotland, upon hearing of the breakthrough.
For more, see:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1186000/1186291.stm
CHRISTIAN U.S. SENATOR WELCOMES ADVICE
WASHINGTON, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - An elder at the Winchester (Kansas) Reformed Presbyterian Church was elected to the state senate in the Nov. 7 American elections last year. The latest issue of the RP magazine, Covenanter Witness (CW), reports Bob Lyon as saying that he is "assembling a group of email advisors to help assist in developing public policy that is consistent with God's Word. Anyone who is interested in being a part of that group, please feel free to email me at He told CW: "We pray for God's protection, strength, and mercy, and that He would be please to use these earthen vessels. Please continue to pray for a reformation of government, such that Christ would be honored, and biblical law would be revered."
According to a local publication, the Leavenworth Times, he won on a platform that identified as a top priority, "restoring moral responsibility to state government. He received 54% of the vote. The RPCNA (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America) is an openly pro-life denomination that supports the protection of human life from conception to natural death.
ABORTED WOMAN WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST PLANNED PARENTHOOD
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - There is growing evidence of the damage done to women through abortion. The recent manslaughter conviction of Arizona abortionist John Biskind over the death of one of his abortion patients may be just the tip of the iceberg. These cases, however, rarely lead to legal prosecutions, often because women don't want to add the intensity of court proceedings to their already battered emotions stemming from the abortion.
A 28-year-old woman in California, however, has just won a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood, stemming from what has been called a botched first-trimester abortion in 1997. She was awarded $672,610. A baby missing two limbs was aborted from her several weeks after she was supposed to have had her baby killed. It is believed that she had twins, with the second baby being undetected by the abortionists.
The trial dealt only with how much J.B. (the only identification provided for the woman who launched the suit) was owed for her pain, not whether Planned Parenthood was liable. An attorney for Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, said the abortion agency would appeal the award. Since the woman's abortion, her lawyer says, she has been haunted by visions of babies being killed, has contemplated suicide, and cries uncontrollably at the sight of young children, especially twins.
(with files fro Pro-Life Infonet)
PRO-FAMILY FORCES SEEK TO BLOCK EXPECTED BUSH APPOINTMENT TO CANADA
MASSACHUSETTS, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci is expected to be U.S. President George Bush's choice as Ambassador to Canada. Not everyone is happy about this. Americans for Truth (AfT) is one the leading organizations fighting it on the basis of Mr.Cellucci's track record on homosexuality. "More than 20 local and national groups have signed on to a petition opposing the Cellucci nomination, with more signing on each day," reports AfT. Among those organizations are the local chapters of national groups such as Concerned Women for America, the Catholic Action League, the Eagle Forum, and The Knights of Columbus.
As part of its campaign to block the appointment, AfT is distributing a copy of what it calls the "Fistgate" audiotape to every U.S. Senator. The tape, produced by Parents Rights Coalition of Massachusetts, is based on an undercover recording of a March 2000 conference workshop about 'Queer Sex' sponsored by the Boston affiliate of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)," reports AfT. "Three Massachusetts government employees led the GLSEN workshop advertised as 'for youth only, 14-21' and gave 'how to' discussions about homosexual sex acts, including the dangerous practice known in 'gay' slang as 'fisting.'
The charge against Gov. Cellucci is that he is an "ardent supporter of taxpayer-funded, pro-homosexual programs in the state's schools." Last July, AfT adds, "Cellucci also snubbed [pro-life] Ambassador Alan Keyes, who came to Boston to address a rally of parents opposed to the growing promotion of homosexuality to students. (He rudely declined to greet Keyes, who was then welcomed by the Democrat-controlled legislature.)"
For more information, go to:
http://www.americansfortruth.org/CellucciPressRelease.html
http://www.americansfortruth.org/CellucciWrongs.html
http://www.massnews.com/marfist.htm
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0014892.html
BUSH MAY BACK KYOTO PROTOCOL
WASHINGTON, Feb 26, 2001 (LSN.ca) - The Greening Earth Society, an organization which challenges the conventional wisdom on global warming, issued an urgent bulletin this afternoon, saying that they "have learned that President Bush's address to Congress and the nation tomorrow night includes a line supporting a multi-pollutant strategy on clean air. This is code for regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant." Among other things, says the society, this "amounts to de facto unilateral implementation of the Kyoto Protocol." They are urging Americans to express their views on the matter to the White House before tomorrow night's speech.
White House E-Mail Addresses:
President George W. Bush:
Vice President Dick Cheney:
The White House Phone Numbers
VOICE: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD:202-456-6213 (Comment Line)
FAX: 202-456-2461
To contact Chris Paynter of the Greening Earth Society for more information, call (800) 529-4503.
LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
* Garry Breitkreuz's Private Members' Motion, M-228, on redefining a human being to include unborn children is scheduled for debate on March 16. It was not granted votable status by the parliamentary committee that makes such decisions, so it will only receive one hour of debate and then dismissed from parliamentary business. Previous LifeSite coverage is at
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/feb/0102122 .html
* The Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC) has come out swinging against the Liberals over a planned amendment to immigration law to allow homosexuals to sponsor same-sex partners into the country under "family class" provisions. This move discriminates against married couples, notes the pro-family group, because it means that "real family members and spouses will now have to compete with homosexuals wanting to bring in their sexual partners and/or acquaintances." For Thursday's LifeSite report, go to
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/feb/0102223 .html
* "Is Making Divorce Easier Bad for Children? The Long-Run Implications of Unilateral Divorce," is a new study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research discussing the damage done to children by divorce. Among other findings, the American study shows that children who grew up in states with no-fault divorce were less educated, more likely to drop out of high school, and generally live in families with lower incomes.
http://www.zenit.org/english/archive/0102/WA010224.html#item3
* The United Way is feeling the heat from the recent youth conference in Barrie co-sponsored by The United Way of Greater Simcoe County, which included a workshop covering the topic of sado-masochistic sex. In a letter to complainants, they respond in part that "the United Way now recognizes that it should have exercised greater vigilance to ensure that the content of events associated with the United Way is consistent with United Way's mission and values. United Way of Canada was not involved in creating or planning this event, which was entirely of a local nature. We regret any misunderstandings that may have occurred as a result of the negative publicity that surrounded this particular workshop at the Youth Conference." See LifeSite's earlier coverage at
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/feb/010208.html
US NEWS ROUNDUP
* Many people today hope that genetic research will increasingly link behaviour to a person's genetic make-up rather than to moral choice decision-making. Craig Venter, president of Celera Genomics, which is mapping the human genome, however, recently commented that, "those who are looking for forgiveness of responsibility for their own lives in the genetic code will be very disappointed." (reported in the Federalist Digest)
* Dan Martino is sometimes the only pro-lifer standing outside Florida's Supreme Court protesting abortion, but he's been there almost every day since 1989. When asked if he gets discouraged when he's standing there by himself, he responds in the negative: "One person can make a difference because one with the Lord Jesus is a majority," he affirms.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/222001d.asp
* The Arizona state Senate has already passed three bills (SB 1310, SB 1306 and SB 1315) by a preliminary vote that would strengthen restrictions against physicians who have previously been disciplined for medical errors. The motivation for the legislation is believed to be the trial and manslaughter conviction of Dr. John Biskind in the death of a patient whose child he aborted.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_repro.cfm#3003
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/legtext/45leg/1r/bills/sb1310p.htm
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/legtext/45leg/1r/bills/sb1306p.htm
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/legtext/45leg/1r/bills/sb1315p.htm
* Conscience legislation to protect pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for abortion drugs advanced toward the Kentucky Senate last Thursday. Sen. Elizabeth Tori, the bill sponsor, has noted that a physician can refuse on moral grounds to perform an abortion and, therefore, a pharmacist should have the same right.
http://foxnews.com/national/022201/pharmacists.sml
* A U.S. chapter of Centurions is about to be opened. The society, founded in British Columbia by Canadian psychiatrist Dr. Philip Ney, is intended to help former abortionists deal with the anguish many of them face as they deal with the gruesome realities of their former work. Heading up the new branch will be former abortuary nurse Joan Appleton, who left the industry 12 years ago. The "doctors get out because they can't get rid of the nightmares," Ms. Appleton told the Washington Times last week.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_repro.cfm#3005
http://www.washtimes.com/culture/default-2001222214419.htm
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