Politics
Thursday March 14, 2002
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Print- COURT RULES UK TELEVISION BROADCASTERS GUILTY OF CENSORSHIP OF PRO-LIFE AD
- EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS RADICAL FEMINIST RESOLUTION - CORRECTED VERSION
- STUDY SUGGESTING ADULT STEM CELLS INFERIOR TO EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS QUESTIONED
- AUSTRALIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP QUESTIONS OPPOSITION TO EMBRYO RESEARCH BUT NOT IVF
- BRITISH GOVERNMENT NOT PLANNING TO LIBERALIZE N. IRELAND ABORTION LAW
- LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
COURT RULES UK TELEVISION BROADCASTERS GUILTY OF CENSORSHIP OF PRO-LIFE AD
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Pro-Life Leader says "Judgment signals the beginning of the end of legal abortion in the UK".
LONDON, March 14, 2002 (LSN.ca) - The UK Court of Appeal ruled today that the decision of UK television broadcasters to ban a pro-life ad during the 1997 general election was "unlawful." The BBC, which represented all British broadcasters in the case, said they banned the ads because they featured "shocking" images of abortion and considered them "grossly offensive."
The Appeal Court ruling by three senior Justices overturned an earlier High Court ruling. Lord Justice Laws commented on the case saying, "The reader of this judgment will see that I have used the word 'censorship' from the first sentence. I have well in mind that the broadcasters do not at all accept that their decision should be so categorized. Maybe the feathers of their liberal credentials are ruffled at the word's overtones. Maybe there is an implicit plea for the comfort of a euphemism. However in my judgment this court must, and I hope the broadcasters, recognise unblinking that censorship is exactly what this case is about."
The BBC attempted to argue that there was no censorship since the Pro-Life Alliance was permitted to verbally describe abortion and was only restricted from showing the images. Lord Justice Brown dismissed the argument saying, "Here the image is the message - I can see no answer to the claim that the appellant is entitled to show - not just tell - what happens. Words alone cannot convey the essential human character of the foetus and the nature of its destruction by abortion."
The legal victory comes after a five year legal battle by the Pro-Life Alliance. Bruno Quintavalle, leader of the Pro-Life Alliance, said: "This judgment signals the beginning of the end of legal abortion in the UK. Once our country sees the truth, they will know that abortion even in the earliest stages is an act of terrible violence which kills a human being."
The BBC said it will seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords.
See the BBC coverage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_1872000/1872580.stm
Back to TopEUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS RADICAL FEMINIST RESOLUTION - CORRECTED VERSION
Document passed with only minor revisions
BRUSSELS, March 14, 2002 (LSN.ca) - The European Parliament (EP) voted March 13, to adopt a radical feminist resolution that attacks pro-life religious beliefs and Christianity. The report on "Women and Fundamentalism" was first proposed in October 2001 by María Izquierdo Rojo and was unsuccessfully challenged in the EP by Ireland Independent MEP Mrs Dana Rosemary Scallon among others. The document with minor revisions was adopted narrowly by a vote of 242-240 with 42 abstentions.
A copy of the document as adopted was sent to LifeSite by Eva Bacelar, a press secretary for the EP. The adopted resolution reveals that despite efforts to cut reprehensible statements from the resolution or to ban it altogether, numerous problematic articles were accepted.
Scallon warned that article 4 of the resolution could be used to oblige the Catholic Church to ordain women. Nonetheless, article 4 was not amended and thus the EP "condemns the administrations of religious organisations and the leaders of extremist political movements who promote racial discrimination, xenophobia, fanaticism and the exclusion of women from leading positions in the political and religious hierarchy."
In a preamble section of the document, the EP admits they are "deploring the interference of the Churches and religious communities in the public and political life of the state, in particular when such interference is designed to restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms, for instance in the sexual or reproductive sphere." A related Article of concern for Scallon in the report was a section which could prevent countries which protect the unborn child from joining the European Union. Article 23 says the EP "Insists that the Commission ensure that in negotiations for accession, cooperation or association agreements the Community 'acquis' in the field of women's rights is upheld."
While amendments to the original document removed a specific reference demanding the Pope and the Romanian Patriarch "to change their attitudes towards" lesbians, the adopted version "Expresses its support for the difficult situation of lesbians who suffer from fundamentalism." It defines "fundamentalism" as a concept which "originated in the 1920s in the USA, where it primarily referred to Christianity" which "was characterised by extreme obedience to dogma, which was interpreted literally and placed above the law of the state and human rights."
Article 31 of the resolution says the EP "Calls on all believers of whatever creed to promote equal rights for women, including the right to control their own bodies and the right to decide when to have families of their own, their lifestyles and their personal relationships; calls on the Member States to adopt legislation to outlaw any practice which endangers the physical or mental integrity and health of women."
With another article of the resolution the EP seeks to restrict religious freedom to make it subject to United Nations conventions. Article 29 says the EP "calls on the Member States to remain neutral vis-à-vis the various religious creeds, to retain their secular character, ensuring a complete division of responsibilities between Church and State, and to abolish any legal and practical obstacles to the performance of religious duties and the use of religious symbols, insofar as religious precepts are compatible with national legislation, the rule of law and international conventions."
Euro-Fam, a pro-family group which monitors the EP and EU advises that rapports of the European Parliament are simple recommendations but they influence later votes and judicial decisions.
See the EP release on the resolution's passage and the full resolution at:
http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/OM-Europarl?PROG=PRESS-DAILYNB&L=EN&PUBREF=-
//EP//TEXT+PRESS-DAILYNB+DN-20020313-1+0+DOC+SGML+V0//EN&LEVEL=1&REFERER=X&NAV=X#SECTION15
A copy of the final adopted resolution is available by request from LifeSite.
STUDY SUGGESTING ADULT STEM CELLS INFERIOR TO EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS QUESTIONED
TORONTO, March 14, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Two studies reported in the journal Nature have attempted to refute promising research on adult stem cells. The studies suggest that adult stem cells are not able to differentiate into various tissues as the great majority of recent studies have shown. The new studies are sure to be used to lobby for the public funding of embryonic stem cell research.
Campaign Life Coalition medical advisor Dr. John Shea, commented on the studies saying, "Embryonic stem cell research is causing harm to people right now and has incurably worsened the symptoms in some Parkinson patients." He continued, "This study is only one of many and must not be used in isolation."
The research done by Doctors Smith and Terada of the Universities of Edinburgh and Florida requires further study according to the article in the Nature Journal. Dr. Diane Krause of Yale University said that their results may not prove relevant to other studies.
As reported in the Washington Post, March 14, 2002 - "Dr. David Prentice, an Indiana State University biologist who is advising members of Congress who want to ban human cloning, expressed skepticism about the new papers, saying he believes the weight of the evidence still favors the idea of plasticity in the adult stem cell."
Campaign Life Coalition calls on Parliament to stop any human experimentation which kills a human being. Effort and money must be spent to further adult stem cell research which, despite one negative, inconclusive study, offers the most promise.
See the Washington Post coverage of the studies:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21139-2002Mar13.html
AUSTRALIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP QUESTIONS OPPOSITION TO EMBRYO RESEARCH BUT NOT IVF
CANBERRA, March 14, 2002 (LSN.ca) - The Anglican Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, George Browning, has pointed out a logical inconsistency in opposing research on human embryos while at the same time approving of in vitro fertilization. Bishop Browning refused to go along with a condemnation of research on human embryos issued by 10 other New South Wales Anglican bishops.
"Using the logic of the statement, surely to produce embryos, knowing that the vast majority of them are not going to be placed back in the womb of the mother, but are to be 'wasted', must be totally unacceptable," said Bishop Browning. "I have not heard any argument from the Anglican community which opposes the IVF program."
Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen, his five assistants and four other bishops have called on the Government to ban embryo research. ''We are against the destruction of embryonic life in order to extract stem cells,'' he said. ''Particularly when there are perfectly ethical means of extracting the necessary cells from umbilical cord blood in newborns and from the brain and bone marrow in adults. The cost of human life in embryonic-stem-cell research can never be justified. . . . The method we use to achieve results needs to be considered as well as the final results themselves. The Bible says that people are formed by God in their mother's womb. This is why we deeply respect pregnant women and the children they carry. Protecting embryos, and even stem cells, simply reflects this deep respect. We want to see illnesses healed but not in a society that allows people to consume others to heal themselves."
See the coverage in the Canberra Times:
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=national&categor...
BRITISH GOVERNMENT NOT PLANNING TO LIBERALIZE N. IRELAND ABORTION LAW
DUBLIN, March 14, 2002 (LSN.ca) - The secretary of state for Northern Ireland Dr. John Reid has confirmed that the British government has no plans to liberalize abortion law in Northern Ireland. Dr. Reid made the assurance in a letter to Mr. Nigel Dodds, Northern Ireland's minister for social development and a member of both the Northern Ireland assembly and the UK parliament.
Mr. Dodds, warned that a legal challenge to Northern Ireland's abortion law by the Family Planning Association to begin March 21 was an attempt to change the pro-life law. Mr. Dodds said that an overwhelming majority opposed the liberalization of the abortion law and any such attempt would be vigorously fought by Catholics and Protestants alike.
See the coverage in the Irish Times:
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=711570&issue_id=7050
(with files from SPUC UK)
LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
CANADA TO ADD 7 FEDERAL RIDINGS BASED ON NEW CENSUS DATA
The total number of electoral districts in the House of Commons will increase from 301 to 308 ridings after the completion of the readjustment process, scheduled for June 2004. Additional seats will be attributed as follows: 3 for Ontario, 2 for British Columbia, and 2 for Alberta. The other provinces and territories will maintain the same number of electoral districts.
http://canada.gc.ca/wire/2002/03/130302_e.html
AUSTRALIAN STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES TO ALLOW EMBRYO RESEARCH IF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS BAN
http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_544113.html
UK GOV'T ADVISORY COUNCIL ON DRUGS APPROVES USE OF CANNABIS
The Government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs cleared the way for a softening of the law on cannabis, declaring that the drug "is not associated with major health problems for the individual or society".
http://www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=522065&in_revie...
TALK SHOW HOST ROSIE O'DONNELL PUSHES HOMOSEXUAL ADOPTIONS
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200203\CUL20020314b...
UK SUPERMARKETS OFFERING TEENS FREE ABORTIFACIENT MORNING AFTER PILLS
http://www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=86423&command=displayContent...
U.S. SET TO REGAIN SEAT ON U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS PANEL
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/03/14/un.human.rights.ap/index.html
BBC NEWS ONLINE SPECIAL EXAMINES ABORTION LAWS ACROSS EUROPE
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1869000/1869009.stm
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