Politics
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Wednesday February 19, 2003
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Print- CATHOLIC HIGHSCHOOL DEFIES BISHOP AND REINSTATES LUNCH WITH PRO-ABORTION GOV.
- FAMILY ACTION COALITION READY TO DEFEND MARRIAGE BEFORE COMMITTEE
- PROTESTANT PASTORS ASKED TO SPEAK UP ON ABORTION
- 'CBSC DENIES CATHOLICS PROTECTION FROM ABUSIVE BROADCASTS' SAYS CCRL
- FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON RUMOURED TO BE SEEKING UN SECRETARY GENERAL POST
- WIFE OF TOM RIDGE PROMOTES TEEN SEX SURVEY
- VIRGINIA SENATE PASSES PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN BY VETO-PROOF MARGIN
- LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
CATHOLIC HIGHSCHOOL DEFIES BISHOP AND REINSTATES LUNCH WITH PRO-ABORTION GOV.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Mercy High School has decided to reinstate a fundraising lunch with pro-abortion Governor Jennifer Granholm. In response to concerns from Catholics as well as from (new information reveals) Michigan's Cardinal Adam Maida, the school announced last week that it had decided not to invite Granholm to participate "Out of sensitivity to any who might interpret this item as Mercy taking a pro-abortion stand."
However, the school has again reversed its position and Granholm has agreed to participate in the "Lunch with Governor Granholm" prize which will be auctioned off as an item at the annual fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Alumni and other Catholics in the Stop Granholm Church and Truth Project report that Cardinal Adam Maida had initially intervened to counsel against Granholm's inclusion in the auction due to her severe incompatibility with the Church's pro-life teaching. In the letter from the Cardinal's office, Msgr. John Quinn reassured concerned Catholics that "the school staff has cooperated with us in changing the plans," after which Mercy uninvited Granholm to participate in the auction.
A former student of Mercy High is outraged at the latest development. "Mercy High School apparently prefers abortion-friendly Granholm and ex-nun Agnes Mansour to pro-life Cardinal Maida," lamented Rosemarie Denton, Mercy alumnus and member of the Church and Truth Project.
Send your concerns to the school:
Principal e-mail:
President's email:
Back to TopFAMILY ACTION COALITION READY TO DEFEND MARRIAGE BEFORE COMMITTEE
OTTAWA, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Tomorrow (February 20th), the Canada Family Action Coalition will present to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights a brief calling for the preservation of the current legal definition of marriage: the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. The CFAC presentation will come on the heels of a presentation today by the Metropolitan Community Church which took part in initiating the legal challenge to marriage by performing mock marriage ceremonies for homosexuals.
CFAC will ask the Justice Committee to recommend that Parliament reaffirm the definition that is rooted in Canada's Constitution and has been reaffirmed by Parliament twice in the past few years. CFAC reminded the Justice Committee and Parliament that on June 9, 1999, Parliament passed a motion by a vote of 216 to 55 stating, ' … Parliament will take all necessary steps within the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada to preserve this definition of marriage in Canada.'
"Marriage is rooted in natural law and the biological reality of the union of two genders - male and female exclusively," says Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC) Executive Director Brian Rushfeldt. "The recent phenomenon of trying to equate other forms of relationships to marriage is a detriment to society and shows disregard for social justice."
CFAC believes that removing the foundational marriage institution based on the covenant union of one man and one woman would violate respect for the dignity of adults and children.
CFAC President Roy Beyer commented saying: "This would purposely reject natural law and the biological realities of humanity, and impose deleterious consequences upon all Canadians, especially children. Social good and social justice demands of our legislators that they preserve the current definition of marriage, which has a proven track record of promoting familial and social stability. Marriage is the foundation of a healthy and stable society."
Details of the briefing by MCC homosexual activists are online at:
http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/legal/ontario_case/mcctoronto_ottawa.htm
PROTESTANT PASTORS ASKED TO SPEAK UP ON ABORTION
LOUISVILLE, KY, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A panel discussion at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary this month stressed that the future of the pro-life movement rests on Christian pastors and leaders courageously confronting the issue of abortion. The Baptist Press reports that two Southern Baptist leaders joined a pro-life Presbyterian activist and a former United States congressman on the panel.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said "I know ministers in my local community who will not preach on the issue because they say, 'There are people in my congregation that have had abortions and I don't want to stir up the issue.'" Speaking about abortion, Land said: "It's not a political issue," he said. "It has political consequences. ... [Instead,] it is the most profound moral and spiritual issue of our time."
Joining Land on the panel were R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary; David McIntosh, former U.S. Representative from Indiana's 2nd District (1994-2000); Terry Schlossberg, executive director of Presbyterians Pro-Life; and Russell Moore, head of the Henry Institute and assistant professor of Christian theology at the seminary.
The Baptist leaders discussed their thankfulness that the Southern Baptists have returned to a pro-life position after veering off track during the 1970s. The Presbyterian leader present noted that the current position of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is 'pro-choice' but her organization is seeking to guide the denomination back to its historical pro-life roots.
The abortion issue was described as "the critical criterion for this realignment" of the Christian church with its true historical roots.
See the full coverage by the Baptist Press:
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=15263
'CBSC DENIES CATHOLICS PROTECTION FROM ABUSIVE BROADCASTS' SAYS CCRL
OTTAWA, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) slammed the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) yesterday for a ruling that the defamation of Catholic priests on CTV's Mike Bullard show last April did not infringe the ethical code of the organization.
CCRL, which launched the complaint against the program, purposely directed its complaint to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) since it had recognized serious flaws in previous CBSC decisions. However, specific instructions stipulating that the CRTC was not to delegate the adjudication to the CBSC were ignored. "The problems caused by the CRTC's downloading of its responsibilities to the non-governmental, non-accountable CBSC are of great concern to those attempting to hold broadcasters to account," notes CCRL.
The CCRL charges that the CBSC heard the case on faulty grounds ignoring key grievances listed by the CCRL. Analysis of the CBSC decision shows that the CBSC framed it in terms of freedom of speech vs. the nonexistent 'freedom not to be offended.' The CCRL did not ask to be protected from comments which 'merely' offend. The complaint specifically referred to the need to protect Catholics and Catholic Priests from abusively discriminatory comments erroneously implying that Catholic Priests are particularly prone to pedophilia. In framing the complaint a reference was made to a previous CBSC ruling in the case of the Dr. Laura radio program, specifically this statement:
"Without getting into the relative numbers issue, the effective assertion by the host that paedophilia has to do with being gay is, in the view of the Councils, an abusively discriminatory comment based on sexual orientation in violation of the CAB Code of Ethics."
Rather than make a ruling based on previous precedent in a similar case, the CBSC chose "instead to list previous instances of anti-Christian bigotry which they deemed acceptable," said the League.
See related LifeSite coverage:
CANADIAN BROADCAST AUTHORITY OKAYS RIDICULE OF PRIESTHOOD BY PROGRAM
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/feb/03021808.html
FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON RUMOURED TO BE SEEKING UN SECRETARY GENERAL POST
UNITED NATIONS, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is rumoured to be seeking to replace Kofi Annan as the next Secretary General of the United Nations. In its Dateline D.C. column Sunday, The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported that "Early in the fall, some seven months from now, the U.N. General Assembly may select a new secretary-general. Kofi Annan is under pressure to resign before the end of his second term in 2006. If he does, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the U.N. Security Council, will approve a replacement." That replacement is likely to be Bill Clinton, suggests the piece.
"There are reports that Bill Clinton already has lined up support for his candidacy from Germany, France, England, Ireland and New Zealand. A handful of African states, led by Nigeria, are rooting for Bill. And Hillary has brought in Morocco and Egypt. The Russians have let it be known that they would not object to Clinton as the next secretary-general, and the Chinese love Bill," continues the article.
See the Pittsburgh Review Tribune column at:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_118230.html
WIFE OF TOM RIDGE PROMOTES TEEN SEX SURVEY
WASHINGTON, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Michele Ridge, wife of U.S. Homeland Security director Tom Ridge, is national spokesman for the Communities That Care (CTC) program, which is sending a survey to 400 schools asking teens if they engage in oral sex, use drugs or have considered suicide. The survey is used to collect personal information from students to help local governments claim their share millions of dollars of federal and foundation grant applications.
The survey asks of 15- to 18-year-old high school students: "How old were you when you first had sex?" "Have you ever had oral sex?" "The last time you had sexual intercourse, what one method did you or your partner use to prevent pregnancy?"
Mrs. Ridge has praised the program as "a perfect platform for allowing communities to come together in an objective, scientific way — without finger-pointing. It's a truly bipartisan, apolitical process that results in better, healthier communities that help children grow up with more hope, more opportunity, and better outcomes."
For more details see:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030218-132803.htm
VIRGINIA SENATE PASSES PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN BY VETO-PROOF MARGIN
RICHMOND, February 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Virginia state Senate has passed the partial birth abortion ban by a 29 to 11 margin without debate. It had previously passed the Delaware House by 72 to 27, also strong enough to override a veto by pro-abortion Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner.
Gov. Warner vetoed a similar bill last year because it provided for no exception to protect the health of the mother.
For local coverage:
http://www.pilotonline.com/breaking/br0218abo.html
LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
GLAMOUR MAGAZINE CARRIES STORY ON SEX-ABUSER ABORTIONIST
"Every Woman's Ob-Gyn Nightmare" covers the case of Arizona abortionist Brian Finkel who is charged with 67 counts of sexual molestation of his patients.
http://us.glamour.com
KKK LEADER ACCUSED IN PLOT TO BOMB ABORTUARY
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030214grenadereg5p5.asp
LESBIAN SUING CHRISTIAN DOCTOR FOR REFUSAL TO ARTIFICIALLY INSEMINATE
http://www.cnsnews.com/Culture/archive/200302/CUL20030219c.html
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