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Friday February 21, 2003
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Print- CANADIAN ASSISTED REPRODUCTION LEGISLATION STILL HAS TIME
- GERMAN PARLIAMENT SEEKS BAN ON ALL HUMAN CLONING AT UN
- ALL PRIVATE MEMBERS MOTIONS NOW VOTABLE IN CANADA
- INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF SCIENTISTS FINDS OVER HALF AFRICA AIDS CAUSED BY UNSTERILIZED NEEDLES
- STUDENT ABORTS BABY IN SCHOOL WASHROOM
- UK GOVERNMENT SHOCKINGLY RECOMMENDS ORAL SEX FOR UNDER-16's
- U.S. CATHOLIC PAPER SAYS CHURCH SEX ABUSE INCIDENTS EXAGGERATED
- AUSTRALIAN COURT REJECTS GOV'T ANNULMENT OF TRANSSEXUAL 'MARRIAGE'
- NEWSBYTES
CANADIAN ASSISTED REPRODUCTION LEGISLATION STILL HAS TIME
Amendment 13 Stressed As Bill Still Allows Some Forms of Cloning
TODAY'S HEADLINES
OTTAWA, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) Fears that that the federal government would shut down debate and pass the Assisted Human Reproduction legislation (Bill C-13) were allayed today as debate was pushed to next week. The pro-life movement is using the opportunity to stress the importance of supporting amending Motions 13 and 17.
While the current bill claims to ban all human cloning, experts who have analyzed the bill note that while committee amendments have banned some forms of cloning, human cloning by various other techniques are still allowed. Hence the importance of MP Paul Szabo's motion 13 which would ban human cloning by "any technique."
Dr. Dianne Irving, a PhD bioethicist and philosopher from the Catholic University of America, has said that the current wording of the legislation would ban cloning techniques such as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), germline CNT, twinning, and simple parthenogenesis. However, Dr. Irving notes that some of the more cutting-edge methods of cloning would still be permitted such as pro-nuclei nuclear transfer, mitochondria transfer, and DNA recombinant germline transfer.
Dr. John Shea, medical advisor for Campaign Life Coalition explained that by forbidding SCNT the bill has only banned research "which is not going anywhere anyway. They know that SCNT doesn't work, Dolly's dead." But by continuing to allow pro-nuclei transfer cloning, the eugenic designs of advanced researchers can still have access to human cloning, he said.
The second critical motion submitted by Jason Kenney, Motion 17, would outlaw embryo experimentation of any kind. We strongly urge MPs to vote for both of these key motions as well as all the other motions in group 2.
See LifeSite's Stem Cell Page
http://www.lifesite.net/features/stemcellembryo/index.html
Back to TopGERMAN PARLIAMENT SEEKS BAN ON ALL HUMAN CLONING AT UN
HAMBURG, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) The Bundestag, or lower house of Parliament, overwhelmingly approved a motion calling for a United Nations international ban on all forms of human cloning, including reproductive and therapeutic cloning.
The measure comes after German representatives at the United Nations had refused to side with the United States on a ban of all human cloning, wanting instead a ban on only reproductive cloning.
See related LifeSite coverage:
US PUSHING TO HAVE UN CLONING-BAN TREATY IN PLACE BY NOVEMBER
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/oct/02101002.html
See related coverage:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030220/hl_nm/cloning_germany...
ALL PRIVATE MEMBERS MOTIONS NOW VOTABLE IN CANADA
OTTAWA, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) All political parties in the House of Commons agreed yesterday to make all Private Members' Business subject to a vote, on a trial basis. The Canadian Alliance Party which led the charge on the switch said the change "represents a big step forward for democracy."
On a trial basis, all Private Members' Business (bills or motions) will begin the process as votable items, and only in certain circumstances will some items be deemed non-votable by a sub-committee on Private Members' Business. Any Member who has an item deemed non-votable by the sub-committee can appeal to the main committee, Procedure and House Affairs.
Failing that, the member can appeal to the House of Commons provided the member could garner support from at least one member from four out of the five parties. This is a significant gain from the old practice where a Private Member's Item began as non-votable, relying on the sub-committee to unanimously agree to make it votable. There was no appeal mechanism.
INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF SCIENTISTS FINDS OVER HALF AFRICA AIDS CAUSED BY UNSTERILIZED NEEDLES
JOHANNESBURG, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) An international team of scientists led by David Gisselquist, an anthropologist from Pennsylvania, and Dr John Potterat, an infectious diseases specialist from Colorado, has found inconsistencies in the data on the spread of AIDS in Africa. Their data suggests the disease's rapid proliferation comes mostly from botched vaccinations. The study suggests only 30 per cent of HIV cases are caused by sexual transmission rather than the 90 per cent which is currently the claim.
The researchers suggest that the existing data demonstrates their points but the original researchers did not reach the correct conclusions due to "preconceptions about African sexuality and a desire to maintain public trust in healthcare".
Some of the points the researchers made were:
- The spread of HIV did not follow the same pattern as sexually transmitted disease. In Zimbabwe in the 1990s HIV infections increased by 12 per cent a year while STDs were declining by 25 per cent.
- Behaviour surveys show that sexual activity in Africa is not very different from Europe or North America. Some places with high levels of risky sexual behaviour have low and stable rates of HIV.
- Sexually transmitted diseases are usually more common among the poor and uneducated, but HIV in Africa is linked to urban living, a good education and higher income.
For more see The Times coverage at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-584530,00.html
STUDENT ABORTS BABY IN SCHOOL WASHROOM
HOUSTON, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A junior high school student in Texas aborted her second-trimester unborn baby in a school washroom this week after taking an abortifacient pill that was given to her by her boyfriend's sister.
A school district spokesman said the student, believed to be 13 or 14 years old, was 16 to 18 weeks pregnant when she took the pill. Texas law requires health care providers to notify the parents of a girl under 18 before any kind of abortion. But the requirement of parental notification is on the physician performing the abortion or prescribing the pills, not the girl. In this case, the pill seems to have been passed on to the girl by a third party.
Police took the dead unborn child to the county medical examiner's office. Under Roe v. Wade, a second-trimester fetus is not considered a person and thus has few legal protections, reports stated.
For local coverage:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/1787044
UK GOVERNMENT SHOCKINGLY RECOMMENDS ORAL SEX FOR UNDER-16's
LONDON, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A government-sponsored school course is encouraging students under 16 to experiment with oral sex, in an effort to reduce teenage pregnancy. Over 100,000 children are already taking the course at one in every 30 secondary schools.
The curriculum, entitled "A Pause," was developed at Exeter University with support from the Departments of Health and Education. It encourages teachers to discuss so-called pre-sex "stopping points" and "levels of intimacy" including oral sex, that stop short of sexual intercourse.
But Robert Whelan, director of the Family Education Trust, questions the wisdom of the course. "I don't think anyone believes that teaching pupils about oral sex will stop them having full sex. It is more likely to make them want to try it, and it doesn't protect them from sexually transmitted diseases."
For coverage from The Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-585546,00.html
U.S. CATHOLIC PAPER SAYS CHURCH SEX ABUSE INCIDENTS EXAGGERATED
Does not address homosexuality among clergy and infidelity to moral teachings
NORTH HAVEN, CT., February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In its current issue, the National Catholic Register publishes a series of articles on its assessment of the church clergy sex scandals.
The Register states that "people with an ax to grind and lawyers with a buck to make" have been exploiting the scandals to advance their own anti-Catholic, dissident or financial agendas. While many would agree with that assessment with good cause, another thesis of the Register is likely to be more critically received by others who have researched or lived the scandals. In its editorial the Register states, "Catholics, shaken by the scandal, exaggerated how widespread it was. To hear many tell it, you would think that the biggest problem facing the Church today was the safety of children in parish halls."
Many Catholic critics, as LifeSite has reported, have acknowledged from the beginning that the percentage of pedophiles among the priesthood has actually been very small. It has been suggested that there are likely still numerous abuse cases that will remain hidden because the victims have been thoroughly intimidated or cannot bear to face the painful past. Still, even these hidden numbers are unlikely to significantly raise the percentage.
What the Register does not deal with is the evidence of far greater homosexual activity with teenagers, young adults and adults by homosexual clergy and the high incidence of past, although likely currently less common, homosexuality in many seminaries and dioceses. This has been at least as shocking as the smaller percentage of pedophilia incidents and has also caused victims great anguish.
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus stated in First Things "Some still complain that the entire crisis...was manufactured by the media and motivated by anti-Catholicism...but without the deeper crisis of the infidelity and negligence of bishops, the media could not have produced the public and, consequently, episcopal sense of crisis. The scandal was in the chanceries, parishes, and seminaries before it was on the front page or television news. "
In an earlier article Neuhaus stated, "Homosexuality is very close to the center of the crisis. At the epicenter is the grave negligence of bishops. Not all bishops, to be sure, but too many."
Professor Charles Rice wrote in the Aug. 1, 2002 Wanderer, "The bishops evidently are concerned only with sexual abuse by clerics of minors 'below the age of 16,' although an estimated nine of every ten reported cases involve boys of 16 and older."
Dr. Rice, Fr. Richard Neuhaus, and others, while emphasizing that most priests are faithful and deserving of support and encouragement, have also been emphatic that the crisis is huge, it is widespread and will not be resolved until infidelity to moral teachings and the issue of homosexuality within the clergy are dealt with.
See the Catholic Register
http://www.ncregister.com/Register_News/022303edit.htm
http://www.ncregister.com/Register_News/022303phase.htm
http://www.ncregister.com/Register_News/022303judge.htm
See LifeSite's Church Scandals pages
http://www.lifesite.net/features/churchscandals/notablearticles.htm
http://www.lifesite.net/features/churchscandals/
AUSTRALIAN COURT REJECTS GOV'T ANNULMENT OF TRANSSEXUAL 'MARRIAGE'
SYDNEY, February 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) An Australian Family Court has rejected the federal government's annulment of a 'marriage' between two women, one of which had undergone surgery and hormone treatment to appear male. After a so-called 'sex-change' operation the Family Court validated the 'marriage of Jennifer and Kevin J. However, federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams objected that Kevin was nonetheless still female.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General said the government is considering an appeal. "The government believes the case raises serious issues concerning the meaning of marriage under the Marriage Act and in particular the role of the parliament in determining the meaning of marriage," she said.
See the AP coverage from Yahoo at:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030221/ap_wo_en_po/as_gen_au...
NEWSBYTES
PRO-ABORTS REACT TO BUSH RESTRICTIONS ON AIDS FUNDING
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=7&u=/nm/20030220/hl_nm...
UK COURT TO RULE IN MIXED-RACE IVF BLUNDER
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,899053,00.html
8 OR MORE COFFEES A DAY DOUBLES RISK OF STILLBIRTH - STUDY
http://www.health-news.co.uk/showstory.asp?id=107117
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