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TRILLIUM FUND "FUNDING ILLEGAL ACTIVITY" WITH SUICIDE COUNSELLING

TORONTO, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following yesterday's revelation by LifeSite News that an Ontario government agency, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), gave a nearly $180,000 grant to the pro-assisted suicide group Dying With Dignity, the Ministry of Culture has distanced itself from the agency. Gary Wheeler, a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture told LifeSite that OTF "is an arms-length agency and the agency's board has final authority on such grants." Wheeler said that the Minster would not comment on the grant and that the agency would have exercised due diligence.

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told LifeSite he was "shocked that the Trillium Foundation would support an illegal activity such as the counseling of suicide."

Dying with Dignity's goals are clear from its website where it boasts that it is "a member and active participant in the World Federation of Right to Die Societies." Moreover, the group also acknowledges that one of its goals is to "build public support for legal change to permit voluntary, physician-assisted dying."

In its press release today, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition states, "Death with Dignity also attends NuTech conferences. NuTech is an organization which promotes the 'Exit Bag - Suicide Bag' and develops new methods of euthanasia and assisted suicide, including the 'Debreather' and the use of Helium as a suicide agent"

"It doesn't matter how they candy-coated their application, their purpose is to aid, abet, and counsel suicide" said Schadenberg of DWD. "They also exist to change the law - a political activity - and thus their charitable status should be revoked."

See LifeSite's original coverage of the story:
ONTARIO GOVERNMENT GIVES $177,800 TO PRO-EUTHANASIA GROUP
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jan/03012801.html

See the Dying With Dignity brochure outlining their goals:
http://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/brochure.html

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PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSES ABORTION AND CLONING

WASHINGTON, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While the major portion of U.S. President Bush's State of the Union address yesterday concerned economic issues and the U.S. response to terrorism, the President did manage to insert his hopes for pro-life legislation.

"We are building a more welcoming society -- a culture that values every life," he said. "And in this work we must not overlook the weakest among us. I ask you to protect infants at the very hour of their birth and end the practice of partial-birth abortion." The President also asked for the banning of both reproductive and therapeutic cloning saying: "And because no human life should be started or ended as the object of an experiment, I ask you to set a high standard for humanity, and pass a law against all human cloning."

See the full address at the White House website at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html

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FIRST DAY OF CANADIAN STEM CELL HOUSE DEBATE AWASH IN CONFUSION

OTTAWA, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to the government's proposed legislative agenda, the omnibus bill regarding reproductive technologies and research will receive final reading and a vote on Thursday, after yesterday's commencement of debate. However, the bill which covers every thing from IVF to cloning, creating animal-human hybrids and payment for sperm donations, will take much longer to debate.

Mass confusion in the House of Commons was evident yesterday as opposition MP James Lunney testified to in the House. "Madam Speaker, it has been an interesting day so far but, my goodness, I have to protest the confusion related to these amendments. We started this morning with 107 proposed amendments. We were not allowed to see them until the very first thing this morning. Then the Speaker ruled a bunch of them out of order and so on. Then they were grouped and regrouped. Frankly, for members to debate intelligently on some of these amendments, it takes a bit of time to read and understand what is the intent of each amendment," he said.

Alliance MP Jason Kenney commented on the gravity of the legislation saying, "Bill C-13. This of course is a bill of great moral gravity which, if passed, will have tremendous implications for the legal status of human life as it is assaulted by new and emerging technologies and as we seek to harness those technologies to advance the dignity of human life in certain respects."

Reed Elley, another Alliance MP noted, "I want to make a comment on today's confusion in the House, which has led us to this point. I am sure that all members of the House realize that the legislation is probably one of the most important and ground-breaking pieces of legislation to come before the House in a number of years, because it is opening up huge new frontiers to us. It is important not only for us today but for the future of all Canadians who are not yet born. We need to get this right."

See the full Hansard debate:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/047_2003-01-28/HAN047-E...

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CANADIAN BISHOP'S ORGANIZATION URGES CHANGES TO BILL C-13

OTTAWA, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) organization has released a statement on Bill C-13 -- An Act Respecting Assisted Human Reproduction. In the statement, positive elements of the bill are praised but the organization also calls for two important changes to the bill.

The CCCB emphasizes that C-13 will permit destructive research on embryos who remain after fertility treatments. It urges "members of Parliament to strengthen Bill C-13 by amending it to prohibit research on embryos."

On the issue of cloning, the bishops organization states "Some questions have been raised as to whether the Bill does what is intended. We urge members of Parliament to ensure that the Bill captures all forms and possibilities of cloning."

Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), the national pro-life political organization, has provided significant evidence that the bill will not prevent any cloning because of poor definitions and other weaknesses in the bill. Since the government has so far resisted accepting any meaningful amendments to what is considered a deeply flawed bill, CLC is strongly recommending it be defeated.

See the full CCCB Release at
http://www.cccb.ca/english/default_e.htm

See the Campaign Life Coalition presentation on C-13
http://www.lifesite.net/features/stemcellembryo/CLCpresentation.htm

and the most recent CLC National News stories on the bill
http://www.lifesite.net/clc/national_news/2003/news_0103.html#1
http://www.lifesite.net/clc/national_news/2003/news_0203.html#1

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TEACHER AT CATHOLIC SCHOOL FIRED FOR PUBLIC SUPPORT OF ABORTION

WILMINGTON, Deleware, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Michele Curay-Cramer, a religion and language arts teacher at an independent Catholic school in Deleware was fired from her post after her name appeared in a public advertisement in support of abortion. Ursuline Academy dismissed the teacher after her name appeared, among a list of 600 names, in a pro-abortion ad commemorating the Roe v Wade anniversary by the Coalition for Choice.

In the ad, Curay-Cramer, revealed her involvement with Planned Parenthood, for which she started doing volunteer work in April.

Despite pressure the school has remained resolute. "The Catholic Church is very much pro-life," said Ursuline spokesman Jerry Botto. "This is an area of the church where there is no gray area - it's black-and-white. In keeping with that, that is something we teach here."

Send your comments to the school:
Jerry Botto:


See the News Journal coverage:
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2003/01/29ursulineteacher.html

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POLAND WANTS ASSURANCE EU TREATY WILL NOT HAMPER PRO-LIFE LAWS

WARSAW, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Polish government has submitted a pro-life amendment to its accession treaty with the European Union. AP reports that the declaration, which was sent to Brussels, states that "no EU treaties or annexes to those treaties would hamper the Polish government in regulating moral issues or those concerning the protection of human life."

"The declaration will prevent EU opponents from using false arguments that the EU would impose on Poland any regulations concerning moral and religious issues," government spokesman Michal Tober said at a news conference. "The EU has always left such issues to be regulated by the members themselves and, in the legal sense, the declaration doesn't change anything," he said.

See the AP coverage:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030128/ap_wo_en_po/eu_gen_po...

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PHILIPPINES BISHOPS CALL FOR REMOVAL OF ALL ABORTIFACIENT DRUGS AND DEVICES

MANILA, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic bishops of the Philippines have said that the government should remove all abortifacient drugs and devices from the market to prevent "silent abortions" caused by "silent abortifacients".

Speaking at the bishops' 86th plenary assembly on Monday, Bishop Teodoro Bacani
of Novaliches asked the government to prepare a list of drugs which either prevented the implantation of an embryo in the womb or displaced an embryo after implantation had taken place.

The bishop also demanded that the government publish an official study prepared during the previous administration which reportedly supported the Church's claim that drugs commonly thought to be contraceptives and intra-uterine devices were actually abortifacients.

Files from SPUC International news digest

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OVER HALF OF BRITISH DOCTORS BACK ASSISTED SUICIDE

LONDON, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An online survey of 1,000 British doctors has found that over half (55%) support physician-assisted suicide in cases of terminal illness and "uncontrollable physical suffering."

The survey was conducted by medix-uk.com on behalf of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, and found that 40% of doctors have already received patient requests for suicide, while 46% of doctors with severe case patients reported that at least one said he or she "would prefer to die than remain alive."

The British Medical Association (BMA) officially opposes euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, saying that it would "alter the doctor-patient relationship."

To read an article from an online British health news service see:
http://www.health-news.co.uk/showstory.asp?id=105559

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WOMEN WHO SHOT HER CRIPPLED SONS WANTS PLEA BARGAIN

ATLANTA, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Carol Carr, the woman who admitted to shooting her two sons last June, Michael Randy Scott, 42, and Andy Byron Scott, 41, paralyzed by Huntington's disease and cared for in a nursing home, hopes to win a plea bargain to avoid being charged with murder by pleading guilty to violating Georgia's assisted suicide law instead.

Under the plea agreement, Ms. Carr, 63, would get five years in prison and be paroled about a year from now after being held without bond since June, defense attorney Lee Sexton told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Carol Carr could not bring herself to walk into that courtroom and say 'I murdered my children.' All she did was keep a promise to them to end their suffering."

For Athens Banner-Herald coverage see:
http://www.athensnewspapers.com/stories/012903/new_20030129042.shtml

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HOMOSEXUAL PARTNER'S DEATH ENDS RECOGNISED GAY UNION IN CONNECTICUT

HARTFORD, January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One half of a homosexual
partnership that was seeking to establish gay marriage in Connecticut, making it only the second state in the union after Vermont to recognize same-sex unions, has died, ending prospects for the time being.

Two men from Connecticut, Glen Rosengarten and Peter Downes, obtained a civil union from the state of Vermont two years ago, according to WorldNetDaily. The relationship ended soon afterwards, with Mr. Rosengarten filing for dissolution. But first, he wanted Connecticut to recognize the Vermont civil union as a binding marriage so it then could be terminated under Connecticut law. However, the case was dismissed after his death at
age 54, from lymphoma, according to a homosexual news service at
http://www.hrc.org/familynet/newsstand.asp?ID=1842.

To read WorldNetDaily coverage:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30738

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B.C. WOMAN IMPLICATED IN IRISH ASSISTED SUICIDE

DUNCAN, B.C., January 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Evelyn Martens, the 71-year-old Vancouver Island woman charged with facilitating the suicides of Vancouver teacher Leyanne Burchell, 52, and ex-nun Monique Charest, 64, may now also face extradition to Ireland for allegedly delivering a suicide-homicide bag to Rosemary Toole, 49, who, according to email evidence, ordered the bag from Martens last year.

To date, the Right To Die advocate has made three court appearances in B.C. for her preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to resume Feb. 5 and could last until March. There is a publication ban on court proceedings.

Irish police say Toole was suffering from depression and not a terminal illness -- a view confirmed by her family. They are seeking extradition of another man involved in Ms. Toole's death, George Exoo, a Unitarian minister from the U.S., and may also start extradition proceedings against Ms. Martens.

(with files from Pro-Life E-News)

For Vancouver Sun coverage:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/story.asp?id={EC38377A-7523-4686-9865-D5D54...

For coverage from the UK's Observer:
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,882578,00.html

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LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

OTTAWA LIBRARY ACCUSED OF LETTING CHILDREN VIEW INTERNET PORN
http://www.fotf.ca/familyfacts/tfn/2003/012903.html

STUDENT'S PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT IS EQUIVALENT TO THE SWASTIKA SAYS SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
http://www.thomasmore.org/index.cfm?location=5&subsectionid=1&release=161&pageid...

PRO-ABORTION JACK LAYTON BECOMES NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADER
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=%7B50814794-5EDB-43FC-B425-A4648AF5BE66%...

UK HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVIST FOUND GUILTY IN FRAUD CHARGES
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/3599

U.N. WORLD HEATH ORGANIZATION CHOOSES NEW LEADER
W.H.O. insider Jong-wook Lee, a -known tuberculosis expert from South Korea was selected over several higher-profile candidates - including Mozambique's prime minister and Mexico's health minister.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030129/ap_on_he_me/who_leade...

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US NEWS ROUNDUP

COLORADO HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES BILL TO REGULATE ABORTUARIES
http://www.denverpost.com/framework/0,1413,36~61~1140476,00.html

CALIFORNIA BILL WOULD EQUATE HOMOSEXUAL UNIONS TO MARRIAGE
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/po/20030129/co_po/california_bill...

U.S. CONSERVATIVES CONCERNED THAT POSSIBLE SUPREME COURT PICK IS NOT PRO-LIFE
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=8400

PIRATES OF SILICON - WHY MICROSOFT AND APPLE WILL FAIL
Movie exposes exposes fatal flaw that brings down giants
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30723

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