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LifeSite Staff in Washington Next Week: Daily News May be Limited

TORONTO, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Key LifeSiteNews.com staff will be participating in the March for Life events in Washington, D.C. next week. Production of the Daily News is therefore uncertain for that week. We will send out and post stories and Breaking News links as circumstances permit.

LifeSite News will return to its normal level on Monday January 26.

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U.S. President Bush Issues 2004 Proclamation of National Sanctity of Human Life Day

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In anticipation of the national March for Life next week, U.S. President George W. Bush today issued a proclamation declaring January 18, 2004 National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The full proclamation from the White House follows:

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 16, 2004

National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2004
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

As Americans, we are led by the power of our conscience and the history of our country to defend and promote the dignity and rights of all people. Each person, however frail or defenseless, has a place and a purpose in this world. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the gift of life and our commitment to building a society of compassion and humanity.

Today, the principles of human dignity enshrined in the Declaration of Independence -- that all persons are created equal and possess the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- continue to guide us. In November, I signed into law the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, reaffirming our commitment to protecting innocent life and to a basic standard of humanity -- the duty of the strong to defend the weak. My Administration encourages adoption and supports abstinence education, crisis pregnancy programs, parental notification laws, and other measures to help us continue to build a culture of life. By working together, we will provide hope to the weakest among us and achieve a more compassionate and merciful world.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Sunday, January 18, 2004, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies in our homes and places of worship and to reaffirm our commitment to respecting the life and dignity of every human being.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

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Bush Installs Pro-Life Judicial Nominee Foiling Filibusters by Pro-Abortion Senators

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following years of bickering and stall tactics by pro-abortion Senators, pro-life judge Charles Pickering has finally been installed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today. President Bush got around the stalling tactics of the Senators who refused to allow his nomination to come up for a vote, by making a recess appointment which is valid until January 2005.

American Life League (ALL) was the first group to advocate for recess appointments. Joseph R. Giganti, ALL's director of media and government relations commented on the Pickering appointment saying, "Clearly the White House has realized that the militant, pro-abortion zealots in the Senate will neither listen to reason nor recognize the limit to their own power in this matter." Guganti added, "The president has four more days to make more recess appointments. We hope he will take advantage of this opportunity to ensure that pro-life judges are appointed to the bench."

Gary L. Bauer, Chairman of the Campaign for Working Families commented on the move saying, "It is unfortunate that the president was forced to take such action in response to Senate radicals like Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Tom Daschle, who are desperate to maintain the liberal stranglehold over our federal courts, but we are pleased to see him do so. Frankly, it was long overdue. Hopefully, today's surprise move signals a renewed commitment by the White House to spotlight the Senate's liberal obstructionists who are abusing Senate procedures and running roughshod over the Constitution."

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New Orleans Archbishop Warns Catholic Pro-Abortion Politicians to Not Receive Communion

Tells faithful that by voting for pro-abortion politicians they participate in grave sin

NEW ORLEANS, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - New Orleans Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes has warned anti-life Catholic politicians they should not receive Holy Communion, and Catholics who vote for such politicians participate in the evil.

In the January 14, 2004 edition of the New Orleans Diocesan newspaper The Clarion Herald, Most Rev. Hughes writes: "When Catholic officials openly support the taking of human life in abortion, euthanasia or the destruction of human embryos, they are no longer faithful members in the Church and should not partake of Holy Communion. Moreover, citizens who promote this unjust taking of human life by their vote or support of such candidates share in responsibility for this grave evil."

In the article, Archbishop Hughes quotes church documents supporting his statement that "issues that admit of no exceptions" include "abortion, physician-assisted suicide, homicide, the destruction of human embryos in artificial fertilization, stem cell research and cloning." Most Rev. Hughes writes that "In each of these, the issues are clear-cut. We cannot do what is wrong even for good purposes."

Regarding other life issues, such as care for the poor, the Archbishop points out: "there will inevitably be conflicting strategies." He notes, "it is always important to witness to what is morally correct" but "we preserve the rightful freedom of individuals to make prudential judgments."

LifeSite has obtained permission to reprint the full article by the Archbishop see it here:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/040116a.html

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Debate in Taiwan on Over the Counter Availability of Morning-After Pill

TAIPEI, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Experts such as Taipei Medical University Hospital gynecologist Liu Wei-min claim that eliminating the need for a prescription for the morning-after pill will reduce the abortion rate and lower the incidence of teenage pregnancies. Many "experts," including Liu, also claim that the morning-after pill does not induce abortion, but delays ovulation, and thus classify the pill as "emergency contraception." The F.D.A. agrees, classifying the morning-after pill as a contraceptive.

But Canadian Physicians For Life president Dr. Robert Pankratz counters that, in approximately 75 percent of cases, the morning-after pill is abortifacient, in that it makes implantation of a newly formed foetus impossible.

A large portion of the deception stems from the altered definition of "pregnancy" used by the "emergency contraception" pushers. While pregnancy commences at fertilization (conception), those bent on pushing the drugs have conveniently redefined pregnancy as beginning at implantation. Despite the denials, research on morning-after pills has shown their primary effect to be the halting of implantation. Textbooks on embryology state clearly: "After fertilization, the pre- implantation embryo remains extremely vulnerable. The 'morning-after' pill, with its high estrogen content, alters the endometrium so that implantation fails to occur …" (Human Embryology and Developmental Biology, by Bruce M. Carlson, M.D., Ph.D., 1994, p. 110.)

The rapid proliferation of abortifacient "emergency contraception" around the world in the past few years, has been engineered by the International Consortium on Emergency Contraception, a group of abortion supporters.

Experts argue that making the pills more accessible could lead to teens engaging in activities they might otherwise not do, based on the false sense of security inherent with availability of the pill. The increased availability of the pill also raises concerns over increased exposure to sexually transmitted infection, in turn sparking a significant increase in cancer, infertility, and HIV/AIDS.

Studies have shown use of the drugs to be strongly associated with the incidence of breast cancer, cervical cancer, blood clots, infertility, stroke as well as a ten-fold increase in ectopic pregnancy.

Taiwan has Asia's highest teenage birth rate, at 1.3 percent for girls aged 15 to 19 years.
See previous LifeSite stories:

Republicans Against Over the Counter Morning-After Pill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04011409.html

UN & IPPF being behind the international promotion of "emergency contraception" http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/dec/991210a.html

The many negative side effects of the morning-after pill: "Potent Drug Receives Revolutionary Exemption from Usual Doctors' Risk Assessment" at:
http://lsn.ca/ldn/1999/sept/990922a.html

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Leaked Documents Reveal Conservative Anglicans in Canada and U.S. Ready to Split

VANCOUVER, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The UK Guardian has received top secret documents revealing that Anglicans who value the Bible's teachings on traditional marriage are set to split with the wayward majority of Anglican dioceses in Canada and the United States. Written by Geoff Chapman, rector of St Stephen's church, Sewickley, Pennsylvania, the document says that the conservative churches are seeking oversight of their parishes by bishops who did not support the ordination of the practicing homosexual bishop Gene Robinson, or the blessings of homosexual unions as imposed by Canadian Anglican Bishop Michael Ingham.

The letter says the move seeks to preserve "biblical faith and values". However, the Guardian notes that the breakaway parishes may lose their church buildings since Anglican canon law suggests ownership by the national church. The coordinating body of the move, the American Anglican Council (AAC), represents some 260 of the 7,300 Episcopal churches in the U.S.

The documents suggest a strategy to overcome the property dispute. Chapan suggests that during the "season of conflict," . . . "faithful disobedience of canon law on a widespread basis may be necessary". He notes that "Recent litigation indicates that the local diocesan authorities hold almost all the cards in property disputes and clergy placement if they want to play 'hardball'. But we think the political realities are such that American revisionist bishops will be reticent to play hardball for a while. They have just handed the gay lobby a stunning victory but are being forced to pay a fearsome price for it."

See the coverage from The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1123316,00.html

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Bishop Bans Hypnotist from Catholic High Schools

WINDSOR, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a letter to school board directors, Bishop Ronald Fabbro expressed his apprehension about the fact that some schools were inviting hypnotists to entertain students. "This has become a matter of concern for some, including myself," he said.

The Catholic Church does not oppose the use of hypnotism for legitimate reasons, such as for weight loss or to help quit smoking, "But for entertainment, it's a serious violation of our human dignity. It takes away our freedom and our capacity to make sound choices," Reverend Larry Brunet, pastor of the Catholic board said.

Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., in his book The Modern Catholic Dictionary (Doubleday & Company, Inc.), says that "According to Catholic principles, hypnotism is not wrong in itself, so that its use under certain circumstances is permissible. But since it deprives the subject of the full use of reason and free will, a justifying cause is necessary for allowing it to be practiced. Moreover, because hypnotism puts the subject's will in the power of the hypnotist, certain precautions are necessary to safeguard the subject's virtue, and to protect him or her and others against the danger of being guilty of any injurious actions.

When asked about following the wishes of Bishop Fabbro, Helaina Gaspard, a student trustee who attends Cardinal Carter, said "We fully understood. Obviously when there are circumstances such as that, when the presentation itself counters some aspects or values of the Catholic Church, as a Catholic school, we obviously have to adhere to them and support the Bishop in his instructions."

Read National Post coverage at:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=d5346bd2-10cd-49a...

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Woman Wins Right to Appeal Embryo Case

LONDON, UK, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Natallie Evans has won the right to an appeal in her bid to retain embryos that were created through IVF with former partner, Howard Johnston. Under current British law, the fertility Act states that both partners must give full consent for the procedure to be carried out. Johnston opposes the implantation of the embryos. Evans had surgery for ovarian cancer, rendering her infertile. She worries that the embryos in storage are her only chance of having a child mature to adulthood.

Last October, the British High Court ruled that Johnston's consent was paramount, and that the embryos should be destroyed.

Evans applied for the appeal based on the argument that Johnston could not withdraw his consent after the embryos had been created.

Evans also argued that European human rights legislation grants embryos a right to life, and her, as part of her right to a private and family life, the right to use them.

Read local coverage at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3402929.stm

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LifeSite NewsBytes

The UN's Stalking Horse Named CEDAW
"CEDAW's content is contemporary colonialism; it exports - forces down the throats of signee nations - its Neo-Marxist agenda. CEDAW's implementation is through judicial imperialism. CEDAW's danger is real. Conservative thinkers and analysts have marshaled the evidence against the treaty. The evidence, however, does not always win the day. We must build a winning coalition by convincing moderates that CEDAW is about judicial imperialism. We must explain that the key issue is the further intrusions into our lives by un-elected bureaucrats not accountable to the people through elections - International United Nations bureaucrats"
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/5108/BLI/reports/index.htm

Israeli Chief Rabbis, Pope to hold "Vatican Summit"
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/00316100060.htm

The Greatest Anti-Child-Poverty Program Has Been Marriage
http://www.nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry200401160653.asp

The U.S. is wasting money on bad sex advice.
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/pardue_rector200401160720.asp

Survey Finds Women Wouldn't Trust Men Taking Male Contraceptive Pill
http://thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1...

Kentucky Fetal Homicide Bill Given Initial Approval by Legislative Committee
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/01/16ky/met-front-fetal0116-6245.h...

U.S. Human Cloning Scientist Looking for UK Surrogate Mother for Human Clones
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=481733

Conservative Leadership Candidate Tony Clement Says He's Pro-Life But Won't Act on It
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=76d911e3-ced3-440...

Christian Legal Firm Spearheads National Day of Purity
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/afa/162004a.asp

One of Nine Anglican Parishes Resisting Homosexual Unions Caves in to Bishop
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/story.asp?id=E36DCD72-6CE6-4A7B-A10...

Showtime to Promote Homosexuality with new Show on Lesbians
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,108580,00.html

Graphic Sex-Ed to Prevent Sex-Abuse Thought to be Abusive
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21146-2004Jan15.html

Bush Renews Push for Federal for Faith-Based Community Services
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3628514,00.html

Major Boston Jewish Community Group Endorses Homosexual Marriage
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/01/16/jewish_group_oks_same_sex_m...

Bill Would Force 5-Year-Olds Into California Classrooms
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/afa/162004e.asp

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