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A Thousand Sri-Lankan Female Tea-Plantation Workers March Against Abortion

By Gudrun Schultz

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Women workers on tea-plantations left their jobs for a day to march in protest against abortion on International Women’s Day March 8.

Nearly a thousand women carrying placards saying “women are not slaves” and “stop abortion” marched through the Hatton area of central Sri Lanka, performing a street play along the way about the harm caused by abortion.

Fr. George Sigamani, of the Kandy diocese, coordinated the protest. Fr. Sigamani is head of the justice, peace, human development and human rights apostolate for the diocese. He told UCA News there have been hundreds of illegal abortions in the area.

”One of the major issues is the number of abortions taking place,” he said. Abortion is illegal in Sri Lanka unless the mother’s life is in danger. Fr. Sigamani said most of the abortions take place because the pregnancy occurred outside of marriage, or because the woman’s husband demanded that she have an abortion.

Fr. Sigamani also suggested that some of the pregnancies and abortions are the result of predations by gem merchants who come to the district to capitalize on the illegal mining industry, and abuse the women of the area.

Many of the women marching lost their daily wage in order to take part in the protest, said Wasantha Herath, 43, a Catholic Sinhalese participant to UCA News. 

Women, she said, “can stand on our own feet by knowing our rights.”

Plantation workers in the district typically receive poor wages, about 125 rupees per day (US$1.20). Their housing is generally inadequate and they rarely have proper access to health or education facilities.

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UK Gov't Names Abortion Nurse - Innovative Nurse of the Year

By John-Henry Westen

LONDON, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - British Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt awarded a nurse specializing in abortion with the Nurse of the Year Award in the category of 'Innovative Practice in Sexual Health'.  Sue Bush, a senior nurse at King's College Hospital NHS Trust's abortion service was awarded due to her innovations in speeding the abortion process. (http://www.nursing-standard.co.uk/nurseawards/sex.asp )

The UK Life League was shocked at the "deeply offensive" award.  "This woman is a cold-hearted baby murderer and the only reward she deserves is life in prison," said a release from the organization.  "Susan is a different sort of nurse. Unlike a midwife that assists a mother giving birth and helps deliver new life into the world, Susan kills the babies."

The awards were handed out at a posh ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in central London on Wednesday March 8.

To express concerns to the Health Secretary:
Patricia Hewitt
Secretary of State for Health,
Department of Health,
Richmond House,
79 Whitehall,
London SW1A 2NL
Phone: 020 7210 4850
Eamil:

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Patriarch Alexis II: Homosexuality a "Vicious Deviation From God-Given Human Nature"

By John-Henry Westen

MOSCOW, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a letter made public yesterday, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexis II congratulated Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov for his opposition to the 'gay pride' parade in Moscow.  In the letter, the Patriarch said, "I was gratified to learn that you and the government of Moscow have approached this problem with civil responsibility not only for the present of our country, but also for its future."

The news comes as the Vatican revealed communications between Pope Benedict XVI and the Patriarch, in which Alexis II wrote: "In our own times, with the rapid growth of secularism, Christianity finds itself facing important challenges that require a shared testimony."

"I am convinced," the Patriarch continued in his letter to the Pope, "that one of today's priorities for our Churches, which have a shared vision of the many problems currently facing the modern world, must be the defense and affirmation in society of the Christian values by which humanity has lived for more than a millennium. I hope that the rapid resolution of outstanding problems between our two Churches will also contribute to this end."

In his letter to the Moscow Mayor, Alexis explained the position of the Orthodox Church saying, "the Church has invariably supported the institution of the family and condemns untraditional relations, seeing them as a vicious deviation from God-given human nature."  He continued, "The Church treats people with such inclinations with pastoral responsibility urging them to reform and resolutely opposes any attempts to present this sinful tendency as a 'norm' and example to follow. The Church does not accept any propaganda for immorality."

Addressing the mayor, Alexis II said, "please accept our gratitude for your decision to protect Moscow and Muscovites against attempts to organize a public parade of propaganda for sin. I am convinced that the overwhelming majority of our citizens are grateful to you and the Moscow government for your care for public morality."

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Canadian MP says Cancer Society Withholding Pill/Cancer Link

by Hilary White

OTTAWA, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Maurice Vellacott, MP for Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, upbraided the Canadian Cancer Society for withholding information about the link between hormonal contraception and cancer. Vellacott said, “If the Canadian Cancer Society is not telling Canadians the truth about the birth control pill’s link to breast cancer, what else is the Canadian Cancer Society withholding?”

In 2003, Oxford University researchers found a link between the pill and cervical cancer.
Researchers from Cancer Research UK's epidemiology unit in Oxford reviewed 28 studies and found that the longer a woman took the pill, the greater her risk of developing cervical cancer. They found a 10% increased risk for women taking the pill for 5 years or less, 60% for 5 to 9 years' use, and 100% greater risk (i.e. double the risk of a non-pill-using woman) if they had taken it for at least 10 years.

Vellacott’s comments came in an interview with the CBC’s Wendy Mesley’s documentary, “Chasing the Cancer Answer” which aired recently on CBC’s Marketplace.

The program also quotes Pathologist Dr. Samuel Epstein, a professor at the University of Chicago and author of the book, Cancer-Gate: How to win the losing cancer war. Epstein also criticized the Canadian Cancer Society saying Canada is in a “cancer epidemic.”

Epstein said, “The pill is the largest unregulated human trial that’s ever been conducted.”

In July 2005 The World Health Organization said that the birth control pill is carcinogenic and is associated with increases in cervical, liver and breast cancer.

“In the interests of women, I hope the Canadian Cancer Society will also take a look at another risk factor for breast cancer, and a preventable one at that,” Vellacott said. “Induced abortion.”

The hormonal birth control pill has also been associated in some studies with prostate cancer in the male children of women who take it. Scientists at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri found that estrogen-like hormones deform the prostates in developing embryos, which can be a precursor to developing prostate cancer or bladder problems.

Vellacott said, “Why will the Canadian Cancer Society not take an objective look at what the research says about the link between abortion and breast cancer if they’re serious about prevention?”

Dr. Epstein accused the cancer establishment of “damage control” (screening, diagnosis, treatment) rather than prevention.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Contraceptive Pill Linked to Cervical Cancer
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/apr/03040405.html

Birth Control Pill May Cause Prostate Cancer and Bladder Disease in Mothers’ Children
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05050411.html

Contact Canadian Cancer Society:
Canadian Cancer Society
National Office
Suite 200, 10 Alcorn Avenue
Toronto, Ontario    M4V 3B1
 
Phone: (416) 961-7223
Fax: (416) 961-4189
General e-mail:

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Two More Women Die After Medical Abortion with Abortion Pill RU-486, FDA Warns

By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a Public Health Advisory released today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has alerted consumers to an additional two deaths of women after taking the abortion pill mifepristone (also known as Mifeprix or RU-486).  The known death toll stemming from the abortion drug in the US is six women and countless unborn children since the drug's legalization in 2000.  Beyond that there have been over 600 adverse effects recorded from the drug.

Among the most serious events other than death, 42 women experienced life-threatening hemorrhages, while 68 had severe hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion. There were 66 cases of infection including seven cases of septic shock. Seventeen women had undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies before taking the drug - also a serious and potentially fatal situation, which resulted in the death of one woman. At least 513 of the women required surgery, with 235 of the surgeries deemed emergency. (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06010301.html )

The Agency received verbal notification of the latest deaths in the United States from the manufacturer, Danco Laboratories.  "At this time we are investigating all circumstances associated with these cases and are not able to confirm the causes of death," said an FDA release.  "However, all providers of medical abortion and their patients need to be aware of the specific circumstances and directions for use of this drug and all risks including sepsis when considering treatment."

Concerned Women for America (CWA) expressed outrage that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still refuses to pull the abortion pill RU-486 from the market even after today's announcement. “The FDA has pulled other drugs that have caused fewer deaths and less severe complications than RU-486."

The FDA admits that only 10 percent of complications suffered by patients from drugs get reported. Over 800 complications due to RU-486 have been reported to the FDA.

"Two more families are grieving because the FDA refuses to pull this dangerous drug from the market,” said Wright. “By giving its approval, FDA participates in the deception that RU-486 is ‘safe.’ How many women must die before the FDA will act? Are their lives less important than making abortion convenient?”

In light of the newly reported deaths, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) urged that Congress take action and pass Holly's Law.  Holly's law, authored by Representative Roscoe Bartlett (HR 1079), would withdraw FDA approval of RU-486 and subject it to a thorough review, which it did not receive for its present approval.  The law is named after 18 year old Holly Patterson who was killed by the dangerous drug. 

"RU-486 was rushed to approval for political purposes by the Clinton Administration, and as a result numerous safety concerns were suppressed, trivialized and overlooked," said Smith, Co-Chairman of the Pro-Life Caucus in the House of Representatives.

See the FDA advisory:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/mifeprex200603.htm

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Name and Shame: Catholic College Sites Linking to Abortion Centers Exposed

MANASSAS, VA (March 16, 2006) - Despite the Catholic Church's clear opposition to abortion, contraception and premarital sexual activity, a Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) review of Catholic college and university Web sites has revealed links and referrals to abortion clinics including Planned Parenthood-the largest abortion provider in the United States-and abortion-rights and pro-contraception groups.

CNS is a national organization to renew and strengthen the Catholic identity of Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S.  Founded in 1993, CNS has more than 18,000 members.

Whether it's internship and job placements with abortion-rights groups, or health center referrals to Planned Parenthood, or general "resource" links, the Web sites of Boston College, DePaul University, Dominican University of California, Georgetown University, Loyola University of Chicago, Loyola University of New Orleans, Our Lady of the Lake University, Santa Clara University, Seton Hall University and the University of Detroit Mercy are under criticism by CNS.

Another Catholic college-the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota-posts online information encouraging students to use contraceptives and abortifacient devices.

In a letter faxed today to the presidents of these 11 institutions, CNS urged them to remove the Web links, referrals and information immediately.

"Leading young adults to abortion clinics and pro-abortion advocacy groups is like feeding them to the lions," wrote CNS President Patrick J. Reilly to the college and university presidents.  "The incidence of abortion is already very high among college-age women.  Faithful Catholics expect Catholic colleges and universities to embrace a 'culture of life' and avoid scandal."

This is not the first time that CNS has raised concerns about Catholic college and university Web sites.  In December 2002, CNS reported that 12 Catholic colleges and  universities were providing links and referrals to Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion and pro-contraception services and groups.  All of the schools removed the links and referrals except Loyola University of Chicago.  In the 2004 report "The Culture of Death on Catholic Campuses," CNS again identified concerns with Catholic college and university Web sites, but several of those concerns have not been resolved.

In the U.S. bishops' 1999 guidelines for Catholic colleges and universities, they insisted that Catholic institutions display their "commitment to provide personal services (health care, counseling and guidance) to students, as well as administration and faculty, in conformity with the Church's ethical and religious teaching and directives."  The U.S. bishops' "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" warn against "the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers" and instruct that cooperation with other groups or services "may need to be refused because of the scandal that might be caused."

See Special Report:
List of Catholic College Concerns identified by Cardinal Newman Society
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/060317a.html

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German Birthrate Hits Bottom: Lowest in Europe

By Gudrun Schultz

BERLIN, Germany, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Germany’s birth rate is now the lowest in Europe. Only 8.5 babies were born in Germany last year for every 1,000 residents.

In 1964, 1.36 million babies were born in Germany. In 2005, half as many children were born, at just 680,000—the birth rate hasn’t been this low since the end of the Second World War, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

The German city of Chemnitz, in former East Germany, has the lowest birth rate in the world, with 6.9 babies born per 1,000 residents.

“The tradition in the 1950s, 60s and even the 80s in Germany was that a mother was only a mother and looked after the children,” Michael Hüther, who heads up Cologne’s economics institute, told the Guardian.

 “We are reaching a critical point,” he said to Die Welt newspaper. “The number of births now determines what happens in the next decade-and-a-half to two decades. You can’t revise it afterwards. The availability of human capital will get worse, and act as a brake on growth.”

Efforts to shore up the birth rate have been mainly unsuccessful so far. Germany’s family minister Ursula von der Leyen introduced tax breaks last year to help couples that wanted children. Increased nursery places and a new state-funded welfare scheme requiring men to take two months off work for families to qualify were also introduced, but none of the changes have had a significant impact on the rate of birth.

All of Europe is facing the same plummeting birthrate. According to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, by 2050 Europe’s population will have fallen by around 1.5%, or 7 million people. The birth rate in Britain is at 12 births per 1,000 residents. In France the number is 12.7, in the Netherlands 11.9, and in Ireland 15.2.

 In Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, birth rates are falling as well. Poland’s rate is 9.3, Bulgaria is at 9 and Latvia has one of the lowest rates, at 8.8.

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Polls Show Once Public Understands the Issue Doctor-Assisted Suicide Fails

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to CBS, "Public support for physician-assisted suicide is now at the lowest point since the CBS News/New York Times Poll began asking the question in 1990. Prior to this poll, more than half of the public had said physician-assisted suicide should be allowed."

Californians Against Assisted Suicide has produced a statistical analysis demonstrating the trend.

California's Proposition 161, an initiative in 1992 to legalize doctor-assisted suicide originally polled Yes 74 percent, No 24 percent and 2 percent undecided. The measure was sponsored by the Hemlock Society (now Compassion & Choices).  On Election Day, November 3, 1992, the proposition garnered a result substantially different from previous poll figures and failed by 8 points. The "No on 161" side garnered 54 percent of the vote while the pro-assisted suicide advocates received only 46 percent.

Again in 1999, when euthanasia/assisted suicide advocates pushed legislation to legalize the practice in California, initial polling suggested that 75 percent of Californians supported assisted suicide, 20 percent opposed and 5 percent were undecided. (Field Poll, 1999) The author of that bill declined to bring it to a vote of the Legislature.

In November 2004, CBS asked the question, "If a person has a disease that will ultimately destroy their mind or body and they want to take their own life, should a doctor be allowed to assist the person in taking their own life, or not?" Results showed only 46 percent answering "Yes," 45 percent answering "No" and 9 answering "Undecided." (CBS poll was a nationwide sample of 885 adults)

Gallup in May 2005, found 49 percent found doctor-assisted suicide "acceptable" and 42 percent found it "wrong". (Telephone interviews with 1,005 national adults, aged 18 and older)

Pew Research in August 2005, found only 44 percent of people "Favor making it legal for doctors to Assist in suicide."  (Nationwide sample of 1,502 adults, 18 years of age or older)

Fairbank, Maslin and Maullin, in February 2006, found 64 percent of California Latinos oppose doctor assisted suicide and only 29 percent support it. (Telephone survey of 325 Latinos in the State of California)

For more information visit: http://www.ca-aas.com

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UN Commission on the Status of Women Deletes Abortion-Inclusive Language in Agreed Conclusions

By Samantha Singson

NEW YORK, March 17, 2006 (C-fam.org/LifeSiteNews.com) - As the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) met for its closing ceremony last Friday, delegates were uncertain whether a set of Agreed Conclusions would be adopted. Negotiations went down to the wire as delegates struggled to come to consensus on the contentious health section of the draft text.

The original draft of the Agreed Conclusions' section on women's health focused almost solely on "sexual and reproductive health services and rights." As the Friday Fax has reported in the past, pro-abortion advocates have tried to establish a so-called international human right to abortion on demand using this terminology.

The European Union, joined by Turkey, Canada (under its new Conservative government elected in January), New Zealand and Norway, fought to keep the focus on sexual and reproductive health by referencing the reported 500,000 maternal deaths every year.

As negotiations wore on, many states expressed mounting frustration at the narrow focus on the sexual and reproductive health of women. Costa Rica, Egypt, the United States, Pakistan, El Salvador, Nigeria, Syria and Sudan were among those countries calling for the Commission to address women's health in a more comprehensive way, bearing in mind the myriad of health concerns faced by women throughout the course of their lives. Much to the consternation of delegates, the draft Agreed Conclusions contained no references to the top causes of death of women in the developing world, namely malaria and tuberculosis.

The NGO Pro-Life and Pro-Family Coalition presented statistics on the major causes of death of women and girls that were released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2002's World Health Report. The Report attributed only 1.9 percent of women's deaths on maternal conditions. As stated in a fact sheet distributed to UN delegates by members of the pro-life and pro-family coalition, fully 89 percent of deaths of women and girls are attributable to causes unrelated to sexual and reproductive health.

The fact sheet caused an immediate stir among negotiators, forcing states to begin discussion on the other health care needs of women. At the end of the conference, consensus was finally reached on the Agreed Conclusions and the resulting health paragraph looked nothing like the original draft. In the end, reproductive health language was largely muted in the document, while a broader understanding of the health needs of women was included.

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Body Parts Scandals Becoming Common in US and Abroad

by Hilary White

FORT LEE, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US firm, Biomedical Tissue Services (BTS) of Fort Lee, N.J., is accused of collecting thousands of body parts without donor consent.

BTS owner, Michael Mastromarino, has been charged with three other men with secretly harvesting body parts from corpses, some of which are feared to have been tainted with diseases. The parts were then sold to a number of tissue distributors around the US. One distributor, Medtronic Inc., reported that at least 8,000 pieces that came from BTS were implanted.

The Food and Drug Administration has said it is concerned that many of the parts could have been infected with AIDS virus, syphilis and hepatitis.

The FDA announced that their investigation of BTW “revealed serious and widespread deficiencies in their manufacturing practices that provide the agency reason to believe that allowing the firm to manufacture would present a danger to public health by increasing the risk of communicable disease transmission."

The general lowering of ethical standards in medicine and medical research has created an open field for trafficking in body parts from vulnerable persons. Enormous moneyed interests are at work in providing human tissue for bio-medical, pharmaceutical and even cosmetics research. With the huge demographic bump of the “boomer” generation moving into old age, the demand for life-prolonging transplants is rising dramatically.

More efficient freezing and storage technology has allowed the trade to go international.

Chinese officials admitted in December 2005, that prisoners – many of whom are jailed for political reasons - were being used as ready-made organ farms in a legal system that executes more criminals than any other country. The Times reported that in China, a liver sells to a foreign recipient for approximately $41,000 US.

In September 2003, LifeSiteNews.com reported that surgeons in Russia had been removing kidneys from homeless people in illegal organ-harvesting operations. The spare parts are worth as much as $40,000 US each. One of the surgeons said that in general the people from whom the parts were stolen, “are done for anyway, maybe they could live another three or four days.”

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
China Admits to Sale of Organs from Prisoners
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05120504.html

Questions Answered on Organ Donation: Interview with Dr. John B. Shea M.D.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06021709.html

To see many more articles on body parts harvesting enter "body parts" into LifeSiteNews search
http://www.lifesite.net/

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Southern Baptists Focus on Defending Unborn, Marriage and Religious Freedom in 2006

By Gudrun Schultz

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The largest Protestant denomination in the United States will concentrate on protecting the sanctity of human life, traditional marriage and basic human rights as the top priorities for public policy in 2006.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission released the legislative agenda for 2006 earlier this week, highlighting the issues the commission will be concentrating on this year.

The ERLC said it would advocate for the passage of the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, a bill that would require abortionists to inform mothers of the pain their unborn child will feel during abortion.

The commission will also support the Child Custody Protection Act, which would prevent minors from being transported to another state by someone other than their parents for an abortion, and a ban on human cloning for research or reproductive purposes.

The ELRC will work to protect traditional marriage by advocating the passage of the Marriage Protection Amendment, a constitutional amendment to protect the definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

“Mounting pressure from special-interest groups around the country to legalize same-sex marriage makes it imperative that we secure passage of this amendment and them take it to the states for ratification,” wrote Richard Land and Barrett Duke, the president and vice president of the ERLC.

Other Christian lobbying groups in Washington have been working to ensure the passage of the amendment, launching petitions in its favour. A two-thirds vote in both the Senate and House is required for the amendment to pass Congress. Three-fourths of the states must then ratify the amendment for it to become part of the Constitution.

Religious freedom will be addressed by the commission through its support of the ADVANCE Democracy Act, a bill for the peaceful promotion of democracies in other countries, and the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which would provide workplace protection for people of faith.

Read the full ERLC statement under “public policy” at:
http://www.erlc.com

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Abortion Debate Reveals Canada's Lack of Abortion Law Cannot be Defended

HAMILTON, March 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Wednesday’s public debate at McMaster University addressing the question “Should Abortion be Legal,” left the over 140 audience members with much reason to conclude Canada’s lack of an abortion law is a tragedy that cannot be logically defended.

The debate, held in the new state-of-the-art McMaster medical building and hosted by LifeLine, McMaster University’s pro-life club, was a follow-up to the previous day’s campus demonstration of graphic pictures of abortion. (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06031506.html)

Stephanie Gray, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, readily agreed to argue the ‘against’ position when contacted months ago by LifeLine. Finding someone to argue the ‘for’ position, however, was a much more difficult task than they had bargained for.

André Schutten, Public Relations Officer for LifeLine, expressed his disbelief at how hard it was to find a debater. “We tried for weeks and put in lots of work trying to find a debater. It was ridiculous.” For years now many pro-abortion organizations have held to a policy of avoiding public debates on the issue. 

Among those contacted were: 14 professors on campus, especially those known for their strongly feminist and liberal stances; McMaster Medical Students for Choice; a local MP; the Morgantaler abortion clinic; and the Sexual Health Awareness Centre in Hamilton. No-one accepted the challenge. 

Finally, Fiona Simpson, a third year molecular biology student and member of the McMaster debate society, bravely agreed to take up the challenge.

While the debate ended up being a bit of a mismatch - Ms. Gray is a seasoned professional on the life issues who has been interviewed by ABC, NBC and Fox among others - it served to highlight the great challenge pro-life forces face in the current abortion conflict; the fact that the underlying foundational philosophies of the two sides are increasingly irreconcilable.

Employing both science and logic, Ms. Gray argued convincingly that the unborn child is human, and that the reasons our society gives for allowing abortion are therefore not valid. Ms. Simpson did not counter this assertion, and even admitted that she could not win on that issue, but instead argued that the fetus does not have rights based on the modern conception of rights as granted by government.

Throughout the debate Ms. Simpson claimed that the issue is not about morality or religion but about how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is to be interpreted. When cross-examining Ms. Gray she asked two telling questions: “Do you have faith in the Charter?” and “Do you have faith in the Supreme Court?”

Throughout the debate Ms. Simpson returned repeatedly to section 7 of the Charter (which states that, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof…”), and argued that giving the unborn child the right to life on par with that of the mother would effectively deprive the mother of life and liberty.

At one point Ms. Simpson, inadvertently expressed the crux of the feminist position: “Forcing a woman to keep her fetus effectively forces her to spend nine months in complete self-loathing and fear.”

While Ms.Gray was seen by many to have presented the more compelling and coherent arguments, LifeLine president Johanna Miller expressed her admiration that Ms. Fiona accepted the challenge to debate after no professor or medical expert would step up to the plate. “The generation before us takes it for granted that the abortion issue is closed, but the fact that Ms.Simpson agreed to debate is encouraging. It shows that young people are willing tackle the issue.”

Ms. Miller considered the debate a success, although she was somewhat disappointed that the Medical Students for Choice did not show up, especially since the debate was held in the Medical building.

Surveys filled out by the audience indicated that many attended looking for reassurance or deeper, logical reasons for being pro-life. Ms. Gray’s persuasive defense of the pro-life position did exactly that. A number of students came up afterwards looking to become more involved in defending life. “The debate was an extra push for a lot of people,” said Johanna, “it confirmed their pro-life stance.”

Next on LifeLine’s agenda is a campus wide awareness campaign promoting this May’s March for Life in Ottawa.

See previous article
Astonishing Success of Pro-Life Project at Canadian University
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06031506.html

See LifeLine website
http://www.mcmasterlifeline.com

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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes

Scalia critical of what he calls the "judge-moralist"
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/03/15/scalia_critic...

Harper restricts ministers' message
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060317.wxpmo17/BNStory/Nati...

Prominent leaders from the Christian right have warned Republicans they must do more to advance conservative values
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4815912.stm

Gay rights group criticizes Christian conference for allowing 'ex-gay' speaker
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-creclaim16mar16%2C0%2C1816951...

Kinsey’s Consequences
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10334/CWA/family/index.htm

No ‘Morning-After Pill’ for Rapists
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10327/LEGAL/life/index.htm

Polygamists Attempt to Leverage Gay Court Victories
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039867.cfm

Egg-donor business booms on campuses: Students offered up to $35,000 to sell eggs
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060316/1a_cover16.art.htm

Israeli hospital held newborn baby as a "guarantee" of payment
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4816152.stm

Commission on the Status of Women Deletes Abortion-Inclusive Language in Agreed Conclusions
http://www.thefactis.org/default.aspx?control=ArticleMaster&aid=1501&aut...

The liberal baby bust
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060314/cm_usatoday/theliberalbabybust;_ylt=As...

Poll: 77% of French Favour Doctor-Assisted Suicide
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/11218

Cardinal urges new Chilean government to stand up for life
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/11218

Hypocrites At “South Park” And Showtime
http://www.catholicleague.org/06press_releases/quarter%201/060314_hypocrites_SP....

Democrats need more than a "Statement of Principles" to escape abortion politics
http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110008084

Papa New Guinea Catholics object to Government Call to Permit Condoms
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/PNG-Catholics-object-to-condom-call/2006/03/14/...

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