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Former Head of UN Population Fund Reveals Longstanding Alliance with Catholics for a Free Choice

Says Catholic Church Prior to John Paul II was Easier to Work With - "With the passing of Pope Paul VI, everything became much harder"

By John-Henry Westen

NEW YORK, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During her 14 years at the helm of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nafis Sadik always denied the organization's abortion advocacy even in the face of overwhelming evidence.  She did not directly name her pro-life enemies nor did she reveal her allies in the battle to establish a global 'right' to abortion.

All that changed after her accolade-filled departure from UNFPA, shortly after which she joined the Board of Directors for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy (CRLP) - the legal arm of the pro-abortion movement in the U.S.

With her distance from UNFPA separated by more years, Sadik has felt more comfortable in revealing her enemies and allies - the Catholic Church (specifically under John Paul II) and 'Catholics for a Free Choice' (CFFC) respectively.

In an article for the Spring 2007 edition of the CFFC magazine 'Conscience', Sadik writes about her alliance with Frances Kissling, the foundress of the pro-abortion activist group CFFC.  "I was very happy to find in Frances Kissling an ally who not only shared my passion for sexual and reproductive health and rights but had a passion of her own, for her church and its mission," wrote Sadik.

On working with the church on matters related to "sexual and reproductive health and rights", by which Sadik has frequently referred to abortion and contraception, Sadik says: "Until 1978, it was relatively easy for organizations interested in women's sexual and reproductive health and rights to work with the church. We collaborated on programs to counsel engaged couples about family life; we worked together on maternal and child health projects. We agreed that we had a common purpose to save lives, improve health, attack poverty and promote development, and we agreed to disagree about contraceptive technology."

Sadik continues: "With the passing of Pope Paul VI, everything became much harder. The cordial working atmosphere vanished almost overnight and has never returned. Instead, we found distrust, covert opposition and open hostility, not only to contraception but to all aspects of women's empowerment and gender equality."

Her assessment of the JPII papacy is summed up in her opening paragraph: "One of the bitter disappointments of the papacy of John Paul II was that the Roman Catholic Church abdicated its responsibility toward women, and in particular toward women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. For a quarter of a century, the church resolutely opposed all moves toward women's empowerment and gender equality, on the international stage and at the national level."

See the full article by Sadik in the CFFC magazine:
http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/conscience/current/cSpring2007_forfrancesitspe...

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Sweden Cuts Aid to Countries that Oppose its Pro-Abortion Stance

Said to be "very concerned" about abortion policies of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Peru

Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

CENTRAL AMERICA, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Sweden announced on Tuesday that it would sever aid to several countries that oppose its pro-abortion policy, including Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Peru.

Although the government of Sweden did not publicly attribute the decision to the abortion policies of the Latin American nations, the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa yesterday quoted anonymous sources who stated that the Swedish leadership, "was very concerned about the issue of therapeutic abortion." "What happened is that they are very involved in the area of health.  The announcement is for the purpose of seeing if the debate over therapeutic abortion will be reopened again," the newspaper was told.

Two representatives in the Nicaraguan Congress, Alba Placios and Wilfredo Navarro, accused the Swedish ambassador, Eva Zetterberg, of trying to use Sweden's foreign aid program to force abortion on the country.

"The Swedes have been exerting pressure and conditioning all of their aid on meddling, principally the ambassador Eva Zetterberg...The basis for removing Swedish aid is the topic of abortion.  Zetterberg is an open sponsor of abortion in Nicaragua," said Navarro.

The Swedish diplomatic corps in Nicaragua has repeatedly hinted to Nicaragua that continuing its policy of prohibiting abortions would jeopardize foreign aid assistance from the country.  Last year, when legislators were debating a new law that would make all direct abortions illegal, Zetterberg joined other ambassadors and leaders from United Nations agencies in urging the government not to pass the legislation.  Zetterberg herself went to the Nicaraguan Congress to witness the vote, which was seen by some as an act of intimidation.

At a meeting last year of the Donor's Roundtable, a group of representatives of countries and UN agencies giving foreign aid to Nicaragua, Zetterberg told the media that the group "wants to ensure that mechanisms are planned to guarantee a better link between cooperation and government policies," and stated that "therapeutic abortion" was "a very important issue".

When the law banning abortions was passed, a group of feminist organizations with ties to international foundations appealed the ruling.  The leader of the group, Ana Maria Pizarro, stated that Zetterberg and others in the "Donor's Roundtable" (whose members are representatives of foreign aid donors to Nicaragua) had asserted that "they saw it as a great inconsistency, given that the European cooperation is based on the promotion of human rights and respect for democratic liberties."

Although the government of Sweden did not directly cite the countries' abortion policies in its announcement, the Swedish ambassador to El Salvador stated that the changes in her country's foreign aid policy were meant to address topics such as "peace, security, democracy, and human rights", terms that are often used in relation to the pro-abortion agenda.

Two other countries in Central America that prohibit all abortions, El Salvador and Honduras, were also cut off, as well as Peru, which has also failed to buckle under pressure to loosen abortion restrictions.

The economist Nestor Avendano stated that the cuts would do serious harm to the most vulnerable sectors of the Nicaraguan economy, including health and education. "The government will have to reduce expenditures in other budgetary areas to be able to attend to those sectors with the same intensity," he told La Prensa.

However, Nicaragua also received news yesterday that Switzerland would more than triple its annual foreign aid to Nicaragua, from about $5 million to over $17 million annually for the next five years. This would partially offset the $21 million annual loss from Sweden's pullout.

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After One Year, Pro-Life Mexican President Gets 75% Positive Rating

MEXICO CITY, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- After one year in office, Mexico's pro-life president Felipe Calderon is receiving positive poll ratings from a majority of Mexicans, according to a recent survey.

The survey, sponsored by the Mexican publication Milenio, asked recipients "Has Felipe Calderón fulfilled his campaign promises?"  Eleven percent said "yes" and sixty-four percent said "Yes, to a certain extent", for a total of 75%.  Only 18% responded "No." 

When asked if Calderon had performed better or worse than expected,  50% responded "better" and only 31% responded "worse".

Calderon has consistently maintained pro-life principles since he was elected to office in 2006, defeating the pro-abortion socialist Manuel Lopez Obrador.  A daily Mass attendee, Calderon stated during his campaign that "on the subject of abortion, I am pro-life, and I also see that it is a matter clearly regulated by law, and most of all in judicial terms well settled."

Since Calderon took office late last year, Mexico City has passed a law legalizing abortion during the first trimester.  The Calderon administration quickly responded by appealing the law to Mexico's Supreme Court, citing the Constitution's protection of the right to life from the moment of conception.  The outcome of that appeal is still pending.

Calderon has not attempted to overturn the existing law that permits abortion in cases of rape, fetal deformity, and to protect the mother's "health".

According to polls, a large majority of Mexicans oppose expanding access to abortion in the country.  In practice, abortions are rarely performed even under the approved categories, due to the deep opposition by Mexicans to the practice of abortion.

Previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Daily Mass Catholic Pro-Lifer Wins Mexico Presidential Elections ...
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06070608.html ;

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International Planned Parenthood Federation Launches New Abortion Campaign in Europe

Uses strongly anti-religious language

By Maciej Golubiewski

BRUSSELS, Belguim, August 31, 2007 (C-Fam.org) - Using strongly anti-religious language, the European branch of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has recently issued a document entitled "Why We Need to Talk about Abortion" calling for the legalization of abortion in the European Union (EU).  While acknowledging that the member states retain "ultimate responsibility" for abortion legislation, the IPPF-Europe urges the EU Commission and the European Parliamentarians to act "despite this mandate" to "drive the issues forward" and "keep them high on the political agenda."

The IPPF document praises the European Parliamentarians and the Council of Europe for issuing two non-binding pro-abortion documents in recent years. The document quotes something called the "Van Lancker Report" of the European Parliament, which calls for unrestricted abortion rights in Europe. 

IPPF also mentions the EU Commission's support for the conclusions of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Although the Cairo document makes no call for abortion, pro-abortion advocates claim that Cairo's call for "reproductive health" is synonymous with abortion, something the UN General Assembly never intended or voted for.

Throughout the text, the IPPF text targets the predominantly Catholic countries of Slovakia, Malta, Ireland, Portugal and Poland as specific examples where women are faced with "no other option than forced pregnancy," unless they want to risk their lives through illegal abortion or to travel abroad to have it.  "Unplanned pregnancy" is portrayed as a "shock," leading to "clear-cut panic."  An aborted life is equated to an exercise of a woman's right "to choose what to do with their bodies."

The IPPF document also illustrates that abortion advocates believe that linking the pro-life cause with religion will help promote abortion rights.

Slovakia is criticized for allowing doctors "conscientious objection" against performing abortion for religious reasons, IPPF has clearly taken sides in the debate about religious freedom in Europe. The IPPF document also includes a section called "Every abortion has a story" which contains stories of women faced with an "unplanned or unwanted pregnancy" in six European countries.  One story is of a Slovakian woman who aborts her child and is supposedly castigated by a Catholic priest during Sunday Mass, though there is no substantiation for such a claim.  The story ends with her Catholic husband leaving her. 

It should be noted that most countries of the European Union have more limitations on abortion than the United States where there is abortion on demand. Most European countries have fairly conservative gestational limits on abortion, and some EU countries ban abortion outright. While the European Institutions have repeatedly said that abortion lies outside their competence and should be left to the individual, this recent IPPF campaign shows that pro-abortion organizations consider the institutions of the EU as useful lobbying targets to put the "right to abortion" on the EU agenda.

See related LifeSiteNews.com Stories

Low Birthrates Causing European Pension Funds to Run Out
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jul/03070404.html

German Population Plunge “Irreversible,” Federal Stats Office Admits
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110903.html

France Offers Cash Incentives for More Babies to Buffer Population Crisis
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05092804.html

UN WARNS OF EUROPEAN DEPOPULATION DISASTER
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/jan/00010501.html

EU Commissioner calls on Europeans to have More Children
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05081006.html

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Massive Study Finds Pre-School and Early Child Education Initiatives Show No Benefit

Other studies found marked negative effects from preschool including brain chemistry damage, aggression, negative social and emotional development, illness

By John-Henry Westen

LONDON, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A six year comparison of almost 35,000 children has shown that there has been no change in developmental levels of pupils entering primary school in this period, despite the introduction of several new early years' initiatives over the past decade, new research from Durham University's Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) Centre reveals.

The research, presented Tuesday at the biennial European Association for Learning and Instruction (EARLI) conference, shows that although there have been massive changes in early years education in the last few years, children's development and skills at the start of school are no different now than they were before the introduction of the early childhood curriculum, the Sure Start programme, free nursery education for all three year olds and the more recent introduction of the Children's Act 2002 and the Every Child Matters initiative.

The research used the CEM Centre's Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) assessment to measure the cognitive development of almost 35,000 children on entry into primary school between 2001 and 2006 and the authors believe it reveals potential policy implications for how future early years initiatives are introduced and monitored.

Dr. Christine Merrell, PIPS Projects Manager at Durham University's CEM Centre explains: "Our aim with this study is to provide a single perspective on the changing profiles of children starting school in England during a time of rapid change. While the PIPS assessments, used in the study do not measure how many children were involved in national initiatives, one would have expected that the major government programmes would have resulted in some measurable changes in our sample of almost 35,000 children. It is possible, however, that it is just still too early to measure the effects of these programmes particularly those of the Children's Act and Every Child Matters, which were only introduced in the past few years."

The significance of the findings is devastating for the Labour government, currently headed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as it has invested heavily in preschool, early childhood daycare schemes.

Other studies have found marked negative effects from preschool including brain chemistry damage, aggression, negative social and emotional development, and illness.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Study Finds Daycare Damages Babies Brain Chemistry
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06032903.html

Study Links Child Aggression to Time in Day Care
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/aug/03082108.html

Preschool Damages Children's Social Skills and Emotional Development
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05111001.html

Study Shows Canada's Universal Daycare Plan Has "Strikingly Negative" Consequences
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06020205.html

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LifeSiteNews.com Scoop Confirmed: "Bella" the Movie to be Released Across United States October 26

By Peter J. Smith
NEW YORK, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "Bella," the heart-warming independent film that took the 2006 Toronto Film Festival by storm, has now officially secured a major distributor for US audiences.

The Hollywood Reporter confirms a July 26 scoop by LifeSiteNews.com that had reported "Bella" would be released nationwide in U.S. theaters by October 26 by a major distributor Metanoia Films, the producer, finalized the contract with the distributor. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07072609.html) Now it is reported that Roadside Attractions has acquired the rights to distribute "Bella," making the independent film its first acquisition since its partnership with Lionsgate in July.

While Metanoia Films has not marketed "Bella" as a strictly pro-life movie, many pro-life and pro-family groups across the country and internationally have embraced the film for its unapologetic celebration of life and the beauty of family and for its honest look at the difficult issue of what to do about an unplanned and "unwanted" pregnancy.

"Bella" takes place during a single day, and follows lead characters Jose, once a famous athlete, now a chef at his adopted brother's restaurant, and Nina, a young waitress at the restaurant, who is fired from her job after discovering near the beginning of the film that she is pregnant. Scared and alone, Nina seems to have decided that she cannot continue her pregnancy and abort the child, until Jose, spends an unusual day with her in New York City.

The film stars acclaimed Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui and is his first debut since a profound conversion transformed one of Mexico's hottest television and music stars known for an immoral lifestyle, into a humble, devout Catholic, who now says he is driven in everything he does to become a saint.

Metanoia films, which says its mission is to "make movies that matter and have the potential to make a meaningful difference in people's lives" is promoting "Bella" with a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, including national TV ads for mainstream and Latino outlets. A grass-roots campaign is already helping to promote the film and pre-book tickets at theaters across America.

"The film is a crowd-pleaser about humanity, family, friendship and the unique magic of New York City," Roadside co-president Eric d'Arbeloff said. " 'Bella' will win the hearts and minds of Latino and mainstream audiences alike, and we hope it finds the same success as previous Toronto People's Choice Award winners 'Life Is Beautiful,' 'Whale Rider,' 'Hotel Rwanda,' 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'American Beauty.' "

The film has received acclaim from film reviewers all over North America:

"[Bella]'s one of those rare films that catches you by the emotional short hairs and refuses to let go. By the time the final reel plays, you're going to be weeping tears of commingled sadness and joy ... Bella is really not so much a love story (in the sense of two people falling head over heels) as it is a story about love and how it can heal psychic wounds and enrich our lives. - John P. Meyer, American Film Institute. 

"Bella is a romantic drama full of heart, soul and beautiful messages. It's a film that will stay with you forever! Powerful, passionate and unpredictable, Bella is a rare gem, a true surprise. A movie that can transform your life and keep you thinking." - Maria Salas, NBC-Miami
 
"The last film with Bella's momentum was the Passion of the Christ. The Passion showed how Christ died for us and Bella shows how we should live for others" - Steve McEveety, producer of Braveheart & The Passion of the Christ.

See LifeSiteNews.com's scoop story: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07072609.html

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Iowa Judge Temporarily Imposes "Gay Marriage" on State

"Renegade judge" ordered county officials to give marriage licenses to six gay couples

Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

POLK COUNTY, Iowa, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- An Iowa judge ruled Wednesday that the state's "gay marriage" ban violated the Constitution's protections for due process and equal protection of the laws.

Polk County judge Robert Hansen immediately ordered county officials to give marriage licenses to the six gay couples who had sued to overturn the ban.

Because the licenses still read "bride" and "groom" the homosexuals had to register under those categories.  They did not state how they decided the matter.

Plaintiff Jen Barbou Roske, of Iowa city, was giddy with the news. "This is kind of the American Dream...I'm still feeling kind of shaky. It's pure elation. I just cannot believe it," she told the Associated Press.

"Same-sex couples all across Iowa woke up Thursday morning believing they might never be allowed to marry in their home state, and by the end of the day, a wonderful world had opened up for them," Lambda Legal attorney Camilla Taylor told the French news agency AFP.

Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues with Concerned Women for America, differed in his analysis of the event.  "Once again we have another renegade judge abusing the authority he's been granted and arbitrarily legislating from the bench.  Hanson is a judicial activist.  He's just one man - a county judge - who has haughtily trampled on the concept of separation of powers, the elected state legislature and the people of Iowa in order to push his own radical agenda.  It's preposterous to think that the framers of the Iowa constitution could have even imagined that the document they were drafting would someday be distorted in such a way as to force "'gay marriage" upon Iowa, said Barber.

The judge granted a stay for the order only twenty-four hours after he issued it, allowing the county prosecutor to appeal the decision, but by that time, 23 homosexual couples had applied for licenses. However, only one couple managed to obtain a marriage certificate before the stay was granted, using a legal loophole that allows the three-day waiting period to be waived with a judge's order.  They were "married" by a Unitarian minister, who upon completing the ceremony declared to the two men, "this is a legal document and you are married".

Republican House Minority Leader Christopher Rants resolved to act quickly against the ruling. "I can't believe this is happening in Iowa. I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue," he told the Associated Press.

A group of Iowa lawmakers had attempted to intervene in the suit in 2006, arguing that they were the ones with the right to change the laws, rather than the courts.  Judge Hansen, however, dismissed their motion, stating that "whether or not constitutional claims are valid is a matter of judicial determination, not legislative", and "the separation of powers between legislative and judicial authority is not endangered by this case. Nor will any determination by this court limit the legislature's authority to make laws."

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty had also filed a brief in the case in early August, stating that if same-sex "marriage" were approved, the legal consequences would be catastrophic for religious freedom in the US.  The organization warned that those who reject homosexual behavior would be exposed to lawsuits for refusing to provide services or benefits to same sex "spouses".  Their arguments also failed to sway Judge Hansen.

Governor Chet Culver declared that his "personal" belief was contrary to the ruling, stating that "while some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman".

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BBC Schedules Week of Pro-Gay Programs to Commemorate 1957 Sodomy Legalization

By Meg Jalsevac

BRITAIN, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In conjunction with the beginning of the LBGT History Month in the UK, the BBC has scheduled a week long roster of pro-homosexual television for its viewers.  The programming was scheduled in the first week of September to also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of the Wolfenden Report which legalized homosexuality in Britain in 1957.

The week long extravaganza of gay-themed TV has been officially named the 'Hidden Lives Series'.  The programming will range from movies with homosexual themes, to historical documentaries and the personal stories of homosexuals.

According to the BBC Four schedule, the Hidden Lives Series will kick off on Saturday, September 1 with a multi-part history piece giving the "story of gay life in Britain since 1918, beginning in the inter-war years."  The week of pro-gay programs will continue with a supposedly lighter fare entitled, 'Andrew and Jeremy Get Married' which will follow a homosexual couple in the days leading up to their 'marriage'.

The schedule also includes 'Gay MPs - Pride and Prejudice in Politics' which will investigate the history of homosexuality in the British Houses of Parliament.

Various other full-length films and documentaries will chronicle the lives of several other homosexual men and women in all parts of the world.   Several of the listed programs are listed on the BBC website with the warning of "Adult" (porn) "Themes."

Lion Television of Scotland is also participating in the week long pro-gay TV blitz and is the producer of the featured piece, Consenting Adults, a 75 minute special documenting the deliberations and publications of the Wolfenden Report.  A Lion spokesperson told a homosexual news site that the show, "follows the diverse members of the committee as they struggle towards their radical conclusions."

The Wolfenden Report was authored by the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution.  The committee was convened after several prominent British men were convicted of homosexual crimes and a rise in prostitution was reported throughout the country.

In regards to homosexuality, the report recommended that "homosexual behavior between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence".  The logic used to reach such a conclusion was explained further in the report:  "The law's function is to preserve public order and decency, to protect the citizen from what is offensive or injurious, and to provide sufficient safeguards against exploitation and corruption of others ... It is not, in our view, the function of the law to intervene in the private life of citizens, or to seek to enforce any particular pattern of behavior."

Conversely, the committee determined that the rise in prostitution was leading to an environment of "community instability" and "weakening of the family".  A police effort to limit prostitution was subsequently initiated.

To view the BBC schedule for the first week of September please see this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/...
 
Comments to the BBC about the Hidden Lives Series may be made at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

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Anglican Schism over Homosexuality Widens

Two American Episcopal Church Bishops re-ordained for service in Kenya Anglican Church

By Hilary White

NAIROBI, August 31, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two American Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. were re-ordained for service in the Anglican Church in Kenya on Thursday. The Times' Ruth Gledhill reports that the ordination, while seen as "valid," will likely be condemned as a further step towards a complete separation of what many now perceive as two Anglican Churches.

The Right Rev. William Murdoch and the Right Rev. Bill Atwood, formerly of Massachusetts and Texas, respectively, were consecrated at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi by Kenya's Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi. They will serve the needs of the Anglican community in Africa and those of the congregations in North America that have joined the ecclesial structures set up for those who have rejected the secularized leadership in the U.S. and Canada.

"The gospel ... must take precedence over culture," said Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies, who attended the ceremony. "Homosexual practice violates the order of life given by God in Holy Scripture."

The response to the ordinations has followed the now-usual pattern with "conservatives" welcoming the move. Gledhill reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, will now be under pressure from both sides to invite or bar the new bishops from the next Lambeth conference. Williams has asked African archbishops not to consecrate U.S. priests to help avoid a schism.

More than 30 members of the Church of England's General Synod sent a message of welcome to the two new bishops while acknowledging the move is "out of the ordinary". The letter said, "You will represent vibrant and growing Churches in Africa in their love and care for those in the United States who are suffering for their commitment to the faith once delivered to the saints, in the face of a determined capitulation by The Episcopal Church to the forces of contemporary North American culture."

In most of the developed west, the Anglican Communion has been characterized by two main streams of development; on the one hand, increasing secularization and embracing of the post-Christian sexual morality; and on the other, plummeting attendance and aging membership. In the meantime, the largest, youngest and most active sections of the Worldwide Anglican Communion are also the most fervently orthodox and are found largely in the developing world, whose leadership is called the Global South bloc.

This schism is growing in the U.S. and Canada with some groups determined to retain Christian teaching. This week, the Anglican news service Virtue Online reports that the pastor and leadership of the Church of the Holy Comforter in Broomfield, Colorado resigned en masse and informed the diocese that the "theological innovations" of the Episcopal Church had made it impossible for them to continue to serve in it.

Rev. Dr. Charles Reeder, his staff and most of the 200-member congregation will form a new Anglican parish as of October 1. "We are saddened by the current state of The Episcopal Church in the U.S. which we believe has strayed from the orthodox, scriptural beliefs of the worldwide Anglican Communion," said Reeder.

The parish's senior warden, John E. Basio told Virtue Online that the parishioners had voiced their opposition by withholding financial contributions. "No one has left the church," he said. "The people are withholding their financial support because of national church issues. We can no longer support the diocese and the national Episcopal Church with our monies."

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New Welsh Abortion Guidelines - Don't Think, Just Do It

Gov't guidelines mandate abortions should be carried out within week of assessment

By Hilary White

Proposed guidelines on abortion, by the Welsh Assembly Government, admit that there could be "negative psychological outcomes" associated with "terminations". To combat these, the government guidelines mandate that most abortions should be carried out within a week of the medical assessment and that there must be no more than a three week waiting period for legal abortions.

Dr Tony Calland, chair of the committee and Welsh Council, endorsed a recommendation by the British Medical Association to do away with the need for two doctors to approve abortion requests. The guidelines are designed to ensure "services are organised to enable abortions to be provided as early in gestation as possible," in order to avoid potentially "more traumatic" later abortions.

The guidelines also say that all women in Wales should have telephone access to abortion services, pre and post-abortion counseling services and access to tests for sexually transmitted infections.

The abortion rate in Wales is slightly lower than that of the British average. In 2002, 7,360 Wales women had abortions: a decrease of 2 per cent from 2001. The total number of abortions in 2006 for women resident in England and Wales was 193,700, compared with 186,400 in 2005, a rise of 3.9 per cent.

Under the current laws, abortions, usually called "terminations", can be committed up to 24 weeks gestation, except in cases of eugenic abortions where some kind of defect has been detected in the child. The termination must be endorsed by two physicians who must confirm the reason.

According to 2002 Wales statistics, by far the most common legal ground for termination in 2000 was "risk of injury to the health of the woman." Official statistics list anxiety, depression, stress, and "social difficulties" as the cited "medical reasons" in nearly 99 per cent of all abortions of Welsh children.

Of the 51 cases naming "risk of a handicapped child" as the legal grounds, "the most common chromosomal anomaly mentioned was Down's Syndrome."

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Abortion on the Rise in England and Wales
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05072704.html

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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information.

There is nothing "brave" or beautiful about the biotechnised world we are entering, says one of America's best-known bioethicists.
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/how_brave_a_new_world/

Embryonic Stem-Cell Breakthrough Overhyped
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005387.cfm

Fathers Important Protection Against Poverty - New York mayor proposes tax incentives to keep dads in the home
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005371.cfm

NOW Challenges Fatherhood Programs
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005386.cfm

Texas Judge Keeps 'Under God' in State Pledge
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005388.cfm

Politicians say Masons behind investigation of the Church in Italy
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10274

The ‘Atheism’ of Mother Teresa
http://ncregister.com/site/article/3762

Hitchens' Dogma: "I hate Mother Teresa!"
http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2007/08/hitchens-dogma-.html

Florida Chaplain Says Hospital Fired Him for Saying 'Jesus' in Prayers
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295334,00.html

Priest offers festival-goers the chance to confess their green sins
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2349163.ece

Kindergarten cops rule: Witches in, Bibles out
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57403

The Christians Are Coming Back to Arabia – Fourteen Centuries after Mohammed
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=164081&eng=y

Is there a plan for the world’s conversion to Islam?
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10187&size=A

UN AIDS agency accused of inflating numbers to get more money
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10184&size=A

Newsweek Columnist to GOP: Kill Your Base! Win Friends!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/robert-knight/2007/08/31/newsweek-columnist-gop-kil...

Hugo Chávez Steps Up His Attacks on Venezuela’s Catholics
http://ncregister.com/site/article/3661/

Abortionist Tiller Demands Special Treatment at Trial
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/908844028.html

Peter Singer: Infanticide, Yes; Kangaroo Cull, No
http://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/blogger.html

US Congress Will Consider Life-Affirming Legislation for Genetic Conditions
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005364.cfm

Pro-life group not sad to see US AG Gonzales heading for the door
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/08/pro-life_group_not_sad_to_see_.php

National Education Association accused of 'manipulative, dishonest' tactics
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/08/nea_accused_of_manipulative_di.php

California teacher offended by NEA's 'manipulative, dishonest' tactics
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/08/california_teacher_offended_by.php

Fred Thompson to Make '08 Candidacy Official Next Week
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295308,00.html

Bishop says university plan to distribute abortion pill “immoral”
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10261

RU-Serious?
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU07H10

The Slippery Slope of ‘Hate-Crimes’ Laws
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005365.cfm

Appeals Court Rules Against High School Christian Club - Officials call the club "discriminatory."
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005363.cfm

US Defense Department OKs Porn Sales on Bases
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005359.cfm

Greenhouse Gases Blamed for 2006's High Temperatures Despite CO2 Emissions Decline
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/08/30/greenhouse-gases-blamed-20...

Survey: Less Than Half of all Published Scientists Endorse Global Warming Theory
http://www.dailytech.com/Survey+Less+Than+Half+of+all+Published+Scientists+Endor...

The Last Stand of Bishop Rowan Williams
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=838

Lesbian Is Finalist for Chicago Episcopal Bishop
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005360.cfm

A "book is set to electrify"—yawn—"the Catholic Church"
http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2007/08/a-the-book-is-s.html

Advertisers blast 'offensive' CNN religion series
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57370

A church 'scandal' over Mother Theresa that isn't - Andrew Greeley
http://www.suntimes.com/news/greeley/532056,CST-EDT-GREEL29.article

PBS 'Sympathetic' to Radical Islamists, Filmmakers Say
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200708/CUL20070830b...

Saudi Arabia's Koran Kops - The religious police run amok.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/023xwsaa.asp

Islam protects itself against conversions by putting apostates in prison or by killing them.
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10171&size=A

Muslim intellectuals against Bashir: more emphasis on Islamic “values” rather than “law”
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10178&size=A

Justice Dept. taken to task for presence at Islamic convention
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/08/justice_dept_taken_to_task_for.php

The cliché is that “if working families can’t afford child care, law enforcement will end up taking care of the kids.”
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13761/BLI/commentary/index.htm

Fair Criticism: The Attorney General and Obscenity
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13743/LEGAL/pornography/index.htm

Ave Maria Law School Weathers Critics, Moves Forward, Says Dean
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200708/NAT20070830a.h...

After Legalizing Same-Sex ‘Marriage,’ More Canadians Want to Redefine Marriage
http://ncregister.com/site/article/3668

Americans For Truth Says Sen. Craig Should Resign, Cites Homosexual Groups for 'Enabling and Promoting' Homosexual Public Sex
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/678994029.html

Microsoft: Vista service pack coming in '08
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+Vista+service+pack+coming+in+08/2100-1016_3-620498...

Words Have Meaning - discussion with a homosexual activist
http://www.newswithviews.com/Daubenmire/dave81.htm

Should You Chip Your Children?
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2176543,00.asp

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