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'We Shall Overcome ... Abortion' Says National Black Pro-Life Union President

Special to LifeSiteNews.com by Day Gardner, President, National Black Pro-Life Union

WASHINGTON, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The following statement was released today by Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union:

Throughout the month of February, we take the time ... one month out of the year to remember the tragedies and celebrate the triumphs of African Americans in history. We celebrate the fact that we are a strong race that survived the many horrors and inhumane treatment when we were an enslaved people -- presumed by many to be less than human.

We came together in the 1960s facing very difficult times when hundreds of African Americans suffered physical torture and sometimes even death ... all for wanting to experience the American dream and for insisting that we be allowed that which we as American citizens are entitled to under the laws of this great country.

And since the '60s we have continued to make great strides in breaking down color barriers and the walls of inequality. We become doctors, lawyers, educators, movie stars, corporations and conglomerates. But I worry that many of us in the black community have forgotten what the struggle was all about. In our quest for higher education, bigger houses, better jobs and flashier cars ... are we closing our eyes to the fact that more than a thousand of our children die each day by the horrible practice of abortion? These children are denied their most basic human right -- which is the right to life; a right which our ancestors so proudly worked for, marched for and many of them died for.

More than 44 million children have been killed by abortion -- 15 million of them were black children. Abortion has become the number one killer of black people in this country -- killing more African Americans that accidents, heart disease, stroke, crimes, HIV-AIDS and all other deaths ... COMBINED!

What bothers me is we are very quick as a people to recognize racism everywhere else except the one place that truly affects all of us. Most blacks will agree that racism is sill very much alive -- yet say nothing when abortion facilities are placed purposefully in minority and poor communities. This is no accident! More than 37 percent of all abortions are performed on black women. Last year alone, more than 400,000 black babies were killed by abortion.

We must realize that abortion is a multi-million dollar a year business that makes most of its money by killing our children. Abortion providers need us to make their blood money. If we as black people say no to abortion -- the industry will cease to exist. We are the underground railroad of our time and it's up to us to make abortion a thing of our historical past. If we stand united against this horrific practice ... we shall overcome this, too.

See related coverage:
African-American Catholic Bishop Hopes to See His Community More Active on Pro-Life
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07013001.html

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Canadian UN Representative Slams Muslim Nations for Opposing Gay Activist Groups

Says Canada is “deeply dismayed” at UN rejection of Quebec gay rights group

By Gudrun Schultz and Steve Jalsevac

NEW YORK, United States, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) -  A Canadian representative to the United Nations, originally appointed under the previous Liberal administration and now supposedly acting under the direction of the current Conservatives government, berated Muslim countries last week for opposing the admission of gay activist organizations to observer status with the UN, the National Post reported Feb. 2.

A gay activist group from Quebec, the Coalition gaie et lesbienne du Quebec (CGLQ) was rejected by the UN committee after it applied for official recognition at the UN as a non-governmental organization.

Nell Stewart, of the Canadian mission to the UN, said Canada was “deeply dismayed that the committee has rejected the application of CGLQ with no explanation,” speaking to the 19-member committee on non-governmental organizations.

“Canada strongly supports an inclusive United Nations which allows room for diverse voices to be heard.”

Stewart went on to criticize Muslim-led opposition to homosexual activism at the UN, saying Canada had noted that the Muslim position had a long history of influence in the committee.

Egypt, Guinea, Pakistan, Qatar and Sudan initiated the demand for a vote on admitting the group, voting no along with Burundi, China and Russia.

The United States was among those nations voting yes, as were Britain, Colombia, Israel, Peru and Romania. The US also backed the application of the homosexual groups granted status last year, among them the International Lesbian and Gay Association that at one time had ties to pedophile organizations.

Although the UN committee that investigates such requests has consistently resisted the efforts of homosexual activist groups to achieve official status, three homosexual groups were admitted in May 2006 after representatives from Austria and Finland, acting respectively as president of the committee, pushed for their inclusion.

The Quebec group had sought admission as an NGO to gain better access to international efforts at homosexual activism, Yvan Lapointe, the executive director of the Quebec groups admitted, saying, “We pretty well have all the rights we seek in Canada.”

The statements on behalf of Canada by Nell Stewart are the latest in a series by Canadian delegates indicating that little appears to have changed under the Conservative government in Canada’s usual leading advocacy of forcing social radicalism through the United Nations.

In 2005, at a Parliamentary Briefing Session on Beijing 2005 Nell Stewart was listed as a Senior Advisor of the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department of Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and International Women's Equality Division. In a listing of current member of the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, Stewart is listed under the Legal, Economic and Social Affairs Section as First Secretary (Human Rights and Social Affairs).

Stewart has written extensively on human rights issues and in those writings indicates strong feminist, pro-abortion views. She actively advocates wider international ratification of the radical feminist initiated Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Pro-family, pro-life Canadian leaders continue to be dismayed that the Harper Conservative government has still not removed such leftist ideologues from Canada’s UN delegation.

LifeSiteNews contacted the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter McKay, but calls were not returned by press time.

To express concerns contact:

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay - 
and Prime Minister Harper -

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

Under New Conservative Government Canada Still Obsessed With Abortion and Homosexuality at UN
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/apr/06040512.html

United States Backs UN NGO Status for Homosexual Activist Groups Once Associated with Pedophiles
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/may/06051902.html

Three Homosexual Activist Groups Gain Previously Denied UN Consultative Status
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/dec/06121404.html

INTERNATIONAL HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT AND THE UN
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/may/00053103.html

See also CANZ Statement to the Third Committee on the advancement of women by Nell Stewart, Representative of Canada to the United Nations on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand (CANZ)
http://geo.international.gc.ca/canada_un/ottawa/whats_new/default-en.asp?id=7662...

For a list of the current official Canadian delegation to the United Nations see:
Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/070206a.html

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Austrian Bishop Laun Says Mall Owner Excommunicated for Providing Space for Abortion Clinic

Cardinal Schönborn responds, "The destruction of life must not be made banal and viewed like a shopping trip."

By John-Henry Westen

VIENNA, Austria, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Salzburg Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Laun has caused a stir in the German press by saying publicly that a Catholic businessman who rented space in his shopping mall to an abortion clinic has excommunicated himself.  The businessman, Richard Lugner, at first threatened to sue Bishop Laun but has since thought better of the lawsuit but has not reconsidered his aiding and abetting the killing of unborn children.

In an interview with the Catholic News Agency Austria (http://www.kath.net ), Bishop Laun was asked if Lugner's action constituted an automatic excommunication (latae sententiae).  Bishop Laun replied, "Certainly. The catechism says: 'The formal cooperation in an abortion is a grave delict. The Church punishes this violation with the penalty of excommunication.' Because Lugner cooperates in abortions, by letting them happen in his shopping mall, the norm applies to him and he is excommunicated.

Scandal broke when Erich Leitenberger, the press secretary of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, came to Lugner's defence. Leitenberher, also the editor-in-chief of the Catholic Press Agency in Germany 'Kathpress', disparaged the work of kath.net and Bishop Laun saying, "Academic discussions about excommunication will not help to save the right to life of even one child."

The scandal was quickly put to an end however when Cardinal Schönborn commented to the largest paper in Austria on the matter.  Backing Auxiliary Bishop Laun, the Cardinal said, "The destruction of life must not be made banal and viewed like a shopping trip. It must not be that a society is viewed as a way out. Everything you need to know about abortion is to be found in the Fifth Commandment." In an interview with Kath.net, Cardinal Schönborn said that he had asked Lugner to not sign a contract with the abortion clinic. He added that he was pleased with the discussion the controversy had caused.

News tip and translation courtesy of Gerald Augustinus of http://closedcafeteria.blogspot.com

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Jonathon & Deborah Flora Interview: Part II

Follow up to yesterday's Part I of interview with pro-life Hollywood filmakers, Jonathon and Deborah Flora

By Steve Jalsevac

See Part I at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07020507.html

LifeSiteNews: It sounds like what you are doing is similar to that of the producers of Bella.

Jonathon:  That is actually how we became connected with them because Steve McEveety, who is one of the producers of Bella, got on board and was strongly supportive of our movie as well. So now we are really happy that there is another movie coming out.  It is interesting how some people have already asked us if it has gotten competitive between us and Bella and we have said that that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Deborah:  Now there are two finally in Hollywood – it’s about time. We need as many people as possible there who use this powerful tool and who just have a slightly different message.  We need to help one another and we need to encourage new film-makers. 

We are currently working on our next project that will have elements of a culture of life message – that will not be overtly pro-life because we want to reach the secular world but they will be hearing truth.

LifeSiteNews: Can you tell us about your background?

Deborah:  I am an actress and I have been a professional actress for many years in Hollywood and I have done a lot of theater and independent films, etc... But very quickly there came a point in time where I realized that I did not care so much about working as I did about the message of the film.  What I see as amazing and wonderful is how God brought Jonathon and me together, not just in our marriage, but also as partners because he was a writer/director. 

My background also is in developing scripts and stories, so we worked on that and I continued to act, but my number one most important roll is being the mom to two beautiful children.  I get to work a few times a year, work on our projects together in the evening, and spend the rest of the time with our children, which is my biggest calling.

Jonathon: And I married up because as I said, she is former Miss Colorado, second runner-up Miss America. 

What is very important to us is we shot on 35 mm film and it had to be done with excellence because nobody is going to hear the message if its not. You are going to get that “pretty good for a Church project”.  If we are not competing with the top movies that are being made then why are we even in the game?

Deborah: And unfortunately, we have been a little bit behind the curve, that is, people with a conservative value method, as a group, when it comes to the quality of film-making.  We always stress we have been film-makers in Hollywood – Jonathon works for a major studio – we’ve been doing that for a long time and God has put us there for a reason and as many times as we have wanted to get out – he has said, “No, you have been developing these skills so that you can put the message behind a professional level project.” So, our goal is to make many films that approach different culture of life issues.

LifeSiteNews: Can you tell us anything about your next project?

Deborah: Well, simply that it’s in the development stages and it has several different stories woven together that deal with the question, “what is the value of life – how do we value life in this culture?”  It is going to be done in a way that people are going to first say “oh, this is a compelling story” and then suddenly they are going to see the thread of what we are saying, which is our culture from every side – whether it’s a woman valued for her appearance, or someone valued for how much money they make or a life that isn’t valued if its fragile, and weak and unprotected.  It is going to come from many different angles.

LifeSiteNews: Is this going to be a similar budget to A Distant Thunder?

Deborah: No, this will be a full length feature.

Jonathon: This will be much more and we have other people that are interested in helping us.

LifeSiteNews: Based on what you have already done?

Jonathon: Yes, it has helped.  It brought us into the company of other people that might have known what we were doing.  I don’t know any multi-millionaires but we are finding a lot of people that are conservative and are looking for places to put their money - but to do it in a way that they are going to have a greater impact.

LifeSiteNews: Do you have any cast in mind?

Jonathon: We have one (referring to Deborah)! With the script itself, we are after the best talent that we can get for the movies, because we want the project to also be speaking to them as well.  Even like our current movie, not all of them were pro-life people – very few – and once they were reading the script they were saying, “This doesn’t really happen” or, “Is this true”. That discussion is starting now and so, in the process, we know it is going to have the same impact when it comes out there as a feature project.

Deborah: And you change one heart and mind at a time – even if it’s the people you are working with.

See the LifeSiteNews review of the movie
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07020609.html

See the website for A Distant Thunder
http://www.adistantthunder.com/main.html

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Review of Movie, " A Distant Thunder"

By John-Henry Westen and Steve Jalsevac

TORONTO, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Distant Thunder is an engrossing thriller with character development, subtleties and artistry that would normally be impossible in a half-an-hour film.  This is plain and simple a high level Hollywood production. 

That’s not a surprise since Jonathan Flora, the main brains behind this production, is an award winning producer of DVD releases for Disney (A Distant Thunder is not a Disney related production) and his wife Deborah Flora, who plays the lead role in the film, is also a professional in the movie and television industry.

But like most Hollywood productions there is some risqué material.  A shower scene and another, while not showing overt nudity, are certainly suggestive, but there is the option of an edited version on the DVD which has specifically removed those two brief scenes. 

While inappropriate for children because of the above and some very intense and frightening scenes, including demonic illustrating special effects, the movie is excellent for bringing the pro-life message home to high school seniors and college/university students.  It is in a genre they are familiar with and in a style and presentation they have become accustomed to.

Without moralizing or pushing any specific views on the abortion issue, A Distant Thunder addresses the issue in a provocative and spellbinding way so as to pique interest and leave a lasting impression. It reveals the horrific nature of partial-birth abortion and, as the producers intended, leaves viewers with many more questions and concerns about all abortion.

In his review of the film, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priest for Life states, "Without a doubt, this film will become one of the most powerful tools to make people think and wrestle with the abortion issue, and will challenge them to do something about it."

See the LifeSiteNews.com interview with Jonathon and Deborah Flora:

Part 1: Husband and Wife Team Using Hollywood Skills to Produce Pro-Life Theme Films
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07020507.html

Jonathon & Deborah Flora Interview: Part II
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07020604.html

See the Distant Thunder website at
http://www.adistantthunder.com/main.html

See especially the Internet video, A Conversation with the Filmakers at, http://www.adistantthunder.com/conversation.php

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Russian Orthodox Church Demands End to Communist Practice of Exclusive Darwinism in Schools

By John-Henry Westen

MOSCOW, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Speaking at an education conference in the Kremlin Monday, the spiritual leader of Russian Orthodox Christians demanded that the communist practice of mandating the exclusive teaching of Darwinian evolution in schools be brought to an end.  With government officials in attendance, Patriarch Alexy II advocated teaching biblical creation.

"Teaching the biblical theory of the world's creation will not harm students," he said. "If people choose to believe that they descended from apes, let them, but without imposing their opinions on others."

While Russia is moving away from dogmatic Darwinian instruction, in Canada the province of Quebec is mandating it.  LifeSiteNews.com reported in October that the province's Ministry of Education has ordered that private Christian schools must teach sex education and Darwin's theory of evolution or face closure. (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06102404.html )

As the battle in schools over the competing theories of creation and evolution heated in the United States, proponents of evolution falsely maintained that virtually all scientists believe evolution to be true.  In reaction, the Discovery Institute launched a public statement by scientists opposed to Darwinian evolution.  Last year over 500 doctoral scientists signed the statement publicly expressing their scepticism about the contemporary theory of Darwinian evolution.

The statement reads: "We are sceptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged." (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06022204.html)

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
To Criticize Darwinism is to Preserve the Faith says Toronto Priest and Seminary Prof. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06061408.html

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New Zealand on Iranian Refugees--Asylum for Gays but Not for ex-Muslim Christians

By Gudrun Schultz

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - New Zealand immigration officials are being accused of giving preferential treatment to homosexual refugees, after a Catholic Iranian man was denied asylum while another Iranian man who had previously been denied was accepted once he said he was gay.

Both men face a potential death penalty if they are forced to return to Iran.

The New Zealand Herald reported earlier today on accusations of hypocrisy from supporters of Thomas Yadegary, a Muslim who converted to Catholicism after moving to New Zealand in 2004.

Yadegary was arrested in November 2004 and has been held in custody without charge ever since. Yadegary’s application for refugee status was rejected by the immigration board, despite his plea that as a Muslim convert to Christianity he would face a potential death penalty if he returned to Iran. He has refused to sign the travel documents which would see him deported.

Immigration authorities accepted the refugee application of Iranian Ahmad Tahooni, however, despite his admission that he lied on an earlier application. Mr. Tahooni, 39, came to New Zealand in 2000 and requested asylum on the grounds that he had participated in student political demonstrations while in Iran, which could result in his persecution if he returned.

His application was denied by the Refugee Status Appeals Authority, and a following appeal was also denied once it became known that he had lied about participating in student demonstrations.

However, when he said he was gay and afraid of persecution for his homosexuality if he should return to Iran, his request for asylum was granted--homosexual activity could lead to a death penalty in Iran.

Father Peter Murnane, a Dominican priest assisting Mr. Yadegary in his case, said that while he was not addressing the issue of Mr. Tahooni’s sexuality, he felt the immigration authorities were operating under a double standard.

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

Spain Introduces Immigration Policy Change to Allow Asylum to Gays and Lesbians
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06010506.html

In Canada Lesbian Lovers Can Immigrate Far Easier than Normal Wives
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06082103.html

AUSTRALIA DENIES 'REFUGEE' STATUS TO HOMOSEXUAL COUPLE
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/apr/03040909.html

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Gay “Marriage” Group’s Ballot Initiative Mocks Nature of Marriage

By Hilary White

SEATTLE, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) –  The Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance, a gay activist lobby group working to install gay “marriage” in the state, has filed a ballot initiative that proposes to annul any marriage between a man and a woman that has not produced children within three years of the wedding. 

The initiative, says the group’s website, would add the phrase, “who are capable of having children with one another” to the legal definition of marriage.

The group’s spokesman, Gregory Gadow, says the initiative is in response to a July 2006 Washington Supreme Court decision that affirmed the “legitimate interest” of the state in recognizing the essentially procreative nature of marriage that offers a stable environment for children. To be accepted as a formal ballot initiative, the group would have to collect 224,880 signatures by July 6.

Speaking to the Seattle Times, Gadow said the initiative is a parody meant to challenge the concept that marriage is necessarily related to the possibility of natural procreation. “We want people to think about the purpose of marriage. If it exists for the purpose of procreation, they must understand then that these are the consequences,” Gadow said.

In addition the group’s mock initiative proposes to make it a criminal offense for childless married couples to receive state marriage benefits.

By the group’s own admission, the initiative is more an exercise in public relations than serious political lobbying. The group’s website admits that the purpose is to prompt discussion about the “misguided notions” about the nature of marriage that prompted the Supreme Court ruling.

“And at the very least, it should be good fun to see the social conservatives who have long screamed that marriage exists for the sole purpose of procreation be forced to choke on their own rhetoric.”

The Washington Supreme Court decision, however, in denying the possibility of “gay marriage” recognized that there is no physical equivalence between natural sexual relations between a man and a woman and the homosexual act which by its nature is antithetical to procreation. 

In upholding the state’s Defense of Marriage act, the court’s ruling upheld the nature of marriage, whether realized or not in individual cases, as being inherently ordered towards childbearing.

The restriction of marriage to heterosexual couples, the court ruled, “does not grant a privilege or immunity to a favored minority class… The plaintiffs have not established that they are members of a suspect class or that they have a fundamental right to marriage that includes the right to marry a person of the same sex.”

The court’s ruling said, “(The Defense Of Marriage Act) is constitutional because the legislature was entitled to believe that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers procreation, essential to survival of the human race, and furthers the well-being of children by encouraging families where children are reared in homes headed by the children's biological parents. Allowing same-sex couples to marry does not, in the legislature's view, further these purposes.”

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Alberta: Over 10,000 Babies Died by Abortion in 2005

By Gudrun Schultz

ALBERTA, Canada, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Alberta released the province's health report this week, including available statistics on abortion rates.

10,042 babies were aborted in the province in 2005, according to the report, slightly down from 2004 when 10,195 abortions took place. The rate of abortions per 1000 women ages 15-49 was 11.8 percent in 2005.

The 2005 figures for percentage of abortions by gestational age were not available in the report. The figures for 2004 show that while nearly half of all abortions (5,019) took place while the baby was less than nine weeks gestation, or nine to 12 weeks gestation (4, 285), a total of 1,014 abortions occurred when the baby was 13 to16 weeks, and 439 abortions occurred when the baby was 17-20 weeks.

In addition, despite the report's statement that abortions in the province occur only up to the 20th week of pregnancy, the breakdown of abortion by gestational age shows that 65 babies were aborted at more than 20 weeks gestation. The report does not give any further details on the gestational age of these babies at the time of abortion.

As with abortion rates across the country, Alberta's records show that the majority of abortions in 2005 were obtained by women in their twenties. During the period 2003-2005, 28.9 out of every 1,000 women aged 20-24 underwent an abortion. That was the highest rate of abortion among various age groups. Women aged 18-19 were the next highest group, with a rate of 25 out of every 1,000 women, and women aged 25-29 were the third highest group, at 19 per 1,000.

The reported abortion rate for Alberta women under 20 was significantly lower than that of the rest of Canada, particularly among girls under 15 years of age. The rate of abortions among girls under 15 in Alberta was less than one third of the rate for this age group in Canada as a whole. Statistics Canada for 2003 shows a national 1.5 % rate for under 15-year olds, compared to .3 for Alberta. No explanation for the large difference was given.

More abortions took place at private clinics (54.6 percent) than at hospitals (45.4 percent), in continuation of a trend beginning in the mid-90's.

See full report from Alberta Health:

http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/resources/publications/reproductive06.pdf

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

NEW CANADIAN ABORTION STATISTICS RELEASED
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/mar/03032801.html

Canada's Abortion Rate Drops Minimally as 105,154 Unborn Child Killings Registered
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05021103.html

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Students Around the World Prepare for Feb. 14th Fourth Annual Day of Purity

A project of Liberty Counsel

ORLANDO, FL, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Students in America and around the world are celebrating Valentine's Day by helping educate their peers on the value of sexual purity. Leading up to February 14, 2007, which is the Fourth Annual Day of Purity, young people are actively promoting the choice of purity by distributing flyers, wearing Day of Purity T-shirts and LivePure wristbands and organizing events in their schools, communities and churches.

Students who embrace the purity lifestyle are countering the Hollywood culture with its risqué television shows, vulgar jokes, tasteless commercials and graphic movies. They are inundated at school, on television and on the internet with messages that lust and exploration are normal and healthy and that they should give up traditional moral values and explore their sexuality early and often. The Day of Purity is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of promiscuous behavior.

On February 14, 2007, thousands of students will rebel against the popular culture and celebrate the Day of Purity, a project of Liberty Counsel.

Day of Purity participants obtain a planning manual, wristbands, T-shirts, informative flyers and other useful information from the official Day of Purity web site, http://www.dayofpurity.org . Day of Purity also has a "myspace page" at http://www.myspace.com/dayofpurity and a page on http://www.facebook.com to reach students who want more information.

Rena Lindevaldsen, International Coordinator for the Day of Purity, explained, "The consequences of sexual promiscuity among youth are devastating. More than 3 million American teens are infected each year with sexually transmitted diseases. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of developed countries, and teens account for 20 percent of the 1.3 million abortions performed each year in this nation. These problems result directly from the failure of our society to offer clear moral guidance. We encourage students to choose sexual purity to drown out the persistent message of sexual promiscuity promoted through television, the internet, movies, video games and even in some school sex education programs. Youth who have already engaged in sexual activity can make a fresh start on the Day of Purity. Students are sending a message to their friends, parents, churches, communities, legislators, and the media that it's time for a positive change in the culture."

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Pro-Life Activist Earl Amyotte Died on Feb. 2, 2007 Surrounded by Loved Ones

Described himself as one who was meant to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"

by Jim Hughes, National President, Campaign Life Coalition   
WINDSOR, Ontario, February 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - “Earl the Pearl” as he was known to his pro-life colleagues, frequently described himself as one who was meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

For nearly 3 decades Mr. Amyotte of Windsor, Ontario was a leading Canadian pro-life activist.

He was a founding member of Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), the political arm of the pro-life movement in Canada, and was the first leader of the Pro-life Party of Canada.

In recent years, Mr. Amyotte particularly enjoyed participating in Show the Truth, the in-your-face street presentation of abortion, using graphic images to make the reality inescapable.

Earl was a regular hospital picketer with his ‘friends across the river’ and would travel 15 hours by bus to attend the annual March for Life every January in Washington, D.C.

In his role as Windsor area President of CLC he was the newsman’s best friend-always available with a quotable quote.

A staunch Catholic, Mr. Amyotte usually reserved his most biting criticism for bishops and those in charge of Catholic institutions who were slow to respond to crucial moral problems. ‘The bishops are lost’ he would often say.

Earl had little time for those who gave ‘lip service’ to an issue. The ‘meet, eat and retreat’ crowd was anathema to his instincts and desire to do good.

The wealthier do-nothing pew sitters he dubbed, ‘the wine, dine and recline’ crowd.

Mr. Amyotte was incensed when it was announced that Assumption College would present the Christian Culture award to Jean Chretien, who is a pro-abortion ‘Catholic’ who would later become Prime minister.

He picketed former PM John Turner’s visit to St. Peter’s Cathedral in London, Ontario. Turner, another pro-abortion ‘Catholic’, was Minister of Justice in the Trudeau government who rammed through the Omnibus Bill in 1969 which threw open the door to abortion-on-demand,

Earl loved people and especially young people. At any pro-life conference or gathering you’d see him with a child in his arms-any child.

Mr. Amyotte was a defender of the rights of children in the womb, their moms, the handicapped and elderly-at-risk and everyone who was disadvantaged.

The late, great Mother Teresa referred to those in the pro-life movement as ordinary people doing extraordinary work for God.

In Earl’s case he was an extraordinary character doing extraordinary work for his Lord and Saviour.

He will be greatly missed by his companion, Anne Marie Stephens, his sons Tom and David (Cheryl), grandchildren Jessica and Adam, sister Linda Whitehouse and brothers Lawrence and Ron Amyotte and by legions of pro-life friends.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

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