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Spanish Socialists Attack Catholic Church in Wake of Pro-Family Demonstration

 By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

SPAIN, January 11, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In the wake of a massive pro-marriage and pro-family demonstration that included between one and two million participants, Spanish socialists are lashing out at the Catholic Church, accusing it of hypocrisy and of attempting to intervene in the political process.

Speakers at the rally, which took place on December 30, rarely made mention of government or politics.  However, the message of the rally was clear, the natural, two-parent family, consisting of a husband and wife, is the foundation of society.  The Socialist Worker's Party, which currently controls the presidency and the parliament, passed a law in 2005 allowing homosexuals to "marry" each other.  With barely three months remaining before the national elections, they are worried about the effect the demonstration could have on an already tight race.

According to Vatican radio, the government at first asked the Catholic bishops to "apologize" for the rally.  Now the Catholic News Agency is reporting that Jose Blanco, Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE) that currently occupies the presidency, denounced the Pope and hierarchy, asking them "to explain to me just exactly what is the Christian family, maybe by traditional family he means that the woman just stays at home and does housework."

Blanco also claimed that some members of the Church hierarchy needed to "re-read the gospel", accusing them of promoting conditions of "inequality and injustice in the morning, and resolve them by praying the rosary in the afternoon." Blanco encouraged the hierarchy to "evolve".

Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has also complained, asserting that the bishops never criticized the anti-family policies of the Populist Party, the "right wing" alternative to the socialists, who lost power in 2004.  However, as the Spanish website ForumLibertas points out, the Catholic bishops repeatedly criticized the Popular Party for failing to defend family values during their eight-year tenure. 

ForumLibertas documents the fact that Catholic bishops repeatedly criticized the approval of the abortifacient "morning after pill" RU-486, which was approved under Popular Party leadership in 1998, and decried the "tragic consequence" of the government's liberal abortion laws, which were not altered under Popular Party leadership (http://www.forumlibertas.com/frontend/forumlibertas/noticia.php?id_noticia=9923&...).

The Spanish ambassador to the Vatican, Francisco Vázquez, also chimed in against the Catholic Church.  Speaking of himself in the third person, he said that "many Spaniards, among them the Spanish ambassador to the Holy See, in his role as ambassador, as a politician, as a member of the Socialist Party, but, most of all in his condition of Christian and Spanish citizen," had the impression that the bishops' demonstration had ended up being "practically a political rally".

In response, the Spanish activist group Hazte Oir! is calling for the dismissal of Vázquez and is maintaining an on line petition for that purpose (http://www.hazteoir.org/node/9857).

Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Well Over One Million Spaniards Demonstrate for Marriage and Family
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010303.html

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Change Will Come from the Grassroots Up: US March for Life Organizer Nellie Gray

Encourages Americans to attend the march on January 22 in Washington

By John Jalsevac

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com, Nellie Gray, the organizer of the annual national March for Life in Washington D.C., encouraged pro-life advocates across the country to attend the March.

The March for Life, which began in 1974, occurs every January 22, memorializing the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision.

In less than two weeks, therefore, pro-life advocates from across North America, including tens of thousands of youth, will converge on Washington in a massive demonstration against abortion, marching from Capitol Hill to the Supreme Court.

In the past President Bush has phoned in to the March, to offer his support to those gathered in front of Capitol Hill, and to pledge his support to the pro-life cause.

In the interview, Gray highlighted the importance of the March for Life, which regularly draws over a hundred thousand participants and sometimes far more. She encouraged pro-life and pro-family advocates to take the time to travel to Washington for the important event. 

"We have celebrities going to far-off lands concerned about genocide," she said. "And they're asking for the help of America, and America wants to help wherever genocide is going on. But we have to remember that right here in America the genocide has gone on out of sight. And therefore it continues."

"What we're trying to do," she continued, "is make certain that we not only help far-off lands with their genocide, but that we recognize that in one year, an estimated one million innocent human beings have been killed in America out of sight. On January 22, we are telling the world, and particularly Washington officialdom, that genocide is going on in America, and we are asking for help to stop it."

Gray stressed her belief that if change is going to happen in America, especially on the abortion issue, it is going to come, not from the top down, but from the bottom up-that is, from a strong, and ever growing and more powerful grassroots movement. The March for Life is the main event where ordinary American can come together and unite their voices in decrying the injustice of abortion, demanding that Washington respond with legislation outlawing the murder of unborn children.

"The theme that we have for this 35th annual march for life is to build unity on the life principles throughout the United States, no exception and no compromise," said Gray. "Now what that means is that unity has to be among grassroots people, and the whole of the citizenry. I do not expect that it will come from the top down, from the top officials down. We have to keep them aware that they have a duty. But they are not going to respond to and accept their duty until they see that the citizenry of America demands that the killing stops."

Gray noted that while the reason that the March for Life has to take place is a sobering one - the acceptance of abortion - the March itself is a joyful event, full of hope. In particular, she noted, the March is suffused with the joy of many of the youth who attend the event.

"Some even call themselves the 1/3 who have not been aborted," she said of the younger generation who are present at the March. "The young people understand that abortion does indeed intentionally kill innocent human beings. It might have been anyone in that age group, in that class or their school, and so forth. And so they thank their parents for taking care of them, for recognizing that they are here as innocent little human beings, as big as a fertilized ovum, and recognizing that they have a right to life, and recognizing that there is a love and a joy, having these young people and taking care of them."

"Some of the joy that you see [at the March] is a thanksgiving to their parents for following the life principles."    

Besides the March itself, there are numerous interesting and informative events taking place in and around Washington before, during and after the March. Some of the highlights include the magnificent Vigil Mass, which takes place the night before the March, at the National Basilica, and the Rose Dinner, which will take place on the evening of the March.

LifeSiteNews.com will update its readers as more details about this year's March for Life are released.

See the official March for Life Website at http://www.marchforlife.org/

To see a list of the events that will be taking place before, during, and after the March for Life in Washington, go to: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08011103.html

See LifeSiteNews reports related to the 2007 march with numerous photos:

Evidence of Media Bias: Big Three Networks Ignore March for Life but not 'Peace Surge'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07013104.html

Massive Annual National Prayer Vigil for Life in Washington Actively Backed by US Bishops
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030113.html

History and Details of the US National Prayer Vigil for Life
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030112.html

Washington Vigil for Life Mass 2007 Photos
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007_docs/2007Vigilforlifephotos.htm

Cardinal Calls for “Sober Rejoicing” at Increasing Support for Life: March for Life Homily
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07012603.html

Bishop: Denying Communion to Obstinate Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians "in many cases becomes the right decision and the only choice"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07013109.html

Archbishop Burke Warns US Legal Infanticide, Euthanasia are Next
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07012605.html

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

Leading U.S. Rabbi calls for New International Ecumenism in Defense of Morality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07012604.html

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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March for Life 2008 Conference and Activities Schedule

There are numerous interesting and informative activities taking place before, during and after the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. LifeSiteNews.com has compiled information about as many of those events as possible, to enable those interested in attending the March to choose which events to attend.

See interview with Nellie Gray about the 2008 March For Life
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08011111.html

* Note: this list will be updated as we receive information about additional events.

SATURDAY, JAN. 19th

4:00
Rock for Life's Training & Activism Weekend 2008 begins.
See http://www.rockforlife.org/article.php?id=10253 for more details.

SUNDAY, JAN. 20 

7:30am-9:45pm                     
Students for Life of America Conference
To be held at the Pryzbyla Center, Catholic University of America. See http://www.studentsforlife.org/index.php/conferences for more details.

10:30am - 8:00pm
Rock for Life Training & Activism Weekend
See http://www.rockforlife.org/article.php?id=10253 for more details.
                                         
7 p.m. - 10 p.m.              
March for Life Convention Session I*
The Hyatt Regency, D.C.
See http://www.marchforlife.org for more details.
                                      
MONDAY, JAN. 21
 
8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cardinal O'Connor Conference
See http://www.cardinaloconnorconference.com/ for more details. Speakers include Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of Knights of Columbus, Helen Alvare esq., of Catholic University of America, and others. The Conference officially begins on Sunday Jan 20, with Mass at 7:00pm and a Luau for Life to follow.

9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Rock for Life Training & Activism Weekend
See http://www.rockforlife.org/article.php?id=10253 for more details.

7 p.m.Huge National Prayer Vigil for Life at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Starts with Mass attended by thousands of pro-lifers and several hundred clergy and religious.
Following the Mass there will be prayers throughout the night until morning for those able to participate. http://www.catholiccommunications.org/prolife/anniversary/2008vigil.shtml

10a.m. - 4 p.m.               
March for Life Convention Sessions II + III*
The Hyatt Regency, D.C.
See http://www.marchforlife.org for more details.

TUESDAY, JAN. 22
 
8:45 - 11a.m.                 
Rally for Life and Youth Mass 2008
The Archdiocese of Washington is hosting a Rally for Life and Youth Mass on Tuesday, January 22, 8:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Verizon Center (former MCI Center), 601 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001.
See http://www.adw.org/news/default.asp?id=507&EventType=0&TimeFrame= for more details.

8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Rock for Life Training & Activism Weekend
See http://www.rockforlife.org/article.php?id=10253 for more details.

9:00 am
Lutherans for Life
Worship service at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
See http://www.lutheransforlife.org/march_for_life.htm for more details.

12 p.m.                          
March for Life on Capitol Hill

4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Silent No More
Sharing of testimonies on the steps of the Supreme Court.
See http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/events/ for more details.

5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
International Culture of Life - Champions for Family Award Reception honouring Congressman Todd Tiahrt
Phoenix Park Hotel (above the Dubliner), 520 North Capitol Street, N.W.
Other Special Guests: White House Commissioner Vellie Dietrich-Hall, President’s Council for Asian Americans, His Excellency,  Willy Gaa, Embassy of the Philippines, Congressman Trent Franks, Co-Chair Human Rights Caucus, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, Member Foreign Affairs Committee, Mrs. Maureen Flynn, International Prayer & Fasting Coalition, Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life, Al Santoli, Asian American Initiative, Bobby Schindler, Terri Schindler Schaivo Foundation, Mr. Michael Schwartz, Chief-of-Staff for Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D., Dr. Jack Willke, Life Issues Institute, Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America
http://www.filipinofamilyfund.org/eventjan22reception.html
 
5:00pm
Lutherans for Life
Casual dinner and fellowship at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
See http://www.lutheransforlife.org/march_for_life.htm for more details.

6:00 pm
Rose Dinner
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Aveue, NW,
Washington D.C.
6:00 p.m. Foyer, Social Hour - Pick up Tickets (order forms for tickets available on website at http://www.marchforlife.org)
7:00 p.m. Opening prayer - Dinner Served

* The March for Life convention costs $50 for all three sessions, or $25 for each session. Students are admitted for free if accompanied by an adult sponsor.

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Top U.S. Evangelical Leader: All Involved with IVF Responsible for "Vast Human Tragedy"

By John Connolly

LOUISVILLE, January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A leader of the evangelical movement in the United States recently came down hard on the effects of in vitro fertilization on his blog, decrying the destruction of millions of embryos for the sake of IVF.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the primary school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world, called the destruction of embryos in IVF a tragedy, after reading a report in the London Times that over one million human embryos have been killed in IVF procedures (See LifeSiteNews coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010201.html).

"Human embryos are being produced, almost factory-like, and then routinely destroyed or indefinitely frozen," he observed. "This phenomenon might be described as an unintended complication of the IVF technology.  Nevertheless, all involved in this technology are responsible for this vast human tragedy, intended or not."

"Far too many evangelicals seem to turn a blind eye to this reality," he continued.  "While we celebrate the birth of a child and the gift of life, we cannot blind ourselves to the harsh and grotesque reality that this technology also means the destruction of human life. Many evangelicals fail to see what many proponents of human embryonic stem cell research have noted - a glaring inconsistency in condemning the destruction of human embryos through stem cell research, while ignoring or dismissing the destruction of embryos in IVF clinics."

Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. Time.com called him the "reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S."

Mohler hosts a daily live nationwide radio program on the Salem Radio Network., and is a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served in several offices, including a term as Chairman of the SBC Committee on Resolutions, which is responsible for the denomination's official statements on moral and doctrinal issues.

See previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

UK IVF Clinics Have Intentionally Killed over One Million Human Embryonic Children
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010201.html

Chicago Court Rules Dead IVF Embryo a "Human Being"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05020706.html

UK Authorities to Allow Mining of IVF Designer Babies for Stem Cells
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jul/04072203.html

Dying Church of England Now Ordaining More Women Than Men
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111502.html

Evangelical Leader: Young Protestant Couples Rejecting "Contraception Revolution"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110302.html

Protestant Group Advocates Leaving Fertility in God's Hands - No Birth Control Artificial or Natural
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06111605.html

BAPTIST SEMINARY CHALLENGES CULTURE OF DEATH
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jan/03011008.html

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Two Canadian Women Die from Use of Contraceptive Patch; Sixteen More Suffer Blood Clots

By John Connolly

TORONTO, January 11, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two Canadian women have died and sixteen more have reported serious blood clotting in connection with the use of Evra, a hormonal contraceptive patch that releases estrogen directly into the bloodstream through the skin.

Health Canada released safety information for the drug in late 2006, but the warnings about increased possibility of blood clots in the legs and lungs have not been enough to prevent women from using the patch.

Two Canadian women who used the drug died from complications induced by the patch in 2006. One of the deaths was caused by a heart attack, which the manufacturers blamed the woman's smoking habit for. Multiple other women, however, have complained of dangerous blood clotting caused by the patch, conditions that may lead to a stroke or even death.

Siskinds, an Ontario-based law firm specializing in business law and class actions, has filed a class suit against Janssen-Ortho Inc., the manufacturers of the patch. A hearing has been scheduled in Toronto to determine whether the case can continue through the court system as a class action suit.

The patch, controversial since its release to the market, has faced class action in the United States, where women suffered from blood clotting in their lungs after using the patch. While some of those women have asserted that the drug is not worth the risk, advocates of the patch claim that there is no problem, since women are warned of possible blood clotting on the patch's label.

"Everybody who you start on this product - whether it's a pill or a patch or a ring - gets the same warning," said Dr. Melissa Mirosh, former fellow of the contraception research fellowship program at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. "What I tell people is that any estrogen-containing birth control product will slightly raise your risk of having a blood clot in your leg or in your lung. But it does not raise it nearly as much as being pregnant or having a baby. And that risk is a very small increase."

Some doctors refused to prescribe the patch after its bad publicity, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required Janssen-Ortho to include the warnings about blood clots and possible stroke on the product's label.

See previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

43 More Women Sue over Birth Control Patch Dangers
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110206.html

Doctors Refusing to Prescribe Ortho Evra Patch
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05112206.html

Woman Sues "Birth Control" Patch Manufacturer for Pulmonary Embolism
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05091303.html 

Abortion-Causing Birth Control Patch Manufacturer Faces Class-Action Lawsuit
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05072703.html 

FDA Reveals 17 Fatalities in Two Years from Contraceptive "Sex Patch"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/sep/04092001.html

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UN Begins Five-Month-Long Series of Annual Commissions

By Samantha Singson

NEW YORK, New York, January 11, 2008­ (C-FAM) - The United Nations will begin the 2008 season next week, convening the first annual meetings of its various commissions in Geneva and New York. Several important social policy issues affecting human life and the family are coming up for debate.

On Monday the CEDAW committee will convene its first session in Geneva. This will be the first year the committee will split its time between UN headquarters in Geneva and New York, ostensibly to harmonize with the other human rights instruments under the Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR). More than a dozen countries are scheduled to be reviewed this year, including Morocco and Nigeria, whose pro-life laws have come under fire from the CEDAW committee in previous reviews. 

Almost half of CEDAW committee member terms will expire at the end of 2008 and elections are planned for June. Governments will be called upon to submit nominations from March to May. Three controversial CEDAW committee experts will see their terms expire at the end of the year. Anamah Tan from Singapore, Magalys Arocha from Cuba and Silvia Pimentel from Brazil, have used the country review process, as well as their positions as UN officials more broadly, to pressure countries to liberalize their abortion laws, despite the fact that the treaty is silent on abortion. 

Pro-life advocates will be paying particular attention to the 2008 session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in February and March. The theme for this year's meeting is "financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women." Financing was also the theme of the pro-choice "Women Deliver" conference which UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF co-sponsored with International Planned Parenthood and other groups last October in London. Women's groups who expressed frustration at last year's CSW, when a US resolution to condemn the practice of prenatal sex-selection and female infanticide was derailed by the EU, can be expected to follow up on the issue this year.

The Human Right Council (HRC) will convene several meetings in Geneva throughout the year, in addition to their main sessions in March and September. Besides examining reports of various human rights violations, the committee will take action on the roles of special rapporteurs in the UN system. UN special rapporteurs serve as independent and impartial experts to inform the debate on a variety of subjects, from the human rights situations in particular countries to thematic issues such as health, religious freedom and violence against women.

Controversy has surrounded several of the UN special rapporteurs who have overstepped their mandates.  Last year, nine rapporteurs helped draft a hotly-contested document called the Yogyakarta Principles, which sought to re-define established human rights to include special rights for homosexuals. Three rapporteurs were uncovered to be serving as part of the expert litigation committee of the pro-abortion NGO the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR).

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Active Homosexuals and IV Drug Users Accepted by Transplant Groups for Organ Donation Despite "High Risk"

 By Hilary White

OTTAWA, January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Earlier this week, the federal government came under attack after the CBC reported that active homosexual men are barred from being organ donors because of the high risk of disease associated with homosexual activity. The Globe and Mail reported yesterday, however, that transplant groups denied that active homosexual men are barred from donating organs.

"Several transplant organisations" told the Globe that the rules that came into effect in December only "formalize" existing procedures that screen organs for disease.

Mark Meloche, head of the surgery section at the British Columbia Transplant Society said, "We will still consider all organs and all donors. We still consider the use of them, depending on the circumstances. It's all part of a risk assessment."

Male donors who have had sexual contact with another man in the last five years, as well as those who have been in prison recently or intravenous drug users are considered high risk groups for serious diseases under the rules. These rules, the Globe says, do not outright ban doctors from receiving organs from members of these high risk groups.

The Health Canada regulations say specifically that a doctor must "determine that the donor is not unsuitable to donate on the basis of the contraindications or exclusion criteria," which are laid out by the Canadian Standards Association guidelines.

Meanwhile, Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), the agency responsible for organ and tissue donation in Ontario, has issued a media release saying that "anyone" can donate organs in the province.

"We don't exclude anyone from being an organ donor, in fact we are very grateful when someone decides to donate because this is a decision that saves lives," said the organisation's Chief Medical Officer of Transplant, Dr. Jeff Zaltzman.  "There are stringent rules and regulations to ensure the safety of the public, but we work as hard as we can within those rules to ensure that every organ donated can save lives."

The Trillium Gift of Life Network offers organs from high risk groups to transplant programs while disclosing the possible risk. "At that time the transplant program will decide whether to accept the organ for transplant," Dr. Zaltzman said. 

The Trillium Gift of Life Network media release noted, that "all donors are screened for transmittable diseases prior to utilization of their organs regardless of their donor history."

In November, the Chicago Tribune reported that an investigation was launched after four organ transplant patients in Chicago contracted HIV and hepatitis C from an infected donor last January. The Tribune reports that the infected donor had not tested positive for the diseases, likely because the infections were too recent to register on screening tests.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Canadian Homosexuals Barred from Organ Donations as High Medical Risk
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010909.html

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Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill: If Homosexuality Excused Why Not Also Pedophilia?

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

MOSCOW, January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Metropolitan Kirill, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, has made a strong statement condemning societal acceptance of homosexuality and reaffirming the task of the Church to proclaim the truth, in an interview published on Thursday by the German magazine Spiegel.

Metropolitan Kirill said that if society stops considering homosexuality a sin, the next step will be general excuse of various sexual perversions.

"Morality is either absolute or it does not exist. If you excuse homosexuality, why not to excuse pedophilia?" Metropolitan Kirill asked.

When asked by the interviewer to comment on the 'great difference' between homosexuals and pedophiles, as the latter violate 'personal freedom' by raping children, Metropolitan Kirill said that "12-year-old girls were considered children before, but now they develop much faster. Twenty years ago nobody could imagine that Germany would legalize homosexual marriages. However, they get used to it by now. It is a matter of principle. There is one moral nature."

Reminding the interviewer that the Bible calls homosexuality a sin, Metropolitan Kirill stressed that the Church does not condemn homosexuals and is against "persecuting or insulting these people."

"But why promote the sin? Gay-parade is an intrusive display of depravity. Thus we can successfully promote any other sin, as is done on TV. It vitiates public morality. The task of the Church is to say that sin is sin. Otherwise, the Church is not needed," he concluded.

In March, 2007, Kirill denounced the idea of conducting a gay pride parade in Moscow. He said it "is directed against the majority of Russian society. We believe that the law should not interfere in citizens' private lives. You can sin if you want to, but you will answer to God. However, if you are trying to propagate your sin by seducing and degrading people, society must oppose it."

Read related LifeSiteNews.com article:

Russian Orthodox Bishop Says Christianity is Necessary for Europe to Survive
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07090704.html

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Motion to Protect Religious Freedom and Speech Defeated in UK Gay Hate Crimes Bill

By Hilary White

LONDON, January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Labour controlled British Parliament has rejected a motion that would have afforded Christians and other conscientious objectors legal protection from accusations of hate crimes by homosexual activists.

The Labour party refused to allow its majority MP's the freedom to vote on the amendment. The hate crimes bill moved through its final stages in the House of Commons on January 9.

The proposed "gay hate crimes" law would carry a maximum penalty of seven years in jail for anyone convicted of "inciting hatred" against homosexuals. The motion to amend was introduced by Jim Dobbin, the Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton, who warned that some Catholic and Anglican leaders believed the proposed law would make it impossible to teach or preach Christian moral doctrine on sexuality and marriage without incurring criminal penalties.

The motion was drafted with assistance from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England's Mission and Public Affairs Council. The two Churches made a joint presentation to the Commons Committee drawing a comparison with provisions in the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006:

"In religious hatred debates, both supporters and opponents of the Bill maintain a distinction between protection of people from personal attack, which was agreed to be desirable, and protection of their beliefs and practices from criticism or satire, which was generally thought to be undesirable."

Dobbin, who has chaired the all-party Pro Life Group and is a Catholic, told the House during the debates that a similar distinction should exist in matters related to sexuality.

"Sexual activity and lifestyle, as distinct from sexual orientation, are matters of choice," he said, "and impinge on the public sphere. As such, they are subject to evaluation and criticism and the freedom to discuss them should be preserved."

Dobbin said the Churches fear that the bill "may impinge on their basic freedom to practise their religion."

He added, "We cannot ignore such a serious concern from two important national religious institutions."

The law is regarded as unnecessary and a suppression of freedom of speech even by homosexual activists and some journalists. In the House, Dobbin mentioned homosexual rights activist Peter Tatchell who opposes the bill and has argued that existing laws are adequate to protect homosexuals. Journalists Matthew Parris and Iain Dale, both publicly homosexual, also oppose the bill on free speech grounds.

Nick Herbert, Tory MP for Arundel South Downs, who supports the legislation in general, said, "Such legislation needs very careful drafting." He said the sexual orientation clause limits the act to "intentional acts and threatening words, not merely abusive or insulting words" the bill remains unclear exactly what words and behaviour would constitute an offence. Herbert warned against "clumsy police investigations and the chilling effect of the law."

The bill now moves on to the House of Lords.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Attempt to Defeat "Homophobic Hate Crimes" Legislation Fails in House of Lords
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07011202.html

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Officer Sues Coast Guard for Forcing Vaccine Injection Derived from Aborted Baby

By John Connolly and John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on January 2 on behalf of a Coast Guard officer who was refused an exception from injection with a Hepatitis A vaccine derived from an aborted child, even though the injection conflicts with the officer's Catholic beliefs.

The U.S. Coast Guard refused to grant Lt. Commander Joseph J. Healy an exception, even though it allows injection exemptions based on other religious beliefs. The injection, required by the Coast Guard in lieu of proof of immunity for Hepatitis A, uses cells taken from the lung tissue of a dissected child aborted at 14 weeks.

In compliance with Coast Guard requirements, Healy filed a memo requesting religious exemption based on his Catholic faith and strong opposition to abortion. Capt. Brent Pennington denied the request because he disagreed with Healy's theology, claiming that Catholic teaching "does not state that these immunizations are against the religious tenets of the Catholic Church."

However, Dr. Thaddeus Kozinski a professor of Philosophy at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Ontario said the case was an example of the invasion of a sphere of religious freedom.  "The state shouldn't be engaging in this kind of interpretation," he told LifeSiteNews.com. "It doesn't have the authority or the jurisdiction in these matters.  It should defer to the person's conscience and the Church's teaching unless it's a grave matter concerning the common good."

"Those who lay their life on the line to defend our shores are entitled to the same religious freedoms as anyone else," said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman.  "Members of the U.S. military should never be forced to make an unconstitutional choice between honoring their country and honoring their faith."

The ADF has filed a motion to block Healy from being given the injection against his will during the court proceedings.

To contact the U.S. Coast Guard by mail:

Coast Guard Headquarters
Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard,
2100 Second Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20593

To submit an e-mail comment at http://www.uscg.mil/global/mail/

Read the complaint in Healy v. United States Coast Guard:
http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/HealyComplaint.pdf.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage

ABORTED BABY PARTS RESEARCH AND PATIENT ABUSE
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/sep/99092901.html

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Paintball Vandals Shoot Up "Thou Shalt Not Kill" Billboard Outside Abortion Clinic

By Peter J. Smith

BUFFALO, New York, January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Paintball vandals defaced a pro-life billboard outside a Buffalo abortion center early this week creating large round black splotches that look menacingly like bullet holes through the central image of the unborn baby.

The "You Shall Not Kill" billboard set up by pro-life advocates near the Buffalo GYN Womenservices abortion clinic on Main Street was riddled with about 20 round black and dark purple paint splotches late Monday night from either a paintball device or a launcher for paint filled balloons. The vandalism gives the violent visual effect of bullet holes through the middle of the sign, which features a picture of an unborn baby in the womb, flanked by images of a boy listening to his pregnant mother's stomach and a pregnant woman's stomach. Above the three pictures in red letters is the biblical commandment "You Shall Not Kill."

"This is absolutely a violent act. It is a criminal act, even the District Attorney has said it is criminal mischief," Marie O'Connor, a pro-life activist from Amherst involved in setting up the billboard, told LifeSiteNews.com. "We have been in touch with the Buffalo Police and the FBI. The Erie County District Attorney has said that although it is a stretch, it might be prosecuted as a hate crime for criminal mischief."

"I'm hoping it can, because it is very clear that in this area there is not a single billboard that was damaged as violently as ours," O'Connor stated. "If you're there in person, you can see the aim was strictly toward the fetus with the umbilical cord showing. That was the focus of all this damage."

New York State's Hate Crimes Law of 2000 defines "hate crimes" as crimes in which "victims are intentionally selected, in whole or in part, because of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age [over 60], disability or sexual orientation." The law says that "Crimes motivated by invidious hatred toward particular groups ... send a powerful message of intolerance and discrimination to all members of the group to which the victim belongs" that is incompatible with a free society

Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark told the Buffalo News that criminal mischief can be a hate crime, such as a swastika spray-painted on a synagogue. "Theoretically, I think this could be a hate crime," he said, "but I think it is a stretch."

The billboard had gone up a month and a half ago about 100 feet away from the abortion clinic after pro-life advocates held the area's first 40 Days for Life prayer vigil outside the abortion center from late September through early November.

O'Connor said that pro-life individuals and families themselves have financed putting up the pro-life billboard just south of the abortion clinic, which may have infuriated abortion supporters convinced the sign would disappear after a month once all the money was spent.

 "It's probably frustration on the part of pro-abortionists that not only have we not gone away, but we've made the message clearer, and we've kept it on the closest billboard to their killing chamber," said O'Connor.

The billboard is being repapered Monday.

 Readers interested in how they can support funding Buffalo's pro-life billboard or recreating one for their own area can contact Marie O'Connor at this address:

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Letters to the Editor for Friday, January 11, 2008

Harrisburg Police Pro-Abortion Bias

Dear Editor,

On December 22, 2007, a 69 year old man by the name of Mr. Ed Snell, was brutally assaulted near Hillcrest Abortion Clinic in Harrisburg, PA.  Mr Snell was peacefully protesting and was not on Hillcrest property.  The young man who assaulted him was taking his girl friend in for an abortion.  Mr Snell sustained life-threatening injuries, including bleeding on the brain, 4 fractured thoracic vertebrae, 2 fractured ribs and a fractured collar bone.

The brain injury alone could have killed Mr. Snell.

I have seen only one piece of news coverage on this near-murder.  Of particular interest in this case is that there were at least two eye witnesses.  One of these witnesses immediately called the Harrisburg police, as well as an ambulance.  Mr Snell was laying on the pavement unconscious.

The police took a lengthy time to arrive at the scene of the crime and did not seem particularly concerned about Mr. Snell's condition or how he was attacked or by whom.  The assailant, identified by the eye witnesses, was not arrested.  In fact, he was allowed to drive away from the scene of the crime.

Had Mr. Snell been an abortion supporter calling the police to report that he had been assaulted by a pro-life individual, the police would have been there in minutes.  The media would have reported it the next day and that pro-life person would be in jail without bond, probably for life.

Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, led a peaceful, prayerful service in front of Hillcrest just 6 days after Mr. Snell's assault.  Hillcrest personnel called the police to complain that people were blocking the sidewalk.  The police arrived in minutes.  So, when Hillcrest calls the police, they respond immediately.  When a pro-life person is assaulted and almost killed, the police appear willfully negligent in their duty.  Where is the justice here?

This is shameful and I hope there is a public outcry against the wrongs done to Mr. Snell.

Sincerely, Christina Stoner, RN
Dillsburg, PA

Editor: See previous LifeSiteNews coverage of this incident:
69-year-old Pro-Lifer Assaulted and Seriously Injured
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010203.html
____________________________________

Adult Stem Cells Save Cancer Patient - Twice

Dear Editor,

I am a two- time survivor of multiple myeloma (bone marrow) cancer due to the Grace of God and two ADULT STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS of my own (autologous) adult stem cells.  Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that destroys bone.  My bones looked as though someone had used me for target practice. Dec. 2002 I was diagnosed.   After enduring months of chemotherapy I received my first adult stem cell transplant in May 2003 at Syracuse, NY, USA Upstate Medical Hospital. Previously to this my blood had been circulated through a machine that sorted the adult stem cells necessary to save my life and those cells were frozen and stored until the transplant.  Three vials were stored and one was put in a syringe which was injected into a catheter in my chest.  Within 15 minutes, as I watched,  my transplant was completed.  The adult stem cells began to make their way to the center of my bones, set themselves and produce a new blood supply and immune system.  I was physically born again.  Within two months I was back to my old self able to take long walks, travel, dance, etc.  

My second bout of cancer occurred in May 2006.  After being treated with thalidomide for four months, another vial of my adult stem cells in Nov. 2006 were again transplanted into my chest at Syracuse Upstate Medical Hospital to sustain my life.  As my blood no longer carries immunizations from my childhood years, I received immunizations in Nov. 2007.
 
No embryos had to die for me to have life.  My life has been returned to me through adult stem cells from my own body but I do know people who have used their brother, sister, father or  cord blood adult stem cells to sustain life.  Over 450,000 humans have been treated for 73 different diseases or injuries but we are a well kept secret from the public.  I meet people every day who are unaware of the benefits of adult stem cell research and therapies.  http://www.stemcellresearch.org
 
Congress  (2006) voted down federally tax funding adult stem cell and ethical embryonic research and just voted in funding embryonic research.  I was with President Bush when he vetoed the federal tax funding bill in a room full of adult stem cell survivors.  If Congress really cared about patients instead of patents they would be pushing adult stem cell research.
 
The main stream media, Democrats in Congress, FDA, Hollywood types keep people in ignorance.  They kill more people in the USA everyday than the War.  Over 2,000 Americans die from heart disease daily yet many could be helped with adult stem cell transplants.  I know people who have been helped.  People are dying because of ignorance as even doctors are unaware of all the benefits.  How do I know?  Because doctors and patients call or write me after reading my website, http://www.carolfranz.com where I have listed links for information as well as my story.
 
Glad to be alive,
Carol Franz
Owego, NY
____________________________________

To write a letter to the Editor: E-mail your letter to . Write "letter to the editor" in the subject line. Please note that all letters are subject to editing. LifeSiteNews.com will publish letters to the editor at its discretion, giving priority to the most concise, insightful and timely submissions.

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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.

Catholic pizza billionaire Tom Monaghan backs Romney
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Public schools: The new red-light district?
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Man lives 34 years with trisomy 13 and 18
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Singapore to create animals with human DNA
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A UK fertility centre has started a scheme offering half-price IVF treatment for women who donate their eggs to research
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The conclusion is inescapable that more condoms mean more cases of AIDS and more deaths - Zenit News report
http://www.zenit.org/article-21446?l=english

Indiana Senate Drops Christian Prayers after ACLU Threats
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000006250.cfm

Ten Commandments Return to Kentucky Courthouse
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Climate Debate Daily - presents numerous reports on both sides
http://climatedebatedaily.com/

RE Guiliani: A pro-abortion nominee would shatter Reagan’s coalition
http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_01_14/article.html

Mark Steyn doesn't see any winners coming out of New Hampshire on the Republican side
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2JjZjNmNTU0N2I2MTBlZTkyNjgwOTBjMmVmZDJ...

The many voices of Hillary Rodham Clinton By Michelle Malkin
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/08/new-hampshire-verdict-hillary-exults/

Two election nights into 2008, we have no idea how this is going to end - Kathryn Jean Lopez
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OWEyMDgxMWJlZmYxN2M1MGQ1ZDUxNjcxNmE5MmRmOGE...

The revolution of U.S. presidential hopeful Ron Paul
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080108/ron_paul_080108/200...

Mark Steyn: It's the secular Left vs. the Christian Left
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/huckabee-huck-guy-1953999-put-afford

Giuliani Might As Well Work On His Tan - Deal W. Hudson
http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_myblog&Itemid=127

‘Pro-choicers’ worried about growing number of men who say they have been traumatized by wives’ or girlfriends’ abortions
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=28a21cdb-8188-4660-ab53-85bd...

“Sarah’s Law” - Proposed initiative would require family member chosen by girl affected be notified before minor could undergo abortion
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=7fc9c711-5a6a-4703-88c3-f307...

United Nations and crusading celebrities are simply wrong; Environmental extremism must be put in its place in the climate debate By Dr. Tim Ball & Tom Harris
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/1272

Conservatives stepping up efforts to finally crack Toronto region's 'swing' ridings
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php

Five million Canadians are currently without a family doctor-and things are only getting worse
http://www.macleans.ca/science/health/article.jsp?content=20080102_122329_6200

Public schools ignore Religious Freedom Day despite presidential proclamations for 15 years
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=cedbe1b8-c95a-4b1a-ab6e-169b...

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