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Friday July 4, 2008

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Canada's Catholic Bishops United in Opposition to Order of Canada Being Awarded to Morgentaler

Bishop Wingle - "You, Madame Governor General, are sworn to uphold the law of this nation, not to applaud those who flaunt it."

By Tim Waggoner

OTTAWA, ON, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canada's Catholic bishops have followed the lead of Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto by taking a unified stance against the Canada Day decision to promote the nation's most prolific killer of the unborn, Henry Morgentaler, to the Order of Canada.  Many of Canada's bishops have not only released statements on the "travesty," but have requested Prime Minister Harper and the Governor General to revoke the award.

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa criticized the divisive nature of the decision and affirmed the duty of all Catholics to defend life at all stages.

"As a Canadian, I am saddened to learn that Henry Morgentaler has been awarded the Order of Canada," said the Archbishop. "As Catholic Christians, we must affirm and defend the gift of life from the moment of conception to natural death. No one, in any circumstance, can claim the right to destroy an innocent human being. Anyone who devotes their energies to promoting abortion is a source of division on the most fundamental questions of life in society. Awarding the Order of Canada to Henry Morgentaler can only be a matter of disunity, offending many Canadians of conscience."

Bishop James Wingle of St. Catharines wrote letters of protest to the Governor General and the Prime Minister and is preparing a pastoral letter on the matter for this Sunday.

"For you, as Governor General of Canada, to bestow on a man who has violated systematically and egregiously the deepest foundation upon which all human rights and freedoms stand, the sacred right of human life and the freedom to enjoy it, would be a complete travesty," wrote Bishop Wingle. "In addition to Dr. Morgentaler's vicious and public attack on the lives of thousands of innocent children in their mothers' wombs, he has flaunted the rule of law in Canada and incited others to do likewise. You, Madame Governor General, are sworn to uphold the law of this nation, not to applaud those who flaunt it."

"Your urgent attention to this matter is respectfully demanded," he concluded.

In the letter addressed to PM Harper, the bishop said he recognizes that the PM is not involved in the choice of who is appointed to the Order of Canada, but nevertheless invoked Harper to "intervene personally and immediately" because the "values at stake are of such magnitude."

The Calgary Sun reported that Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary has also questioned the divisive choice made by those who appointed Morgentaler to the Order of Canada.

"It's a shame...how can you cause such division when we're supposed to be bringing Canadians together and celebrating Canadian identity - so many recipients who have done so many great things are getting lost in all this," he said.

"This debases the award - you're not going to have the same prestige given it," affirmed Bishop Henry.

The bishop then invoked politicians who have continually dodged the abortion issue to start pushing for the implementation of an abortion law in Canada.

"So many politicians are disassociating themselves from this...stop fobbing it off to the Supreme Court justices," said Bishop Henry.

Canada's national Catholic magazine, Catholic Insight, joined the chorus of those condemning the naming of Morgentaler to the Order of Canada. Editor Father Alphonse de Valk characterized the appointment as a national disgrace.

Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, who has also written the Governor General asking for the reversal of the decision, released a statement condemning Morgentaler's being named to the Order:

"The decision to award the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler devalues the significance of this honour and offends all Canadians who recognize and treasure the precious gift of human life in the womb. The Order of Canada is one of our country's highest awards. It should not be awarded to one whose work results in the destruction of innocent human life through abortion. The decision should be reversed."

Bishop Ronald Fabbro of London joined his voice with the millions of Canadians who desire that the decision be reversed.

"I join Catholics across Canada, as well as many other Canadians who respect the value of every human life, in urging the Governor General to revoke this decision,'' he said.

"We believe in the dignity of every human person and affirm that human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception until natural death,'' explained Fabbro.

The bishop wondered what Morgentaler was being honoured for: "Through his efforts, hundreds of thousands of unborn children have been killed,'' he said. "How can we celebrate this carnage by honouring its author?''
   
Reports confirm that Bishop Nicola De Angelis has sent out notices on the Morgentaler decision to all parishes in his Peterborough diocese.

"Far from improving our country, Dr. Morgentaler's actions continue to create controversy and division in our nation. In the name of freedom of choice, he has encouraged the development of a culture of death and has thus attacked the most vulnerable, the unborn," stated the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) in a press release.

The CCCB said that it feels the Order itself has been debased by Morgentaler's inclusion in it, stating, "Awarding such a decoration in this context discredits the Order of Canada. It amounts to an inadmissible affront to the numerous Canadians who dedicate their lives to the protection of the most vulnerable, especially the unborn."

"We ask the appropriate authorities to reconsider this nomination and not to award this distinction to Dr. Morgentaler," concluded the statement.

For Archbishop Collin's Statements on the issue please see:
Archbishop Calls All Catholics to Demand National Award to Abortion Doc be Revoked
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070101.html

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Human Rights Commission Drops Complaint Against Catholic Magazine

Judicial Review Still Possible

TORONTO, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canadian Human Rights Commission has dropped a complaint by a homosexual activist against Catholic Insight a Toronto-based national Catholic news magazine.  A year and a half - and many thousands of dollars in legal fees - after a nine-point human rights complaint was filed by Edmonton-based homosexual activist Rob Wells, Catholic Insight has been informed that the case has been dropped.  However, a judicial review before the Federal Court is still possible should the complainant pursue that avenue.

In a letter the Commission noted that it decided "to dismiss the complaint because the material (produced by Catholic Insight) is not likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt based on sexual orientation."  It added that "the file on this matter has now been closed."

Wells filed the complaint over the magazine's allegedly offensive coverage of homosexual activism and the issues it has affected. According to editor Father Alphonse de Valk, however, the magazine has consistently set out the Roman Catholic Church's position on such questions, making it clear that persons with same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity and every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.

"We welcome the Canadian Human Rights Commission's decision in this matter and were confident from the outset that we would be vindicated," said Father de Valk. He added that his publication not only has the right, but the responsibility, to report, analyze, comment on, and criticize where necessary, homosexual activism as it pertains to important social issues such as the nature of marriage, adoption rights, the allocation of social benefits, burdens on the health system caused by unhealthy behaviours and so on.

"It is chilling to think that a publication can be hauled before a government tribunal simply for reporting to interested citizens developments in these areas of controversy," said Father de Valk. "This matter underscores once again the necessity of urgent reform of the Canadian human rights system." He added that, coupled with a series of actions launched by a Toronto-based homosexual activist, Catholic Insight has been unnecessarily burdened with $20,000 in legal fees to date.

Given the consistently unsuccessful nature of these homosexual activist attacks upon it, Catholic Insight will now examine the prospects of launching countering legal actions against those who have been unnecessarily harassing and financially burdening the publication, said Father de Valk.

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Over 2000 Have Signed "Rescind Order of Canada From Morgentaler" Petition in First 24 Hours

Some of numerous comments noted here - French version added tonight

By Steve Jalsevac

July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The petition calling for the Morgentaler Order of Canada appointment to be rescinded, reported yesterday on LifeSiteNews, has garnered over 2,000 signatures since it was launched late last night. The list of signers to date and their varied comments can be seen online at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Morgentaler/index.html and http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/MorgentalerAmerican/ by clicking on the tab at the top of the page labelled "signatures".

See yesterday's story:
National Group Launches Petition Calling for Morgentaler Order of Canada Appointment to be Revoked
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070317.html

Petition organizer Campaign Life Coalition is strongly encouraging wide promotion of the petition, nationally and internationally, to ensure that a very large number of those opposed to the Morgentaler appointment will have the opportunity to add the force of their names to this effort to influence the office of the Governor General and the Prime Minister.

Campaign Life Coalition has added an additional French version of the petition this evening that will provide all Franco Canadians a better opportunity to participate in the important effort.

CLC has reported their surprise at the number of signers who have added comments with their names. A review of the comments indicates a considerable outrage among Canadians over this high level government recognition of Canada's leading abortionist by the Order of Canada Advisory Council.

Here are the addresses for the different versions of the petition:

a) Canadian Petition - English:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Morgentaler/

a) Canadian Petition - French:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/MorgentalerRetirez/
 
b) American and International Petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/MorgentalerAmerican/

Following are just a few of the numerous comments from signers:

Bill Iliffe - Edmonton, Alberta
We need to look at those on the committee who would accept the nomination of such a questionable person. I feel so badly for those who have been honoured in the past, who are now listed with Henry Morgentaler. Rescind A.S.A.P.

John Abelseth - Richmond, BC
I am stunned!! If my grandmother were alive today, she would return her Order of Canada, I am sure; Is this award not supposed to be for deeds of greatness which will help our country to be a better place for all people? The dead babies gave their lives, but they are not eligible for an Order of Canada, are they? How many of them would have been?

Jane Huijsmans - Mill Bay, BC
When Dr. Morgentaler first started abortions, I was young woman and the arguments for abortion made sense to me. At that time there were no ultrasounds routinely ordered. Now having had children of my own, I cannot imagine watching the abortion process through ultrasound or other imaging. If people actually watched an abortion before making a decision, it is my belief that almost no one would opt for this. In what other areas of public or private life do we say "don't look at the picture, whatever your do." While Dr. Morgentaler may have good intentions, by not allowing everyone to "see" exactly what is going on in an abortion, the harm that he has done to women and unborn babies remains hidden. Please let's reward someone who does some real good for our citizens.

Marlon Bartram - Kelowna, British Columbia
As a bereaved father of an aborted baby, I am deeply offended that Morgentaler has been awarded the Order of Canada.

Anthony Danko - Oakville, Ontario
A highjacked process and a very bad decision. Shameful.

Veronika Repka Lakefield, Ontario
I came to Canada over 20 years ago, from Slovakia. I am seriously considering going back because I'm very disappointed from Canada. It in a moral decay, and I simply can't take it.

Timothy Jordan - St. John's, Newfoundland
If Henry Morgentaler is an exemplary Canadian, then my father and grandfather who fought in the world wars were fighting for the wrong side. On July 9th, I will be flying the Maple Leaf upside down. What an insult to the many fine people who have worked so hard to try to create a culture of life!

John Sozio - Barrie, Ontario
This decision is indeed a dark moment in Canada's history.

Jeanine Van Damme - Alvinston, Ontario
There are no words to describe the pain I feel to see a man honoured who is responsible for the death of thousands of innocent beings and for the advancement of the culture of death. Deep, deep sorrow. Has Canada really come to this?

Mark Westen - Barry's Bay, Ontario
Is Canada glorying in its shame? Dr. Morgentaler should not even have been considered for this award. This bestowing of the Order of Canada was clearly politically motivated. What an obvious afront. Agenda driven politicos should at least try to be more subtle.

John Laws - Toronto, Ontario
I most emphatically support this petition to revoke this award.

Robert Quinlan - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Canada is about life....not DEATH!

Ken Yost - Winnipeg, Manitoba
This ranks among the worst days in Canadian history, the celebration of a purveyor of violence on the innocent.

Frank E. D'Angelo - Toronto, Ontario
George Orwell's prophetic novel,"1984", was accurate except Mr. Orwell should've used Canada as the setting. This is the greatest human rights issue in history. When the law once again protects our preborn children, and the truth is finally told, the world will want to know where you stood on this issue.

Diane Paquette - Brampton, Ontario
I am, for the first time in my life, very sad to be a Canadian.

Dr Reg Gallop - Winnipeg, Manitoba
If Dr Morgentaler had really wanted to benefit women, their babies and Canada, he would have done his best to offer, and have improved, all the medical/social services that pregnant women require, for the good of all parties. Killing their babies, only compounds their problems, and gravely harmed them, and our Nation.

Bishop Robert D. Redmile - Richmond, British Columbia
For a nation such as Canada even to contemplate awarding one of its highest honours to such a despicable purveyor of death as Henry Morgentaler has been is unconscionable, and brings shame down upon those whom we trust to make such decisions.

Anita Durette - Fredericton, New Brunswick
I have suffered immensely after having two legal abortions in the early 1970's without being properly informed of the reality of abortion and it's lasting aftermath! I do not want to see Henry Morgentaler honored for his contribution to killing innocent children.

James Burnham - Saint John, New Brunswick
For the first time, I am beginning to feel shame as part of my identity as a Canadian citizen. Please undo this terrible wrong.

John Killackey - Mississauga, Ontario
May this abuse of Canada's highest honour be "the straw the breaks the camel's back" in the pro-abortion movement in Canada.

Susan Holmes - Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Are we this desparate in Canada? Have we run out of 'heros' to honor? Do we now have to start giving Canada's top honor to criminals and those who invest their lives in deviding our country? As a woman in Canada I would be ashamed to think that my rights came at the expense of a child's life. If this award is allowed to stand I AM ASHAMED, AS A WOMAN, of the decisions my nation is making. Any woman, whether pro-life or pro-choice, should be.

Tom Padberg - San Clement, California
If this award stands, history will identify this action as the moment of Canada's GREAT SHAME.

Antony Gray - Chelmsford, Essex, Great Britain
What sort of a person is the Canadian voter to allow such a government to take control over their lives and after Canada's heroic history to throw all the effort over the centuries away to despotic parties. Wake up Canadians before you find you are another MugabeLand.

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UK Catholic, Muslim Doctors May be Forced to Refer for Abortion

Catholic Medical Association spokesman says, "This would spell the death of the rights of conscience"

 By Hilary White
 
LONDON, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The British Medical Association's (BMA) policy-making body will consider a proposal to remove the rights of conscience that allow doctors to refuse to commit or refer women for abortions. The proposal will be considered at the BMA's upcoming Annual General Meeting, 7-10 July.
 
Dr. Tony Cole, of the Catholic Medical Association, said, "This would spell the death of the rights of conscience. This takes away the right of conscience already guaranteed by statute. This is open to legal challenge."
 
Dr. Cole's comments were supported by Dr. Majid Khatme of the Islamic Medical Association, who said Muslim doctors were "very unhappy" about the scheme. "You cannot force me, as a doctor, to do things against my conscience. Something very dangerous is going on," he said.
 
The motion was proposed for the BMA's forthcoming Annual General Meeting by Dr. Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrat MP and medical doctor who is known to colleagues as "Dr. Death" for his eager support of unlimited abortion and euthanasia. Dr. Harris is a member of the British Medical Association (BMA) Medical Ethics Committee.
 
Dr. Harris's motion proposes to change the rules so that doctors with conscientious objection to abortion may not see patients with unplanned pregnancies. The motion would force them to refer women wanting abortions to other doctors. To do this, it proposes to reinterpret the General Medical Council guidance on personal belief and clinical practice.
 
Catholic doctors said they will argue at the meeting that it would be unlawful to deny the right of conscientious objection that is enshrined in Section 4 of Britain's 1967 Abortion Act. Dr. Cole added, "A doctor whose conditions of service (were) affected by this might be able to seek redress through the courts."
 
Cardiff Archbishop Peter Smith, the head of the Department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said, "The right of conscience is a fundamental human right. The doctor's right to act according to his conscience remains firmly embedded both in medical practice and in the law."
 
The British Medical Association is one of the most ardent supporters of abortion in the UK. At last year's conference, the membership at the annual conference voted 67 percent to 33 percent to remove the necessity for two doctors to sign approval for abortions.
 
Dr. Harris also tabled an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, that moves on to the final Report Stage in Parliament next week, to remove the need for two doctors to sign consent to an abortion.

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Highlights from Media Comments on the Morgentaler Order of Canada Fiasco

"a sign of moral decay led in part by a remorseless extremist."

By John Jalsevac

July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A political cartoon in a Canadian newspaper shows a can labeled "Canada's abortion debate." A hand holding the trademark "snowflake," the physical Order of Canada award, is depicted applying the award to the top of the can, in the manner of a can opener.  The message is clear: by giving Morgentaler the Order of Canada, the Governor General has opened wide the tightly closed lid of Canada's abortion debate.

Canada's newspapers and airwaves are awash with articles, interviews and programs discussing the pros and cons of abortion, and debating whether or not Canada's arch-abortionist should have been awarded the country's highest civic honour.

The following are some highlights from just a few of the articles on the issue appearing in Canada's newspapers:

Who's ready to return their snowflake? by columnist Colby Cosh - National Post
(http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=63027...)

"[Morgentaler's] admission to the Order will not convince one person that he is right, nor diminish the ardour of his opponents. It can only create the impression that the Order is being used to argue for a particular position in a controversy, rather than to reflect genuinely shared values. And if this becomes its function, Canadians will be entirely right to hold it in contempt."

Send back the pin by columnist John Robson - Ottawa Citizen
(http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/columnists/story.html?id...)

"The point here is that the real reason for supporting his award isn't that [Morgentaler's] controversial, it's that he's an abortionist. And it's no excuse for pushing it through that he's unwell and it cannot be given posthumously. If there is no afterlife there's little point rushing to collect attractive coffin decorations and if there is, that little white lapel pin will not help him face his accusers on the other side.

"Sorry, was that divisive? Well, so was this award, which amounts to endorsing his position on abortion in a deliberately offensive manner…

"Feminist Judy Rebick said 'For me, it's got a symbolic importance that it was announced on Canada Day.' Exactly. It symbolized a slap in the face from official Canada to millions of Canadians for whom widespread abortion is a transcendent horror.

"If you have an Order of Canada, send it back."

A Majestic Bellyflop by columnist Michael Harris - Ottawa Sun
(http://www.ottawasun.com/News/Columnists/Harris_Michael/2008...)

"By elevating Henry Morgentaler, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and Co. have performed a majestic belly flop. They have bestowed a national honour on a mere personal favourite. They have also reminded us that the soft underbelly of the Establishment in Canada continues to be liberal, smugly self-satisfied, and contemptuous of those lacking in cultural evolution…

"The tasteless ostentation of their zeal to put a boot to the throat of the pro-life movement has done nothing but re-energize a bitter debate over the most basic issues of personal freedom and powers of life and death. Morgentaler's critics have already seen his public honour as a sign of moral decay led in part by a remorseless extremist. Not exactly the kind of emotions the Order of Canada was designed to inspire.

"As a caller to my talk show put it, anyone who gets an Order of Canada should be able to have a school named after them. Henry Morgentaler High? Hmmm."

Morgentaler is no hero -- women who don't abort are by columnist Naomi Lakritz - Calgary Herald
(http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/columnists/story.html?id...)

"The melodramatic mantle of heroism that the pro-choice side drapes about Morgentaler's shoulders is intolerably phoney. Heroes rescue people. Morgentaler, who has helped make it open season on the unborn, has rescued no one and condemned thousands…

"No - the real heroes will never get an Order of Canada. They're the unsung women who, finding themselves with an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy, take responsibility for their actions, and either alter their plans to include a baby in their lives or give the baby up for adoption. They're true heroes because they understand that there is a profound difference between life - and mere lifestyle."

Today's math quiz: How many deaths goes into an award for Morgentaler? blog post by Karen Hawthorne - National Post
(http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008...)

"I get the feeling Dr. Morgentaler has a selective respect for the rights of others. The rights of women who agree with his views are paramount. The rights of unborn children are non-existent. The beliefs of women who disagree with him are to be dismissed; any religion which advocates against his views is to be disregarded; the qualms of those Canadians appalled at the carnage that has flowed from his work are to be ignored. I suspect - and I'm just guessing - that what's important to Dr. Morgentaler is his beliefs alone. Others' beliefs are inconsequential. Maybe this callousness is what lets him so easily take life away from so many.

"Here's someone whose life's achievement is in enabling women to abort their children and justify it to themselves as something other than what it appears to be. One or two other people in history have deliberately set in motion the mass termination of so many helpless lives, but outside of war they aren't treated with high regard. Certainly I don't think they'd qualify for the Order of Canada."

Morgentaler's Order of Canada a symbol of moral decay by columnist Ian Hunter - National Post
(http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=62750...)

"[Morgentaler] will not be forgotten, nor should he be, nor the evil he has perpetrated. But the greater story - even in as pathetic a country as Canada - is not his, it is Humanae Vitae (1968) and the final triumph of life over the culture of death.

"The words of Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae will be pondered by those who come after us (assuming that there are any) when the Order of Canada has been mercifully and deservedly forgotten.

"'To [governments] is committed the responsibility of safeguarding the common good … Never allow the morals of your people to be undermined. Never tolerate those practices which are opposed to the natural law of God.'"

"And - might I add - do not honour men without honour."

Every child a gift from God opinion column by Theo Caldwell - National Post
(http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=628496)

"At my age, and with my middling skills, I have not been graced with the time or talent to have attained such a prestigious award. But if I had, and if the same folks who honoured me then chose to celebrate a man for snuffing out little lives, I like to think I would waste no time in telling them where to stick their snowflake. I was proud that my father removed his own hard-earned Order of Canada immediately upon hearing of Morgentaler's accolade."

Unmasking what lies behind 'pro-choice' column by Stephanie Gray - Calgary Herald
(http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=6409f...)

"If this is the first time Canadians are feeling shame about celebrating Canada Day, then we have problems.

"People should have been reluctant to celebrate Canada Day back in 1969, when abortion first became legal. The problem to which our limited attention should be drawn is not awarding Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada, but the genocide of a group of people who are being denied their right to life simply because of their age. Their fate is to be dismembered, disemboweled and decapitated.

"Morgentaler's award is simply a symptom of a more deeply rooted crisis."

Politicizing the Order of Canada - Editorial - Calgary Herald
(http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/st...)

"One could hardly imagine a more divisive gesture than awarding the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler. Canada's highest honour is typically bestowed upon citizens who by their life and work have earned the widespread respect - and, in a very large number of cases, also the affection - of their fellow countrymen.

"That hardly applies to Morgentaler, however. He may be a hero to one side of Canada's most controversial issue - abortion - but to the other he is a murderer of unborn babies, a man upon whose hands there is much blood.

"Why, then, would a majority of the order's advisory council and the Governor General herself choose to mark a day celebrating national unity by deeply offending half the country?"

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Golden Arches Awash in Rainbow Colors: Family Group Boycotts McDonalds for Support for Homosexual Agenda

By Peter J. Smith

OAK BROOK, Illinois, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An American pro-family group has launched a boycott of McDonald's until the global fast food giant declares neutrality in the culture wars and guarantees that it will no longer support the homosexualist agenda.

The American Family Association, which has at least 2.2 million members, declared the boycott of McDonald's after the company refused repeated requests to withdraw McDonald's name, logo, and endorsement from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) website, which lists McDonald's as a "Corporate Partner."

The AFA has stated that McDonald's status as a corporate partner means their financial and symbolic support greatly aids anti-family causes such as same-sex "marriage." McDonald's has over 31,000 restaurants, making it the largest fast food chain worldwide.

However, the AFA revealed McDonald's established closer ties with the NGLCC by donating $20,000 to obtain membership in the NGLCC and a seat on the group's board of directors.

Richard Ellis, Vice President of Communications for McDonald's USA, now sits on the NGLCC's board and has stated on the NGLCC website, "I'm thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and ready to go to work."

The NGLCC frequently lobbies Congress on same-sex "marriage" and other aspects of the gay agenda.

The NGLCC website proudly lists McDonalds, along with hamburger rival Burger King, US film giant Kodak, AT&T, among 87 supporting major companies, saying, "Through the commitment of our corporate partners, the NGLCC has been able to advance the ideas and causes of the LGBT business community."

AFA founder and chairman, Dr. Donald Wildmon, wrote McDonald's asking that the company remain neutral when it came to the homosexual agenda. McDonald's then responded with a letter from Global Chief Diversity Officer Pat Harris, in order to "take this opportunity to reaffirm our position on diversity."

"McDonald's is associated with countless local and national affinity groups here in the United States. We have a well-established and proud heritage of associating with individuals and organizations that share our belief that every person has the right to live and work in their community free of discrimination," replied Harris.

"We will continue to support our people and their right to live and work in an inclusive society."

"This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals, or homosexuals eating at McDonald's, or how homosexual employees are treated," states the AFA.

"It is about McDonald's, as a corporation, choosing to put the full weight of their corporation behind promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage."

The AFA boycott petition may be found here:
http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

McDonald's Throws up A Smoke Screen to Cover Support for Homosexual Agenda
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040905.html

Heinz in Pickle as Gay Mayo Ad Continues to Spread Backlash - Now Gays Join Boycott Bandwagon
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062611.html

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President Bush and Senator McCain Address National Right to Life Conference

By Tim Waggoner

ARLINGTON, VA, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During yesterday's National Right to Life Conference, President George Bush and Republican presidential candidate John McCain gave video addresses to the audience, in which they expressed their support for the unborn's inherent right to life and their unity with the country's pro-life movement.

LifeNews.com reports that after thanking the audience for their "commitment to protecting the unborn," the President exclaimed, "The nation's Declaration of Independence exists to give the right to life to the unborn."

"I have proudly stood with you to make sure this nation stands up for this noble promise," continued Bush, joining himself with the crowd. "For eight years we have stood together to defend the principle that every human life has value."

Bush told viewers that he has also fought to keep taxpayers' dollars from funding abortions and reminded them that he had signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which "allows prosecutors to charge those who harm a pregnant woman and who harm or kill her unborn child as well."

The President then described the importance of the Born Alive Infants Protection act, which forces health care facilities to protect those babies who have survived botched abortions.  He also told viewers that he had teamed up with pro-life activists to ensure partial-birth abortion was banned.

The President went on to advocate stem-cell research, provided it does not terminate human life.

"We have embraced the healing potential of stem cell research but made sure federal research is conducted within ethical limits and clear boundaries without destroying human life," Bush said.

"I look forward to working with you to reach the day when every child is welcomed into life and protected in law," he concluded.

According to LifeNews, Republican presidential candidate John McCain told viewers that the right to life is the most fundamental right upon which all other rights stand.

"More than 200 years ago out nation's founder declared that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights and among these is the right to life," McCain explained. "It was no accident that they cited life as the first and most basic right. Without recognition of the right to life, we are not guaranteed any other rights."

"I have been pro-life my entire public career and I am pro-life because I know what it's like to live without human rights and where life is accorded no value," said the presidential candidate.

McCain, like Bush, said he has always worked to separate taxpayers dollars from abortions and reiterated to the crowd his past pro-life initiatives, including his votes supporting the banning of partial-birth abortion and opposing Roe v. Wade.

"I will proudly defend my record defending human life during any debates on domestic and international policy," said McCain.

"Wisdom suggests we should be willing to give an unborn child the same chance our parents gave us," he added. "We can't fail to respect the inherent dignity of all human life, born or unborn."

McCain then issued a strong statement to America's leaders and future leaders: "The most important duty of our national leaders is to protect human life and you need only to examine my public record to know I won't change my position."

The presidential candidate also reminded viewers that his pro-life stance makes him neither politically popular nor wealthy.

"Unborn children don't have the same vote or voice and can't reward you with donations," he said.

Appealing to the future aspirations of the crowd to re-criminalize abortion, McCain spoke on the importance of the Supreme Court "to return to their proper role."

"I will appoint Supreme Court nominees who have a proven record of excellence in the law and a proven commitment to strictly interpreting the Constitution," he said.

McCain widened his focus to encompass all those at risk from the culture of death, saying America needs to "protect the lives of the most vulnerable whether they are unborn, the elderly or disabled."

"I am proud to stand with you to defend the sanctity of human life," concluded McCain. "Thank you for your commitment to a cause that is greater than us all - protecting human life and women and children wherever they need our support."

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Formal Request Filed to Terminate Morgentaler's Appointment to the Order of Canada

OTTAWA, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On behalf of the 41,000 members of Canada Family Action Coalition and the "hundreds of thousands of like-minded Canadians," on July 3rd, 2008, CFAC filed a formal request in accordance with the Paragraph 25(c) of the Constitution of the Order of Canada for the Advisory Council to recommend that the Governor General terminate Henry Morgentaler's appointment to the Order of Canada.

Dr. Charles McVety, CFAC President, said, "Henry Morgentaler's conduct is unbecoming a member of the Order of Canada, violating paragraphs 3(b)(i) and (ii) of the Constitution of the Order of Canada, thereby, tarnishing all recipients of this tremendous award."

CFAC stated that, for nineteen years, from 1969 to 1988, Dr. Morgentaler violated Canadian law.  The group claimed that his conduct constituted a significant departure from generally recognized standards of public behaviour, violating regulation 3(b)(i) . In 1976, Dr. Morgentaler was sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee of the Professional Corporation of Physicians of Quebec, which suspended his medical license for one year, which CFAC says placed him in violation of regulation 3(b),(ii) of the Constitution of the Order of Canada.

Also according to reports, the Advisory Council violated long-standing protocol requiring unanimous consent approving a nominee by resorting to a mere majority vote.

"With such manipulation of the system, we question if the Advisory Council Chair, Justice Beverly McLachlin's well-known 'unwritten constitutional principles' subverted accepted Council procedures.  The integrity of the Order of Canada has been undermined as it has become a political award administered by a judicial activist," said Brian Rushfeldt, Executive Director of Canada Family Action Coalition.

CFAC also called upon Prime Minister Stephen Harper to explain how the Government's Privy Council Secretary, Deputy Minister of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Deputy Minister of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade voted.

Your voice can make a difference.  Contact the Order of Canada - Governor General Office.

By phone at (613) 993-8200 or toll-free in Canada at 1 800 465-6890
By fax at (613) 998-8760
info@gg.ca

Or by mail at
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A1

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Bishops Investigate Report: 39 Abortions, 9684 Sterilizations Performed in Texas Catholic Hospitals

By Tim Waggoner

AUSTIN, TX, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An anonymous report providing evidence from government statistics has indicated that 23 Catholic hospitals in Texas performed 39 abortions and 9684 sterilizations between 2000 and 2003.

As reported by Our Sunday Visitor, the State of Texas makes all hospital inpatient records publicly available.  An anonymous group used this data to compile a report on the alleged immoral activities taking place in Catholic hospitals and released it to the website, Wikileaks, which operates in order to house this kind of information. 

A spokesperson for the group said they released the information in order to increase awareness of the immoral practices Catholic hospitals were engaging in, but were afraid of retaliation and therefore remained anonymous.

According to Andrew Rivas, director of the Texas Catholic Conference, the official voice of the Texas bishops, an investigation into the accuracy of the reports has already been initiated by the bishops.

Our Sunday Visitor asked obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Michael DeGroot to analyze the data in the report, which contains many codes representing certain medical practices.  He said that the code V25.2, which appeared many times, indicates that "sterilization for contraceptive purposes," was being performed.  The abortion codes, however, were more complicated and he said he could not issue a definitive assessment on them.

Rivas said there is no deadline set for the bishop's investigation, but they have been engaged in intense conversations with many hospital authorities over the report.

See the anonymous report here:

http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Catholic_hospitals_betray_miss...

To contact the Texas Catholic Conference:

1625 Rutherford Lane, Building D
Austin, Texas, USA, 78754
Telephone:  512-339-9882

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UK Contraception and Abortion Promoters calling for Sex Ed for Four Year-Olds

By Hilary White

LONDON, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com ) - Explicit sex education ought to be compulsory for children as young as four, says a pair of abortion-promoting organisations in the UK. The Family Planning Association, the UK's answer to Planned Parenthood, and Brook, both registered charities, are calling for children of pre-primary age to be indoctrinated into the new sexual mores.

Speaking to BBC Radio's Newsbeat today, Brook's Chief Executive, Simon Blake said, "If we get high quality sex and relationships education in every primary and secondary school across the UK all the evidence shows teenage pregnancy rates will continue to fall and will improve young people's sexual health."

"Sex and relationship education" ought to be on the curriculum across the UK, alongside other compulsory subjects such as math and English, the groups said. The groups claimed that the government is not giving young people enough information about sex and relationships.

More sex education has long been the Labour government's guiding principle whenever the issue of teenage pregnancy or rising abortion rates is brought up in Parliament. It has been the normal response, even while all statistics have shown that the rates of unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and abortion have risen steadily in lock-step with the increased emphasis on sexual education in schools since the early 1970s.

Recent statistics showing that Britain is breaking its own records in unplanned teenage pregnancies and is on its way to becoming, in the words of one MP, "the abortion capital of Europe," prompted the response from government that more sex education and free contraceptives are needed. The Department for Children, Schools and Family said it was reviewing the delivery of sex education in schools.

Under the guise of promoting "sexual health" such organisations as Brook and the FPA operate as registered charities in the UK and promote the values of the "sexual revolution" that helped to sweep away the formerly universal Judeo-Christian worldview of the west. A product of the early 20th century's eugenics movement, the FPA was founded in 1930; its stated raison d'ętre is "so that married people may space or limit their families and thus mitigate the evils of ill health and poverty."

The FPA's foundress, Margaret Amy Pyke, with Marie Stopes in Britain and Margaret Sanger in the US, was a major figure in the early push to introduce artificial contraceptive practices to Britain and the subsequent promotion of legalised abortion. Pyke was a regular contributor to the Eugenics Review and a member of the British Eugenics Society.

In her work pushing the government to legalise abortion, Pyke made the now-standard claim that legalisation would make the procedure "safe" and, with adequate contraception and "education," would actually reduce the number of abortions. In 1963, she claimed that 109,500 abortions were already committed in the UK. Recent Department of Health official statistics showed that the number of abortions in the UK in 2003 was 181,600.

Read a thorough history of the involvement of "family planning" organisations with the international population control movement:

The Inherent Racism of Population Control
http://www.lifesitenews.com/waronfamily/Population_Control/I...

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LAPD Sued for Alleged Discrimination against Officer's Religious Beliefs

By Tim Waggoner

LOS ANGELES, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An LAPD officer has sued the City of Los Angeles, the LAPD and others, alleging that his First Amendment rights were violated and that he was religiously discriminated against after he issued off-duty statements regarding the Bible's teachings on homosexual acts.

The LA Times has reported that Sgt. Eric Holyfield preached against homosexual acts during the eulogy for a fellow officer in 2006.  Holyfield, who is a pastor for a Christian community, quoted Bible passages and explained that "men should not lie with men; women should not lie with women. To do so was an abomination or sinful; one must repent or be condemned to hell."

Holyfield was asked by the deceased officer's family to say the short sermon during the service.  The lawsuit claims he never pointed out anyone in particular and never used offensive slang or terminology.

The lawsuit, which was filed on June 19, states that after the sermon was made, Holyfield was removed from his "coveted assignment in Community Relations" and placed back in patrol by defendant James Craig, Captain of the LAPD, "without any due process and in violation of the plaintiff's First Amendment rights."

Defendant Chief Charlie Beck has also been named in the suit because he acted "on his religious biases and initiated a formal complaint against Holyfield."

Holyfield claims that Beck's decision was "flawed" because he spoke as a minister, not an officer for the LAPD, which was evident from the fact that he was in church outside the city and was dressed "in civilian clothes and on vacation" when he made the statements.

Holyfield was later denied the Detective II position, which he believes was due to religious discrimination, a practice the pastor says the LAPD has engaged in the past. Holyfield also said the LAPD "continues to discriminate against officers that cite from the Holy Bible."

The lawsuit calls for the remedy of lost wages, punitive damages and compensatory damages, including mental and emotional distress.

See copy of lawsuit:

http://www.alliancealert.org/2008/20080703.pdf

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Foremost Expert on Contraception Says the Pill is Not Working - It's "Outdated"

By Hilary White

LONDON, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Pill is outdated and results in unplanned pregnancies; women should get hormonal implants or intra-uterine devices (IUD) instead, says a leading contraception expert in the US. Women do not take the Pill consistently says Professor James Trussell, and it ends up causing more unplanned pregnancies. But rather than encouraging people not to have promiscuous sex or to use Natural Family Planning, what is really needed is a method of contraception that can be forgotten but will still be foolproof, he indicated.

Trussell's statements backed up the observations of those who work in crisis pregnancy centres who say that, despite the government's insistence on more "contraceptive education," a large number of unplanned pregnancies happen while women are on the Pill.

Trussell is the director of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University and was speaking in London at the conference of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Britain's largest abortion-promoting organisation. He said that in the US, a quarter of all pregnancies are "unwanted" and a result of failed contraception. The Daily Telegraph coverage notes that half of unplanned pregnancies in Britain end in abortion.

The morning after pill, or "emergency contraception," that in some cases causes an early term abortion, is also not the solution, he said. The real problem is that there is too much "unprotected" sex going on.

"It is not reduced unintended pregnancies in America or anywhere else that has introduced it. There is so much unprotected sex you would have to use so much emergency contraception to make a dent," he said.

The answer, he says, is more and better contraceptives.

"The Pill is an outdated method because it does not work well enough. It is very difficult for ordinary women to take a pill every single day. The beauty of the implant or the IUD is that you can forget about them."

An IUD is a device that is inserted by a doctor into the uterus that prevents the implantation of an already formed embryo in the uterine wall, and as such is an abortifacient device by definition, and not contraception. In 2001, Britain's Society for the Protection of Unborn Children forced the BBC to change its news coverage and admit that the IUD is not a form of contraception.

But such distinctions are immaterial to Trussell, whose determined advocacy of contraception is not a surprise given his associations with some of the largest abortion advocacy organisations in the world.

In addition to his position at Princeton, Trussell is a senior fellow at the Guttmacher Institute, the research branch of Planned Parenthood, is a member of the board of directors of the NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation, the Society of Family Planning, and the National Medical Committee of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. He serves on the editorial advisory committees of Contraception and Contraceptive Technology Update.

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Letters to the Editor for Friday, July 4

RE: The logic of Mr. Morgentaler
 
I recall seeing an episode of  TV Vision's in-house programme, "Credo," that featured Dr. Morgentaler (produced in 2002) talking  about his family's experiences in the Holocaust.
 
In this program he stated that he saw the Holocaust first hand, and the damages that could be done by 'an unwanted child' - I assume in reference to Hitler.  Now, he said, it is his mission in life to ensure that unwanted children are not born, so as to save humanity from another Holocaust.
 
Tragically, it is Mr. Morgentaler's black logic that has created what is now being called 'The Silent Holocaust,' in which millions of unborn healthy children have been terminated, all in the name of preventing another Holocaust. 
 
It would seem that Morgentaler's logic is very questionable.
 
Caesar J. B. Squitti
Thunder Bay, Ontario

____________________________________________________

RE: Morgentaler Order of Canada a Disgrace

Giving Dr. Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada is a national disgrace!  Even aside from the moral aspect, abortion is an economic disaster that has robbed Canada of some 3 million new Canadians since it was decriminalized in 1969.
 
First, abortion usurps precious health care dollars.
 
Second, health care dollars are spent again when you consider that, following abortion, women have a four to five times higher rate of hospitalization for infections, surgical events and psychiatric problems, compared to similar women who have not had an abortion.  (2001 survey by the Ontario College of Physicians & Surgeons)
 
Third, abortion is not good for the economy. New parents spend money like crazy on their children for at least 15-20 years - on food, clothing, toys, furniture, computers, cell phones, sports equipment, larger vehicles, larger homes, etc.
 
Fourth, children create jobs - i.e. day care workers, teachers, doctors, dentists, manufacturers of all kinds, etc.
 
Fifth, by now approximately the first one, to one and a half million of abortion's victims would already have jobs and be paying taxes, and would be having children of their own - if they had been allowed to live.  Instead we have to rely on immigration to keep our population stable.
 
Sixth, Because of abortion, our population is aging like never before, and the young will have to 'donate' an ever-increasing proportion of their wages to pay for old age pensions.  This is like stealing from the next generation.
 
Abortion just makes no sense.  To honour the person who brought much of this disaster onto Canada makes even less.
 
Jean Hedley
Holyrood ON

____________________________________________________

RE: "Irish Government Considering Forcing Second Lisbon Vote in Spring"

Dear Editor, 

I believe the biggest danger to democracy in the world today is many of the politicians the people elect to public office. The people of Ireland voted NO, yet these undemocratic leaders oppose the wishes of the people and are determined to have another vote on this issue.

There has to be a way to curtail and control these politicians who act like mini-dictators once elected. Perhaps they should have to sign a conditions of employment so that the people can dismiss them immediately when they lie, subvert and pervert the democratic process. For as it stands right now politicians just about everywhere are becoming dangerous to all our freedoms.
 
Stephen J. Gray
Chilliwack, B.C

____________________________________________________

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