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Thursday January 8, 2009
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Print- Canadian Law Prohibiting Polygamy Faces Challenge
- Fr. Neuhaus Passed Away This Morning
- Fr. Neuhaus 1936-2009 - Like The Star of Bethlehem, Dies After Leading So Many to Christ
- Excerpts from writings and Statements of Fr. Richard Neuhaus - A Priest Not Afraid to Proclaim the Truth
- Co-Creator of the Pill Laments Resulting Demographic "Horror Scenario"
- Pope: "Today More Than in the Past, Our Future is at Stake"
- Funding Cut for U.K. Christian Care Home Accused of “Institutionalised Homophobia”
- Spanish Judge Convicted of "Homophobia" for Not Approving Adoption by Lesbian Partner
- 23-Week Old British Premie Spared Abortion, Goes Home with Family
- Campbell's Soup Runs Ads Depicting Homosexual “Family”
- Only 19% of Catholic Students in Calgary Receive Controversial HPV Vaccine
- Milwaukee to Open Nation's First Homosexual Middle School
- Porn Moguls Seek Bailout Cash
Canadian Law Prohibiting Polygamy Faces Challenge
TODAY'S HEADLINES
By Hilary White
VANCOUVER, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canada’s anti-polygamy law will likely be facing a legal challenge now that the leaders of the controversial polygamous sect in Bountiful, near Cranbrook, British Columbia, have been arrested. Winston Blackmore, the “bishop” of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and James Oler are facing criminal charges for practicing polygamy.
Wally Oppal, BC’s Attorney General, announced at a press conference that Blackmore and Oler were arrested yesterday by eight plainclothes RCMP officers. The two men were later released on their own cognizance after being charged. The two cooperated with the arrest and agreed to the release conditions that they surrender their passports, stay in British Columbia and not enter into or perform any “plural marriages.”
The two men are scheduled to make their first court appearance January 21. They are the first men to be charged with polygamy since the 1800s, even though police have known of the situation in Bountiful for more than 60 years.
Up until now law-enforcement officials have been hesitant to arrest practitioners of polygamy under fears that the law would not survive a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. On at least two previous occasions the RCMP have recommended that arrests be made, but the Crown denied the recommendation, saying that the ban on polygamy would likely be struck down.
The estimated population of Bountiful in 1998 was 600 and has since grown to about 800. Most of the residents are descended from only half a dozen men who practice what is called in the breakaway Mormon sect “multiple marriage” or “celestial marriage.” Blackmore claims to have had 26 wives and more than 108 children. The mainstream Mormon church formally renounced polygamy more than a century ago.
In 2006, the Vancouver Sun released information stating that Utah's Attorney General is collaborating with British Columbia's Attorney General in attempting to deal with polygamy and the alleged abuse in Bountiful. But pressure has been growing in Parliament, especially since the institution of homosexual “marriage,” to change the law to allow for polygamy.
In 2007, Richard Peck, a criminal lawyer and BC special prosecutor reviewed the results of a police investigation and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge the group with sexual abuse or exploitation. He warned that the defendants would likely claim religious freedom as a defense. Peck recommended that the BC Attorney General petition the courts to determine if Canada’s ban on polygamy is constitutional.
Pro-family advocates have long warned that the erosion of legal marriage in Canada, as well as in other western countries, starting with no-fault divorce and most recently with the institution of homosexual “marriage” and civil unions, would lead to the legalisation of polygamy. Indeed, following the invention of same-sex “marriage” in Canadian law, the federal Justice Department under the Liberal government produced a report suggesting the legalisation of polygamy.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Polygamy Next "Right" on Judicial Chopping Block Warn Pro-Family Advocates
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05121305.html
Canadian Government Study Suggests Legalizing Polygamy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06011301.html
Special report: The Conspiracy to Abolish Marriage in Canada
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/sep/060925a.html
Back to TopFr. Neuhaus Passed Away This Morning
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus slipped away today, January 8, shortly before 10 o’clock, at the age of seventy-two. He never recovered from the weakness that sent him to the hospital the day after Christmas, caused by a series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering. He lost consciousness Tuesday evening after a collapse in his heart rate, and the next day, in the company of friends, he died.
My tears are not for him—for he knew, all his life, that his Redeemer lives, and he has now been gathered by the Lord in whom he trusted.
I weep, rather for all the rest of us. As a priest, as a writer, as a public leader in so many struggles, and as a friend, no one can take his place. The fabric of life has been torn by his death, and it will not be repaired, for those of us who knew him, until that time when everything is mended and all our tears are wiped away.
Funeral arrangements are still being planned; information about the funeral will be made public shortly. Please accept our thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
In Deepest Sorrow,
Joseph Bottum
Editor
First Things
Fr. Neuhaus 1936-2009 - Like The Star of Bethlehem, Dies After Leading So Many to Christ
Top pro-life leaders pay tribute to memory of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus who died today
By John-Henry Westen
NEW YORK, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pro-life and religious communities around the world today mourn the loss of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, a prolific pro-life activist and intellectual giant. Neuhaus died today surrounded by family after a struggle with cancer for which he was hospitalized after Christmas.
Fr. Neuhaus was born in Canada, one of eight children, and was the founder and editor of the influential journal First Things. Some of the top leadership of the pro-life community spoke with LifeSiteNews.com today about their memorable encounters with Fr. Neuhaus and to express their sorrow at his passing.
Fr. Tom Euteneuer, President of Human Life International
"I am not surprised that Fr. Neuhaus would pass away in the Christmas season, just after Epiphany, because he was like the Star of Bethlehem leading people to Christ through the force of reason and faith. I remember well when he converted to (Catholicism). I was absolutely overjoyed, and since that time he has been a phenomenal influence for Catholicism and for truth in every thing that he did. Our society, as well our Church will really miss him."
Rabbi Yehuda Levin, Spokesman for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada
"I first met Reverend Neuhaus at a book party he gave for his book 'The Naked Public Square' in the early 80s. He very much influenced the public debate in a sharp, concise intellectual way. He was a great pleasure to be with, a very witty conversationalist, a very warm person, an excellent orator.
"He was really one of the intellectual underpinnings of our cultural war for life and family, there's no question about it. He was never shy in taking positions, even if they were not politically correct. Even if they weren't politically correct within the conservative movement he would speak out.
"He was a great personality in terms of religious leadership. There aren't enough religious leaders willing to speak out as often and as sharply as he did and that's going to be our greatest loss.
"The greatest living monument to him will be for religious leaders to fill the vacuum, the tremendous void left by him, and to speak out forcefully in this time in history with the inauguration of the Obama era and all that that portends. I think the way we can commemorate the life of Reverend Neuhaus is to take up the strong leadership in the religious community which he had maintained."
Judie Brown, President of American Life League
"It's a terrible loss to the entire pro-life movement not to mention the Catholic Church."
"I had a very interesting discussion with him one time in New York when I was giving a talk, relating the sacrifices of the Blessed Mother for her cousin Elizabeth. After the talk Fr. John said to me 'I have never heard that perspective on the Blessed Mother before and I'm so glad I was here to hear it.' And I was so honored, because he would be the last person on earth I thought I could say something to that he hadn't thought of already. That was probably one of the highlights of my life, him giving me a compliment like that."
Joseph Scheidler, President of the Pro-Life Action League
"I was shocked. I just couldn't believe it. We'll miss him, and we needed him in these times."
"I remember I was out in New York and I was supposed to have dinner with him, and I got caught in a traffic jam in terrible weather, with no way to reach him.
"I stood him up for dinner, he made dinner for me. I tried to reach him to apologize for not being there. I couldn't reach him by phone or anything. Later on I met him and apologized, but he was so gracious - he made kind of a joke out of it. That had been one of the things I felt so bad about all my life - I stood up Richard John Neuhaus."
"He was such a great mind. Every time I'd see his name on something - I'd have to read it."
Jim Hughes, President Campaign Life Coalition, VP International Right to Life
"It's a great loss. I can remember when he was the keynote speaker at an international conference in Toronto years ago. He applauded the presence of the youth and said that the youth is so important for the future of the battle. But he said 'You old people you can't retire, you're in this for the duration, you can't quit, and you're here until God calls you to your eternal reward.' He lived what he preached and died in service to Him whom he loved."
Excerpts from writings and Statements of Fr. Richard Neuhaus - A Priest Not Afraid to Proclaim the Truth
By Steve Jalsevac
NEW YORK, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Fr. Richard Neuhaus could always be relied upon to honour his priestly vocation by stating the truth about difficult subjects for the benefit of both the spiritual and moral development of society. LifeSiteNews was privileged to interview this great man on several occasions. He never let us down in quickly getting right to the core with especially insightful comments on the difficult matters raised.
Neuhaus's empathy with the struggles of the ordinary person was very real and unforgettable. He was a great orator, a true, high level Catholic intellectual and yet still a most humble and always approachable man - a rare human. Personal encounters with Fr. Neuhaus were not forgotten.
Neuhaus's erudite fraternal correction of wayward bishops and other fellow clergy was a rare breath of fresh air compared to the obfuscation, secrecy, general cowardice and often deep corruption that has reigned in much of the Catholic Church in the US in recent decades.
Following are excerpts from notable articles on Fr. Neuhaus statements that have been published or referred to in LifeSiteNews.
The first is a six minute clip of audio excerpts from a powerful talk Fr. Neuhaus gave at an International Pro-Life Forum in Toronto on October 25, 2002. Many who heard that talk still often refer to it. The messages impressed them as being especially meaningful to the struggles encountered by pro-life activists.
1. Download and listen to Excerpts from A Blueprint for A Culture of Life
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/audio/Neuhausexcerpts.wma (Window Media file)
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/audio/Neuhausexcerpts.mp3 (mp3 file)
2. Fr. Neuhaus criticizes Archbishop Wuerl on Pro-Abortion Politicians Fiasco
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus wrote on the First Things site about the Pelosi situation. "When the aforementioned Nancy Pelosi orchestrated a four-day gala in Washington celebrating her familial, ethnic, and-very explicitly-Catholic identity, people were alert to what would be said by the new archbishop of Washington, Donald Wuerl," wrote Fr. Neuhaus. "He said nothing. Part of the festivities was a Mass at Trinity College, a Catholic institution in Washington. The celebrant of the Mass was Father Robert Drinan, a Jesuit who, more than any other single figure, has been influential in tutoring Catholic politicians on the acceptability of rejecting the Church's teaching on the defense of innocent human life. Asked by a reporter, Archbishop Wuerl responded that Fr. Drinan has 'faculties' in Washington, meaning he is authorized to celebrate the sacraments. That was it."
"It is understandable," concluded Neuhaus, "that Catholics and others have drawn the conclusion that," for Archbishop Wuerl, "rejecting the Church's teaching on the human dignity of the unborn child is not a big deal." (see full comment by Neuhaus: http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=598 )
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07012501.html
3. "Not Even the Economy Trumps Culture of Life Issues in This Election": Fr. Richard Neuhaus
"You can ask economic questions, foreign policy questions, fiscal questions et cetera; [and these] will bubble to the surface because that's what the media are mainly paying attention to; but if you look underneath that, especially where a community looks at itself to be religiously serious - which is a majority of Americans - the thing that cuts most deeply is the culture of life questions."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08091702.html
4. Pro-Abort Politicians "Friends of Mine" says New York Cardinal Egan
Edward Cardinal Egan, as archbishop of New York city, arguably one of the two most important Catholic prelates in the United States, indicated in a January 5 interview on NBC, that he had little problem with politicians, even Catholic politicians, who repudiate moral principles on such issues as abortion, euthanasia and marriage.
Commenting on the interview, Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of the respected Catholic magazine First Things, noted that the politicians Egan referred to were not "struggling with the moral questions involved or trying to reconcile their position with the Church's teaching."
Neuhaus writes that Egan "was making a statement of momentous political consequence" in which "he seemed to be saying, as far as he is concerned, that the Church has no problem with pro-abortion politicians."
Cardinal Egan's statement coupled with the refusal of Washington's Archbishop Wuerl to respond to the same issue, Neuhaus says, indicates that there is "no suggestion by the bishops that [the politicians'] longstanding and adamant support for the unlimited abortion license should be a matter of concern."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07012609.html
On the sexual abuse scandals, Fr. Neuhaus was by far the most honest of all prominent commentators. He called his fellow bishops to serious account for their severe negligence and deadly refusal to acknowledge the real causes of the scandal - tolerance of theological dissent and widespread homosexuality among the clergy. Neuhaus wrote a great deal about this deadly problem that was threatening to destroy the Church in the West with consequent great loss to the culture.
5. U.S. CATHOLIC PAPER SAYS CHURCH SEX ABUSE INCIDENTS EXAGGERATED
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus stated in First Things "Some still complain that the entire crisis...was manufactured by the media and motivated by anti-Catholicism...but without the deeper crisis of the infidelity and negligence of bishops, the media could not have produced the public and, consequently, episcopal sense of crisis. The scandal was in the chanceries, parishes, and seminaries before it was on the front page or television news. "
In an earlier article Neuhaus stated, "Homosexuality is very close to the center of the crisis. At the epicenter is the grave negligence of bishops. Not all bishops, to be sure, but too many."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/feb/03022107.html
6. US BISHOPS ZERO TOLERANCE ABUSE POLICY SEEN AS BADLY FLAWED
In his latest article, Scandal Time III, First Things editor, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus states "Another name for the zero tolerance policy is scapegoating. In setting themselves against their priests, the bishops have turned themselves into assistant district attorneys...This is not 'for the good of the Church'. This has nothing to do with 'the protection of children and young people.' This is panic and panic results in recklessness."
Neuhaus continues, "The bishops have succeeded in scandalizing the faithful anew by adopting a thoroughly unbiblical, untraditional, and un-Catholic approach to sin and grace. ...they end up adopting a policy that is sans repentance, sans conversion, sans forbearance, sans prudential judgment, sans forgiveness, sans almost anything one might have hoped for from bishops of the Church of Jesus Christ."
The highly respected, faithful Catholic intellectual emphasizes that the media did not make up this scandal and were rightly disappointed in the Dallas results. Neuhaus writes "They (reporters) expected bishops... to do their job (at Dallas), to respond as bishops. Instead...there is the perception that they behaved more like Senators or CEOs engaged in damage control more than as moral teachers engaged in the gospel."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/aug/02080702.html
7. SCANDAL TIME (Continued) by Richard John Neuhaus
Let it be stated unambiguously: the leaders of the Catholic Church, meaning mainly the bishops, are responsible for the crisis and for the consequent frenzy.
The scandal is only very marginally about pedophilia. With very few exceptions, it is about adult men having sexual relations with adolescent and older teenage boys.
Homosexuality is very close to the center of the crisis. At the epicenter is the grave negligence of bishops. Not all bishops, to be sure, but too many. And, as in the case of Palm Beach, Florida, not only grave negligence but active complicity. Two months ago a lawyer and friend of the Church told me that before this is over we will see a bishop or two in jail. I thought that hyperbolic. Now I am not so sure.
The point is that this is a crisis, and this crisis must be permitted to do its work. That work involves scrupulous self-examination, candid confession, firm contrition, and believable amendment of life. And the doing of that hard work is chiefly up to the bishops. They are the ones who got us into this mess and, given what we believe is the divinely constituted structure of the Church, they are the ones who have to lead in getting us out. Faithful Catholics owe it to the Church and owe it to their bishops not to let them off the hook. In this instance, the virtue of docility includes a respect for bishops that requires recalling them to the duty and the dignity to which they were ordained. Too many of them have neglected that duty and debased that dignity.
At the epicenter of the continuing crisis is the simple, however difficult, virtue of fidelity. What is this crisis about? The answer is that this crisis is about three things: fidelity, fidelity, and fidelity. The fidelity of bishops and priests to the teaching of the Church and to their solemn vows; the fidelity of bishops in exercising oversight in ensuring obedience to that teaching and to those vows; and the fidelity of the lay faithful in holding bishops and priests accountable.
I have been told that the proposition is "controversial," but I suggest it is almost embarrassingly self-evident: if bishops and priests had been faithful to the teaching of the Church and their sacred vows, there would be no scandal. Those who would confuse the subject reflexively reach for complexity. No, I am sorry, it is as simple as that. We are reaping the whirlwind of widespread infidelity.
http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2031
See many past Fr. Neuhaus articles at
http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/Neuhaus/
8. Christianity "Disestablished" in Canada - Richard John Neuhaus
Neuhaus wrote in First Things, "It is true to say that, in most aspects of public life [in Canada], Christianity has been not only disestablished but also banished." In an interview with the National Post, Neuhaus linked the erosion of the Christian foundation of Canadian society with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms imposed by the late Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
Referring to the Charter as a "thoroughly American" document, Neuhaus told the Post's Charles Lewis, that it "is riddled through and through with the radically individual notion of the unencumbered self and equality enforced by state power."
"I think Canada has suffered from it grievously. All of Canada is a fascinating case study in terms of the meaning of modernity relative to religion generally and Christianity in particular."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07100103.html
Co-Creator of the Pill Laments Resulting Demographic "Horror Scenario"
By Kathleen Gilbert
VIENNA, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Austrian chemist who helped spearhead the creation of the earliest contraceptive pill has expressed dismay at the severance of sexuality and reproduction made possible by widespread use of the pill, and has warned against the impending demographic disaster from plummeting birth rates.
Carl Djerassi wrote of his concern in a commentary appearing in the December issue of Austria's Der Standard, where he described couples who regularly contracept as "wanting to enjoy their schnitzels while leaving the rest of the world to get on with it."
Djerassi, who is a chemist, novelist, and playwright, is best known for helping create the synthetic hormone progestin norethindrone in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E. Miramontes and Hungarian George Rosenkranz. The far more potent synthetic hormone was soon used for contraceptive purposes as it remains effective when taken orally, unlike natural female hormones.
At the time, Djerassi had said that "not in our wildest dreams" had he expected the chemical to be used for contraception. Now, he writes, "My contribution is to help these people wake up," referring to Austrian couples who freely contracept.
Lamenting that there is now "no connection at all between sexuality and reproduction," Djerassi said, "This divide in Catholic Austria, a country which has on average 1.4 children per family, is now complete. Most Austrians enjoy sexual intercourse without thereby wanting or begetting a child."
Djerassi explained that Austria, which is now home to more seniors over 65 than children under 15, would soon enter "an impossible situation" as the lopsided population would result in a working class too small to support the needs of elderly pensioners.
Therefore, he urged, Austrians would have to quickly adopt an immigration policy designed to counteract the effects of widespread contraception lest the population commit "national suicide."
(To view the original article in German, go to: http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=1227288533020)
Pope: "Today More Than in the Past, Our Future is at Stake"
Benedict XVI says the poorest human beings are unborn children
By John-Henry Westen
VATICAN CITY, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In what is known as his "state of the world" address, Pope Benedict XVI this morning addressed representatives of the 177 countries which have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. The Pope began his remarks expressing affection for all those who suffered last year due to natural catastrophes or regional conflicts or terrorist attacks. When he turned to solutions to the global financial and violent crises, he noted that the "goal will only be reached by implementing an ethics based on the innate dignity of the human person."
Benedict XVI added: "I know how demanding this will be, yet it is not a utopia! Today more than in the past, our future is at stake, as well as the fate of our planet and its inhabitants, especially the younger generation which is inheriting a severely compromised economic system and social fabric."
The Pope made special mention of Iraq and India, where Christians have suffered physical persecution. To this he added recognition of the "hostility" against Christians in the Western world. "I also express my hope that, in the Western world, prejudice or hostility against Christians will not be cultivated simply because, on certain questions, their voice causes disquiet," said the Holy Father.
He encouraged the Christians of the West suffering such "prejudice," saying: "For their part, may the disciples of Christ, in the face of such adversity, not lose heart: witness to the Gospel is always a 'sign of contradiction' vis-à-vis 'the spirit of the world'! If the trials and tribulations are painful, the constant presence of Christ is a powerful source of strength. Christ's Gospel is a saving message meant for all; that is why it cannot be confined to the private sphere, but must be proclaimed from the rooftops, to the ends of the earth."
In conclusion, the Pope spoke of confronting poverty, noting that "the poorest human beings are unborn children." Thus he said, "Poverty is fought if humanity becomes more fraternal as a result of shared values and ideals, founded on the dignity of the person, on freedom joined to responsibility, on the effective recognition of the place of God in the life of man."
See the Pope's full address here:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2009/january/documents/h...
Funding Cut for U.K. Christian Care Home Accused of “Institutionalised Homophobia”
By Hilary White
BRIGHTON, UK, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A home for retired British Christian missionaries faces a massive funding cut after residents refused to answer questions about their “sexual orientation” on a government form. Elderly residents at the Pilgrim Home in Egremont Place, Brighton, were accused of being “closed to the gay community” for their refusal to answer the questions. As a result, the Brighton & Hove city council revoked a £13,000 grant to the facility.
After months of attempts to resolve the situation with the council, the Christian charity that runs the facility, Pilgrim Houses, is launching a lawsuit, backed financially by the Christian Institute’s Legal Defence Fund, on grounds of religious discrimination.
The council claimed that it was acting according to the requirements of the Labour government’s Equality legislation and Sexual Orientation Regulations. The council’s questionnaire asked residents, all over 80, to reveal whether they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or unsure of their sexuality. The council also had plans to invite the homosexualist activist organisation Stonewall to make a presentation at the home and had instructed the charity to include depictions of homosexuals in its promotional literature.
When residents refused to cooperate, saying the questions were “intrusive,” the council accused Pilgrim Houses of “institutionalised homophobia,” and revoked the grant. Because the home’s policies were based on Christianity, homosexuals were being excluded, the council claimed.
A council spokesman said, “We have never expected any residents to answer questions about their sexuality if they preferred not to do so.
“The Government specifically states the home must be open to the gay and lesbian community and that it must demonstrate this to qualify for funding. In the absence of any willingness to do this, funding has been withdrawn.”
Phil Wainwright, director of human resources for Pilgrim Homes, responded that residents had felt the questions to be intrusive and inappropriate. “They felt they had come to Pilgrim Homes because of its Christian ethos and were upset they were not protected from such intrusions.”
Pilgrim Homes chief executive Andrew Jessop said, “The council has taken overzealousness to the extreme. People in their 90s are very vulnerable and shouldn't be treated in this way.”
Mike Judge of the Christian Institute said, “Brighton Council is displaying a very prejudiced and discriminatory attitude to the religious beliefs held by the elderly residents of the home run by Pilgrim Homes.
“After a lifetime of Christian service, these elderly men and women deserve to live in a restful environment which supports and nurtures their Christian faith. This case is the latest in a series of troubling incidents where the rights of Christians are seemingly being ignored in favour of ‘gay rights’.”
Spanish Judge Convicted of "Homophobia" for Not Approving Adoption by Lesbian Partner
Barred from bench for over two years; supporters raise thousands of Euros to help his family
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
MURCIA, SPAIN, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Spanish judge has been convicted for the "homophobic" act of failing to quickly award custody of a child to a lesbian who sought parental rights over her sexual partner's daughter.
Fernando Ferrin Calamita, a Family Court judge from the Spanish province of Murcia, was removed from the bench by a tribunal of three provincial judges, who further barred him from serving on the bench for 27 months, and ordered him to pay 6,000 Euros ($8,182) in restitution to the lesbian pair, as well as court costs. The decision was announced on December 23.
"The politicization of justice is evident," said Ferrin Calamita, who promised to appeal the case to the nation's highest courts, and even the European Court of Human Rights. "I have been made the victim of an inquisitorial process alleging that my actions are guided by religious principles. Today is a sad day for the rule of law and for the thousands of people who support me."
Judge Ferrin Calamita was charged with deliberately delaying the case by seeking a psychological opinion about the probable effect of the couple's lesbianism on the child's development, which was never produced by government psychologists, who acknowledge that they refused to do so.
The judge also claims that the lesbian pair was never examined directly by the government psychologists, who nevertheless produced a positive evaluation of the couple, an accusation reportedly verified by the women themselves.
Ferrin Calamita also sought the opinion of the nation's Supreme Court on the constitutionality of homosexual adoption. The case lasted two years before it was removed from his jurisdiction. He has refused to apologize for the delay and says that he was motivated by concern for the well-being of the child.
The three-judge tribunal, however, ruled that Ferrin Calamita "consciously delayed the adoption of a child by a lesbian couple" and was guided "by an authentic homophobic compulsion."
According to the lesbian pair's attorney, Jose Luis Mazon, the two are "very happy" with the decision.
"Although they have already normalized their lives because the judge substituted for Ferrin approved the adoption of the child, they are no longer fighting only for their daughter. They are doing it for their equality as citizens and as subjects of the law," said Mazon.
Mazon said he was pleased that Ferrin Calamita would be removed and would be unlikely to return to the bench, and added that "if there is a judge in Zamora or in Caceres who wants to do the same thing, his head will be cut off."
An support organization for the judge - the Pro Judge Ferrin Calamita Association - has raised 7,000 Euros in a little over a week to help the judge with the expenses he faces due to his prosecution and conviction. Ferrin Calamita, who has seven children, has been unable to function as a judge for two years during the trial and faces up to 10,000 Euros or more in fines and court costs, as well as a possibly lengthy period of unemployment due to his disbarment.
Contact Information:
Embassy of Spain in the United States
2375 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20037
Telephone: (202) 452-0100
Fax: (202) 833-5670
E-mail:
URL: http://www.spainemb.org/ingles/indexing.htm
Embassy of Spain in Canada
74 Stanley Avenue, Toronto, Ottawa, K1M 1P4, Canada
Phone:
+1-613-7472252, +1-613-7477293, +1-613-7471143, +1-613-7476181
Fax:
+1-613-7441224
Email:
Website URL:
http://www.embaspain.ca
Embassy of Spain in the United Kingdom
39 Chesham Place, SW1X 8SB, London, United Kingdom
Phone: +44-20-72355555
Fax: +44-20-72595392
Email:
Related Links:
Website for Defenders of Judge Calamita (Spanish)
Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Despite Threats and Intimidation from Homosexualist Government, Spanish Judge Stands Firm
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08121701.html
Spanish Judge Put on Trial for "Obstructing" Homosexual Adoption
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112702.html
Spanish Judge Tells Lesbian Mother to Choose Children or Same-sex Partner, not Both
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07072406.html
To find out more see:
http://www.juezcalamita.com/
23-Week Old British Premie Spared Abortion, Goes Home with Family
By Hilary White
LONDON, January 8, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A baby girl born at 23 weeks gestation who was brought home recently by her mother, has re-opened the debate in the UK over the legal gestational age limit for abortion. Sarah Slater, the child’s mother, told media, “We're so glad to have Lexie home with us at last and it just shows how outmoded our laws on abortion are.”
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Slater said, “Some mothers-to-be would be able to legally terminate their pregnancy at 23 weeks - yet my Lexie is living proof babies can survive being born so prematurely.” Under British abortion laws, a child who is deemed healthy can be killed by abortion at the request of the mother up to 24 weeks gestation. If the child is judged to be potentially disabled, she can be killed at any time up to full term.
After only 22 weeks gestation, Lexie Slater-Folksman weighed only 1 lb, 8 oz. at delivery and was cared for by neo-natal experts with treatments including laser surgery for her underdeveloped eyes and a respirator to help her breathe. Lexie is now five months old and is at home with her parents.
“I never realized a baby would be so well developed at 23 weeks and they do have a chance of life,” Slater continued.
Anthony Ozimic, political secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), told LifeSiteNews.com, “We welcome medical advances in saving both prematurely-born babies and unborn children, not least because the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child says that children need special care and protection both before and after birth.”
But Ozimic noted that the issue in law is not whether the age limit for abortion is too low or too high, but that unborn children of any age can be killed at will.
“From a political perspective,” Ozimic said, “it is important to note that the viability of unborn children should not be used as a guide for reforming the law on abortion, because all unborn children have a right to equal protection against abortion.”
While Lexie’s case is being presented as an argument for lowering the legal gestational age limit for abortion, SPUC has consistently argued that such efforts have backfired in the past to create an even worse legislative situation. A previous attempt resulted, through the addition of amendments in the House of Commons, in the removal of all restrictions on abortion for disabled children.
Campbell's Soup Runs Ads Depicting Homosexual “Family”
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
CAMDEN, New Jersey, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews) - The Campbell's Soup Company has placed double-page ads, promoting their Swanson line of broth, in the December 2008 and January 2009 issues of The Advocate, the US's largest homosexual magazine.
One of the ads features two female restaurateurs and a young boy, identifying the women as "partners," with the boy presumably being the son of one of the women.
The American Family Association (AFA), a pro-family advocacy group, condemned the ads, saying they "send a message that homosexual parents constitute a family and are worthy of support," and that Campbell's Soup is giving "their approval to the entire homosexual agenda."
The AFA has begun a campaign to encourage the company to remain neutral in the culture wars by not supporting homosexual publications and same-sex “marriage” with advertising dollars.
Campbell's spokesman Anthony Sanzio was quoted in the Media Daily News as saying that the company will continue to support the homosexual agenda.
"Our position on this is pretty straightforward," Sanzio said. "Inclusion and diversity play an important role in our business, and that fact is reflected in our marketing plan.
"Our plans for the Swanson brand include additional placements in The Advocate."
A similar campaign was launched by the AFA against McDonald's restaurants last year when it was revealed that the hamburger giant had put an executive on the board of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and was listed on the group's website as a "Corporate Partner."
A five-month boycott ended successfully in October when McDonald's announced that it had severed its ties to the homosexual business group and declared neutrality in the culture wars as per AFA's request.
In an email to its franchise owners, McDonald's said, "It is our policy to not be involved in political and social issues. McDonald's remains neutral on same sex marriage or any 'homosexual agenda' as defined by the American Family Association."
To express your concern to the Campbell's Soup Company:
President Douglas R. Conant
Campbell Soup Company
1 Campbell Place, Camden, NJ 08103-1701
Phone: 800-257-8443
Email:
The AFA Campbell's Soup Action Alert may be found here:
http://www.afa.net/Petitions/Issuedetail.asp?id=339
Related LifeSiteNews.com articles:
Ronald McDonald Cozies Up To Homosexual Movement
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08033105.html
Golden Arches Awash in Rainbow Colors: Family Group Boycotts
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070402.html
Boycott Successful: McDonald's Abandons Homosexual Activism
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08101003.html
Only 19% of Catholic Students in Calgary Receive Controversial HPV Vaccine
Calgary Bishop Fred Henry and other Alberta bishops have outspokenly opposed the vaccine
By John Jalsevac
CALGARY, AB, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Health officials in Calgary are concerned that less than 20% (18.9%) of grade five students at Calgary Catholic schools have received the controversial HPV vaccine. This is in contrast to the approximately 70% of public schools students who have so far received the shot.
The disparity in numbers, however, does not come as a surprise, given that the public school system offered the vaccine in its schools, whereas the Calgary Catholic school board opted out of the school-based program, citing moral and safety concerns. Students at Catholic schools were instead given the option of going to free public clinics for the shot.
“It's low," said Dr. Judy Mac-Donald, deputy medical officer of health for Calgary, about the turnout. "We know the best way for students (to be vaccinated) is to offer it through a school-based program. This reflects the fact that it's hard to reach a population outside of schools."
The Calgary vaccination program is part of a nationwide program to vaccinate women and girls between the ages of 9 and 26. In 2007 the federal government pledged $300 million towards the project.
However, the Calgary Catholic school system, in conjunction with Calgary Bishop Fred Henry and all the Alberta bishops, strenuously opposed offering the vaccine in its schools.
At the time that the school board voted against permitting the HPV vaccination program in schools, St. Thomas Aquinas board chair Sandra Bannard explained the board’s concerns: "When a school board or anyone else allows something to go on in their schools, it's almost seen as an endorsement. They just didn't want to go down that road, and thought it was more appropriate that this be a parental choice and families decide what's best to do for their daughters."
The Alberta bishops have pointed out that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, and that vaccinating young girls sends the wrong message about sexual behavior. "Catholic teaching is that sexuality is a God-given gift that should be reserved for marriage," the bishops wrote in June in a letter sent to parents.
“Outside of marriage, abstinence is not only clearly the choice that leads to spiritual and moral well-being, but it is obviously the best protection against risks of disease.”
The bishops expressed concern that, “A school-based approach to vaccination sends a message that early sexual intercourse is allowed, as long as one uses ‘protection.’”
Critics of the project have said that, rather than spending hundreds of millions of dollars on vaccinations, children should instead be encouraged to remain sexually abstinent, thus practically eliminating concerns about contracting HPV and cervical cancer, to which HPV has been linked.
In voting against allowing the vaccination program in its schools, trustees with the Calgary Catholic School District and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Board near Edmonton, also cited safety concerns.
In July of last year the public interest group Judicial Watch obtained more than 8,000 reports of adverse events in girls and young women after they were injected with the HPV vaccine Gardasil; these included wart outbreaks, seizures, paralysis and death.
A spokesman for the Catholic school board, Marge Belcourt, recently told CBCnews that the board stands by its decision to leave the choice in the hands of parents. “Most parents, if they think it's something their child needs or wants, they'll walk over hot coals to make sure their child gets it," she said.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Re-establish Healthy Sexual Mores to Fight STD’s - Calgary Bishop
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07022009.html
Alberta Bishops Take Action against HPV Vaccination Campaign in Schools
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062405.html
Calgary Bishop Confronts Alberta Health Minister For Criticizing School Board's Rejection of STD Vaccine
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08093008.html
Ontario Catholic School Board Rejects HPV Vaccine on School Premises
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07101806.html
School Board Official Changes Mind - Now Opposes HPV Vaccine in Schools
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060305.html
Milwaukee to Open Nation's First Homosexual Middle School
By Kathleen Gilbert
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Milwaukee's Alliance School, one of the few officially "gay-friendly" high schools in the country, has been given clearance to extend their pro-homosexual curriculum to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.
The proposal went through easily last month, with the city's board of education unanimously approving it by default, as it was not pulled for further discussion or a vote. Tina Owen, Lead Teacher of Alliance, said they would be accepting applications from middle-school-age children for the 2009-10 school year immediately.
Marty Lexmond, the director of school innovation for Milwaukee Public Schools, told U.S. News and World Report that such an institution was needed to help adolescents, who are now increasingly publicly identifying their sexual orientation as early as middle school.
Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute was dismayed that the motion went through with no discernable opposition.
"I'm stunned that the religious leaders, the Christian pastors in Milwaukee, did not rise up in righteous indignation against this school," lamented Higgins. "That is what I find perhaps equally [as] troubling, if not more so."
"I think it's unconscionable to be affirming this in public schools," said Higgins. "This is not an issue for public schools. And kids at 11- and 12- and 13- and 14-[years of age] are confused on many issues - sexuality [being] one of them."
Regina Griggs, executive director of the group Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), agreed.
"To affirm an 11-year-old? Please," said Griggs. "They haven't even gone through puberty, but they know that they want to have sex with other men and women? I'm sorry, but it's ridiculous."
The original Alliance high school opened four years ago, also with little opposition. Other similar plans across the country, however, have not had it as easy as the Milwaukee school.
In Chicago, plans for a "gay-friendly" high school were recently delayed due to concerns from both sides of the debate, as some feared that the plans amounted to segregating homosexuals. And when Manhattan's Harvey Milk High School opened in 2003, named for an openly homosexual politician of the 1970s, students met with protesters outside the school's doors.
Porn Moguls Seek Bailout Cash
By Kathleen Gilbert
January 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two leaders in the pornography industry have written to Congress asking for 5 billion dollars to help ease the damage done to the 13-billion dollar business by a struggling economy.
Larry Flint, the founder of Hustler magazine, and "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis told Washington that the pornography business should be treated with the same care given to auto manufacturers, who expect a portion of the government money to help avoid collapse.
"Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses, (and) we feel we deserve the same consideration," Francis said in a statement. "In difficult economic times, Americans turn to entertainment for relief. More and more, the kind of entertainment they turn to is adult entertainment."
Francis, who was recently imprisoned on a prostitution-related charge, cited figures showing porn DVD sales and rentals decreasing 22% in 2008.
"The 13-billion-dollar industry is in no fear of collapse, but why take chances?" said the pair.
Flint lamented that "With all this economic misery and people losing all that money," more people were thinking twice about spending money on pornography. "It's time for Congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America," he said. "The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."
"I'd like to know what Obama would say," Francis told E! News. "I bet he's a Girls Gone Wild fan...If we're invited [to the White House], then we'll go."
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