Wednesday August 27, 2008

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Majority on Mexican Supreme Court Endorse Constitutionality of Abortion Law

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

MEXICO CITY, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A majority of justices serving on the Supreme Court of Mexico have now stated their support for the constitutionality of Mexico City's abortion legislation, which depenalizes abortion on demand up to the 12th week of gestation.

At publication time, seven of the eleven justices had indicated that they would vote in favor of the law.  Only four such votes were necessary to sustain it.

Members of the socialist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) in the nation's Chamber of Deputies celebrated the anticipated verdict and predicted that abortion would be legalized in Mexico's 31 states. 

The justices rejected arguments by the nation's Justice Department (PGR) and Human Rights Commission (CNDH), who argued that the law violated human rights and exceeded Mexico City's jurisdiction, as well as a 610-page brief formulated by Justice Sergio Salvador Aguirre Anguiano, which argued that the law violated the nation's constitution and international human rights agreements.

Pro-life forces reportedly intend to follow the judgment by pushing for a referendum in the capital city, where opinion polls show that a strong majority is opposed to abortion.

Immediately before and during the final deliberations, which continue today, the Catholic bishops issued unprecedented appeals on national television regarding the right to life.

"Without the gift of life, every opportunity is extinguished.  Without the gift of life, it is impossible to exercise other rights," said Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, head of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, in a television address Sunday.

"Today the Mexican government and all of the institutions with the responsibility for the respect, security, and defense of life, are passing through a lamentable crisis of credibility," the bishops stated yesterday.

Linking the abortion issue to the problem of rising levels of violence in Mexican society, the bishops added, "Society is tired of speeches that only offer us half-solutions, much of which tragically remain in the inkwell...today as citizens, we can construct a future in which we walk through our streets and avenues without fear of being tortured, attacked, raped, kidnapped, and murdered."

As the justices announced their support for the law, María de la Paz Quiñones, a representative in the nation's Chamber of Deputies, led pro-lifers in a protest in Zocalo, Mexico City's main square.  The protesters placed crosses on the ground, representing the more than 12,000 unborn children who have perished under the city's abortion depenalization law.

Although the pro-life side was losing, Quiñones expressed optimism. 

"The struggle for life has been and always will be our purpose, and we will continue struggling for it.  Today we are sure that in the discussion of the justices the law will prevail over every other interest," she told the newspaper Cronica.

Contact information:

The Eleven Justices of the Supreme Court of Mexico:
(can be copied and pasted into email "To" header)

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Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Latin America in the Balance: Mexican Supreme Court Deliberates on Abortion Constitutionality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082609.html

Mexico City Pilgrimage to Protest Abortion Law to be Held this Sunday
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062011.html

1 Year of Legal Abortion in Mexico: 6400 Legal Abortions, 22 Injuries, 8 Dead Mothers
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040707.html

Catholic Church in Mexico Demands Physicians Resist Mexico City Abortion Law
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07043005.html

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Pelosi Spokeswoman About-face: Catholic Church "Clear" on Life Teaching After All - But Catholics Need Not Listen

By Kathleen Gilbert

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A spokeswoman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the speaker's position as a "pro-abortion Catholic", not because the Church is unclear on when life begins, as earlier stated, but because Catholics routinely contravene "clear Catholic teaching" against abortion.

In a statement praising Pelosi's appreciation for "the sanctity of the family," Brenda Daly, speaking for Pelosi, said, "While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view."

In the controversial interview on NBC's Meet The Press that spawned Daly's statement, Pelosi had said,  "The Doctors of the Church have not been able to make that definition [of when life begins]," and called it "an issue of controversy" throughout the history of the Church.  "St. Augustine said at three months.  We don't know," said Pelosi.

Brenda Daly's statement says that Pelosi is not justified in her pro-abortion stance due to vague Church teaching, but on the basis that many other "Catholics" also violate Church teaching.

Susan A. Fani, Director of Communications at the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, questioned the strength of Pelosi's newest argument: "So what?" she said.

"There are plenty of Catholics living a life rife with sin that seek to justify their behavior by saying they disagree with the Church on the source of their delinquency.

"Maybe that's the source of Pelosi's confusion - she really doesn't understand the difference between the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and the DNC."

Pelosi's new statement comes after a torrential response from Church officials condemning Pelosi's blatant misrepresentation of Church teaching and history, sparking coverage of the issue in several major news sources. (See LifeSiteNews.com article: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082601.html)

Eighteen members of the House of Representatives have signed a letter to Pelosi exhorting her to back down from her misrepresentation of Catholicism and criticizing her statements that "mangle Catholic Church doctrine." (For the full letter, see: http://www.stoppingtoaskfordirections.blogspot.com/)

American Papist's Thomas Peters, the Catholic blogger who has followed closely what he calls "Pelosi-Gate", considers Pelosi's "absurd" comments a boon for Catholic bishops, who now have the ball "back in their court." 

Peters says that because Pelosi continued to defend her statements, the bishops now "have the stage, an attentive audience, and a winning position."

To view Peters' blog, visit: http://www.americanpapist.com/blog.html

Related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

"Catholic" Speaker Pelosi Denies that Catholicism Condemns Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082502.html

Cardinals, Bishops and Congressmen Slam Pelosi on Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082601.html

New York Cardinal - Pelosi Not Worthy of "Providing Leadership in a Civilized Democracy"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082605.html

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McCain: "If I Am President, Advancing the Cause of Life Will Not Be Above My Pay Grade"

WASHINGTON, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a radio address Saturday, Senator McCain took Barack Obama to task over his unwillingness to defend the life of children born alive after abortion attempts. Key quotes from the address follow:

The week began with a debate of sorts between Senator Obama and me at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. In case you missed it, the discussion yielded the line of the week, and maybe even of the campaign, when Pastor Rick Warren asked my opponent a very serious question. He wanted to know at what point, in my opponent's view, does a baby have human rights? Senator Obama thought about it for a moment, and came back with the reply that the question was, quote, "above my pay grade."

Here was a candidate for the presidency of the United States, asked for his position on one of the central moral and legal questions of our time, and this was the best he could offer: It's above his pay grade. He went on to assure his interviewer that there is a, quote, "moral and ethical element to this issue." Americans expect more of their leaders.

Listening to my opponent at Saddleback, you would never know that this is a politician who long since left behind any middle ground on the abortion issue. He is against parental notification laws, and against restrictions on taxpayer funding for abortions. In the Illinois Senate, a bipartisan majority passed legislation to prevent the horrific practice of partial-birth abortion. Senator Obama opposed that bill, voting against it in committee and voting "present" on the Senate floor.

In 2002, Congress unanimously passed a federal law to require medical care for babies who survive abortions - living, breathing babies whom Senator Obama described as, quote, "previable." This merciful law was called the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. Illinois had a version of the same law, and Barack Obama voted against it.

At Saddleback, he assured a reporter that he'd have voted "yes" on that bill if it had contained language similar to the federal version of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. Even though the language of both the state and federal bills was identical, Senator Obama said people were, quote, "lying" about his record. When that record was later produced, he dropped the subject but didn't withdraw the slander. And now even Senator Obama's campaign has conceded that his claims and accusations were false.

I can assure you that if I am president, advancing the cause of life will not be above my pay grade.

Full Text of Senator John McCain's radio address of August 23
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082708.html

To listen to the audio version click here: http://www.johnmccain.com/Downloads/082208_B.mp3

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Mainstream Media Admits Anti-Family Bias: NBC to 'Gay' Activists: 'Your Victories Are Our Victories'

Commentary by Brian Fitzpatrick, senior editor at the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the Media Research Center

WASHINGTON, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) just held its annual convention here in Washington D.C., attracting hundreds of journalists - and ringing endorsements - from virtually every major publication and broadcaster in the news media.

In a full-page ad in the convention program, NBC Universal declared it is "proud to support NLGJA," under the bold headline: "YOUR VICTORIES ARE OUR VICTORIES."

After listening to speaker after speaker express hatred and contempt for political and religious conservatives while plotting how to advance the homosexual activist agenda through journalism, I'm left wondering whether Americans know the extent of the media's bias on homosexual issues. Do they know that the news media have thrown themselves fully behind the gay rights movement? Every major news organization sponsored the convention, bought space in the program or had recruiting booths.

NBC/National Journal reporter Matthew Berger said he experienced "reverse Stockholm syndrome" while on the campaign trail covering GOP religious conservative Mike Huckabee. "Stockholm syndrome" is what afflicts hostages who come to love their captors. If Berger's feelings changed after traveling with the Huckabee campaign, they went in the opposite direction. He acknowledged how difficult it is for a journalist to do his job when you "hate" the people you're covering. Berger said he was happy when he was transferred to the "gay-friendly" Rudolph Giuliani campaign.

Sending an outspoken activist like Berger, the former president of NLGJA's Washington D.C. chapter, to cover the Huckabee campaign is like sending a hard-right activist to cover the Obama campaign. What was NBC thinking? Maybe they had no choice. Does NBC have anybody on staff who doesn't hate religious conservatives?

Discussing attitudes toward homosexuality, Los Angeles Times opinion pages editor Robin Rauzi revealed Big Media contempt for the rubes in Flyover Country: "We feel our readers are ahead of where they are in Kansas City."

Even Patrick Sammon, president of the organization for homosexuals in the GOP, the Log Cabin Republicans, stressed that his organization does not support social conservatives. Sammon called former Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum a "bigot."

A panel supposedly intended to foster accurate coverage of religion quickly turned into a political strategizing session aimed at "retaking Christianity" from conservatives. The moderator and organizer of the panel, furniture magnate Mitchell Gold, is the founder of Faith in America, a homosexual activist organization targeting the religious community.

Gold said, "The single biggest [obstacle] to gays having equal rights in the country is religion," so "I set myself to learn about it." One of the panelists, Ann Craig, director of Religion, Faith & Values for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), said, "We're not getting anyplace until we begin conquering the debate" in the religious community.

How to do it? Panelist Jimmy Creech, the former United Methodist pastor defrocked in 1999 for conducting same-sex "marriages," told the journalists to seek out "other voices" rather than quote the 700 Club's Pat Robertson and Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. According to Creech, conservative Christian leaders like Robertson and Dobson are "the most radical Christians in America today," and represent "a very minority point of view."

The sole journalist on the panel was David Waters, editor of the Washington Post/Newsweek "On Faith" blog. Waters urged reporters "not to go" to established leaders like Robertson and Dobson, contrasting them to "real people" in the pews.

Who paid for this blend of journalism and activism? The NLGJA convention was underwritten by most of the biggest names in the news business. At the $25,000 level: the McClatchy Company. At the $15,000 level: CBS, CNN, Gannett Foundation, ESPN, and Hearst Newspapers. Kicking in $10,000 were NBC, Fox Business, Fox News, News Corporation, and The Washington Post. Good for $5,000 were ABC News and Bloomberg. Publisher and broadcaster Cox Enterprises bought the inside cover of the program, and CBS News "salutes NLGJA" on the back cover. Gannett (USA Today) "salutes" NLGJA in a full-page ad, as does The New York Times in a half-page ad. A.H. Belo Corporation (Dallas Morning News, Providence Journal) declares it is a "proud sponsor" in a full-page ad, while The Washington Post "congratulates" NLGJA in its full-page ad.

The political and ideological bias so readily apparent at the NLGJA convention reflects a glaring problem in the news industry as a whole.

See the Culture and Media Institute here:
http://www.cultureandmediainstitute.org

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Pelosi's Theologizing on Abortion is a Repeat of Biden's Own Quotes on Meet the Press

By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The August 24 Meet the Press interview with Nancy Pelosi which has received condemnation from Catholic leaders around the nation is little more than a repeat of Biden's own comments on Meet the Press last year.  The massive reaction from the Catholic hierarchy against Pelosi's theologizing on abortion (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082601.html ) should also be applied to Biden.

At issue is Pelosi's assertion that the Catholic Church did not have a solid position against abortion. On when life begins, she said: "I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time . . . And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition.  And Senator - St. Augustine said at three months.  We don't know."

Just like Pelosi, in an April 27, 2007 interview, also with Meet the Press, Biden defended his support for abortion with references to ancient Church leadership, which he interpreted as questioning abortion.  "Even within our own church, there's been debates about life, you know, from, from 'Summa Theologica,' Aquinas, and 40 days to quickening and right to, you know, you know, Pius IX, animated fetus doctrine and so on."

Again like Pelosi, Biden was quick to point out his supposed Catholicism while advocating for abortion.  "I'm a practicing Catholic," Biden told host Tim Russert while defending his support for Roe v. Wade.  "And the decision that I have come to is Roe v. Wade is as close to we're going to be able to get as a society that incorporates the general lines of debate within Christendom, Judaism and other faiths, where it basically says there is a sliding scale relating to viability of a fetus," he said.

Biden's voting record on abortion for the past four years has been nearly perfect from the perspective of the National Abortion Rights Action League.  NARAL's score card lists Biden as: 2004, 100%; 2005, 100%; 2006, 100%; 2007, 75%.

See the Biden Meet the Press interview here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18381961

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13th Canadian Bishop Publicly Denounces Morgentaler Order of Canada

By Tim Waggoner

WINNIPEG, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A month and a half after the Order of Canada was awarded to prolific abortionist Dr. Henry Morgentaler, Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg has issued a statement to Governor General Michelle Jean condemning the decision. 

The nomination of Morgentaler, slated as an attempt to label the abortion issue as non-existent in Canada, backfired on abortion activists after it stirred up a heated national discussion on abortion. In releasing his statement Archbishop Weisgerber joins numerous MPs, bishops and Canadians who have already fervently protested the July 1st decision. Several members of the prestigious Order of Canada have already returned their awards, not wishing to be honoured alongside a man who has admitted to killing over 100,000 babies.

"I wish to add my name to the long list of people who have been shocked and outraged by the awarding of the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler," said the archbishop. "It is utterly abhorrent to so many of us that a person who has done so much to promote and facilitate abortion should be given the highest honor of our country."

"I assume that the purpose of creating the Order of Canada was to draw us together as a nation by honoring those whose life and work promote the values and ideals that unite us," he said.  "I can assure you that awarding the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler is having the exact opposite result."

The archbishop concluded by requesting that the Governor General reverse the decision and initiate a full "revision of the selection procedures so that this important symbol of Canada can be salvaged."

The list of individual bishops known to have publicly criticized the Morgentaler appointment:

Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto
Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa
Bishop James Wingle of St. Catharines
Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary
Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton
Bishop Ronald Fabbro of London
Bishop Nicola De Angelis of Peterborough
Archbishop Raymond Roussin of Vancouver
Bishop Valéry Vienneau of Bathurst
Bishop Vernon Fougere of Charlottetown
Archbishop Brendan M. O'Brien of Kingston
Bishop Albert LeGatt of Saskatoon
Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg

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Canadian Pro-Life Hero Linda Gibbons Celebrates 60th Birthday Behind Bars

Send Linda Gibbons a birthday card

By Tim Waggoner

TORONTO, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canadian pro-life hero Linda Gibbons is celebrating her 60th birthday today in a Milton, Ontario jailhouse. The pro-life grandmother is no stranger to the prison scene, as she has in the past spent over 5 years in jail for peacefully protesting outside abortion mills in Ontario.

Gibbons was arrested on July 31, only three days after having been released from her previous prison term. Gibbons was charged with violating the terms of a 1994 injunction which prohibits pro-life activity within 20 meters of the doors of an abortion mill.

"Happy Birthday Linda, and thank you for your witness. Our prayers are with you," said Campaign Life Coalition National President Jim Hughes.  "It's a heck of a place to spend your birthday."

"We hope there will be no necessity for her to do so in the near future," he continued.  "We're going to do our best to change the political landscape here in Canada."

To mail Linda Gibbons a birthday card:

Linda Gibbons
Vanier Centre for Women
655 Martin St., Box 1040
Milton, ON   L9T 5E6

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Canadian Pro-Life Hero Linda Gibbons Arrested Yet Again Three Days after Release
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08080608.html

Pro-Life Heroine Linda Gibbons Sentenced to Only One Additional Day in Prison
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08072808.html

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Round Up - All You Need to Know about the Democratic National Convention

By Tim Waggoner

DENVER, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) 

DNC begins with denunciation of abortion

The first "official event" of the 2008 Democratic Convention featured Pentecostal preacher Charles E. Blake of the Church of God in Christ, who took to the pulpit of an Interfaith Gathering that opened the convention. Blake unequivocally denounced abortion, saying God could not be pleased with millions of lives being ended by elective abortion.

President of the pro-life National Clergy Council, Rev. Rob Schenck, who was present at the event, said, "This is an amazing development. Bishop Blake was crystal clear in condemning abortion. There was nothing subtle about it. He identified himself as a pro-life Democrat and blatantly challenged his party's historic position on abortion. He also challenged Barack Obama to pursue his promise to reduce abortions and to ensure 'viable' alternatives. Just this one moment is a significant turn for the Democratic Party."

Clinton tells America to remember the children when voting for pro-aborts Obama and Biden

Yesterday, during her address to the audience at the DNC, Hilary Clinton told Americans to reflect on the future of their children on November 4th and vote for widespread abortion advocate Obama.

After ardently endorsing Obama as well as VP running mate Joe Biden in her speech at the DNC, saying, the two pro-aborts "will be a great team for our country," Clinton invoked Americans to "think about your children and grandchildren come Election Day." 

"Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance," she continued.

Source: The Guardian

13 pro-life activists arrested

On Tuesday, 13 pro-life activists, including Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, were arrested at the DNC after being asked to leave three times by police.

While being arrested, they said: "Every Christian voter needs to see Obama and Biden for what they are - the most strident supporters of child-killing ever seen in a presidential race."

"Abortion is murder and no faithful Christian, Catholic or Protestant, can vote for Obama…it's that simple."

World's largest pro-life sign erected

Please see our coverage here: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082713.html

Bob Casey - A total let down

Senator Bob Casey Jr., whose father was refused a chance to speak at the 1992 Democratic convention for his pro-life convictions, blew his opportunity to strongly oppose abortion on Tuesday at the DNC by issuing his support for pro-abortion Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on Sen. Bob Casey Jr.'s speech:

"It was billed as the breakthrough moment: the Democratic National Convention, which prohibited Gov. Bob Casey, Sr. from making a pro-life speech at the 1992 Convention, allowed his son to speak last night on the subject. But what happened? Casey blew it: The best he could do was to offer the standard cliché about promoting the 'common good' by seeking 'common ground.'"

DNC features two pro-abortion convention speakers

The abortion advocating Democrats invited Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and NARAL president Nancy Keenan to address the crowd at the DNC.

While both women endorsed Obama, Keenan seemed more interested in bashing McCain - using his name twice as many times as Obama's - and Richards spent a large portion of her speech promoting Planned Parenthood, calling the abortion giant a leader in "women's health care".

Political propaganda condoms flood convention

The Boston Herald reported that Angus McQuillken, vice president for public affairs of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts was passing out magenta colored condoms featuring slogans bashing Presidential Candidate John McCain.

"PROTECT YOURSELF FROM JOHN MCCAIN (in this election)," was printed on every condom, as well as one of ten reasons not to vote for McCain.

First lady hopeful receives eyeful of graphic pro-life truth trucks

As Michelle Obama and her entourage left their hotel yesterday afternoon to go to the Democratic National Convention, they were confronted with huge images of aborted babies on Operation Rescue's fleet of Truth Trucks.

The Truth Trucks are also emblazoned with the website AbortionisanObamaNation.com, which directs viewers to a web site that features a video of an actual abortion as well as documentation of Sen. Barack Obama's radical support for abortion.

Power in the Park during the 2008 DNC

Over the course of the DNC, pro-life activists have been flocking to the Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Denver to attend Power in the Park, which is an event sponsored by American Right To Life and which is exposing the Democrat-supported genocide of black babies. The event is happening right across the street from Planned Parenthood's brand new mega-abortion facility and includes speakers such as Jesse Lee Peterson, Ambassador Alan Keyes, Clennard Childress (BlackGenocide.org), Matt Trewhella, Bob Enyart, Flip Benham of Operation Rescue and many more.

For more info on Power in the Park see:

http://kgov.com/bel_56kbps/20080818

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Pro-life Volunteer Allegedly Assaulted as Group Unfurls "World's Largest" Sign Overlooking Democratic Convention

By John Jalsevac

DENVER, CO, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Tuesday American Right to Life made a world record attempt by erecting a 530-foot tall and 666-foot wide pro-life sign overlooking Denver, where the Democratic National Convention (DNC) is currently taking place.

One of the pro-life volunteers who helped erect the sign told LifeSiteNews today that in the process he was assaulted by a local man who was angered by the giant pro-life display.

The message - claimed by American RTL to be the world's largest sign - initially appeared with three 160-foot tall, bright yellow letters, D-N-C, stacked on top of each other. After those letters appeared on Table Mountain, just west of Denver, American Right to Life unfurled the complete message: Destroys uNborn Children.

Erecting the sign was no small feat. According to the organization the protest sign weighed more than 2,700 pounds and was sewed together with more than four miles of seams connecting 2,400 sheets. It was backpacked onto location and unfurled by 44 letter carriers with spotters a mile away to ensure proper letter placement. Volunteers began to strategically place the sheets around one o'clock in the morning, and did not finish until mid-morning.

17-year-old Josh Craddock, one of the 44 volunteers who helped, speaking on his cell phone from the Rocky Mountains, where he is currently attending a National Speech and Debate camp, told LifeSiteNews that he was assaulted by an angry counter-protestor.

After the massive sign was erected, recounted Craddock, the pro-life volunteers took a break, before beginning to dismantle the giant pro-life message. Craddock says that during that break he saw someone climb the mountain and begin to tear up the sheets that composed the letters. The young man sprinted up the hill and stood in between the man and the sign, telling him that the sheets were private property.

"He basically just screamed a lot of profanity at me," said Craddock. "He shoved me to the ground, down the hill. So I jumped back up and got back between him and the sheets…I called the police and they began to come up the hill. Once he found out that the police were coming - he had shoved me twice to the ground - he acted as if he hadn't done anything."

The man claimed in turn that Craddock had assaulted him, a claim that the pro-life volunteer denies, saying that the only time he touched the counter-protestor was to get out of his grasp.

Craddock said that in the end he chose not to press charges against the man so as to avoid a lengthy legal process.

American RTL Action president Steve Curtis said that his organization decided to attempt to set the world record for the world's largest sign in order to make clear that in nominating Barack Obama the Democratic Party was committing itself to killing innocent human beings.

"The tiniest boys and girls should be loved and protected," said Curtis, "but as nominating Barack Obama emphasizes, the DNC even supports killing kids in the womb old enough to know their mother's voice, sleep and dream, suck their thumbs, and play with their toes."

According to American RTL, the sign erected on the mountain could be seen 10 miles away, including from the hotels where many reporters and DNC delegates are staying.

The Guinness Book of World Records assigned American RTL an official world record attempt number, 228132.

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Murder Victim's Family: Proposed Tory Bill Shows No Compassion

"In 2007, two very precious members of our family were murdered; my sister- in- law, Aysun Sesen and her desired unborn daughter Gul, were stripped away from us forever"

OTTAWA, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Monday afternoon, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced that the Conservative government would table a bill that would make pregnancy an aggravating factor when a pregnant woman is assaulted or killed.

"This is not enough!" said Aydin Cocelli, brother-in-law of Aysun Sesen, who was brutally killed last year during her 7th month of pregnancy. "Pregnancy is already considered an aggravating factor. We ask the Canadian government to recognize that we are coping with two losses, two deaths."

"We were pleased that bill C-484, introduced by Conservative MP Ken Epp, acknowledged the fact that we have to cope with two losses. We had hope that it would bring recognition of our pain by the Canadian judicial system.

"Although we have not seen the text of the law, we do not believe that what Justice Minister Nicholson is proposing demonstrates any compassion for the ordeal our family has had to endure since we lost both Aysun and Gul. We know in our hearts that most Canadians understand the painful reality we have been going through over the past few months and we are deeply disappointed that the Canadian government is not showing Aysun and Gul the respect they both deserved," said Cocelli.

Mr. Epp issued a media release on Tuesday in which he expressed his disappointment with the government's decision.

"We understand Mr. Epp's disappointment and are thankful for all the effort he has put forth in order to make a real difference in the lives of families who, like ours, were stripped of the right to share everyday life with a daughter, sister or friend and with a grand-daughter or grand-son, niece or nephew," added Cocelli.

Bill C-484, the Unborn Victims of Crime Act, will continue to follow due process.  The bill is currently being studied by the Justice and Human Rights Committee and could come back to the floor of the House of Commons this fall.

"Our family invites all Canadians to keep fighting for Bill C-484. We urge them to show parliament that simply considering pregnancy as an aggravating factor is not sufficient. Canadian women, and the families of Canadian women who were victims of violence deserve better," concluded Cocelli.

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Canada's Human Rights Commissions a Threat to Academic Freedom: US Academic Elites

By Hilary White

OTTAWA, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canada is a "problematic" destination for a conference on political thought because of the predilection of its Human Rights Commissions (HRC) for squashing freedom of expression says a number of American intellectuals.

The group of U.S. academics is circulating a petition asking the American Political Science Association (APSA) not to hold its annual convention in Toronto next year for fear that some of its members will be subject to human rights prosecutions if they speak or write about controversial subjects.

"Our belief is that most Americans - even APSA members - have no idea how precarious the rights of freedom of speech and conscience are in Canada," said Bradley Watson, professor of American and Western political thought at Pennsylvania's St. Vincent College.

Watson told the National Post that Canada's lack of protection for free speech, as demonstrated by the recent prosecutions of conservative journalists by the HRCs, is an impediment for an organization that supports no particular political agenda, either left or right. The American Political Science Association is the largest association for political thinkers in the world and is constitutionally bound to complete neutrality and total academic freedom to investigate, publish and speak on all political subjects.

"Our belief is that the APSA should choose its sites carefully, with particular regard for questions of freedom of speech and conscience. We therefore believe Canada to be a problematic destination," Watson said.

The petition says that the Canadian government, under the auspices of the HRCs, "have recently sought to suppress speech and impose legal penalties on speakers" who have expressed opinions on "the morality of homosexual conduct and the question of legal recognition of same-sex unions", and "the threat to freedom posed by violent extremists acting in the name of Islam." This is, the petitioners assert, "speech that, according to all accounts, would be protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."

The group fears that with Human Rights Commission cases against Maclean's Magazine, Mark Steyn, Ezra Levant, Catholic Insight magazine, Pastor Stephen Boissoin and others, government suppression of academic freedom is a logical next step.

The petition says, "[T]he writ of Canada's HRCs runs without evident limit to encompass any speech, academic or otherwise, to which potential complainants take 'offense'."

The "arbitrariness and procedurally unconstrained practices of the HRCs create an air of uncertainty regarding whose speech, on what subjects, before what audiences, will be targeted next."

David Warren, a political columnist and foreign affairs correspondent writing for the Ottawa Citizen, called the Human Rights Commissions a relentless "Kafkaesque bureaucracy."

"The septic idea of policing public opinion has spread rapidly through many Canadian institutions, under tireless pressure from activists of various kinds - feminist, homosexual, Islamist, and miscellaneous leftist - who hold the notion of free speech in contempt."

When asked recently in an interview "what value" he gives to freedom of speech when investigating complaints, Dean Steacy, a leading official of the HRC, replied, "Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don't give it any value."

The success of the HRCs to suppress freedom of expression, Warren wrote, "depends on the obsequious response of our political class - Conservatives and Liberals alike - who tend to wet themselves at the first shrieking note from a radical lunatic."

The fight against the abuses of the Human Rights Commissions is continuing. Although some of the complaints have been dropped against Ezra Levant, the former editor of the Western Standard magazine, he still faces multiple complaints in other provinces and civil suits over various items that appeared in his magazine and on his blog.

After 18 months of legal proceedings, at a cost of $20,000, the complaint was also dropped against Catholic Insight magazine. Stephen Boissoin, however, was ordered by the HRC to publicly renounce his Christian beliefs by issuing an apology for having spoken out against homosexualist activism, and pay a fine of Cn. $7000. He was ordered never to express his views against homosexuality again in any public forum.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Alberta Pastor Fined $7000 and Ordered to Publicly Apologize and Remain Silent on Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060902.html

Human Rights Commission Drops Complaint Against Catholic Magazine
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070407.html

More of LifeSiteNews.com's extensive coverage of the Human Rights Commissions here:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/search/index.html?cx=partner-pub-8135422256096759%3Abgo9vm-3lml&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Human+Rights+Commission+&sa=Go

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Pro-Life Billboard Vandalized with "Joker" Face Paint and Slogan: "Why So Serious?"

FREEPORT, Illinois, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A billboard showing a baby's face and the words "Abortion: The Ultimate Child Abuse" was vandalized in the style of Batman: The Dark Knight villain the Joker.

The baby was made up to look like the arch-villain from the recent Batman film, with black spray paint circling the eyes and red duct tape stretched across the mouth in imitation of Joker's signature grotesque smile. Under the pro-life message was spray painted the Joker's famous line from the new movie: "why so serious?"

According to Pro-Life Corner, the duct tape has been removed, but attempts to remove the paint damaged the underlying image.  Stephenson County Right to Life, the organization behind the advertisement, will need $400 to replace the sign - a large sum for a small group, says Chris Clukey, the group's spokesperson.

The Joker-themed criminal act is not the first of its type, as other areas have reported similar incidents since the release of the box-office smash hit Batman: The Dark Knight, which features the paint-smeared Joker as the paragon of amoral abandon.

Two weeks ago, the Associated Press reported the arrest of two 18-year-old men in Virginia who scattered terrorist threats on Joker cards.

To donate to Stephenson County Right to Life for a new billboard call 815-232-2538, or visit http://prolifecorner.com/?q=support to give via Paypal.

See related LifeSiteNews.com editorial:

Batman The Dark Knight - Should We Fear Imitation of the Joker?
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081408.html

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Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormons, Sikhs and Hindus Join to Fight Homosexual "Marriage" in California

1 million lawn signs campaign in the works

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

LOS ANGELES, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - California churches are joining together in a determined effort in support of Proposition 8, the November ballot referendum that opposes the California Supreme Court's ruling in May allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in the state.

Organizers of the ambitious interfaith alliance plan to coordinate a synchronized expression of support of Proposition 8 by having 1 million people place signs on their yards, which say "Yes on Proposition 8", in unison late in September.

"This is a rising up over a 5,000-year-old institution that is being hammered right now," said Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church, an evangelical congregation in La Mesa, California, in an LA Times report.

"What binds us together is one common obsession: . . . marriage," Garlow said, adding that people of faith, regardless of their religion, believe that "if Proposition 8 fails, there is an inevitable loss of religious freedom."

Garlow said pastors are planning a 40-day fast leading up to the election day. He is also planning several rallies, including one that he hopes will involve 300,000 youths.

Political analysts have observed that this groundbreaking interfaith effort could pave the way for new manifestations of political coalitions, especially those concerned with social issues.

"Pan-religious, faith-based political action strategies . . . I think we are going to see a lot more of [this] in the future," said Gaston Espinosa, a professor of religious studies at Claremont McKenna College.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Judge Nixes Suit over Wording of California Marriage Proposition: Critics Argue Wording Biases Voters against Proposition 8
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08080810.html

California Attorney General Heavily Biases Ballot Initiative Wording in Favor of Same-Sex 'Marriage'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08073008.html

Marriage Amendments Getting Ready to Go on Ballot in Four States
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010808.html

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US Report: Over 900,000 Doses RU-486 Have Been Prescribed

FDA did not Err in Fast-Tracking RU-486 Abortion Pill Approval

By Hilary White

WASHINGTON, DC, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has concluded that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) followed all the correct procedures when it approved the abortion drug RU-486, sold in the US as Mifeprex, in September 2000.

Since then, the report notes, the drug has been prescribed at least 900,000 times.

The report says that the FDA has also not erred in its subsequent handling of the abortion drug, despite the deaths of several women who used it. The GAO is not an independent non-government body, but is known as "the investigative arm of Congress" and "the congressional watchdog."

The report was conducted after critics, including many in the pro-life movement, had said that Mifeprex was fast-tracked for approval under the FDA's rules, "Subpart H", that are normally meant to be applied to drugs that treat serious or life-threatening illnesses. The GAO also said that "concerns" had been raised about FDA's oversight of the drug since approval in the light of the deaths of several women in the U.S. who had taken the drug.

In its final review of Mifeprex, the FDA had concluded that "termination of unwanted pregnancy" falls under the category of a "serious condition" that justified following procedures and imposing restrictions under Subpart H.

The report said that Mifeprex "was approved and monitored by the Food and Drug Administration consistently with other products with restricted distribution".

The "FDA investigated the deaths of six U.S. women who developed a severe infection after taking the drug and concluded that the evidence did not establish a causal relationship between Mifeprex and the infections. Finally, FDA has taken similar actions to address emerging safety concerns across the drugs, such as changing labelling."

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Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Dear editor,

Although I am not a Catholic, (I am an evangelical Protestant) I have had several discussions with some Catholic friends on their support of abortion and homosexual marriages. "I can't understand," I tell them, "why you just don't leave your Catholic faith behind, instead of continuing to call yourself Catholics even though you mock Catholic teaching." They never seem to give me a straight answer and quite frankly I don't understand their stand.

Thomas Corbett
Kingston, Nova Scotia

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Dear LifeSiteNews Team,

You are doing a fantastic job! All the tips and information help me be more conscious of the threats to Christian, Conservative Values. In Poland the battle is not yet so obvious, but the movement to legalize same-sex "partner relationships" (for start) is getting stronger by the day.

I voice my concerns and views among my friends and other people, but, especially in big cities, people view me as a backwards, un-progressive type. It means that propaganda is reaching them and working on them. That is why I value your service so much - all the info can be put together into a larger picture showing that one step in the wrong direction is nearly irreversible and the Leftists will find it easier to make another step, and another...

Thank you.

Kindest Regards,
Witoslaw Pastuszka

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To write a letter to the editor: E-mail your letter to . Write "letter to the editor" in the subject line. Include your name, city and province or state of residence, as well as your phone # (the phone # is for our use only, and will not be published). Please note that all letters are subject to editing. LifeSiteNews.com will publish letters to the editor at its discretion, giving priority to the most concise, insightful and timely submissions.

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