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Email: "Canadian MPs Reject Proposal to Lower Homosexual Age of Consent"

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BY LifeSiteNews.com By Gudrun Schultz  OTTAWA, Canada, April 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An attempt to force a lower age of consent for homosexual sex in Canada has failed at the committee stage, after Canadian MPs rejected two proposed amendments to a bill scheduled to come before the house within the next two weeks.  Bill C-22 was introduced by the conservative government to raise the age of consent for heterosexual sex to 16 from 14, where it currently stands as one of the lowest ages of consent in the developed world.   NDP Joe Comartin, at the request of homosexual lobby groups, proposed an amendment that would simultaneously reduce the legal age of consent for homosexual sex to 16, compatible with the age of consent for heterosexual sex. The current age of consent for anal sex is set at 18.   Homosexual activist groups, including EGALE Canada, argued that a higher consent age for anal sex was discriminatory against the homosexual community—the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (formerly Planned Parenthood) and the Canadian AIDS Society also made presentations to the committee in support of the amendment.  Supporters of the current law warned that lowering the consent age would open the door to an increase in homosexual pedophilia. As well, the serious health risks of engaging in anal sex, considered highly dangerous sexual activity because of the increased likelihood of transmitting HIV/AIDS and other STIs, were considered a significant factor in maintaining the current law.  A second amendment would have modified the Evidence Act, effectively creating a loophole for sexual predators.  Both amendments were rejected by the Chair of the Committee, Art Hanger, who ruled the proposals out of order, reported Canadian pro-life youth movement 4MYCanada April 17. Despite challenges by some members of the committee who wanted further discussion, a majority on the committee backed Mr. Hanger’s ruling.  While amendments to Bill C-22 have been rejected, the measure has yet to be voted in as law. 4MYCanada has asked supporters to contact their MPs and urge them to vote in favour of the bill.  As well, the group is asking individuals to thank the MPs who voted against the amendments (see a partial list of participating MPs here: http://www.4mycanada.ca/Emails/20070417.html)“Especially write Mr. Bagnell and Mr. Lee who both voted with the government’s bill even though they were from one of the opposition parties,” urged 4MYCanada in a statement yesterday. “This takes character and they should be commended for it.”  Liberal MPs Larry Bagnell and Derek Lee voted against the amendments.  Read legislative summary of Bill C-22: http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/bills_ls.asp?lang=E&ls=c22&source=library_prb&Parl=39&Ses=1  See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:  Catholic MP Comartin Pushes Canada to Allow Anal Sex for 16-Year-olds  http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07033004.html http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/canadian-mps-reject-proposal-to-lower-homosexual-age-of-consent/

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