Articles for Month: July 1998

VANCOUVER, July 31 (LSN)  Police in British Columbia offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the party responsible for the 1994 shooting of abortionist Garson Romalis. The Canadian pro-life movement has condemned this shooting and the 1995 and 1997 ones. The secular media has often implicated the pro-life movement as beingresponsible for these violent acts.  “No anti-abortion group has yet claimed responsibility for the shooting,” read news reports across the country on the Fainman shooting.

OTTAWA, July 31 (LSN) – On Wednesday, Former Tory cabinet minister John Crosbie, Reform MP Jason Kenney, Tory and newspaper executive Peter White and political scientist William Christian debated the Reform plan to unite Canada’s conservatives.  The debate showed showing that the Tories are more interested in bashing Reform than having a conservative government in Canada. Crosbie attacked the Reform Party calling it “a boil that has to be lanced,”“a party based on extremist views,” and “It’s too bad that 90 per cent of Reformers give the other 10 per cent a bad name.”  William Christian said that Reformers could […]

TORONTO, July 31(LSN) – Dr. Fraser Mustard, founder of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research,  is leading a study commissioned by the Ontario government on education for pre-school age children.  While parents were alarmed at the NDP government’s proposal of beginning school at age three, Mustard proposes starting formal education much earlier. While sounding very innocent, Mustard suggested schooling for children should begin at 18 months. He says he admires the Swedish system. “By the time you’re one-and-a-half or two you need to be mixing with other kids and so the Swedes put you in the systems that let you […]

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., July 31 (LSN) – The case of a 12-year-old girl whose parents sought to get her an abortion even though she was seven months pregnant ended in tragedy. Her baby was aborted by the notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller. The family’s lawyer, Lauren Tomayko, told reporters that the girl, allegedly raped by her 17-year-old brother, had undergone the procedure.  The girl’s brother faces a possible punishment of life imprisonment while Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga is seeking a warrant for his arrest. Abortionist George Tiller gained notoriety last year when the Washington Post reported he was one […]

PERTH, Australia, July 31 (LSN) – Abortionists Victor Chan and Hoh Peng Lee, both charged with committing abortions which, before charges were laid, was illegal in the state of Western Australia,  were formally discharged yesterday after the Crown offered no evidence in the trial proceedings.  Although abortion was officially still illegal, except when the life of an expectant mother was said to have been endangered by her pregnancy, the law was not enforced for some 30 years.  The charges against the abortionists led to the changing of the law, giving Western Australia the most permissive abortion law in the nation.

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, July 30 (LSN) – Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore announced yesterday that the federal appeals court has upheld the state’s ban on partial-birth abortion. “Today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will save the lives of unborn children and their mothers by upholding the ban on partial birth abortions in Virginia,” Gilmore said. “The law I signed on April 13th is constitutional.  I remain confident that further legal attacks will fail and that the law will be upheld as it proceeds through the legal process. Virginians agree that partial birth abortions are inhuman and should never […]

LANSING, July 30 (LSN) – On Tuesday, Michigan Governor John Engler signed a ban on assisted suicide into law. The law is the state’s latest attempt to rein in pro-euthanasia activist Jack Kevorkian. It would penalize those guilty of the crime with up to five years in prison. Since the issue has made it onto the November 3 ballot, however, the new law could be reversed.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, July 30 (LSN) – On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood revealed a $70,000 campaign to oust one abortion advocate and install another whose extreme pro-abortion agenda is closer to their own.  Congressman Jon Fox has enraged other leaders of the “family-planning” behemoth, by voting against measures such as chemical abortion, partial-birth abortion, and public funding of abortion.  For his part, Fox says, “I believe in Roe v. Wade, which is the law of the land. I support a woman’s right to choose.”  Fox notes that his vote against RU-486 chemical abortions comes from concerns about the safety of the procedure. […]

JOHANNESBURG, July 30 (LSN) – Judge J. Sydney McCreath of the Pretoria High Court upheld the world's most permissive abortion law in South Africa Tuesday as he ruled that a child in the womb could not be classified as a person. Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma was delighted with the ruling, saying it has strengthened the 1996 Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act. This was the second unsuccessful attempt by various religious and cultural groups to dismantle the Act. Pro-lifers say they will continue to challenge the legislation.  News reports indicate that at least 30,000 children in the womb have lost […]

WASHINGTON, July 29 (LSN) – Yesterday, the American Psychological Association released a new book promoting the abortion ideology. The book entitled The New Civil War: The Psychology, Culture, and Politics of Abortion, purports to be an exhaustive analysis of the issue but shows obvious disdain for the pro-life position. One of the chapters is on “Improving Access to Abortion Services.”  For more information on the book go to:  https://www.apa.org/books/civil.html

WASHINGTON, July 29 (LSN) – 35,000 signatures are being delivered to President Clinton today demanding better enforcement of obscenity laws. The New York-based group Morality in Media launched the petition drive noting a dire lack of enforcement of obscenity laws since the Clinton administration took office in 1993. Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media quoted an editorial endorsement of Clinton’s 1996 reelection written by pornographers. Adult Video News wrote, “there have been fewer federal prosecutions of the adult industry under the Clinton Administration than under Reagan and Bush, and since, if elected,  Clinton will be a lame duck with […]

OLYMPIA, July 29 (LSN) – On November 3, Washington state will conduct a vote on banning partial-birth abortion . State pro-lifers made this possible by collecting well over the 179,248 needed signatures to put the item on the ballot. Initiative 694, as the measure is designated, was announced successful by Secretary of State Ralph Munro on Monday. Earlier this month, pro-lifers submitted petitions containing the signatures of 216,716 voters to Munro’s office.

AJIEP, Sudan, July 29 (LSN) – Desperate pleas from hundreds of thousands of starving Sudanese reached the world yesterday as reports of the UN’s complicity in prolonging the Sudanese war and famine hit the press.  World magazine reported yesterday that humanitarian aid organizations have charged the UN is controlling all aid distribution in the country and severely hampering relief efforts. Peter Hammond, the director of Frontline Fellowship, a Christian organization which provides has smuggled Bibles, food relief and medicine into southern Sudan, told World that “Organizations have to get permission for everything they do from the UN They have to […]

BERLIN, July 28 (LSN) – The Spanish newspaper ABC revealed last week that the bodies of almost 4,000 babies aborted in Berlin last year were “used as organic material for a granulate used to asphalt streets.” Although parents have the right to request a proper burial, costs are prohibitive. Thus certain companies process the “waste” materials from hospitals to generate marketable products. Babies weighing more than 2.2 lbs. must be given a burial according to German law.  Germany’s Roman Catholic bishops denounced the practice as showing “a terrifying lack of respect.” A spokesman for the German health department told reporters […]

LONDON, July 28 (LSN) – Following yesterday’s report of a nurse in France admitting to the “mercy killing”  of 30 patients, a male nurse at Birch Hill Hospital in Manchester, England is being questioned in the “suspicious” deaths of five elderly patients. Robert Clegg, the hospital’s chief executive, said that “there may have been inappropriate use of drugs which possibly resulted in the death of a patient or patients.”

LANSING, Mich., July 28 (LSN) – Pro-euthanasia activist Jack Kevorkian refused to hand over files to authorities by the deadline set by Ingham County Circuit Judge Lawrence Glazer. Kevorkian’s lawyer Michael Schwartz forewarned of his client’s refusal to cooperate, saying Kevorkian would incriminate himself by complying with the subpoena.  The Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, the agency which licenses doctors, has asked the courts to investigate whether Kevorkian is practicing medicine without a licence. Kevorkian may be found in contempt of court for refusing to hand over his files.

MEXICO CITY, July 28 (LSN) – Catholic World News reported yesterday that the National Pro-Life Committee of Mexico held a press conference Sunday in which they used ultrasound technology to show the nation the reality of life in the womb. As the cameras began to role in a scheduled press conference, rather than speaking first, the Mexican pro-lifers connected a three-month pregnant woman to an ultrasound machine allowing the images and sounds of the baby’s beating heart to be transmitted on Mexican television.  The press conference was held in response to growing pressure from health authorities and feminist groups to […]

LONDON, July 28 (LSN) – At the 13th Lambeth Conference, Anglican bishops from around the world are preparing to vote on whether to allow sexually-active homosexuals to be pastors and whether to sanction homosexual unions. The meeting, which takes place every 10 years, will conclude on August 9 after discussion of a wide variety of issues.  Cardinal Edward Cassidy, President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christians,  addressed Lambeth participants in a homily on Sunday urging the Anglican hierarchy to stand firm against the homosexual agenda. “Are we not experiencing in fact new and deep divisions among […]

NEW YORK, July 27 (LSN) – Reporting from UN headquarters on Friday, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (CAFHRI) warned that the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is expected to approve an anti-  family “Human Rights Defenders Declaration” at its summer session beginning this week in New York. CAFHRI reports that pro-family lobbyists see the declaration as “a major step toward guaranteeing such hitherto unaccepted human rights as abortion-on-demand, homosexual conduct, and even pedophilia.”  The declaration is likely to be passed by ECOSOC and then accepted by the 53rd General Assembly beginning in September. A virtually identical declaration […]

PARIS, July 27 (LSN) – Nurse Christine Malevre has admitted responsibility for 30 deaths from January 1997 to May 1998. Malevre told reporters she killed the patients at their request or the request of their families. She claims that she received no money or other favours for her actions. When a hospital probe discovered the connection to Malevre and suspended her, she attempted suicide.

LONDON, July 27 (LSN) – A report released last week by the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group recognizes youth crime, unemployment, and anti-social behaviour as the result of family breakdown.  The group acknowledges that marriage is the “healthiest environment” for the family, and points to evidence showing that children benefit from having their mothers at home for at least the first three years of their lives.  The report indicates that more than 3,000 children suffer the breakup of their parents every week in the U.K. The country also has the second highest divorce rate in Europe, leading […]

NEW YORK, July 23 (LifeSiteNews.com) The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) wrapped up their three-week-long 1998 meeting on July 10 during which time they critiqued the record of eight nations on “women’s rights.” More importantly, however, they used the opportunity to reaffirm a radical agenda which includes further demands on nations to surrender their sovereignty, the condemnation of motherhood and a reiteration of the need to replace cultural and religious traditions with their radical notion of “human rights.” These regular meetings are authorized by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, […]

In a development that people on both sides of the abortion question believe is ground-breaking for the U.S., an Alabama judge has appointed an attorney to represent a preborn child whose mother wants to procure an abortion. Whether or not the case becomes precedent-setting may be determined by its outcome; nevertheless, pro-life forces praise Judge Mark Anderson’s initiative. Tom Blackerby of the Alabama branch of the American Family Association calls it “a brave first step forward.”  Judge Anderson has been described as a very religious man who believes that a preborn child is a human being. The attorney he appointed […]

WASHINGTON, July 24 (LSN) Due to the inherent flexibility of the Internet, the success of legislated limits to its use or access have always been suspect. Nevertheless, politicians continue to look for ways to restrict various forms of Internet communication, including pornography. U.S. Senator Dan Coats (R-IN)  has just introduced a bill that he hopes will limit children’s access to explicit material on the World Wide Web. His bill would require American-based pornographic sites to restrict access to people with a credit card, an adult PIN number or an adult access code.  Critics of such measures note that such legislation […]

WASHINGTON, July 24 (LSN) Both fiscal and social conservatives in the U.S. were extremely disappointed this week as the House of Representatives renewed funding to the National Endowment for the Arts. For years, social conservatives have been trying to cut funding to the organization, objecting to the obscene and even blasphemous materials it supports. Moderate reforms, however, helped win over a number of former opponents and the funding measure received the support of 253 congressmen (173 opposed the measure).  The NEA will receive $98 million of taxpayer money in fiscal year 1999, unchanged from this year’s hand-  out. Its budget, […]

TORONTO, July 24 (LSN) Genetic research has its good side as well as its dangers, and a gene disease centre announced by the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is being praised as a new opportunity to pursue research into debilitating genetic diseases. On Wednesday the hospital made public its plans to build a $5 million “Centre for Applied Genomics.”“There are now more than 4,500 human genetic diseases, but only 200 of the defective genes that cause diseases have been identified,” reported The Toronto Sun. Sick Kids scientists identified 12 of those genes with the hospital’s Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui discovering […]

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich, July 24 (LSN) Attempts to stop the parents of a 29 weeks pregnant 12-year-old girl from taking her out of state for an abortion appear to have failed. Judge Pamela Gilbert O’Sullivan relinquished the court’s custody over the child, which she had previously ordered, being satisfied with the prosecutor’s report that the girl was not being “rushed out of town because the parents were embarrassed”.  The parents plan to take their daughter to a Witchita Kansas abortuary since Michigan law prohibits abortions after 24 weeks.  It is expected that first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges will be filed […]

CALGARY, July 24 (LSN) The number of abortions in Canada continues to rise with the country’s wide open abortion regime, especially among the most vulernable age group — teenagers. Even in supposedly conservative Calgary the number of abortions committed on teenagers has skyrocketed over the past decade,  reports the Calgary Regional Health Authority. The latest statistics show a doubling in the figure since the beginning of the decade: in 1997, 809 teenaged girls were aborted; in 1990 the number was 431. The total number of teens who had abortions last year in Canada is estimated at 21,000 — the highest […]

WASHINGTON, July 24 (LSN) Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 296 to 132 to override President Clinton’s veto of a bill that would ban partial-birth abortions. The question now has to go before the Senate, where a two-thirds majority vote is expected to be more difficult. The May 1997 Senate roll call passing the bill was 64 – 36, three votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority needed to override a Clinton veto.  Gary Bauer, head of the Family Research Council, a leading American pro-family group, commended the House for its vote. “I commend the House for calling President […]

NAIROBI, July 23 (CWN) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are again attempting to introduce sex   education into Kenyan schools.  In a joint statement yesterday, the country’s Catholic and protestant leaders asked the government to stop the actions. They stated “The subject is from time to time sneaked into schools through all sorts of disguised titles such as guidance and counselling, adolescent health, (and) life planning skills.”  They also said that the churches have a duty to protect the people and not allow foreign ideas to be   dumped in Kenya. Bishop John Njue, chairman of the Catholic bishop’s conference, said that […]

July 23 (LSN) A new method for cloning animals that is supposed to be more effective than the process used to make the infamous sheep, Dolly, has led to the development of 50 mice, according to news reports today. The research was done at the University of Hawaii and was written up in the science journal Nature.  The researchers claim it is “the first reproducible cloning of a mammal from adult cells” that extends at least three generations.  Such advances are always met with caution by pro-life forces for fear that such technology could be turned on humans. Recently The […]

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA July 23 (LSN) Leading U.S. media watchdog, the Media Research Center, has recently completed a five-year study examining the American media’s coverage of the abortion issue, and has substantiated claims that the mainstream media is strongly biased on this issue.  The MRC study showed five distinct areas of bias:  1. Pro-lifers are labeled as ideological far more than pro-abortionists. A survey of 1,050 news stories in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today in 1995 and 1996, showed pro-life groups labeled as “conservative” in 47% of the stories, and abortion advocates labeled “liberal” less than […]

July 23 (LSN)  Pro-life forces in Ontario who are pushing forward a “conscience clause” initiative can be encouraged by developments among pharmacists associations around North America. Pro-lifers want health-care workers to be free to follow their consciences without fear of losing their jobs. The attempt is primarily intended to allow health-care workers to refuse to participate in abortions, assisted suicides and reproductive technology processes when the work contravenes their consciences. A federal bill addressing this situation is in the Senate at this time and the Coalition for Conscience anticipates the introduction of a bill in the Ontario Legislaturevery shortly.  Pharmacist […]

OTTAWA, July 23 (LSN)  In the fall of this year five members of the United Nations’ 15-member Security Council have to step down, and lobbying is already well under way by those countries that want to fill the seats. Two of the new members will come from the regional group representing Europe and North America,  and three nations, including Canada, are competing for the spots,  reported The Ottawa Citizen today. The other two countries are the Netherlands and Greece. There are 10 non-permanent seats on the council. Each year, five of them come up for election for a two-year term.  […]

LONDON, July 23 (LSN)  As anticipated, the British upper chamber defeated a measure attached to the Labour government’s Crime and Disorder Bill that would have dropped the minimum age for consent to homosexual sex from 18 to 16, the same age at which heterosexual sex is permitted. This move came despite support for the measure by the leaders of three major parties in the Commons. The defeat, however, was decisive: 290 to 122.  Lady Young, a Conservative, led the successful battle, criticizing the government for failure to debate the issue adequately and insisting that a majority of the population opposed […]

MEXICO CITY, July 22 (LSN) – The Mexican government is moving in the direction of liberalizing abortion in the country, but is coming under harsh criticism from Catholics in the country for doing so. Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City condemned the government for pushing abortion as a solution for women without making any efforts to invest in constructive solutions. “If the government really wants to reduce female mortality, it should focus … on facts: the need to support women during their pregnancy and help them to avoid decisions that do not solve their problems,” he said.  “There are […]

CANTERBURY, July 22 (LSN) – Anglican bishops from around the world are meeting in Canterbury, England for a special conference which comes around every ten years, giving Anglican leaders the opportunity to debate important issues pertaining to the faith. The meeting began on Sunday.  The most controversial debate expected at the Lambeth Conference is over the Anglican position on homosexuality. Homosexuals have been gearing up for the conference for some time, and are hoping to make some progress during the meeting. Episcopalian Bishop John Spong of Newark, New Jersey is championing their cause, and has Anglicans fearing a show-down during […]

WASHINGTON, July 22 (LSN) – A U.S. Congressional Quarterly report indicates a significant increase in sexual diseases and births among unmarried teenagers, the National Center for Policy Analysis reported today. Furthermore, “the federal government is spending $39 billion a year to support families begun by unwed teen mothers, according to Advocates for Youth.” Experts say the trend reflects greater sexual activity at a younger age. Seventeen percent of 15-year-old girls were sexually active in 1995, compared to 3% in the 1950s.  Other stats: One million girls aged 15 to 19 get pregnant every year, and 76% of them are unwed. […]

PHOENIX, July22 (LSN) – Finally on Monday, Arizona state regulators suspended John Biskind’s medical license. He was the abortionist who tried to abort a teen-ager’s full-term baby June 30. He is also under criminal investigation for the death of a woman who bled to death after he aborted her in April. The vote by the the Arizona Board of Medical Examiners to temporarily stop Mr. Briskind from practicing medicine in the state was unanimous.  The suspension was an emergency measure deemed necessary to protect the public pending the outcome of the board’s investigation into the two cases. Dr. Edward Sattenspiel, […]

LONDON, July 22 (LSN) – Arguing for the protection of young people from abuse, Lady Young, former Tory leader of the House of Lords in Britain, is leading the opposition to lowering the age of consent for homosexual activity. The measure was passed in the House of Commons earlier this summer by a wide margin,  and according to a Daily Telegraph story today, “contingency plans” are already being put in motion to reintroduce the proposal in the next session of Parliament. The proposed law lowers the age of consent to 16 from 18, ostensibly to eliminate current “discrimination” in the […]

TORONTO, July 21 (LSN) – CBC reported last week that an American woman is having the baby of her dead husband by way of sperm taken from the man after he died. It was used to fertilize eggs harvested from the woman in a procedure carried out in Los Angeles. Doctors say they sometimes remove sperm from men after they die at the request of the families,  but they say this is the first time it has actually been used. The woman is now one month pregnant.

DETROIT, July 21 (LSN) – America’s most famous killer, euthanasia crusader Jack Kevorkian, faces another hurdle with a subpoena issued to him by Consumer & Industry Services. They want all his records related to his practice of medically-assisted suicide or Patholysis. The order applies to the 42 people Kevorkian has “treated” since the department issued a cease and desist order in April of last year directing him to stop practicing medicine without a license. CIS Director Kathleen M. Wilbur said she is confident the records will prove that Kevorkian violated the order. He has until Friday to surrender the files […]

By a vote of 224-198, the U.S. House of Representative approved a measure last week that would require all health plans covering federal employees to pay the costs of female contraceptives. The bill would force 374 different health-insurance companies to pay the costs of contraceptives prescribed by physicians, including pills, diaphragms, and even abortifacient “contraceptives” such as IUDs, Norplant and Depo-Provera.  The U.S. House of Representatives is voting this Thursday on whether to override President Clinton’s veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (HR 1122). The Senate vote won’t come until after Labor Day.  The last time the Senate voted […]

NEW YORK, July 21 (LSN) – The New York Post today is reporting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on the verge of approving the “morning-after” abortion pill for use in America. The morning-  after pill is essentially a high-dose birth-control pill that can be taken up to 72 hours after sex to prevent pregnancy. It is an abortifacient preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus wall.  Gynetics, a small New Jersey company, intends to sell the pill. Previously, no American companies have been prepared to face the anticipated public backlash for selling abortion pills […]

OTTAWA, July 21 (LSN) – The Department of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday five new appointments to the Board of Governors of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which are sure to perpetuate the population-control, “gender mainstreaming,” and “development” agendas currently advocated by the centre. The IDRC’s mandate is to “help researchers and communities in the developing world find solutions to their social, economic, and environmental problems.”  Among the new appointees is Margaret Catley-Carlson, identified as president of the New York-based Population Council since 1993. The Population Council — https://www.popcouncil.org/ — encourages population-control programs around the world, and operates from a […]

In a bold move, a Michigan judge has stopped the parents of a 12-year-old incest victim from bringing the girl across state lines to have an abortion. According to state prosecuters, the girl is not convinced that she wants the abortion and has not been fully informed of her options. As a result, they fear she could suffer serious psychological consequences if she is forced to have her child killed. There are also serious physical implications. The delay has been ordered so the girl can undergo psychological testing.  She was made pregnant by her brother.  The girl is in her […]

Among the different strategies being tried in the US to strengthen marriage (in Canada moves in this direction seem to be much slower), such as the renowned “covenant marriage” vows popularized by Louisiana,  is an approach being tried in Grand Rapids, Michigan which involves the whole community.  A recent article published by the highly respected think-tank, the Heritage Foundation, discusses the proposal and notes that, while most proposals to strengthen marriage rely almost exclusively on the church, this initiative also requires the involvement of political, medical, business and judicial figures. The “community marriage policy” was drafted by a variety of […]

NDP MP Chris Axworthy introduced a bill last month to combat internet child pornography. His proposal expands the powers of the CRTC by making it the regulator for all internet service providers. Various pro-family forces are looking seriously at ways of keeping internet pornography away from children. The CRTC, however, which is hardly pro-family, has not been identified as the regulator of choice.  The broadcasting regulator is known for its opposition to organized religion, and its lack of action in curbing offensive material in the broadcasting sector. Pro-family organizations in the US have already began to raise concerns about censorship […]

Abortionist John Biskind, who turned an abortion into a live birth midstream last month when he realized he was working on a 37-week-old baby, has been under investigation on five previous occassions for botched abortions, two of which also killed the women involved. Despite Biskind’s grizzly eight-year business, the medical community and the abortion industry in the U.S. have done remarkably little to prevent him from harming any more people.  The abortionist works out of the A-Z Woman’s Center in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1990, the state board of medical examiners issued a “letter of concern” when a woman delivered a […]

Pro-family forces did not achieve all their goals for the final document prepared by delegates to the United Nations’ conference on establishing an nternational criminal court (ICC), but they sent the radical feminist lobby home with its tail between its legs. Pro-family people were hoping the terms “enforced pregnancy” and “gender” would be eliminated from charter altogether. This did not happen.  Nevertheless, “enforced pregnancy” was defined so that the document could not be used to threaten national legislation pertaining to pregnancy. Also, “gender” was more clearly defined as limited to “male” and “female,” a major accomplishment after years of battling […]

ROME, July 19 (LSN)  Although major victories were obtained by the pro-life/pro-family contingent,  there is still cause for grave concern over the July 18 approval of the International Criminal Court. The general concept of the court could potentially bring about a major advance in international justice and that is what the public is hearing about the ICC. Unfortunately, most of its instigators may have radical social change agendas as their first priority for the court. The development, implementation and control of the ICC seems to be in the hands of such people, as the history of the past few weeks […]

July 17 (LSN) Pro-lifers have long been suspicious of many environmentalist claims, especially since the solution posed for many of the alleged problems is to reduced human population. Here is evidence that the more researchers understand about the science of global warming the more they downgrade the perceived risk.  The following chart shows how predictions of the effects of global warming have decreased over the years.  Forecast Year   Rate of Warming   Temp Rise   Sea Level Rise 1988   0.8 C per decade 3.0 C   20 to 150 cm 1990     0.3 C per decade 1.2 […]

ORLANDO, July 17 (LSN) Disney has been desperatedly trying to brush off the significance of boycotts urged by Christian groups such as the large Southern Baptist denomination, but recent reports indicate that the company’s stock value has dropped sharply by 17% in the past two months, while attendance at Disney theme parks has also dropped off. Pro-family organizations and Christian groups have urged boycotts as people have become increasingly disgusted at the explicit homosexual advocacy and attacks on the church evident in modern Disney offerings.  Other developments include a 9% drop in viewers for the ABC television network, a Disney […]

July 17 (LSN) 1. The pro-euthanasia group, The Hemlock Society, has said that the next battle for legalizing assisted suicide will be Michigan, Jack Kevorkian’s home state. Currently, Oregon is the only state where it is legal for doctors to kill ill or troubled patients at their request. Pro-life forces continue trying to overturn the legislation. Michigan has passed a law banning assisted suicide which comes into effect on September 1, but euthanasia advocates have submitted petitions to have the issue placed on a ballot initiative for the fall. If they collected the minimum number of signatures (they are being […]

ROME, July 17 (LSN) As debate on the establishment of an International Criminal Court winds down today Canada and its allies have failed to win the support of the United States for a model that many fear would significantly erode national sovereignty, with pro-family forces fearing that such erosion would prevent individual nations from establishing their own domestic policy on issues such as abortion and homosexuality. But likewise, the US and other likeminded countries have been unable to get the others to budge. Canada and Britain joined 60 other nations in rejecting a proposal late Thursday that would protect opting-out […]

ROME, July 16 (LSN) 1. Pro-life national delegations and NGOs are trying to   have the term enforced pregnancy completely eliminated from the final charter for the ICC. As a compromise position, they had draft wording added to the document defining “enforced pregnancy” as “the unlawful confinement or detention of a woman   forcibly made pregnant for the purpose of changing the ethnic composition of any population . . .” Also, included was a clause stating that the inclusion of enforced   pregnancy “shall not in any way be interpreted as affecting national laws relating to   pregnancy.”  2. Radical […]

OTTAWA, July 16, 1998 (LSN) In a news release today, the Canadian government   announced that its Foreign Affairs Minister, Lloyd Axworthy is headed to Rome for the final day of the UN International Criminal Court Conference. The Release stated “Canada has been working hard to win support for an   independent and effective ICC that will bring to justice those accused of the most   serious international offences such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against   humanity”. Nowhere in the high sounding release is there any indication of the Canadian   delegation’s fanatical pre-occupation with abortion and gender […]

ROME, July 16 (LSN)  In a bizarre irony, the Conference Committee for the ICC   has approved a proposal to locate the seat of the Court in the Hague. The ICC is   ostensibly a court designed to prosecute gross human rights violations. Nevertheless,  UN delegates have chosen to locate it in the nation with the most aggressive program of genocide against the elderly and disabled. No other “democratic” country has   permitted euthanasia and assisted suicide to the extent that the Netherlands has. And recent reports indicate that this method of killing has become so popular that doctors   […]

WASHINGTON, July 16 (LSN)  Pre-born children won a significant victory in the   US yesterday as the House of Representatives passed a bill that makes it a crime for   anyone who isn’t the parent or legal guardian to evade parental involvement laws in a pregnant teenager’s home state by taking her to a state that imposes no requirements on underage girls seeking abortions. House support for the bill was strong with a vote of 276-150. Sixty-seven Democrats, however, joined Republicans in supporting the bill.  The legislation now goes to the Senate.  Despite the strong support, however, strong opposition was […]

PORTLAND, July 16 (LSN) Opponents of Oregon’s assisted suicide law are   continuing their legal efforts to reverse the legislation. They are trying to revive a lawsuit that was dismissed last year by a federal appeals court. They are arguing that terminally ill Oregonians suffer a “stigmatic injury” because of the law because it creates an   environment in which terminally ill patients might be expected by the public to invoke the   law against their will.  Richard Coleson, the lawyer representing opponents of the law, says: “It’s like now there’s   pressure (on the terminally ill) to defend why […]

WASHINGTON, July 16 (LSN) The homosexual ads that pro-family groups placed in   leading US papers earlier this weak have set off a storm of controversy. The ads   offer a message of healing and hope to homosexuals who want to escape their sexual behaviour patterns. The ads, co-sponsored by the Christian Coalition, Family Research Council, and Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, were printed in   the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today.  Opposition from homosexual activists was to be expected, but the hyperbole and   rhetoric that was generated was alarming. According to a report by […]

WASHINGTON, July 15 (LSN) Leading American papers, the New York Times, Washington   Post and USA Today are carrying ads this week promising hope and healing to homosexuals.  A coalition of pro-family groups representing more than 30 million people is paying for the ads which combat the myth that homosexuality is genetically predetermined. “Our society has been fed lies for far too long,” said Robert Knight, a director at Family Research Council, one of the ads’ sponsors. “We have been told that 10% of the population is homosexual, that homosexuality is genetic rather than behavioral, and that you can be […]

PHOENIX, July (LSN)  Pro-lifers were anticipating that charges would be laid in the brutal   attack recently on an unborn child by an Arizona abortionist. On June 30, Joel Biskind started a partial-birth abortion on a child he believed was 23-weeks-old. Part-way through the   procedure, however, and after fracturing the baby’s skull and giving it several facial lacerations,  he realized that the infant was much older. As a result, he ended up delivering a 6-pound 2-ounce baby girl that was 36 weeks old. The local police and the Arizona Medical Board are investigating the matter, but a police spokesman […]

ROME, July (LSN) The rhetoric is increasing as nations wanting a strong International Criminal Court begin to panic over the possibility that the initiative might fail. Italy’s Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini went so far as to claim that this “will be the last chance we ever have!” and that “the world would never forgive us” is they did not produce concrete results.  UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has even sent a personal letter to each of the 16 countries deemed a threat to the Court. A UN press release acknowledges that the three primary areas of controversy are the role of […]

TORONTO, July (LSN) Renowned pro-life activist and evangelical minister Rev. Ken Campbell was acquitted today four hours into his trial on a charge of “obstructing a police officer”. Presiding Judge Cadsby agreed with Campbell and his attorney Paul Vandervet that there was no evidence that Rev. Campbell obstructed police and that the over four years old “temporary” injunction prohibiting all protest at Toronto’s abortuaries should be reviewed. Linda Gibbons, who has spent almost four years in jail   for totally peaceful protest at the same location and who was arrested the same day as Campbell, testified on his behalf. Campbell […]

Florida’s outspoken pro-life sheriff, John McDougall, has found a way to evade his governor’s ruling against car license plates that convey the simple message, “Choose Life.” According to The Washington Post, he has spent $240 of his own money to get the message printed on 125 plates that can be mounted on a car’s front bumper. He is selling them at $5 apiece to raise money for pro-life groups.  The plate also includes a picture of what The Post calls “an unborn” at six weeks, and the caption: “It’s not political, it’s a child of God.” The latter statement is […]

With only about 40 voting days left this year for Congress, pro-lifers have their work cut out for them if they want to make headway on the popular Child Custody Protection Act (CCPA). There are also plans to try to overturn President Clinton’s veto of legislation banning partial-birth abortions.  According to Conservative News Service, House majority leader Dick Armey (R-Tx.), House majority whip Tom DeLay and other members of Congress are expected to appear at a press conference tomorrow with representatives of the National Right to Life Committee, the Christian Coalition, and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, to voice […]

CBC reported yesterday that the Quebec coroner’s office is investigating the case of a man who was taken off life support. The man’s family says doctors at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital tried to convince them to agree to take him off the respirator, eventually telling them that the decision wasn’t theirs to make, when the family refused to cooperate. The family says it is considering legal action.  According to the CBC report, the patient’s son, George Krausz, told doctors his father wanted to stay on the respirator. “He said his father communicated with family members by nods and by […]

A few international media outlets are saying the UN feminist lobby is already admitting defeat in the face of strong pro-life lobbying at the Rome conference on the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC).  negotiations remain intense, however.  One area of concern is the definition of “persecution.” Under crimes against humanity, “persecution”  means the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group or collectivity. LSN sources say this definition could be — and likely was intended to be — used as a vehicle for the homosexual lobby.  Also, […]

The UN conference on developing an International Criminal Court wraps up this Friday. Pro-lifers have been going head-to-head with feminist interests since the beginning, trying to protect unborn children from pressure to introduce global abortion-on-demand by criminalizing “enforced pregnancy.” Other conflicts, particularly over the protection of national sovereignty, also seem to be leading to a final document that will look quite different from what was originally anticipated.  As in other UN conferences, the radical left-wing Canadian delegation is becoming despised by a growing number of nations, according to LSN sources. Some delegates say Canada threatens the survival of the entire […]

OTTAWA, July 13, 1998 (LSN)  Ottawa’s “Gay Pride” parade came to the Nation’s capital on Sunday.  About 10,000 people were reported to have participated, up from 8,000 last year, according to   organizers. They also claimed that institutional endorsements doubled – to 50 – from last year. Pride Week, of which the parade was only one event, received a ringing endorsement from the city’s Regional government. “Whereas, diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity represents a positive   contribution to society, and is therefore a matter for pride and celebration,” begins Regional Chair, Bob Chiarelli’s endorsement of the event. The […]

TORONTO, July 13 (LSN) Anti-Racist Action (ARA), an extremist group banned from Toronto-area   schools, organized the pro-abortion confrontation this past Saturday that saw 11 pro-abortionists   arrested. One of the young people was charged with assaulting a police officer, not surprising,  considering the group’s reputation for violence and hate. A number of the protestors carried signs   hiding baseball bats but surprisingly charges were not laid over the carrying of these weapons. The Toronto police has linked the international group to violence in the past and even the Canadian   Human Rights Commission has seen the need to distance […]

NEW YORK, July 13, 1998 (LSN) World Population Day provided another opportunity for   anti-natalists to condemn population growth. Nafis Sadik, head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) urged men to respect women’s reproductive choices but, claiming to speak for most women around the world, insisted that “if women can choose, they will have fewer children than their mothers did.” She said that the “slowing of growth is cause for celebration.” The Executive Director of the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP) said the population issue   is not about numbers, but about “human well-being.” On the contrary, many economists argue […]

TORONTO, July 13, 1998 (LSN) Human Resources Development Canada, headed by Cabinet   Minister Pierre Pettigrew, is apparently bringing immigrants into Canada specifically to fill spots in   the country’s strip clubs. According to a Toronto Sun editorial today, strip clubs in Canada can’t   find enough Canadian women to “perform” so they are looking elsewhere. According to the article, HRCD’s labour market study has noted that importing strippers is not   illegal because they will “not adversely affect employment opportunities for Canadian citizens.”“This is a legitimate occupation,” it says, and Immigration Canada will put them in their own   […]

WILMINGTON, Del., July 10 (LSN) – On Thursday, Judge Henry duPont Ridgely handed down sentences to Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson, a young couple who killed their newborn child and dumped the body in a motel trash bin in November 1996. Initially charged with first-degree murder, the pair could have faced the death penalty, but the charge was lessened to manslaughter and Grossberg and Peterson were sentenced to two-and-a-half and two years respectively. With good behaviour both could be out in less than two years.

ROME, July 10 (LSN) – In the latest report from Campaign Life Coalition’s lobbyists at the Rome United Nations Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC),  a debate on “enforced pregnancy” in a special working group revealed more people are against the term than are for it. This victory is the result of intense lobbying efforts by pro-life groups from around the globe. However, pro-lifers at the conference say the battle is far from over.  Realizing the gains made by pro-lifers, the UN Women’s Caucus has devised alternate strategies to ensure the final document gives them leverage […]

FREDERICTON, NB, July 10 (LSN) – Fredericton mayor Brad Woodside was brought before the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission yesterday by a Fredericton gay activist group who are charging Woodside with “discrimination” for refusing to proclaim Gay Pride Week.  In his defense, Woodside’s lawyers cited his faith as prohibiting him from issuing such a proclamation and also noted that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protected his right to refuse to proclaim it.  In two similar cases in Ontario, mayors Dianne Haskett of London and Bob Morrow of Hamilton were found guilty of “discrimination” and forced to pay large fines […]

TORONTO, Ontario, July 10 (LSN) – Militant pro-abortion protestors blocked traffic and clashed with police this afternoon at the Toronto Queen’s Park pro-life witness event “show the Truth.”  Approximately 90 pro-lifers attended. None of the confrontation was initiated by or involved the pro-life demonstrators. Pro-lifers   co-operated fully with police and remained polite to all passers-by. At no point were the two   groups within more than 10 meters of each other. When police moved in to clear the pro-abortion blockade of Toronto’s busy University Ave.,  a number of the pro-abortion protestors began to both physically and verbally abuse the […]

PHOENIX, July 9 (LSN) – Abortionist John Biskind of the A-Z Clinic halted an abortion procedure June 30 when he realized the child he was trying to kill weighed over 6 pounds and was in the 37th week of development. The abortuary commits late-term abortions, but Arizona law limits abortion after the 24th week. A-Z claims faulty ultrasound tests indicated the 17-year-old mother was only 23 weeks pregnant.  The baby, a girl, suffered a fractured skull and cuts to her face from the abortion attempt. Police say she will be adopted by an Texas couple.  Biskind was responsible for the […]

TORONTO, July 9 (LSN) – The Globe and Mail reported today that in vitro fertilization businesses are searching out intelligent white women for breeding purposes in order to satisfy customers looking for designer babies. The article reveals the search for donors has become big business with U.S. companies advertising over 300 donors on the Internet complete with photos and write-ups. University campuses the world over have been targeted for donors. Ads appearing in university papers play on the financial troubles of students, offering payments of up to $35,000 (US) for eggs.  Excalibur, York University’s student paper, recently contained the following […]

MONTREAL, July 9 (LSN) – Scientists at the McGill University Reproductive Centre announced yesterday that they have performed the first successful artificial insemination with eggs transported by plane. Hailing the newest innovation in in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a boon for childless couples in rural areas, the researchers revealed that the eggs had been flown to Montreal from a donor in Chicoutimi, some 500 km away.  One of the ethical problems with IVF is that many embryos are discarded in the process, as unsuitable for implantation. England recently passed a regulation limiting to three the number of embryos that doctors […]

WASHINGTON, July 9 (LSN) – The Washington Post reported Monday that Nina Burleigh, a former White House correspondent, said recently she would “be happy” to perform oral sex on President Clinton, “just to thank him for keeping abortion legal.” Observers note the comment reflects the moral depravity of the feminist/pro-abortion movement.  At the fourth “Meet the Abortion Provider” conference in Illinois in 1994, Helen Pendley, a former administrator for an Atlanta abortion mill gave evidence that such tactics are nothing new for the pro-  abortion movement.. She recalled that at a National Abortion Federation conference she attended the “soap campaign” […]

ROME, July 8 (LSN) – In a special report, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (CAFHRI) reported from Rome today that the Canadian Embassy hosted a secret meeting on Sunday night. The meeting brought together delegates from 30 powerful nations to ensure feminist language including “enforced pregnancy”  remain in the final ICC document.  The invite-only meeting was exposed by a Costa Rican delegate who demanded an explanation before the Committee of the Whole, from chairman Philippe Kirsch of Canada. Kirsch dismissed the issue claiming that the embassy could not accommodate more than 30 participants and abruptly ended the meeting […]

ROME, July 8 (LSN) – With the end of the UN Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court only 6 working days away, a draft copy of a final document should be available by the end of the week, say UN sources. However, there is much concern over the possible rejection of the document by some nations, most notably the United States. While crimes such as “enforced pregnancy” continue to be debated,  and other issues of contention such as the proposed court’s strength, independence and jurisdiction remain unsettled, compromises are being considered.  Three main positions on compromise have […]

HOUSTON, July 8 (LSN) – Three abortuaries in Texas reported being vandalized with noxious chemicals today.  The acid poured at the entrances is said to have caused one employee to vomit due to the fumes.

Yesterday’s internet action item about the CTV program “Sunday Edition” which told readers to write in to cast a vote in a poll being taken was faulty. To cast a vote in the poll, one must call 1-900-451-1110 (cost $1.00) and register an opinion for or against assisted suicide. The results will be published next week. A touch tone phone is required.

NEW ORLEANS, July 7 (LSN) Four New Orleans abortuaries were forced to close for the day yesterday due to foul smells coming from within the buildings. FBI spokesman John Rook said, “Some noxious chemical or gas was introduced into the clinics.” The New Orleans Fire Department said that butyric acid was used in two of the clinics and has been used in other such incidents.

OLYMPIA, Washington, July 7 (LSN) Pro-Life Infonet reported recently that Washington state has amassed 222,000 signatures to trigger a referendum on partial-birth abortions on the November 3 ballot. Just over 179,000 signatures were required.  Also, pro-life attorney James Bopp, Jr. has been hired to defend West Virginia’s partial-birth abortion ban against Planned Parenthood’s objections. Mr. Bopp, an expert in pro-life matters and free speech issues, is also defending a similar law in Wisconsin. The West Virginia case is to go to court on July 9,  1998.

TORONTO, July 6 (LSN) On Sunday, July 5, the CTV program “Sunday Edition” dealt with assisted-suicide.  A poll is being taken and respondents are being asked to vote for or against assisted-suicide.  To vote, e-mail [email protected]

AUSTIN, July 6 (LSN) – In a ruling that came a day before Independence Day, the Texas Supreme Court eliminated so called buffer zones around five abortuaries, and relaxed restrictions on free speech around another four abortion mills. At the behest of Planned Parenthood, the courts formerly laid severe restrictions on pro-life activism, banning all pro-life activity within 100 feet of abortuaries.  The Supreme Court Justices wrote on Friday, “We conclude that portions of the injunction infringe upon (protesters’) freedom of expression This is a free speech case, not an abortion picketing one.”  Abortuaries that retain buffer zones must permit […]

LONDON, July 6 (LSN) – From screening embryos to “safe” emergency abortion, “advances” in science are regularly targeting human life for destruction. A study published last week in the British medical journal The Lancet announced it is now possible to get same-day results from prenatal tests for Down’s Syndrome.  The researchers who made the discovery admit that although individuals with Down’s are able to live full lives, the great majority (70+%) of mothers who are informed they are carrying a child with the disorder choose to abort their babies.  Joy Delhany and other scientists at University College in London, England […]

LANSING, Mich., July 6 (LSN) – Last Thursday, the Michigan legislature approved a measure to ban assisted suicide. Since it has already been passed by the Senate, it is scheduled to take effect September 1,  pending the signature of Gov. John Engler. Engler, who helped negotiate the bill’s passage, said that the measure “ought to put Jack Kevorkian out of business and end that sorry spectacle that’s been playing out these many years.” Under the new law assisted suicide is a five-year felony with a $10,000 fine.  However the battle against euthanasia is far from over in Michigan. A pro-euthanasia […]

HALIFAX, July 6 (LSN) – Nova Scotia Justice Minister Jim Smith announced Thursday he would not contest the Crown attorney’s plan to appeal a decision to drop charges against suspected suicide doctor Nancy Morrison. Smith was under great pressure by vocal pro-euthanasia groups and the media to use his powers to overrule the Crown’s decision. “This has been, without a doubt, one of the most challenging decisions of my career, both as a physician and a politician,” he said.  Morrison was charged with first degree murder in the death of patient Paul Mills. Despite the testimony of eye-witnesses that Morrison […]

ROME, July 2 (LSN) – A key debate among participants in the United Nations Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC) has been when the ICC should be involved in a country’s affairs.  The media has reported erroneously that the ICC is being proposed only to deal with crimes committed during times of international conflict. However, some countries are arguing for much broader application for the ICC.  Ireland, Greece, Gabon, Libya, Nepal and the Netherlands are arguing for the ICC to have jurisdiction over acts of aggression within countries, over and above war crimes, genocide, and crimes […]

MIAMI, Fla., July 2 (LSN) – On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Donald Graham became the latest in a string of judges to issue an injunction stopping state laws banning partial-birth abortions (PBA) from taking effect.  Typically the law is put on hold by the judge pending a hearing on the constitutionality of the law, a hearing which is rarely even scheduled to take place. The day before, District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock overturned Montana’s PBA ban saying it was unconstitutional because it infringed on a women’s right to abortion as defined by the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.  […]

PITTSBURGH, July 2 (LSN) – Nurse Laura Merriott was fired by Family Health Services of Erie and Crawford County for refusing to hand out abortifacient birth control pills and other contraceptives to non-married men and women. Merriott is fighting in court to get her job back, arguing she was fired “solely because of her sincerely held religious beliefs.” A retired U.S. Air Force major, Merriott’s Catholic faith led her to stop giving out the contraceptives.  The clinic rejected her offer to continue to provide all the other services the clinic provided, including conducting gynecological examinations and prenatal exams, and screening […]

VANCOUVER, July 2 (LSN) – A group of pro-gay teachers in B.C. have taken the Surrey School Board to the province’s Supreme Court to contest a move to ban certain pro-gay books from elementary-junior school libraries. The board banned a handful of books following pressure by parents, who argued that parents should have some control over what their children are exposed to in school, and also that books covering gay and lesbian relationships should not be used in classrooms. The books included titles such as “Asha’s Mums,”“Belinda’s Bouquet,” and “One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dads, Blue Dads.”  Joseph Arvay, lawyer […]