Articles for Month: December 2000

The editors and reporters at LifeSite News would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy and holy Christmas and a blessed New Year. We look forward to the new century and millennium with the fervent hope that the scourge of abortion will be lifted allowing us all to live in a new era of grace and peace. May the love of the Little One born 2000 years ago inflame your hearts with joy and peace. Remember: Jesus is the “reason for the season.” Please note that regular LifeSite News reports will be temporarily suspended […]

AMMAN, Dec 21, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Canada was a major sponsor of a lobbying effort in Jordan this week to get more nations to ratify the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court. The Jordan Times reports that the four-day international lobby effort was funded by Canadian and Swiss embassies in Amman and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation of Germany. The meeting included representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, Palestine, Bahrain, Syria, Canada, Belgium and India. The ICC will assume universal jurisdiction, even over countries that have refused to sign on to it, once 60 countries have ratified […]

MEXICO CITY, Dec 21, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Outspoken pro-life Bishop Luis Reynoso Cervantes of Cuernavaca Mexico died Tuesday during back surgery. He was 74 years old. AP reports that “As the legal adviser to the Mexican bishops’ council, he called Mexico City’s former Mayor Rosario Robles ‘a murderer and a coward’ for proposing a law allowing abortion in cases of rape.” See the AP coverage at:  https://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001221/wl/obit_mexican_bishop_1.html

FRONT ROYAL, Virginia, Dec 21, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Human Life International has appointed Father Thomas Euteneuer as its new president with acting president, Father Matthew Habiger, assuming the role of HLI chairman. An HLI press release indicates that Father Euteneuer has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana as well as a licentiate degree in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Ordained in 1988, he has served as parish priest in five different parishes of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, Secretary to the Bishop, Director of Vocations, and Spiritual […]

ROME, Dec 21, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Evangelical leader James Dobson, famous for his Focus on the Family organization radio broadcasts listened to by millions, praised pope John Paul II early this month. This took place at a meeting in Rome with the pope which Dobson attended along with Chuck Colson, another evangelical leader. The Catholic News Service quoted Dobson as saying that although he has theological differences with the Catholic church: “when it comes to the family, there is far more agreement than disagreement, and with regard to moral issues from abortion to premarital sex, safe-sex ideology and homosexuality, I […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 21, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A new Zogby American Values poll of 1,005 likely voters, conducted Dec. 15-17 shows 58% want the president to sign a bill banning partial birth abortion. The survey has a margin of sampling error of +/-3.2%. and is conducted quarterly. The poll also shows a slight majority (51%) in favour of school vouchers. See the poll results at:  https://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=317

Annanova reports German MP Hubert Hueppe slammed the British approval of human embryo cloning for experimentation saying it was creating “human factories.”“We are united with all other European Union countries that the cloning of embryos steps over ethical and moral boundaries,” said Edelgard Bulmahn, Germany’s science minister.  https://www.lineone.net/newswire/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi/skynews/uk/story/2000/12/c—2000-12-21-1n3.html Pro-Life E-News circulated a report by CBS and Columbia TriStar Television claiming that an upcoming episode of FAMILY LAW airing Monday, Jan. 8 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS Television and dealing with abortion will present a balanced perspective.

SEOUL, Dec 20, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A government bill in South Korea proposes to ban human cloning completely. Church News reports today that the bill also prohibits medical and bioengineering research using human embryos, stressing that they should not be artificially reproduced except for reproduction. The bill also stipulates that an embryo’s genetic content should not be artificially changed or manipulated. For more see the Church News coverage at:  https://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=10728

Outgoing US President Bill Clinton has vetoed Bankruptcy Legislation which excluded a clause which would have forbidden pro-lifers to claim bankruptcy when faced with lawsuits by the abortion lobby.  https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/20/politics/20BANK.html The National Post reported yesterday that US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, “a staunch conservative who waited out the entire Clinton administration to retire under a Republican president, may delay even longer because of fears George W. Bush, the President-elect, will be forced to replace him with a moderate.”  https://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20001219/411199.html

Yugoslavia became the 120th country to sign on to the International Criminal Court. The Yugoslav foreign minister, Goran Svilanovic, signed on a visit to New York to speak in a Security Council debate on Kosovo. Pope John Paul II announced the following general prayer intention for December 2000: “That the celebration of the Jubilee may become the source of a new commitment in men and women of good will to protect and promote human life.” British Psychological Society says that homosexual males are ignoring “safe sex” campaigns. The report’s author says, “The constant churning out of more and more messages […]

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A new report compiled by the Mahbub Ul Haq Human Development Centre in Pakistan says that ultrasound technology has been used to target baby girls for abortion. The UN sponsored 2000 Report on Human Development in South Asia is not against abortion but seeks to address the trend to abort babies based on sex. New Zealand media report that a survey of Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives said some 79 million women were “missing in South Asia” due to discrimination against females, both before and after birth. The report says […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A homosexual advocacy video geared to children was promoted by the Clinton White House Tuesday as it hosted a screening for the production. The film, “That’s a Family!”, which LifeSite reported was unveiled at the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network conference in Chicago in October, features children between the ages of eight and 13 describing what their “families” are like. The Cybercast News Service reports that during the film one young girl says, “My Moms, Angie and Lee, are lesbians, that means they only like men for friends and they want to be in […]

AMSTERDAM, Dec 20, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Yesterday the Dutch Senate approved homosexual marriage to take effect in March or April of next year. The legislation is thought to be the furthest-reaching so far in making homosexual marriage on par with heterosexual marriage in all respects including the adoption of children. The laws will apply only to Dutch nationals and residents. The Age reports that homosexual partnerships are only legally recognized in a small number of countries including Sweden, Denmark, Norway and France. Catholic World News reports that the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano denounced the “revolutionary innovations” in Holland, saying that same-sex […]

LONDON, Dec 20, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Last night British MPs voted 366 to 174 to approve a bill allowing cloning of human embryos for experimentation leading to their destruction. Prime Minister Tony Blair was among those voting in favour of the legislation. The bill will now move to the House of Lords, where pro-life and church groups hope it will be stopped. See the coverage in the Times and Telegraph at:  https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-53953,00.html https://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000118613908976&rtmo=0xsrsKRq&atmo=0xsrsKRq&pg=/et/00/12/20/nclon20.html

TORONTO, Dec 19, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Toronto City Councilor Kyle Rae hopes to warn Pope John Paul II that he had better not speak about homosexuality in Toronto during his upcoming World Youth Day (WYD) visit in 2002. In September, Rae, who describes himself as “openly gay”, told Toronto’s controversial NOW magazine that he hopes to meet with Father Thomas Rosica, WYD coordinator in Toronto. Contacted by LifeSite, Rae said the pope’s often-repeated statements about homosexuality are “hateful”. He said that voicing such “hateful and hurtful” opinions “is not permissible in our society.” He commented, “I don’t think religion should […]

VATICAN CITY, Dec 19, 2000 (LSN.ca) – In a recently released letter from Pope John Paul to Cardinal Antonio Maria Javierre Ortas, the pope heavily criticized the European Charter of Rights. He said, “The defense of the rights of the person and the family, in particular, could have been more courageous. … In many European States they are threatened, for example, by policies favoring abortion, which is legalized almost everywhere, by attitudes which consider euthanasia as ever more possible and, finally, by certain projects of law in the matter of genetic technology which are not sufficiently respectful of the human […]

VANCOUVER, Dec 19, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Statements clarifying the Liberal Party of British Columbia’s position on abortion have shed light on the political landscape in the province. While the ruling New Democrats have been open about their extremist pro-abortion position, the provincial Liberal party has historically sidestepped the issue in an attempt to remain open to pro-life support. The pretense ended last week when the Vancouver Sun reported Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell’s abortion position in an interview with Vaughn Palmer. Asked if he would he make any moves to restrict access to abortion, Campbell responded, “a Gordon Campbell government is […]

A police report indicates that New York Mets baseball star Armando Benitez “forced her (Stacey O’Neill) to have an abortion.”  https://www.canada.com/cgi-bin/cp.asp?f=/news/cp/stories/20001215/baseball-1220041.html Women’s News (a pro-abortion news service) reports that despite the complaints of abortion supporters money ordered by a court settlement to fund women’s groups can go to pro-life crisis pregnancy centers.  https://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=373&mode=today China has said it will continue its notorious one-child policy hoping to cap its population at 1.26 billion.  https://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001219/wl/china_population_2.html The British Medical Association has gone all out for cloning, urging every MP in Westminster to vote in favour of therapeutic cloning in tonight’s vote.  https://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_148591.html

WASHINGTON, Dec 18, 2000 (LSN.ca) – US President-Elect George Bush has made selections for his administration which have been a great disappointment to pro-lifers who worked to elect him. On Saturday, Bush appointed retired Gen. Colin Powell as his Secretary of State and, on Sunday, he appointed Condoleezza Rice his national security adviser. He also named Alberto R. Gonzales to White House counsel. All are “pro-choice”. Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International (LDI), expressed disappointment over the choice of Powell. “This appointment is disappointing for two reasons,” Scott said. “First, General Powell is pro-abortion. Second, the position of […]

A judge has said a U.S. nurse in Nicaragua who was ordered out of the country last week for committing illegal abortions and for involving herself in leftist politics may stay. Nicaraguan judge Alvaro Ramirez ruled that Dorothy Granada is allowed to remain in the country since “she wasn’t notified, and she wasn’t given a date to appear before government authorities.” The decision may be appealed.  https://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001216/wl/nicaragua_us_nurse_2.html Catholic World News reports that an Indian political party has adopted a two-child norm for its members. The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of southern Andhra Pradesh state announced on Thursday that if […]

OTTAWA, Dec 18, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The five-month ordeal of the Mielke family in Ottawa has ended with the return of their 9 younger children by the Ottawa Children’s Aid Society (CAS). As LifeSite reported in July, David and Ruth Mielke had nine of their eleven children apprehended by the CAS after the agency (wrongly) suspected physical abuse. While Mr. Mielke admitted that his former house was in serious need of fixing and clean up, he protested that the tactics of the CAS were outrageous. The CAS refused to allow the family to negotiate needed changes while retaining the children. […]

ARLINGTON, Dec 18, 2000 (LSN.ca) – During a homily delivered December 9, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde blasted the U.S. government, asking, “How is it that our nation threatens to withhold foreign aid to countries unless they subscribe to an abortion-rights agenda?” The homily, published in Friday’s Catholic Herald, compared the United States to ancient cultures which practiced human sacrifice. “Mexico in 1531 was … one of the most technologically advanced nations in the Western Hemisphere … (where) it is estimated that 50,000 people a year, and one out of every five children born, were sacrificed. The bishop drew further […]

OTTAWA, Dec 18, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The federal statistics agency, Statistics Canada today released the 1998 statistics on “therapeutic” abortions in Canada noting a slight decline of 1.2% from 1997. There were 110,331 abortions in 1998, compared to 111,709 in 1997. While in most of the country the number of abortions declined, Quebec and the Yukon showed significant increases. The report notes that “abortions were most common among women in their twenties, who accounted for half of all women who obtained abortions in 1998. On average, 27 women out of every 1,000 in their twenties obtained an abortion.” See the […]

M.D. Blasts Sex Ed and Contraceptive Programs LONDON, Dec 15, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A massive increase in sexually transmitted diseases, reported by the British Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS), has prompted calls for doctors to persuade teens to abstain from sex. The BBC reports that PHLS figures show that since 1995, diagnoses of genital chlamydia have risen by 77%, gonorrhoea by 57%, syphilis by 56% and genital warts by 22%. Writing in the current issue of the British Medical Journal, Dr. Trevor Stammers, a professor in general practice and commentator on sexual health, notes that “in England alone, almost 90 […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 15, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled Wednesday that it contravenes federal law for employers to exclude contraceptives from their health insurance plans. CNN reports that the EEOC said that excluding contraceptives is a violation of the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which requires equal treatment of women “affected by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions,” in all aspects of employment, including fringe benefits. The commission also found that excluding contraceptives also amounts to sex discrimination because these prescriptions are available only for women. While the ruling is specific to the two cases brought forward, insurers […]

The Population Council (a population control group founded by the Rockefellers) is sponsoring a new Kenyan radio show delivering “Reproductive Health Information.” The program, called “Your Shout,” seeks to “stimulate debate about traditionally taboo subjects by encouraging callers to share their experiences and ask questions about sexual health.” (Population Council release, 12/6). AP reports that Mexico City legislators are drafting a bill that would legally recognize gay unions and allow gay couples to adopt children.  https://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/12/14/mexico.gayrights.ap/index.html

Toronto’s NOW magazine reports that professing homosexual MPP George Smitherman is lobbying the federal government to legalize homosexual marriage. “I am a politician who is tired of seeing chicken-hearted politicians who follow rather than lead,” Smitherman says, adding that he’s spoken with “many members of the Liberal caucus in Ottawa and one cabinet minister, and I intend to add my voice to those reasoned voices that say it’s time.”  https://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/current/newsbriefs2.html SPUC has learned this afternoon that members of the British House of Commons will be asked to vote on the government’s statutory instrument which would authorize research on cloned human […]

LONDON, Dec 14, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The annual report of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) released this week reveals that during the period 1998/9 there were just over 8,300 births due to all forms of in vitro fertilization. However, there were well over 70,000 human embryos who were created, implanted and died in order to achieve that result. The data in the report indicate “30,520 (cycles) reached embryo transfer” and in 50.5% of cases three embryos were transferred. Moreover, the report says that the number of transfers where “only two embryos” were transferred was 48.6%. The outrageous number […]

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Dec 14, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Dorothy Granada, a 70-year-old American nurse running an illegal abortion practice in Nicaragua has been ordered out of the mostly pro-life country. AP reports that Granada, originally form California, has been in Nicaragua for 10 years. Interior Minister Jose Marenco said, “If Granada does not leave the country voluntarily she will confront charges for alleged crimes committed at the clinic and her involvement in local politics.” A Santa Cruz, Calif., based feminist group, the Women’s Empowerment Network, said Dorothy Granada is “a saint, not an enemy of the state.” But Marenco retorted, “Granada […]

Infringes on Provincial Jurisdiction by Insisting Abortion is “medically necessary” MONCTON, N.B., Dec 14, 2000 (LSN.ca) – After having run a campaign promising not to “reopen the abortion debate” (with the claim that there is “social peace” on the issue), the Liberal government is opening the controversy – but only to force further taxpayer funding of the disturbing practise in New Brunswick. Federal Health Minister Allan Rock was quoted by the Canadian Press today as saying, “We are concerned that medically necessary services are made available to all Canadians without charge.” Rock’s statement infringes on provincial government jurisdiction since the […]

HALTON, Dec 14, 2000 (LSN.ca) – There have been rumours of collusion on the part of Liberal and Tory federal candidates in Ontario to keep the Canadian Alliance from winning. This gained credibility recently as Halton, Ontario PC candidate Tom Kilmer was caught by CBC cameras congratulating the Liberal winner. Kilmer congratulated Liberal MP Julian Reid saying “Hey, bud we did it. We kept the bastards (from winning).” Later in an interview Kilmer was unrepentant for his crude language and confirmed he was referring to beating the Alliance. “I said it and I meant it. I just find the Alliance […]

World Day of Peace Message Encourages Abandoning Western Culture VATICAN, Dec 14, 2000 (LSN.ca) – In his message for World Day of Peace January 1, 2001, released today, Pope John Paul II reminded the world that “there can be no peace” with abortion. The pope said “Human life cannot be seen as an object to do with as we please … It is not possible to invoke peace and despise life.” He clarified that he was speaking about the “tragic spiral of death which includes murder, suicide, abortion, euthanasia” torture and other human tragedies. “To this list we must add […]

Catholic Hospital Distortion in Press Release from Diocese of Springfield GRANITE CITY, ILL, Dec 13, 2000 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite has conducted an interview with the mother of the main pro-life family that pickets the Hope Clinic for Women across from the Catholic hospital where the abortuary’s chief abortionist/owner is employed. The interview reveals that the scandal is much more troublesome than first reported. In this LifeSite Special Report you will learn that * The Catholic hospital sold the grounds to the abortuary * The Catholic hospital has known about the abortionist on staff since the 1980s * Of the harrowing […]

OMAHA, Dec 13, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The University of Nebraska, which set off a firestorm last year when it was one of the first US institutions exposed for using aborted baby parts in research, is receiving an award. News reports state “The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has been honored with the 2000 Academic Freedom Award for its opposition to legislation banning research on tissue from aborted fetuses.” The Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska presented the award to the board Saturday during a regents meeting. LifeSite reported last year that the University was doing research on Alzheimer’s disease by […]

VATICAN, Dec 12, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Zenit News reports that on Monday the Pontifical Academy for Life published a document entitled, “Respect of the Dignity of the Dying,” concerning euthanasia. Published in response to the Dutch government’s legalization of the practice, the document reiterates Church teaching on the subject. Countering common arguments in favour of euthanasia, the document notes that “more than ever, pain is ‘curable’ with adequate analgesic means and palliative care,” together with “adequate human and spiritual assistance.” The full document is available on the Vatican’s website only in Italian at:  https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdlife/documents/rc_pa_acdlife_doc_20001209_eutanasia_it.html For more see the Zenit coverage […]

DUBLIN, Dec 13, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The decision by the Irish Medicines Board to ban the morning-after pill, Levonelle since it is an abortifacient and thus contrary to the country’s constitution, has enraged abortion proponents in Ireland. The Irish Independent reports today that the Irish Family Planning Doctors Association has complained that the drugs are licensed in every other WU country except Greece and according to the Independent “not regarded as a form of abortion anywhere else worldwide.” See the Independent’s coverage at:  https://www.independent.ie/2000/346/d04a.shtml

American Life League notes that Canadian physicians have reported on post-abortion emotional distress among mothers and fathers directly involved in surgical abortion. In the October 2000 edition of Canadian Family Physician, on pp. 2033-2040 is found the study “Emotional Distress Among Couples Involved in First-trimester Induced Abortions”.  https://www.cfpc.ca/CFP/canadian.htm. This issue is not on this web site at this time. For assistance in acquiring a copy of the study, contact [email protected] SPUC writes today that the report of the all-party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, which considered the abortion issue, urged the general availability of the morning-after pill and claimed that […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 12, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released statistics on US abortions in 1997. They note there were 1,186,039 surgical abortions reported in 1997, a decline of three per cent from 1996. While mainstream media outlets are reporting that a majority of women aborting babies were white, the statement is misleading and apparently contrived to hide the fact that abortion centers disproportionately target black and Hispanic communities. Among women whose race was reported (from 39 reporting areas), approximately 56% of women who obtained legal induced abortions were white, but Hispanics are also included […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 12, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A CBS “60 Minutes” episode which aired Sunday night promoted anti-Catholic bigotry by presenting the Church as a villain for denying “reproductive services” at Catholic hospitals. American Life League (ALL) notes that the program “featured ex-Catholic, Francis Kissling, head of the Catholic dissident group, Catholics for a Free Choice, parading as a practicing Catholic when in fact she is a heretic.” ALL president Judie Brown pointed out that the program also “featured a physician, an alleged practicing Catholic, at odds with ‘his church’ for not allowing him to provide his female patients with a […]

A study published today in the November/December issue of Family Planning Perspectives by the National Abortion Federation (NAF) notes that there has been an enormous increase in the last six years in the number of US medical schools training students to abort babies. While a 1992 study found 12% of OB-GYN residency programs offering such training, the NAF study reports that 46% per cent (nearly a four-fold increase) routinely offer training in first-trimester abortions, and 34% offer it as an elective. Routine second trimester abortion training increased even more dramatically, from 7% in 1992 to 44% in 1998. USA Today […]

BONN, Dec 12, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Human Rights Watch, today commended Germany for becoming the 25th country to ratify the Rome Treaty for the International Criminal Court (ICC). Today, Germany took the formal step to become the twenty-fifth state to ratify the treaty, by depositing its “instrument of ratification” at the United Nations. The Marshall Islands became the twenty-fourth state to ratify on December 7, 2000, reports HRW. See the HRW release at:  https://www.hrw.org/press/2000/12/icc_germany1211.htm See LifeSite critiques of the ICC at:  https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/dec/991213.html#1 https://www.lsn.ca/ldn/2000/mar/000314a.html https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/june/000616.html#2

OTTAWA, Dec 12, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Statistics have consistently shown that regular church attendance is strongly associated with a belief in the sanctity of life. Therefore current Canadian statistics which show a substantial decline in overall religious attendance is troubling to life and family organization leaders. Statistics Canada today released the 1998 statistics for religious services attendance. The figures note that while attendance rates over the 10-year period 1988 to 1998 declined for adults in all age groups, the drop was most notable among those who were young adults in 1988. In 1988, 34% of youths aged 15 to 24 […]

The quotes from former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney suggesting a united conservative party must rid itself of social conservatism come from an article in the National Post and not a letter to the National Post as was indicated erroneously in the news yesterday. The letter expressing similar sentiments was written by PC supporter Norman Spector. Moreover the one quote in the LifeSite article yesterday referring to Day as an “extremist” was made by Spector not Mulroney. Mulroney’s quotes can be found in the National Post article here:  https://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20001211/400447.html

* GATES FUNDS IPPF $8.8 MIL Microsoft mogul Bill Gates’ Foundation has donated another $8.8 million (US) to International Planned Parenthood Federation. Reuters reports that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will give money to the world’s largest abortion provider over five years.  https://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/women/12/11/health.women.gates.reut/ * CLINTON TO REPAY PLANNED PARENTHOOD FOR LOBBYING The Family Research Council reports that President Clinton is trying to force Congress to approve a massive spending increase ($35 million) in federal tax dollars for the “Title X” (Title Ten) family planning fund which mainly benefits abortion provider Planned Parenthood. Conservatives in Washington are claiming the President […]

BERN, Dec 11, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Last Thursday, the Swiss House approved a law allowing abortion on demand in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The law stipulates that doctors must inform women of the alternatives. The law now moves to the Senate but Swiss news agencies are suggesting that the law would likely have to go to a nationwide vote before its implementation. United Nations records indicate that abortion in now legal in Switzerland only in cases of threats to the life and health of the mother. For more see the Swissinfo coverage at:  https://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=111&sid=26233

Health critic warns this can only worsen STD epidemic LONDON, Dec 11, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The abortifacient morning-after pill will be available to girls as young as 16 in Britain even without a doctor’s prescription. Beginning in January, the drugs will be made available direct from pharmacists. As in America, the media and the abortion movement have attempted to convince the public that the pills prevent pregnancy rather than cause abortion. In fact, the pills do not allow a human embryo to implant in the mother’s womb and thus starve the already created child to death. The BBC reports that […]

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, Long Island, NY, Dec 12, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Bishop James Thomas McHugh of Rockville Centre died of cancer yesterday at 68. His pro-life witness was recalled by his good friend New York Archbishop Egan, who said, “During these months of his illness, he continued to preach the sanctity of life, only now he added his own example of the beauty of life, even when it is attended by sickness and suffering.” The NY Daily News reports that even while already succumbing to cancer he continued his pro-life activism. “Last month, from his hospital bed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer […]

Another pro-abortion "Catholic" Canadian political leader

The Sunday Times reported that the number of publicly funded sex-change operations in Britain is set to triple, despite the long waiting lists for essential treatments caused by funding shortages.  https://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/12/03/stinwenws01010.html To fight off more conservative proposals that Australian government has passed a law banning reproductive cloning while allowing human cloning for research purposes. The law also forbids creating animal-human hybrids. The law proposes a 10 year prison term for reproductive cloning, and the large penalty is being used to pretend to be serious about abuses in new reproductive technologies while in fact it allows for very objectionable research and […]

AP reports that during in September actress Jane Fonda, estranged wife of Ted Turner, donated $11.7 million (US) to a pro-abortion political group called Pro Choice Vote. For this and other contributions by to Gore’s recount campaign by famous Americans see the AP report.  https://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001207/el/recount_fund_raising_4.html AP reports that Duke University will allow same-sex “commitment ceremonies” in its famous gothic chapel.  https://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2000/12/06/national0534EST0472.DTL&nl=fix The National Council of Churches has removed its endorsement from a interdenominational statement in favour of retaining the traditional definition of marriage after opposition from homosexual activists reports Focus on the Family.  https://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/A0014001.html

VATICAN CITY, Dec 8, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Father Felice Ruffini, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers condemned the accusation that the Church is spreading AIDS by being opposed to condoms as “psychological terrorism.” Zenit News reported that the comments follow the conclusion of a Vatican summit on AIDS. The church maintains that “chastity in keeping with each person’s state is the safest means of prevention.” In a statement made Tuesday Rev. Ruffini said it is a “real act of psychological terrorism to present the position of the Church against the prophylactic as one, if […]

VATICAN CITY, Dec 8, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano has publicly voiced support for allowing parents choice in the education of their children through the use of school vouchers. Zenit News reports that during a meeting with the Catholic Union of Secondary School Teachers yesterday, the cardinal said it was a “good idea,” to have such legislation. The debate over school vouchers has often heard the proponents of “public” education fear mongering that a system of vouchers would destroy the school system. In fact, a system of vouchers would give parents the power to insist […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 8, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The bill proposed in the United States Senate and Congress to fight the implementation of the UN’s International Criminal Court has received backing from influential leaders across the political spectrum. The New York Times reported yesterday that on Nov. 29, 12 former high-level officials backed the American Servicemen’s Protection Act (ASPA) in a letter to House majority whip Tom DeLay. Signatures on the letter included that of four former secretaries of state, James A. Baker III, Lawrence S. Eagleburger, Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz, and three former national security advisers, Richard V. […]

TORONTO, Dec 8, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The absolute intolerance of academia for anyone who does not swear by the doctrine of rabid feminism has presented itself once again as a University of Toronto professor’s views have been berated by the university’s president. The anniversary of the shooting of 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique by a madman has long been exploited by feminists to push their radical agenda. When the University of Toronto sent around an email to all faculty and staff promoting an event commemorating the anniversary, computer science professor Charles Rackoff decided to send his reply, objecting to […]

MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec 8, 2000 (LSN.ca) – An Australian study on miscarriage published in the current British Journal of Medical Psychology says, “Miscarriage can no longer be regarded as a minor matter by either health professionals or the lay community.” The study reported that grief and trauma are almost universally experienced by both mothers and fathers of unborn children lost through miscarriage. The researchers questioned 39 mothers who had had miscarriages within three weeks and 32 of their partners. Nearly 90 per cent of women and 87 per cent of men said they were sad or very sad in reaction […]

Just Decision was Highly Unlikely from Radical Feminist, Pro-homosexual Activist Judge OTTAWA, Dec 7, 2000 (LSN.ca) – This morning the Supreme Court of Canada denied leave to appeal to The Challenge Team, an abstinence-only educational group. The Challenge Team was refused charitable status by Revenue Canada since they refused to promote alternatives to chastity such as condoms and the abortifacient morning-after pill. Unbelievably, the denial of appeal included forcing the very low budget group to pay Revenue Canada court costs. Harold Visser, the leader of the Challenge Team, who represented the group before the Federal Court of Appeal in March, […]

FREDERICTON, Dec 7, 2000 (LSN.ca) – New Brunswick Provincial Health Minister Dennis Furlong admitted yesterday that the Liberal Government in Ottawa is urging the province to finance the private abortuary of prominent abortionist Henry Morgentaler. The province pays for abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy committed at hospitals by an obstetrician-gynecologist after the approval of two physicians. But Morgentaler, whose baby-killing franchise business has made him a fortune in Canada, is complaining that his Fredericton “clinic”, which aborts babies at least until 16 weeks, is not funded. The Canadian Press reports that documents obtained under the federal Access […]

PORTLAND, Dec 7, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A study of 69 assisted suicides committed by Jack Kevorkian has revealed that 75% of his victims were not terminally ill. The results of the study published in a letter in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine note that seventy-two percent of the patients had had a recent decline in health status that may have precipitated the desire to die. Data analyzed from the Oakland County medical examiner’s files, including autopsy findings for the 69 deaths, showed that seventy-one percent of the victims were women, a finding that is noteworthy […]

LONDON, Dec 7, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A publication ban was partially lifted by the High Court yesterday to allow the parents of separated Siamese twins Jodie and Mary to finally tell their story in a televised interview tonight. The Scotsman paper reports that Michaelangelo and Rina Attard, devout Roman Catholics from the Maltese island of Gozo, who were married two years ago, say that Jodie is becoming stronger as each day passes. Speaking of her daughter Mary’s death after the separation operation, Mr. Attard said: “They told us that unfortunately Mary died. Even though we were prepared, it was a […]

GRANITE CITY, ILL, Dec 7, 2000 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite has learned that abortionist Dr. Yogendra Shah, has been removed from his position as the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Catholic hospital where he nevertheless continues to be employed. A release from the Diocese of Springfield says that he has been removed from the elevated position. The hospital, St. Elizabeth Medical Center suggests that moves to unseat Shah were underway before the story hit the press two days ago in a report by WorldNetDaily. However, he had been in that position for three years. The abortionist runs an abortuary […]

The Centre for Bioethical Reform (CBR) web page has developed a page showing the visual reality of abortion using Canadian coins as a backdrop. CBR specializes in using sophisticated visual imaging to reveal the blunt reality of abortion that almost all media, politicians and abortion supporters cover up with euphemisms such as “choice”. See Canadian page https://cbrinfo.org/canada.html CBR home page https://cbrinfo.org/ A study published in the current edition of New Scientist shows that natural conception of children through sexual intercourse is inextricably linked to successful procreation. The study found that couples who have sexual relations at or around the time […]

JERUSALEM, Dec 6, 2000 (LSN.ca) – During a heated debate on abortion in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) yesterday, Health Ministry official Dr. Yoram Lotan revealed abortion statistics for the first seven months of 2000. The Ha’aretz newspaper reports today that from January to July this year, 11,619 abortion requests had been filed, and 11,403 were approved. A similar number of abortions are estimated to have been performed without clearance from the hospital committees.” Meanwhile, the Director of the pro-life group Efrat, Dr. Eli Shosheim, reported to government officials that in 1999, his organization saved 1,018 babies, “which would have ended […]

The pregnant woman who was stabbed in the leg with a needle containing the abortion-causing drug methotrexate by her doctor-boyfriend has happily given birth to a baby boy. Joy Schepis, 31, was stabbed with the needle in April by Dr. Stephen Pack who has pleaded not guilty and suffering from mental problems and is due in court December 12. Schepis named her child Michael, after the Archangel who fought off Satan, and was thankful for the prayers offered for the life of her unborn child. (Pro-Life E-News)  https://www.nypost.com/12012000/news/17416.htm The head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) asked President […]

LONDON, Dec 6, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Pedophiles are contacting one in five children who use Internet chatrooms. Britain’s police force unit in charge of Internet crime has advised that parents house computers in the main living area of the house so that use by children can be closely supervised. Detective Chief Superintendent Keith Akerman said, “There is clearly a problem out there of which parents and children are not yet fully aware. The aim of this report is to highlight the dangers and suggest practical ways the risks can be reduced.” A safety guide to be given out in schools […]

TAIPEI, Dec 6, 2000 (LSN.ca) – Taiwanese papers reported yesterday that the abortion pill RU-486 will be on the market soon. The Taipei Times reports that a recent survey of women by the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that 84 percent of the respondents said that the availability of RU486 was bound to lead to promiscuity. Ninety-three percent of the respondents agreed with the view that the use of RU486 should be restricted. LifeSite reported in August that another poll showed 87 percent of Taiwanese teenagers believe abortion is equivalent to murder, although 54 percent said they would, […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 6, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The director of planning and information of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops slammed the American Medical Association for their recent decision to promote over-the-counter distribution of the abortifacient morning-after-pill. Cathy Cleaver noted that the AMA was being “extremely misleading” calling the morning-after-pill a “contraceptive.” In an interview with United Press International (UPI) she said, “They call it a contraceptive. But what it really does is preventing the fertilized embryo from implanting itself on the uterine wall.” Cleaver slammed the AMA dishonesty saying, “They are trying to fool women, as if they didn’t know […]

https://www.lifesitenews.com/coren/ra/120400dayshead.rm

OTTAWA, Dec 5, 2000 (LSN.ca) – The sore losers in the campaign to have Tom Long head the Canadian Alliance party have come out swinging after the federal election, falsely claiming that the Alliance must abandon its social conservatism to win in Ontario. This confirms what was suspected about Tom Long’s key strategists during the leadership campaign. The Harris Tories were suspected of promoting their own agenda to re-make the Alliance. This would have taken the form of another socially liberal, inner circle controlled central power machine, with no intention of strengthening the social quality of life in the country. […]

GRANITE CITY, ILL, Dec 5, 2000 (LSN.ca) – For the past three years an abortionist has been employed by a Granite City, Illinois Catholic hospital as the Chief of Staff, while operating his abortuary across the street. The disturbing news was reported today by WorldNetDaily’s Jon Dougherty. He reveals that Dr. Yogendra Shah, named chief of staff of St. Elizabeth Medical Center three years ago, performs some 7,000 abortions annually at his “Hope Clinic for Women” abortuary. The abortuary advertises on its websites that it offers abortions even beyond 24-weeks “on a case-by-case basis” and reminds underage teens considering an […]

OTTAWA, Dec 5, 00 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite has learned that on Thursday the Supreme Court of Canada will render its decision on allowing The Challenge Team, an abstinence-only educational youth group, to appeal the Revenue Canada decision to deny them charitable status. Revenue Canada, which has stripped pro-life groups including Alliance Canada and Human Life International of the charitable status, refused the group its status since they do not promote alternatives to chastity such as condoms and the abortifacient morning-after pill. LifeSite interviewed Harold Visser, the leader of the Challenge Team, who represented the group before the Federal Court of […]

LONDON, ON, Dec 5, 00 (LSN.ca) – Rhonda Clarke, a member of the Toronto-based Right to Die Society has publicly admitted to being present at assisted suicides and also admits she is currently “counselling” at least one Lou Gehrig’s sufferer intent on ending his life. The revelations appeared Saturday in a London Free Press article sparked by the Dutch decision to legalize euthanasia. The article contrasts right-to-life and euthanasia activists. Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the London-based Euthanasia Prevention Coalition of Ontario, said in an interview that “The Netherlands has one of the weakest palliative care systems anywhere. The answer […]

OTTAWA, Dec 4, 00 (LSN.ca) – LifeSite has learned that contrary to an earlier report, the Eternal Word Television Network (a family and life-affirming Catholic television station), has not yet been rejected by the CRTC. The channel still has the possibility of being approved and those hoping for its availability in Canada have been asked to pray for its success. Moreover, those subscribing to cable service in Canada have been asked to write in “on or with your bill” to the cable company that you would like to see EWTN made available in Canada. LifeSite will be updated shortly on […]

Michele Diaz a nurse who once worked in Riverside County Florida has filed a federal lawsuit after being fired because she refused—based on religious beliefs—to dispense abortifacient morning after pills.  https://www.inlandempireonline.com/news/stories/120200/nurse.shtml Catholic World News reported Friday that Finland’s government has proposed a new law to legalize homosexual unions and grant them the same legal rights and responsibilities as married couples, without calling it marriage or giving them the right to adopt children. Parliament will begin discussing the issue some time in December. Adding to pressures to legalize homosexual marriage in Canada, a homosexual couple from Nova Scotia got “married” in […]

VATICAN CITY, Dec 4, 00 (LSN.ca) – The Vatican has issued a strong condemnation of the proposed Charter of Fundamental Rights to be adopted at the European Union summit in Nice next week. The document seeks to establish rights for homosexuals normally reserved for heterosexual marriage by including the term “sexual orientation” in a section outlining grounds on which discrimination is prohibited. The Times reported that the Vatican’s intervention is most unwelcome by the agenda-driven liberals behind the Charter since it was hoped that all controversy could be avoided by first approving the document and then later making its enforcement […]

MEXICO CITY, Dec 4, 00 (LSN.ca) – Mexican President-elect Vincente Fox’s adopted daughter Ana Cristina, 21, is a pro-life activist and offers hope for Mexico’s unborn children. She works with mother’s experiencing crisis pregnancies and has made public statements in favour of repealing some state laws allowing abortion in cases of rape. Quoted in a media interview, she noted that if her mother chose to abort “I wouldn’t be here”. On the rape exception she said, “I understand that to be raped must be really hard, especially if the result is pregnancy, but you can’t forget you are carrying a […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 4, 00 (LSN.ca) – The American Medical Association (AMA) and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have once again gone far beyond the call of duty in promoting abortion. Last week ACOG put out a news release promoting the use of Misoprostol in conjunction with Mifepristone (RU-486) in order to counter the drug manufacturers warning against such use of its product. Meanwhile the AMA is set to encourage the over-the-counter distribution of the abortifacient morning-after-pill. See the press release by ACOG https://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr11-30-00-3.htm See the AMA info on MAP https://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/337/nation/AMA_backs_access_to_morning_after_pill+.shtml See related LifeSite on Searle and an […]

LONDON, Dec 4, 00 (LSN.ca) – Canon Dr John Polkinghorne, a leading advisor to the Church of England and a member of the General Synod has submitted a briefing paper to the Church’s Board for Social Responsibility (BSR) saying that research on cloned human embryos is “morally acceptable.” While the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales condemned the proposal, Polkinghorne poked fun at the Catholic “absolute” position saying that while it must be given, “respectful attention, it is fair to say that it does not wholly correspond to actual practice. No one seems to suggest holding a funeral service for […]

Hopefully with a view to establishing order, the Vatican has called together the worlds most prominent Catholic development organizations urging them to get back in touch with their “Catholic identity”. Recent support by the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace for pro-abortion initiatives like March of Women 2000 led many Catholics to question the organization’s Catholic identity.  https://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=9949 Immediately following the uproar in Canada over the slamming of the Christianity of Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, the Vatican’s top foreign-policy official, speaking to his European counterparts, has insisted that religious liberty must be seen “in its own right,” rather […]

VANCOUVER, Dec 1 (LSN.ca) – As of December 1st, B.C. women of all ages will be obtaining their emergency contraception directly from pharmacists. For the first time in history, a politician, Premier Ujjal Dosanjh changed the pharmacy bylaws so pharmacists can now “prescribe” a product directly to patients without their having to see a physician. Some B.C. pharmacists are petitioning the government to reverse this risky project. “It is not only pro-life pharmacists who are protesting,” says Vancouver pharmacist Cristina Alarcon, who represents B.C. Pharmacists for Conscience. “Our protest is not against choice per se, but against the fact that […]

Abortion, MAP in Schools, and Foetal Tissue Transplants PARIS, Dec 1 (LSN.ca) – This week news from France showed an acceleration in the culture of death as the French government voted to extend abortion’s availability up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Catholic World News reported that another portion of the legislation regarding parental permission for minors seeking abortion under debate. The legislature also approved the distribution of abortifacient morning-after-pills to students in schools. Moreover, the current issue of the Lancet journal reveals that researchers in France have used the brains of aborted babies in experiments to treat Huntington’s Disease. […]

LONDON, Dec 1 (LSN.ca) – Reacting to plans by the British government to lower the age of consent for homosexual sex down from 18 to 16 despite the fact that the House of Lords has twice rejected the move, religious leaders, politicians and pro-family groups have banded together. In a letter to England’s Daily Telegraph, Most Rev George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Winning, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, the Most Rev Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Yousuf Bhailok, secretary general of the Muslim Council […]

CINCINNATI, Dec 1 (LSN.ca) – The pro-life community in Cincinnati is shocked and outraged at the antics of a supposed pro-life leader in the community for supporting the campaign of a pro-abortion judge to be appointed to the state Supreme Court. The current issue of the St. Catherine Review relates that Mary Ann Boyd, Respect Life Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati publicly endorsed Democrat Tim Black, 47, for a seat on the Supreme Court of Ohio with lawn signs during the recent election season. Black’s ties to the pro-abortion movement run deep and his run ins with pro-lifers have […]

VATICAN CITY, Dec 1 (LSN.ca) – Archbishop Javier Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Workers, was speaking on the opening of a two-day symposium at the Vatican on AIDS yesterday. During his press briefing he stressed that the “best prevention” against the deadly disease “is chastity, both within and outside of marriage, even if that means going against the “pan-sexual and permissive” trends that have given rise to the AIDS epidemic. Addressing the recent controversy which pretended that the Vatican was soon to change its stance on condoms, Barragan said, “We are opposed to the use of condoms […]

VATICAN, Dec.1, (LSN.ca/CWNews.com) At a Rome conference, U.S. Cardinal Bernard Law stated that Catholic laity must “not separate the Gospel from their daily life.” That separation is “a great menace” for contemporary society, Cardinal Law said; he cited the posture taken by lay Catholic politicians who claim to be “personally opposed” to abortion and yet vote to allow the procedure. This attitude, he said, advances the “culture of death,” which can only be overcome “by the unambiguous affirmation of the inviolability of every human life.” Following the re-election in Canada of the strongly pro-abortion “Catholic” Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien […]

TOKYO, Dec 1 (LSN.ca) – Yesterday Japan’s parliament passed 229-11 a law banning human cloning with penalties on infringement including up to 10 years in prison or a fine of $90,000 (US). AP reports that the law also prohibits creating hybrid human-animal embryos and implanting them in humans or animals. Canada remains one of the only countries in the world without any laws regulating the exploding field of new reproductive technologies. For more see the AP coverage at:  https://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500285178-500449855-502932719-0,00.html