Articles for Month: May 2003

SYDNEY, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New South Wales has lowered the age for homosexual sex to 16. A so-called “historic conscience vote” in the state Legislative Council, or upper house, ended in a 23 to 16 result, “generating cheers and applause from a packed public gallery,” according to media reports.  The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. George Pell, and the Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Michael Malone, said the state is “opening a real Pandora’s box. … At 16 it is too easy for children to be manipulated into sexual acts against their will.” Pell added, “Parliament should not enshrine the ideological […]

KYOTO, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Japanese researchers have created the country's first human embryonic stem cells for experimentation purposes. Despite widespread success with adult stem cells whose use does not violate human dignity, many scientists remain wedded to the unproven “superior potential” of stem cells derived from human embryos. A team led by Norio Nakatsuji of Kyoto University's Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, produced an embryonic stem cell from about 10 cells from a frozen human embryo with the donor couple's (i.e. the parents') consent. The doctors hope to donate about two million stem cells to each of 50 […]

SYDNEY, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an unusual inheritance squabble, the Supreme Court of New South Wales was asked to determine whether frozen embryos brought to term before or after a grandparent’s death should share the estate with their already-born siblings.  The grandmother in the case was told in 1991 that her son and daughter-in-law had undergone IVF treatment and were keeping a number frozen embryos. At the time she wrote her will, she had only one grandchild; a second was born before her death in 2000. Since then, two more embryos were successfully implanted and brought to term—for […]

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The homosexual movement is more excited about this year’s line-up for the 2004 Democratic Party presidential nomination than in any previous election cycle, says a report from San Francisco.  “Despite the differences among the nine declared Democratic candidates, each is clearly more supportive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality than the current occupant of the White House,” says the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which has applied homosexual litmus tests to candidates since 1988.  “As a group, this is the most pro-gay presidential field ever,” said Matt Foreman, the group’s executive director. […]

DENVER, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The official news service for the Presbyterian Church USA has reported that the church’s General Assembly Committee on Health Issues approved a statement on late-term abortion by a vote of 59-17 on Tuesday.  The new statement, like the one from last year, gives moral sanction to late-term abortion “when necessary to save the life of the woman, to preserve the woman’s health in circumstances of a serious risk to the woman’s health, to avoid fetal suffering as a result of untreatable life threatening medical anomalies, or in cases of incest or rape.”

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Researchers at Catholic George Washington University are touting a new study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health, which they say shows that condom availability in schools does not increase sexual activity among teenagers. However, the study by the liberal Catholic University does not support the reported findings. As the researchers themselves admit, because the study was not designed to examine changes in condom use from pre- to post-program, its findings don’t definitively prove the condom availability programs influenced teen sexual behaviors.  Family Research Council President Ken Connor said, […]

RALEIGH, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop George E. Lynch, former auxiliary bishop of Raleigh and a pro-life activist during his retirement, died May 25, 2003, four days before the 60th anniversary of his ordination. He was 86 years old. Working with Operation Rescue, the bishop was arrested more than 21 times.  His silent prayers said while sitting or kneeling in front of abortion centers served to change the minds and hearts of many mothers contemplating aborting their children.  A Memorial Mass will be celebrated by Raleigh Bishop Joseph Gossman on Tuesday, June 10, 4:30 p.m., at Our Lady of […]

Andrew H. from Harwood, Ontario tells LifeSite, “Keep up the awesome work”.  Jeanne K from Connersville, IL wrote, “Our committee needs all the info we can get to keep our parishioners up to date on all life issues.  Thank you for the great work you are doing- it is sorely needed at this time.”  Mary S. From British Columbia says “Thank you for this service.  It is an excellent source of information.  It not only contains important news, but also inspires me to work harder for the cause of life and dignity.”  U.S. Congressman Chris Smith wrote, “Your site is […]

VANCOUVER, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Renegade Canadian Anglican Bishop Michael Ingham of the Diocese of New Westminster sanctioned homosexual union ceremonies to be performed in six of his parishes.  The act gave the diocese the distinction of being the first Anglican Diocese in the world to officially sanction the blessing of same-sex unions.  After his permission was granted Wednesday, one of the churches performed a homosexual union ceremony that very evening.  Rev. Margaret Marquardt presided over a ceremony for couple Michael Kalmuk and Kelly Montfort at St. Margaret’s Cedar Cottage Church in east Vancouver.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr […]

OTTAWA, May 29, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Over the last number of weeks LifeSite has been asked repeatedly for a list of Canadian charities which are supportive of embryonic stem cell research. Support for the controversial research by the charities has led donors with moral convictions to focus their donations elsewhere. LifeSite recently discovered that The Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC) supports embryonic stem cell research. The ASC “Statement on Stem Cell Research”, developed in June last year, notes “guidelines for stem cell research developed by CIHR and covered by federal legislation will be used by ASC to define the scope […]