LifeSite NewsBytes

The U.N. is better because of Bush.  https://www.nationalreview.com/lopez/lopez200401300905.asp   Homosexual Activist BC MLA Nebbeling Turfed from Provincial Cabinet after ‘Marriage’ Announcement https://www.whistlerquestion.com/madison%5CWQuestion.nsf/WQnews/D59657A4A9FEF85788256E2A0070164F?OpenDocument Fr. Groeschel has taken a turn for the worse – see latest update https://www.franciscanfriars.com/frglenn17.htm Massachusetts Democratic Party Backs Homosexual Marriage https://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2805119/detail.html Alberta to Intervene in Supreme Court Reference in Support of Traditional Marriage [previously available at https://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/cs.cs-01-30-0038.html]  400,000 frozen human embryos in storage in United States https://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=EMBRYOS-02-01-04&cat=AN Source of Same-Sex Attractions in Children: Parenting and Social Influences https://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=47888 Major US Pro-Abortion Group Teams Up With ‘Punk’ Bands to Attract Youth https://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200401/CUL20040130a.html UK Woman Gives Birth to her Biological […]
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Scotland’s Bishops Vigorously Support the Sanctity of Marriage; Condemn Artificial Contraception

Scotland, January 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a media release dated January 28, 2004, the office of the Catholic bishops conference of Scotland has given a clear and unflinching exposition of the Catholic teaching on the sanctity of marriage, of its indissolubility and of the sinfulness of any sexual activity outside the marriage bond. It left no room for equivocation on the Catholic teaching on artificial contraception or so-called “gay” marriage. A quarter of million leaflets containing the bishops’ statement will be distributed to Scottish Catholic schools and Scotland’s 450 parishes this weekend. Cardinal O’Brien, the Archbishop of St. Andrews […]
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U.S. Professors Say Catholic Bishops Obliged to Refuse Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians

United States, January 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two Ivy League law professors have written on the incongruity of Catholic politicians’ support of abortion and ask, “What should the leaders of the Church do about such people?” Gerard V. Bradley, professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, and Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, have written in the National Review Online defending the actions of Raymond Burke, the newly installed archbishop of St. Louis, who, in one of his last acts as bishop of LaCrosse Wisconsin, issued an order excluding Holy Communion from Catholic […]
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UN Announces it Will Recognize Homosexual Civil Unions and Unmarried Heterosexual Partnerships

GENEVA, January 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations announced yesterday that it will recognize homosexual civil unions and unmarried heterosexual partnerships, mandating that they receive all the benefits enjoyed by normal heterosexual spouses such as pensions and health care. The only stipulation is that the civil union be recognized, and a letter of permission granted, by the employee’s country of origin. The administrative order, which came from Secretary-general, Kofi Annan’s office, was issued on January 20th but not released until yesterday.  Homosexual “marriage” is currently sanctioned in the Netherlands, Belgium, and two Canadian provinces, while Scandinavia has extensive allowances […]
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U.S. Court Grants Asylum to Chinese Couple Threatened with Forced Abortion

SAN FRANCISCO, January 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A U.S. appeals court has decided in a 10-1 ruling to grant asylum to Chinese nationals Xu Ming Li and Xin Kui Yu who fled that country in 1998 after warrants were released for their arrest. The couple, who were denied a marriage licence in China because they were not yet of legal age, were threatened with forced sterilization and abortion. Family planning officials, acting on a false rumour that Li was pregnant, ordered the couple to end their relationship. When Li defiantly told the official that she would have many babies, he […]
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Catholic University Continuing to Use Cell Lines from Aborted Babies – Cardinal Approves

WASHINGTON, DC, January 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When LifeSiteNews.com first broke the story “Washington Cardinal Ends Catholic Universitys Use of Aborted Fetal Cell Lines” last month (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04010601.html ), it was based on factual evidence. Children of God for Life, a pro-life group specializing in fighting the use of aborted fetal cell lines in vaccines, contacted the Cardinal McCarrick about Georgetown University – a Catholic University – using aborted fetal cell lines in research. The Cardinal responded with a letter to Children of God for Life Director Debra Vinnedge saying the “problem” had “been resolved”. However, it turns out that Georgetown […]
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Mexican Bishops Warn Morning After Pill Causes Abortion and Brings Excommunication

MEXICO CITY, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Mexican bishops have expressed an unequivocal denunciation of the Mexican government’s decision last week to legalize and distribute the chemical-abortion morning-after pill.  In a series of statements released this week, bishops there are expressing their outrage with statements such as “The pill is a method of abortion comparable to murder,” and “women who use the pill are effectively excommunicating themselves from the church.”  In a statement from the Mexican Bishops Conference Family Committee, Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar said that “Contraception and abortion are both products of an anti-life mentality, which comes from the culture […]
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The New Eugenics: Latest Advance in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Extolled

NEW YORK, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A New York hospital is boasting of a medical first – a successful genetic screen which allowed for the survival and birth of two healthy children whose father is a known carrier of the gene linked to a form of eye cancer, retinoblastoma. The Newsday article on the subject failed to mention the fact that 22 of the pair’s siblings were discarded in order to achieve this end. With Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, only those children with the desired genetic trait being selected for—of the dozen created using IVF—are implanted into the womb of […]
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Embargo of US Funding for UNFPA Continues

WASHINGTON, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com/c-fam.org) – The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute reported today in its Friday fax that the US Congress has voted to permanently reallocate $56 million in funding previously earmarked for the United Nations Population Fund.  The money represents the amount withheld from UNFPA for the past two years because of the UNFPA’s known participation in coercive abortions in China.  Under the U.S. Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriations Act, any organization which participates in coercive abortion precludes them from any financial support. UNFPA and its closest ally, International Planned Parenthood Federation, are still […]
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Pope Warns Parents of Grave Responsibility to Protect Children from Harmful Media

VATICAN CITY, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In his message for the May 23 World Communications Day, which was released last week, Pope John Paul II warned that the media “have the capacity to do grave harm to families.” The Pope said the theme chosen for the Day is “The Media and the Family: A Risk and a Richness” invites, “sober reflection on the use which families make of the media and, in turn, on the way that families and family concerns are treated by the media.”  The Pope reminded both media communicators and consumers that “all communication has a […]
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Pro-Life Report Cards on U.S. States Show Louisiana, Texas and Pennsylvania Most Pro-Life

CHICAGO, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Louisiana is first, Vermont is worst, while Texas is the most improved in state efforts to protect women and unborn children. Americans United for Life (AUL), recently released its inaugural 2004 State Report Cards, ranking states based upon 24 health-related and life-affirming criteria.  States were credited for initiatives designed to protect women, their health, and their unborn children. Louisiana’s top score of 36 (out of a possible 42) indicates that elected officials in each state can do more to safeguard women and the unborn. “The states are critical players in the cause for life, […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Minnesota Legislature Consider Constitutional Amendment to Protect Marriage Pope Praises Large Families in 2004 Lenten Message Mel Gibson agrees to change ‘Passion’ film to combat anti-Semitism Virginia House Passes Bill to Make Stricter Rules at Abortuaries Washington DC School vouchers to start by fall Second hand smoke and Urban Pollution Combo Harms Developing Unborn
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Adoption Ban for Same-Sex Couples Upheld by U.S. Appeals Court

MIAMI, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday upheld the Florida law that bans homosexuals from adopting children. The three-judge panel affirmed a U.S. district judge’s 2001 ruling in favour of Florida’s 1977 law. Florida is the only state that prohibits homosexual adoption. In the court’s unanimous decision, Judge Stanley Birch argued that the court is not in a position to overrule the state Legislature, writing that “‘We exercise great caution when asked to take sides in an ongoing public policy debate. Any argument that the Florida Legislature was misguided in its decision is […]
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Parents Overwhelmingly Prefer Their Kids Be Taught Abstinence

COLORADO SPRINGS, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The vast majority of American parents want their children’s sex education classes to emphasize abstinence until marriage, according to a new poll released today. The survey, conducted by Zogby International for Focus on the Family, also found that parents strongly oppose the values and messages of comprehensive sex education, a training model that assumes teens will become sexually active and, therefore, must be given easy access to condoms. The survey of 1,008 parents of children under 17 found that sixty-eight percent of parents want schools to teach teens that individuals who remain abstinent […]
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Poll Shows Majority of Americans Believe Abortion Makes Women’s Lives Worse

WASHINGTON, DC, January 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new national poll indicates that the majority of Americans believe abortion makes women’s lives worse.  According to the poll, only 16 percent believe abortion generally makes women’s lives better. Even among those who describe themselves as “pro-choice,” less than 30 percent believe abortion generally improves women’s lives. In addition, the poll results, contained in a new pamphlet from the Elliot Institute, reveal that 67 percent of pro-choice women stated they would be “more likely to vote for a candidate who calls for government support for grief counseling programs to assist women who […]
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LifeSite Newsbytes

As Kerry Emerges, So Does Concern That As President He May Be Denied Communion https://www.spiritdaily.com/kerry.htm   Canadian Feds hold back on same sex appeal https://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/01/28/327965-cp.html   Poll: Women say abortion makes life worse   https://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36802   Ontario doctors suffering low morale, poll says https://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1075256487282_5///?hub=Health   Kerry Wins New Hampshire Primary, Takes Strong Lead   https://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4223701   U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige Says D.C. Vouchers Amount to “educational Emancipation”  https://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAOI4HNZPD.html   FCC Fines Clear Channel Stations for Indecency https://www.cnsnews.com//ViewNation.asp?Page=Nationarchive
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LifeSite Newsbytes

Virus that opens ‘back doors’ on computers included in 1 of every 12 e-mails worldwide Will We face Our Porn Problem?   Revealing interviews: 3 Dem. candidates talk to homosexual magazine
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The Death of Marriage in Scandinavia

STOCKHOLM, January 27, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Statistics from Norway and Sweden reveal that the majority of children – 60 percent – are born from parents who are not married. Same-sex marriage has been the norm in these countries for more than a decade. Stanley Kurtz, in his Weekly Standard article on the issue begs the question: “Will Same-Sex Marriage Undermine the Institution of Marriage? It Already Has.”  Kurtz writes that Scandinavian same-sex marriage, “Instead of encouraging a society-wide return to marriage…has driven home the message that marriage itself is outdated, and that virtually any family form, including out-of-wedlock parenthood, is […]
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Massachusetts Rallies Against Gay Marriage “Judicial Tyranny”

BOSTON, January 27, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an effort to overturn the November 18 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling demanding legalization of same-sex marriage, 2000 supporters of the traditional definition of marriage rallied in Fall River, Worcester, and Springfield. The rallies come as a deadline approaches for debate in the Legislature which occurs February 11, the last opportunity before the ruling is set to come into effect in May.  At St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic High School in Worcester, Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly addressed the nearly 900 gathered in the gymnasium, calling the November Supreme Judicial Court decision “a terrible, terrible […]
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Children of God for Life introduces Fair Labelling and Informed Consent Act 2004

CLEARWATER, Fl, January 27, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Children of God for Life presented proposed legislation to Congressman Chris Smith’s office titled, the Fair Labeling and Informed Consent Act 2004 (FLICA), on January 20th.  The bill would require any prescription or non-prescription drug, vaccine or medical treatment that contains or is produced using embryonic or foetal cell lines obtained from procured abortion – or produced sexually or asexually through embryonic stem cell research or human cloning, to be labelled as such on the product labelling or package insert. The language includes protection of conscience and religious freedom for medical – professionals, […]
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Interview with Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan – Praises La Crosse Bishop Raymond L. Burke for Pro-Life

MILWAUKEE, January 27, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an interview Sunday with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan praised La Crosse Bishop Raymond L. Burke for his strong stand on abortion and euthanasia, which Archbishop Dolan called “A cause that for us is the premier cause of social justice in America today.”  Archbishop Dolan, who has known Bishop Burke since 1972, said that Bishop Burke’s actions “had prompted him to examine his own conscience, to see if he had been as ‘effective’ and ‘cogent’ as he should have been in presenting church teaching.”  Archbishop Dolan, a firm supporter […]
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January 2004 Interim Newspaper Now on Line

Some article titles:  * Abortionists on Trial * Corporate Watch Update * Priest Argues in Favour of Denying Food and Fluids * Beyond Gay – Leaving the Homosexual Lifestyle * An ex-lesbian returns to her faith * Christians should stop being defensive * Is Paul Martin his own man?  * Christian persecution is here and now   See The Interim  Subscribe to the Interim Newspaper 
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Rabbi Yehuda Levin Speech to National March for Life

28 Teveth 5764 / 22 Jan. 2004″I Have a Dream” Rabbi Yehuda Levin Speech to National March for Life, Washington, D.C., Thursday, January 22, 2004 Three decades ago, in 1973, a decadent Supreme Court, in this city of Washington, D.C., issued a shameful decree—the ROE vs. WADE ruling that empowered the abortion establishment to murder and mutilate tens of millions of G-D’s children in cold blood. Today, 31 years later, ROE vs. WADE is still the law of this great country.  So, we have come here today to dramatize this appalling condition. When the architects of our republic wrote the […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Pro-Abortion Attitudes At FDA under Bush has Even the New York Times Suprised Peggy Noonan on the Kafuffle over Gibson’s Passion of Christ        
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Another IVF Risk: Tripled Rates of Very Premature Births in IVF Babies

LEIDEN, Netherlands, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Researchers at the Netherlands Leiden University and Flinders University have revealed today that IVF children are at a tripled risk for very premature birth—a baby born prior to 32 weeks gestation—and, in addition, a doubled risk of a “mildly” premature baby, born between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. The study also found that there was an increased risk of “small for dates” babies, babies that are underweight at birth, in IVF children compared with children who were conceived naturally and born after the same period of gestation. The findings prompted one collaborator […]
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Domestic Partner Registry Opens in Ohio

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Less than one week after the Ohio Legislature made one of the U.S.‘s most vocal statements in opposition to the legalization of same-sex “marriage,” a Cleveland suburb has voted to open a “domestic partner registry” for unmarried couples. The first 16 of 17 registrants were same-sex “couples.”  Although the registration carries no legal rights binding on governments or employers, opponents worry that it will usher in same-sex benefits such as pensions and health care, and erode the traditional idea of marriage which the majority of U.S. citizens support. Eventually, the city will […]
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Morning-After Pill Legalized in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The International Consortium on Emergency Contraception, a group of abortion supporters, are succeeding in their mandate to proliferate abortifacient “emergency contraception” world-wide, as Mexico announced on Thursday its decision to legalize the chemical abortion drug.  There was strangely little opposition voiced from pro-life, Catholic or other religious organizations in this predominately Catholic country.  With files from SFGate
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Harvard-MIT Study Shows State Pro-Life Laws Responsible for Lower Abortion Rates

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new study by a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-MIT Data Center indicates that state laws against abortion reduce the number of abortions.  The research, by Harvard-MIT Data Center post-doctoral fellow Michael J. New, is published by the Heritage Foundation.  It explains the key role of life- affirming state laws in the substantial decline in the number of abortions during the 1990s-after a rise in abortions during the 1970s and 1980s.  “Dr. New’s research shows that when politicians and judges decide against life-affirming legislation, they are like lifeguards turning their backs to the […]
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British Medical Association Preferred Bioethicist Says Infanticide Justifiable

WESTMINSTER, UK, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – John Harris, the British Medical Association’s “preferred bioethicist” and Manchester University professor of ethics revealed yesterday that he felt infanticide was justifiable for disabled children.  During an unreported debate last week on sex selection, Harris told the Commons Science and Technology Committee that he did not see a difference between killing a child at 40 weeks gestation versus killing the child after it was born. He also said that infanticide is accepted in most countries and that it was for families to decide the fate of their child. “I don’t think infanticide is […]
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Jewish Rabbi Delivers Most Rousing Speech at Washington March for Life

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Of all the speeches delivered just before the 31st annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. last week, the one delivered with the most vigor and which roused the most passion was that of Rabbi Yehuda Levin. Pulling no punches, Rabbi Levin began, “Three decades ago, in 1973, a decadent Supreme Court, in this city of Washington, D.C., issued a shameful decree-the ROE vs. WADE ruling that empowered the abortion establishment to murder and mutilate tens of millions of G-D’s children in cold blood.”  He spoke of America’s promise of life, liberty and […]
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Shameful Bias Again in This Year’s March for Life Coverage by Mainstream Media

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last week’s Washington DC March for Life attended by over 100,000 pro-lifers and addressed by the President via telephone, numerous congressmen, cardinals, bishops and pro-life leaders, was basically ignored by major media outlets. Pro-lifers in Canada who were searching the American networks on the day of the March were frustrated to find no coverage on any of the evening news broadcasts.  LifeSite staff attending the March witnessed first-hand the immense pro-life crowd and only a tiny handful of pro-abortion opponents.  LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Tim Graham, the Director of Media Analysis for the Media […]
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South Dakota Set To Pass Legislation Making Abortion a Crime

ANN ARBOR, MI, January 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With legal assistance from the Thomas More Law Center, South Dakota State Representative Matt McCaulley introduced a bill Thursday making abortion a crime unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother. House Bill 1191, which already has the support of a majority in the state house and senate, directly confronts the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which gave women a constitutional right to abort their babies. Representative McCaulley presented the legislation on the 31st anniversary of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, saying, […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Labor Secretary Chao: U.N. a Threat to U.S.  Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center, charged that the goal of this unholy alliance was to “erase national boundaries,” redistribute wealth on an international scale and steer decisions on American affairs from representative government to the “global village,” with all of us as “global citizens.”  (Newsmaxcom)   Unborn Victim of Violence Law Passes U.S. House Committee See bill here    
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Ohio Passes Strongest Same-Sex Marriage Ban in U.S.

COLUMBUS, January 23, 2004 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ohio Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would ban same-sex ‘marriage’ as well as benefits for “domestic partners” for state employees. The House had already passed the bill and Gov. Robert Taft has said he will sign the bill.  The proposed law says that same-sex marriage is “against the strong public policy of the state,” and that marriage is formally defined as being between one man and one woman. It was formulated as a way to keep the state from having to recognize same-sex ‘marriage’ if other states legalize it.  The ban […]
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Homosexual Hate Crime Bill May be Resurrected in Canada

OTTAWA, January 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – REAL Women of Canada has warned that homosexual hate crime Bill C-250 may be resurrected when Parliament resumes in February.  According to an article published in the homosexual newspaper, Capital Xtra of October 6, 2003, “the hate crime legislation … is more important to everyone in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community than the right to marry.” REAL Women cautions that homosexual activist MP Svend Robinson will be looking for ways to bring Bill C-250 back to life from its death in the Senate, even though Parliamentary rules do not allow for it. […]
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B.C. Commissioners Denied Choice – Marry Same-Sex Couples or Quit

VANCOUVER, January 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a letter Tuesday, B.C. Commissioners were given an ultimatum from the B.C. Vital Statistics Agency, which stated that any Commissioner “who feels that they cannot solemnize same-sex marriages” must “resign their appointments” by March 31. The letter gave no details about what would happen if a Commissioner refused to step down.  Conservative MP Paul Forseth (New Westminster-Coquitlam-Burnaby) said that “It looks like the province has decided to jump the gun and actively promote same-sex marriage as a matter of government operational policy.” Forseth said that a change in conditions of employment mid-way through […]
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Over 100,000 Attend US National March for Life in Washington

WASHINGTON, January 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – LifeSiteNews.com participated in the US National March for Life in Washington yesterday.  Speaking at the Rose dinner following the March, chief organizer Nellie Gray announced that the official estimate on participants was over 100,000. A bird’s eye view of the activities indicated that the great success of the march is largely due to the massive encouragement and participation of clergy, religious brothers and sisters and many of the nations’ top religious leaders. The 31st annual March for Life began at noon with a rally in front of the White House.  In addition to the […]
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Catholic Rally and Youth Mass at March for Life Fills Washington’s MCI Stadium to Capacity

WASHINGTON, DC, January 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Over 15,000 youth filled the Washington MCI Center yesterday for a youth rally and Mass immediately preceding the March for Life.  After the youth sang joyfully with Catholic monk rapper Fr. Stan Fortuna and other pro-life musicians, three Cardinals, 21 Bishops and 300 priests concelebrated the Mass.  The Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, was graced with the moving singing of the Bishop McNamara High School Gospel Choir. After the Mass, Cardinal McCarrick asked the 700 seminarians in attendance to stand.  Their rising was greeted with massive applause, and the […]
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Boston Archbishop Says Pro-Abortion Politicians “Shouldn’t Dare Come to Communion”

WASHINGTON, DC, January 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com following the Vigil for Life Mass in Washington Wednesday, Boston Archbishop Sean O’Malley expressed his great desire for a renewal of faith among Catholics.  Asked about the problem of Catholic politicians promoting abortion, the Archbishop noted that the problem “is not only politicians but those (Catholics) who vote for them.”  He stressed repeatedly the “great need for adult catechesis among our people.” “These politicians should know that if they’re not voting correctly on these life issues that they shouldn’t dare come to communion,” the Archbishop told LifeSiteNews.com. Archbishop […]
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President Bush Address to March for Life

January 22, 2004 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN TELEPHONE CALL TO RIGHT TO LIFE PARTICIPANTS 10:08 A.M. MST THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, Nellie. I appreciate your kind introduction, and thank you for including me in this celebration of life. I’m calling you today from Roswell, New Mexico. (Applause.) And it sounds like you’ve got some people who know where Roswell is here in the audience. (Applause.) I know that good folks have gathered there on the Mall from every corner of America to take part in the 31st March For Life. And I want you to pass […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Washington State Teen pregnancy, abortion rates dip    Taipei Police Investigate Massive Homosexual Orgy for Intentionally Spreading AIDS   
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Italian Cardinal Gives Grim Assessment of Family Life

ROME, January 21, 2004 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) – In the opening lecture of a series at the basilica of St. John Lateran, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone analyzed the “discouraging and troubling” transformation of family life in a society marked by “very rapid evolution.”  Cardinal Bertone, the Archbishop of Genoa, remarked that the contemporary society is guided by the “principle of autonomy,” which is wrongly applied even to family life. The family, he said, has traditionally been “the locus for the transmission of life, values, love, and education in the faith.” But today it is marked by “the negation of life, improper education (in […]
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Annual Washington State March for Life Draws Thousands

OLYMPIA, Wa, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Yesterday’s 26th annual Washington State March for Life, (not the national March for Life set for Jan. 22) drew thousands to the state capital. Organizers estimated the numbers at 3,500.  Washington’s first March for Life was in 1978 and drew nearly 1,250 participants, organizer Kathy McEntee, said. It has since become the largest annual rally on the Capitol Campus, drawing participants from around the state, she added. When asked what drew her to organize the March, McEntee, who is also helping to organize a national rally in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, told reporters […]
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Ohio Senate to Pass Bill Banning Same-Sex Marriage

COLUMBUS, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ohio Senate is expected today to pass a bill that re-affirms the state position which does not recognize same-sex marriage. Legislators want to ensure that unmarried partners will not be eligible for spousal state pension and health benefits. The Massachusetts Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage sparked the debate, and prompted the Ohio Senate to draft the Defense of Marriage Act. The bill will go to a vote this afternoon following one day of debate from the House, after which it will pass to Governor Bob Taft for him to sign.  With […]
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Conservative Party Leadership Contender Boasts of Pro-Abortion Anti-Family Stand

VANCOUVER, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Belinda Stronach kicked off her campaign for the Conservative Party leadership today in Vancouver, dubbing the visit the “FUNcouver campaign.” Stronach, a political neophyte, read a statement from teleprompters to the media, in which she said that she was in favour of same-sex marriage. Her campaign manager, John Laschinger, later added that she is also pro-abortion. Laschinger claimed that an internal poll by the campaign found that 75 per cent of members of the new party favour a candidate who is middle of the road, not hard right on social issues.  Key organizer of […]
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Homosexual Activist Student Group Demands Status at Catholic Seton Hall University

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group at Catholic Seton Hall University, the TRUTH organization—a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and homosexual students group—wants recognition by the University as an official student organization. Their application was denied last month because administrators found it at odds with the school’s Catholic mission.  Dr. Laura Wankel, vice president for student affairs counters that “The most compelling guidance from the Church directs us to care for the human person whose fundamental identity is as a ‘child of God’ – not a ‘heterosexual’ or ‘homosexual,’” she said. “No organization based solely upon […]
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Boston Archbishop O’Malley Praises Elements of Bush State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com today, Boston Archbishop Sean O’Malley said he was delighted with President Bush’s remarks on marriage. “I was thrilled to see that he held up marriage, I think in Massachusetts we need all the help we can get.” The archbishop also told LifeSiteNews.com he was very pleased with the President’s promotion of abstinence education as well.  More on our interview with Archbishop O’Malley next week . . . stay tuned.
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President Bush Stresses Sanctity of Marriage in State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – U.S. President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address in the Congress last night.  LifeSite staff in Washington for the March for Life, sat only a few blocks away at a nearby restaurant joyfully taking in the President’s address which touched on issues close to our hearts including faith, family and culture.  The President addressed the plight of children who contract sexually-transmitted diseases promoting the only valid solution to the problem. “We will double federal funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people […]
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Four Cardinals, 40 Bishops, 300 Priests at Mass for March for Life

WASHINGTON, January 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – LifeSiteNews.com reports today from Washington DC where we were blessed to take in the Mass at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. In addition to an immense overflow crowd of some 8000, 70 seminarians, 80 deacons, 300 priests and 40 bishops joined four cardinals to celebrate the Mass. The homily was given by the main celebrant of the Mass, Baltimore Cardinal William Keeler, the current Chairman of the US Conference of Bishops Pro-Life Committee. The Cardinal urged the youth who made up the vast majority of the crowd to “be not afraid” even […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Terri Schiavo Case Becomes Clash of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Vatican Bishop Denies Pope Commented on Gibson’s The Passion of Christ
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American Christians to Join Canadians in Honouring Traditional Marriage February 15

WASHINGTON, January 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In addition to the Canadian interfaith celebration of Marriage on the Rock, a week long event in appreciation of the sacrament of marriage which culminates on February 15, the U.S. Covenant Marriage Movement has designated February 15 as a national day of observance for marriage.  The Covenant Marriage Movement (CMM) is calling on congregations to celebrate their marriage as a covenant relationship on Feb 15.  CMM director Phil Waugh, a Southern Baptist, hopes that 50,000 congregations world wide will join in the celebration.  Waugh explained CMM’s “desire is not so much to change the […]
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New Zealand Abortion Consultants Double Dipping

CHRISTCHURCH, January 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Zealand media reported today that many government-paid abortion consultants are also employed as abortionists or by district health boards, thereby earning the criticism of “double dipping.” The highest-paid consultant earned $158,000 in Justice Ministry fees last year, for signing off more than 1800 abortions.  Abortionists in New Zealand earn $87.50 from the ministry for each abortion they approve, on top of a salary from their district health board. More than $3.5 million in such consultancy fees were paid out by the New Zealand government last year.  Ken Orr, the Right of Life New […]
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Prime Minister Martin to Appeal Homosexual Benefits Ruling

OTTAWA, January 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Justice department, under Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin announced Monday a decision to appeal an Ontario Court of Appeals decision in December which approved pension benefits for surviving partners of same-sex “couples” retroactively to 1985. The December decision ruled that restricting Canada Pension Plan survivor benefits to same-sex “couples” whose partners have died after 1997 violated the Charter of Rights.  Survivor benefits paid retroactively to surviving partners of same-sex “couples” could potentially run taxpayers into the hundreds of millions of dollars.  The Ontario court decision was a rejection of the Liberal government’s argument […]
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Canada Supreme Court to Rule on Legality of Spanking Jan 30

OTTAWA, January 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The right of parents to use spanking as a form of discipline is in question as the Supreme Court will release its ruling on a case challenging the law January 30. The Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law (CFCYL), a group of anti-corporal punishment extremists used tax-payer monies to challenge Section 43 of the Criminal Code which provides that the use of force by parents (and teachers) by way of correction toward a child may be justified if it does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances. The section provides an […]
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Doctor Claims First Implanted Cloned Human Embryo

LONDON, UK, January 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Kentucky doctor claimed Saturday to have implanted the first human embryo clone into a 35-year-old woman. The claim has been met with scepticism by many scientists. Panos Zavos, a fertility specialist who works for the Andrology Institute of America in Louisville, Kentucky, has conducted research into cloning human embryos for childless couples for several years. Although he would not specify to reporters where the procedure had taken place, Zavos said that it was not in Europe or the United States. A Britain’s Royal Society spokesman said the scientist’s group was “extremely skeptical” […]
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Pro Life Marchers Congregate in the U.S. Capital for 30th Annual March-For-Life

WASHINGTON, January 19, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – It has been thirty years since the first March-For-Life where, in 1974, 20,000 assembled to mark the day when legalized slaughter of the innocent began. This year LifeSiteNews.com will be reporting live from the March in Washington.  The March is held each year on the day of the infamous Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decision made in January 1973. Norma McCorvey, who was Jane Roe, the woman who signed the affidavit that was sent to the Supreme Court in 1973, later developed depression, and suffered from drug abuse and alcohol addiction as a result […]
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Sex-Selection of Children Alive and Well in the USA

FAIRFAX, Va, January 19, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Genetics and IVF Institute (GIVF) in Fairfax, Virginia is conducting a FDA-endorsed clinical trial of the new Microsort technology for sex-selection via sorting of sperm before embryos are created using in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Thus far 400 couples have signed on to the trial, which is nearly half-way to completion.  The Microsort technique for sex-selection involves using dye to mark sperm and a laser to sort the sperm based on the knowledge that sperm which will produce girls have more DNA.  In a BBC interview on the topic of sex selection, Rachel Heath, […]
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U.S. President Declares January 16 Religious Freedom Day

WASHINGTON, January 19, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last week President George W. Bush declared January 16 Religious Freedom Day explaining its significance saying “Americans acknowledge the centrality of their faith and reaffirm that the great strength of our country is the heart and soul of our citizens.” As opposed to a warped sense of freedom of religion referring to freedom from religion, Bush spoke of, “Recognizing the importance of faith to our people, our Founding Fathers guaranteed religious freedom in the Constitution.”  In that spirit, the Bush Administration “issued new guidelines that allow students to engage in constitutionally protected religious activity […]
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Deadly Abortion Pill RU-486 Claims Two More Lives in Britain

LONDON, UK, January 19, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The British government revealed that two women died there as a result of taking the controversial abortion pill, RU-486. In response to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Jim Dobbin, chairman of the Parliamentary all-party Pro-Life group, public health minister Melanie Johnson told the House that since 1991, when the drug became available in Britain, the Committee on Safety of Medicines had received two reports of “suspected fatal reactions in association with the use of Mifegyne [RU-486].” Holly Marie Patterson, an 18-year-old handed the deadly RU-486 abortion drug concoction by a Planned Parenthood […]
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New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes on Anti-Life Politicians and Holy Communion

Co-responsibility for public policy By ARCHBISHOP ALFRED C. HUGHES The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear that all Catholics have a personal responsibility to participate in promoting the common good in accordance with their vocation in life. Those holding public office have a special responsibility. The goal of this participation is to help shape a public policy that is in conformity as much as possible with the law rooted in our nature that governs us all, no matter what our religious belief. Thus, they are called to try to ensure that the laws that govern us protect human life, […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Showtime to Promote Homosexuality with new Show on Lesbians Major Boston Jewish Community Group Endorses Homosexual Marriage
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Woman Wins Right to Appeal Embryo Case

LONDON, UK, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Natallie Evans has won the right to an appeal in her bid to retain embryos that were created through IVF with former partner, Howard Johnston. Under current British law, the fertility Act states that both partners must give full consent for the procedure to be carried out. Johnston opposes the implantation of the embryos. Evans had surgery for ovarian cancer, rendering her infertile. She worries that the embryos in storage are her only chance of having a child mature to adulthood. Last October, the British High Court ruled that Johnston’s consent was paramount, […]
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Bishop Bans Hypnotist from Catholic High Schools

WINDSOR, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a letter to school board directors, Bishop Ronald Fabbro expressed his apprehension about the fact that some schools were inviting hypnotists to entertain students. “This has become a matter of concern for some, including myself,” he said.  The Catholic Church does not oppose the use of hypnotism for legitimate reasons, such as for weight loss or to help quit smoking, “But for entertainment, it’s a serious violation of our human dignity. It takes away our freedom and our capacity to make sound choices,” Reverend Larry Brunet, pastor of the Catholic board said. Fr. […]
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Leaked Documents Reveal Conservative Anglicans in Canada and U.S. Ready to Split

VANCOUVER, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The UK Guardian has received top secret documents revealing that Anglicans who value the Bible’s teachings on traditional marriage are set to split with the wayward majority of Anglican dioceses in Canada and the United States.  Written by Geoff Chapman, rector of St Stephen’s church, Sewickley, Pennsylvania, the document says that the conservative churches are seeking oversight of their parishes by bishops who did not support the ordination of the practicing homosexual bishop Gene Robinson, or the blessings of homosexual unions as imposed by Canadian Anglican Bishop Michael Ingham.  The letter says the move […]
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Debate in Taiwan on Over the Counter Availability of Morning-After Pill

TAIPEI, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Experts such as Taipei Medical University Hospital gynecologist Liu Wei-min claim that eliminating the need for a prescription for the morning-after pill will reduce the abortion rate and lower the incidence of teenage pregnancies. Many “experts,” including Liu, also claim that the morning-after pill does not induce abortion, but delays ovulation, and thus classify the pill as “emergency contraception.” The F.D.A. agrees, classifying the morning-after pill as a contraceptive. But Canadian Physicians For Life president Dr. Robert Pankratz counters that, in approximately 75 percent of cases, the morning-after pill is abortifacient, in that it […]
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New Orleans Archbishop Warns Catholic Pro-Abortion Politicians to Not Receive Communion

NEW ORLEANS, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Orleans Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes has warned anti-life Catholic politicians they should not receive Holy Communion, and Catholics who vote for such politicians participate in the evil. In the January 14, 2004 edition of the New Orleans Diocesan newspaper The Clarion Herald, Most Rev. Hughes writes: “When Catholic officials openly support the taking of human life in abortion, euthanasia or the destruction of human embryos, they are no longer faithful members in the Church and should not partake of Holy Communion. Moreover, citizens who promote this unjust taking of human life by […]
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Bush Installs Pro-Life Judicial Nominee Foiling Filibusters by Pro-Abortion Senators

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Following years of bickering and stall tactics by pro-abortion Senators, pro-life judge Charles Pickering has finally been installed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today.  President Bush got around the stalling tactics of the Senators who refused to allow his nomination to come up for a vote, by making a recess appointment which is valid until January 2005. American Life League (ALL) was the first group to advocate for recess appointments.  Joseph R. Giganti, ALL’s director of media and government relations commented on the Pickering appointment saying, “Clearly the White House has realized […]
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U.S. President Bush Issues 2004 Proclamation of National Sanctity of Human Life Day

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In anticipation of the national March for Life next week, U.S. President George W. Bush today issued a proclamation declaring January 18, 2004 National Sanctity of Human Life Day.  The full proclamation from the White House follows:  For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary January 16, 2004 National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2004   By the President of the United States of America   A Proclamation As Americans, we are led by the power of our conscience and the history of our country to defend and promote the dignity and rights of […]
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LifeSite Staff in Washington Next Week: Daily News May be Limited

TORONTO, January 16, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Key LifeSiteNews.com staff will be participating in the March for Life events in Washington, D.C. next week. Production of the Daily News is therefore uncertain for that week. We will send out and post stories and Breaking News links as circumstances permit.  LifeSite News will return to its normal level on Monday January 26.
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Survey finds liberal university profs foist their political views on students Abortion Holocaust Deniers Are Losing Battle Christian College Debate Team Forfeits Rather than argue for Partial Birth Abortion    Selling sex and corruption to your kids
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French Cardinal Reports Harrassment Against Christians

Paris, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – French Catholics say militant secularists have turned their sights on outward signs of Christian belief as a debate over the wearing of religious symbols in schools expands.  Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris said he had received dozens of reports from around the country that Catholic girls have been harassed for wearing a cross and that nuns have been criticized for wearing their habits in public. The cardinal predicted to France-Inter radio that the harassment was “just the beginning of a long crisis.”  The harassment began after a new law was proposed that would ban […]
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China Document Bans ‘Reproductive’ Human Cloning but Permits “Remedial Cloning”

BEIJING, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – China’s Ministry of Science of Technology and Ministry of Health recently released their “Guidelines for Research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells.” The document forbids ‘reproductive’ human cloning but permits “remedial cloning” and embryonic stem cell research. “Remedial cloning” refers to human cloning where the human beings created through the cloning process are not allowed to be born but are used whose cells are used for experimentation. In a November 2002 address to the United Nations organization “International Convention Against the Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings,” Archbishop Renato Martino, the outgoing Vatican representative to the […]
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Clement and Stronach Enter Race for Conservative Leadership, Copps Mulls Switch to NDP

OTTAWA, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement widely rumoured to be interested in running for Leadership of the Ontario Tories, has announced he is running for Leadership of the federal Conservative Party.  Also Belinda Stronach the Magna International CEO is set to announce a run for the Conservative Leadership next week. Both candidates are pro-abortion.  In other political news, Liberal MP Sheila Copps, a staunch abortion supporter has spoken with NDP Leader Jack Layton and has refused to rule out moving to the NDP.  “I’ve always figured when a door closes another door opens, and I […]
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Supreme Court Decision Could Make Every Catholic Group Liable in Abuse Cases

OTTAWA, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Supreme Court of Canada rules today on whether to make the Church liable to be sued. Such a decision could cripple charitable organizations within the Church in Canada, as well as the work of the Catholic Church as a whole, says a lawyer representing Canada’s Bishops Conference. Lawyer William Sammon is representing the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) in the case which will decide whether the Church can retain its legal immunity. In an interview with Canadian Catholic News (CCN) Monday, Sammon said “every Catholic organization, whether it’s corporate or unincorporated, whether […]
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UK Mulls Legalized Euthanasia – Committee Investigates Possibilities

LONDON, UK, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The British House of Lords took an unprecedented step yesterday by appointing a committee to investigate a Bill to legalize assisted suicide there. The Private Members Bill was first presented to the House last summer by Lord Joffe. Joffe, a former human rights lawyer, defended Nelson Mandela in the 1960’s. Joffe claims that 80 percent of British citizens support the legalization of euthanasia. The Bill would make medically-assisted suicide legal for terminally ill patients who had considered all other options. Contrary to Joffe’s claim, a May 2003 UK Right To Life organization report […]
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‘Turn-Coat’ Pro-Life Republican Senator Orrin Hatch Praised by Pro-Abortion Leader

WASHINGTON, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who was once one of the best known pro-life and pro-family legislators in the U.S., has been praised by Kate Michelman, the outgoing president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL Pro Choice America).  In response to a question, Michelman identified Hatch as the opponent she respects the most saying, “he and I have had long years of conversation and respect each other’s positions.” The announcement came as little surprise to some life and family leaders who have seen two major betrayals by Hatch.  In a shocker to […]
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Noted Pro-Life Conservatives – Kenney, Vellacott, Ritz – Back Harper for Leader

OTTAWA, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Three well known pro-life politicians within the newly formed Conservative Party of Canada have backed former Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper for the Leadership of the new Party. Jason Kenney, Maurice Vellacott and Gerry Ritz, all members of the Alliance prior to the merger, have signed on as backers of Harper.  All three legislators have pro-life voting records and Kenney and Vellacott have chaired the Parliamentary pro-life caucus in addition to presenting numerous pro-life measures in Parliament.   LifeSite questioned the MPs about their reasons for supporting Harper.  In a release today Kenney said […]
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United Nations Pushes Nepal to Allow More Abortions

NEW YORK, January 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Tuesday pushed government representatives from Nepal to ensure access to abortion.  The same United Nations committee which successfully pushed Nepal to legalize abortion in 2002, has also demanded that imprisoned abortionists who committed abortion prior to its legalization and the mothers who aborted their children prior to the legislation be released.  Pratap Kuman Rathak, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Transport Management for Nepal told the UN committee that Nepal had satisfied the committees request on “reproductive rights” noting that “procedures for […]
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Norway Launches New “Contraceptive” Patch

NORWAY, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The “contraceptive” patch, touted as a new measure to fight Norway’s soaring teen abortion rate, made its debut there yesterday. Norwegian teens have a 2-3 times higher abortion rate than other European countries such as Finland and Italy. The patch, named Evra, is produced by Janssen-Cilag, and claims to be the “latest weapon in the fight against unwanted pregnancy,” newspaper Dagbladet reports.  The patch, expected for sale soon in Canada, releases a steady flow of hormones directly into the bloodstream. It was approved by Health Canada despite the fact that there could be tremendous […]
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Republicans Against Over the Counter Morning-After Pill

WASHINGTON, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of 49 House Republicans have urged President George W. Bush to order the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to overturn a recommendation that a new abortifacient morning-after pill (MAP) become available without a doctor’s prescription.  Debate over making the abortifacient MAP accessible without a prescription in the U.S. last month ended with an F.D.A. panel voting 23-4 in favour of allowing levonorgestrel, marketed under the name “Plan B,” to be sold over-the-counter (OTC).  The Republican House members said that making the pills more accessible could lead to teens engaging in activities they […]
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Pro-Life Groups Push U.S. Senate to Pass the Unborn Victims of Violence Act

WASHINGTON, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and other pro-life forces are pushing for action in the U.S. Senate early in 2004 on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (S. 1019). So far, 40 of the 100 senators have cosponsored the bill—but the outcome remains in doubt, as senators allied with pro-abortion advocacy groups continue to obstruct the bill.  Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tn.) has said that he will push for full Senate action on the bill early this year.  The House of Representatives may also take up the bill in the near […]
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Australian Archbishop Gives Example of Maintaining Faithfulness despite Gay Relative

SYDNEY, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Sydney’s Cardinal George Pell was given the opportunity to witness faithfulness in the face of hardship as he was publicly challenged by a relative to deny the Catholic Church teaching that homosexuality is disordered.  A lesbian former nun who is a second cousin of the Cardinal attacked the him in an open published in Australia’s largest paper. Rather than point out the numerous unfair comments in the letter such as “And surely you wouldn’t insult my intelligence by prefacing it with ‘it’s the sin, not the sinner’ stuff,” the Cardinal responded with a simple […]
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Mel Gibson says He Won’t be Deterred from Passion of the Christ Even Though it Might Kill His Career

IRONDALE, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – EWTN Global Catholic Network has scored another exclusive interview with Academy Award winning actor and director, Mel Gibson.  In a sneak preview of the interview, EWTN reveals that commenting on the controversy surrounding the film Gibson said, “I don’t know if I will ever work again. I’ve said that this is a career killer and it could well be, but that doesn’t matter because I don’t care.”  On The World Over Live program Gibson explains to host Raymond Arroyo that the film is unique in that “it reflects my beliefs-I’ve never done that before.”  […]
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U.S. National Pro-life Group Cautions Gephardt on Accusing Dean of Inconsistency

IOWA, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – It appears Democratic candidates cannot accuse each other of much without their accusations rebounding with vengeance.  In a speech in Iowa today, Congressman Richard Gephardt harshly criticized Howard Dean as inconsistent, stating, “To me, there is no room for the cynical politics of manufactured anger and false conviction.  I believe in standing for something, and I think all of you do too.” In response, the National Right to Life Committee released a copy of a letter written by Gephardt in 1984, in which Gephardt wrote, “As you know, I have always been supportive of […]
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In Public Comments French Health Minister Seems Supportive of Euthanasia

PARIS, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – French Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei appeared in a debate on a euthanasia case on the France 2 television channel.  The case involved a young man who became a quadriplegic after an accident and whose mother campaigned for euthanasia and then gave him an overdose.  “The case has become a kind of caricature of our society’s response to human suffering. I do not accept the term murder,” said Mattei.  “There is a prohibition which we have held since time immemorial ‘thou shalt not kill’. For a long time this rule has been applied blindly… But […]
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Political Correctness over Seminary HIV Testing Could Lead to Rights Commission Investigation

MONTREAL, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Montreal Cardinal Jean Claude Turcotte may have politically corrected himself into a corner with the Human Rights Commission.  In announcing the Montreal seminary plans to institute HIV testing for applicants, the Cardinal seemed to suggest the testing was not to identify actively homosexual candidates but to test for healthy candidates.  Following news of this the Quebec Human Rights Commission said it had launched an investigation to determine if the seminary testing violated the provincial human rights code.  Ginette L’Heureux a spokesman for the Quebec Human Rights Commission said that the code would probably allow […]
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Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin and Quebec Tory Abandon Conservative Party

OTTAWA, January 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Vancouver Alliance MP Keith Martin (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca) has announced that he will run as a Liberal in the next election and sit as an independent prior to the election.  Martin, a staunch abortion supporter formerly threatened to leave the Alliance if the party gave concessions to social conservatives.  Reacting to the news, John Hof, President of Campaign Life Coalition British Columbia said of Martin, “He has always been a Liberal, he was out of place within the Alliance and Reform and could never be called a conservative.  The people of Esquimalt will now […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Britain’s Dr. Death Harold Shipman Hangs Himself in Prison Democratic Leadership Candidate Gen. Wesley Clark Goes to War for Abortion Clark said that he would never appoint a pro-life judge to the federal bench…“Life begins with the mother’s decision,” Clark argued. According to the news story: “The presidential candidate also told The Union Leader that until the moment of birth, the government has no right to influence a mother’s decision on whether to have an abortion.” This statement, whether premeditated or not, indicates the radical nature of Clark’s position on abortion. He now argues that the government has no right […]
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Teen Couple Awaits Birth of Conjoined Twins

FORT WAYNE, Indiana, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – April and Rocky McCray have known since August that April is carrying conjoined twins. April is now 71/2 months pregnant; she is in her senior year of high school. Doctors gave the couple two options when they learned the twins were conjoined. “The first option was that April could terminate,” April’s mother Marsha Boyanowski told The Journal Gazette reporters. “And April immediately said, ‘That’s not an option.’”  The McCray’s have found out that the twins are girls, who, although conventionally doctors refer to as baby ‘A’ and baby ‘B,’ they have named […]
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Morning After Pill Back in Virginia School

HARRISONBURG, Va, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The James Madison University Board of Visitors voted Friday to authorize the JMU Health Centre to resume dispensing emergency contraception pills. Last April, by a 7-6 vote, the board had directed the health centre to cease distributing the pills. In June, the terms of five members of the board expired, leaving space for Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner to appoint their successors. The successors provided enough support to reverse the earlier decision by a margin of 10 to 2.  Victoria Cobb, a Family Foundation lobbyist, told Associated Press that “It comes as no […]
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Women Who Regret Their Abortions to Speak in Washington D.C. at March for Life Event

WASHINGTON, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the numerous events being held during next week’s U.S. National March for Life events will be the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. Women who regret their abortions will speak out with guests Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., actress/singer Melba Moore and actress, model, author Jennifer O’Neill the group’s national spokesman.  The Campaign, a joint project of Priests for Life and NOEL seeks to raise awareness about the harm abortion does to women and their families, and about the many healing programs available. It is coordinated by Janet […]
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Homosexual ‘Marriage’ – Bill Introduced in California – Challenge in Indiana Courts

SAN FRANCISCO, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Not satisfied with California’s domestic partnership legislation, San Francisco homosexual activist Assemblyman Mark Leno announced Tuesday he will introduce a bill to grant legal marriage status to homosexual couples in February. Were he to follow the example of homosexual activist Canadian legislator Svend Robinson, that legislation can be expected on St. Valentine’s Day.  Leno commented “For too long, the right to marry has been denied to thousands of Californians based on their sexual orientation, giving in to the destructive stereotype that same-sex relationships are inherently inferior to opposite-sex relationships.”  Meanwhile in Indiana, the […]
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Contrary to Catholic Teaching Belgian Cardinal Advocates Use of Condoms to Fight AIDS

BRUSSELS, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, 70, the left-leaning media favourite to become the next pope, has unleashed another firestorm by publicly advocating the use of condoms as protection from HIV/AIDS.  “When someone is seropositive and his partner says: I want to have sexual relations with you—he doesn’t have to do that, if you ask me—but when he does, he has to use a condom…,” said Daneels in a radio interview Sunday.  Speaking on the Kruispunt programme of Dutch Catholic broadcaster RKK, Daneels said, “This (the use of condoms) comes down to protecting yourself in a […]
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Canadian Cardinal Suggests Seminary’s HIV Tests Have Nothing to do With Homosexuality

MONTREAL, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Montreal’s Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte fielded questions from reporters on the news that the city’s Grand Seminaire would be performing HIV tests on applicants.  “For us, HIV is a disease like any other, but it’s a very serious disease,” he said. “The question is not whether he is homosexual. It is whether or not he has an active sexuality. Whether it is hetero or homo, it’s the same thing. To live in celibacy you cannot have an active sexuality.”  The Cardinal compared discovery of HIV infection to discovery of any other serious health problem.  “It’s […]
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Canada’s Supreme Court May be asked if Traditional Marriage is Constitutional

OTTAWA, January 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The views of Canadians on the issue of homosexual ‘marriage’ or unions may finally be heard, as new Justice Minister Irwin Cotler announced that he would be traveling the country soliciting public opinion on the subject.  Moreover, government sources have told the Toronto Star that the questions being put before the Supreme Court of Canada for a reference are to be expanded to include asking whether the traditional definition of marriage is constitutional.  The delay may push the homosexual ‘marriage’ issue beyond the next election which is widely expected to be held in May. […]
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Presidential Hopeful Governor Howard Dean Said to Misunderstand Origins of Homosexual Behaviour

ENCINO, CA, January 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “Governor Howard Dean’s recent comments on homosexuality evidence a lack of understanding about the origins of same-sex attractions and the psychological and physical problems associated with homosexual behaviour,” said Dr. A. Dean Byrd today. Dr. Byrd is a Scientific Advisory Committee member of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.  Dr. Byrd’s statement comes in the wake of Dr. Dean’s widely quoted remarks in the Washington Post that, “From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people….The overwhelming evidence […]
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Uganda’s First Lady Warns Teens against Condom Use

KAMPALA, January 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Uganda, the country acknowledged for having waged the most successful anti-AIDS battle in the world, owes most of the success of its program to President Museveni and his wife, First Lady, Janet Museveni.  While ‘safe-sex’ pushers in the West have claimed that Uganda’s program has relied on condoms as a essential component, Uganda’s First Lady has said differently.  Speaking at the official opening of an annual youth conference in Kampala, she told over 2000 young people, “You do not need sex at your age. Wait until you are married. You can choose to fight […]
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Boston Archbishop Calls on Politicians to Fight for Traditional Marriage with Passion

BOSTON, January 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Boston Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley celebrated the annual Red Mass yesterday, calling on politicians to fight against the radical redefinition of marriage.  The annual event for politicians and lawyers was told “We cannot afford to be asleep at the switch. We cannot afford to run for cover. Today, at this Red Mass, I call on you, our Catholic lawyers and jurists, to live your baptismal commitment. Your baptism and your profession invest you with a great responsibility. Use your wisdom to defend the truth, to defend marriage. Do it with a passion and do […]
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Gov. Bush Denied Again: No Guardian for Schiavo

CLEARWATER, Florida, January 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Friday, Chief Judge David Demers rejected Gov. Jeb Bush’s request that an independent guardian continue to work on brain-damaged Terri Schiavo’s behalf.  In his ruling, Demers questioned the constitutionality of the law which granted the independent guardian in the first place. A statement released by the governor’s office said that “Terri Schiavo yet again has been denied an independent voice in the proceedings that may very well determine the outcome of her life.”  Dr. Jay Wolfson, formerly court-appointed Guardian for Terri Schiavo, the severely disabled Florida woman at the centre of a […]
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Court Rules Against Bush: No Guardians for Unborn Children

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, January 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Florida court ruled two to one in favour of denying Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s appeal that the unborn child of a severely disabled woman be appointed a guardian while the child was still in the womb.  The woman, 23 year-old J.D.S., delivered a healthy baby girl in August of 2003.  The appeal continued despite the child’s birth, because of the ground-breaking nature of the decision.  Under Florida law, a guardian can be appointed for any “person” who cannot make decisions for themselves.  The law does not explicitly mention the foetus.  The […]
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Canada’s Most-Loved Pro-Life Bishop Retires

VANCOUVER, January 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Adam Exner of Vancouver has retired after reaching the Church’s mandatory retirement age of 75. Serving as Bishop of Vancouver since 1991, Archbishop Exner has been, despite his best efforts at anonymity, praised by Catholics throughout Canada as a pro-life leader among his colleagues.  The archdiocese of Vancouver has announced that he is to be replaced by Bishop Raymond Roussin of Victoria.  The respect and admiration for Archbishop Exner stems from his faithfulness to church teachings and his courage and clarity in the face of opposition.  In the most difficult circumstances – even […]
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New Same-Sex Civil Union Law for New Jersey

TRENTON, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Jersey senators voted 23 to 9 in favour of homosexual civil union legislation yesterday. The new bill makes New Jersey the fifth state to enact such laws. New Jersey governor James E. McGreevey is expected to sign the new legislation into law.  The new bill requires insurance companies to offer spousal health care benefits to same-sex “couples,” as well as allowing them to make critical medical decisions for each other.  The legislation also extends pension and health coverage benefits to same-sex “couples” employed by the state; the same requirement is not made of […]
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Teenage Abortion Rate Increased in Netherlands

AMSTERDAM, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Dutch newspaper Trouw reported Friday that the number of teens aged 15 to 19 undergoing abortions has risen by 1,000 from 4,400 in 2002 to 5,400 last year. A similar trend was notable in girls aged 13 to 14, with a doubling of abortion rates in that group between 2002 and 2003.  Abortionist Hanneke Bolt told Trouw that “Girls of 15, 16 years, we see at least one every day. And if I ask why she didn’t use a condom, she says, ‘I don’t know.’”  Bolt also told Trouw she felt the “only […]
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Father of Unnecessarily Aborted Twins Sues Hospital for Negligence

SAN FRANCISCO, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In 2003, a Kaiser Permanente hospital obstetrician-gynaecologist misdiagnosed Jennifer Jewell as having an ectopic tubal pregnancy, for which she was prescribed a drug to abort her and husband Robert Ferro’s twin babies.  In a follow-up appointment, a different OB-GYN did an ultrasound and found that Jewell’s pregnancy was not ectopic, but that she had been carrying live twins. By then, the drug had aborted the foetuses and she was required to undergo surgery to remove their remains.  Ferro and Jewell filed a malpractice claim against Kaiser for its negligence; Jewell was given compensation, […]
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Ten Years Later Evidence Points to Abortion as Motive Behind Bobbitt Mutilation

SPRINGFIELD, IL, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ten years ago, on January 10, 1994, Lorena Bobbitt went on trial for the “malicious wounding” of her husband’s manhood with an eight-inch kitchen knife. After an eleven day trial, she was acquitted on grounds of temporary insanity. On the tenth anniversary of this internationally watched trial, the Elliot Institute is releasing a special report on the case, entitled “The John and Lorena Bobbitt Mystery, Unraveled” that reveals surprising new information on the case. According to Dr. David Reardon, author of the Elliot Institute report, “All the evidence presented at Lorena’s trial supports […]
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Stem Cell Bill to be Reintroduced – Pro-Lifer to be Interim Leader of Conservative Party

OTTAWA, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A spokesman for Prime Minister Paul Martin told reporters yesterday he would reintroduce stem cell omnibus bill C-13. The bill will come back at the Senate stage having already passed the House. Even though the spokesman said the bill was a priority, he was unsure of its passage given the tight timeline prior to the election being called. “This one is also at the top of the list but there is a batting order,” said Lague. “There is a timing issue. Your guess is as good as mine right now (whether it will pass).” […]
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Prime Minister Working on Civil Union Proposal for Canadian Supreme Court Review

OTTAWA, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The CBC is reporting that Prime Minister Paul Martin is working with senior advisors on a same-sex marriage ‘compromise’ strategy of recognizing civil unions.  The proposal is to be finalized Friday before being presented to the cabinet.  The proposal will then be submitted to the Supreme Court for review along with the same-sex marriage legislation proposed by the Liberal government under Jean Chretien.  The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the reference case April 16.  It is widely speculated that there will be an election in the spring of 2004 which may […]
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The Difference between Artificial Contraception and Natural Family Planning

OTTAWA, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Often it is heard that artificial contraception does not fit with the philosophy of the culture of life, but birth regulation by natural family planning (NFP) does.  Many have asked why that is so, especially for non-abortifacient contraceptives such as the condom, when the end result is the same.  Christopher West, a world-renowned expert on the “Theology of the Body”, explained the difference during a talk near Ottawa Tuesday. West said that the difference was in taking God’s authority over life into one’s own hands.  West, a professor of sexual ethics in the St. John […]
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Archbishop Burke Issues Pastoral Letter Saying Right to Life is Most Important Political Issue

LA CROSSE, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, of the La Crosse Diocese, has issued a pastoral letter in which he clearly explains that life issues such as abortion and euthanasia take precedence over any other political considerations.  The letter states, “Some will say that the defence of innocent life is only one issue among many, that it is important but not fundamental. They are wrong. In the natural moral law, the good of life is the most fundamental good and the condition for the enjoyment of all other goods.”  Quoting Pope John Paul II, the Archbishop […]
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U.S. Archbishop Burke Orders Priests to Refuse Communion for Anti-Life Politicians

LA CROSSE, Wisconsin, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, of the La Crosse Diocese, has issued an official order stating that politicians who support abortion or euthanasia are to be refused Holy Communion.  The notification, published yesterday in the diocesan paper The Catholic Times begins by quoting extensively from authoritative Vatican documents explaining that support for abortion by Catholic politicians is gravely sinful. The key paragraphs in the notification read:  “I hereby call upon Catholic legislators, who are members of the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse, to uphold the natural and divine law regarding the […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Wesley Clark backs abortion until birth Evangelist Billy Graham Recovering from Hip Replacement Surgery after Fall Woman Dies by Setting Self on Fire after Mother Forced Her to Abort
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New Condom Marketing Targets Teens at “High Risk” for STD’s

NEW YORK, January 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Aimed at urban teens, the “jimmie hatz” condom (“jimmie hat” is a hip-hop slang word for condom) is slated to hit store shelves by February.  The producers are targeting the “hip-hop” culture, considered to be made up primarily of minority groups, “hardest hit with HIV and AIDS.”  The producer of the condom is Common Ground USA.  The CEO, Harry Terrell, told FOX news that “Basically, what we’ve tried to do here is make it the cool thing to do, the ‘in’ thing to do, to protect yourself.”  Common Ground is claiming to promote […]
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Canadian Parliament to Resume February 2 – No Mention Yet of Resurrecting Bill C-13

OTTAWA, January 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Prime Minister Paul Martin has announced that parliament will resume sitting on February 2. Martin is said to want to have an ambitious term, however most political insiders suggest he will call an election shortly after passage of a law which will reset the federal riding boundaries. Of note Martin told reporters that some bills would be reintroduced including the bill to decriminalize possession of marijuana in the amount of 15 grams. He did not however mention the controversial stem cell legislation bill C-13. With files from the Globe and Mail
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Pope Stresses Dignity and Rights of the Mentally Handicapped

VATICAN, January 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Given the growing move toward euthanasia and assisted suicide and the related sentiment of a duty to die for the disabled, Pope John Paul II’s words today on the dignity and rights of the mentally handicapped seemed timely.  The Pope gave a message to participants in an international symposium on the “Dignity and rights of the mentally handicapped” taking place from January 7 to 9 in the Vatican and organized by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to coincide with the Year of Handicapped People in Europe.  “Handicapped people,” reads the message, […]
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Dean Claims He Legalized Homosexual “Civil Unions” Because of Religious Conviction

MUSCATINE, Iowa, January 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Democratic front-runner, physician, and former planned parenthood employee Howard Dean told the Washington Post today that his decision to sign the bill legalizing homosexual “civil unions” in Vermont was based on his “Christian views,” and “the Bible’s view of it.”  Dean signed the civil unions bill into law in 2000 as Vermont governor, granting homosexual “couples” rights similar to those granted to married people. Dean argued that “From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people.”   When asked to comment about […]
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Canada Releases Disturbing Draft Submission to UN on National Action Plan for Children

OTTAWA, January 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canadian Senator Landon Pearson has released the draft of Canada’s National Plan of Action (for children) for submission to the United Nations.  The Plan claims to speak for all Canadians and yet is heavily biased and ideological in both in its anti-life and anti-family positions as well as its politically partisan Liberal leanings.  Senator Pearson claims an extensive process of public input led to the document which is set for launch in spring of 2004.  However the Senator asked for concerned citizens to “respond if anything crucial is missing from either the analysis or […]
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Campaign Life Coalition Toronto Announces Catholic Clergy Luncheons

TORONTO, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Campaign Life Coalition Toronto will be hosting two luncheons for Catholic clergy this month. Fr. Ted Colleton has sent a letter inviting Toronto and area clergy to attend either or both of the events: 1. Thursday, January 15, 2004 at 1:00 PM at St. Lawrence the Martyr Church    Speaker will be Tom Wappel, M.P. (Liberal -Scarborough South West)  (2210 Lawrence Ave. East in Scarborough west of Kennedy)   2. Thursday, January 29, 2004 at 1:00 PM at St. Clements Church Speaker will be Paul Szabo, M.P. (Liberal – Mississauga South)  (409 Markland Drive […]
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Sixteenth Annual “Year’s Worst Reporting” Awards Now Out

WASHINGTON, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Media Research Centre has released it’s sixteenth annual “year’s worst reporting” awards for 2003 – a compilation of the year’s most outrageous and/or humorous stories.  A panel of 46 columnists, radio talk show hosts, magazine editors and writers selected their top three choices for a range of five to eight quotes in each category.  The 46 panelists also chose a “quote of the year” from among all the choices offered.  Some samplings of the categories and awards: 1st runner up in the “Damn Those Conservatives Award” went to CBS’s Vince Gonzales who wrote […]
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Court Rules Fired HP Employee not Victim of Religious Discrimination

SAN FRANCISCO, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Hewlett-Packard acted within its rights when firing an employee who posted bible quotes in his cubicle that referred to homosexuality.  The employee, Richard Peterson, who worked in the customer support division in Boise, Idaho, posted the verses as a statement in protest of the company policy on homosexuality. HP implemented a diversity policy in 2000 by using posters that compare homosexual lifestyles with ethnicity in its effort to promote the homosexual lifestyle as an expression of “diversity” in the workplace.  One such poster was located near […]
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School Sex-Ed Policy to “Promote Abstinence Until Marriage as the Expected Standard”

WAKE COUNTY, NC, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Wake county school board members voted Tuesday to revise the current sex-education policy there.  “Comprehensive” sex-ed electives were dropped from the curriculum of high schools in the district, in favour of a revised “abstinence until marriage” message.  The revision is a mandatory requirement for all teachers to “promote abstinence until marriage as the expected standard for all students.”  Supporters of the new policy say that the new message is about more than just saying no to sex.  It also educates students about sexually transmitted diseases and the “effectiveness and failure rates of […]
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Homosexual Activists Sue Catholic Cardinal in Spain over Sermon

MADRID, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Spanish homosexual activist group Popular Gay Platform has launched a lawsuit against Spanish Catholic Primate Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela for a sermon he gave in the Madrid Cathedral on the Sunday after Christmas – the feast of the Holy Family. In his sermon the Cardinal explained that to provide the benefits of marriage to “all types of unions, including those by nature unable to have children, will result in the systematic destruction of the social security system.” He said social security is best served by “the fecund love of the Christian family.”  […]
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Poll Reveals More than Two-thirds of Massachusetts Voters Want Vote on Marriage

NEWTON, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to a new Zogby International poll, 69% of likely voters in Massachusetts want to vote on a constitutional amendment to keep Massachusetts a traditional marriage state, the Coalition for Marriage announced today. These findings indicate a trend in favour of one man, one woman marriage since the United State Supreme Court’s July decision legalizing sodomy, and since the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision on November 18 redefining marriage. The poll, conducted between December 16-18, found that 52% vs. 42% agreed that only marriage between one man and one woman should be legal and […]
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United Nations Organized European Population Forum Next Week

NEW YORK, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations has organized a European Population Forum at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 12 to 14 January 2004.  A UN press release on the Forum says it, “will consider challenges posed by current and emerging demographic trends in the European region, including countries in transition.”  However, rather than give first priority to the massive depopulation problem in Europe, the forum, led by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, lists as a top priority “efforts to ensure universal access to reproductive health […]
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Record Number of Nations Donate to UNFPA despite its Support for Coercive Abortion in China

UNITED NATIONS, January 7, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, received contributions from 142 of the 191 United Nations Member States in 2003, the largest number of donors in the Fund’s history. This has occurred at a time when the United States has refused funding the organization based on UNFPA’s tacit support for China’s coercive one-child policy which includes forced abortion.  The top six donors were the Netherlands, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden – all very strong abortion supporters. “This number of supporters has surpassed our expectations,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director.  […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

Msgr. Mario Paquette to Become New CCCB General Secretary    French Cardinal Tauran Expresses Concern With Muslim Countries’ Treatment of Christians Birth-rate crisis set to make Jews a minority in Israel Anglican Church of Uganda Rejects U.S. Gay Bishop
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Prime Minister Martin To Re-Introduce Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Without Changes

VICTORIA, BC, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Paul Martin Liberals plan to re-introduce the pot legislation bill (formerly bill C-38) that died with the retirement of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien at the close of Parliament late last year.  There are to be no changes to the bill, which proposes the legalization of possession of marijuana in the amount of 15 grams (approximately 15 cigarettes). The government has reportedly made this decision despite a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that it is within the federal government’s power to continue to make marijuana possession a crime.  REAL Women of […]
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Australian Pharmacists Refuse to Sell “Morning-After Pill”

AUSTRALIA, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro life Pharmacists in Australia are refusing to dispense the new “Morning-After Pill (MAP),” Postinor-2.  In addition, other pharmacists who, although not necessarily members of pro-life groups, are refusing to sell the drug, citing safety and legal concerns.  The MAP became available over the counter in Australia effective January 1, following approval of its sale by a drugs scheduling committee late last year.  Contrary to manufacturers claims that the drug is contraceptive in effect, Canadian Physicians For Life president Dr. Rob Pankratz states that, in approximately 75 percent of cases, the MAP is abortifacient, […]
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Stem Cell Breakthrough: Yet Another Reason Human Embryo Source Unnecessary

LA JOLLA, CA, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, announced an alternative to embryonic stem cells yesterday.  The company research team discovered a synthetic substance known as reversine that is able to trigger human adult cells to revert back to more primitive, undifferentiated stem cell-like cells.  Scripps stem cells were created from adult muscle cells. Stem cell research is a relatively new and emerging field in medicine. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells, which means they can be transformed into cells ordered to almost any bodily tissue.  In theory, this may aid in the repair […]
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Ugandan Priest Urges Resistance to EU Pressure to Legalize Abortion

KAMPALA, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Fr. Felix Sciqnnqmeo, a Catholic priest in Uganda, led prayers to mark World Day of Peace, which were followed by a peace march. Kampala’s New Vision newspaper reports that in his remarks, the priest said Uganda must resist pressure from Europe and the United States to legalize abortion.  “Adopt children, don’t kill them. Hope Uganda does not legalise abortion,” he said.  See the New Vision coverage.
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Priests for Life announces “National Christian Voter Registration Sundays” for 2004

NEW YORK, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Priests for Life has announced “National Christian Voter Registration Sundays” for 2004. The effort to register voters at Catholic parishes nationwide is one part of the organization’s overall strategy for the election year.  The dates for Voter Registration Sundays are Jan. 18, March 7, May 2, July 4, and Sept. 5. The exact process is described on Priests for Life's website. Other Christian organizations are joining in the effort as well, and Priests for Life is urging that drives be conducted on a statewide and diocesan level, as was recently done in a […]
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Nine Hungarian Hospitals Agree to Halt Abortions on National Holidays

BUDAPEST, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life efforts in Hungary have led directors and ob/gyn departments at nine hospitals to agree to not to perform abortions on three new national holidays: March, 25th (Day of the Unborn Child), June, 1st (International Day of Life by UN) and on December, 28th (Feast of Holy Innocents).  The concession comes after the largest pro-life group in the country, Alpha Alliance for Protecting Unborn, Newborn Babies, Children and Families in cooperation with the U.S.-based Helpers of God’s Precious Infants and 18 other pro-life organizations held a 400-strong pro-life procession and prayer vigil in Budapest […]
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‘Theology of the Body’ Reveals Why Sex is Central to the Culture War

OTTAWA, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Famous modern philosopher Peter Kreeft has often brought to awareness that much of the culture wars centre around sex. Abortion, contraception, pornography, prostitution, divorce, homosexuality, promiscuity, adultery, sex education, and more of the most common fronts in the culture war revolve around sex.  Christopher West, a professor of sexual ethics in the St. John Vianney Seminary in Chicago and visiting professor of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family Australia campus, has presented a compelling explanation for the attack on God-given sex.  West is a world-renowned expert on the “Theology […]
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Washington Cardinal Ends Catholic University’s Use of Aborted Fetal Cell Lines

WASHINGTON, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-life victory was realized in the last few weeks of the year when Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick wrote a pro-life group December 15 to assure them that a “problem” at a Catholic University “has been resolved.”  Children of God for Life Director Debra Vinnedge told LifeSiteNews.com that last fall she wrote the Cardinal asking him to stop Georgetown University – a Catholic institution – from using aborted fetal cell lines.  Children of God for Life, which concentrates on the use of aborted fetal cell lines in vaccines, discovered that Georgetown University’s Medical Research […]
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LifeSite NewsBytes

The Culture Wars Go International – Robert Bork   Not only in America but throughout the nations of the West, judges have seized the political authority that properly belongs to the people and their elected representatives. “Judicial activism,” Robert H. Bork writes, “results from the enlistment of judges on one side of the culture war in every Western nation. Despite denials by some that any such conflict exists, the culture war is an obtrusive fact. It is a struggle between the cultural or liberal left and the great mass of citizens who, left to their own devices, tend to be […]
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Lesbians at Greater Risk for Herpes Infection

NEW YORK, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new study reveals lesbian women are at greater risk for Herpes simplex virus infections (HSV) compared to other women. The chief researcher in the study, Dr. Jeanne M. Marrazzo from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington told Reuters Health that “Our data indicated that risk of HSV-1 seropositivity was directly related to number of prior female sex partners.” Despite having blood results indicative of infection, only 30 percent of women reported having symptoms of the infection.  The study also concluded that lesbian women are at approximately equal risk for other sexually transmitted […]
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Finkel Gets 34 Years for Sex Abuse of Abortion Patients

PHOENIX, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Abortionist Brian Finkel, who was in years past acclaimed as a “national hero” by the pro-abortion movement for his “courageous” stand against pro-lifers, has been handed a 34 and ¾ years sentence for his December conviction on 22 counts of sexual abuse.  Finkel was acquitted on 34 counts, including six counts of sexual assault.  Should he serve out his sentence, 54 year-old Finkel would also be put on lifetime probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. A darling of the pro-abortion movement, Finkel was famous for patrolling his now-closed abortuary in a […]
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Texas First State to Warn of Abortion-Cerebral Palsy Link

HOUSTON, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Texas is the first state in the U.S. to educate its abortion clinic patrons of the real risk between abortion and Cerebral Palsy (CP) in subsequent pregnancies.  In prior LifeSiteNews.com coverage of the issue, we reported on researcher Brent Rooney’s compilation of twenty-seven studies published in major medical journals showing a significantly elevated risk of premature birth from prior induced abortions. Medical research indicates that pre-term birth increases the risk of Cerebral Palsy as well as respiratory distress, asthma and death. The studies showing the link have been published in the Journal of the […]
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Britney Spears Marriage Mockery – A Warning to Parents

LAS VEGAS, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Britney Spears, the entertainment pop star, entered jokingly into a marriage and then applied for and received an annulment two days later.  The annulment which was granted in Las Vegas today was based on an annulment petition saying, “Plaintiff Spears lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage.”  Jason Alexander, the man Spears married, said of the affair, “It was just crazy, man … and we were just looking at each other and said, ‘Let’s do something wild, crazy. Let’s go get married, just […]
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Pope Calls All Christians to Join in Defence and Promotion of Traditional Family

VATICAN, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope John Paul II called on Christians, and “who believe in the importance of the family based on marriage” to “join forces at all levels” in order to defend and promote the family as a “fundamental social good.” Speaking on the first Sunday after Christmas, the commemoration of the “Holy Family” of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Pope explained that the family “is a human and divine reality.”  He warned that, “In our day a misunderstood sense of rights sometimes troubles the very nature of the family institution and of the conjugal bond.” “We […]
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New Jersey Law Allowing Human Cloning is World’s “Most Extreme and Explicit”

TRENTON, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey signed legislation Sunday which permits human cloning, where the human beings created in the process for experimentation must be killed before birth. Promoters of the bill argued that the legislation bans cloning and promotes embryonic stem cell research. However, the new law (bill S1909/A2840) not only explicitly allows embryonic stem cell research; it also allows somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) and the development of unborn clones up until birth. It only explicitly prohibits cloning “an individual” which the bill defines as, “the replication of a human individual by cultivating […]
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How the New Bishop of Phoenix Spent His Christmas Eve – Praying Outside an Abortuary

PHOENIX, January 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Only days after taking on his new position as the Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted, joined some 200 pro-lifers in praying outside a Planned Parenthood abortuary – on Christmas Eve.  The Arizona public reported it as the bishop’s first public non-liturgical act as the new bishop.  The bishop’s participation, although kept quiet, swelled the numbers at the prayer rally to the largest in several years.  Commenting to the media on his presence at the prayer rally Bishop Olmsted said:  “Christmas is a celebration of God becoming one of us, entering fully into our […]
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