Articles for Month: March 2004

DAR ES SALAAM, March 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Zanzibar government has opted to outlaw homosexual sex. Being “caught in the act” could carry prison terms of up to 5 years, authorities there say. Zanzibar, with a 99 percent Muslim population, is an archipelago state of Tanzania, located in the Indian Ocean.  The move was initiated by wide-spread anxiety over permissive Western cultural influence in the region, which “condones such behavior,” according to Zanzibar constitutional affairs minister Adam Mwakanjuki. Mwakanjuki said that “Our society is Muslim and we cannot accept” homosexual practices.  The draft bill, which makes illegal sexual relations […]

"Creating civil unions gives government approval to behavior that is immoral", says pro-family leader

ST. PAUL, March 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Minnesota legislation prohibiting tax funding for abortion-providing “family planning” organizations has passed through a vote at the committee stage. Minnesota Health and Human Services Finance Committee approved the Taxpayers Protection Act (TPA) by a vote of 8-3.  The bill would regulate funds awarded by the Minnesota Family Planning Special Projects grant program. Under the bill, Planned Parenthood or any other abortion supportive organization would not receive taxpayer funding from the state of Minnesota. Six states, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and neighboring Wisconsin, have enacted laws similar to Minnesota’s legislation. The bill’s prohibitions […]

LONDON, March 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new law has been passed in the UK allowing homosexuals the full rights of marriage. The law allows for similar pension and spousal benefits as for heterosexual couples. The Civil Partnerships Bill is to be published in full on Wednesday. Although not technically “marriage”, the bill requires an announcement in advance of the ceremony, similar to banns being announced before marriages. The legislation also grants all the rights and privileges of marriage to same-sex couples. The legislation does not stipulate the necessity or form that a ceremony might entail, leaving this decision to […]

OTTAWA, March 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Debate on homosexual hate crime Bill C-250 was adjourned Friday and the Senate was scheduled to resume sitting Monday at 8pm. LifeSiteNews.com has learned that Bill C-250 will be the first item on the agenda as the Senate debates tonight.  The legislation is likely to pass the Senate despite numerous warnings from all major religious groups in the country that the legislation threatens freedom of religion and freedom of speech pertaining to homosexuality.  As LifeSiteNews.com reported, the Canadian Conference of Bishops issued a second warning letter to Senators regarding the serious threat the legislation […]

GENEVA, March 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Brazil, the chief sponsor of the United Nations resolution to have ‘sexual orientation’ considered as prohibited grounds for discrimination, has backed out of the contentious resolution citing a lack of consensus.  Brazil’s representative said in a statement today, “Since November last year, we have been consulting with delegations of several countries on the text.  We have not yet been able, however, to arrive at a necessary consensus.”  The move signals an initial victory for the Vatican and Muslim countries that are working together to oppose the resolution which international law experts said could seriously […]

The video, "Same-Sex Unions: Truth and Consequences" can be seen online

Washington, March 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Federal district courts in New York, Nebraska, and California commenced separate trials today on legal challenges to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a bill signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 5, 2003.  The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) led the coalition that resulted in enactment of this federal law after an eight-year fight. The three trials will examine several medical issues related to the partial-birth abortion procedure.  The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act contains a number of congressional findings including a finding that the vast majority of infants undergoing partial-birth […]

Knows better than to try his media stunt in Archbishop Burke parishes