Articles for Month: March 2005

CHATHAM, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In September 2003 Jonathan England and his wife Marla moved to the UK with their three daughters, who are Canadian citizens. The Englands, however, had only lived one year in the UK before Mrs. England abandoned the family to enter into a lesbian relationship. She and her lesbian partner are now attempting to get custody of the three girls, ten year-old Leah, Hannah, 7, and Nicola, 5. On Sept. 9, 2004, England took his daughters back to Canada to visit his sick mother. After arriving in Chatham, he decided to stay. His wife, Marla […]

PINELLAS PARK, FL, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The website set up by Terri Schiavo’s parents which for years catalogued their efforts to save her life had a simple message today reading: “Terri’s struggle for life has ended this morning. December 3, 1963 – March 31, 2005” In a final affront, Michael Schiavo denied Terri the presence of her family during her final moments. Although they were allowed to be present until shortly before her death, Michael denied Terri her parent’s comfort in her final moments and death. “It is with great sadness that I report that Terri Schiavo has […]

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Thursday, March 24, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida sent an e- mail to advocates for the abortion operation telling them how to “express your appreciation” to Florida Republican senators who split with the GOP leadership by voting against a bill intended to save Terri Schiavo. The message listed the names and contact information for the six senators. “Apparently Planned Parenthood isn’t content with killing 244,628 innocent children in the last year through abortion. Now the harmful organization is telling its advocates how to thank elected […]

LONDON, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Special to LifeSiteNews.com by Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.   The death of Terri Schiavo – Euthanasia or Natural Death? The tragic death of Terri Schiavo has reignited the Euthanasia debate in the United States and Canada. Everyday we witnessed new media reports about Terri Schiavo. We heard conflicting commentary from bio-ethicists, physicians, and religious leaders as to whether dehydrating Terri was euthanasia or simply allowing natural death to occur. To intentionally dehydrate and starve Terri Schiavo to death was euthanasia and I will clearly explain why. Euthanasia is an intentional act […]

CALGARY, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Even in the face of two human rights complaints, Calgary Bishop Fred Henry is refusing to back down over his pastoral and public statements on same-sex marriage, in which he faithfully presented the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality. “Since homosexuality, adultery, prostitution and pornography undermine the foundations of the family, the basis of society, then the State must use its coercive power to proscribe or curtail them in the interests of the common good,” Bishop Henry said in a letter addressed to Catholics in his diocese in January. (see coverage) In addition to the […]

Catholic Bishops Comments on Schiavo Case

WATERTOWN, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With the death of Terri Schiavo, disabled rights advocates are asking the inevitable question, ‘who’s safe?’ Michael Schiavo’s successful bid to have his wife starved to death rested on his alleged recollection of an offhand comment Terri made years before while watching a television programme about Karen Ann Quinlan. Observers are warning that judicial acceptance of such flimsy evidence poses a threat to everyone. Cases like Schiavo’s and numerous others like it, show that anyone might fall into the hands of relatives, hospital bioethics committees or courts with ideological biases in favour of euthanasia. […]

LONDON, ON, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) recognizes Terri Schiavo’s death as euthanasia because she was intentionally dehydrated to death, not for palliative reasons but because she was cognitively disabled. “Hopefully Terri’s death will result in legislation being enacted to protect people who are cognitively disabled from similar acts of death by dehydration,” commented EPC executive director Alex Schadenberg. To that end, the Euthanasia Prevention CoalitionÂoffers for saleÂthe Life-Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care to protect Canadians from being dehydrated to death, like Terri Schiavo. For more information on the power of attorney document […]

UNITED NATIONS, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute’s (C-FAM) President Austin Ruse today said, “We have never seen such a concentrated and sustained effort to advance abortion at the UN,” describing the latest push by the United Nations to ensure universal access to abortion leading up to next week’s conference on HIV/AIDS. “A UN body looks poised to call for universal access to abortion as a necessary prerequisite for success in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the full implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” Ruse explained in his weekly Friday Fax. “The Commission on […]

VATICAN, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With the reticence of the Vatican to be candid about the state of the Pope’s health, media reports have been buzzing with reports from unconfirmed Vatican sources. The latest and most serious report comes from CNN indicating that a Vatican source has revealed that Pope John Paul II received last rites Thursday night. AP is reporting that papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said that today “The Holy Father was struck today by a high fever caused by a confirmed infection of the urinary tract.” In an official Vatican release on the pontiff’s condition Wednesday, Navarro-Valls […]

LONDON, Ontario, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – News that notorious Canadian abortion activist Henry Morgentaler is to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario has elicited the outrage of pro-lifers. Despite the “firestorm of protest,” as described by the National Post, the University said it still plans to bestow the honour June 16. University spokesman Ted Garrard said Tuesday that the decision of the honorary degrees committee “is final.” “We certainly respect the dissenting opinions, and we did expect a good deal of reaction,” Garrard, a university vice president, claimed. “But there are many […]

TORONTO, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ottawa Citizen columnist David Warren has provided the following insightful commentary to LifeSiteNews.com regarding the Terri Schiavo ordeal in the United States: The Schiavo case has shown, as plainly as ever, and to the largest media audience ever, that the U.S. courts are prepared to ignore the most precise legislative instructions from their elected masters, delivered in live time. They will impudently & instinctively insist on turning each critical case on technicalities, and in their judgements, they will insert the most gratuitous expressions of their own personal opinions into the spaces between. But here […]

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, March 30, 2005, (LifeSiteNews.com) – A children’s picture book describing the wedding plans of two lesbians was mailed to all MP’s in Ottawa and demonstrate that the consequences of the ideological push to change the traditional meaning of marriage continue to manifest themselves with the help of federal funding. Entitled “Mom and Mum are Getting Married!”, authored by Ken Setterington, and published by Second Story Press, a Toronto publishing company, the book is described in a cover letter to MPs as “a gentle story for young children that celebrates the joyous planning of a wedding where the happy […]

OTTAWA, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) -MP members of the justice subcommittee studying the merits of legalizing prostitution for Canada have proposed a “sex tour,” to explore brothels that operate legally in such jurisdictions as the Netherlands, Britain, Sweden and Nevada. British Columbia NDP MP Libby Davies introduced the Liberal-supported private members bill proposing the legalization of full-scale brothels last year. Prostitutes appeared before the committee, on a nation-wide tour, in Vancouver Monday, encouraging lawmakers to scrap Criminal Code prohibitions on public solicitation of sex for money. Prostitution is technically already legal in Canada – the only prohibition is for soliciting […]

Bishop Lynch Jets to Indonesia While Terri Schiavo Struggles Through Last Hours of Court Ordered Death by Dehydration Is hospice industry part of the right-to-die crusade? Terri Schiavo: Judicial Murder – Nat Hentoff

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a recent article, “Legal implications of a link between abortion and breast cancer,” appearing in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, an attorney for the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) warns doctors that they have a duty to disclose the risks of abortion – including the link between abortion and breast cancer. Andrew Schlafly, Esq., general counsel for the AAPS, warned doctors that two malpractice lawsuits have already been successfully prosecuted in the U.S. for failing to disclose the link. “The most common type of malpractice case in […]

CALGARY, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A supporter of same-sex marriage is using the human rights process to take away Bishop Frederick Henry’s right to freedom of religion and free speech. Despite the Catholic Church’s established role in preparing men and women for marriage and conducting religious marriage ceremonies between men and women, it appears that supporters of same-sex marriage do not want religious leaders to be part of the debate on this issue. Bishop Frederick Henry wrote a letter to the Catholics in his Diocese in January, 2005 outlining the opposition of the Catholic Church to same-sex marriages (see […]

PINELLAS PARK, FL, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Beyond the support from mega-star Mel Gibson (see LifeSiteNews.com coverage) and unprecedented interventions by Vatican Cardinals, other prominent persons have taken up Terri’s cause. While not commenting verbally, Pope John Paul II entered into Terri Schiavo’s former condition of receiving nutrition via feeding tube. A Vatican press release today noted, “In order to improve the caloric intake and to favor a valid recuperation of strength, enteral nutrition has been started by placing a nasal-gastric probe (tube).” First lady Laura Bush commented on the case Tuesday saying, “It is a life issue that […]

ATLANTA, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After igniting an unexpected glimmer of hope by deciding yesterday to consider an emergency appeal in the case of Terry Schiavo, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals today rejected the request of a re-hearing. “Any further action by our court or the district court would be improper,” Judge Stanley Birch wrote. “While the members of her family and the members of Congress have acted in a way that is both fervent and sincere, the time has come for dispassionate discharge of duty.” It has been 13 days since Terri was allowed food or water. […]

ROME, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The struggle between local bishops and Vatican authorities on forbidding Catholic politicians who support abortion and same sex marriage from receiving Communion was put in focus last week as a top Vatican Cardinal described unworthy reception of Communion by Catholics as Christ’s greatest suffering. The Triduum is the Catholic Church’s most sacred season of the liturgical calendar. In it, the Good Friday commemoration of the suffering and death of Christ holds a prominent part. This year, with the Pope’s health precarious, the duties of the Triduum liturgies fell to the small group of high […]

Lip piercings “can shrink gums” dentists warn As Terri Schiavo’s life ebbed, an expected army of pro-life foot soldiers turned up AWOL If Terri dies, who is safe? Schiavo case could rekindle right-to-die debate in Canada

TORONTO, March 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a letter published in the National Post yesterday, Toronto psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Berger attests that, even “years after abortion,” a “profound sense of loss” and regret still remain for most women. “In more than 30 years of clinical practice as a psychiatrist, I have not come across an adult woman who, years after having had an abortion, has not had deep regrets, sadness and often a profound sense of loss, especially if she has not had any children,” said Dr. Joseph Berger. Research conducted by the Elliott Institute’s David Reardon, and other researchers […]

SCOTLAND, March 29, 2005, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scotland’s Cardinal Keith O’Brien has publicly contradicted fellow Bishop Joseph Devine’s stand that the presence of homosexual teachers in Catholic schools would be incompatible with their mission. The public contradiction was greeted favorably by education authorities who disagreed with Bishop Devine’s statement, but sent shockwaves throughout the world’s Catholics. Bishop Devine, president of the Catholic Education Service, was quoted in The Scotman of March 21st as saying: “Being homosexual would not at all be compatible with the charter. It would cut across the whole moral vision enshrined in the charter. It would be offering […]

VANCOUVER, March 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canadian Medical Association Journal reports in a new study that the use of the abortifacient drug, known commonly as the Morning After Pill (MAP) increased over 100% after it was made available over-the-counter in British Columbia. In 2000, British Columbia began allowing pharmacists to dispense MAP to women who requested it without a doctor’s prescription. Pharmacists who attempted to opt out of the programme were unable to obtain a conscience clause from the BC College of Pharmacists. Quebec and Saskatchewan have followed suit, and now Health Canada is considering making it possible for pharmacists […]

PINELLAS PARK, Florida, March 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Adding insult to injury, Michael Schiavo has denied Terri Schiavo and her family a Christian burial in the event of her death, planning rather to cremate her remains, which he will then inter in his family plot in Pennsylvania. Religious Brother Paul O’Donnell, the Schindler’s spiritual director, said, “They would like to have her body so they can have a Christian Mass and a Christian burial.” He added, “They want their daughter. If they can’t have her in life, they would hope he’d have compassion and give her in death.” “The family,” […]

CALGARY, March 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Tensions heightened at the University of Calgary (U of C) Wednesday after campus security setup a checkpoint at the main entrance of the school while blocking off a nearby entrance, according to a release from the Campus Pro-Life (CPL) club. On Tuesday, a vandal destroyed the CPL’s Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) pro-life display after the University barred the display from campus. In addition, campus security escorted pro-life students off campus for putting up 8 by 11 inch posters, including pro-life speaker Natalie Sanesh, scheduled to give a public address Thursday. Although the university indefinitely […]

SAN DIEGO, March 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scientists at a private biotech lab in California have shown a relationship between stem cells found in hair follicles and brain cells. Until recently, most researchers looking into stem cells thought that adult stem cells were of limited use, but an explosion of recent findings are showing that their flexibility is equal to that of embryo stem cells. Adult stem cells, moreover, present no medical or ethical difficulties. “We were able to recently make the hypothesis that hair-follicle stem cells could form neurons and other non-follicle cell types when we observed that hair-follicle […]

AMRITSAR, India, March 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) The international scope of the Liberal government’s attempt to pass into law Bill C-38 allowing same-sex marriages was confirmed again when Sikh-Canadian MP’s were urged to block the bill by their spiritual leader in India. This warning is the second such declaration made in the last three months, the first coming when Prime Minister Paul Martin was visiting India in January. Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, the world’s highest Sikh authority, again warned the six Sikh Members of Parliament that support for C-38 would result in their ostracization. Vedanti is quoted in a Toronto Star […]

9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals To Hear Case Involving Military Coverage of Abortion of Anencephalic Unborn Children Scottish Episcopal church backs gay priests Bishop apologizes for barring funeral of gay nightclub owner UK Survey Finds ‘One in five’ girls has sex by 14 Maryland House Defeats Budget Amendment That Would Have Restricted Publicly Funded Abortions New Jersey Acting Gov. Codey Signs Bill Requiring Hospitals To Provide Emergency Contraception to Rape Survivors Mississippi Pulls Abortion Doctor’s License after 35,000 Abortions

OTTAWA, March 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin has come out politically both in favour of Canada’s current situation of abortion on demand, and has been a driving force behind Canada’s same-sex marriage legislation. While Vatican officials have deemed such positions incongruous with Catholicism and thus impediments to reception of Holy Communion, Martin’s bishop, Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais has decided otherwise. Communications Director for the Archdiocese of Ottawa, Gilles Ouellette, provided to LifeSiteNews.com the response of Archbishop Gervais to the question of denying Holy Communion to the Prime Minister. “Refusing communion and excommunication are very serious actions, […]

TORONTO, March 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The February 22nd press release by the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops (OCCB) in response to Ontario Bill 171 is now being wrongfully used to claim Catholic support for the federal same-sex marriage Bill C-38 in Ottawa. Confusion regarding federal and provincial jurisdiction surrounding legal protection for clergy in the matter of same-sex marriage has resulted in a new letter being issued from the OCCB to all Ontario Members of Parliament at their riding offices and at the House of Commons. It makes clear that the Ontario bishops are opposed to all aspects of […]

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An expert from the famed Mayo Clinic and the head of the Christian Medical Association today questioned the diagnosis of Terri Schiavo as one of a persistent vegetative state. Dr. Wm Cheshire of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, spent one hour in Terri’s room observing her and also watched the full set of the exam videos of Terri. He has concluded that Terri has been misdiagnosed and is not in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), but instead is in a minimally conscious state. Christian Medical Association head, Dr. David Stevens, added, “I, like many […]

Editorial – The Terri Schiavo Case – Generation X’s Roe vs. Wade As we commit this reflection to writing, Terri Schindler-Schiavo has spent the past five days without food and water. A federal judge refuses to grant the injunction requested by Terri’s parents. This injunction would see the handicapped woman’s feeding tube reinserted as the federal courts review her case. Terri’s survival is now a matter of Divine providence. For even if her feeding tube was restored, only a miracle could prevent Terri’s organs from suffering irreversible damage after five days without nutrition and hydration. All of the undersigned are […]

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Supreme Court in a one-page decision refused to hear the appeal of the case to allow Terri Schiavo to be given food and water. The decision rendered without explanation was, according to media reports, the fifth time the Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the case.

PINELLAS PARK, Florida, March 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ten people arrested Wednesday for attempting to bring Terri Schiavo water included three children. The handcuffed children, a 14-year-old girl, and 12 and 10 year-old boys, were taken away by police for trespassing while attempting to bring cups of water to Terri Schiavo. “I am proud of them,” the mother of the two boys, Texan Geilen Keys, said, according to an AFP report. “They are very mature and they said ‘we want to go and offer some water to Terri.’” Terri’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, meanwhile, filed another appeal with the […]

GRANITE CITY, March 24 2005, (LifeSiteNews.com) – An Illinois woman was arrested today after trying to remove her 14 year-old daughter from an abortion clinic where she had been brought by the mother of the man who impregnated her. The girl and her parents had been involved in a dispute with the baby’s father, a sixteen-year old boy and his parents. The boy and his parents wanted to abort the baby but the girl, who had undergone an ultrasound, decided to keep the baby whom she had already named. According to pro-life activist, Jill Stanek, on the morning of March […]

LONDON, March 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Parliamentary members of the British Parliament’s Science and Technology Select Committee presented proposals for changes to existing laws regarding in vitro fertilization and embryo research this week. The report recommends allowing the sex selection of embryos in IVF facilities. Also recommended, in language that chillingly resembles that of early 20th century eugenicists, is that IVF clients be allowed to ‘weed out’ embryos with detectible genetic defects. The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act is one of the most permissive in the world, specifically allowing for the creation of clones to be used for stem […]

OTTAWA, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In advance of the March for Marriage on Parliament Hill this April 9, a national day of prayer has been proposed for Sunday April 3. Organizers are suggesting a married couple recite the proposed prayer after each worship service on Sunday April 3, followed by a minute’s silence in petition to God to deliver Canada from the moral disaster that is looming over the country. The prayer reads: We appeal therefore that every soul in this great nation cry to God;   confessing our sins,   asking for His forgiveness,   for how we […]

AMARILLO, Texas, March 23, 2005, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, officially announced today that he is founding a pro-life community dedicated to the formation and training of priests, deacons, brothers and seminarians who will devote themselves fully to the proclamation of the Gospel of Life. This initiative will be based in the diocese of Amarillo, Texas, under the authority and stewardship of Bishop John W. Yanta. “It has been a dream of mine for over a decade to form a community that can accept seminarians who want to devote their entire ministry to the […]

CALGARY, Alberta, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life students peacefully protesting abortion outside a subway entrance near the University of Calgary were violently attacked Tuesday. A man approached the students, and ripped three 4×8 foot displays. Police arrested the man, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. After the arrest, a second man approached and vandalized a remaining sign. The students were protesting at the subway stop after being barred from demonstrating on campus property. The destroyed signs are part of an educational exhibit known as the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), a collection of graphic images that compare abortion […]

CHICAGO/PINELLAS PARK, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of America’s best-known pro-life groups is blitzing downtown Chicago with leaflets in an attempt to correct media misrepresentation of Terri Schiavo’s condition. “The public has been grossly misinformed about Terri Schiavo’s condition and prognosis,” said Joseph M. Scheidler, National Director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. “We’re taking to the streets to make sure Chicagoans learn the truth about Terri, the young woman in Florida who is being starved to death.” Scheidler, who has been making headlines for years with his court battles with various abortion groups, said that the group is […]

March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In 1986, a 45-year-old Massachusetts fire fighter named Paul Brophy was starved and dehydrated to death at the request of his family. Like Terri Schiavo, he had also been diagnosed as being in a “persistent vegetative state,” by his doctors after suffering an aneurysm. Patricia Brophy, his wife and court appointed guardian, seven brothers and sisters, and five adult children all argued that Mr. Brophy would not have wanted continued treatment in his condition. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court accepted the judgment of the family, despite the fact that Paul Brophy had never expressed his […]

LISBON, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party has proposed another national referendum seeking to legalize abortion in the predominantly Catholic nation. A similar measure failed when introduced in 1998. In last month’s election, the Socialist party ran on a platform that included a promise to conduct a national referendum to overturn the country’s official prohibition on abortion. The proposal seeks to make abortion on demand legal up to the 10th week of pregnancy. Prime Minister Jose Socrates promised the referendum for 2006 as part of his election campaign. The proposed text for the referendum asks for a […]

PINELLAS PARK, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a 2-1 ruling, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the bid by the parents of Terri Schiavo to have her feeding tube re-inserted, refusing to hear an appeal of the case. Meanwhile, a Florida woman, has been arrested for trying to take a bottle of water into the Woodside Hospice for Terri Schiavo. Lana Jacobs, a woman who works for St. Francis House – a Catholic homeless shelter in Columbia, Missouri, was arrested, handcuffed and loaded into a paddy wagon after she was charged with trespassing after a warning. “It wasn’t […]

VATICAN CITY, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Vatican official launched a fourth appeal – in an unprecedented string of entreaties to the US judiciary – to spare the life of Terri Schiavo, warning that the disabled woman faces a “cruel” death. Zenit news reported Tuesday that the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Bishop Elio Sgreccia, expressed “disconcert and sadness” after hearing the news of another rejected appeal by Florida Judge James Whittemore. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected an additional appeal Wednesday. “I must confirm the moral judgment which does not change: It is […]

TAMPA BAY, March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While for those who have seen Terri Schiavo in person there is no question she is very much alive, conscious of her surroundings and very much wanting to stay alive, millions of people are, by false reports in the media, convinced that Terri Schiavo is unconscious in a coma. The following videos of Terri have been provided by Terri’s supporters to allow an objective perception of Terri’s condition. (Be sure to have your volume turned up to hear Terri’s vocalizations as she attempts to respond)

EDMONTON, AB March 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan’s flip flop on homosexual ‘marriage’ is captured on video for all the world wide web to see. A website has been established by DefendMarriage.ca which asks the question “Can you trust Anne McLellan”. The website contains video footage of Anne McLellan in Parliament in June of 1999 during which she discusses the government’s position on changing the definition of marriage. During her speech Ms. McLellan said: “Let me state again for the record that the government has no intention of changing the definition of marriage or of legislating […]

PIERRE, S.D., March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed four new bills into law Thursday, including one measure mandating that doctors tell the woman that, by aborting her child, a human life ends. The bill stipulates that a doctor must inform the mother in writing and in person, no later than two hours before the abortion, that abortion ends the life of her baby, and “terminates the constitutional relationship women have with their fetuses.” Among the three other bills is one that mandates, in the event that the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, abortion […]

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Supreme Court declined to intervene in a case filed by Senate Democrats challenging US President George W. Bush’s recess appointment of William H. Pryor Jr. to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals – the same court that will decide whether to hear an appeal of the Terri Schiavo case, expected today. Pryor, who served as the Attorney General of Alabama before his appointment to the bench, was recess-appointed by Bush last February, to circumvent a Senate filibuster blocking his nomination. Senate Democrats opposed Pryor’s nomination because of his deeply held pro-life values. […]

LONDON, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Dr. Jonathan Sacks, was quoted Friday by the Jewish Telegraph saying that current British law allowing abortion without questions up to 24 weeks has had serious ill effects. “The current law has consequences few foresaw at the time. Too often, abortion is being used for convenience. This is unethically unacceptable.” The rabbi’s comments came after Catholic Cardinal of Westminster, Cormac Murphy O’Connor, said that the legal limit for abortion ought to be lowered from 24 weeks to 20. The rabbi said, “The time has come to reconsider our stance on abortion […]

OTTAWA, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In comments very insulting to Catholics who take their faith seriously, Liberal MP and former government House Leader Don Boudria called himself a “practicing Catholic” while declaring his support for homosexual ‘marriage’. In his speech he included a message for those he knew would be shocked by his stance – “too bad”. Speaking in the House of Commons Monday, Boudria said it was “a pleasure” for him to address the homosexual ‘marriage’ bill C-38. Boudria described his background prior to stating his position on the bill noting has been married for 34 years and […]

TAMPA, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A federal judge in Tampa – appointed by former US President Bill Clinton – refused to order the re-insertion of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube, claiming that her best interests have already been well represented in court. US District Judge James Whittemore’s ruling early Tuesday signals that Terri’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, have little hope in succeeding with their case. “This court concludes that Theresa Schiavo’s life and liberty interests were adequately protected by the extensive process provided in the state courts,” Whittemore concluded in his 13-page ruling. The Schindler’s attorney said they plan […]

OTTAWA, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The House of Commons saw another day of debate on the controversial same-sex ‘marriage’ bill C-38 yesterday. In addition to numerous Conservatives speaking against the bill, several Liberal members spoke against the legislation. The most animated was Liberal John McKay, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance. McKay blasted the “so-called protection for religious officials” contained in the bill as “worthless.” Driving his point home McKay said, “There is not a scintilla of doubt that religious institutions and their officials would be the next line of attack.” McKay pointed out that the attack […]

BRISBANE, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Dr. Alan Mackay-Sim and his small team of researchers at Griffith University have just published the results of a four-year study of stem cells obtained from the inside of the nose. Their work shows once again that adult stem cells can be made to change into any cells in the body without the medical or ethical problems of embryo cells. Mackay-Sim said almost any kind of tissue in the body could be obtained from olfactory stem cells including heart cells, brain cells and nerve cells, without immune system rejection or formation of tumors. The […]

OSLO, March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bone marrow recently been found to be a richer source of stem cells and the cells derived from it to be more flexible than was previously thought. Now, further research by scientists in Norway has discovered that it is easier than previously thought to produce neural cells from bone marrow-derived stem cells. The Oslo team used chick embryos to show that bone marrow stem cells do readily create neurons and spinal cord cells. The researchers introduced adult stem cells from human bone marrow into the injured spinal cord of the embryonic chick. The cells […]

CALGARY, AB., March 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com). Most Rev. Fred Henry, Bishop of Calgary Alberta, who has been one of the most vocal and outspoken of all Canadian Bishops regarding the current controversy surrounding same-sex marriage, penned an article in the Western Catholic Reporter for the week of March 14. In the article Bishop Henry continues to faithfully present the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality. Bishop Henry is well known for his outspoken column in a local Calgary paper. He has also received a great deal of attention, both good and bad, for his pastoral letter regarding same-sex marriage. Among the […]

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The nominee about to take charge of the US Food and Drug Administration, speaking at a Senate committee confirmation hearing, said the FDA is poised to approve the Plan B abortifacient morning-after pill for over-the-counter sales. “The science part is generally done,” Lester M. Crawford said, responding to committee member, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who the Washington Post described as pressing him on the issue. “We’re just now down to what the label will look [like]. This is going to be a very unusual sort of approval.” Ignoring all scientific evidence pointing to […]

LONDON, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new survey by researchers from the University of Western Ontario, the London (Ontario) Health Sciences Centre and the University of Colorado have again shown a link between abortion and domestic violence. The new research coincides with findings from the US and Britain that have consistently shown a strong correlation between violence and abortion and between the use of contraceptives and repeat abortion. 1127 women completed a 65-item questionnaire at a hospital abortion facility in London, Ontario. The results showed that overall 20% had experienced physical abuse by a male partner, and 27% had […]

MOTHERWELL, Scotland, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Local school officials said they “would never” abide by the wishes of the Motherwell bishop, who said that to hire openly homosexual teachers to teach Catholic schoolchildren is contrary to Catholic principles. Bishop Joseph Devine, in a Sunday Herald column, said, “Being openly gay would not at all be compatible with the charter,” referring to the Charter for Catholic Schools that outlines the Church’s philosophy and principles that guide Catholic education for the country. Catholic Education Commission president Michael McGrath concurred, adding that hiring homosexual teachers “Would cut across the whole moral vision […]

BUENOS AIRES, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The president of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner, has withdrawn support for the Vatican-appointed bishop of the country’s military and has asked the Vatican to appoint someone else. The Vatican however is maintaining Bishop Antonio Juan Baseotto in his position and has criticized the Argentine government for obstructing religious freedom. The clash started with Health Minister Ginés González García’s announcement February 14, of his support for legalizing abortion and the free distribution of condoms. In late February, the bishop said in a letter to Gonzalez Garcia that when he saw the minister distributing condoms publicly […]

PINELLAS PARK, Florida, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – US President George W. Bush signed into law early this morning a measure allowing the Schindler family to appeal their daughter’s, disabled Terri Schiavo’s, death by dehydration and starvation. The measure, a bill jointly agreed upon by the US Congress and Senate at 1 am Monday morning, allows the appeal of life and death decisions such as Terri’s, to the federal courts. A federal judge began hearings at 3 pm today. No decision was known by press time. However, an ambulance was standing by the hospice where Terri resides, to take her […]

BOSTON, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Harvard University has just announced that it will start experiments in creating cloned human beings for use in destructive medical experiments. Harvard has approved a proposal to start cloning human beings to use them for their stem cells while still in the embryonic stage of life. The theory of those who support such research is that the stem cells obtained from cloned embryos may be able to cure diseases without risk of immune system rejection. However, since no clone has ever been produced that was free of severe genetic defects, many responsible scientists have […]

MONTREAL, March 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Hundreds of pro-life and pro-family Canadians taking part in the Conservative National Convention over the weekend came away encouraged. The disappointments for social conservatives were highlighted by the media and centred on Stephen Harper’s speech and the muzzling of debate on the issue of abortion. However, the new Conservative policy supporting traditional marriage and several additional pro-family policies were heartening. Campaign Life Coalition, with the support of REAL Women Canada and Enshrine Marriage Canada worked an effective strategy to get pro-life and pro-familyÂdelegates elected and to coordinate strategy at the Convention. Despite Conservative ‘star’ […]

MONTREAL, March 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, in is address before thousands of delegates at the Conservative Convention Friday touched on issues of concern to social conservatives. Regarding homosexual marriage Harper said, “As prime minister, I will bring forward legislation that, while providing the same rights, benefits and obligations to all couples, will maintain the traditional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.” On abortion, Harper said, “as prime minister, I will not bring forth legislation on the issue of abortion.” He added, “as your leader, if you disagree with me on […]

UNITED NATIONS, March 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations Millennium Development Summit, scheduled for September, is living up to UN status quo by adopting a radical feminist agenda, with organizers announcing plans to include universal abortion access as a Millennium Development Goal (MDG). A Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) Friday Fax revealed that key figures involved in the planning of the Summit have backed the inclusion of access to abortion as a key MDG goal. Chief of the Reproductive Health Branch of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), France Donnay, for example, said, “Reproductive health and rights are […]

LONDON, Ontario, March 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Notorious Canadian abortion activist Henry Morgentaler is slated to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario on Thursday, June 16 at 10 a.m. Pro-life leader Henry Lamb was infuriated that the university would confer its highest honour on the abortionist. “He’s the last person I’d think would be on anybody’s list whether you’re pro-life or not,” he said, as reported by the London Free Press. Lamb was a former Campaign Life Coalition vice-president. “I have a real hard time with it because the (abortion) issue hasn’t even […]

NEW YORK, March 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations Human Rights Committee wrapped up consideration of Kenya’s second periodic report on compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Tuesday, pushing Kenya to legalize abortion and homosexuality. The 18-member, Geneva-based Committee meeting in New York through April 1, monitors worldwide implementation of the Covenant and its two Optional Protocols. With regard to homosexuality, Roman Wieruszewski, the UN ‘expert’  from Poland, expressed concern that the country considered homosexuality an unnatural act and had enacted laws to that effect.  He asked, “Does the country consider this to be inconsistent […]

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A nurse and spokeswoman for the Schindler foundation announced that today, at 1:45 pm, Terri Schindler’s feeding tube was removed, on the order of Florida judge George W. Greer. Cheryl Ford, in an e-mail release from fight4terri.blogspot.com, said, “Word was just received that Terri’s parents were asked to leave Terri’s room. Michael Schiavo was present when the feeding tube was removed.” Bay News 9 local news reported that a relative of Michael Schiavo’s girlfriend emerged from Schiavo’s Clearwater home to tell reporters that Terri’s feeding tube was removed. “Schiavo said he allowed a prayer […]

VANCOUVER, March 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to University of British Columbia researchers, teens with a history of abortion were almost three times more likely to give birth to a very low birth weight baby (VLBW), i.e. a baby born that weighs less than 1500 grams, or 3 pounds 5 ounces. In addition, these same teens were almost three and a half times more likely to have stillborn babies in future. The findings were published in the Annals of Epidemiology. “In less than a half hour, a teenager can triple her risk of a future extremely premature (under 28 weeks’ […]

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, Philippines, March 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Government workers who publicly support the Philippines population control Bill 3773, “Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act,” which mandates a rule that restricts families to two children and introduces sex education for children and the distribution of artificial contraceptives, will be denied Holy Communion if they present themselves, a diocesan prelate said.   Prelate of the Diocese of Ozamiz, Monsignor Jesus Dosado, said Wednesday that civil workers who promote “anti-life policies” such as Bill 3773 are not worthy to receive the body of Christ, and will be refused. Those who […]

FRANKFURT, March 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Germans are expressing their disapproval at the choice of this year’s recipient of the prestigious Ehrlich prize – the UK’s embryonic research advocate and Dolly cloner, Ian Wilmut.   Germans are upset that someone involved in research that is illegal in Germany would be awarded the country’s top prize in medical research,  including €100,000 in prize money, half of which is from German tax coffers. Wilmut was granted permission last month by UK health and research authorities to begin human cloning experiments. Wilmut told the BBC News that he intends to create cloned human […]

TALLAHASSEE, March 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A bill passed the Florida House today that may prevent the feeding tube withdrawal and ultimate death of disabled Terri Schiavo, scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday by a Florida judge.   Lawmakers passed legislation requiring a written directive from an incapacitated person before family and physicians can deny them food and water. The Florida Senate is still debating mirror legislation that is less sweeping – it would deny the removal of food and hydration if family members disagree on the measure, unless there is a pre-existing written directive from the disabled person.   Republican […]

LONDON, March 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two UK physicians charged with performing illegal late-term abortions on children with the minimal deformity of cleft palates were let off Wednesday. The doctors were charged last May with the offence after Anglican curate, Rev. Joanna Jepson, pursued the matter through the courts after police initially refused to lay charges. Jepson, who suffered a similar jaw deformity at birth, charged that the cleft lip and palate excuse was a frivolous reason for killing children already well past the 24-week cut-off point for legal abortions in Britain. “Abortion of a baby on the grounds that […]

HOUSTON, March 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As a result of the first such ruling of its kind in the US, a five-month-old baby boy died Tuesday after being removed from a respirator against his mother’s wishes. “I wanted life for my son,” the boy’s mother, Wanda Hudson, said, according to a freep.com report. “The hospital gave up on him too soon.” Harris County Probate Judge William McCulloch upheld an earlier ruling Monday allowing Texas Children’s Hospital to remove artificial respiration from the boy. Bioethicists said it was the first time a judge had ruled to end the life of a […]

CLEARWATER, Florida, March 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A spokesman for the national Orthodox Jewish organization, Agudath Israel, appealed to Michael Schiavo Wednesday to “recognize that what a court may consider legal can still constitute a grave violation of a higher law,” and asked him to “please allow your wife to continue to live.” “None of us can claim to know what constitutes a meaningful existence,” Rabbi Avi Shafran, the organization’s director of public affairs said. “And all of us have a responsibility to preserve even severely compromised human life.” Meanwhile, Michael Schiavo had sharp words for Florida Governor Jeb Bush […]

Pro-choice view an obstacle for GOP Presidential hopefuls Family Films Beat R-Rated Titles in 2004 Don’t make abortion an election issue – Blair Bushes, Clintons make strange bedfellows Bishops Urge Abstention in Italian Referendum on Embryo Research Fidelity with partner the only real safe sex

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A judge overturned California’s voter approved ban on same-sex “marriage”  Monday, ruling that denying homosexuals the opportunity to “marry” is tantamount to discrimination. In his opinion, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer, a Catholic, stated, “It appears that no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this state to opposite-sex partners.” Kramer further claimed, “The state’s protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional. Simply put, same-sex marriage cannot be prohibited solely because California has always done so before.” Judge Kramer’s decision struck […]

  This rally and march will take place in Ottawa on April 9, 2005   Program   12:00 p.m. Gather at the Supreme Court (corner of Kent and Wellington)   12:30 p.m. March to Parliament Hill   1:30 p.m. Speeches and Music   4:00 p.m. Dismissal   Organizations should register ahead of time.   E-mail: [email protected]   Tel:  613-220-2093   Website: https://www.march4marriage.ca/

PINELLAS PARK, Fl., March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With the March 18, 1pm deadline for removal of nutrition and hydration from cognitively disabled Terri Schiavo fast approaching, faith organizations and leaders are encouraging supporters to come to the Woodside Hospice to stand in solidarity with Terri. The Woodside Hospice, where Terri Schiavo lives, is located at 6774 102nd Avenue N. (near 66th Street N and 102nd Avenue N) in Pinellas Park, Florida. The groups will begin a round-the-clock vigil on Wednesday, March 16th at 12:00 P.M. Organizers will hold prayer vigils, rallies, and peaceful activist and cutting edge public events. […]

OTTAWA, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Conservative Party delegates preparing for the March 17-19 Conservative Policy Convention in Montreal this week are being instructed by the left-leaning CBC on where they should take the party. The CBC ‘news’ program ‘Canada Now’ which aired last night presented the Conservative resolution to ban partial birth abortion as part of the “always controversial issue of abortion”. CBC’s Eric Sorenson painted the measure as an effort to “wedge the issue back on to the public agenda starting with conservative party policy.” Sorenson quoted an unnamed ‘party insider’ who said the competing proposal stating “A […]

Lawmakers ready to save Schiavo Church fights Da Vinci Code novel The unfixable UN  

ROME, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Knowingly or unknowingly, Pope John Paul II stepped into a heated debate over the giving of Holy Communion to pro-abortion and same-sex marriage supportive politicians. In a message made public Saturday addressed to US Cardinal James F. Stafford, the Pope noted, “Only people with a sincere awareness of not having committed mortal sin may receive the body of Christ.” The message, dated March 8 from Gemelli Polyclinic (the hospital where the Pope was recovering from surgery) concerned confession of sins. “Clearly and simply preach the true doctrine concerning the need of the Sacrament of […]

JERUSALEM, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Israeli Jews and evangelical Christians have united to oppose the 2005 Gay and Lesbian World Pride Parade, scheduled for this summer in Jerusalem. The coalition has launched an international petition to have the event cancelled. “As friends of the state of Israel, we are in a state of heartbreak and shock to hear that you who govern and watch over Israel are planning to allow World Pride 2005, a worldwide gathering of homosexuals, to take place in the holy city of Jerusalem,” the petition states, according to a haaretz.com report. “You must know that […]

MANILA, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said in a weekly radio broadcast aired today, “To me the murder in abortion is graver than the murder of an adult.” The archbishop’s comments come in response to a Philippine population control bill which the bishops warn will lead to the legalization of abortion.  Bill 3773, “Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act,”  mandates a rule that restricts families to two children, introduces sex education for children and the distribution of artificial abortifacient contraceptives. “Some of these people think […]

LONDON, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Vocal opposition is mounting from politicians against the UK ‘s law allowing abortion-on-demand up until the 24th week of pregnancy. Lawmakers are arguing that a baby is already viable outside the womb by that age. British Conservative Party leader Michael Howard said he would push to change the abortion restriction from the current 24 months gestation limit down to 20 weeks if elected Prime Minister in the next election. According to a timesonline.co.uk report, Howard told Cosmopolitan magazine that the current abortion legislation is “tantamount to abortion on demand,” promising to vote to reduce […]

LONDON, March 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The UK’s Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor spoke out against the Labour Party Monday after all three major parties’ leaders gave their position on abortion in a Cosmopolitan magazine interview published Monday.   Conservative Party leader Michael Howard said he favoured a restriction on late term abortions, and would invite debate on the issue in parliament if elected Prime Minister in this spring’s general election. Tony Blair, on the other hand, said “you should not criminalise a woman” who chooses to abort her child. “I am very pleased that this has been brought out on to the […]

FRONT ROYAL,Virginia, March 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – LifeSiteNews.com student reporter, John Jalsevac, together with 19 fellow Christendom College students, travelled to Florida this past weekend to take part in a save Terri Shiavo rally. Although they knew the situation was desperate, the students were dismayed to learn how very few Americans cared enough to show up for the widely promoted event to save the life of perhaps the currently premiere victim of injustice in the United States. See today’s LifeSiteNews.com SPECIAL REPORT by John Jalsevac that relates some of the experiences, disappointments and now renewed determination of the students who […]

GENEVA, March 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canada’s Liberal government has been pushing the line that ending discrimination against sexual orientation necessitates allowing same-sex marriage. With his Liberal colleagues spouting that line at home, Canada’s Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew was in Geneva today urging the United Nations to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights opened its sixty-first session this morning, hearing the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights state that the Commission was one embodiment of the collective responsibility to promote and protect all human rights for everyone. According to a CBC report, […]

EDINBURGH, March 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scotland’s Cardinal Keith O’Brien has urged faithful Catholics there to boycott the National Lottery after learning the lottery had issued £3.3 million in proceeds to fund so-called family planning organizations that refer women for abortions. Cardinal O’Brien said Catholics should “think very carefully” before buying a ticket. The Lottery has financed the Brook Advisory Centres and the FPA (formerly the Family Planning Association. Both organizations offer contraceptive and so-called family planning information, and refer women for abortion. “I remain concerned at what I believe to be a blatant misuse of funds given in good […]

CLEARWATER, March 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a personal telephone conversation on March 11, between Terri Schiavo’s father, Bob Schindler, and actor/director Mel Gibson, Mr. Gibson encouraged the Schindler family to “never give up and continue to pray.” Shortly after the telephone conversation Mr. Gibson sent a fax to the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation with the following statement to be read at a March 12 rally for Terri: “I fully support the efforts of Mr. & Mrs. Schindler to save their daughter, Terri Schiavo, from a cruel starvation. Terri’s husband should sign the care of his wife over to her parents […]

Vatican UN reps emphasize UN groups consider abortion, birth control “more important than the dignity of women as persons” ‘Stem cell therapy’ craze spreads in Russia The Fizzling Population Bomb: U.N. Report Points to Slowing of Growth

BELFAST, March 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition (IATC) warned Monday that legalizing prostitution in Canada would make the country a “magnet for human trafficking.” “The 21st century slave trade, euphemistically called trafficking in persons, accounts for the transport, sale and exploitation of some 800,000 men, women and children every year,” according to the U.S. Department of State official whose office is charged with monitoring worldwide human trafficking patterns, as described by Gregory Carlin, IATC Director. “Because of the leadership of President Bush and Congress, there is now an effective methodology for assessing global progress via the annual […]

TIMMINS, March 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The name of Bishop Paul Marchand (Diocese of Timmins) was brought into the ongoing controversy surrounding same-sex marriage supporter MP Charlie Angus (NDP Timmins-James Bay) and his pastor, Fr. John Lemire, by the Timmins Daily Press in its March 10th editorial. The Daily Press editorial stated “Angus later learned from Bishop Paul Marchand that Lemire had no right to threaten to withhold the sacrament, and only the bishop himself can do such a thing. Lemire was out of line, and the leader of the Catholic church in these parts of Northern Ontario agreed.” In […]

NEW YORK, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While research with embryo cells remains stagnant because of medical hazards, it is beginning to look as though there really is no limit to the possibilities of therapeutic applications using adult stem cells.  At a meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in Baltimore, Maryland, researchers are positing that damaged teeth can be repaired and new teeth grown from the cells derived from the pulp of adult teeth. Dr. Tony Smith, editor of the Journal of Dental Research, described research that may enable dentists to coax existing teeth into repairing and regenerating […]

OTTAWA, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin has stacked a committee studying the same-sex “marriage” bill with Liberal members who clearly support the redefinition of marriage, according to a Canadian Press report. The leanings of the six Liberal members of the committee that is weighing the new act and will consider presentations from the public during its hearings, almost guarantees that there will be little if any changes to the 15 clauses in the bill. “The odds are about as stacked as they could be,” against there being any changes made to the bill, according to […]

LISBON, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Franciscan priest in Portugal has taken out an advertisement in the local paper telling Catholics that if they are in public opposition to Catholic law regarding abortion, they may not receive communion. Father Nuno Serras Pereira, OFM, wrote the text of a lengthy ad that appeared March 2, saying that according to the Catholic Code of Canon Law, he is forbidden to give Holy Communion to Catholics who have publicly acted against Church teaching on the life issues. A major public controversy has resulted with the Cardinal of Lisbon, Jose da Cruz Policarpo, […]

SAN FRANCISCO, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A wave of web-based companies offering private genetic testing and counselling has doctors in the US annoyed, according to Wired magazine. One such company, DNA Direct is a San Francisco based company that will help you discover possible genetic predispositions for cystic fibrosis, blood clotting, iron overload and a heightened risk for lung and liver diseases. The company advertises these home tests as a way to make choices about lifestyles that may affect health, but insurance companies and doctors say that genetic testing has to be strictly regulated. Genetic testing and manipulation of […]

VATICAN, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) –  Following on the heels of two public statements by another highly placed Vatican official, Bishop Elio Sgreccia, the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has spoken out against a US judge’s decision to permit the starvation of cognitively disabled Florida woman Terri Shiavo.  The Italian press agency AGI carries a transcript of the remarks of Bishop Sgreccia on the One O Five Live radio program which is part of the official Vatican radio station, Radio Vaticana. Bishop Sgreccia said, “Even if it is not habitual of this Academy to interject supporting specific cases of […]

SALEM, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) –The seventh annual report on legalized physician-assisted suicide (PAS) for Oregon residents was released yesterday. The report summarizes the information collected on patients and physicians who engaged in the practice from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004.  The report notes that 37 Oregonians used lethal drugs provided by doctors to kill themselves in 2004.  Oregon doctors opposed to the practice formed a group called Physicians for Compassionate Care. They note that the overdoses were prescribed by a few dozen Oregon doctors-many of whom are actively promoting assisted suicide. A local newspaper, The Oregonian, reports […]

SAN DIEGO, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – California businessman Robert Herring, Sr., offered Terri Schiavo’s husband, Michael Schiavo, $1 million Thursday, in exchange for her life.  Herring founded WealthTV, a lifestyle and entertainment television channel, in 2003.  The million dollars was placed in a trust account managed by Allred’s law firm Wednesday. Early Thursday, the firm communicated the offer to Michael Schiavo through his attorney. Herring and his attorney, Gloria Allred, appeared on Fox TV last night to make the offer public.  “As events have proceeded in the legal battle, it became clear to me that if something was not […]

GRONINGEN, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Infant Euthanasia pioneers argue that because infant euthanasia is often unreported and widespread, having a legal framework in place to regulate the practice would make it safer.  “Of the 200,000 children born in the Netherlands every year, about 1000 die during the first year of life. For approximately 600 of these infants, death is preceded by a medical decision regarding the end of life,” claim euthanasia advocates and physicians from Groningen University Medical Center, Eduard Verhagen, and Pieter Sauer, writing in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).  Verhagen and Sauer write that […]

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Harris Interactive Poll on abortion released March 3 shows the strongest opposition to Roe v. Wade in years. The survey of 1,012 U.S. adults conducted February 8-13, 2005, shows Americans support Roe v. Wade by just a 52 to 47 percent margin, a significant change from the 57 to 41 percent margin in 1998. This weakening support for Roe is likely even more pronounced than the poll indicates because the Harris survey question understates Roe v. Wade by declaring “the U.S. Supreme Court decision making abortions up to three months of pregnancy legal.” […]

SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A federal appeals court ruled unanimously Tuesday that the forcible sterilization of a Chinese woman is grounds for eligibility for her husband’s asylum in the US. The LA Times said the ruling could considerably increase the number of refugee claims from China. Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote, “Involuntary sterilization irrevocably strips persons of one of the important liberties we possess as humans: our reproductive freedom,” in his ruling. Reinhardt was one of a panel of three judges who reversed two lower court decisions denying asylum to Quili Qu, who filed a claim in 2001. […]

1. Halifax MP Says Removing P-90 Gag Resolution “a big mistake”  Halifax’s Chronicle Herald reported today that Conservative MP Gerald Keddy (South Shore-St. Margarets), commenting on the party’s decision yesterday to withdraw the bottom note from resolution P-90 said, “The party will likely come to regret that decision” and “It’s a huge mistake”. He added, incredibly, “I don’t think we want the social conservatives to take over this new party. We had a taste of that in the last election.” Keddy appears to be oblivious to the fact that the large grassroots base of the Reform/Alliance party, with which the […]

SACRAMENTO, California, March 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life activists in California have collected over 700,000 signatures in support of a measure that would require abortionists to notify the parents or legal guardians 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor.  The sponsors of the Parents’ Right to Know measure, who are seeking to incorporate the policy in California’s state constitution, need to collect just short of 600,000 certified signatures in order to put the issue on the ballot for a statewide referendum. With a month to go before the deadline, organizers hope to collect 900,000 total signatures—enough to ensure […]

OTTAWA, March 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Canadian government justice sub-committee considering the legalization of prostitution recently received dire warnings from two separate sources. The committee, formed to deliberate the merits of NDP MP Libby Davies’ private members’ bill, which is supported by the Liberals, is making its way across Canada to solicit Canadian opinion on the matter. When the committee made its stop in Vancouver, Simon Fraser University criminologist Dr. John Lowman argued in favour of legalization. Many “sex workers choose to prostitute because of the rewards it brings, not because they have no other way of making a […]

OTTAWA, March 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A recent case involving a 31-year-old Texas man who lured a 14-year-old boy into an Ottawa hotel for sex has reignited debate about Canada’s age-of-consent law. Currently, the legal age for so-called consensual sex between two persons in Canada is 14 years old – one of the world’s youngest.  Police charged the man, Dale Eric Beckham, for abduction and luring of the boy. Police claimed, however, that the sex itself was consensual. In Texas, the man would face an indecency charge, with a two to 20 year sentence, or a sexual assault charge, carrying […]

ACLU threat causes Boy Scouts to drop public school ties; churches urged to fill void   Man offers $1 million to save Terri Schiavo      Pro-life leader reveals latest efforts of pro-abortion movement to defeat pro-lifers       Dutch Euthanize Sick Newborns   Schiavo’s turned down again by Judge Greer       

OTTAWA, March 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With the same-sex ‘marriage’ issue coming to the fore in Canada and the United States, the issue of Catholic politicians receiving communion while supporting such measures is increasingly being seen as a scandal that needs to be addressed by church leaders.  To clarify the issue, LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Ottawa-based canon lawyer Pete Vere, JCL.  LSN: What is a priest to do in a parish where one of his parishioners is a politician who supports gay ‘marriage’?  Vere: The parish priest has an obligation to correct Catholic politicians who support so-called same-sex marriage.  The first […]

Rally Tomorrow in Kitchener, Ontario Local Liberal MPs Andrew Telegdi (Kitchener Waterloo), Karen Redman (Kitchener-Centre) and Lynn Myers (Kitchener-Conestoga), have all said they intend to support Bill C-38. Roy Hamel, an ordained minister and Guelph resident, said, “We want people in that area to bombard those MPs and tell them, ask them respectfully, to vote for traditional marriage”. If the legislation passes, Hamel said the group hopes to mobilize enough Waterloo Region voters to unseat the MPs during the next federal election. Speakers at the rally will be Rev. Tristan Emmanuel of Equipping Christians for the Public Square, Jakki Jeffs […]

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Florida legislature subcommittee passed a bill 7-4 today that seeks to limit the ability of a guardian to withdraw food and fluids from an incapacitated person. It must still pass to the House floor for a vote. A similar measure was also proposed in the Senate.  Lead sponsor, Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said he hopes the bill will save Terri Schiavo. “If I have my way, we’ll get it passed by the 18th (of March),” he said, as reported by orlandosentinel.com. March 18 is the date set by Florida Judge George W. […]

TIMMINS, March 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a lengthy article appearing in the March 7th edition of the Hill Times, Charlie Angus, the NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay, complained that he is being unfairly treated by his Church for his stand on same sex ‘marriage.’ On March 3, LifeSiteNews.com reported that Fr. John Lemire, the pastor of Angus’ Catholic parish had written a letter to Angus telling him that his support for the same sex ‘marriage’ legislation contradicts Catholic teaching and asked him to reconsider his position. Angus was told that he could become ineligible for reception of holy communion […]

MONTREAL, March 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Sources within the Conservative Party have revealed to LifeSiteNews.com that at a Conservative Caucus meeting this morning MPs voted to remove the controversial note on the Caucus-sponsored resolution P-90 which would have nixed discussion and voting on popular resolutions on traditional marriage and partial-birth abortion.  The now vetoed note read “If resolution P-90 is passed at the plenary, the plenary will not consider resolutions P-91 through P-95.”  The vote to oust the note comes after heavy pressure from grassroots Party membership and groups supporting life, family and freedom.  With the note removed, resolution P-90 […]

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – US Congress saw the introduction of a new bill – the Houses of Worship Freedom of Speech Restoration Act – to reverse 50 years of suppression of free speech resulting from a 1954 bill stipulating that religious groups be allowed to maintain their tax exempt status only if they steer clear of politics.  Introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), the bill seeks to amend the Internal Revenue Code to protect churches from being denied tax status, should a pastor, priest, or rabbi speak out on political matters.  “If passed, H.R. 235 will allow America’s […]

BAIE-COMEAU, Quebec, March 8, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop Pierre Morissette, Chairman of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF), sent a letter to the Minister of Social Development Ken Dryden Monday about the government’s national daycare program. According to Bishop Morissette, “one way to assist mothers and fathers who wish to care for their own children at home is to offer them financial support.”  Bishop Morissette said that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) organization supports the creation of a national daycare program because of the help it will give poor families. However, he expanded, “the Catholic Organization […]

FORT LAUDERDALE, March 8, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Twelve pro-family organizations will stage a mass national rally for Terri Schiavo on Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m. on the steps of the Florida state “old” capitol in the capitol courtyard.  The rally takes place just five days before a court order takes effect to remove food and water from the cognitively disabled but responsive 41-year-old woman. Rally participants will hold some 1,000 long-stemmed red roses that will be delivered Monday, March 14, to Florida lawmakers. The roses will bear a note: “No food or water” to symbolize what will be done […]

Schiavo Case Could Open “Floodgates,” Warns Group Terri’s Brother Fights For Sister’s Life       

OTTAWA, March 8, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canada’s ruling Liberal Party overwhelmingly endorsed leader Paul Martin’s same-sex “marriage” legislation at its annual policy convention last weekend.  “What’s next, pedophilia?” asked Cathal Marlow of Quebec, one of only a few courageous Liberals who openly opposed the measure, according to a Globe and Mail account. Marlow was ridiculed when he said homosexual “marriage” was “an abomination.” Later, he said he would have said more, “But you see what happens: any further and I’d have been lynched.”  Meanwhile the Defend Marriage coalition published another full-page advertisement in the National Post this past Saturday. It […]

BOSTON, March 8, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Patricia Payne is a mother of five who is campaigning against the use of embryos in stem cell research. Researchers continue to insist that the use of ‘spare’ embryos from in vitro fertilization facilities will yield cures for numerous intractable diseases. They invariably list Parkinson’s disease among those diseases upon which to use embryo cells. At a meeting of a joint committee of the Massachusetts Legislature, Payne gave testimony indicating that even though she suffers from Parkinson’s disease herself, she wants to see the state ban research using embryos. “I don’t want to see […]

The UN General Assembly adopted a Declaration today calling on nations to enact legislation to `‘prohibit all forms of human cloning.” By a vote of 84 to 34, the Declaration received more support in the General Assembly than when it passed in the 6th Committee two weeks ago. The measure sets an international standard that humans should not be created through cloning for any purpose, placing human life as a priority over scientific experimentation.  The decision ends over three years of deadlock caused by countries seeking approval for cloning research. Belgium, the United Kingdom, Singapore and other countries that hope […]

MONTREAL, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life and pro-family leaders were outraged by the Conservative National Caucus resolution revealed today which would see resolutions on protecting marriage and a partial birth abortion ban nixed from consideration at the Conservative Policy Convention later this month.  According to sources in the Conservative Party, Harper is trying to avoid votes on marriage and abortion because he’s afraid of how the party would be portrayed by the media.  Commenting on resolution P-90, which was accepted by the Conservative Caucus at the behest of Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, Campaign Life Coalition National Coordinator Mary-Ellen Douglas […]

MANILA, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines organized a rally March 5, in Manila and protests across the country to galvanize Catholic opposition to the proposed population bill. Thousands of youth gathered to protest the proposed bill that would restrict family size to two children and introduce sex education to children in schools. In the recent history of the Philippines, the political effectiveness of mass, peaceful Catholic protest was illustrated with the fall of the Marcos regime in 1986. Then-Cardinal of Manila, Jaime Sin, organized the huge rallies in which thousands of Catholics took […]

SWANSEA, UK, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A UK bishop reversed a diocesan spokesman’s order forbidding students from participating in a fundraiser called Comic Relief, after the bishop was assured by the group that they would not use the funds to finance abortion groups, as they have in the past.  Bishop Mark Jabale, of the West Wales Diocese of Menevia, told parishioners that Comic Relief assured him that no money from the fundraiser would go towards the financing of abortion organizations. John Smeaton, national director of Britain’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), was disappointed with the bishop’s […]

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee signed a new law into effect Thursday that requires parental consent for girls under 18 years of age before having an abortion.  Huckabee told legislators at a signing conference Thursday that the measure is another step in the protection of life. The Senate approved the bill, sponsored by Little Rock Republican Jeremy Hutchinson, last month by a 27-3 vote.  “I just can’t comprehend a society where a child can get an abortion without a parent’s permission, yet can’t get an aspirin at the school office without that permission,” […]

LONDON, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With Christian moral values and legal protections under assault on all sides, it is commonly said that the reason pews are emptying is that traditional religion is not relevant. A new survey of thousands of churchgoers in the UK says the opposite however, and indicates that the emptying of the churches has been caused mainly by preaching and pastoral care that has been emptied of moral or doctrinal Christian content. The survey addressed questions about why church attendance was falling so dramatically in the UK but growing elsewhere, even though two-thirds of the British […]

ROME, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has reiterated a call, first issued last month, to stop the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from a cognitively disabled Florida woman.  In startlingly urgent language, Cardinal Renato Martino today issued an urgent appeal against starving Terri Schiavo. “She will die a horrible and cruel death.  She will not simply die; she will have death inflicted upon her over a number of terrible days even weeks . . . how is it that this woman, who has done nothing wrong, will suffer a […]

Serious sexual harassment allegations against Schiavo’s bishop – $100,000 paid to former male employee        University cuts off Christian fraternity Judge: Christian frat can ban homosexuals         

OTTAWA, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Today’s official release of approved resolutions for the March 17-19 Conservative Party policy convention confirms that Stephen Harper and party executives will attempt to kill all discussion of marriage and abortion at the convention.   The party has removed five resolutions, P-91 to P-95, concerning marriage, abortion and conscience issues from the Friday sessions. There will therefore be no discussion of those issues on Friday. The resolutions have instead been placed at the top of the Saturday agenda, but immediately after a National Caucus resolution which, if passed, will kill consideration of the five […]

RED DEER, Alberta, March 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The mother of one of the four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who were shot dead during a drug bust in Alberta Thursday, spoke to the media Saturday with a powerful message for Prime Minister Paul Martin. “It is time that our government take a stand on evil,” Colleen Myrol said Friday from in front of her home in Red Deer, Alberta. “The man who murdered our son and brother was a person who was deeply disturbed and ill. It is our duty as Canadians to stop and rethink how we are […]

TORONTO, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Family Coalition Party of Ontario announced Thursday the candidacy of Paul Micelli for the seat left vacant by the resignation of former Premier Ernie Eves in Dufferin – Peel – Wellington – Grey. Progressive Conservative leader John Tory, who is without a seat in the Legislature, is expecting to win the riding. The riding is considered a “safe” conservative riding.  For this reason, says the FCP, Paul Micelli is expected to receive a large percentage of the conservative votes, against his “progressive” opponents.  “Every issue in this by-election is a family issue (health, […]

CLEARWATER, Florida, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) has filed a brief with the court, asking for intervener status in the case of cognitively disabled Terri Schiavo, citing nine instances of possible abuse at the hands of estranged husband and legal guardian Michaels Schiavo.  The DCF document argues that Michael Schiavo neglected Terri by not providing her with essential rehabilitative care. In addition, the DCF alleges that neglecting to manipulate Terri’s arms has resulted in severe contractures and that experimental procedures were performed on Terri without proper medical and legal procedures being observed, […]

SPOKANE, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last month controversy erupted as Dr. Mike Adams a professor of criminology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a columnist for Townhall.com accused Gonzaga University, run by the Jesuit, order of a stand against pro-life clubs and Christianity. However, Rev. Dr. Robert Spitzer, the President of Gonzaga has responded to the charges and categorically denies any wrong-doing from a pro-life or faith perspective.  According to Rev. Spitzer the issue was resolved as early as December 2003. In a February 22, 2005 article for Townhall.com, Adams charged that Gonzaga “has now recognized […]

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A US congressman is preparing to introduce a bill that would provide incapacitated persons such as Terri Schiavo a complete review of their cases in federal court. The bill provides hope to her parents and other pro-lifers who are fighting to keep her alive, although there is some question as to whether it can pass Congress in time. It is scheduled to be introduced the week of March 6, while her feeding tube is scheduled to be removed March 18. The bill has yet to be introduced in the Senate.  The bill by Rep. […]

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Boston Globe reports today that Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has said he supports allowing politicians who disagree with Church teaching on issues such as abortion to speak at Catholic colleges. The Cardinal is heading a special task force on implementation of a United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) statement agreed upon last June. The statement, “Catholics in Political Life,” says pro-abortion politicians should not be honored by Catholic communities and institutions. “They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions,” says the statement. However, […]

UNITED NATIONS, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) –  The final vote on the United Nations General Assembly vote on the agreed upon comprehensive ban on human cloning is set to take place Tuesday.  Despite its boasts that Canada in its own legislation bans all forms of human cloning (a position which experts in the field dispute), Canada voted against the UN cloning ban at the legal committee vote last month, and seemingly intends to vote against it again Tuesday.  After having given assurances that it would support the cloning ban, the Canadian delegation shocked UN watchers on February 18 by voting […]

LUFKIN, Texas, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Texas teen is facing a capital murder charge after his 4-month-pregnant girlfriend persuaded him to step on her stomach in order to kill the unborn twins she was carrying. Authorities assumed 16-year-old Erica Basoria had been beaten by her boyfriend, 18-year-old Gerardo “Jerry” Flores, charging him under the Texas Prenatal Protection Act. Basoria told authorities she had been trying to kill her unborn children for weeks, by punching herself in the abdomen. “When I was four months pregnant, I began to show, and at that time I decided that I should have […]

LINCOLN, March 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A member of the formally excommunicated organization, Call to Action (CTA), John Krejci took matters into his own hands at Mass at Sacred Heart parish on February 7. After being instructed not to present himself for communion, Krejci marched up to the altar where the Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz was concluding the Mass, and took one of the consecrated Hosts himself. Krejci complained to the press that the bishop had gestured to him with “an unfriendly wave of his hand,” to indicate that Krejci could not receive what Catholics call the Most Blessed Sacrament of […]

UNITED NATIONS, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Contrary to reports by the New York Times, Reuters and countless other news agencies, the United States is not backing down from its amendment to clarify that the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action do not call for the right to abortion.  At a press briefing this morning, Antonia Kirkland from the pro-abortion NGO Equality Now asked U.S. Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey, head of the U.S. delegation, if the US was withdrawing its amendment as reported by the New York Times.  Ambassador Sauerbrey responded, “No.”  She noted that the US would continue to […]

Australian government continues to fudge abortion stats B.C. not P.C. for Australian students – political correctness gone mad New Mexico Senate Approves Bill Requiring Parental Notification 48 Hours Before Abortion on Minor    Top Democrats Push Sex Ed for Teens and Contraception to Try to Appeal to Social Conservatives—Not Working Stop speculating about next Pope, keep praying for this one says Philippino Archbishop  

DENVER, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Denver’s Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput has appeared frequently in LifeSiteNews.com reports as one of the strongest episcopal voices defending the rights of Christians to participate in public life and defend the rights of the unborn. His quick response style has earned him the high regard of many pro-life leaders and the respect even of the radically pro-abortion New York Times. This week he faced off with a hostile crowd who peppered him with the usual sophomoric accusations Catholics have learned to expect from their ideologically motivated opponents. In the latest round, the Archbishop spoke […]

UNITED NATIONS, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In late breaking news today, LifeSiteNews.com has learned that the proposed US amendment, to clarify that the UN Beijing +5 Document and Platform for Action do not propose abortion rights, did not achieve consensus at an informal negotiation meeting this afternoon.  LifeSiteNews.com sources on the scene have revealed that the measure represents a pro-life victory nonetheless as the vast majority of countries reiterated during the meeting that they did not consider the UN documents to confer new rights to abortion, and thus the amendment was unnecessary.  The bickering over the proposal also exposed […]

MONTREAL, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A leak to the Bourque.com website of most of the resolutions to be considered at the March 17-19 Conservative Party Convention indicates that abortion and same-sex marriage will both be considered by delegates. The ranking for the resolutions by riding shows that the proposal to support the traditional definition of marriage is by far the most pressing issue for Conservatives.  The pro-marriage resolution received 26.5 weighted votes, with its closest competing resolutions receiving less than half the support.  Resolutions concerning Quebec and federalism and the high tech industry were tied for second in weightiness […]

DETROIT, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The attempt to ban partial birth abortion in Michigan is being challenged by the ACLU the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, even before it comes into effect. The law, which is to take effect March 30, is the state’s third attempt, with a previous piece of legislation vetoed by the Democrat Governor the last time.  The abortion activists are, as usual, arguing that the law does not allow exceptions for all aspects of a mother’s health, including her “mental health.” Jennifer Granholm, the ‘Catholic’ governor of Michigan shrugged the […]

TOKYO, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With one of the world’s lowest replacement birth rates at 1.3, Japan’s population will begin its decline next year, dropping from its current 128 million to 126 million by 2015, and to 101 million by 2050, according to a Washington Post report.  Schools there are closing, many converting into senior centres, with pediatricians retraining as geriatric specialists. The ramifications of the population bust will be numerous, but most fear the economic repercussions. Japan’s economy is currently second only to the US worldwide. “A nation requires a certain scale in the population to continue its […]

BOSTON, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Judy Norsigian’s name might not ring a bell for those not raised in the 1970’s but the generation immediately following the sexual revolution of the 60’s will instantly remember her most influential work, the feminist bible, “Our Bodies, Ourselves.” Now the direction that revolution is taking in IVF and cloning labs has begun to generate second thoughts in some of its most ardent advocates. Norsigian, writing in the Boston Globe, echoes worries that were first aired – and largely ignored – by pro-life persons lobbying against cloning. She writes, “There is a disturbing lack […]

SEMINOLE, Florida, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Attorneys for Terri Schiavo’s parents argued that a judge made an error in 2000 when he determined that clear and convincing evidence existed to support Terri’s oral end-of-life wishes not to be kept alive on artificial life support.  The new motion, filed Wednesday in Pinellas County Probate Court, said judge George W. Greer erred in his judgement. “In our motion we pointed out that in Judge Greer’s February 2000 Order authorizing Terri’s death, he made a clear mistake by discounting the testimony of Terri’s friend, Diane Meyer,” attorney for the Schindlers, David Gibbs, […]

OTTAWA, March 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Anticipating the national Liberal Party policy convention this week, the Young Liberals are promoting a slogan to plug same-sex “marriage” that mocks opponents as being “stupid”.  “It’s the Charter, stupid,” is the slogan coined by the Young Liberals that has riled some same-sex “marriage” opponents, such as Defend Marriage Canada founder Charles McVety. “They have resorted to name-calling,” McVety said, as reported by the Globe and Mail news. “They are calling people who don’t agree with them stupid.” “That type of comment is meant to insult the other side and more or less intimidate […]

MADISON, Wisconsin, March 2, 2005 (CWNews.com/LifeSitenews.com) – A Wisconsin judge has recommended a Catholic pharmacist be ordered to attend ethics classes because he refused to fill a prescription for contraceptives, saying he violated the code of ethics.  Administrative Law Judge Colleen Baird ordered the punishment for Neil Noesen of St. Paul, Minnesota, who in July 2002 refused to dispense the contraceptive or transfer the prescription to another pharmacy because he said his Catholic faith prevented him from participating in the transaction.  Noesen’s attorney, Krystal Williams-Oby, said Baird went beyond Wisconsin law, which does not address the issue, in her decision. […]

Implies Schindlers should accept her imminent death and reconcile with her killer

CHICAGO, March 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Tuesday, February 22nd, Cook County Judge Dennis Dernbach sentenced convicted hit man Jimmy Spencer, to 90 years in prison for attempting to kill Adriel McKinney, now two. Adriel’s mother, Angelique was 71/2 months pregnant on May 14, 2002, when a masked gunman shot her five times. Spencer testified that the shooting was paid for by Adriel’s father.  “It’s the worst I have seen since I’ve been here,” Dernbach said before sheriff’s deputies led hit man Jimmy Spencer away.  After the shooting, Adriel was removed from her mother’s body and put into intensive care. […]

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on whether public displays of the Ten Commandments are constitutionally acceptable, responding to a challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union in Kentucky and a similar challenge in Texas.  Justice Antonin Scalia pointed out the discrepancy that invoking the name of God in prayer or legislative decrees is permissible. “I don’t see why the one is good and the other is bad,” Scalia said, according to a Washington Times report.  “The arguments today were encouraging for those who wish to preserve our religious heritage in America,” […]

BRUSSELS, March 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The European Parliament has approved the allocation of 1.5 million euros for the Catholic World Youth Day to be held in Cologne, Germany this summer, despite opposition from leftist Green and Socialist parties.  The measure, instituted by the European Popular Party, passed by a margin of 272 to 210 Thursday.  tv

Says anyone who pushes same sex "unions is guilty of a grave offence against God"

NEW YORK, March 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A US proposal to clarify that the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action do not call for abortion to be regarded as a human right is being fought by Canada and the European Union. The amendment would “reaffirm that they do not create any new international human rights and that they do not include the right to abortion.”  U.S. Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey, head of the U.S. delegation, told the press that “There is no fundamental right to abortion.”  She explained that nevertheless, abortion “keeps coming up, largely driven by NGOs (non-governmental organizations) trying […]

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Florida Governor Jeb Bush unveiled a plan to curb abortion that would include $4 million in spending for pre-abortion counselling, to help women consider alternatives such as adoption. “I … believe that women, when confronted with this very traumatic choice when they’re pregnant, need to have options available to them,” Bush said, as reported by sptimes.com.  Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings unveiled the plan Monday, which is modeled after one implemented by a pro-life Pennsylvania Governor, but which has survived two successive pro-abortion leaders. “It shows that the abortion issue does not have to […]

OTTAWA, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of young people have organized a demonstration to counter the government’s attempt to re-define marriage. “The Youth League for Marriage is a group of young people who believe in and wish to uphold to uphold the natural definition of marriage,” their brochure states.  “We believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others,” Youth League for Marriage (YLM) co-founder, grade 10 student Elizabeth Lemieux, told LifeSiteNews.com. “People of every age are welcome to join us: The more the better.”  Lemieux and co-founder, grade […]

OTTAWA, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – During the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party’s annual policy convention leader John Tory said the party would not drop “Progressive” from its title to reflect solidarity with the federal Conservative Party.  Tory claimed the decision was to reflect the so-called “moderate” stance the Ontario PCs maintain, as compared to what he considers the right wing position of the national Conservative Party – which includes opposition to same-sex “marriage” legislation by a majority of federal Conservative MPs.  Tory claimed the Ontario wing of the party is conservative, because of its fiscal views, but progressive in its […]

BARCELONA, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – 14 Spanish women are pregnant with embryos that they rescued from medical experiments from an in vitro fertilization unit in Barcelona. The head of the facility, Dr. Olga Serra, said that couples who had lost a child, infertile couples, and single and homosexual women were among those who came forward to adopt an embryo. About a third of the people coming forward for the programme are from outside Spain.  “There are also couples who already have children and for ethical reasons consider this a new kind of parenthood, to provide a solution for a […]

Risks to women in embryo cloning      

March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Opposition to the same-sex marriage agenda continues to grow across Canada and the number of public pro-marriage events is mushrooming with a large national rally scheduled in Ottawa for April 9. Following are the latest that have been scheduled:  1. ABBOTTSFORD, B.C., MARCH 2nd at 6:30 p.m.– defendMARRIAGE Fund-Raising Dinner Event:  Featuring criminal justice fighter RANDY WHITE, Abbottsford MP and:  * “Why this Battle Must be Fought” – A video presentation from Senator Anne Cools, Defend Trust Honorary Co-Chair * “Supreme Court Ruling – Our Opportunity” by Gerald Chipeur   * “Defend Marriage Trust – […]

OXFORD, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Oxford Union justifiably bills itself as the most famous debating society in the world. Its past is luminous with the names of many of the greatest thinkers, leaders, reformers, and political giants of the last 180 years. That does not mean, however, that its reputation could be considered ‘respectable.’ In our time, some observers are saying that the invitation of one of Europe’s most prolific pornographic movie stars, Ron Jeremy, shows the Union – and its reputation – has outlived its purpose. Jeremy is the star of over 1700 hard-core porn films and […]

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Zealand researchers have established that marijuana use doubles the risk of developing a mental illness like schizophrenia.  After interviewing 1,000 people about their history of cannabis use, the University of Otago researchers established that psychotic symptoms were more prevalent in cannabis users. They established that the relation between mental illness rates and drug use was not due to an underlying illness driving the users to use more marijuana.  Lead researcher Professor David Fergusson said the increased psychosis risk resulted from chemical changes in the brain induced by marijuana. “Even when all […]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, reaffirmed this week that the Church does not discriminate against homosexuals, but that they do not belong in seminaries.  The cardinal explained, “I understand we must have a healthy, intelligent, and manly clergy that is neither effeminate nor womanly,” and he recalled that homosexuality is a disorder that can be corrected and managed.  Likewise the cardinal also emphasized the need to form “serious men with all of the attributes that God has given them so that they may exercise their […]

* A typo in the article, “Harper Backing Resolution That Conservative Policy Will Take No Stand on Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage or Other Social Conservative Issues”, indicated the Conservative caucus meeting at which this was said was on May 14. The correct date is February 14, 2005. Thanks to a reader for alerting us to this.  * In Vitro page links problem – Many of the links to stories on our new In Vitro page were missing the https:// at the beginning. Therefore, the pages could not be accessed. Thanks to an email from a reader, we became aware of it and […]

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On February 28, 2005, the US State Department released its 2004 Human Rights Report. The report entitled “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” is submitted to Congress by the Department of State in compliance with laws requiring the department to submit “a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights . . . in countries that receive (US) assistance.”  Regarding China, the report notes that “Violence against women, including imposition of a coercive birth limitation policy that resulted in instances of forced abortion and forced sterilization, continued to be a […]