Austrian Hierarchy Rebels over Pope’s Selection of Conservative Priest as New Bishop

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman and John-Henry Westen BELGIUM, February 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope Benedict’s selection of an orthodox Austrian priest as auxiliary bishop in the ultraliberal diocese of Linz has generated a firestorm of protest from liberal Catholics in the laity, among priests and even the bishops of Austria.  The furor was venomous in the media, priests voted to reject the nomination, and last week the priest himself – “not entirely voluntarily” – signed a letter asking the Pope to withdraw his appointment to the bishopric.  The Vatican has not, however, accepted the resignation. The priest’s request to withdraw his nomination […]
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Pro-Life Leaders Hail Bishop Martino’s Courageous Outspokenness for Pro-Life, Pro-Family Values

By Kathleen Gilbert SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life leaders across the country are hailing Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino for his recent salvo against public anti-life and anti-family forces in the Scranton diocese. Bishop Martino has attracted national attention for his fearless pastoral work on several occasions in the past few weeks.  Known to be a staunch defender of the Church’s teaching on life, Martino made that teaching abundantly clear earlier this month to Sen. Bob Casey, a Scranton parishioner who had voted against restoring the Mexico City Policy. In a letter to the Senator, the bishop urged him […]
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Dr. James Dobson Steps Down as Focus on the Family Chairman

 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Focus on the Family’s James C. Dobson, Ph.D., has stepped down as board chairman of the ministry he founded 32 years ago, it was announced today. His wife, National Day of Prayer Chairman Shirley Dobson, has also left the Focus on the Family Board of Directors. They have been elected to the positions of Founder and Chairman Emeritus and Director Emerita, respectively, for the nonprofit ministry they started in 1977. The Dobsons’ decision represents the next step in a transition plan begun six years ago, when he stepped down as president in […]
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Anglican Church of Canada Portrays Jesus as a Recovering Racist

By John-Henry Westen OTTAWA, February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a brochure on ‘2009 Lenten Meditations’ put out by the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC), Jesus is portrayed as a recovering racist.  The brochure’s reading for March 27 is taken from Matthew 15, which relates the familiar story in which Jesus has a discussion with a Canaanite woman. According to the ACoC, “This is not a story for people who need to think that Jesus always had it together, because it looks like we’ve caught him being mean to a lady because of her ethnicity.”   The brochure quotes the Bible passage […]
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4 Lives Possibly Saved in Only Two Days at 40 Days for Life Vigil in Ottawa

By John-Henry Westen OTTAWA, February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Fasting, prayer and constant vigil before an abortion centre in the Canadian national capital is literally saving lives, and the vigil only launched two days ago.  In Canada, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) has undertaken the organization of 40 Days for Life vigils at various locations across the country. CLC’s Ottawa 40 Days campaign has seen, according to reports from ‘ground zero,’ possibly four lives saved since commencing Wednesday. Vigil participant, Doris G., wrote on the 40 Days for Life blog that on Day 1, a couple went into the abortion facility. But […]
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Sex-Selection and Hair, Skin and Eye Color in High Demand from U.S. Artificial Reproduction Companie

By Hilary White LOS ANGELES, February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Demand for sex-selection for in vitro fertilization is “rapidly growing” according to many private IVF facilities in the US. In a CNN report on sex-selection and other genetic screening tests at the Fertility Institutes IVF facility in California, a spokesman for the Center for Genetics and Society said that the widespread practice of sex-selective IVF could open the door to “a society where there are new kinds of inequality and new kinds of discrimination, a world that we really would not want to live in.” The CNN report focused on the success […]
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Atheist Ads for London, Ontario Buses Refused By Ad Agency

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski LONDON, Ontario, February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The atheist bus ads that are popping up on transit vehicles in Toronto that proclaim, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” have been rejected for use on the busses of London, Ontario, by the US Company that handles advertising for London Transit. Lamar Advertising of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refused the request for the London bus ads, made by the Canadian Atheist Bus Campaign. Steve Copeland, head of Eastern Canadian Operations for Lamar, said London Transit’s contract with his company gives him the authority to […]
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Bishop Martino Again Rebukes Sen. Casey, Instructs Withholding of Communion from Pro-Abort Politicia

By Kathleen Gilbert SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton issued yet another rebuke this week against “pro-life” Catholic Senator Bob Casey, who persisted in his decision to vote against restoring the abortion-reducing Mexico City Policy.  The bishop simultaneously reminded ministers in the Scranton diocese that public figures in a persistent and objective denial of the Church’s teaching on life must be denied Communion. Bishop Martino had condemned Casey on February 5 for the vote, which permitted taxpayer funds to abortion providers overseas, saying that in so doing Casey “persist(s) formally in cooperating with […]
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Swiss Women Abandoning the Pill Due to Adverse Health Effects

Matthew Cullinan Hoffman PARIS, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The use of the contraceptive pill is plummeting among younger women, in response to growing awareness of its destructive health effects, reports a French bioethics site. According to the site “Genetique,” the use of “the pill” among women aged 15 to 24 years old dropped from 43% in 2003 to 26% in 2007.   The rate of childbirth among the same group increased at the same time. “The principal reason for this decrease is the attention paid by women to their health,” says Genetique. “It is now proven that the pill suppresses […]
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Abortion Promoting UN Honcho Wants Another UN Feminist Agency – Five Not Enough

By Samantha Singson NEW YORK, February 27, 2009 (C-FAM) – At a forum hosted by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York this week, a former top United Nations (UN) official criticized the UN’s “deplorable” record on women and the “the hypocrisy within the UN” on gender. In a presentation entitled “The United Nations and Gender: Has Anything Gone Right?,” Stephen Lewis promoted a radical overhaul of the United Nations, starting with a the creation of a new, billion dollar gender office. Lewis, the former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and a former Deputy Director […]
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Camden Bishop Kicks off 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil outside Abortion Center

By Kathleen Gilbert CHERRY HILL, New Jersey, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – South Jersey pro-lifers were thrilled to receive the support of Bishop Joseph Galante, who led a prayer vigil outside a Cherry Hill abortion facility today to kick off the South Jersey chapter of 40 Days for Life. About 30 people gathered in the February chill at the Cherry Hill Womens’ Center, where the Camden diocese bishop led a recitation of the rosary.  Bishop Galante then addressed the crowd, applauding them for fighting to end the “destruction of human life and the sadness of the women.”  “I really believe […]
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U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Right to Publicly Display Ten Commandments

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United States Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a Utah city can display the Ten Commandments in a public park without giving quarter to a different religious viewpoint. In a landmark 9-0 decision, the Court ruled that the City of Pleasant Grove, Utah, need not accommodate the demands of a small religious sect known as the Summum, who sued the city for rejecting a monument of the religion’s “Seven Aphorisms” for display in the same park. The sect had earlier convinced an appeals court that their free speech was violated […]
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Parental Consent Required For Tattoos in Maryland, But Not For Abortion

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski BALTIMORE, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Maryland House of Delegates has unanimously approved a proposal to require “parental consent” for tattoos and body piercings done on minors. However, the state still only requires that one parent be notified that a minor is going to have an abortion, with no need for the parent’s consent. Republicans in the House tried and failed to amend the “tattoos and body piercing” measure to include parental consent for abortion when Del. Gail H. Bates, a Howard County Republican, asked to have the measure include parental consent for “other invasive […]
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Congress Snubs Proposed Amendments Blocking Coerced Abortion/Sterilization Funding

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Congress prevented consideration of two amendments that would have blocked funding of overseas abortions as well as coerced abortion and sterilization, in the $410 billion Omnibus spending bill the House approved yesterday. One of the amendments proposed by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) attempted to fix a loophole whereby the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) will be able to receive money, despite federal policy that forbids funding organizations that support forced sterilization and abortion.  The U.S. stopped funding the UNFPA after 2001 investigations discovered that the Fund supports and promotes China’s coercive one-child policy.  […]
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“Brain Death” is Life, Not Death: Neurologists, Philosophers, Neonatologists, Jurists, and Bioethici

By Hilary White – Rome correspondent ROME, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – If a patient is able to process oxygen from the lungs into the bloodstream, maintain a normal body temperature, digest food and expel waste, grow to normal adult size from the age of four to twenty, and even carry a child to term, can he or she be considered dead? Can a person who is “dead” wake up and go on later to finish a university degree? Can a corpse get out of bed, go home and go fishing? Can he get married and have children? These are […]
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As Lent Begins, 3 Prominent Catholic Universities Celebrate Porn, Promiscuity

MANASSAS, VA, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As Christians worldwide kneel in prayer to begin the holy season of Lent, students at three Jesuit Catholic universities are busy celebrating extramarital sex, homosexuality, cross-dressing and pornography, the Cardinal Newman Society has revealed. From February 23 to 28, Georgetown University is hosting “Sex Positive Week,” sponsored by feminist and homosexual student clubs. On Monday, the event “Sex Positive … What’s That?” featured a speaker from Black Rose, an organization “which provides a forum for the many different expressions of power in love and play.  This can include dominance & submission, bondage & […]
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Priests for Life Canada Launches New Website

February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Priests for Life Canada, established in 1996, has been busy re-organizing since Fr. Tom Lynch came on board as National Director in May of 2008. In order to better fulfill its main mandate (“Working to Support, Inform, and Empower Catholic Clergy to build a Culture of Life”) the organization has for the past six months been working on developing a new website, which has just been launched. (See: https://www.priestsforlifecanada.com/)  The new site is professional, user friendly, and provides Culture of Life information on various issues to both clergy and laity. The content information on the […]
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The Pornification of a Culture—What’s Going on in the Office Next Door?

Commentary by Dr. Albert Mohler February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The scourge of pornography is now so pervasive that it begins to define the culture at large.  America is fast transforming itself from a society that allows and markets pornography into a culture that is pornographic.  Boundary after boundary is being transgressed. Adding insult to injury, courts have ruled that public libraries have no right to use filters that prevent viewing of pornography on public computers.  Now, the marketers of pornography are looking to mobile devices and cell phones as the next frontier.  There is no safe place in a […]
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BILL GATES FUNDS POPULATION CONTROL IN SOUTH AFRICA

Thursday December 2, 1999 BILL GATES FUNDS POPULATION CONTROL IN SOUTH AFRICA JOHANNESBURG, Dec 2 (LSN.ca) – International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) announced yesterday that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $3 million (US) towards the South African IPPF affiliate. The money is aimed at “providing reproductive health information, counselling and clinical services to young people” in the African country. The announcement comes as a campaign by American Life League to educate Gates on population control continues. The pro-life group has taken out ads in local papers in Gates’ neighbourhood and has placed its 12-step “Windows to the […]
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Complete Text of Lecture by Archbishop Charles Chaput in St. Basil’s Church, Toronto – February 23,

RENDERING UNTO CAESAR: THE CATHOLIC POLITICAL VOCATION+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.Toronto, 2.23.09 I want to do three things with my time tonight.  First, Father Rosica asked me to talk about some of the themes from my book, Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life.  I’m happy to do that.  Second, I want to talk about some of the lessons we can draw from the recent U.S. election.  And third, I want to talk about the meaning of hope.  As I begin, I need to mention a couple of caveats.  Here’s the first caveat.  […]
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Late Term Abortionist Tiller Will Stand Trial after Judge Denies Motion to Suppress Charges

By John Jalsevac WICHITA, KS, February 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – District Court Judge Clark V. Owens released his decision this afternoon denying the motions filed by late-term abortionist George R. Tiller, which asked the judge to suppress evidence against him and dismiss the 19 pending criminal charges involving illegal late-term abortions. The decision means that Tiller will stand trial to answer to the charges of performing late term abortions. In his decision Judge Owens addressed all the concerns that Tiller’s attorneys brought up over six days of testimony, especially those alleging outrageous governmental conduct involving former Attorney General Phill Kline. […]
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US Study: Listening To Music With Degrading Sexual Lyrics Linked to Early Sexual Experiences

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski PITTSBURGH, February 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Researchers at Pittsburgh University School of Medicine have found that teenagers who regularly listened to music with explicit and aggressive sexual phrases were twice as likely to be engaged in sexual activity compared to those who avoided such music. Writing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, lead researcher Dr. Brian A. Primack said, “This study demonstrates that, among this sample of young adolescents, high exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex in popular music was independently associated with higher levels of sexual behavior. “In fact, exposure to lyrics describing degrading […]
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Public Financing of Abortion Constitutional: Chancellor of Justice of Estonia

TALLINN, Estonia, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In September 2008, the Institute for the Culture of Life, a pro-life group based in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, filed an application to the Chacellor of Justice of the Republic of Estonia, Mr. Indrek Teder, asking him to declare public financing of abortion unconstitutional. The Government of the Republic of Estonia has for years been paying 70% of the cost of each and every elective abortion, spending well over a million US dollars on abortions every year. The application rested upon the 2002 decision of the previous Chancellor of Justice, Mr. Allar Jõks, […]
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“Brain Death” Test Causes Brain Necrosis and Kills Patients: Neurologist to Rome Conference

By Hilary White – Rome correspondent ROME, February 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the medical world’s key diagnostic tools for determining “brain death” preliminary to organ retrieval, actually causes severe brain damage it purports to determine, neurologist Dr. Cicero Coimbra told attendees at a conference held in Rome last week. With the so-called “apnoea test,” Coimbra said, brain damaged patients who might be recoverable are deprived of oxygen for up to ten minutes, rendering the injuries to the brain irreversible. “Diagnostic protocols for brain death actually induce death in patients who could recover to normal life by receiving timely and […]
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Bomb Threat Made against Australian Archbishop’s Residence over Removal of Liberal Priest

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski BRISBANE, February 25, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) – Brisbane’s Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby has been targeted with a bomb threat over his decision to remove dissident priest Fr. Peter Kennedy from St. Mary’s church in South Brisbane. A spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane said on Saturday the threat was received at the Archbishop’s office on Friday and confirmed that the Archbishop’s residence in New Farm was the target in the letter. “A letter was received at the Archbishop’s residence threatening a bomb. It mentioned a bomb and it also mentioned St Mary’s church, but that’s now […]
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Vatican Denounces Plan to Inseminate Woman with Comatose Husband’s Sperm

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman ROME, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Vatican officials are denouncing plans to artificially inseminate a woman with the sperm of her comatose husband. Dr. Severino Antinori, who has made a name for himself internationally by doing in vitro fertilizations for women in their 60s, as well as promoting human cloning, now says he will artificially inseminate a woman whose husband is lying unconscious in a hospital, and cannot give his consent. Although the identity of the couple has not been revealed, the Italian press has stated that the patient is a 35-year-old man with terminal brain […]
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Commentary on February 24 LifeSiteNews Reports

Dear Readers, We respond today to the full page National Post article contradicting our investigative report on “early inductions” at London, Ontario’s St. Joseph’s Hospital. The Post never contacted us and limited our reply to a maximum 250 word letter to the editor published Monday. That letter, by the way, was not easily available to Post on line readers as were other letters of the day. As well, a significant alteration was made. Strangely, the Post omitted the entire first part of our sentence, “We established with the ethical overseer of the procedure, Fr. Michael Prieur, that the hospital does […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for February 24, 2009

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information. Inducing the Truth: The “Soft Abortion” Policy of St. Joseph’s Hospital – “Early inductions”, in case you are wondering, is a gentle way for the professional euphemists in our society to talk about abortion without actually saying the word.https://www.socon.ca/or_bust/?p=1539 SHS in the Telegraph:”Right to Die Can Become Duty to Die”https://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2009/02/shs-in-telegraph-right-to-die-can.html Another IVF Tragedy Illustrates How “Assisted Reproduction” Increasingly Epitomizes an “Entitlement Culture” https://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2009/02/another-ivf-tragedy-illustrates-how.html Catholic Judges and Abortion: Did the Pope Set […]
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Letters to the Editor February 24, 2009

Re: “Brain Death” as Criteria for Organ Donation is a “Deception”: Bereaved Motherhttps://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022306.html My brother was involved in a motorcycle accident in October of 1991… When at the hospital, he was operated on for 13 hours, after which the doctors said there was major inflammation of his brain and that we had to wait to see if he would recover. The next morning the doctors proclaimed him brain dead, so they asked if we would consider his organs for transplant donations. We consulted with a priest and he suggested it would be a good thing to do. We got back […]
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Spanish Bishops and Vatican Blast Plan to Legalize Abortion on Demand in Spain

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman MADRID, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The heads of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care are denouncing plans by the socialist government of Spain to legalize abortion on demand during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, the Secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), remarked on Friday that  “more then one million Spaniards whose lives have been ended in recent years are human beings who can’t defend themselves nor form associations, and who do not vote, so their rights are not taken into account.” […]
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Fetal Models Create Stir at Massive Amsterdam Home Fair

By Michael van der Mast – Amsterdam AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The same fetal models which have recently stirred up controversy in the Netherlands, were well received by visitors of the annual Home Fair in Amsterdam RAI last week, said Bert Dorenbos president of the Dutch pro life foundation “Cry for Life.” (see https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09020512.html) The Home Fair is the largest consumer event in the Netherlands. “Cry for Life” was an exhibitor at the popular annual Home Fair held in Amsterdam from 14 to 22 February 2009. The Fair was visited by 286,000 people from all over the […]
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Irish University Professor Slams University on Embryonic Stem Cell Research Decision

CORK, Ireland, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A professor of mathematics at University College Cork (UCC) has slammed the university’s recent decision to begin embryonic stem cell research. Professor Des McHale, also a well-known author, said that he was “deeply ashamed” that UCC’s governing body had passed the proposal to begin the unethical research and called on students, parents and the general public to make their voices heard against the decision. Professor McHale made his remarks at a packed seminar organized by the pro-life group “Youth Defence in University College Cork.” “I am deeply, deeply ashamed of the situation. Not everyone […]
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Adult Stem Cell Treatment Leaves College Student Free of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski CHICAGO, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Edwin McClure, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate student, and one of the participants in clinical trials involving adult stem cells, says that he is completely cured of the multiple sclerosis symptoms that began to afflict him in high school. “It’s a blessing,” the young student told Bloomburg News. “My disease has been halted.” A team of researchers at Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, including Dr. Richard Burt, the team leader and the hospital’s Division Chief of Immunotherapy, developed the treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) using stem cells taken […]
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Parents Shouldn’t Tell Kids What’s Right or Wrong about Having Sex: U.K. Gov’t Pamphlet

By Kathleen Gilbert LONDON, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pamphlet set for distribution by the British government is advising parents to keep quiet on the morality of sex, and instead to ensure that their children are provided with contraception from an early age and are aware of their options, the Sunday Times revealed. According to the Times, “Talking to Your Teenager About Sex and Relationships” will be distributed in pharmacies starting March 5th as part of an initiative by MP Beverley Hughes, the Children’s Minister, to instruct parents how to address their children’s sexuality. The news of the government’s plan to […]
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Homosexual Republican Group Calls Pro-Family Activists “Domestic Terrorists”

By Kathleen Gilbert ATLANTA, Georgia, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A homosexualist Republican group is lobbying GOP chairman Michael Steele to turn a deaf ear to pro-family activists, who the group leader labeled in a letter “Anti-American” and “domestic terrorists.” James Ensley, President of the Georgia Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), made the comments after the pro-family group, Americans for Truth, petitioned Steele to work to return the GOP to its conservative roots and protect true marriage. “I want to urge you not to allow small biggoted [sic], anti-American and anti-Christian fringe groups such as Americans for Truth to influence you,” wrote Ensley […]
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Conference may Begin to Sway Vatican Opinion Against Brain Death: Eminent Philosopher

By Hilary White ROME, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While he said that he could not predict the future, Professor Josef Seifert told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) on Friday that a conference on “brain death” criteria last week had possibly opened a door to moving opinion in the Vatican away from support for the use of the criteria for organ transplants. In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com the day after the conference, Professor Seifert said, “I’m not a prophet. On the other hand, if one believes in the Catholic Church as I do, then one must assume that earlier or later the truth […]
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Thousands Protest against Hawaii Same-Sex Civil Union Legislation in Anticipation of Today’s Vote

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski HONOLULU, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Between 6,000 and 8,000 people gathered at the state Capitol on Sunday for a demonstration against proposed legislation that would legalize same-sex civil unions in Hawaii. The protest was organized by the Hawaii Family Forum (HFF) which represents churches from across the state, including the Hawaii Catholic Conference, in anticipation of a vote to be held today by a state Senate committee looking at the issue. Executive Director of the HFF, Dennis Arakaki, said “We are here in the spirit of love, compassion, and grace,” according to AP. “But we […]
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LifeSiteNews Fully Stands by Original Report in Wake of National Post Whitewash of St. Joseph’s Hosp

By John-Henry Westen and Steve Jalsevac February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The LifeSiteNews.com exposé on a London Catholic hospital terminating pregnancies of babies diagnosed with severe disabilities was the subject of a full-page 2216 word article in the National Post Saturday (see https://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1313034).  Author Charles Lewis chose to emphasize mainly one side of the argument, that of Fr. Michael Prieur of the Diocese of London Ontario, which approves at St. Joseph’s hospital use of a procedure called “early induction” on babies who are deemed to have ‘lethal fetal anomalies.’ Despite statements and claims in the Post article that appeared to […]
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Notre Dame Ethics Prof Reveals Groundbreaking Pro-Life Academic Program in the Works

By Kathleen Gilbert NOTRE DAME, Indiana, February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An innovative academic program designed to equip the next generation of pro-life advocates is one of the initiatives in store for the University of Notre Dame’s new Human Life Fund, said Dr. David Solomon in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) yesterday. (See yesterday’s LSN report for background info on the fund: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022308.html) Professor Solomon, a deeply pro-life philosopher who has been teaching ethics for over forty years, is the founder and head of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. He told LSN that pro-life associates at the university had […]
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Pope Warns of Proliferation of “New Eugenics”

By John Jalsevac February 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an address last Saturday to participants in a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Benedict XVI warned of the rise of a “new eugenics” that judges the worth of an individual based on his or her genetic makeup, as expressed in factors such as health and beauty. Despite the fact that a condemnation of imposed eugenics was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “there are appearing in our days troubling manifestations of this hateful practice,” observed the pope to participants in the conference, entitled “New Frontiers […]
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George Mason Picks Homosexual Male Crossdresser for Homecoming “Queen”

By Kathleen Gilbert FAIRFAX, Virginia, February 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – George Mason University students Friday elected a man as this year’s Ms. Mason 2009, after he competed as a female alter-ego. Senior Ryan Allen, a homosexual who regularly cross-dresses and performs at nightclubs under the name “Reann Ballslee,” said he entered the contest as a joke and was happily surprised to find that he had won. “It was just for fun,” Allen, 22, told the Washington Post. “In the larger scheme of things, winning says so much about the University. We’re one of the most diverse campuses in the country, […]
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40 Days for Life Canada Begins With Kick Off Rallies and Prayer Services

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski and Steve Jalsevac TORONTO, February 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The 40 Days for Life campaign got off to a successful start across Canada as kick-off rallies and events took place yesterday to prepare for the beginning of the forty days of peaceful vigil and prayer for an end to abortion. Nicole Campbell, coordinator of the 40 Days for Life Toronto, told LifeSiteNews that over 350 people gathered at St. Charles Borromeo Church for a rally yesterday at 3 p.m. The crowd was addressed by several speakers and encouraged by music provided by a group of musicians […]
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Archbishop Timothy Dolan Appointed to Highly Influential Archdiocese of New York

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski and John Jalsevac NEW YORK, February 23, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) – The Vatican announced this morning the appointment of Archbishop Timothy Dolan, currently Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. The announcement puts an end to months of intense speculation about who will succeed Cardinal Egan, who has passed the mandatory age for retirement, in the influential diocese. The installation mass is scheduled to take place on Easter Wednesday, 15 April, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “I pledge to you my love, my life, my heart, and I can tell you already that […]
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Hawaii Legislature Won’t Consider Assisted Suicide Bill This Year

HONOLULU, Hawaii, February 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Hawaii legislature won’t consider an assisted suicide bill that was introduced on January 24, reports the Honolulu Advertiser. The bill, HB806 would have allowed a terminally ill adult to be prescribed a lethal dose of medication to end his or her own life. Had the bill been passed, it would have made Hawaii the fourth state in the union to permit assisted suicide, after Oregon, Washington and Montana.  However, House Judiciary chairman Jon Riki Karamatsu reportedly said last Wednesday that while he is open to hearing a similar bill in the future, pro-assisted […]
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Florida Prosecutor Continues to Stonewall on Criminal Charges in Hialeah Baby Murder Case

MIAMI, FL, February 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ignoring a letter signed by 44 members of the State House of Representatives Friday, Florida State Attorney Katherine Rundle issued a statement indicating that no decision has been made on the filing of criminal charges against abortionist Pierre Renelique and others involved in the intentional murder of a baby born alive during a botched abortion at a Hialeah abortion clinic. Rundle’s statement was in response to a press conference held by Rev. Pat Mahoney, Director of the Washington, DC based Christian Defense Coalition, calling on her to bring criminal charges. Rundle said in […]
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Arkansas Enshrines Partial-Birth Abortion Ban into State Law

By Kathleen Gilbert LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, February 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe on Friday signed into law a state ban on partial-birth abortion, following the bill’s overwhelming support in both Congressional houses. The ban, which was sponsored by Democrat Rep. Dawn Creekmore, passed the House of Representatives 84-6 on Wednesday, and the Senate 30-3 on Thursday.  Republican Sen. Cecile Bledsoe sponsored the bill in the Senate. Creekmore told the congressional committee that, although the gruesome procedure is already banned by the federal government, state law should adopt the ban as well, in case the Democrat-led federal Congress […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for February 21, 2009

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information. LIFE ISSUES Society and artificial reproduction: Should the state assist with conception where it would not approve an adoption? https://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/society_and_artificial_reproduction/ More Proof That Assisted Suicide Activists Will Seek to Force Doctors to Participate https://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2009/02/more-proof-that-assisted-suicide.html A botched abortion in mother’s own wordshttps://www.thefloridacatholic.org/mia/2009_mia/2009_miaarticles/20090205_mia_shanice.php Sisters of Life step up pro-life efforts https://www.catholicregister.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2784&Itemid=849 North Dakota Pro-life bill introduced this session by Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, has been getting attention across the nation.https://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/524634.html?nav=5010 Opinion: In vitro […]
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Commentary on February 20 LifeSiteNews Reports

Dear Readers, We have some great stories for you today! John-Henry Westen’s interview with the writer/Producer of Fireproof is an inspiration. The very courageous Italian pop star’s song of conversion away from homosexuality, performed before a televised audience of 14 million, is a blockbuster. Italian pop star Giuseppe Povia has decided that truth, from the heart, must be given for the greater good. John Jalsevac’s column on true love is a moving affirmation of marriage – real marriage. Archbishop Chaput continues to very publicly hold leading pro-abortion Catholic politicians to account and in the process show example of what a […]
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Letter to the Editor for February 20, 2009

I just wanted to tell you thank you & God bless you for the work you do.  With most of the American public seemingly standing with their heads in the sand & swallowing the line being fed by them by the Obama administration on everything from the right to life to the economic problems we are facing, it is refreshing to know that someone is telling the truth to us.  I hope that God allows all Americans to be reached by your news reporting & will continue to ask Him to bless you for the help you are giving us.  […]
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Democrats Turn Up Pressure for “Fairness” through Government Media Regulation

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Buzz surrounding the “Fairness Doctrine” turned up a notch this month after two senators and former President Bill Clinton voiced their support for reinstating the doctrine, which calls for government regulation of political viewpoints in the media. The Fairness Doctrine, a regulation policy which passed out of use in 1987, would require broadcasters to provide opposing points of views on controversial issues, as determined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Liberal Democrats have traditionally favored reinstating the controversial doctrine. Conservatives claim the reason they do so is that conservative voices […]
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Woman Sues Planned Parenthood for Covering up Incest – Suffered Years of Abuse

By Kathleen Gilbert WARREN CO., Ohio, February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A woman who suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of her father filed a lawsuit today suing Planned Parenthood and five of its employees for refusing to report signs of abuse when she obtained an abortion, with the result that the abuse continued for another 1 1/2 years. Prosecuting Attorney Brian Hurley told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that the Planned Parenthood employees “played ostrich” when the girl told them she was being raped. “We believe that they ignored Denise’s cry for help … and as a result she was […]
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CNN Rejects Life-Affirming Obama Ad – 2nd Major Network to Do So

By John Jalsevac (To view the ad, go to www.catholicvote.com) February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – For the past number of weeks an extraordinarily popular, life-affirming ad by Catholicvote.com has been making the rounds on the internet, having been viewed 1.6 million times on Youtube alone. However, the makers of the ad are now reporting that CNN has refused to air the ad on its station, making it the second major network to reject the ad and its positive message. The ad shows an ultrasound of a baby in a womb, while superimposed text explains that during his life the baby’s […]
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Spanish Supreme Court Rules Mandatory Controversial Civics Course Isn’t Indoctrination

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman MADRID, February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the government’s mandatory Education for Citizenship and Human Rights (EpC) course does not violate the constitutional right of parents to instruct their children on matters of morality, and that Spaniards do not have the right to withhold their children from the course on the grounds of conscientious objection. However, the court also decreed that EpC cannot be used for “indoctrination” or “proselytizing” by endorsing a particular viewpoint regarding contentious moral issues.  “In a democratic society, the educational administration should not be the one to […]
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Majority of Teens Cite Their Parents as Role Models

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski COLORADO SPRINGS, February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new survey studying teenagers’ ethical readiness for the workforce conducted by Junior Achievement International found that more than half (54 percent) of teens cite their parents as role models. The report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, among a national sample of 750 teens comprising 375 males and 375 females 12 to 17 years of age, who were asked to choose one role model. Most of those who didn’t specify their parents as role models chose their friends (13 percent), their teachers […]
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Interview: Writer/Producer of “Fireproof” – Father of Six – Has Revitalized Thousands of Marriages

By John-Henry Westen February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Meet Alex Kendrick, a man of unshakeable faith in God, whose incredible success both in filmmaking and publishing can only be described as miraculous.  Alex has six children, the eldest age ten and the sixth due to be born in April.  He and his brother Stephen have no professional training in film and writing and are in full time ministry at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.    The pair’s third film, “Fireproof,” starring Kirk Cameron of Growing Pains fame, was the highest-grossing independent film of 2008, with over $33 million in theatre sales, […]
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Archbishop Chaput Weighs in on Pelosi Meeting with Pope – Says Pelosi Should not Receive Communion

By Kathleen Gilbert DENVER, Colorado, February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver expressed his support in an interview with Fox News for Pope Benedict XVI’s message last week to pro-abortion “Catholic” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in which the Pope enjoined the Speaker to protect human life from conception. “Every Catholic, whether you’re famous or anonymous … has a responsibility to be faithful to what our Church believes about human life, and we believe human life is sacred and precious from the moment of conception,” said Chaput during the interview.  Chaput also said he was happy that the Pope […]
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Ottawa Priest Warns Parish of Obama’s Abortion Stand Prior to President’s Canadian Visit

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski OTTAWA, February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last Sunday, Fr. Geoff Kerslake of St. Leonard’s Parish in Ottawa departed from the usual teaching on the Gospel during his homily and instead informed his parishioners about President Barack Obama’s stand on abortion and other life issues. Obama, who is extremely popular amongst Canadians, was scheduled to arrive in Ottawa later in the week for his first visit with the leader of a foreign nation. “As Catholic Christians we need to be informed about current affairs, not only within our country but also on the international level,” Fr. Kerslake began. “Sometimes […]
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Polish Bishop Supports Criminalization of IVF, Embryo Research

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski ELK, Poland, February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Bishop of the Diocese of Elk in northeastern Poland, Most Reverend Jerzy Mazur, has given his approval to a petition campaign which seeks to criminalize in vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research. Polskie Radio reports that the “Contra In Vitro” Committee For Legislative Initiative is seeking 100,000 signatures to initiate a project to change the legal code regarding the implementation of in vitro fertilisation. Head of the committee, Jacek Kotula, from Tyczyn in southeastern Poland, said that the group aims to propose legislation before the Sejm, the […]
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Council of Europe Propagates Anti-Family Yogyakarta Principles

By Piero Tozzi & Katharina Rothweiler NEW YORK, NY, February 20, 2009 (C-FAM) – A special committee of the Council of Europe (CoE) is meeting this week in Strasbourg, France, to promote the implementation of the Yogyakarta Principles on sexual orientation and gender identity among the CoE’s 47 member states.  One controversial item on the agenda for the Committee of Experts on Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity calls for a “hate speech” ban, focusing “special attention” on “politicians, opinion leaders, religious dignitaries and the media.” This is interpreted by some as an attempt to chill criticism […]
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Fetal Stem Cell Injections Create Brain Tumors in Israeli Boy

By Hilary White TEL AVIV, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A report in the journal PLoS Medicine (Public Library of Science) says that an experiment with fetal stem cells using a young Israeli boy suffering from the fatal genetic disease, ataxia telangiectasia, resulted in the development of brain and spinal cord tumors, described as “benign and slow-growing.” Ataxia telangiectasia causes degeneration of certain brain regions, affecting the motor functions. It also affects the immune system, often leading to death by secondary infections or cancer. The boy’s parents, desperate to find a treatment, took the boy to a clinic in Moscow […]
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African American Pastor Sentenced to Jail for Counselling Women on Public Sidewalk

OAKLAND, CA., February 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Yesterday Rev. Walter Hoye of Berkeley, California was sentenced to serve 30-days in county jail after being found guilty on January 15, 2009, of unlawfully approaching a person entering an abortion facility in Oakland. The court is allowing Hoye to serve his time by an alternative method such as community service. Hoye was also fined a total of $1,130 and ordered to stay away from the abortion facility. “It is absolutely incredible that in America an individual can be sentenced to jail for engaging in peaceful free speech activity on a public sidewalk,” […]
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A Defence of True Love and the Making of Vows

Column by John Jalsevac February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One week before I was to be married I stood on a train platform in Washington D.C., basking in the balmy glow of the early-May morning. I was returning from an award ceremony with a $2,000 check burning a hole in my pocket, the fruits of a win in a collegiate essay writing contest. My thoughts were wandering pleasantly to the various ways in which that sum could be used to spruce up what promised to be an otherwise modest honeymoon, when a friendly looking chap asked me the time, and […]
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Commentary on February 19 LifeSiteNews Reports

Dear readers, FOX NEWS cited LifeSiteNews.com last night during its popular 6pm news program, called the Political Grapevine. Host Bret Baier cited us as the source on a story about Bill Clinton’s hypocrisy. Here’s a link to the text of the Fox News report and following that the link to the LifeSiteNews.com coverage they’re referring to:https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,496027,00.html https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09021710.html Barack Obama visited Canada’s capital today for seven hours for meetings with the Prime Minister and other Canadian politicians. The Canadian media went all gushy and silly over Obama (it was embarrassing) and the Canadian public, who adulate Obama even more than Americans, were […]
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National Institutes of Health Prepares for Obama’s Expected Approval of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman WASHINGTON, February 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are preparing new guidelines for funding embryonic stem cell research, which destroys human life at its earliest stages, the Washington Post reported today. Although the Bush administration permitted such research on already existing lines of embryonic stem cells, it prohibited the creation of new stem cell lines.  Advocates of the research anticipate, however, that the Obama administration will lift this restriction soon, although they are expressing some concern over what they perceive as a delay in doing so. “We were surprised and disappointed it wasn’t […]
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Bishop Martino Tells St. Patrick Paraders: Cathedral Off-Limits if Pro-Abortion Politicians Honored

By Kathleen Gilbert SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – If a pro-abortion politician is honored in Scranton’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, St. Peter’s Cathedral doors will close to the event, said the city’s bishop Joseph Martino in a letter to parade participants. St. Patrick’s Day occurs on March 17. The bishop’s precautionary message, in a letter penned by Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty, said the Catholic Church would have to distance itself if pro-abortion politicians were given speaking opportunities or other honors in the parade honoring the Catholic saint. “The Bishop is specifically concerned because doing so in conjunction […]
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Man with Anti-Obama Pro-life Truck Sign Reported to Secret Service

By Kathleen Gilbert OKLAHOMA CITY, February 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An Oklahoma City police officer last week pulled over a truck displaying a sign that read “Abort Obama, not the unborn,” confiscated the sign, and reported the driver to Secret Service. The police officer said he had interpreted driver Hal “Chip” Harrison’s sign as a threat to President Obama’s life. “I pulled over, knowing I hadn’t done anything wrong,” Harrison said in a recent phone interview with the McClatchy-Tribune.  The officer informed him that the sign was the reason he had stopped Harrison. “It’s not meant to be a threat, […]
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Battle in Evangelical Lutheran Church as it Considers Allowing Pastors to be in Homosexual Relations

February 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com)  – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released proposals Thursday, Feb. 19, that seek to change Christian teaching on homosexuality and would permit pastors to be in same-sex sexual relationships. In response, leaders of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform) announced Thursday that they will work to defeat the proposals that ask the ELCA to depart from biblical teaching on sexuality. Lutheran CORE is a coalition of pastors, lay people, congregations and reforming groups that seeks to preserve the authority of the Bible in the ELCA. “These recommendations mark a significant departure from the church’s commitment to […]
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Florida House Calls for Criminal Charges in Case of Newborn Killed at Abortion Facility

MIAMI, FL, February 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Florida House of Representatives has issued a letter to State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle calling for criminal charges to be filed against all involved in the death of a viable baby that was born alive at a Hialeah abortion clinic in 2007. The baby, Shanice Denise Osbourne, was delivered by unlicensed abortion worker Belkis Gonzalez, who cut the baby’s umbilical cord with a pair of office scissors, then, while she was moving and struggling to breathe, shoved her into a plastic bag and tossed her in the trash. Gonzalez later stashed the […]
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Nationwide Petition Launched To Withhold Communion from Pelosi, Biden and Other Prominent Dissenting

(To complete the petition go to www.pewsitter.com/petition/) February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the lead-up to Speaker Pelosi’s meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, a nationwide petition project was launched requesting the Catholic Bishops of the United States to withhold Communion from her and other prominent Catholics in public life that obstinately persist in their dissent from Catholic teaching on serious moral issues. This nationwide Withholding Communion petition was launched by Pewsitter.com, a Catholic News Portal. The goal of the petition drive is to gather a least 1 million petitions for presentation to the U.S. Bishops and the Vatican. The basis […]
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LifeSite Special Report – Powerful Silent No More Awareness Campaign Exposes Abortion’s Harsh Personal Aftermath

Wednesday May 18, 2005 Powerful Silent No More Awareness Campaign Exposes Abortion’s Harsh Personal Aftermath Post-abortive women and men proclaim, “I Regret My Abortion,” “I Regret Lost Fatherhood” OTTAWA, May 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – During the Silent No More Awareness Campaign (SNMAC) that followed the National March for Life last Thursday in Ottawa, twenty people from various regions of Canada gave moving personal testimonies about the devastating after-effects of abortion in their lives. Canadian co-founder of the Campaign, Angelina Steenstra, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com. She said SNMAC participants from Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario met pro-lifers returning from the March, […]
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Commentary on February 18, 2009 News

Dear readers, We do try to act on requests about providing more uplifting coverage, but is often not easy. However, this day takes the cake. Starting off with the Pope rebuking Pelosi, and all the associated insider details you’ll find in our coverage, to the glorious news that the 12-year-old’s pro-life speech has resulted in a mother changing her mind on abortion, it is amazing.   The courage of the pro-life prophetic pastor in Australia, and the great love of the husband whose wife has been in a coma for 14 years are inspiring examples for us to cheer on and emulate. And if […]
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Letters to the Editor for February 18, 2009

Re: 12-Year-Old Stuns Pro-Choice Teacher and School with Pro-Life Presentationhttps://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09021605.html Just a few words – after reading your story, I wrote information about Lia’s presentation for fronda.pl We had 2000 entrances during 5 hours. Thank you! It’s one of the most inspiring stories reported by LifeSiteNews! Bogna BialeckaPoland This great report today on Lia from Toronto reminded me of a similar incident here in Ottawa about 20 years ago. My daughter, then in Grade 8 at a Catholic High School wanted to make a similar presentation but was told not to because it was “too controversial”. We later transferred her […]
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Mexican State of Colima Amends Constitution to Protect Right to Life from Conception, 19-0

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman COLIMA, Mexico, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an overwhelming 19-0 vote, legislators in the state of Colima, Mexico, decided Tuesday to amend the state’s constitution to protect the right to life “from the moment of conception.” Article one of the state’s constitution now reads: “Life is a right inherent in every human being.  The State will protect and guarantee this right from the moment of conception.  The family constitutes the fundamental base of society.   The State will encourage its organization and development.  For the same reason, the home, and particularly the children, will be the […]
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San Diego Firefighters Win Lawsuit over Forced Participation in “Gay Pride” Parade

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski SAN DIEGO, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The four San Diego firefighters who were commanded against their wills to drive a fire truck in the city’s “gay pride” parade, where they were subjected to explicit sexual advances and obscenities, have won their case. A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 2½ days and found that the firefighters, who were ordered to ride a fire engine in San Diego’s 2007 homosexual parade, were sexually harassed by homosexual participants and spectators. Jurors awarded a total of $34,300 to Capt. John Ghiotto and firefighters Jason Hewitt, […]
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National Pro-Life Group Tells Obama before Canadian Visit: Stop the Black Genocide by Abortion

OTTAWA, ON, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Barack Obama is preparing to travel to Canada tomorrow, for his first visit with the leader of a foreign country. In the lead-up to his visit, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), the political arm of Canada’s pro-life movement, has called on U.S. President Barack Obama not to preside over the greatest slaughter of African Americans in history via abortion.  CLC President Jim Hughes noted that Obama, “the first black President” has a unique opportunity to “help save the lives of 1400 African American babies who die by abortion every day in the United […]
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British Government Considers Labeling As Extremists Muslims Who Think Homosexuality Is Sinful

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) –  The UK Guardian reports that a document known as Contest 2 reveals plans to widen the definition of “extremist” as part of the antiterrorism effort to those who hold views that clash with what the government defines as shared British values. Under the plan Muslims who believe homosexuality is sinful could be considered as “extremist,” by that fact alone. The counterterrorism strategy, reports the Guardian, would consider people as potential terrorists if they are in favor of a pan-Islamic state involving many countries and headed by a caliphate; promote the application […]
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Brazilian Government Shuts Down Websites Distributing Abortion Drugs

 By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman RIO DE JANEIRO, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Brazilian government has shut down 75 websites that sell abortifacient drugs since 2005, according to JB Online, the internet version of the newspaper Jornal do Brasil. The illegal websites, which reportedly do much of their marketing through Google’s Orkut service (a system similar to Facebook), offer the drug Cytotec, an over-the-counter medication containing misoprostol, which is approved for treating gastric ulcers. In quantities that exceed the maximum approved dosage, however, misoprostol causes the uterus to contract violently, inducing miscarriage or premature birth.  Despite the fact that it […]
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Seven States Have Launched Efforts for Personhood Rights for Pre-born – More Expected

DENVER, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Personhood USA has announced that since the beginning of the new year, seven different states have started efforts in support of the personhood of pre-born children. In addition, Rep. Duncan Hunter has introduced H.R. 881, the Right to Life Act, on the federal level, propelling the personhood movement forward. Five States have now introduced bills affirming the personhood rights of pre-born humans from the moment of fertilization, including: Maryland – HB925 – Delegate Don DwyerNorth Dakota –  H.R. 1572 – Rep. Dan RubyMontana – SB 406 – Sen. Daniel W McGeeSouth Carolina –  H.3526 […]
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At Two Canadian Universities Freedom of Speech Upheld for Pro-Life Students

February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life advocates are celebrating the fact that freedom of speech has been upheld on two Canadian university campuses in the past week, as two student unions have decided to treat pro-life clubs fairly despite opposition to giving the clubs official status. Choose Life McGill, the pro-life club at McGill University in Montreal Quebec, received full accreditation as a campus club at the student union’s board meeting on February 12th. The final vote after a more than 2 hour debate was in favor of ratifying the club.  The vote came after Choose Life operated as an […]
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Electrician Quits Repairs on Nebraska Abortion Facility in Response To Calls

BELLEVUE, NE, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An electrician made the decision yesterday to cancel his contract for work on a fire-damaged abortion centre after pro-life advocates called and explained to the vendor that his work was enabling abortions. At first, the electrician told callers that he was not working in the abortion facility, but was working only in the basement. However, once he learned that the basement was part of the abortion centre where records and supplies were kept, he halted work. “He said he considered himself a good Catholic and didn’t want to be an accessory to an […]
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Former President Clinton Caught in Attempt to Punish Hotel Owner Opposed to Homosexual “Marriage”

By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – During all his political campaigns former President Bill Clinton claimed to be in favor of true marriage and opposed to homosexual “marriage.” During his presidency Clinton even made good on his opposition by signing the Defense of Marriage Act, which specified that the federal government may not treat same-sex relationships as “marriages” for any purpose.  However, a letter from his chief of staff shows that he has now attempted to punish a hotel owner for his opposition to homosexual “marriage.”   A letter from Clinton’s office, signed by Laura Graham, his chief of […]
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Bishop Martino Slams Misericordia University for Inviting Homosexual Rights Advocate

By Kathleen Gilbert SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino has condemned Misericordia University for “seriously failing” in its Catholic identity by inviting homosexual rights advocate Keith Boykin for two lecture appearances scheduled for today. “Bishop Martino wants Catholics of the Diocese of Scranton to know of his absolute disapproval of Misericordia University’s hosting Mr. Boykin,” reads a statement from the diocese of Scranton.  “By honoring this speaker through allowing his positions, so antithetical to Catholic Church teaching, to be broadcast on its campus, the University has rejected all four essential characteristics of a […]
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Male Homosexual Sex Fuelling Spread of HIV in Asia, Warns World Health Organization

By Kathleen Gilbert HONG KONG, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Male homosexual sex is “fuelling” the rapid rise in HIV/AIDS infections in Asia, according to a recent report by the Western Pacific Branch of the World Health Organization (WHO).  The WHO warned today that the HIV/AIDS epidemic may take a major turn for the worse in Asia. The central role of male homosexual sex in the HIV spread has prompted WHO’s Western Pacific office, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, UNAIDS and the Hong Kong Department of Health, to implement AIDS prevention programs in light of the unique […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for February 17,  2009

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information. Canadian actors union members demand that government regulate broadcasting on the Internet, because it’s just another platform.” They want new sources of funding for Canadian content.https://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/588649 LIFE ISSUES Right-to-die issue takes centre stage in Europehttps://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1293073 UK Govt. Fights to Keep Eugenic Abortion Information Safely Sealed Awayhttps://www.wesleyjsmith.com/blog/2009/02/uk-govt-fights-to-keep-eugenic-abortion.html An American Export to Japan: The Culture of Death & the Death of a Culturehttps://www.newoxfordreview.org/article.jsp?did=0209-cibenko Women’s real oppressors are those who say abortion doesn’t hurt […]
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Letters to the Editor for February 17, 2009

RE: 12-Year-Old Stuns Pro-Choice Teacher and School with Pro-Life Presentationhttps://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09021605.html What a remarkable girl Lia is!  I was so encouraged by her presentation, very articulate and knowledgeable on the topic of abortion.  Lea stood her ground and choose a topic that would disqualify her from the competition, but rather than bowing to pressure she remained committed to speak about what she was passionate about.  I am certain her parents must be very proud of their daughter, a young lady of true character.  I believe that this will not be the last time we hear about Lea. It would appear that […]
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40 Days For Life Campaign Goes Global: Australia, Northern Ireland Join Campaign

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski WASHINGTON, DC, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Communities in Australia and Northern Ireland will join with well over 100 cities in the United States and Canada that are hosting 40 Days for Life events from February 25 to April 5, 2009. The 40 Days for Life Campaign was started in 2004 by a pro-life group in Texas. Over the following years it spread across the USA and Canada. This year, two cities in Northern Ireland and one in Australia are also taking part. Northern Ireland’s leading pro-life group, Precious Life, has organized a campaign of ‘40 […]
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Eluana’s Court Approved Killing a case of “Judicial Imperialism”: Italian Prof

By Hilary White ROME, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A prominent Italian professor of legal philosophy has written that the Eluana Englaro case was one of “judicial imperialism” and that with the case the courts have “replaced the legislature.” Paolo Becchi, a professor at the universities of Genoa and Luzern, wrote in Il Giornale on Sunday that the purpose of the courts, “is to apply the laws, not the Constitution.” Becchi is referring to the court decisions that made the starvation death of Eluana Englaro possible. In November, Italy’s highest appeals court, the Court of Cassation in Rome, ruled to uphold […]
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“Right to Die” Bill Introduced into Canadian Parliament

By John Jalsevac February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last Thursday’s parliamentary “Notice Paper” shows that Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde has again introduced a private members bill, “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (right to die with dignity).” The text of the bill is not yet available. This is the third time that Lalonde has introduced such a bill into Canadian Parliament. In 2005 she introduced a private members bill (C-407) to legalize assisted suicide in Canada. Had C-407 passed, the law in Canada would have allowed any individual to “assist” someone to commit suicide with or without a doctor […]
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Spanish Medical Expert: Damage to Women Caused by Abortion is Scientifically Proven

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman GUATEMALA, February 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An eminent Spanish biologist and bioethicist recently gave an interview in Guatemala stating that science has proven the damaging effects of abortion on the victim’s mother. Dr. Natalia Lopez Moratalla has a master’s degree in bioethics and a doctorate in biology, and is the former director of the Interfaculty Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Navarra Medical School in Spain. She currently acts as an advisor to Spain’s parliamentary subcommittee studying the reform of the nation’s abortion law. She has authored the books “Parent-Child Communication During […]
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Doctor to Tell Brain Death Conference Removing Organs from “Brain Dead” Patients Tantamount to Murde

By Hilary White, Rome Correspondent ROME, Italy, February 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Dr. Paul Byrne, a physician and one of the organisers of a conference on “brain death” set to take place in Rome this week, has provided LifeSiteNews.com with an exclusive advance copy of his presentation to the conference. (To find out more about the conference, see: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09021607.html) According to the prepared text Dr. Byrne will tell the conference that the use of “brain death” criteria, which is currently widely supported, even in the Vatican, results in the removal of organs from living patients, and is tantamount, not just […]
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Pro-Life Conference on “Brain Death” Criteria Will Have Uphill Climb to Sway Entrenched Vatican Posi

By Hilary White ROME, February 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An conference set to take place in Rome this week on “brain death” seeks to clarify the position of the Catholic Church on the removal of vital organs from patients. In November 2008, a high-profile conference on organ transplants, held in one of Rome’s most prominent conference halls, steps away from St. Peter’s Basilica, and sponsored by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, caused an uproar when it declined to address the ethical problems of “brain death” criteria. Hundreds of letters and appeals to the Pontifical Academy for Life from pro-life advocates around […]
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Canadian Diabetes Association Supports Use of Human Embryos in Research

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski February 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian Diabetes Association has endorsed the use human embryos in stem-cell related research. A concerned LifeSiteNews reader revealed the contents of correspondence he received from the Association, in which the organization said, “The Canadian Diabetes Association … supports the Canadian government’s direction regarding stem cell research in Canada. Any future embryonic or stem cell related research applications to the Association will be required to meet the requirements of the Act Respecting Assisted Human Reproduction and Related Research.” The Act Respecting Assisted Human Reproduction and Related Research (Bill C-6) was passed […]
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Second International Symposium on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide – May 29 – 30, 2009

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Second International Symposium on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, centered on the theme “Never Again,” will take place May 29 – 30, 2009 at the National Conference Center located at 18980 Upper Belmont Pl., Landsdowne Virginia, 20176, near the Washington DC, Dulles Airport. The Second International Symposium’s stated purpose is to build an effective, unified and focused group of organizations and individuals working to stop the pro-euthanasia lobby, and to create an effective force to move our culture toward “caring and not killing.” Alex Schadenberg, the Executive Director of […]
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Saint Mary’s University Professor Says Administration Was Wrong to Give in to Mob Rule

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, February 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Saint Mary’s University philosophy professor Mark Mercer said the school gave in to mob rule when it allowed a pro-abortion group to shout down and finally silence a pro-life presentation by Jose Ruba, co-founder of the pro-life Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Last week LifeSiteNews reported on the disruption of Mr. Ruba’s presentation by the abortion supporters who, less than a minute into his talk, entered the room and began shouting and constantly interrupting the presentation. According to Mr. Ruba, campus security did not stop the protests.  After forty minutes of continued […]
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Kissinger on Obama: “The Reception of Him is So Extraordinary Around The World … a New World Order Can Be Created”

Wednesday January 7, 2009 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Kissinger on Obama: “The Reception of Him is So Extraordinary Around The World … a New World Order Can Be Created” By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, DC, January 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a interview with CNBC Monday, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said that President-Elect Barack Obama’s most important, or defining task would be the creation of “a new world order.” “The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously,” said Kissinger. “You have India, Pakistan; […]
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Obama Close to Selecting Child Porn Lawyer Ogden

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Senate Judiciary committee has prolonged the decision-making process in regard to ratifying David W. Ogden as Obama’s pick for deputy attorney general. The Senate was expected to have voted on Ogden after a committee hearing last week, but the vote has been delayed until after the Senate’s recess next week. Ogden is considered a controversial pick for the office, due to the fact that he represented several media groups to challenge provisions of the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 and the Child Protection Restoration and Penalties […]
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Italian Left Launches “Living Wills” Euthanasia Campaign in the Wake of Eluana Englaro Crisis

By Hilary White ROME, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Italian legislators are said to be quietly dropping a proposed measure that would have prohibited the withdrawal of food and hydration from comatose patients after the death of Eluana Englaro. While Eluana herself was being buried in a Catholic ceremony in her native village of Lecco, the Italian government turned its attention to pending legislation on “living wills” that many fear will usher in a legal situation that will make cases such as hers more common. Direct euthanasia remains illegal in Italy, but the removal of food and hydration remains a […]
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New York Times Bias Exposed Again as Company Caught in Donation to Planned Parenthood

NEW YORK, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Times Watch, a project of the Media Research Center, dedicated to documenting and exposing the liberal political agenda of the New York Times, reports that the NYT parent company has donated money to Planned Parenthood. Times Watch’s Clay Waters reports today: “When it comes to advancing a liberal agenda, the New York Times not only gives at the office through slanted reporting, but also through the New York Times Company Foundation, according to the Foundation’s 2007 annual report, released in May 2008.” Waters adds: “Matching the liberal advocacy carried out every day in […]
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Papal Postulator Relates Vicious Media Bias against Catholic Church

By Hilary White, Rome correspondent ROME, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a meeting with a US Orthodox rabbi, a renowned historian related his experiences with the mainstream media in his work as the “postulator” or investigator for the Vatican of the cause for canonisation of Pope Pius XII. Fr. Peter Gumpel SJ said that in his experience of hundreds of interviews and debates, he has experienced first hand the open hostility to the Catholic Church of the liberal mainstream media. He relates what he said was a routine experience with the media: “I was once asked by a newspaper in […]
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Lawsuit Filed after Professor Calls Student ‘Fascist Bastard’ for Sharing Beliefs on Faith and Marri

LOS ANGELES, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom filed a lawsuit against officials of the Los Angeles Community College District Wednesday. The lawsuit comes after a professor censored and threatened to expel a student following a speech about marriage and his Christian faith during an open-ended assignment in a public speaking class. On Nov. 24, 2008, Los Angeles City College speech professor John Matteson interrupted and ended Jonathan Lopez’s presentation mid-speech, calling him a “fascist bastard” in front of the class for speaking about his faith, which included reading the dictionary […]
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B.C. School Board Allows Pro-Homosexualist Social Justice Course after Human Rights Complaint

Commentary by Ted Hewlett, President, British Columbia Parents and Teachers for Life February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-homosexualist activists are celebrating the news that the Abbotsford School Board in British Columbia has approved the offering of the Social Justice 12 elective course for students who have their parents’ permission.  The decision by the Fraser Valley community’s school-board follows after the Correns (Murray and his partner Peter) lodged a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal against the Board for refusing to approve the teaching of the course soon enough to allow some students to take it.  One school had offered […]
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Pro-Abortion Nancy Pelosi to Meet Pope – HLI Says “Excommunicate the Speaker”

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Reports have surfaced that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a self-avowed “Catholic” adamant abortion supporter, intends to head a delegation to Euope that will meet with Pope Benedict XVI. Today the Drudge Report headlined a report by Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) on Houston’s KSEV radio that Pelosi hopes to pass the federal economic stimulus bill in time for her join the group, which reportedly leaves Friday evening. According to Il Tempo, Pelosi will arrive in Rome Sunday afternoon, her first visit to the city since becoming Speaker of the House.  It […]
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Queen’s University Drops “Speech Police” Idea after Investigation

By Tim Waggoner KINGSTON, Ontario, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, has ditched its controversial “dialogue facilitator” program after protests from Queen’s alumni spurred a three-member panel investigation. In the fall of 2008, Queens hired six graduate students from diverse backgrounds to encourage campus discussions on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and other social issues. The students were advised to step-in whenever they heard conversations that could be deemed “offensive,” or that involved “hate speech.” The program barely lasted a semester, however, before the press and Queen’s alumni became privy to the “speech police” initiative and, […]
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Indian Supreme Court to Examine Abortion Law

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski NEW DELHI, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – India’s Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, which prohibits abortion after 20 weeks gestation, has been challenged in the Supreme Court by gynecologist Nikhil D. Datar. Datar was involved in last August’s court ruling that denied permission to a woman who wanted to have her 25-week-old unborn child killed. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, abortions are legal in India until the 12th week of pregnancy. Between 12 and 20 weeks abortions are allowed if either the mother or the baby faces a health risk. After 20 weeks […]
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Utah Governor Voices Support for Homosexual Civil Unions

By Kathleen Gilbert SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Utah Gov. John Huntsman Jr. has caused a stir by voicing his support for homosexual civil unions.  Huntsman says he supports civil unions and many of the bills in a package known as the Common Ground Initiative, which is backed by the homosexual rights group, Equality Utah.  The package is designed to extend certain marriage privileges to homosexual and other unmarried couples.  “I had many discussions about Amendment 3 with many legal experts who informed me that individual rights, equal rights, could be taken up to the level […]
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On the Tragic Self-Deceit of the Human Race

Column by John Jalsevac February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A while back Cardinal Egan wrote an uncharacteristically scathing column, which is one of the best I have ever read on the abortion issue, certainly by a bishop. In it he included these few lines: “If you can convince yourself that these beings (unborn children) are something other than living and innocent human beings, something, for example, such as ‘mere clusters of tissues,’ you have a problem far more basic than merely not appreciating the wrongness of abortion. And that problem is – forgive me – self-deceit in a most extreme form.” […]
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Brazilian Government Says 99% of Citizens Are “Homophobic” and Must Be Reeducated

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman BRASILIA, February 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Brazilian government has determined that 99% of its citizens are “homophobic,” and therefore must be reeducated, according to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. The results are taken from a study that tested for “homophobia” by asking people to comment on such statements as “God made men and women with different sexes so that they could fulfill their role and have children.”  The 92% of Brazilians who agreed partially or completely with the statement were labeled “homophobic.” Another test question for “homophobia” was, “Homosexuality is a sin against the laws […]
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Commentary on February 12 News Reports

Dear Readers, The Windsor Catholic college priest/president is yet more evidence of the serious need for bishops to clean up the long term mess in Catholic institutions. As long as these kinds of situations continue to fester, the Church is crippled as an effective voice for life, family and morality. We all lose. Recent days seem rather dreary as President Obama continues to fulfill all the expectations we had for him. So many people just would not believe us prior to the election. The current situation fits in with the dreary weather at this time of year in the north-western […]
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Palin Criticizes Campaign to Donate to Planned Parenthood in Her Name

By John Jalsevac February 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a press conference yesterday Sarah Palin criticized the e-mail campaign that was launched in the lead-up to the election, in which people were urged to donate to the nearest Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin’s name. “I have boxes of thank-you notes from people associated with Planned Parenthood thanking me for the donations,” she said during a press conference. “It’s political theater—it’s great theater, I guess, for some.” According to Clover Simon, Alaska vice president of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, the e-mail campaign, which Planned Parenthood says was not initiated […]
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Fraudulent Data Used By Pro-Abortion “Catholic” Organization to Defend Voting for Pro-Abortion Polit

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski February 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, whose primary goal is providing moral, political, and theological cover for supporters of Barack Obama and other Democrats who support “abortion rights,” released a study last August which purported to show that increased spending on various welfare programs resulted in substantial reductions in state abortion rates. This study, however, was later proven to be false due to the fact that the authors used incorrect abortion data. The study analyzed state level abortion data from 1982 to 2000 and claimed that many state […]
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Glamour Mag Abortion Stories Point to Need for More Recovery Groups

LANSDOWNE, VA, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In its March issue, Glamour magazine explores the real life stories of women who have had an abortion. (The read the Glamour article, see: https://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/2009/02/the-serious-health-decision-women-arent-talking-about-until-now?printable=true) One of the women featured in the article expressed to the magazine the guilt she experienced after her abortion, which led her to abuse drugs, eventually developing an addiction and having a second abortion. That woman, Lisa Gaylord, now leads the recovery group at Hopeline Pregnancy Resource Center, a Care Net center in Danbury, Connecticut. “I would give anything to go back and make two different choices, but I […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for February 12, 2009

Compiled by Steve Jalsevac * Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information. OBAMA, US POLITICS If the special interest groups have their way with Obama, it will spell the end of days for the American nation as we have known it since 1776. https://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=290d52c0-6e71-45b8-958c-bb9a7aa44eb3 Escondido priest warns “evil has acceded to power” in Obama Administrationhttps://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=290d52c0-6e71-45b8-958c-bb9a7aa44eb3 Tainted victory of a first time ever black presidenthttps://www.renewamerica.us/columns/mallon/090212 Senate Judiciary Committee Likely to Approve Playboy’s Former Lawyer as Deputy AGhttps://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=43369 Justice Candidate a […]
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Part II: Interview with Joe Scheidler – The Pro-Life Movement Under Obama and Beyond

By John Jalsevac Joseph M. Scheidler is National Director of the Pro-Life Action League, a national pro-life educational and activist organization headquartered in Chicago.  One of the true pro-life “greats,” it has been said that Scheidler defined pro-life direct action. He has been called the “Green Beret” of the pro-life movement, and has written several books and spent countless hours on the street, counseling women and raising awareness of the evil of abortion. Q: Do you sense right now that the way to deal with the Obama administration is to work more on the street, at the grassroots level? A: […]
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Spanish Families Defy Mandatory Homosexual Indoctrination in New Video

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman SPAIN, February 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Spanish families who are resisting their government’s mandatory homosexualist indoctrination program have made a video expressing their defiance. “Freedom begins with defiance” the video begins.  It then includes scenes of adults, teenagers, and children expressing their rejection of the classes, which are being given as a required civics course in the nation’s schools, both public and private. “We’re not giving in” says one mother. “We’re not going to enter the classes,” say two teenagers.  “We’re going to continue fighting … for our freedom and the freedom of all,” say two […]
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The Full Text of Dignitas Personae: The Vatican’s New Instruction on Bioethics

Friday December 12, 2008 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips The Full Text of Dignitas Personae: The Vatican’s New Instruction on Bioethics Introduction 1. The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death. This fundamental principle expresses a great “yes” to human life and must be at the center of ethical reflection on biomedical research, which has an ever greater importance in today’s world. The Church’s Magisterium has frequently intervened to clarify and resolve moral questions in this area. The Instruction Donum vitae was particularly significant.1 And now, twenty years after […]
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LifeSite Special Report – A Warning to Pro-Lifers

Thursday February 5, 2009 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips A Warning to Pro-Lifers GAP leader responds to recent condemnations of abortion photos strategy By Stephanie Gray CALGARY, Alberta, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Three separate commentaries, with problematic ideas about pro-life strategy, have been circulated in recent weeks. At the heart of these ideas is a concern about image; which, if it becomes the pro-life movement’s focus, will be a detriment to the unborn. The first was a National Post article by Barbara Kay (https://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive…) in which she called the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), which visually compares abortion […]
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Massive German Study Confirms Abortion Significantly Increases Premature Birth Risk

By Kathleen Gilbert February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A huge German study has further substantiated the link between abortion history and an increased risk of future premature births. Dr. Manfred Voigt and his German colleagues evaluated over two million pregnancies between 1995 and 2000, making the 2008 study the most massive AVP (Abortion Very Preterm Birth) study in the last 30 years.  (To view the abstract, go to: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18293256) The control group of women in the study had no history of induced abortion, miscarriage or stillbirths.  The rate of premature births in the control group was compared to that of […]
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Portuguese Bishops Resolve to Fight “Homosexual Marriage” Proposal by Socialist Prime Minister

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman FATIMA, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic bishops of Portugal have resolved to fight plans to legalize “homosexual marriage” in their country. Following a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) in Fatima, the leadership of the Church has announced that “the organizations of the Church will move” to combat the proposal by the Socialist Party to equalize homosexual unions with matrimony. “At the time of voting, Christians will certainly draw their conclusions” regarding the candidates, said Fr. Manuel Morujao, a spokesman for the CEP, following the meeting. He added that […]
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Abortion Supporters Pelt Pro-Lifers with Stones in France

By John-Henry Westen GRENOBLE, France, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life demonstrators outside a hospital in Grenoble France were violently attacked Sunday by abortion supporters.  NOVOpress, a French-language news agency, reports that 70 pro-life picketers outside the ‘Couple-Child’ Hospital were violently attacked by a pro-abortion mob of some 260 individuals. A pro-life demonstration was scheduled for the early afternoon, but prior to the arrival of the pro-life demonstrators, a rowdy crowd of abortion supporters took up the designated area.  NOVOpress reports that when the pro-lifers arrived they were verbally and physically accosted. Police intervened and remained on the scene until […]
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Ireland’s New Adoption Bill Says Adoption Only to Married Heterosexual Couples

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski DUBLIN, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Newly published adoption legislation introduced by Ireland’s Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews, unequivocally states that all aspects of a child’s adoption must “take place in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights as recognized under international law.” In light of this the bill has no provisions for permitting adoption by same-sex couples or other cohabiting individuals, a fact that has homosexual activists up in arms, who are calling on Ireland to follow the example of Britain and Scotland in […]
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Calgary Pro-Life Club Stripped of Club Status after Pro-Life Students Charged with “Trespassing”

By Kathleen Gilbert CALGARY, Alberta, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After a ten-minute hearing Tuesday, the University of Calgary’s Students’ Union voted to de-sanction the school’s pro-life club, thereby barring the club from using campus facilities or receiving SU funding. The hearing followed the refusal of the pro-life group to hide a Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) pro-life display on the campus in November, when ordered to do so by the University’s administration.  The club has erected the display, which shows images of abortion victims alongside other genocide victims, without incident several times in the past.  The University recently charged a number […]
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Footage Showing Planned Parenthood of Arizona Covering Up Rape Sent to State Officials

LOS ANGELES, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The student-led nonprofit, Live Action, has provided the full, unedited footage from a recent investigation of a Tucson Planned Parenthood clinic to the offices of the Arizona Attorney General and the Pima County Attorney. The tapes show Planned Parenthood covering up a reported case of sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl, and were made public last week on Live Action’s website, www.liveaction.org. In the footage, a Tucson Planned Parenthood counselor tells a Live Action investigator, posing as a pregnant 15-year-old, how to hide her sexual relationship with a 27-year-old man. The counselor, identified […]
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Interview with Joe Scheidler, Part I: The Pro-life Legacy of George Bush

By John Jalsevac Joseph M. Scheidler is National Director of the Pro-Life Action League, a national pro-life educational and activist organization headquartered in Chicago.  One of the true pro-life “greats,” it has been said that Scheidler defined pro-life direct action. He has been called the “Green Beret” of the pro-life movement, and has written several books and spent countless hours on the street, counseling women and raising awareness of the evil of abortion. Q: Looking back over the past 8 years, how do you see President Bush’s contribution to the pro-life and pro-family causes? A: He did a lot of […]
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Red Envelope Project Tells President Obama of Outrage over Abortion Promotion

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A grassroots initiative has sprung up which hopes to send a message to US president Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in the country over his administration’s promotion of abortion. The Red Envelope Project has been spreading for some time by e-mail, and now a website has been set up to further promote the project. (https://www.redenvelopeproject.org/) The email that has been circulating reads in part: “I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man (Obama) and a political […]
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Forced Abortion, Rape Victim Comes Forward After Abortionist Given Slap on the Wrist

DETROIT, Mich., February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Outraged by what she considers a meaningless sentence and remarks by an attorney that she says are insulting and untrue, a former patient of Womancare, a Detroit-area abortion facility, has come forward to tell of her abortion experience with owner, abortionist Alberto Hodari. Jennifer McCoy’s hair-raising account of a forced abortion and the non-reporting of child sexual abuse that allowed her rapist to continue abusing her is part of an investigative report about Hodari’s legal problems released today by the pro-life group Operation Rescue. (Click here to read: https://www.operationrescue.org/archives/forced-abortion-rape-victim-comes-forward-after-abortionist-given-probation/) Womancare, Inc. was last […]
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Mexico’s Most Pro-Abortion Political Party Seeks to Legalize Abortion-on-Demand, Hard Drugs, Homosex

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman MEXICO CITY, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the face of heavy competition from other socialist parties, the Mexican Social Democratic Party (PSD) is seeking to save itself from extinction with a national campaign to legalize abortion on demand, homosexual “marriage” and hard drugs, including crack cocaine. Due to recent reforms in the Mexican electoral system, the PSD is scrambling to obtain a limited pool of votes in competition with two other desperate parties: the Work Party and Convergence, in order to maintain its registration as a national political party.  It reportedly needs 600,000 votes in […]
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Canadian Government Refusing to Answer US Media, Mother of Dead Stripper over Suspicious Death

Thursday October 20, 2005 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Canadian Government Refusing to Answer US Media, Mother of Dead Stripper over Suspicious Death OTTAWA, October 20, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – US newspapers and investigative journalists have been frustrated in their attempts to receive comment from Canadian government officials regarding the death of two American young men brought into Canada under the controversial ‘exotic dancer’ program. Weeks prior to their deaths this summer, European anti-trafficking groups and the US body which compiles international data on trafficking in persons criticized Canada for the controversial scheme which, according to anti-trafficking groups is […]
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LifeSite Special Report – Road to Perversion Is Paved With Porn

Wednesday April 12, 2006 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Road to Perversion Is Paved With Porn “Regular guys” becoming sexual predators of children. by Jan LaRue, Esq. Millions of men and boys are falling for the destructive myth that looking at “adult” porn is normal, healthy and harmless for “regular guys.” Way too many are finding themselves handcuffed between two cops, under arrest for sexual conduct with a kid. The hook-ups with kids are occurring on the main streets of U.S. cities and the dark alleys of the virtual world. Experts estimate that 50,000 sexual predators prowl the […]
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Where Were the Black Political Leaders at the March for Life?

Commentary by Pastor Stephen E. Broden, Senior Pastor, Fair Park Bible Fellowship DALLAS, TX, February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – I was struck by the noticeable absence of black elected officials at the January 22nd March for Life in Washington DC. Not one leader from the black congressional caucus was present. This was especially curious to me in light of the fact that the rate of pre-natal murder among black babies is higher than any other group in America. Statistics about the numbers of abortions in the black community are now commonly reported on in major media throughout the nation. We […]
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Archbishop Chaput Warns Ireland against Compromising with “Pluralism” and “Abortion Reduction Strate

By Kathleen Gilbert DUBLIN, February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver brought his experience in America’s pro-life movement across the Atlantic in a recent trip to Ireland, where he told pro-lifers to avoid pitfalls such as being silenced by calls for “pluralism,” compromising with “abortion reduction” strategists, or succumbing to party politics. Chaput, one of the leading voices among U.S. bishops in the pro-life movement, began by noting the “schizophrenia” legalized abortion has inflicted on America’s culturally religious society.  “Most believe abortion is wrong.  But most also want it legal under some limited circumstances,” said the archbishop.  […]
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Upcoming Vatican Conference on Darwin Set to Coincide with 150th Anniversary of “Origin of Species”

By Hilary White ROME, February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An upcoming Vatican conference on Darwin’s theory of evolution, set to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of the “Origin of Species,” will present a “critical appraisal” of the great naturalist’s contributions, the Holy See Press Office said this morning. The international conference, entitled, “Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories” will take place in Rome from the 3rd to 7th of March. The conference will focus on the “essential facts upon which the theory of evolution rests, facts associated with palaeontology and molecular biology; the scientific study of the mechanisms […]
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Pope Urges Brazilian Leadership to Keep Abortion and Euthanasia Illegal

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman VATICAN CITY, February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Pope is urging Brazil’s pro-abortion leadership to maintain the nation’s existing laws against abortion and euthanasia. In a reception for Brazil’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Luiz Felipe Seixas, yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI praised Brazilian President Luiz Lula’s efforts to help the poor, but rejected his administration’s pro-abortion stance. Benedict asked the government to “promote fundamental human values, the family and the protection of human life from the moment of its conception until its natural death.” In a veiled reference to Brazil’s embryonic stem cell research program, which […]
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Poll Shows Jump in Americans Favoring Balanced Perspective on Evolution in Schools

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Zogby poll conducted on the eve of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday shows an overwhelming number of Americans prefer a non-dogmatic approach to teaching evolutionary theory in public schools, and show significantly less support for pure Darwinism than data collected three years ago. 78% of respondents said they agreed more with the statement, “Biology teachers should teach Darwin’s theory of evolution, but also the scientific evidence against it,” than the statement that teachers “should teach only Darwin’s theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.”  The majority opinion […]
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School Forces Twelve-Year-Old to Take Pregnancy Test – Lawsuit Filed

NEVADA CITY, CA, February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A lawsuit has been filed against the Nevada City School District after a counselor forced a student to take a pregnancy test at school without her parents’ knowledge or consent. In late March, 2008, Steve Davis, a counselor at Seven Hills Middle School, allegedly pulled the student, C.R., (whose name is being kept confidential) out of class. Mr. Davis had heard rumors spread by another student that C.R. was pregnant and demanded to know whether it was true. C.R. denied she was pregnant and noted that false rumors had been spread about […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for February 9, 2009

* Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information. LIFE ISSUES 40% of coma patients in a ‘vegetative state’ may be misdiagnosed, says a new reporthttps://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3004892.ece Exorcist: Devil Influences Abortion Industry“Abortion is a demonic industry,” he told The Bulletin. “Abortion is blood sacrifice of innocent blood to the devil. The clinics are like temples, the doctors are like priests, the medical table is like their altar. It’s a ritualized sacrifice. They have a dogma called choice, a hierarchy called Planned […]
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Pro-Life Short Film “Volition” Now Being Sold on DVD

By John Jalsevac (To watch “Volition” online, go to: https://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=420351f1aefa2b42b1772fe9d5cc044a) February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “Volition,” the moving pro-life short film created by brothers Tim (23) and Matthew (21) Morgan, is now for sale on DVD. (To purchase Volition: https://www.rockyfarmstudio.com/volition.html) Volition came into being after the Morgan brothers were selected as finalists in The Doorpost film competition, and were given a budget of nearly $18 thousand to make a film of their choice. The film has been viewed nearly 50,000 times online at The Doorpost website, and, due to its popularity, is now being made available for purchase. The DVD […]
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Minnesota Catholic School Backs Down on Giving Award to Pro-Abortion Catholic Legislator

By Kathleen Gilbert RICHFIELD, Minnesota, February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Minnesota Catholic high school has decided against giving a state legislator an award he was scheduled to receive after the school learned he has consistently supported abortion legislation. Rep. Paul Thissen, who is running for Minnesota governor, was expecting to be presented with the Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) Activities Hall of Fame Alumnus Award last month, when he received a call from AHA president Jill Reilly asking him to withdraw his name.  When he refused, he was told the award would be revoked due to his position on […]
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Tony Blair Being Plugged by Nicolas Sarkozy for President of Europe

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski VERSAILLES, France, February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A report by the UK Daily Mail has revealed that a senior aid to French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a private gathering of senior British and French politicians that Sarkozy intends to promote Tony Blair for the yet-to-be-established job of President of Europe. The statement by Alain Minc, a member of Sarkozy’s inner circle of advisors, was made at a meeting last month of the Franco-British Colloque, a group of influential British and French politicians and businessmen. Mr. Minc told the gathering, attended by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon: […]
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Pro-Life Event at St. Mary’s U Told to Disband after Protesters Disrupt

By Kathleen Gilbert HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When pro-abortion protesters descended upon a pro-life presentation at St. Mary’s University (SMU) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, disrupting the event with chants and yells, the pro-life presenter was astonished that a SMU administration representative, rather than stopping the pro-abortion group, ordered the pro-life presentation to end. Jose Ruba, co-founder of the pro-life Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and former executive director of the National Campus Life Network, visited SMU Thursday evening as part of a speaking tour to campuses across Canada.  The nascent Students for Life club furnished a […]
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Federal Politicians Set To Review Hate-speech Provision of Canadian Human Rights Act

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski OTTAWA, February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Federal MP’s will be looking today at proceeding with curtailing or scrapping Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act and will consider the misuse of the Section by the Canadian Human Rights Commissions. Section 13 of the Act gives the CHRC and its tribunals the authority to regulate, receive, investigate or adjudicate complaints related so-called “hate messages.” It has been the subject of widespread criticism in recent years, with critics charging that the Commission has focused its energies almost entirely on prosecuting Christians and conservatives, and accusing it of […]
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Christian Nursing Home Funding Restored after “Sexual Orientation” Flap

By Hilary White BRIGHTON, UK, February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A UK Christian nursing care home that had been threatened with loss of funding for having the wrong opinions about homosexuality, has had its grant restored. The Brighton & Hove city council backed down as Pilgrim Homes, the 200-year-old Christian charity that runs the home in question, as well as nine others, was preparing for legal action for religious discrimination. In early January, it was revealed that the city council had revoked a £13,000 (Cn. $23,652.96) grant to Pilgrim Home in Egremont Place, Brighton, after elderly residents, some of whom […]
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Troubling “Gender-Mainstreaming” Bill Advances in the Philippines

By Piero A. Tozzi NEW YORK, NY, February 9, 2009 (C-FAM) – A radical, feminist-inspired “gender mainstreaming” bill has been voted out of the Philippine Senate and is now before the Bicameral Conference Committee, which will likely meet next week in order to reconcile the upper and lower house versions of the bill. (For background info on this bill, see: “Gender Mainstreaming” Legislation Brewing in the Philippines https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09011512.html) Both pro-family and pro-feminist Senators tacked on their preferred language to the “Magna Carta of Women,” reflecting two divergent ideological perspectives, with the result being that the bill is often muddled and […]
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ONTARIO GOV’T PANEL URGES INCREASING UNFAIRNESS TO STAY-AT-HOME MOMS

Wednesday December 6, 2000 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips ONTARIO GOV’T PANEL URGES INCREASING UNFAIRNESS TO STAY-AT-HOME MOMS TORONTO, Dec 6, 2000 (LSN.ca) – A panel appointed by Ontario’s Conservative government to look into education in the province has recommended the government shell out $1 billion for universal daycare and full-day junior and senior kindergarten in the province. The National Post reports today that the Education Improvement Commission headed by Dave Cooke, a former NDP education minister, says that “licensed, organized daycare is needed, as opposed to subsidies to help pay for an untrained babysitter.” In plain terms, […]
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LifeSite Special Report – Rivers of Blood

Thursday December 18, 2008 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Rivers of Blood A Brazilian pro-life Evangelical writes about the contraceptive culture and prophecies in Revelation LifeSiteNews Guest Commentary by Julio Severo BRAZIL, December 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the early days of the human race, Cain killed Abel and buried him, and the Bible says that Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. The murder of Abel did not go unpunished or forgotten. In the end times, the Bible tells us that rivers, seas and the fountains of water will “become blood as of a dead man” (Revelation […]
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LifeSite Special Report – New Vatican Document on Catholics in Political Life

Thursday January 16, 2003 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips New Vatican Document on Catholics in Political Life CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH DOCTRINAL NOTE on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, having received the opinion of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has decided that it would be appropriate to publish the present Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life. This Note is directed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church and, in a particular way, to Catholic […]
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SPANKING LEADS TO JAIL IN CANADA

Tuesday November 17, 1998 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips SPANKING LEADS TO JAIL IN CANADA DURHAM, ON, Nov 17 (LSN) Joe Cleary a father in Durham Ontario was jailed for two days and his family put through a grueling court ordeal which lasted months and cost thousands of dollars all because he used spanking to discipline his five year old child. Last month Sun Media columnist Michael Coren reported that Cleary punished his son for having repeatedly kicked the family cat after being told not to. According to Coren, the spanking left a very slight mark on the […]
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Commentary on February 6 News

Dear Readers, There is a golden opportunity to fight so-called legal pornography today with the police report on the epidemic of child porn traders – 600,000 in the US known to police and over 65,000 in Canada.  The expert on the subject we interviewed notes that all porn is addictive like drugs and it always takes more to achieve the same high. Therefore porn addiction is progressive and leads naturally to ever more bizarre and dangerous porn. To stop child porn we must stop all porn. Keep all even mildly explicit or “soft” porn out of your homes (television, Internet, […]
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Ontario Crown Attorney’s Office Appeals Linda Gibbons’s Last Case

By Tony Gosgnach TORONTO, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Linda Gibbons has received formal notification that the Crown attorney’s office is appealing her last court case, in which a judge quashed a criminal charge of disobeying a court order against her. Justice John C. Moore said on Jan. 12 that it was “simple” to quash the charge, since a 1994 “temporary” court injunction restricting pro-life activity around the Scott “Clinic” abortion site was pronounced in a civil, not criminal, court. “Why use criminal modes to deal with civil matters?” Moore had asked. “There are rules for civil matters and there […]
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Pope’s Secretary of State Denounces Abortion and Homosexual “Marriage” During Trip to Spain

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman MADRID, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – During Tarcisio Bertone’s recent visit to Spain, the Vatican Secretary of State stirred up controversy by denouncing abortion and homosexual “marriage,” while making a thinly-veiled attack on the government’s Education for Citizenship program, which seeks to impose homosexualist and socialistic ideologies on students as early as elementary school. “To want to impose, as secularism intends to do, a faith or religious practice that is strictly private” involves “a meddling with the rights of people to live their religious convictions in accordance with their wishes and with the demands of those […]
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LSN Assistant Editor Speaks on the “Inherent Racism of Abortion” at King’s College

By John-Henry Westen, Editor (To book an LSN staff member to speak at your event, e-mail [email protected], or call 1-888-678-6008) February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This past Wednesday evening, John Jalsevac, the assistant editor of LifeSiteNews.com, spoke to the campus pro-life group at King’s College at the University of Western Ontario in London. King’s Live for Life organized the event, which was attended by approximately 60 university students. The talk was titled, “The Inherent Racism of Abortion.” Jalsevac began by explaining that, in the broadest sense of the term, abortion is “racist” simply insofar as it targets a minority, the […]
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Bishop Martino Warns “Pro-Life” Sen. Casey to Rescind Abortion Vote or Else be Complicit in “Hideous

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, Februrary 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a letter to Sen. Robert P. Casey, the bishop of Scranton Pennsylvania, Joseph F. Martino, strongly condemned the Pennsylvania Democrat’s vote against an amendment reinstating the Mexico City Policy in spite of the senator’s claim to be “pro-life.” “Your vote against the Mexico City Policy will mean the deaths of thousands of unborn children,” wrote Bishop Martino.  “This is an offense against life and a denial of our Catholic teaching on the dignity of every human being. This action is worthy of condemnation by all moral men and women.” The Martinez Amendment to […]
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Senate Refuses to Remove Religious Discrimination in Stimulus Package

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The U.S. Senate has refused to remove language in the economic stimulus bill proposed by the Obama administration stating that universities accepting funds for facility upgrades would be forbidden to allow religious activity in those areas. Section 803 of the bill grants funds “for the purpose of modernizing, renovating, and repairing institution of higher education facilities that are primarily used for instruction and research.” The same section, however, prohibits these funds to go to the “modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities—(i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school […]
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Child Porn Pandemic as Police Estimate 600,000 Americans, 65,000 Canadians Trading Child Porn Online

By Kathleen Gilbert TORONTO, Ontario, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ontario police yesterday celebrated the results of a province-wide child pornography bust, the largest in Ontario’s history – yet officers acknowledge they have only scratched the surface of the massive underworld of child sexual abuse in North America.  Police officers said at a press conference Thursday that the sweep led to the arrest of 31 child sex offenders between the age of 14 and 60, as well as the rescue of two young victims, a 4-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl.  The maximum jail time for creating and distributing child pornography […]
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Argentinean Unborn Child is Killed after Pleas for Mercy Go Unheeded

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman ARGENTINA, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An unborn child has been killed in the Argentinean province of Santiago de Estero after two weeks of controversy in which a lawyer offered to adopt the child, and a woman conceived in rape plead with the grandparents to spare its life. The abortion was performed yesterday in the Regional Hospital of Santiago de Estero on a young woman who doctors claim is mentally retarded and was raped by a yet unknown assailant. Although all abortions are illegal in Argentina, they carry no penalty in the case of mentally disabled […]
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Terri’s Foundation Denounces President of Italy’s Refusal to Sign Decree Stopping Eluana Englaro Dea

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In spite of an emergency decree passed by the Italian government, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano refused to sign the decree that would save the life of Eluana Englaro, the young woman whose food and hydration has been removed this morning. The ratification by the President is required under Italy’s parliamentary system for the law to take effect. Eluana Englaro, who has been called “Italy’s Terri Schiavo,” has been receiving food and water via a feeding tube since a 1992 car crash that left her with a brain injury. Her father, Beppino Englaro, […]
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Abortionist Stripped of Medical License in the Hialeah Baby Murder Case

TAMPA, Florida, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This morning, the Florida Board of Medicine revoked the medical license of Pierre Renelique, a Florida abortionist who failed to show up for a scheduled late-term abortion at a Hialeah clinic in July, 2006. As a result of his no-show, unlicensed workers delivered a live 23-week old baby girl, then shoved the struggling baby into trash bag, and stashed her body on the roof. The Board found Renelique guilty of medical malpractice and delegating responsibility to unlicensed personnel. “We are very grateful to the Florida Medical Board for stripping Renelique of his medical […]
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New Alberta Human Rights Chief Commissioner to Work to Add “Sexual Orientation” to Legislation

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski EDMONTON, Alberta, February 6, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) – The Alberta government has announced the appointment of retired Calgary judge David Blair Mason, Q.C. as Chief Commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. The Alberta HRC has been searching for a new commissioner since Dec. 2007. “David Blair Mason, Q.C. has led a very impressive legal career, with experiences that make him an outstanding choice to lead our province’s Human Rights and Citizenship Commission,” said Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, in a government news release. Blackett indicated that one of the priorities for the new […]
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Vatican Radio Withdraws Invitation to Contraceptive Manufacturer

By Hilary White ROME, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Vatican Radio has withdrawn an invitation to a Swiss pharmaceutical company that manufactures artificial contraceptives. The Chief Executive of Swiss drug company Novartis, Daniel Vasella, was to be “Commentator of the Month” in February, but the offer was rescinded when Vatican Radio officials discovered that the company makes abortifacient drugs. “The approach of the Vatican to artificial contraception cannot be subject to the smallest doubt,” Vatican Radio said in a statement published on the German-language pages of its website. Vatican Radio broadcasts in 47 languages, and its programs are sent out […]
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Victory for Christian Nurse Facing Sack for Offering to Pray for Patient

WESTON, U.K. February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Caroline Petrie, the nurse from Weston-super-Mare who was suspended without pay for asking a patient whether she would like to be prayed for, was reinstated by North Somerset Primary Care Trust last night. The dramatic turn-around by North Somerset Primary Care Trust comes days after extensive media coverage and news reports which revealed that Mrs. Petrie, a born again Christian and mother of two, was suspended after her employers discovered that she had asked a patient whether she would like to be prayed for. Petrie has explained that she was not “forcing” her […]
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Porn Lawyer Has a ‘Confirmation Conversion’ at Senate Hearing

CHICAGO, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – David Ogden, nominated by President Obama to help lead the Department of Justice, was grilled by lawmakers yesterday during his confirmation hearing. Ogden’s nomination has been a source of controversy, due to the fact that he has a long record of arguing against child pornography laws, and for a virtually unlimited abortion license.  He has represented clients such as Playboy, Penthouse, and the ACLU. “You’ve taken some very extraordinary positions, some left-leaning and unorthodox positions,” Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. told Ogden during yesterday’s hearings. In the process of the hearing, however, Ogden experienced what […]
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Call Issued for Alumni to Cut Funding to U of Calgary over Pro-Life Trespassing Fiasco

By John-Henry Westen CALGARY, February 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The announcement that the University of Calgary has charged a number of pro-life students with trespassing on their own campus for displaying graphic pro-life signs has caused a stir even among those who do not consider themselves pro-life.  Free speech advocates have condemned the decision, professors at the university have slammed it and, now, alumni have been called to halt their financial support for the institution.  Famed free-speech advocate Ezra Levant, himself a graduate of the University of Calgary, has encouraged his fellow alumni to launch “a boycott on donations” to […]
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Tiny Fetal Models Cause Uproar in Dutch Media and Parliament

By Michael van der Mast, the Netherlands AMSTERDAM, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The model of an unborn child carried in the annual March for Life in Amsterdam has caused a firestorm in Holland.  A photo of the tiny fetal model was pictured on the front page of the Dutch Christian newspaper “Het Nederlands Dagblad” in December after the march. The front-page coverage garnered other media attention, television interviews and even angry reactions in the House of Representatives of the Dutch government. The two inch long model represents a fetus at ten weeks of actual length and weight. “At four […]
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Letters to Editor for February 5,  2009

Re: Vatican Official: Bishops Have no Choice But to Refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicianshttps://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09020402.html I reside in the LaCrosse Diocese in Wisconsin where Bishop Burke resided for many years. I wish he were back here in Wisconsin to set an example for our local Bishops. Our Catholic Governor Doyle is a strong abortion and embryonic stem cell proponent as are many of our state legislators and yet they continue to categorize themselves as Catholics. I appreciate Archbishop Burke’s comments but have no confidence that any action will be forthcoming locally. One final comment/ question, can a bishop be guilty of nonfeasance? […]
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Daughter of Rape Victim Pleads for Life of Unborn Child in Danger of Abortion

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman ARGENTINA, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A woman who is the product of the rape of her mentally-disabled mother is making a public plea for the life of an unborn child in danger of abortion in Santiago de Estero, Argentina. The child’s grandparents have requested an abortion for their daughter, whom they say is mentally disabled and was raped.  Although all abortions are illegal in Argentina, they carry no penalty in such cases under current law. “I identify with what is happening…I should clarify that it is not from the perspective of justice, nor the young […]
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GAP Leader Responds to Post’s Barbara Kay’s Condemnation of Abortion Photos Strategy

By Steve Jalsevac CALGARY, Alberta, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The February 4 National Post published the lengthy text of a December speech given by National Post columnist Barbara Kay to the “Live for Life” club at King’s College, University of Western Ontario. The speech text, titled, “Women deserve better than abortion”, has generated controversy for its condemnation of the showing of photos of aborted babies and the Genocide Awareness Project’s comparison of abortion to the slavery and Jewish Holocaust catastrophes. Stephanie Gray, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, sent LifeSiteNews her detailed refutation of points made […]
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University of Calgary Pro-Life Group May Lose Club Status

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski CALGARY, AB, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The University of Calgary Students’ Union has revealed that they will hold a meeting next Tuesday to decide if they will revoke the official club status of the university’s pro-life group, Campus Pro-Life. Students’ Union president Dalmy Baez said, “We, as the students’ union, are supposed to be representing students and supporting them in any way possible,” according to a Calgary Herald report. “But there are limits to this,” she added. “The university issued a written warning to the organization some time ago. … We issued our own warning […]
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University of Wisconsin Clinic to Begin 2nd-Trimester Abortions

By Kathleen Gilbert MADISON, Wisconsin, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After three hours of emotional debate, the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority Board voted 11-3 Wednesday to offer 2nd-trimester abortions at a clinic owned by the University of Wisconsin (UW). The decision to open the Madison Surgery Center to the abortions came amid a sizeable pro-life protest, with counter-protesters gathering outside the building in the bitter cold.  A rally of 2,000 had also gathered last Saturday at the UW campus, and marched to the surgery clinic to condemn the proposal. Abortion advocates urged the UW facility, which apparently […]
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“Gay-Friendly” Miami Archdiocese Features Goddess-Worshipping Nun at Diocesan University

By LexEtLibertas February 5, 2009, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Just days after the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has ordered an apostolic visitation of all non-contemplative women’s religious orders in the United States, LifeSiteNews has learned that a notorious Catholic dissenter, known for her promotion of goddess-worship and “eco-spirituality,” is scheduled to speak at the Miami Archdiocese’s Saint Thomas University. Sr. Miriam Therese MacGillis, O.P will be presenting a lecture, “Cosmology, Faith, & Sustainability,” at Saint Thomas, on 24 February. Many lay Catholics have documented Sister Miriam’s dissent from official Catholic doctrine on various matters. Sister Miriam is an active proponent […]
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Pro-Family Groups Denounce New “Sexual Diversity” Program in Buenos Aires’ Schools

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman BUENOS AIRES, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-family organizations in Argentina are asking the Chief of Government of Buenos Aires to veto legislation that would establish an ongoing campaign to promote the homosexualist ideology in the city’s public schools, the media, and the health system. The campaign is to be implemented through a “Sexual Rights and Diversity Plan,” which will also promote the participation of homosexuals and transsexuals “in the formulation of regulations that guarantee their rights” and the organization of “events, commemorations, and an agenda linked to the issue.” It passed the city’s legislature 47-0 […]
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NY Judge Grants Estate to Surviving Partner of Same-Sex “Marriage” Effected in Canada

By Kathleen Gilbert NEW YORK, February 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite the fact that same-sex “marriage” is illegal in New York, a New York Judge has ruled that a man will receive the estate of his deceased male partner, whom he had “wed” in Canada eight months earlier. Manhattan Surrogate Court Judge Kristin Booth Glen ruled that J. Craig Leiby was entitled, as “the surviving spouse,” to the estate of his homosexual partner, H. Kenneth Ranftle, who died either of a heart attack or lung cancer. Leiby, 65, and Ranftle, 54, had “married” in Montreal in June 2008. The decision […]
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Commentary on February 4 News – Archbishop Burke Tells it Like it is

Dear Readers, Archbishop Burke, like Cardinal Arinze before him, emphasizes the clear obligation and plain common sense of denying Holy Communion to obstinantly pro-abortion Catholic politicians. Why are so many leading Catholic clerics making this issue far more complicated than it is and persistently giving such lame excuses for not taking meaningful action? Abortion is murder. Influential Catholics who publicly and persistently support abortion are advocates of this murder and its trashing of the sacredness of all human life. When bishops refuse to take meaningful action against such prominent Catholics, they unintentionally give the message that abortion killings are not […]
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Charges Dropped Against BC Teacher Persecuted for Questioning Homosexuality

By Kathleen Gilbert QUESNEL, BC, February 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The British Columbia College of Teachers (BCCT) has dropped 12 charges against BC’s Dr. Chris Kempling accusing him of “conduct unbecoming a member” of the College because he opposed the campaign to normalize homosexuality in public schools. Kempling, a Christian, quit his position in the public school system earlier this year, but this hadn’t prevented the (BCCT) from continuing to seek legal action against him until now.  The decision to drop charges ends a saga of harassment and censure Kempling said was “extremely distressing” for him and his family. “I […]
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Pro-lifers Rejoice as Anti-Life, Anti-Family Daschle Withdraws HHS Bid

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after Tom Daschle, a veteran pro-abortion defender in the U.S. Senate, has withdrawn his bid as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary after it was revealed he had failed to pay over $100,000 in taxes. The latest in a string of nomination blunders in the Obama administration, Daschle stepped down after news of back taxes surrounding underreported consulting fees, charitable contributions, and some assets.  Questions were also floated concerning a potential conflict of interests related to speaking fees he accepted from health […]
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European Court Rules Portugal Broke the Law by Blocking Abortion Boat

By Hilary White STRASBOURG, February 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Portuguese government broke the law in preventing the Dutch abortion boat from landing when it attempted to enter Portuguese territory in 2004, when abortion was against the law. Abortionist and foundress of the “Women on Waves” project, Rebecca Gomperts, said she is delighted with the finding. “We shall use the judgment for new campaigns outside Europe,” she said. In 2004, the abortion ship was denied access to Portuguese ports by politicians and the courts. Portuguese officials ordered two naval vessels out to ensure […]
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Vatican Official: Bishops Have no Choice But to Refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians

By Hilary White ROME, January 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Raymond Burke, in an exclusive interview last week, told LifeSiteNews.com that the issue of pro-abortion politicians continuing to receive Holy Communion is still one of major concern and that it is the duty of bishops to ensure that they are refused. He told LifeSiteNews.com, “I don’t understand the continual debate that goes on about it. There’s not a question that a Catholic who publicly, and after admonition, supports pro-abortion legislation is not to receive Holy Communion and is not to be given Holy Communion.” “The Church’s law is very clear,” […]
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New Octuplets Were Leftover IVF Embryos, Mom Faces Anger for not Aborting

By Kathleen Gilbert LOS ANGELES, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to the grandmother of octuplets born in California last week, rather than allow her leftover frozen embryos to be destroyed, dissected in a laboratory, or frozen indefinitely, their mother chose to give them a chance at life by implanting them in her womb.  Little did she expect to give birth to eight relatively healthy babies, or to be deluged first by congratulations, then by scorn, as critics questioned her choice not to selectively abort as a single mother of reportedly little means. Suleman, anonymous at the time, made headlines […]
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Obama Picks Porn Lawyer for #2 at Justice

CHICAGO, February 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Obama has made a major mistake and put America’s families at risk by selecting David Ogden to become Deputy Attorney General, says Fidelis, a pro-family organization. “David Ogden is a hired gun from Playboy and ACLU. He can’t run from his long record of opposing common sense laws protecting families, women, and children.  The United States Senate has a responsibility to the American people to insure that Mr. Ogden’s full record is fully reviewed before any vote on his nomination” said Brian Burch, President of Fidelis. “Ogden’s record is nothing short of obscene. […]
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LifeSite Special Report – The Address of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to the Roman Curia on the occasion of their Christmas Greetings

Tuesday December 23, 2008 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips The Address of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to the Roman Curia on the occasion of their Christmas Greetings Sala Clementina, Vatican City, Monday 22nd December 2008 Your Eminences, Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and Presbyterate, Dear brothers and sisters! The birthday of the Lord is at hand. Every family feels the desire to be reunited, to savour the unique and unrepeatable atmosphere which this feast is capable of creating. Even the family of the Roman Curia also finds itself here, this morning, in accordance with an appealing […]
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Abortion Encouraged in Ukraine as Unborn Babies Used for Russian Beauty Treatments

Tuesday May 24, 2005 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Abortion Encouraged in Ukraine as Unborn Babies Used for Russian Beauty Treatments KIEV, May 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A UK Observer exclusive has revealed that the trafficking of unborn baby body tissues for use as “beauty” treatments in Russia is a booming trade. The unborn children are purchased from Ukrainian women – some of whom are also ‘duped’ by racketeering doctors who convince the women that the unborn baby is defective and needs to be aborted – thereafter selling the aborted child. The babies are cryogenically frozen and advertised […]
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Pope Against Population Control: “Population Is Proving To Be An Asset, Not A Factor That Contributes To Poverty”

Friday December 12, 2008 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Pope Against Population Control: “Population Is Proving To Be An Asset, Not A Factor That Contributes To Poverty” Pope Decries “The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty” By John-Henry Westen and Kathleen Gilbert VATICAN CITY, December 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In his message for World Day of Peace, released yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI stated the long unrecognized truth that increased population has proved an asset rather than a detriment in terms of development. “Poverty is often considered a consequence of demographic […]
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LifeSite Special Report – Text of Tom Wappel Address to Catholic Clergy Luncheon

Tuesday November 25, 2008 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Text of Tom Wappel Address to Catholic Clergy Luncheon Toronto, November 19, 2008 TORONTO, Ontario, November 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Recently retired Liberal Member of Parliament Tom Wappel gave the following address to a group of Catholic clergy at a luncheon for archdiocese of Toronto clergy organized by Campaign Life Coalition. See also “Leading Canadian Pro-Life MP Relates Shocking 20 Year Lack of Support From Catholic Clergy” https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112512.html To hear the actual audio of Tom Wappel’s complete talk: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/audio/wappel.wma Jim Hughes Introduction: It is my great pleasure to introduce […]
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Full Text of Cherie Blair Address at Angelicum University

Wednesday December 17, 2008 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Full Text of Cherie Blair Address at Angelicum University (Note: At points marked “—-“ the recording was inaudible) December 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – I am delighted to be here and I was —- (Wednesday night/Thursday) morning, I came in from New York into London. I went from the airport, home and then to Westminster Cathedral where my youngest son was performing at the school Nativity play with the other children of St. Vincent de Paul. At the end of that Nativity play, I went back to Heathrow, got on […]
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Lesbian Couple Who Forced Homosexual “Marriage” On Massachusetts Have Filed For Divorce

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski BOSTON, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Julie and Hillary Goodridge, the lesbian couple who led the fight for same-sex “marriage” in Massachusetts in 2003, filed for divorce in Suffolk Probate and Family Court last Thursday, the Boston Herald reported yesterday. The two lesbians, who share custody of their 12-year-old daughter Annie, “married” on May 17, 2004, the first day same-sex “marriages” became legal under a Massachusetts court ruling. It was reported that the couple broke up two years after their ground-breaking “wedding.” Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, a pro-family public policy organization founded […]
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Those Who Say Abortion Less Important than Economics “Terribly Mistaken”: Archbishop Naumann

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On the eve of the March for Life last month, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City delivered a hard-hitting homily against those who place pro-life concerns below economic issues, and called for a return to chastity as the antidote for the twin evils of contraception and abortion. (See the complete homily here: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09020310.html) The archbishop, who addressed an overflow congregation in Trinity College’s Notre Dame Chapel from the main vigil mass at the National Shrine, began by warning against attempts to downplay the pro-life movement.  He criticized those who want […]
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Uganda’s First Lady Vows to Continue Advocating For Sexual Abstinence

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski KAMPALA, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At the opening of the Permanent Centre for Education in Luzira, Kampala recently, Uganda’s First Lady, Mrs. Janet Museveni, said that though her message of sexual abstinence and faithfulness had made her “unpopular in certain quarters,” she was determined to continue promoting the strategy that had proved so successful in combating HIV/AIDS in the country. Last year Mrs. Museveni expressed regret that Ugandans are abandoning behavior change as a way to fight HIV, in favor of methods that only perpetuate the disease, with the resultant rise in HIV-AIDS rates. “It […]
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United Nations Population Fund Leader Says Family Breakdown is a Triumph for Human Rights

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman MEXICO CITY, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A leader in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has declared that the breakdown of traditional families, far from being a “crisis,” is actually a triumph for human rights. Speaking at a colloquium held last month at Colegio Mexico in Mexico City, UNFPA representative Arie Hoekman denounced the idea that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent a social crisis, claiming that they represent instead the triumph of “human rights” against “patriarchy.” “In the eyes of conservative forces, these changes mean that the family is in crisis,” he […]
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Boston Cardinal O’Malley’s Message to President Obama: “Life is the Most Important Value We Have to

By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, DC, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley says that if he could only tell President Obama one thing, it would be that “life is the most important value we have to defend.” The Boston church leader made that remark to LifeSiteNews.com as he was leaving the vigil Mass for the March for Life in Washington DC two weeks ago. But following Obama’s opening of US funding to groups performing and promoting abortion internationally, the Cardinal was even more explicit.  Writing on his blog Saturday, the Archbishop said: “Also this week, as we feared, […]
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Flip-Flop: Pro-Life Group at University of Guelph Now Granted Full Club Status

 By Thaddeus M. Baklinski GUELPH, Ontario, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Central Student Association (CSA) of the University of Guelph has announced that Life Choice, the pro-life group at the university, has been granted full club status, which means that the club can apply for funding from the CSA and is eligible to book meeting spaces and hold club events. The accreditation was revealed when the CSA executive gave out a list of campus clubs that would receive status for the coming semester and the campus pro-life club was on that list. The Life Choice club was banned by […]
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Obama Prepares to Win over Congress to Homosexuals in Military

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Though President Obama has promised to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy barring open homosexuals from the military, administration officials have told the Pentagon and homosexualist groups that the president will first take time to convince more congressmen that the law should be overturned. Those involved in the discussions have said Obama will not ask Washington legislators to lift the ban until he can present them with a “comprehensive assessment” on the impact of openly homosexual servicemen. While some have questioned Obama’s dedication to the homosexual agenda by not […]
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British Nurse Suspended For Offering To Pray For Elderly Patient

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski CANTERBURY, UK, February 3, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) – Caroline Petrie, a nurse in Weston-super-Mare, 142 miles west of London, and a committed Christian, has been suspended and faces disciplinary action because she offered to pray for an elderly patient during a home visit. Mrs. Petrie, who works for the North Somerset Primary Care Trust providing in-home care for the elderly, asked the patient if she would like a prayer said for her after she had changed the dressings on the woman’s legs. “It was around lunchtime and I had spent about 20 to 25 minutes with her,” […]
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Most Americans Disapprove Obama Funding Abortion Overseas: Gallup Poll

By Kathleen Gilbert PRINCETON, New Jersey, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A recent Gallup poll has shown that Obama’s decision to rescind the Mexico City Policy is by far his least popular out of seven of his earliest actions rated by Americans. The Mexico City Policy, which was instituted by Ronald Reagan and reinstated by George W. Bush after the Clinton years, banned U.S. taxpayer dollars from funding international organizations that provide or promote abortion. Last weekend’s poll showed that, while Obama received approval ratings hovering around 75% for such actions as tightening ethics rules for administration officials, limiting interrogation […]
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Eluana Transferred Late Tuesday Night to Clinic for Death by Dehydration

By Hilary White ROME, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Eluana Englaro, who is often referred to as “Italy’s Terri Schiavo,” was transferred late Tuesday night to a hospital that has agreed to participate in her killing by removal of her food and hydration tube. Television news coverage showed a group of pro-life activists gathered outside the clinic in Eluana’s home town of Lecco at about 1:30 am, as an ambulance took her away, some shouting “Eluana, wake up!” and “Don’t kill her!” Eluana Englaro, 38, suffered brain damage in a car accident in 1992 and has since been in a […]
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Child Forced to Endure Visitations with Mother’s Former Lesbian Partner Suffers “Emotional Trauma”

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman VIRGINIA, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Six year old Isabella Miller has been forced to endure new visits with her mother’s former lesbian partner, which is reportedly causing “emotional and spiritual trauma” to the child. Following a decision to enforce Vermont court orders by Virginia Judge William Sharp, Lisa Miller, 40, was required to turn her daughter over to Janet Jenkins, 44, despite testimony that Isabella has suffered serious harm from previous visits. “If I don’t obey the court order, the alternative is that Janet would have a Sherriff come pick her up and take her […]
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New Undercover Video Shows Tucson Planned Parenthood Hiding Rape of 15-Year-Old Girl

TUCSON, AZ, Feb. 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New hidden-camera footage from Tucson, AZ, implicates a third Planned Parenthood clinic in a multi-state child abuse scandal. In the video, UCLA student Lila Rose and her friend Jackie Stollar enter a Tucson Planned Parenthood clinic where Rose tells the nurse that Stollar, posing as a 15-year-old, is pregnant by her 27-year-old boyfriend. The nurse disregards the age difference and even cautions Stollar not to bring her “boyfriend” before the judicial hearing required in Arizona to waive parental consent for an abortion. This negligence on the part of the Planned Parenthood staffer is […]
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Archbishop Naumann’s Homily at March for Life Vigil Mass

 I Passing a Cultural Threshold It has been an eventful week in Washington with the inauguration of our new President, Barak Obama – our first president of African-American descent.  Similar to John F. Kennedy’s election, signaling a turning point in the diminishment of religious bigotry, Barak Obama’s election signifies a mortal blow to the racial prejudice that has scarred our nation since its inception.  Just as John F. Kennedy’s election did not mean that anti-Catholicism was eliminated from our culture, the election of Barak Obama, unfortunately, does not mean all racism has been eradicated from American society.  However, it does […]
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Demographic Winter: “Schools will be turned into nursing homes. Playgrounds will become graveyards.”

Monday January 26, 2009 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Demographic Winter: “Schools will be turned into nursing homes. Playgrounds will become graveyards.” By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Celebrated columnist and pro-family leader Don Feder gave a jaw-dropping presentation on the coming ‘Demographic Winter’ at the Rose Dinner which closes the official March for Life festivities every year. Speaking to hundreds of attendees, Feder suggested that the demographic problem of worldwide declining birthrates “could result in the greatest crisis humanity will confront in this century” as “all over the world, children are disappearing.” “In […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for February 2, 2009

 * Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of LifeSiteNews.com. They are presented only for your information.   Polygamy Promoting Tom Hanks Slams Mormons as “Un-American” for Opposing Homosexual “Marriage”https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,480167,00.html Johanna Sigurdardottir, named as Iceland’s prime minister on Sunday, is the first openly lesbian head of government in Europehttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7862804.stm Humans ‘will be implanted with microchips’https://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/735519/humans-will-be-implanted-with-microchips If torturing terrorists is wrong, why not babies?https://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/story.html?id=4e8cd335-72e4-47aa-b2c6-c8b22d06bea1 The Post-Neuhaus Future of Evangelicals and Catholics Togetherhttps://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/januaryweb-only/103-51.0.html A Cultural Earthquake – Cardinal Stafford was righthttps://www.catholicworldreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81:neumayrjan09&catid=36:cwr2009&Itemid=53 Hawaii civil unions backed by a majority in state […]
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Letters to the Editor for February 2, 2009

RE: Among Pro-Life Leaders – Fr. Groeschel, Scheidler – A Real Hope That Obama Will Converthttps://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09013010.html Editor I too will continue to pray for Obama to convert, but I, like many, do not see it happening soon. It is good for all of us to celebrate Obama being the first black President, but he is also the first post-religion president and the first president to mention non-believers as another denomination when discussing religion. This is troubling to me. After his first week in office, considering the executive orders he has quickly signed and the allies he has surrounded himself with […]
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Priests for Life Executive Director Janet Morana to Receive Cardinal O’Connor Award

STATEN ISLAND, NY, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Janet Morana, Executive Director of Priests for Life, has been named a recipient of the 2009 Cardinal John O’Connor Pro-Life Award.  Mrs. Morana will receive the award, one of the highest honors in the pro-life movement, at the Legatus International Summit to be held February 5-7 in Bermuda. An activist for the unborn for over 20 years, Mrs. Morana started with Priests for Life sending out mailings from the basement of her home.  “Janet has been one of the unsung heroes of the pro-life movement,” said Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests […]
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Human Rights Commission Dismisses Hate Charges against Canadian Christian Heritage Party

OTTAWA, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Christian Heritage Party (CHP) of Canada and the CHP’s former leader have been notified by the Canadian Human Rights Commission that allegations of ‘hate’ by an Edmonton man against the Party, one of its Electoral District Associations and former leader Ron Gray have been dismissed. Homosexual activist Rob Wells filed the complaint after he took issue with a 2002 WorldNetDaily news story that was republished on the CHP webpage as well as three Christian Heritage Party communiqués written by Gray. The communiqués all dealt with homosexual issues, including the bill to legalize same-sex […]
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Republican Party Elects Pro-Life, Pro-Family Michael Steele as New Chairman

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When the Republican National Committee (RNC) elected Michael Steele as the next Chairman late Friday, many applauded the choice of Steele, a pro-life, pro-family Catholic, as sure to steer the party back to its conservative roots. Steele, who studied for the priesthood as an Augustinian before leaving to earn a law degree, served as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003-07. In an interview with CBN’s David Brody last month, Steele responded strongly to conservatives who called into question his commitment to pro-life legislation. “I was a monk for goodness sakes, […]
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Scottish Fireman Receives Apology, Compensation over Gay Pride Parade Flap

By Tim Waggoner GLASGOW, February 2nd, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A fireman for the Red Watch at Cowcaddens fire station in Glasgow has received an apology and compensation from the station’s fire board after he was disciplined for refusing to hand out fire safety pamphlets at a gay pride parade. The Telegraph reports that John Mitchell received the apology and compensation from the Strathclyde Fire Board after he was issued a written warning and was forced to attend “diversity training” for his decision not to attend the Pride Scotia rally in June 2006 on moral grounds. A gagging clause has prevented […]
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Pro-Abortion Marie Stopes Eager for American Funds to Promote Abortion in Kenya

By Kathleen Gilbert NAIROBI, Kenya, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The leader of the Kenyan division of Marie Stopes, one of the worlds largest abortion providers, has told an AP reporter that he is eager to receive American funds now that President Obama has rescinded the Mexico City Policy. “Family planning was not given the prominence it needs” when the policy was still in effect, said director Dr. Walter Odhiambo in an AP report.  The Mexico City Policy is a Reagan-era directive that prohibits pro-abortion overseas organizations from receiving American taxpayer dollars.  Obama repealed the policy three days after his […]
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Boycott Urged as Pepsi TV Ad Pushes Homosexual Lifestyle

WASHINGTON, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After giving major financial contributions to homosexualist organizations, Pepsi is now using its TV spots to promote the homosexual lifestyle. In a recent spot aired in the UK, a man is shown in a bar being urged to ask out a girl that appears to be interested in him. He drinks a Pepsi Max to find courage, but then passes up two attractive women sitting at the bar and instead expresses interest in a man. The American Family Association has urged a boycott of the company after asking Pepsi to remain neutral in the […]
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Pope Benedict XVI Appoints New Bishop, Known for Doctrinal Orthodoxy, for Linz, Austria

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski VATICAN, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Gerhard Maria Wagner as the new auxiliary bishop of the ultra-liberal Diocese of Linz in Upper Austria. Fr. Wagner, who is currently parish priest at Windischgarsten in Austria, is well known for his doctrinal orthodoxy and faithfulness to the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church). After his installation on March 22 he is expected by some to deal with issues in the diocese that Deacon Keith A. Fournier of Catholic Online described as “a center of almost every heretical and heterodox […]
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Exclusive Interview: Environmentalists the Ultimate Materialists Says Rome Theology Prof

By Hilary White, Rome correspondent ROME, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Radical environmentalism is, at its heart, a materialistic, anti-religious creed with its roots in the same philosophies that gave birth to the 20th century’s great totalitarian regimes, says a prominent theology professor at Rome’s Gregorian University. The same radical materialism that drove Nazism, Stalinism, and the pantheistic philosophies of the so-called New Age movement, has also created the anti-human ideologies behind the radical environmentalist movement, Fr. Paul Haffner told LifeSiteNews.com. “The thread that links them all together is, first of all, obviously, the rejection of divine revelation, of Christ, […]
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University of Calgary Charges Pro-Life Students with Trespassing

By John Jalsevac CALGARY, AB, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The University of Calgary has charged a number of its own students with “trespassing” for having set up a controversial pro-life display on campus this past November. Two months after exhibiting the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) the pro-life students received, privately in their homes, summons to court. They must enter a plea by the end of this month, with a trial to be set for later in the year. The students, who are members of the Campus Pro-Life (CPL) club, set up the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) on November 26th […]
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Star Trek Actor Who Paid for 3 Abortions Now Condemns Woman’s “Right to Choose…to Kill Her Baby”

By Kathleen Gilbert LOS ANGELES, February 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Actor Gary Graham knew that by writing about his personal experience and rejection of abortion, he would be incurring the ire of not a few among the Hollywood elite. Yet a blog column posted last Tuesday by the seasoned actor, known most recently for his roles as Ambassador Soval in the TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise” and Capt. Ingles on “J.A.G.”, took an unflinching look at truths almost entirely ignored by those in the Hollywood establishment. “I’m going to say what millions know in the front of their brains, and […]
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Homosexual Men Given Custody of Children Rather than Own Grandparents

Wednesday January 28, 2009 See today’s LifeSiteNews stories Send news tips Homosexual Men Given Custody of Children Rather than Own Grandparents By Tim Waggoner EDINBURGH, Scotland, January 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After a two-year-long custody battle with an Edinburgh court, two young children have been placed into the hands of two homosexual men rather than with the children’s own grandparents. According to the Daily Mail, the court found the grandparents, who are 46 and 59, to be too old to adequately raise the children. The grandparents could not afford to continue the expensive legal process, and therefore resolved to give […]
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