Articles for Month: July 2009

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski LISBON, July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Portugal's Constitutional Court today reaffirmed the country's definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. Judges ruled 3-2 against two lesbians who attempted to use a constitutional loophole to challenge the law. Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, both of whom have children and are divorced, were turned away from a registry office in Lisbon in 2006 when they attempted to “marry” and were told the law stipulates that marriage is between people of different genders. The lesbians filed a complaint in a Lisbon court in 2006 but the […]

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – What was possibly the final bid to halt the Obama administration health care bill's expansion of abortion in the House Energy and Commerce Committee failed early Friday. Another pro-life amendment offered by Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA) to halt the abortion mandate Friday was rejected 27-31. (A tally of the votes can be found here.) The amendment states that “no funds authorized under this Act (or amendment made by this Act) may be used to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the […]

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Cardinal Justin Rigali, Chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wrote on July 29 to the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, urging them to amend “America's Affordable Health Choices Act” (H.R. 3200) to exclude an abortion coverage mandate and taxpayer funding of abortion. Cardinal Rigali reiterated criteria for “genuine health care reform” set forth by Bishop William Murphy, Chairman of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Policy, in his letter to Congress on July 17.  Rigali said that health care is “a basic right belonging to all human […]

HANOVER, Pennsylvania, July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Demonstrators with the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) were assaulted yesterday in Warwick, Rhode Island, as they peacefully held signs in support of traditional marriage. “We were at a busy intersection, getting strong support for traditional marriage,” recounted Volunteer Rex Teodosio.  “Three women approached us – one threw mayonnaise, while the other two grappled with our photographer.  “Then we were sprayed with mace.  Finally, a burly woman got out of a car and punched our photographer in the face.  They shouted obscenities the whole time.” Teodosio said […]

By Peter J. Smith SAN FRANCISCO, July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When Congress approved the $787 billion dollar stimulus package, lawmakers hailed the move as necessary to jumpstart the economy and rescue the American people from a deep recession. However, according to FOXNews.com, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has spent a small slice of its $80 million stimulus dollars to subsidize San Francisco pornographers providing erotic, homoerotic, or pansexual entertainment. Although the ARRA money allocated to the NEA was ostensibly for the support of museums, orchestras, theaters, and other needy artists and art venues, art houses with a […]

By Peter J. Smith WARROAD, Minnesota, July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has backed off an audit – for now – of a pro-life Minnesota pastor. The pastor had told his congregation that they could not in good conscience vote for Sens. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, because of their stand on abortion and other issues in conflict with Christian principles. Pastor Gus Booth of Warroad Community Church spoke out against the candidates as part of a plan by the Alliance Defense Fund to challenge a half-century-old rule that prohibits churches and non-profit organizations from speaking […]

Re: Vatican Newspaper Issues CDF Clarification on Abortion in Wake of Fisichella Controversy and Major Vatican Victory for Pro-Life Activists as Vatican Newspaper Rehabilitates Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Bishop Dear Editor, The article on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's response to the unfortunate situation created by Archbishop Fisichella in relation to abortion does not do justice to L'Osservatore Romano or the CDF. The CDF statement includes the paragraph: “In this article [by Arhbishop Fisichella], which appeared in “L'Osservatore Romano” on March 15, 2009, the doctrine of the Church was presented, while still keeping in mind the dramatic situation […]

By Hilary White LONDON, July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a case that is being hailed as a victory for proponents of assisted suicide, Britain's Law Lords have ruled that the public prosecutors must “clarify” current law on the issue. The House of Lords judicial committee ruled yesterday that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for England and Wales must issue “guidance” on when and in what circumstances the law making it a criminal offense to assist suicide will be prosecuted. The DPP Keir Starmer has responded that his office will be publishing a new policy by the end of […]

"80 per cent of population growth can be reduced through TV," he says.

By Steve Jalsevac OTTAWA, July 31, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In its July/August Reality Newsletter, REAL Women of Canada, a pro-family, pro-life national women's group, warns that the massive $300 million Human Rights Museum project in Winnipeg, Manitoba ”is a mess.” REAL Women explains, “the museum has established a biased and duplicitous Content Advisory Committee to determine which displays will be installed in the museum” and that the committee “is mainly comprised of feminist/homosexual activists and their supporters.” REAL women says that while the Advisory Committee “is supposed to be comprised of “human rights experts, scholars and specialists”, in fact, “11 of […]