LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes

New book claims that Bush administration officials objected to giving JK Rowling a presidential medal of freedom on the grounds that her Harry Potter books 'encouraged witchcraft'https://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/29/harry-potter-rowling-medal Homosexual activists design ‘Relational Mysteries’ for Rosaryhttps://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17261 Influential Former US Bishops' Official Lauds Weakland's Memoir, Excuses Homosexual Encounterhttps://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4184 University of Alaska Welcomes Ex-Gay Speakerhttps://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000011094.cfm Healing for Internet Pornography Addictionhttps://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000011091.cfm Newt Gingrich and the Popehttps://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6940&Itemid=48 The Failure of Darwinism to Explain Moralityhttps://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6951&Itemid=48
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CA Marriage Fight Brewing Once More as Groups File Proposal to Repeal Prop 8

By Kathleen Gilbert SACRAMENTO, California, September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A coalition of 40 organizations last Thursday submitted an initiative to the CA Secretary of State for the 2010 ballot to open legal marriage to homosexual couples. The Los Angeles homosexualist group Love Honor Cherish led the Restore Equality 2010 coalition in submitting the ballot proposal Thursday. The proposal would repeal the language in the California state constitution declaring that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” and would instead read: “Marriage is between only two persons and shall not be restricted on […]
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Down the Hatch: Senate Committee Torpedoes Pro-Life Amendments to Healthcare

By Peter J. Smith Washington, D.C., September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Senate Finance Committee torpedoed two key pro-life amendments on Wednesday designed to prevent government-subsidies of abortion and guarantee conscience protections for health-care providers in the health-care reform bill. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) proposed to amend the “America's Health Future Act of 2009” under consideration by the Finance Committee led by Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.). His amendments would have codified current conscience protections for health-care providers with moral objections to abortion and also made permanent the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from the Department of Health and Human […]
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1300 March for Life in Berlin

By Matthew Anderson September 30, 2009, Berlin (LifeSiteNews.com) – This past Saturday, September 26, 1300 pro-life demonstrators marched through Berlin from City Hall to St. Hedwig's Cathedral hoping to bring an end to abortion in Germany. The participants marched silently along the route, holding 1000 white wooden crosses as a sign of protest against abortion in Germany. The 1000 white crosses symbolized the estimated 1000 unborn babies killed in Germany each day. Abortion is technically illegal under Germany's constitution, but the German Parliament passed a law in 1995 that eliminated any punishment for abortion in the first trimester. However, the […]
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Calling Out Fellow “Pro-Lifer” Doug Kmiec

Guest Commentary By Joseph Meaney (Meaney is Director of International Coordination, Human Life International ) FRONT ROYAL, Virginia September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – It is now clear that the chief Catholic apologist for President Obama, Pepperdine Law Professor Doug Kmiec, ignoring the pastoral direction of many American bishops, has only increased his aggressive promotion of the most pro-abortion president in American history. For his successful efforts in confusing Catholics about the Obama administration’s stance on life issues, Professor Kmiec has been appointed to the prestigious post of US ambassador to Malta by the administration he helped to bring to power. […]
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Senate Panel Narrowly Votes to Restore Abstinence-Funding in Health Reform Bill

By Peter J. Smith WASHINGTON, D.C., September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Lawmakers on a Senate committee tasked with health-care reform narrowly voted on Tuesday night to approve the restoration of $50 million in annual federal funding for sex education that only promotes the practice of abstinence before marriage among youth. The Senate Finance Committee voted 12-11 to restore the Title V abstinence-only funding by approving the amendment proposed last week by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to the health care reform bill: the America's Healthy Futures Act of 2009.  Hatch's amendment would allot an annual $50 million in federal funds through […]
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More Pro-Life Voices Plead for No Vote in Irish Lisbon Referendum

By Hilary White DUBLIN, September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two more Irish pro-life voices have joined the chorus of those urging the Irish voters to reject the EU's Lisbon Treaty in Friday's referendum. Pro-life former MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon and the group Ireland for Life have warned that the Lisbon Treaty, the EU's replacement for the defeated Constitution, poses a threat to the country's constitutional protections of the unborn, as well as national sovereignty. “I am not afraid to vote No to Lisbon,” said Scallon on Tuesday. Referring to a set of promises made to Irish politicians by EU officials, […]
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Planned Parenthood Honors Tiller with Highest Award

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The late Wichita abortionist George Tiller was awarded posthumously with the International Planned Parenthood Federation's top honor over the weekend, according to the Wichita Eagle. The abortionist's widow Jeanne received the group's Medal of Honor for “outstanding individual contribution to sexual and reproductive health” on his behalf.  George Tiller was shot and killed May 31 at his Lutheran Church. Tiller, whose booming late-term abortion business was once the source of national controversy, had boasted of killing over 60,000 children in the womb over the course of his 30-year career. The […]
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Study: Religiosity and Parental Involvement in Sex-Ed Protect Youth from Risky Behaviors

By Peter J. Smith WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new study from Marquette University has found that religious attitudes toward sexuality, parent-based sexual education and intact two-parent households have a positive influence upon youth in their sexual practices and the onset of first sexual intercourse. Researchers took a nationally representative sample of 3,168 men and women ages 15-21 years old from a 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and obtained the data from 60-90 minute interviews with participants from the 2002 survey. The study's findings confirmed previous research literature, which suggests “religiosity” – defined by the authors […]
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Vatican Archbishop: Kennedy Funeral Critics Not Hurting Unity but Helping Church

By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Raymond Burke, head of the highest Vatican court, the Apostolic Signatura, has offered a public defense of those pro-life leaders who spoke out against the scandal of the grandiose funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy. “One of the ironies of the present situation is that the person who experiences scandal at the gravely sinful public actions of a fellow Catholic is accused of a lack of charity and of causing division within the unity of the Church,” wrote Archbishop Burke. In addition to this news service, public statements lamenting the scandal […]
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Commentary on September 29 News – Archbishop Burke, Fr. de Valk on Kennedy Funeral, Obama and the Fa

Dear Readers, There has been a whirlwind of crucial developments today. We have been run off our feet producing the reports on these issues that we hope you will read and pass on to others. Most important, a thorough read of the lengthy text of Archbishop Burke's recent remarks, just published on the InsideCatholic.com website, reveal more astonishing authoritative statements by the high placed Vatican Archbishop. Today, we report on just a few of those gems which strongly affirm the many faithful who were dismayed over the Ted Kennedy funeral. Burke makes it clear that LifeSiteNews and others were totally justified […]
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Pope Says Legalized Divorce is Contributing to the “Demolishing” of the Family

By Kathleen Gilbert VATICAN CITY, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an address to the Brazilian bishops on Friday, Pope Benedict XVI on Friday criticized legalized divorce as one effect of secular influences that “seem bent on demolishing” the family. (Click here to view Pope Benedict's address in Portuguese.)  The pontiff discussed the modern crisis of the family with prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, who had come to Vatican City for the “Ad Limina” pilgrimage to the sepulchers of Sts. Peter and Paul. Marriage, the pope reminded them, is a “natural institution confirmed by divine law, which […]
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14 Year Old British Girl Dies after HPV Vaccination

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski COVENTRY, UK, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Natalie Morton, a 14-year-old girl who attended the Blue Coat Church of England School in Coventry, died today, hours after being given Cervarix – the controversial cervical cancer vaccine manufactured for the UK market by Glaxo SmithKline. Natalie was injected with the vaccine as part of the UK National Health Service's (NHS) immunization program directed at teenage girls with the purpose of protecting them against strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted disease. The NHS started the HPV vaccination program in April last year and […]
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Canada, US and EU Continue to Push Rejected “International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS” at UN

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski GENEVA, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The 12th session of the UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, has included continued attempts by Canada, the US, the European Union and Brazil to retain references to the “UN International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights” in a draft resolution on HIV/AIDS being considered by the Council. Pat Buckley, a representative of the UK's Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), notes that, “The international community rejected this document during the 2001 special session on HIV/AIDS.” The Guidelines, a document produced by UNAIDS and the UN […]
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Council of Europe to Vote on Pro-Abortion Report on the Same Day Ireland Votes on Lisbon

By Hilary White GENEVA, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Friday this week, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will vote on a pro-abortion report that says that all states should offer abortion by 2015. Ironically, at the same time as Irish voters are being told by their government that there is no threat from the European Union and the Lisbon Treaty to their constitutional protections of the right to life, the PACE Committee of Ministers is being encouraged to start the development of a European Convention “to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and […]
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Sex Abuse in Catholic Church was Homosexual Problem, not Pedophilia: Vatican

By Hilary White GENEVA, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in the US and abroad was a matter of homosexuals preying on adolescent boys, not one of pedophilia, said the Vatican's representative at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. It is “more correct,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, to speak of ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males, than pedophilia, in relation to the scandals. “Of all priests involved in the abuses, 80 to 90 per cent belong to this sexual orientation minority which is sexually engaged with adolescent boys between the ages of 11 […]
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$14,000 in Four Days? Here’s a Simple Way You Can Become Part of the LSN Fundraising Team

Fundraising for a non-profit is hard work, especially when that non-profit happens to be one of the most “controversial” and “non-politically correct” going. I would know, I tackle those duties every working day for LSN – and sometimes on weekends too. While doing “the thinker” this past weekend, pondering the question of how to raise $40,000 by week's end, I came up with a truly grassroots approach to meeting our needs – one that can only succeed with your help. It was that letter we published on Friday, detailing to you the incredible amount of effort and resources that go […]
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Canadian MP Urges Parliament to Pass Legislation Protecting Life from Conception to Natural Death

OTTAWA, Ontario, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Liberal MP Marlene Jennings (Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Lachine) this week put forward a petition calling on the government to adopt effective animal welfare legislation because of the fact that animals feel pain and suffering. In response, pro-life Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott noted before Parliament that preborn human children also experience pain. However, this fact is not recognized in Canadian law, which allows for legal abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. Presenting his own petition, Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin) stated, “Mr. Speaker, as a follow up to that series of petitions in respect of the pain that animals feel and in […]
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The 17th International Week of Prayer and Fasting to begin October 2

Washington D.C., September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – For the seventeenth year, a pro-life coalition is encouraging all Christians to join in a week of prayer for an end to the culture of death from October 2-12. The International Week of Prayer and Fasting Coalition hopes that by mobilizing Christians all over the world to pray, it will achieve its goals of “the conversion of nations, an end to abortion, and peace.” The week of prayer and fasting this year focuses on an increased threat from terrorism across the United States. In a press release, Milagros Callao, one of the coalitions […]
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Man Charged with Double Murder for Shooting 8-Mo. Pregnant Girlfriend Who Refused Abortion

By Kathleen Gilbert ARLINGTON, Tennessee, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Tennessee man is facing a double murder charge after his girlfriend and her unborn child were shot to death, in what police say was the conclusion to the couple's disagreement over getting an abortion. Shelby County detectives say they believe Tarence Nelson, 26, shot schoolteacher Tonya Johnson, 35, as a result of an argument over whether Johnson should abort the child, who was at eight months' gestation.  Johnson was found in her home by neighbors who said she had bullet wounds to the right abdomen, chest, and the back […]
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Obama Includes Homosexual Couples in “National Family Day”

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Obama has included homosexual couples raising children in a list of “American families” in a recent proclamation declaring Monday National Family Day. “Whether children are raised by two parents, a single parent, grandparents, a same-sex couple, or a guardian,” said Obama in the proclamation, “families encourage us to do our best and enable us to accomplish great things.”  The president went on to encourage participation in Family Day by sharing an evening meal as a family unit.  “A strong nation is made up of strong families, and on this […]
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California Pro-Lifers Launch Human Rights Amendment Petition Campaign

By Katie Walker WASHINGTON, D.C., September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – California has joined the race to recognize human rights and personhood for all human beings from the biological beginning of development. Some of the state's most outspoken pro-life advocates submitted the California Human Rights Amendment to Attorney General Jerry Brown following a press conference Monday in Sacramento. “The preborn, while demonstrably alive and demonstrably human, are not protected 'persons' under our state constitution,” said Lila Rose, the 21-year-old student pro-life activist, president of Live Action and cosponsor of the amendment. “Our laws must protect each person's basic human right to […]
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As IVF Debate Rages in Poland, Doctors Propose Ethical, Natural, More Effective Alternative

By John-Henry Westen WARSAW, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the debate over in vitro fertilization (IVF) rages in the Polish parliament, hundreds of doctors and medical professionals have written an open letter to Polish Parliamentarians urging them to vote against legalizing IVF and opt instead for a more successful, safer, natural treatment for fertility problems.  Although IVF is not officially legal in Poland, it has nonetheless been practiced for years in the nation.  Several Parliamentary proposals have been brought forward to legalize the practice under the guise of regulating the already occurring procedures.  The proposals range from taxpayer funding […]
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Letters to the Editor

As the Media Gurus Lose Share, Send a Donation to LSN in the Name of Alternative Truthful Reporting Personally I depend on LSN for the whole news and have given up all the mainstream newspapers and TV news. If it's important, it will be in LSN and the internet. The rest is just fluff.   Ken O'Day, chairman, Rural Research Inst. Eganville, Ontario _______________________________________ Thank you LSN for the wonderful,riveting, truthful, honest-to-goodness reporting you do! “The inexorable truth of God will find the light of day ! “- to quote Ken Starr. I am one of your newest readers and followers.  […]
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Judge in Case of Arrested Notre Dame Pro-Lifers is Married to Pro-Abortion ND Professor

By Kathleen Gilbert SOUTH BEND, Indiana, September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The attorney representing the pro-lifers arrested while protesting Obama at Notre Dame today repeated his request that the judge in the case, who is married to a pro-abortion Notre Dame professor, be removed from the case. Attorney Tom Dixon's motion provides detailed support for his assertion in a previous recusal motion that there exists sufficient actual and perceived bias that Judge Jenny Pitts Manier, the judge assigned to the “ND 88” case, is required by Indiana state law to recuse herself in the matter.  Dixon states that ever since […]
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CCCB President Urges Canadians to Oppose Euthanasia

September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As debate begins again in Canada surrounding the question of euthanasia and assisted suicide, the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, has recently issued a letter asking MPs and Canadian citizens to consider the consequences of legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia. Currently Bill C-384, put forward by MP Francine Lalonde, is before parliament which, if passed, would legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia. Weisgerber points out that, while those who are initiating the attempt to legalize euthanasia are “no doubt motivated by concern for the sufferings of others,” “An unfortunate understanding of compassion […]
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38 Babies Saved Since Beginning of 40 Days for Life Campaign

Commentary by David Bereit, National Coordinator, 40 Days for Life September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While Jackie was praying at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Greenland, New Hampshire, a car slowly pulled up in front of the clinic. The driver rolled down the window and said, “I don't know what you're doing here; but whatever it is, it's working!” The driver went on to say the abortion center had let employees go because business was off. All Jackie could say was, “Praise God for victories!” The staff at yet another abortion center has shrunk by at least one. […]
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Truth and Christianity the Foundation of a Just Society: Benedict XVI in Czech Republic

By Hilary White ROME, September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – From his first address after landing at Prague's airport on Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the need to reassert the Christian nature of Europe's heritage and culture during his recently concluded visit to the Czech Republic. At his airport address on Saturday, the pope said that now that religious freedom has been restored after the collapse of Soviet communism, “I call upon all the citizens of this Republic to rediscover the Christian traditions which have shaped their culture.” “Only those who maintain in their hearts a holy 'fear of God' can […]
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Hardcore Adult Porn Contributes to Child Sexual Abuse: MIM Report

NEW YORK, September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the fight against child sexual abuse, the explosion of hardcore adult pornography on the Internet and elsewhere is a direct causal factor that cannot be ignored, according to the media watchdog group Morality in Media in an expansive survey released Friday. The 40-page report entitled “How Adult Pornography Contributes to Sexual Exploitation of Children” is supplemented by 175 pages of appendices, and draws from sources including news articles, court cases, scholarly journals, social science studies, books, and Congressional testimony since 1980.  The report was compiled by MIM President Robert W. Peters. (Click […]
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Wash. College Agrees to End Discrimination against Pro-Life Students

SPOKANE, WA, September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Community Colleges of Spokane and Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) officials agreed to a court order Thursday that settles a lawsuit filed after they attempted to silence the pro-life message of a student group.  SFCC officials threatened student Beth Sheeran and other members of a Christian student group with disciplinary measures, including expulsion, if they chose to hold a pro-life event on campus. The information Sheeran and the others were sharing with fellow students was deemed “discriminatory” by the college since it did not include a pro-abortion viewpoint. The agreed-upon order eliminates or […]
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Lisa Miller Menaced with Loss of Custody if She Fails to Deliver Daughter to Former Lesbian Partner

Goal: $40,000. Donations received: $15,700. Thursday September 24, 2009 Lisa Miller Menaced with Loss of Custody if She Fails to Deliver Daughter to Former Lesbian Partner Vermont Judge Richard Cohen orders visitation for this Friday By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman VIRGINIA, September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Lisa Miller says that if she doesn’t hand her daughter over to her former lesbian partner later this week, she may lose custody of her. Although Miller long ago left the lesbian lifestyle and returned to her childhood Christian faith, Vermont judge Richard Cohen has ruled that her former partner, Janet Jenkins, has visitation rights, […]
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New LifeSiteNews Kennedy Funeral Scandal Page

September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Because of the volume of LSN reports related to the Kennedy funeral scandal and the ongoing discussions across North America about the implications of the event, LifeSiteNews has published a Feature Page listing all LSN reports on this subject. We hope the web page will facilitate well informed evaluation of what actually took place on the day of the funeral and an accurate understanding of what was actually said by LifeSiteNews and various notable persons about this important issue.  LifeSiteNews and most pro-life leaders in North America and Europe consider the manner in which the […]
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Replacement Senator for Kennedy Picked to Champion Kennedy’s Health Care Overhaul

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Massachusetts Democrat Governor Deval Patrick has appointed Paul Kirk, a Democrat Catholic attorney sympathetic to Sen. Ted Kennedy's health care agenda, to fill in the late Senator's seat in Washington until a special election can be held in January.  Kirk was a longtime friend and advisor to Sen. Kennedy, with whom associates say Kirk shared a nearly identical political philosophy.  Senate Majority leader Harry Reid hailed the appointment, saying Kirk “embodies the values of Senator Kennedy.”  Kirk has never before held public office. Earlier this month Massachusetts lawmakers complied with […]
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Time to Look Back Again – Obama and Abortion – He Really Meant It

Commentary by Steve Jalsevac September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Yesterday, I happened to come across the short three and one-half minute 2008 election campaign video produced by AmericasChoiceNow.com. Its revelations were stunning – even though I knew all about them and have reported them again and again. What it did was remind me in a powerful way, of how crucial it is that pro-life people continue their intense efforts to stop the Obama abortion machine. It's not about politics. It's about saving lives. Everyone should see this compelling video production (https://americaschoicenow.com/) of various Obama statements again and again – to help […]
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Polish Priest Fined for Comparing Abortion to Holocaust, Saying Abortion is “Killing”

By Patrick B. Craine KATOWICE, Poland, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a ruling that Church leaders are calling a serious infringement of freedom of speech, a Polish judge has accused the Archdiocese of Katowice and the priest-editor of their Catholic weekly newspaper of comparing a woman who sought an abortion to the Nazis, and has ordered them to publish a court-dictated apology. Judge Ewa Solecka, further, fined the Gosc Niedzielny (Sunday Visitor) paper $11,000, objecting to comments from editor-in-chief Fr. Marek Gancarczyk that she deemed offensive, such as his statement that in seeking to get an abortion, the woman […]
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Two California Illegal Abortion Accomplices Sentenced

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two accomplices of convicted illegal abortionist Bertha Bugarin have been sentenced in San Diego County for their part in Bugarin's illegal abortion scheme at her clinic in Chula Vista, CA. Bugarin who owned a chain of abortion mills, is currently in prison for having committed abortions posing as a doctor but without medical training. According to the San Diego County District Attorney's office, Luz Catalina-Gomez and Paloma Yonna Solorzano-Rodriguez reached a sentencing agreement with San Diego Superior Court Judge Ted Wethers for probation and community service. “The People (DA's office) did not take […]
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White House Threatens to Prosecute Private Medicare Companies for Warning Seniors of Cuts

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Obama administration has aroused a fierce First Amendment controversy after threatening companies selling private Medicare coverage not to tell their customers that current health care legislation would result in benefit cuts – or else face a lawsuit.  The administration and Senate Democrats justify the move by saying the claim, spread by at least one such company, is patently false.  Yet some say the administration is the one twisting the facts to help the unpopular legislation: critics note that even the head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office agrees that […]
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Courts Reconsider, Permit Christian/Women’s Groups to Argue against Legalization of Prostitution

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) of Canada says it is pleased that its joint application to intervene in a national challenge to Canada's prostitution laws has been accepted by the Ontario Court of Appeal.  The intervention, filed in alliance with Christian Legal Fellowship and REAL Women of Canada, will allow the group to file and provide a legal argument giving its members' perspective on the issues raised by the challenge. According to the CCRL, the arguments to be submitted provide a perspective that transcends the interests of the parties involved. The argument will discuss […]
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Britain Already Has a “Government Policy of Silent Euthanasia”: Anti-Euthanasia Activists

By Hilary White LONDON, September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Evidence is mounting that Britain may already have not only de facto legalised assisted suicide thanks to new prosecution guidelines issued this week, but also involuntary euthanasia by means of a tangled combination of rationing of government-funded medical care, end of life medical practice protocols that allow the withdrawal of hydration and the existing Mental Capacity Act. British and international anti-euthanasia and disability rights groups are expressing their alarm at the publication of prosecution guidelines earlier this week by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for England and Wales. These guidelines […]
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Letter of Bishop Aquila to Diocesan Priests about Participating in 40 Days for Life

September 23, 2009 Dear Fathers, On this Feast of Pio of Pietrelcina, we begin the 40 Days for Life North Dakota campaign, a concerted effort of prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil with the goals of educating the public about the evil of abortion, saving lives and seeking the conversion of souls. For the third consecutive year, the Catholic faithful will join many others in prayerful witness to the dignity of all human life as we pray, 24 hours per day for 40 days, on the sidewalk outside North Dakota’s only abortion facility, the Red River Women’s Clinic at 512 1st […]
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LifeSite Special Report – Letter from Bishop James T. McHugh to his Pastors

Goal: $40,000. Donations received: $9,000. Friday October 6, 2000 Letter from Bishop James T. McHugh to his Pastors Office of the Bishop Diocese of Rockville Centre 50 North Park Avenue Rockville Centre, New York 11570 516.678.5800 x. 400 21 September, 2000 Dear Monsignor/Father, As the election campaigns intensify, I wish to call your attention to some important points for us as priests. We are not just private citizens but representatives of the Catholic Church. We have a concern for human dignity and human rights, for the sanctity of life of every person from conception till natural death and for maintaining […]
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September 24 LifeSiteNews Commentary

Dear Readers, Day 4 of our fundraiser and we are almost 1/4 of the way to meeting our very modest campaign goal (in relation to our total need). The size of donations received so far have varied from $2 to one for $1,000. Every little bit is appreciated and helps, but we also need a few much larger gifts to fill in the big gaps. If you are in an income situation that allows for such a donation – please, don't underestimate the importance of this work and the extent of our financial needs. Consider giving to LifeSiteNews as much as […]
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Boston College Jesuit Law School in Disarray Over Prof’s Defense of Marriage

September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On September 15, 2009, StandForMarriageMaine.com released a television ad which featured Scott Fitzgibbon, a professor at Boston College Law School, arguing in defense of marriage between one man and one woman.  He encouraged Maine voters to vote “yes” on an upcoming ballot referendum which aims to overturn state legislation which legalized homosexual “marriage” last May. Complaints from fellow faculty members at Boston College, a Jesuit-affiliated school, soon began piling up. Merely one day after the ad aired, Boston College Law Dean John Garvey issued a letter to the BC law community, writing, “Several of you […]
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More on Dominican Republic Passage of Complete Abortion Ban

See LifeSiteNews September 18 initial coverage of this development By Samantha Singson September 24, 2009 (C-FAM)  Last week, lawmakers in the Dominican Republic gave their final approval to a pro-life constitutional change despite fierce criticism and pressure from UN agencies and abortion advocates to defeat the measure.  The Dominican Republic’s National Assembly easily ratified a revision of Article 30 in a vote of 128 in favor with 32 opposed. The article now states that “the right to life is inviolable from conception until death.” While the measure was widely supported by Dominican parliamentarians, it met with staunch opposition from international abortion […]
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Hard-Hitting Pro-Life Document Released by Canadian Bishops Co-Founded Group COLF

By Patrick B. Craine September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF), a group co-founded by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus, has released its annual message to families calling on them to engage society proactively in building a culture of life. The title of the message is 'Families, Let's Build A Better World Together!' The twelve-page brochure, says the description, “invites families to reflect on their thoughts and feelings towards the political class, and on their own commitment to building a culture of life.”  It […]
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Charges against B.C. Polygamists Dropped

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski VANCOUVER, September 24, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) – BC Supreme Court judge Sunni Stromberg-Stein has thrown out polygamy charges against two BC men after ruling that former BC attorney-general Wally Oppal had acted unlawfully in appointing a third special prosecutor in the case. Lawyers for Winston Blackmore and Jim Oler argued that Oppal had gone “special prosecutor shopping” after rejecting the recommendation of BC special prosecutors Richard Peck and Len Doust that the case should be tried for constitutionality, instead of criminally prosecuting the polygamists. “The harm in the appointment of successive special prosecutors is that it undermines […]
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Notre Dame Pro-Life Efforts a “Mockery” While Pro-Life Protesters Continue to Face Charges: ND Law P

By Kathleen Gilbert SOUTH BEND, Indiana, September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – University of Notre Dame law professor emeritus Charles Rice has issued an open letter to University president Fr. John Jenkins this week, criticizing the school's attempts at reconstructing a pro-life facade while still refusing to request leniency for the dozens of pro-lifers arrested for protesting the Obama scandal in May. “As long as you pursue the criminalization of those pro-life witnesses,” wrote Rice, “your newest pro-life statements will be regarded reasonably as a cosmetic covering of the institutional anatomy in the wake of the continuing backlash arising from your […]
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Baby Saved on First Day of 40 Days for Life Campaign

Commentary by David Bereit, National Director, 40 Days for Life September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – You know 40 Days for Life is off to a great start when there's a report of a baby saved from abortion—at a pre-campaign kickoff event! The 40 Days for Life team in St. Louis began a day of preparation prior to the campaign with prayer at a local church, followed by more prayer on the sidewalk in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion center—prayer that was joined by more than 100 people. At the St. Louis kickoff rally that evening, “we sang, prayed and […]
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Commentary: Prosecution Guidelines in the UK May Open the Door to Assisted Suicide

By Alex Schadenberg, Chairman, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition September 23, 2009 September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last July, Britain's highest court told the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that he must publish a set of guidelines concerning the application of the assisted suicide law in the UK. The decision by the Law Lords was in response to a challenge by Debbie Purdy, a woman who has multiple sclerosis (MS) who has stated that if she decides to go to Switzerland to die at an assisted suicide clinic, she wants to have assurances that her husband would be free from prosecution for […]
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Missouri Planned Parenthood Facility to Close

By Patrick B. Craine KIRKSVILLE, Missouri, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – American Life League's Stop Planned Parenthood Project (STOPP) is celebrating the closure of another Planned Parenthood (PP) facility, this time in Kirksville, Missouri. Tri-Rivers Planned Parenthood has announced that it will be closing its facility, which has stood for 38 years, as of November 14, 2009.  They cite fewer clients and a lack of donations as reasons for the closure. “According to our records this marks the 14th Planned Parenthood clinic to either close or announce its closing in 2009,” stated STOPP national director Rita Diller in a press […]
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Transcript: Father Rosica Interview with Bob Dunning

Goal: $40,000. Donations received: $8,650. Monday September 14, 2009 Transcript: Father Rosica Interview with Bob Dunning Bob Dunning: Father, you didn’t mince any words, and you didn’t name names, some of those who were criticizing Cardinal O’Malley and Cardinal McCarrick and the fracturing, really, in the pro-life movement. What prompted this? Rosica: Thank you for asking. Prior to the funeral, we received numerous calls from a pocket of people who claim to be pro-life, some of them acting in good faith, but uninformed faith, and they asked us to invite or incite a protest at the Chancery of Boston so […]
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Commentary on September 23 News

Dear Readers, Archbishop Naumann's pastoral direction to Kathleen Sebelius has given substantial, national witness to the great spiritual and moral harm of supporting abortion. He took right and necessary action for the good of Sebelius and for all of society. We should hope and pray that many other bishops will follow his example. This bishop is truly a shepherd of souls and a defender of the Christian faith. Then there is Cardinal Mahoney. Exactly what does a high level bishop have to do and for how many years to finally incur rebuke from Rome? How much more scandal must Americans […]
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YouTube Censors Another Pro-Life Video Depicting Funeral of Abortion Victims

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Citizens for a Pro-Life Society (CPLS) say that their video depicting the Catholic funeral and burial ceremonies of abortion victims has been censored by the video-sharing site YouTube – which now has an established reputation for removing pro-life videos and issuing “warning strikes” against their owners' accounts. CPLS reports that YouTube pulled the original five-minute film “Requiem for the Disappeared” on August 29.  The film shows the remains of 23 unborn children whose bodies were buried after being salvaged last year from trash dumpsters behind abortionist Alberto Hodari's Womancare […]
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Gay Pride Favorite Justin Trudeau to Speak to 4,000 Toronto Catholic School Students

By Patrick B. Craine and John-Henry Westen TORONTO, Ontario, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Liberal MP and gay-pride parade favorite Justin Trudeau is scheduled to speak at an event hosted by the Toronto Catholic District School Board next Tuesday, September 29th.  In addition to Trudeau, Liberal Ontario Health Education Minister Kathleen Wynne – an openly lesbian political figure – and Toronto Mayor David Miller, who is an avid supporter of and participant in Gay Pride in Toronto, are scheduled to speak. Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins will also be addressing the students. The event is set to mark the 25th anniversary […]
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Prof. Kmiec Calls Obama’s Agenda “Catechism Come to Life”

By Kathleen Gilbert VALLETTA, Malta, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an interview with a Maltese newspaper, U.S. ambassador to Malta and Catholic law professor Douglas Kmiec gushes over Obama's social agenda, dubbing it “my catechism come to life.”  The Pepperdine law professor also recalls how Obama defended his pro-abortion stance to Kmiec and ultimately convinced him to become one of Obama's most enthusiastic supporters.  “When I thought about all these things,” said Kmiec, referring to candidate Obama's domestic priorities, “I thought, 'This is my catechism come to life,' because we are called to each of these things in the […]
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Ottawa 40 Days for Life Off to a Great Start

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski OTTAWA, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ottawa 40 Days for Life Campaign began with a rally last night on Parliament Hill, during which approximately 250 participants heard from various pro-life speakers from a variety of backgrounds. Speakers included Dr. Mary O'Connor, a doctor who left her general practice when she realized that the birth control pill is an abortifacient, Catholic Activist John Pacheco, and Don Hutchison and Bruce Clemenger from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Bruce Clemenger opened the evening with prayer and an inspiring talk. John Pacheco welcomed everyone to Ottawa's third 40 Days […]
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Scotland to Allow Homosexual Partners to Adopt Children

By Hilary White EDINBURGH, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scotland's devolved parliament has announced that, starting next week, homosexual partners may adopt children together and both be regarded as the child's parents. Previously the rules said that homosexuals could adopt only as singles. Legislation in 2005 granted adoption rights to unmarried couples, including homosexual partners in England and Wales. Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church, denied that the move would provide more stable homes for children. “This change is unlikely to have an effect on the shortage of adoptive parents because there are very few same sex […]
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House Resolution Condemning Killing of Pro-Life Activist Introduced

By John Jalsevac WASHINGTON, D.C., September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two Congressman yesterday introduced a resolution into the House of Representatives decrying the recent murder of long-time pro-life activist Jim Pouillon, and offering condolences to his family. Pouillon, 63, was shot multiple times while holding a sign protesting abortion on the sidewalk outside Owosso High School in Michigan on September 11. He was well known in the community for his pro-life stance, having gained the nickname of “Jim the Sign Guy” after years of protesting abortion around Owosso. His alleged killer, Harlan Drake, told police that he targeted Pouillon because […]
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Spanish Pro-Lifers Prepare Massive Demonstration in Madrid

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman MADRID, September 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The leader of Spain's opposition People's Party is encouraging members to attend a massive demonstration in favor of life in the nation's capital, following the approval of a new abortion legalization bill by Spain's Council of State. The legislation will allow women to procure an abortion for any reason whatsoever during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.  Under current Spanish law, abortions are permitted only under certain conditions, including a risk to the “psychological health” of the mother, an excuse that is used in almost all of the more than […]
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Commentary on Sept. 22 News

Dear Readers, Please keep our fundraiser in mind. Make a donation today. Unfortunately, there are a number of concerning Catholic Church stories again today. Some people think we delight in finding these. Actually we don't, and are as dismayed as most people when we are informed about such developments that undermine the struggle to defend life and family. Because of that we must report on them – for the benefit of all. However, the USCCB agency's reaction to negative revelations about groups that it is funding is a pleasant and stark contrast to the reaction by Canada's Development and Peace to […]
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Letters to the Editor

Re: Priest/Editor of Kennedy's Diocesan Paper: Scandal of Kennedy Funeral “Totally Avoidable” Dear Editor: Would you allow me to add my two cents  to the article written by John-Henry Westen, commenting on Priest/Editor of Kennedy's Diocesan Paper: Scandal of Kennedy Funeral “Totally Avoidable” as written by Father Roger J. Landry? This is the pastoral criticism that I have been seeking.  He offers a brilliant scholarly critique.  I write to offer the colloquial as to why I and other believers in the Catholic community take offense at what happened the day of the funeral.   The Catholic Church should answer to […]
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2009 a Good Year for Pro-Life Efforts on the State Level: New Report by Pro-Life Group

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Americans United for Life (AUL) today released their 2009 State Legislative Session Report, which details progress made on the state level in defending and protecting life. This year's report confirms that the majority of states continue to successfully pursue and implement a life-affirming legislative agenda. Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO of Americans United for Life, said: “Clearly, we are making progress at the state level—law by law and state by state—to protect and defend life. We are encouraged by the progress that has been made in 2009 and enthusiastically look forward to working […]
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Vancouver Library Denies Venue to Suicide Group

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski VANCOUVER, September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Australian-based suicide advocacy organization Exit International has been denied the use of the Vancouver Public Library to host a seminar on how to commit suicide. The group had booked a room for the workshop to be held in early November, but the booking was cancelled yesterday by city librarian Paul Whitney, after he received legal advice from lawyers and the Vancouver Police Department. “The library was told in what, for lawyers, I would describe as fairly unambiguous language that the program as presented by Exit International would be in […]
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Pro-Lifers Publish Video of Morbid, Mocking Displays in Rockford Abortion Mill

By Kathleen Gilbert ROCKFORD, Illinois, September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-lifers who frequent the Northern Illinois Women's Center in Rockford have published a video casting light on the mocking, hateful, and grotesque signs and images that are a regular fixture in the windows of the abortion facility, which has earned a reputation as one of the most openly anti-life and anti-Christian abortuaries in America. “We feel this video is especially important at this point in time where some in the Church claim pro-lifers are judgmental,” remarked Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott.  “If they would honestly take a look at this […]
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USCCB’s Social Justice Arm Caught Funding Pro-Abortion/Prostitution Groups: Takes “Decisive” Action

By Patrick B. Craine September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the U.S. bishops' domestic social justice arm, says it has taken “decisive action” on a new report that reveals they have been funding groups that support abortion, contraception, same-sex “marriage,” and legalized prostitution.  The organization's funding practices have been the subject of growing scrutiny in the last several years, especially after it was revealed that CCHD had funded the scandal-plagued ACORN organization to the tune of millions of dollars. The report about CCHD's problematic funding practices was prepared by the new Bellarmine Veritas Ministry (BVM), […]
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Irish Bishops say No Problem with Lisbon Treaty: Pro-Life/Democracy Groups Dismayed

By Hilary White DUBLIN, September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has issued a statement supporting the Lisbon Treaty and throwing in their lot with the “European project” for international unification. This project, however, has been blasted by pro-life and pro-democracy leaders as little less than an effort to establish a new totalitarian European superstate, and one that could easily lead to the demise of Ireland's pro-life laws. Despite continued warnings from pro-life groups in Ireland and in Europe, a statement issued today by the bishops said the Treaty “does not undermine existing legal protections in Ireland for unborn […]
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Vienna Cardinal Forbids Famous Pro-Life Bishop to Attend Pro-Life Rally

By Hilary White   VIENNA, September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When pro-life demonstrators in Vienna marched to City Hall earlier this month to protest the hosting by the mayor of a celebration for a notorious local abortion facility, one prominent member of Austria's pro-life world was not present. Bishop Andreas Laun, an auxiliary of Salzburg, told marchers at a Mass prior to the event that he had been forbidden to attend the demonstration by the cardinal archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn.    Bishop Laun is one of the recipients of the Von Galen Award, an honor given by Human Life International […]
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Chairman Steele Says Pro-Abortion Candidates “Absolutely” Welcomed by GOP

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has again cast doubt on his professed loyalty to the pro-life movement by saying he “absolutely” believes there is room for a pro-abortion candidate in the GOP. Steele gave the remarks during a brief interview with the Columbus Dispatch in a local restaurant Thursday after leading a Republican rally against President Obama's health care legislation. Steele told the newspaper that a Republican candidate's view on legal protection for unborn children should reflect the views of their local constituencies.  The GOP chair was then asked […]
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Commentary on Sept 21 News

Dear Readers, Our fall fundraiser has begun. We hope that many of you will be able to generously respond. We are very much hoping for a good response at this time. When LifeSiteNews conducts a fundraiser – please believe us – the need is very real. More today on the Kennedy funeral – a watershed event that has caused many – Catholics and non-Catholics alike – to finally express public dismay over the ongoing canonizations of prominent pro-abortion, pro-gay Catholics that undermine years of efforts by the faithful. Archbishop Burke has given an example of what true charity is regarding […]
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Kennedy Funeral/Fr. Rosica NewsBytes –  Deal Hudson, Fr. Thomas Euteneur, Austin Ruse, Goerge Weigel

* 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. Compiled by Steve Jalsevac Charity, Civility, and Speaking the Truth by Deal W. Hudson    The funeral of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy provoked a highly charged debate among Catholics about civility. In the midst of this discussion, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, came to Washington, D.C., to be honored by InsideCatholic.com at its 14th Annual Partnership Dinner at the historic Mayflower Hotel. […]
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As the Media Gurus Lose Share, Send a Donation to LSN in the Name of Alternative Truthful Reporting.

Dear Readers, According to a recent PEW poll, an incredible 71% of Americans do not believe the mainstream media “get facts straight” and an overwhelming 82% do not feel they “deal fairly with all sides.” Although there is no recent similar study of Canadians, it’s a good bet that the same trend holds true for Canada, not to mention the rest of the developed West. To put it simply: North Americans no longer trust the mainstream media (MSM).  To those of us in the pro-life, pro-family movements, this is old news. After all, year after year we stage massive rallies […]
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Britain Won’t Prosecute Assisted Suicide: Chief Prosecutor

By Kathleen Gilbert LONDON, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Under new guidelines to be issued Wednesday, individuals who help others kill themselves will escape prosecution and punishment in Britain as long as prosecutors can discern no motive of personal gain in assisting in the suicide. This past weekend Keir Starmer, Britain and Wales' Director of Public Prosecutions, gave several news outlets a preview of changes made to the assisted suicide law's guidelines. The new guidelines are due for publication Wednesday. Starmer told BBC's Andrew Marr that “while we're certainly not changing the law,” the new guidelines intend to “clarify when individuals […]
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Abp. Burke Criticizes Baucus Health Care Bill

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an appearance on FOX News on Sunday, the Vatican's Archbishop Raymond Burke reinforced warnings from the pro-life community over Democratic Sen. Max Baucus' proposed health care legislation. Pro-life leaders say that the bill poses too much of a threat to the unborn, elderly, disabled, and chronically ill. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to meet this week to vote on the plan, the latest version of the Democrats' health care overhaul to be introduced to the Senate. “The Church certainly wants to support the provision of health care for […]
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Abortion Activist Stephen Lewis to Speak at Ontario’s Redeemer University-College

By Patrick B. Craine ANCASTER, Ontario, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Redeemer University-College (RUC), an undergraduate liberal arts college founded by the Christian Reformed denomination, is scheduled to host a lecture in January by Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. RUC's Activities and Orientation Coordinator Micah van Dijk, who is helping to plan the event along with the university's social justice club, admitted in LifeSiteNews' first interview that he did not know much about Lewis' background, and was open to learning more, but in a second interview, he insisted that the lecture would be proceeding. Van Dijk […]
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Down Syndrome Boy’s 60-Yard Touchdown Run an Internet Hit

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski ST. JOSEPH, Missouri, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A heart-warming story of true sportsmanship last week turned what might have been a dismal defeat into an extraordinary victory for both teams and everyone who witnessed Matt Ziesel's touchdown run. Matt, who has Down syndrome, is a freshman at Benton High School in St. Joseph, Mo. Despite his disability he suits up for every football game and cheers on his teammates from the sidelines. Last Monday night the Benton Cardinals football team was losing its game against the Maryville Spoofhounds 46-0 when, with about ten seconds left […]
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Elderly Pro-life Activist Attacked in Flagstaff

FLAGSTAFF, AZ, Sept. 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life advocates are condemning the latest incident of pro-abortion violence, after an elderly man was attacked while protesting abortion this past weekend. Just a week after Jim Pouillon was shot and killed for his public stand against abortion, 69-year old Johnny Wallace was allegedly attacked by two women as he held two non-graphic signs protesting abortion in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Saturday. Wallace was alone in front of City Hall on the busiest street in town at the time of the attack. He was holding text-only signs that read, “Abortion kills more black Americans in […]
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Boy in a Bikini, Other Gay Films Get Wide Audience in California Schools

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A San Francisco group billing itself as “the best in LGBT media” is claiming hundreds of public schools in California have signed up to show its films and use accompanying discussion materials.  One film features a boy “coming out” by wearing his mother's bikini.  Another film incorporates Native American spiritualism to cast LGBT (lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender) persons as “two-spirit” people. The films and school materials are being distributed by Youth in Motion, a partnership between Frameline and Gay-Straight Alliance Network. The films are accompanied by a “curriculum guide” and “action guide.”  Among other things, […]
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Depriving Artificially Administered Food and Fluids Is “Inhumane” Says Phoenix Bishop’s Directive

By Peter J. Smith PHOENIX, Arizona, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – End-of-life decisions and planning for advanced care are hot topics in the current US health care debate. One Arizona Catholic bishop has entered the fray, setting the record straight so Catholics and Catholic institutions know how to make the right moral and spiritual decisions about when or when not to use artificial nutrition and hydration. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted has published a four-page summary of moral guidelines called “Directives for Catholics Concerning Artificially Administered Nutrition and Hydration” which aims to help individuals, families, and health-care providers understand how to pursue […]
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Commentary: Will Babies with Down Syndrome Just Disappear?

Commentary by Albert Mohler, President, Southern Baptist Seminary September 21, 2009 (AlbertMohler.com) – The development of prenatal diagnostic technologies presents a constellation of moral issues—with the diagnosis of Down syndrome front and center. Over the past several years, a marked decrease in the number of babies born with Down syndrome has been both observed and widely reported. This decrease can be traced directly to the decision to abort after prenatal diagnosis. As Science Daily reports, a new leading article to be published in Archives of Disease in Childhood points to developments in the near future that will likely increase the […]
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Countdown: Fall 2009 40 Days for Life Campaign Begins Wednesday

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-lifers are gearing up for the start of a new 40 Days for Life campaign starting September 23, during which tens of thousands of pro-lifers across America and the world will join in the popular semi-annual marathon of prayer, fasting, abortion clinic vigil, and community activism to help save unborn lives. 212 cities in 45 U.S. states, 5 Canadian provinces, and Denmark have signed on to the latest campaign, making it the largest 40 Days for Life thus far. “With abortion advocates trying to exploit the current health care reform […]
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D.C. Schools to Screen for STDs Without Parental Consent

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Officials representing District of Columbia public schools have confirmed that they will begin offering sexually-transmitted disease (STD) screening and treatment for students without parental consent. The new initiative, which follows the completion of a pilot program in some D.C. schools, will include explicit sex education that discusses with students the contraction of STDs.  City officials cite the District's high rate of HIV infections – the highest of all major U.S. cities – as an impetus for the new program. Following the sex education, students will be sent to bathrooms where […]
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Another Bishop Says ObamaCare Violates Catholic Social Teaching

By Peter J. Smith CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri, September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Another Catholic bishop has stated that too many aspects of President Barack Obama's health care reforms violate basic and necessary Catholic social principles, such as respect for human dignity, safeguarding human life, conscience protection, and the principle of “subsidiarity.” “Health care reform is a very complex issue, with many important peripheral issues, such as cost and how to pay for it, economic impact, the role of the federal government, abortion, euthanasia, tort reform, etc.,” writes Bishop James Vann Johnston of Cape-Girardeau and Springfield, Missouri. “But as such, health […]
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Values Voter Summit and Webcast Begin Today

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This Friday and Saturday, September 18-19, Family Research Council Action is partnering with the American Family Association (AFA) for a live webcast from the Values Voter Summit 2009. The webcast will feature a lineup of speakers, including: House Speaker John BoehnerFormer Governor Mitt Romney (Mass.)Former Governor Mike Huckabee (Ark.)Governor Rick Perry (Texas)Governor Tim Pawlenty (Minn.)Senator Mitch McConnellRep. Chris SmithRep. Eric CantorRep. Mike PenceStar ParkerPhyllis Schlafly View the webcast online by registering here. Register for the Values Voter Summit Webcast here. Go here for more information.
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Life Chain to Be Held Across North America on Sunday October 4, 2009

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The annual Life Chain, a pro-life prayer and witness event, will take place this year in cities across the United States and Canada on Sunday October 4. Life Chain involves an hour of silent prayer and public witness and will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. Participants stand in witness for one hour on sidewalks along major streets in towns and cities, peacefully and prayerfully holding signs reading “Abortion Kills Children,” “Abortion Hurts Women,” “Jesus Forgives and Heals” and “Adoption: The Loving Option” before passers-by and motorists. Suresh Domenic, past […]
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“Death Spiral” Rationing in Baucus Bill Gravely Endangers America’s Seniors: NRLC

WASHINGTON, September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The health care bill proposed by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus on September 16 contains a dangerous provision that creates a financial incentive for Medicare doctors to deny treatments to seniors says the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). “This is the cruelest and most effective way to ensure that doctors are forced to ration care for their senior citizen patients,” said National Right to Life Executive Director, David N. O'Steen. “It takes the telltale fingerprints from the government: instead of bureaucrats directly specifying the treatment denials that will mean death and poorer […]
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White House Still Refusing to Endorse Abortion-Excluding Language in Health Care Bill

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite the Obama administration's repeated dismissal of the controversy over abortion funding in the health care reform bill, a confrontation between White House officials and Americans United for Life (AUL) Thursday revealed what pro-life leaders have been warning all along: that the White House is unlikely to put its money where its mouth is and support language in the bill that would explicitly prevent taxpayer funds from going to abortion and abortion providers. Consonant with the warnings of pro-life forces, the outcome of the meeting helped clarify the extent of […]
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Vatican Cardinal: Health of Citizens “Belongs” to Central Government – Several US Bishops Disagree

By Peter J. Smith VATICAN CITY, September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A prominent Vatican official recently stepped into the US health-care debate, offering words of praise for President Barack Obama's health-care reforms that seem to suggest that responsibility for an individual's “health” belongs to the “central government.”  But that point is at loggerheads with the arguments of a handful of US bishops who have spoken up on the same subject.  These bishops have suggested that state-run health care violates a Church principle called “subsidiarity.” “The health of their own citizens belongs to the authorities, to the central government,” Cardinal Renato […]
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Irish Catholic Bishop OK’s Yes Vote for Lisbon

By Hilary White DUBLIN, September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite increasing warnings from European pro-life groups that a Yes vote on the Lisbon Treaty could result in the overturn of Ireland's constitutional protections for the unborn, at least one Irish Catholic bishop is not buying it. Bishop Noel Treanor of the diocese of Down and Connor, dismissed these objections and said this week that “a Catholic can, without reserve and in good conscience, vote Yes for the Lisbon Treaty.” “There are no grounds to justify a No vote in the Lisbon Treaty on the basis of specifically religious or ethical […]
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48% Say No to Abortion in Healthcare: Poll

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey released Thursday, almost half of all Americans want President Obama's health care overhaul to explicitly exclude abortion-providing health care plans from using taxpayer dollars, while only about a third want no abortion requirements.  Forty-eight percent of the survey's respondents said that any government-subsidized health care plan should be prohibited from covering abortion procedures. Thirty-two percent said they favor no requirements regarding abortion, while only thirteen percent said they think such plans should be required to cover abortions. President Obama has dismissed pro-life […]
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Pro-Life Group at St. Mary’s University Targeted Again: Booth Contents at Society Fair Stolen

By Patrick B. Craine HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, September 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The St. Mary's University (SMU) Students for Life group has once again had its activities disrupted, the second incident this year in which attempts have been made to silence the group's message.  According to representatives of the group, last Thursday morning at the student society fair an unknown man stole the entire contents of the group's booth. Paul Mullen, a SMU student in his final year of a degree in math, computer science, and engineering, says that he had just finished setting up the group's display this past […]
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LifeSiteNews NewsBytes – Obama, Obama administration Folks, Obamacare, Acorn

* 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. Compiled by Steve Jalsevac OBAMA Some blacks now have doubts about Obama https://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=681210 The real opposition party to Obama right now is the conservative grassroots that draws its energy from Fox News, talk radio and the Drudge Report, and often leaves Republican elected officials scrambling to catch up. https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26813.html#ixzz0QQocwCWP OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOLKS Jones’ selection also was propelled by powerful patrons, who included the first lady and the vice president. https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26813.html#ixzz0QQohZpdz The […]
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UN General Assembly Gives Green Light to New Super-Agency on Women

By Samantha Singson NEW YORK, NY, September 17, 2009 (C-FAM) – The United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted unanimously this week to create a new, more powerful agency for women after three years of negotiations. The resolution calls for the four existing UN offices that address women's issues to be merged into a new “super agency” headed by an under-secretary-general – the third highest ranking position in the UN system, after secretary-general and deputy secretary-general. While the resolution was approved by the 192 UN member states by consensus, it was not without drama. Four states – Egypt, Iran, Sudan and […]
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European Parliament Raps Lithuania for Curbing Homosexual Advocacy

By Piero A. Tozzi, J.D. NEW YORK, NY, September 17, 2009 (C-FAM) – The European Parliament voted 349 to 218 today to condemn Lithuania for its “law on the protection of minors” which prohibits promotion of “homosexual, bisexual or polygamous relations” among children under 18 in the Baltic nation. Conservative critics contend that the measure, crafted in reaction to the domestic legislation of a sovereign member state pertaining to the family, oversteps the Parliament's authority. The resolution directs the Agency for Fundamental Rights to opine on whether the law contravenes European anti-discrimination standards. Any such opinion would be non-binding, though […]
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Notre Dame’s Father Jenkins Begins Pro-Life Measures at University, but Still not Dropping Charges a

By Patrick B. Craine SOUTH BEND, Indiana, September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Notre Dame's President Fr. John Jenkins, who was the subject of heavy criticism earlier this year for honoring pro-abortion President Barack Obama at the university's commencement ceremonies in May, has issued a letter to the Notre Dame community outlining various pro-life initiatives the university will be undertaking. In his letter, Fr. Jenkins expresses a desire that the community “overcome divisions” stemming from the Commencement scandal “to foster constructive dialogue.”  While some of the most vocal opponents of the scandal have indicated that they are encouraged by Fr. Jenkins' statement of […]
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Criminal Contempt Case Over Mealtime Prayer Goes to Trial Today

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski PENSACOLA, Florida, September 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Liberty Counsel, a Christian-based legal advocacy group, is in federal District Court today defending Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman on charges of criminal contempt over a blessing of the meal at a luncheon to honor private contributors to the school's athletic program. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the teachers after it learned that Principal Lay asked Mr. Freeman to say a prayer over the food in the presence of school employees and people who had helped with the […]
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Philippine Bishops to Create Pro-Life, Pro-Family Coalition of Lay Groups to Support Politicians

By Hilary White MANILA, September 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Only candidates who are pro-life and pro-family will be supported by a coalition of Catholic groups to be formed and organised with the help of the Philippine bishops' conference. Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (ECFL-CBCP) said the Church plans to help create a coalition of groups specifically to oppose attempts to pass an anti-life “reproductive health” bill through the Senate. “We are going to organize all our family and life groups that will vote as […]
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Commentary on Sept. 16 News Reports

Dear readers, It's time for some good news! And there's plenty of that today. The priest who heads the official newspaper for the diocese in which Senator Kennedy lived has put out a series of articles regarding the Kennedy funeral and the lessons it affords that you'll find mostinteresting. Former Senator Rick Santorum also gives us an inside view of what the Kennedy funeral example meant for Catholic politicians. Some of the letters to the editor cover the issue as well. In Quebec over 100 doctors are publicly opposing euthanasia. All over Europe and North America people are standing up […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes – Responses to Fr. Rosica Outbursts

…and watch your language, you #@!#!‡°?#!! Catholic Culture's Doigenes discusses Fr.Rosica outbursts https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otr.cfm?id=5056 Canadian Priest Accuses Pro-Lifers of Hatred and Bullying By Deal Hudson There is no one he could have meant but Arroyo, because no other colleagues in Catholic television have made negative comments about the funeral. https://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6867&Itemid=48          The Catholic Church’s Salvation: Tell it Like it Is The public Catholic funeral of hardcore pro-abort Senator Ted Kennedy unleashed a storm of controversy in the Catholic Church that spilled over right into Canada. Fr. Tom Rosica called the actions of the Boston Church “gracious” and chastised pro-lifers for their attitude […]
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Personhood USA Launches Promotional Video

By Kathleen Gilbert ARVADA, Colorado, September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Personhood USA, a grassroots Christian group dedicated to supporting personhood legislation, has launched a new promotional video aimed at extending protection of law to unborn lives across America. (To watch the video click here) The group aims to help local pro-life groups gather momentum behind legislation and constitutional amendments declaring the personhood of human life from the moment of conception. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all human beings are persons with the God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” say the video's narrators.  “Personhood […]
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“The Damage Done is Profound”: Former Senator Santorum Speaks on the Kennedy Funeral

By John-Henry Westen ORALANDO, September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In addition to his announcement that he is considering a run for President in 2012, former US Senator Rick Santorum gave his assessment of the controversy around the Ted Kennedy funeral during his speech to the Catholic Leadership Conference last week. Santorum's talk focused on rejuvenating the Catholic Church in the United States. During his speech Santorum lamented “what the Church allowed to happen” with the Kennedy funeral, referring to it as a “deification” of Kennedy.  “The damage done” to the Church, he said, “is profound.” “We have Catholic politicians who have led this […]
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Teen Denied Citizenship for Refusal to Receive HPV Vaccine

By Matt Anderson September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A 17 year old British immigrant to the United States has been denied citizenship over her refusal to take the controversial HPV vaccine Gardasil, which is required of all female immigrants to the US. Simone Davis, a devout Christian, says that she doesn't know why she should have to take the vaccine because she has taken a pledge to remain a virgin until marriage. “I am only 17 years old and planning to go to college and not have sex anytime soon,” she told ABC News. “There is no chance of getting […]
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Quebec Decision against Exemption from Mandatory Religious Relativism Course under Heavy Fire

By Patrick B. Craine DRUMMONDVILLE, Quebec, September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Numerous religious and secular groups have come out strongly against the province of Quebec's persistent refusal to permit exemptions from its mandated course in moral relativism and religious pluralism, 'Ethics and Religious Culture' (ERC).  Much of the recent criticism has resulted from a Quebec Superior Court ruling in Drummondville on August 31st that denied a family's petition to exempt their children from the program. The ERC program aims to cover the major world religions and advocates moral relativism, presenting, for example, homosexuality as a normal and acceptable life choice.  The […]
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Over 100 Quebec Doctors Say No To Euthanasia

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski MONTREAL, September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of Quebec doctors has submitted a document to the Quebec College of Physicians opposing the proposed legalization of euthanasia, and is asking fellow doctors to endorse the arguments against euthanasia by adding their names to the brief. In July, the Quebec College of Physicians announced plans to recommend the decriminalization of euthanasia, “as part of the appropriate care in certain particular circumstances,” in order to pressure the federal government to amend the Criminal Code. The document, titled “Say No to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: No Special Circumstance Can […]
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Ontario Catholic School Board Defends Its Right to Focus Hiring on Catholics

By Patrick B. Craine GUELPH, Ontario, September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Wellington Catholic District School Board's Director of Education Donald Drone contributed a letter to the Guelph Mercury on Friday, in which he responded to the human rights complaint being brought against the board by a non-Catholic teacher who unsuccessfully applied in 2006. Mr. Jesse Lloyd, 36, filed his complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (OHRT) three years after he received no response from the board.  He claims that the board's practice of limiting teachers to active Catholics is discriminatory. In his letter, Mr. Drone notes that normally […]
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Letter to the Editor – Kennedy Funeral, Praise for LSN,  Joe Wilson, India, Modesty

Re: Kennedy Funeral Personally I am overjoyed that finally someone like LifeSiteNews is speaking up to the issues that have been dividing Roman Catholics and people who pretend to be RC. My field is research and writing and over the years I have found there are many real differences between the two. It wasn't until LSN and others brought this to a conscious level on the internet that many people, including Bishops, started to take notice and question their own values and faith. It's a healthy exorcise to take stock now and then.. People like Trudeau, Kennedy and others who […]
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Massive Public Opposition to U.K. TV Abortion Ads Delays Implementation

By Hilary White LONDON, September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – When the British television advertising regulatory agency announced in March this year that it would consider allowing abortionists to advertise on television, doctors and religious leaders united against the scheme saying it would do nothing but increase Britain's already sky-high abortion rate. But officials were not prepared for the overwhelming opposition of Britain's public to the idea. With over 4000 submissions having been made to the consultation, the review of the advertising codes will be delayed a year. The public consultation closed on June 19 and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) […]
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Czech Pro-Life Group Urges NO to Irish Lisbon Vote

By Hilary White September 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A leading Czech pro-life group has urged Irish voters to reject the Lisbon Treaty in their upcoming second referendum, saying a Yes vote will threaten the Irish constitutional guarantees for the unborn. In fact, if the Irish vote Yes in October, the group says, national laws protecting human life in all EU member states could be overturned.  The Pro-Life Movement of the Czech Republic said that under Lisbon, the European Union's Court of Human Rights will supersede the rights of individual nations to “regulate sensitive ethical norms” internally. As such, the ratification […]
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TV CONTROLLING YOUR KIDS?

Wednesday December 17, 1997 TV CONTROLLING YOUR KIDS? TOKYO, Dec 17 (LSN) – CNN reported today that a popular TV cartoon in Japan caused seizures in over 600 children who were watching the program on Tuesday. In a national survey, the Tokyo fire department found that at least 618 children had suffered convulsions, vomiting, irritated eyes, and other symptoms after watching the show “Pokemon.” Moreover, Japanese television network NHK reported that 111 people were still hospitalized Wednesday morning. Some other children were stricken later, when watching excerpts from the scene in TV news reports on the earlier victims. It is […]
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Franciscan U. Students Launch Pro-Life Response to G-20 Summit

By Kathleen Gilbert STEUBENVILLE, Ohio, September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Students For Life at the Franciscan University of Steubenville have announced a pro-life prayer campaign in response to the upcoming G-20 Summit. Dubbed “Go-20 for G-20,” students plan to lead a nationwide campaign beginning at 9 PM on Thursday, September 24, when participants will begin twenty hours of prayer and fasting for an end to the culture of death in international politics. The students offer several suggestions for those interested in locally promoting the “Go-20” campaign: 1) Fast for 20 hours for world leaders, the G-20 summit, and the […]
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Many U.K. Families are Not Told When Doctors Deny Loved Ones Treatment, Report Has Found

By Patrick B. Craine September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to a new report, more than a quarter of U.K. families are not told when their loved ones are taken off of life support, reports the Daily Mail.  Researchers from the Royal College of Physicians and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in Liverpool conducted an audit of 4,000 patients put on the Liverpool Care Pathway, the end-of-life care plan that has brought 'slow' euthanasia into Britain through the back door. The Pathway, approved by the National Health Service (NHS), allows doctors to deny “treatment,” including food and water, to […]
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Public Memorial Service for Slain Pro-Life Hero to be Held at Football Stadium Wednesday

By John Jalsevac   OWOSSO, Mich., Sept. 15 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Hundreds of friends and family of Jim Pouillon are expected to gather to pray and remember the life and work of the slain pro-life activist on Wednesday. A public memorial service for Pouillon is scheduled to be held at Willman Football Stadium in Owosso, Michigan, beginning at 1:00pm. Wednesday's memorial follows a vigil held in memory of the well-known pro-life activist this past weekend. Hundreds of mourners gathered Sunday on the sidewalk outside Owosso High School, where Pouillon was shot and killed on Friday while protesting abortion. Suspect Harlan James […]
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Ukraine Adoption Laws to Prevent Adoption by Elton John and Homosexual Partner

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski DONETSK, Ukraine, September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ukrainian authorities have denied homosexual pop star Elton John and his Canadian partner, David Furnish, the possibility of adopting a 14-month-old boy who they met on Saturday at the Makeyevka orphanage for children of HIV-positive parents near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. “Foreign citizens who are single have no right to adopt children … and the age difference between the adopter and the child cannot be more than 45 years,” said Ukraine's family, youth and sports minister, Yuriy Pavlenko. “The law is the same for everybody: for a president, for […]
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Another Ex-Abortion Worker Comes Forward to Allege Illegal Acts by Carhart

BELLEVUE, Neb., Sept. 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com)—Another former employee of late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart has contacted Operation Rescue to tell of illegal acts that she allegedly witnessed and was instructed to commit during her employment at Carhart's Abortion and Contraception Clinic of Nebraska. This woman, who has supplied an affidavit to Operation Rescue and Rescue the Heartland, is the sixth woman to come forward, and the fourth to put forward a sworn statement. Her affidavit will be submitted to the Nebraska Attorney General's office and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, as were the previous three affidavits. “We want […]
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Bishop Doran Weighs in Against Obama Health Care Overhaul

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Another U.S. Catholic bishop has joined in criticizing President Obama’s health care overhaul, insisting that any such legislation must avoid promoting abortion and urging against the unwarranted expansion of government into the private sphere. Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Illinois wrote in the diocesan newspaper The Observer last month that the principles of subsidiarity, solidarity, and interest in the common good are indispensable to positive health care reform. Doran advised that health care be treated as “more of a market than a system,” and warned against the pitfalls of a […]
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Calls for Explanation after Paper’s Second Apology for Harper Communion Flap Fabrication

By Patrick B. Craine SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, September 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The New Brunswick paper that infamously fabricated the story in July about Prime Minister Stephen Harper “pocketing” a communion host at a Catholic funeral issued a second apology on Saturday.  The Saint John Telegraph-Journal is now admitting that they not only made up the story, but that they 'manipulated' quotes from the diocese of Saint John's Vicar General and Chancellor, Monsignor Brian Henneberry. The new admission from the paper, whose July 8th story sparked a media whirlwind leading up to Harper's July 11th meeting with the Pope, has […]
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Catholic Publisher Apologizes after Distributing Prayer Praising Kennedy

By Kathleen Gilbert CHICAGO, Illinois, September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A publisher associated with the Archdiocese of Chicago has revoked and apologized for a prayer they distributed that praised the late pro-abortion senator Edward Kennedy as one who promoted “values of peace, justice, equality, and liberty.” The prayer has been replaced with another one, urging prayer for the soul of Kennedy, but excising the words of praise. Liturgy Training Publications issued the original prayer as a suggested Prayer for the Faithful for use at Sunday Masses after the prominent Catholic senator's death on August 25. The text of the prayer, […]
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Vatican Warns 41 Dissident Italian Priests Who Approved of Eluana Englaro Killing

Tuesday September 8, 2009 Vatican Warns 41 Dissident Italian Priests Who Approved of Eluana Englaro Killing By Hilary White ROME, September 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – 41 Catholic priests have been issued a formal warning by the Vatican for signing an open letter approving the removal of food and hydration of helpless patients like Eluana Englaro. Five months ago, in a letter composed by Fr. Paolo Farinella of Genoa, the group complained that a living wills law being prepared by Prime Minister Berlusconi’s government excluded the possibility that food and hydration could be withdrawn from patients by doctors to bring about […]
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Commentary on September 14 News – Poullion, Obama. Trudeau, Ted Kennedy Funeral, Fr. Rosica Assault

Dear Readers, We knew that one day that it would happen and now it has. An older, physically handicapped pro-life activist was killed in cold blood merely for displaying the visual truth of abortion on a sign. Who knows exactly what prompted Harlan Drake to kill Jim Pouillon for his pro-life views. However, Fr.Thomas Euteneur's blunt editorial today points to some things that very likely at least partly influenced the killer. Euteneur writes that “The pro-choice movement has made murder just a casual pastime now…” President Obama took a few days, but he finally condemned the murder of Pouillon. Still, […]
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Vigil for Slain Michigan Pro-Lifer Draws Hundreds of Mourners

By Kathleen Gilbert OWOSSO, Michigan, September 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The sidewalk outside Owosso High School where pro-lifer Jim Pouillon was shot and killed became hallowed ground for hundreds of pro-lifers who attended a prayer vigil in his honor Sunday afternoon. Pouillon, 63, was shot multiple times while carrying a pro-life sign in front of the school early Friday morning.  After being taken into custody later that day, suspect Harlan James Drake reportedly told prosecutors that he targeted the locally famous pro-life activist because of his message. Pro-Life mourners gathered at 3 p.m. Sunday to sing, read from the Bible, […]
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Sebelius Claims Obama Intends to Ensure no Public Funds go to Abortion: Pro-Lifers Unconvinced

By John Jalsevac September 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This past weekend Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius gave an interview to ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, in which she appeared to say that President Obama would change the healthcare bill to make clear that no public funds would go to abortion. Stephanopoulos asked Sebelius, “Secretary Sebelius, what's wrong with that, making it explicit in the bill that no public funding should go toward abortions?” Sebelius responded, “Well, I think that's what the president intends to do.” Stephanopoulos then clarified, “So you're saying it will go beyond […]
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Obama Issues Statement Condemning “Deplorable” Murder of Michigan Pro-Lifer

By Kathleen Gilbert   OWOSSO, Michigan, September 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Obama issued a brief statement Sunday calling the Friday murder of Michigan pro-life veteran Jim Pouillon “deplorable.”   “Whichever side of a public debate you're on, violence is never the right answer,” the president added.   Prosecutors have stated that the accused murderer, Harlan James Drake, 33, told them that he singled out 63-year-old Jim Pouillon of Owosso because there was “some displeasure with how open he was” in displaying his pro-life message.  Pouillon, who has been protesting abortion for about twenty years, was accustomed to displaying images […]
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Commentary: Vicious, Venal and Violent…

By Fr. Tom Euteneuer, President, Human Life International September 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – These are really the only titles that adequately describe the murderous movement known as “pro-choice” or “pro-abortion.” It is now frightening, though not at all surprising, how absolutely hardened and inhumane our culture has become because of this satanic force that has grown strong through 36 years of wholesale murder of God's precious innocents. The pro-choice movement has made murder just a casual pastime now, part of the general round of things that the news reports routinely. Yet, how surprised should we be at this when we stand […]
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Indian Abortion Proponents “Stumped” By Growing Dearth of Girls Due to Sex-Selection

By Patrick B. Craine September 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – India's feminists and population control-pushing government are “stumped” by the dramatic drop of female births among the wealthier classes due to sex-selective abortions, reports the Globe and Mail's Indian correspondent Stephanie Nolen. Due to a 'son preference' in Indian culture, the use of new technologies to detect and abort baby girls has become widespread. Technically it has been illegal in India to tell couples the sex of their unborn child or to abort based on sex since 1994.  This law, however, is rarely enforced.  Consequently, sex-selective abortion practices are rampant and the […]
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Pierre Trudeau among First Inductees to Vancouver “Queer Hall of Fame”

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski VANCOUVER, September 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who famously declared that the state had no business in the bedrooms of the nation and whose government subsequently decriminalized homosexuality in 1969, is one of the first five inductees of a soon-to-be-opened homosexual “Hall of Fame” in Vancouver. Trudeau and four other homosexual activists will be recognized Sept. 19 at an event organized by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) under their Pride Network banner, “for their significant contributions to human rights and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Canadians.” In […]
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Santorum Admits to Pondering Run for Republican Presidential Nomination – Asks for Prayers

By John-Henry Westen ORLANDO, FL, September 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Speaking to a room full of prominent US Catholic leaders Friday night, Senator Rick Santorum was challenged to run for the Republican Presidential nominaion.  Responding to a room already thick with applause, Santorum revealed that he was indeed “thinking about it” but asked for prayers and detailed his thinking on the matter. His remarks came after his address to the closing dinner of the 12th annual Catholic Leadership Conference – an invite-only gathering of Catholic leaders from academia, law, media, medicine, and politics, as well as leaders of movements within […]
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New National Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose Government Funding of Abortion in Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new poll reveals the vast majority of Americans say they are far less likely to support a government health-care reform that includes public subsidies for abortion. According to the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, the nationwide poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies reveals the majority of Americans are opposed to any government involvement in either subsidizing abortions or those insurance carriers that cover abortions with taxpayer dollars. “The bottom line is this: including government funds for abortion on-demand in health care reform is unappealing to American voters nationwide, women and men alike,” […]
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Disagreement over Numbers Who Have Killed Themselves Under State of Washington’s “Death with Dignity

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski SEATTLE, WA, September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Compassion and Choices of Washington, the advocacy group that campaigned for Washington's assisted suicide law, says that of 28 Washington residents who requested drugs to kill themselves, 11 patients have used the medication to end their lives. However, the first report from the Washington state health department reported that since assisted suicide became legal in March 2009, there have been 28 requests for lethal drugs in Washington state with 16 people having died. “The Department of Health has posted numbers that differ slightly from those offered by Compassion & […]
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Commentary: “You lie!” Mr. President: Joe Wilson’s War for Democracy in America

Commentary by Peter J. Smith September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Outside of this summer's town-hall protests and tea-parties, the lonely voice of South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson bravely crying out “You lie!” in protest of President Barack Obama's deliberate distortions before a joint session of Congress was perhaps one of the defining moments of this health care debate. Those two words coming from a Congressman were both necessary and long overdue. Rep. Wilson's vocal expression of dissent and discontent with the President's plan arguably did far more to protect American democracy than those mute and tame Republicans who silently protested […]
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40 Days for Life Campaign Extends to 7 Canadian Cities This Fall

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This Autumn, from September 23 to November 1, seven Canadian cities will join more than 200 cities across North America and around the world, for the largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history – the 40 Days for Life campaign. 40 Days for Life is an intensive pro-life initiative that focuses on 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful witness at abortion facilities, and 40 days of grassroots educational outreach. The 40-day time frame is drawn from examples throughout Biblical history where God brought about world-changing transformation […]
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Rape Victim says God Granted a “Rush of Love” for her Unborn Child Moments before Abortion

By Hilary White September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A British policewoman and born-again Christian says it was a sudden and unexpected “rush of love” that in her mind transformed her unborn child, conceived in a date-rape, from “an alien” to a beloved daughter on the day of her scheduled abortion. Miriam Virgo credits God with stepping in to save her daughter's life. Now 27, Virgo told her story in an autobiographical piece in Britain's Daily Mail yesterday, saying that, having come from a devout Christian family, she had never expected to find herself a single mother at 19. In 2001, […]
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Florida Pro-Life Group Announces Personhood Amendment Campaign

By Patrick B. Craine TALLAHASSEE, Florida, September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of pro-life advocates in Florida initiated a campaign today to introduce an amendment to the Florida Constitution that would recognize the personhood of the unborn from the earliest stages of life. Personhood Florida (PF), a Christian non-partisan organization founded to protect the personhood of the unborn, held a press conference today where they announced the submission of the amendment, which they hope to put to voters on the 2010 ballot.  The group is part of a nationwide effort, launched after a similar campaign in Colorado, to bring […]
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Suspect Charged with First-Degree Premeditated Murder of Michigan Pro-Lifer

By Kathleen Gilbert OWOSSO, Michigan, September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – 33-year-old Harland James Drake has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder of pro-life veteran Jim Pouillon this morning as he carried a pro-life sign in front of a local high school, reports local news station WILX-TV. Prosecutors said Drake told them he targeted Pouillon because of his pro-life activities.  “There was some displeasure with how open he was,” said Sara Edwards, Shiawassee County chief assistant prosecutor Sara Edwards, according to a New York Times report.  “He tended to carry big signs with very graphic pictures of fetuses.” Drake has also been […]
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Spanish Doctors Will Choose Jail over Committing Abortion

By Hilary White September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Dr. Esteban Rodriguez, spokesman for the organization Derecho a Vivir (Right to Life) recently said Spanish doctors are willing to face jail rather than kill unborn children under a new law. “We are willing to go to jail rather than following a criminal law,” Dr. Rodriguez said, “and we are willing to commit the supposed crime of disobedience before the crime of abortion.” Dr. Rodriguez was responding to comments made earlier by Minister of Justice, Francisco Caamano, who said that Spain's abortion law would not allow doctors the right to refuse to […]
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“Jim the Sign Guy”: Slain Pro-Lifer, Father of Two, Remembered by Friends as Cheerful, Peaceful Acti

By Kathleen Gilbert OWOSSO, Michigan, September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Jim Pouillon, the pro-life activist shot and killed outside a high school in Owosso Friday morning, is being remembered today by friends as a peaceful and dedicated defender of the unborn. Those who knew him say that, in the face of the frequent physical harassment and death threats aimed at him for his pro-life work, the veteran pro-lifer always responded with charity. According to friends, Pouillon, 63, was a born-again Christian and longtime resident of Owosso. They say he was divorced, with a son and a daughter as well as grandchildren. […]
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Pro-Life Leaders Lament the Violent Death of a Friend and Ally – Jim Pouillon

By John Jalsevac September 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This morning at 7:20am James Pouillon, an elderly Michigan-area pro-life activist, was gunned down in front of Owosso High School while protesting abortion with a large sign depicting a baby and the word “Life.” A second man was also killed shortly thereafter – Mike Fuoss, the owner of a local gravel pit. It is so far unknown what the motives for the two killings were. Pro-life leaders, many of whom personally knew Pouillon, have reacted with horror to the senseless killing of the long-time and dedicated activist for the unborn. “We are stunned […]
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Group Launches Website Solely Dedicated to Exposing ObamaCare “Scam”

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Minnesota, September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new website solely dedicated to exposing the facts of President Barack Obama's plans for health reform in Congress was unveiled to the public on Thursday by the public advocacy group Minnesota Majority. The new site, HealthReformScam.com attempts to provide a convenient location that gathers together news and opinion articles from various sources that address the specifics of Obama's health care reform. “When an issue reaches the kind of proportions that health care reform has, it's hard to do it justice with a state-focused multi-issue site like MinnesotaMajority.org,” explained Jeff Davis, president of […]
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Pro-Life Leaders Warn Obama Still Not Honest About Health Care Abortion Funding

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Obama told a joint session of Congress last night that “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” in his proposed health care overhaul.  Pro-life leaders across America, however, immediately slammed the claim, pointing to the testimony of independent analysts who have asserted that the current legislation will in fact open government funds to abortion. Obama stated in his address to Congress Wednesday night: “One more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws […]
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Center for Reproductive Rights Boasts of Global Abortion Push

By Piero A. Tozzi, J.D. NEW YORK, NY, September 10, 2009 (C-FAM) – New York-based public interest law firm Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) released its 2008 Annual Report this week, touting efforts to promote abortion worldwide and listing yearly revenue of nearly $13 million. The report highlights a global caseload that appears disproportionately directed at expanding access to abortion and contraceptives in traditionally Catholic countries. Its 2008 docket includes three proceedings each against Poland and Peru, and two each against Mexico and Costa Rica, in fora ranging from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to national Supreme Courts. The […]
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UNFPA Bars Conservatives from Berlin “Sexual and Reproductive Rights” Conference

By Samantha Singson NEW YORK, NY, September 10, 2009 (C-FAM) – Last week, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the German government held a conference in Berlin to promote “sexual and reproductive rights.”  Despite being billed as a “global” event, conference organizers admitted to deliberately blocking any participation from anyone in either the media or civil society who did not agree with their “reproductive rights” agenda. Four hundred delegates from 131 countries attended the “Global NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development.” A review of the list of conference participants reveals a “who's who” of prominent long-time […]
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Toronto Homosexualists Push to Host $10 Million “World Pride” Event in 2014

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski TORONTO, September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Promoters of Toronto's sordid annual homosexual “pride” parade are upping the ante with a bid to have the city host World Pride in 2014. “We believe that hosting World Pride 2014 in Toronto will engage and inspire people from around the world, be a fabulous celebration of Pride and showcase Toronto as one of the most diverse and accepting cities in the world,” wrote Pride Toronto co-chair Mark Singh in a Pride Toronto press release.  Singh claims that this summer's homosexual festival, held during the city's garbage collection strike which […]
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Amnesty: Lithuania Law against Homosexualist Propaganda is “State-Sponsored Homophobia”

By Hilary White September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Lithuania, a major target of homosexualist campaigners, has been heavily criticized by Amnesty International for proposing legislation prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality in public places. The bill follows a controversy earlier this year when parliament passed a law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality in schools. In July, a coalition of homosexualist organizations, including the Lithuanian gay league and Tolerant Youth Association, pressured Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus to veto the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information, which he did on 16 June 2009, citing “lack of […]
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Condoms, Contraception, Abortion “Cheapest Way to Combat Climate Change”: London School of Economics

By Hilary White LONDON, September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The best way to combat global warming is to reduce the surplus population through contraception and abortion, according to a report from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). According to the report, commissioned by the radical pro-abortion, anti-human environmentalist group, Optimum Population Trust, every £4 spent on “family planning” over the next forty years would reduce global CO2 emissions by more than a ton. This would outstrip the gains of spending on “low-carbon technologies” by £15. “Considered purely as a method of reducing future CO2 emissions” such […]
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Commentary: Obama Tries to Save Healthcare Reform… and His Presidency

Commentary by Deal Hudson Sept. 10, 2009 (InsideCatholic.com) – With his popularity ratings plummeting and public resistance to his health-care reform proposals increasing, President Barack Obama spoke to Congress and a national television audience for 48 minutes last night. Though touted as his “health-care speech,” the more important subtext was the future of Obama's presidency itself.   He has let it be known that his legacy and health-care reform are one and the same. Last July, Obama warned a Democratic congressman, “You are going to destroy my presidency,” if the House of Representatives did not pass a health-care bill. The […]
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Letters to the Editor – More on Kennedy Funeral, Rosica Blog Post

Re: Criticism of LifeSiteNews Hello there. I write in haste. Please do not get down… in time the truth will be seen for what it is—- and until then, you just must do the best you can. You are in Germany in 1937… and people did not get it until sept 39. I post your stuff on anglican-mainstream.net, so anglicans around the globe read you! Lisa Nolland Bristol, UK ____________________________________________________________________ Battle of the Catholic Stations: Salt and Light's Fr. Rosica Rips EWTN's Raymond Arroyo over Kennedy Funeral  I read your recent article pertaining to Fr. Rosica and Raymond Arroyo with […]
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Palin Takes another Swing at Obamacare

By John Jalsevac September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) today, former Alaska governor and VP candidate Sarah Palin again criticizes Obama's healthcare overhaul plan. While acknowledging that heavy criticism was leveled against her now famous use of the term “death panels” to describe the end-of-life counseling originally proposed in the healthcare bill, Palin today continued to defend the phrase as appropriate. “Is it any wonder that many of the sick and elderly are concerned that the Democrats' proposals will ultimately lead to rationing of their health care by – dare […]
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Catholic Church in State of Maine Steps up Fight against Same-Sex “Marriage” Bill

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski PORTLAND, Maine, September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland will be asking its parishes to take a special second collection this weekend (Sept. 12 – 13) to contribute to the campaign to reverse the same-sex “marriage” law passed by the state Legislature, according to an AP report. Money raised in the special collection will go to support the efforts of the Stand for Marriage Maine coalition, which is leading the campaign to prevent the homosexual “marriage” bill from becoming law by means of a statewide referendum on the November ballot. The communications […]
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Obama Approval Numbers Still Dropping, While Petitions Mount Against Health Care Plan

By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A series of recent public opinion polls and anti-Obamacare petitions have shown that President Obama and his health care overhaul are continuing to decline in popularity at the end of a turbulent Congressional recess. The public disapproval rating of Obama's handling of health care has jumped nine points since July to 52 per cent, according to an Associated Press-GfK survey released today.  In the same poll, 49 said they disapproved of Obama's overall performance, up from 42 per cent in July.  The most recent Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll […]
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B.C. City Proclaims “Protect Human Life Week”

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski KELOWNA, BC, September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian city of Kelowna in the province of British Columbia has once again proclaimed Sept 26 – Oct 4, 2009 as “Protect Human Life Week.” Mayor Sharon Shepherd recently signed the proclamation, making 2009 the second consecutive year in which the city has given official endorsement to a week of pro-life activities which promote dignity and respect for all human beings from the moment of conception to natural death. “Protect Human Life Week makes the statement that all human life is sacred from beginning to end,” said Marlon […]
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WWII Pales in Comparison to the Death-Toll of Abortion: U.K. Pro-life Leader

By Hilary White SWANWICK, UK, Sept. 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “The death-toll of World War II was a tragic prelude to the far greater slaughter by abortion and euthanasia that has happened since,” John Smeaton, Britain's leading pro-life advocate, told a national pro-life conference last weekend. “Deaths of unborn children worldwide through abortion vastly outnumber the total of military and civilian war deaths,” he added. In his address “The Pro-Life Battle Ahead,” Smeaton, director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), told his audience, “We're not fighting Nazi tyranny but the tyranny of politicians who promote legislation worldwide […]
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Commentary: Pro-Life Bishop’s Contention that Kennedy Funeral Was “Subdued” Confounds Many

Commentary by Patrick B. Craine and John-Henry Westen MADISON, Wisconsin, September 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop of Madison, Robert C. Morlino, expressed his support for the Kennedy funeral in a column last Thursday, basing his approval on the claim that the funeral was celebrated “in a subdued fashion,” and that this “low key” approach was appropriate due to the Senator's support for abortion and other issues. These comments come from a bishop who has become known as an ardent and courageous defender of life and marriage.  For example, at the end of 2007, Morlino broke from the neutral position of the […]
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Edmonton Archbishop Launches Campaign to Oppose Euthanasia Legislation

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski EDMONTON, September 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Richard Smith of the Archdiocese of Edmonton has launched a campaign urging his parishioners to become informed and get involved in the battle against euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. The campaign follows on the heels of the recommendation by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops that all Catholics, with the help and guidance of their bishops, make themselves aware of the dangers posed by the acceptance of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Currently private member's bill (Bill C-384), which would legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, is waiting to be […]
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Truth, Charity and Mercy: On Satisfying the Requirements for a Catholic Funeral

Commentary by Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro Carámbula, Doctor of Dogmatic Theology and head of the Rome office of Human Life International  Author's Note: The Catholic Church has taught on many occasions on the important duties of Catholic political leaders. A recent event in Boston makes it necessary to reflect again on those teachings. “John Paul II, continuing the constant teaching of the Church, has reiterated many times that those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a 'grave and clear obligation to oppose' any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote […]
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Hundreds of Pro-Life Demonstrators Converge on Vienna City Hall to Protest Abortion Party

By Hilary White VIENNA, September 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This past Friday several hundred pro-life demonstrators in Vienna protested the decision of the city's mayor to host a party celebrating the anniversary of a notorious abortion facility. The demonstration outside city hall marked a party hosted by Mayor Michael Häupl to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Austria's first legal abortion facility, the Pro-Woman Clinic, which operates according to the guidelines of Marie Stopes International (MSI), and claims to have killed over 300,000 babies since its founding. The 500-strong coalition of pro-life Austrians and others included representatives of Human Life International, […]
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Israeli Pro-Life Organization Warns of Demographic Threat to Nation’s Survival

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski JERUSALEM, September 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – EFRAT, an Israeli pro-life organization that works with women contemplating abortion by providing emotional and material support, is warning that the demographic implications of abortion in the nation are the greatest danger to Israel today. “Israel has lost more than one and a half million Jewish children to abortion since 1948. In a country of about 5.5 million Jews this number has great demographic significance. Imagine how much stronger Israel would have been today with one million more Jews,” a statement from Efrat says. Over 50,000 abortions are performed yearly […]
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Vatican Warns 41 Dissident Italian Priests Who Approved of Eluana Englaro Killing

By Hilary White ROME, September 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – 41 Catholic priests have been issued a formal warning by the Vatican for signing an open letter approving the removal of food and hydration of helpless patients like Eluana Englaro. Five months ago, in a letter composed by Fr. Paolo Farinella of Genoa, the group complained that a living wills law being prepared by Prime Minister Berlusconi's government excluded the possibility that food and hydration could be withdrawn from patients by doctors to bring about their deaths. Farinella, the author of the article “The right to live a duty to die,” […]
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British Clergy Say Blair Must Renounce Anti-Life, Anti-Family Views Before Becoming Catholic

Thursday November 29, 2007 British Clergy Say Blair Must Renounce Anti-Life, Anti-Family Views Before Becoming Catholic Former PM reveals he was afraid of being seen as “nutter” for stating religious aspirations By Hilary White LONDON, November 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a recent interview, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair revealed that the reason he was reticent about making public his religious aspirations was his fear that politicians with overt religious beliefs are seen as “nutters” in Britain. It is Britain’s pervading secularist mentality, not any official disapproval of Catholicism in this officially Protestant country that held him back he […]
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LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes Sept 6   – Obama Not Jimmy Carter, Religion and Socialism by Peter Kreeft

* 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. Compiled by Steve Jalsevac BEAUTIFUL MOVIES Choosing Thomas Inside a family's decision to let their son live, if only for a brief time – 9 minute movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToNWquoXqJI The Butterfly Circus This inspiring 20 minute on line movie starring Eduardo Verástegui (Bella), Doug Jones (Pan's Labyrinth, Fantastic Four) is highly recommended https://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/The%20Butterfly%20Circus/ OBAMA He's Not Jimmy CarterBy Quin Hillyer Conservatives are taking too much solace in the precipitous drop in Barack […]
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LifeSiteNews NewsBytes Sept. 6 – More Commentaries on the Kennedy Funeral – Rutler, Lawler,  Gallagh

* 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. Compiled by Steve Jalsevac Note: we have included more excerpts than usual from some of these articles given the prominence of the commentators. Speaking Well of the Dead by Rev. George W. Rutler On July 29, 1997, a representative philosopher of our abortion culture, retired Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, was lavishly eulogized in St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C….President Clinton, who vetoed the ban on partial-birth abortions, was permitted to announce to all […]
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LifeSite Daily News for Thursday June 14, 2007

Thursday June 14, 2007 SHARE THIS PAGE: E-mail Print Vatican: Catholics and Catholic Organizations “Must” Withdraw Support of Amnesty International over Abortion Support Massachusetts Legislature Falls Five Votes Short of Allowing Citizens to Have Say on Gay ‘Marriage’ CBC’s Wish List Re-Opens Abortion Debate, Infuriates Abortion Activists June 21 Gay Pride Parade in the ‘Holy City’ Gets Final Go-Ahead From Jerusalem Police Key Advisor to Cardinal O’Malley Writes Pro-Gay ‘Marriage’ Column in Boston Newspaper Proposed New UK Charities Rules Could Threaten Christians and Pro-Life Advocates Mexico City Pushes for Legalized Prostitution Media Ignores President’s Commemoration of the Deaths of 100 […]
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Commentary on September 4 News

Dear readers, Monday is a holiday for many and so we LifeSiteNews will return on Tuesday. It has been a very strange and heavy past few months with an unusual number of major, on-going, Catholic related developments, one after the other and some of them going on at the same time. We have not been able to keep up with it all. In each case the situation became far larger than we could ever have imagined it would – the L'Osservatore Romano related scandals, the Notre Dame/Barack Obama scandal, the Development and Peace scandal and now the Ted Kennedy funeral scandal. […]
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Public Outcry Erupts Over “Illegal” Obama TV Address to Nation’s Students

By Peter J. Smith WASHINGTON, D.C., September 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Barack Obama's plan to speak to the nation's students from pre-kindergarten to the 12th grade on September 8 at noon has unleashed a public backlash after parents learned that the Administration also provided classroom materials to educators designed to have children ask themselves how they could “help” the President. One public advocacy group says the move may also be “illegal” under federal law. US Presidents giving an address to the nation's school children and offering them a few words of encouragement to persevere in their studies has a […]
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Polish Bishops Emphasize Catholic Pro-Abortion Politicians Excommunicate Themselves

By Patrick B. Craine and Thaddeus M. Baklinski September 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new document released by the Polish Episcopal Conference, emphasizing the Church's teaching on marriage and the family, gives a very clear and straightforward remainder to Catholic politicians that if they violate basic moral directives on life or family rights issues in the public sphere, they risk excommunication. The document titled, “To Serve the Truth about Marriage and Family”, which was drafted by the Conference's Council for Family Issues, affirms the need for politicians to defend human life, and emphasizes the Church's teaching that supporting abortion entails automatic […]
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Staunchly Pro-Life Lancaster Bishop’s Marriage Prep Discussed at Vatican Conference

By Hilary White LANCASTER, UK September 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A document on the meaning of marriage by the former Catholic bishop of Lancaster will be the focus of a Vatican conference next week in Rome. In the document, Bishop Patrick O’Donohue, whose insistence that Catholic schools in his diocese return to a more meaningful Catholic identity earned him accusations of “fundamentalism” by parliamentarians, has been revealed in recent years as one of Britain’s staunchest episcopal defenders of the Catholic teachings on the sacredness of human life and the family. Bishop Emeritus O’Donohue, who in May stepped down as the […]
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88 Pro-Lifers Arrested at Notre Dame Still Facing Jail Time: Thomas More Lawyer Again Asks Fr. Jenki

By Kathleen Gilbert SOUTH BEND, Indiana, September 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The president of a pro-life public interest law firm has issued an open letter to University of Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins, insisting that the school seek to drop the charges against 88 pro-lifers who await sentencing of up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine for protesting the school's honoring pro-abortion President Obama last May. “[Notre Dame] should honor all who dare to speak out for the dignity of all human beings – born or unborn, wanted or unwanted, humble or exalted – not prosecute […]
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Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer statement on David Gibson’s anti-Catholic article:

The following quote from David Gibson's ugly article says it all: “Whatever the ins and outs of the internal church maneuvering, the upshot is that a leading voice in the anti-Obama wing of the church hierarchy has been silenced while both Obama and Biden continue to take center stage.” The Catholic Left in America is allowing this administration to divide the Catholic Church in America. Anti-Catholics like Gibson, because of their ill-will and disdain for the Church, see the departure of one of America's great shepherds as a victory. That the wonderful Bishop Martino was “silenced” is the musing of […]
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German Homeschooling Family Flees to England After Mayor Attempts to Seize Children

Wednesday January 9, 2008 German Homeschooling Family Flees to England After Mayor Attempts to Seize Children By Peter J. Smith LONDON, January 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A German family has fled to safe haven in the United Kingdom after the mayor of their town attempted to have their children seized and put into state custody for the crime of homeschooling according to WorldNetDaily (WND). WND reports that officials with Netzwerk-Bildungsfreiheit, a German homeschooling advocacy group, said that Klaus and Kathrin Landahl and their five children, “are in safety in England. They reached Dover on Saturday midnight.” The Landahl family was […]
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City of Paris Pushes Chemical Abortion, Concerned About Access to Abortion Services

By Patrick B. Craine PARIS, France, September 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Concerned about abortion access in the city of Paris, the Mayor's office presented an action plan last week that involves offering chemical abortions without hospitalization in five 'planning centres' or abortuaries around the city, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). The chemical abortions will be available up to five weeks, and the City hopes that it will make it easier for women to get abortions. Sérénade Chafik of France's Planned Parenthood spoke of abortion access as an “obstacle course.”  “The law is not applied,” she said.  “After eight weeks of pregnancy, […]
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Legal Scholars React to UN Committee’s Homosexual Rights Recommendation

By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D.   Piero A. Tozzi, J.D. NEW YORK, September 3, 2009 (C-Fam.org) – This week leading conservative legal experts condemned a United Nations (UN) human rights committee's recent inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender identity” as a protected category under a cornerstone human rights treaty. As reported in last week's Friday Fax , the committee that monitors the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), one of two implementing treaties of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recently released its own re-interpretation in a “general comment” on the treaty's non-discrimination article. The bureaucratic body of mostly […]
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“God’s Verdict” More Important to Canadian PM Harper than Historians’

By Patrick B. Craine QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, September 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a notably personal interview in Quebec City, Prime Minister Stephen Harper explained that God's judgement on his life was more important to him than the judgement of history.  The story will be published in the September edition of Prestige magazine. His comment came while speaking about his family, saying that his relationships with his wife and two children are more important to him than political accomplishments.  “The important thing, for me, is to preserve family ties,” he said.  “I can win elections, but if I lose my […]
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“Dr. Death” Says he was Convinced to Embrace Life – But Would not Return the Favor

By Kathleen Gilbert DETROIT, Michigan, September 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Although Jack Kevorkian says his lawyer had managed to talk “Dr. Death” himself out of committing suicide in prison, the doctor admits that, should his lawyer come to him for help in committing suicide, he will not return the favor. Kevorkian made this and other revelations in one of his first in-depth interviews since the lifting of his parole restriction against discussing death. Kevorkian, infamously known as “Dr. Death,” has boasted of helping end the lives of over 130 suicidal people – many of whom had no diagnosed physical illness.  […]
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Abp. Quinn Again Criticizes “Demonizing” Backlash of ND Scandal

By Kathleen Gilbert SAN FRANCISCO, California, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop Emeritus John Quinn of San Francisco has again criticized the response of 80 active U.S. bishops against the Notre Dame scandal, whose negative reaction he characterized as the “demonization of alternative viewpoints and of opposing leaders.”  This reaction against President Obama, he said, gave the impression that American Church officials were racist and party to “an ongoing alliance with the Republican party.” Quinn's column appears in the August 31 edition of America magazine, which also contains a column by Fort Wayne-South Bend Bishop John D'Arcy, bishop of the […]
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Indian Government Expected to Accept Court Ruling that Legalizes Homosexual Sex Acts

By Patrick B. Craine NEW DELHI, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Indian government seems to be prepared to accept a controversial court ruling that decriminalizes homosexual sex in the jurisdiction of Delhi, setting a precedent for the rest of India. In July, the Delhi High Court declared unconstitutional an 1860 law against homosexuality that prohibited “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.”  According to the court, the ban violates basic human rights. The Supreme Court agreed in July to hear a petition seeking to repeal the ruling, though they chose not to implement a stay on the judgment in the […]
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Section 13 Hate Message Clause Unconstitutional Rules Canadian Human Rights Tribunal

By Patrick B. Craine OTTAWA, Ontario, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled today that section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, Canada's human rights legislation against hate messages, unreasonably limits the Charter right to freedom of expression.  Member Athanasios D. Hadjis issued the ruling in the case of Richard Warman and the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) against Marc Lemire. Popular conservative pundit and human rights commission critic Mark Steyn today said that the end of the hate speech legislation is near, calling today's decision a “landmark decision.”  “This is the beginning of the end […]
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Bishop Aquila Holds the Line against Abortion-Promoting Health Care Reform

September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an Aug. 28 letter, Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, encouraged members of his flock to promote “genuine health care reform” with the aid of four principles upon which the “moral value and justice” of any such plan should be evaluated. First of all, wrote the bishop, Health care plans must exclude any “provisions for actions which deny the dignity of human life, especially abortion, euthanasia, whether passive or active, and embryonic stem cell research.”   “Any attempt to provide greater access to health care without safeguarding human life […]
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Kansas Bishops Criticize Healthcare over Abortion, Failure to Respect Subsidiarity

By Kathleen Gilbert KANSAS CITY, Kansas, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In addition to shunning abortion, euthanasia, and health care rationing, any national health care overhaul must align with another major aspect of Catholic social teaching: namely, the so-called “principle of subsidiarity” said the two bishops of Kansas City. The bishops made their remarks in a joint pastoral reflection published Tuesday. The principle of subsidiary, which states that issues (such as healthcare) should be handled by the lowest and least centralized level of authority possible, is vital to maintaining “the transcendent dignity of the human person,” said Kansas City, Kansas […]
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Family Attacked for Too Many Children: “Thrilled” to be Preparing for Baby Number 19

By Hilary White SPRINGDALE, Arkansas, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar told US news service MSNBC they are delighted to discover the impending arrival of their 19th child. Described by the Today program as “glowing,” Michelle Duggar said, “I'm feeling sick and tired, which is a good way to be feeling about right now.” “I always tell myself that's a good way to be because that means good things are happening.” The baby is due to arrive around March 18, 2010. The family stars in the reality TV show “18 Kids and Counting” airing on TLC. […]
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D.C. Archbishop Joins Black Pastors in Same-Sex “Marriage” Fight

By Peter J. Smith WASHINGTON, D.C., September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One might call it the “new ecumenism,” an example of solidarity between Christian denominations at its best: the Catholic Archbishop of Washington, D.C. has joined forces with local Christian ministers in the nation's capital to give strong support to a ballot initiative that would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman and stop the legalization of same-sex “marriage” in the District of Columbia. Bishop Harry Jackson of Beltsville's Hope Christian Church, fellow black Christian pastors, and members of the Stand4Marriage Coalition D.C., submitted a ballot […]
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Controversial U.K. Mayor Cuts Gay Pride Funding, Pledges End to Political Correctness in Government

By Hilary White DONCASTER, UK, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The recently elected mayor of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, has infuriated Britain's politically powerful homosexualist lobby by attempting to withhold local funding for this year's Gay Pride celebrations. The funding for this year's event in June went through, but Mayor Peter Davies, a member of the English Democrat party and the father of Tory MP Philip Davies, has scrapped all future funding for the annual Gay Pride event. “I'm not a homophobe,” he said, “but I don't see why council taxpayers should pay to celebrate anyone's sexuality.” Davies is only […]
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Mexican State of Michoacan Approves Living Wills that Exclude Euthanasia

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Latin America Correspondent MORELIA, September 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Mexican state of Michoacan has approved a new “Anticipated Will” law that allows families and patients to opt out of extraordinary medical treatments in the case of terminal illness, while guaranteeing basic medical and palliative care. The law, which received multi-party support and was endorsed by Archbishop of the state's capital, Morelia, reportedly excludes assisted suicide and both active and passive euthanasia, including the withholding of food and fluids. The law gives terminal patients the right to substitute curative treatments for palliative care and to determine […]
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Baptist Children’s Home Can Dismiss Homosexual Employee: Court

LOUISVILLE, KY, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled Monday that a Baptist children's home, Sunrise Children's Services, did not violate state or federal laws when it dismissed an employee who was engaged in homosexual conduct. The court ruled that the home did not violate Title VII, the federal employment discrimination law, or the Kentucky Civil Rights Act. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the lawsuit against the home, which provides social services for at-risk children. The Alliance Defense Fund provided funding for attorneys with the Christian Legal Society and Thomas […]
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Commentary on Sept. 1 News

Dear readers, The continuing strong commentaries from faithful Catholic leaders are demonstrating more than ever the gravity of the scandal of the Kennedy funeral showcase. Judie Brown of American Life League says she's seen nothing like it in her 65 years, EWTN's Raymond Arroyo is incensed – not by Kennedy – but by Church leadership. Our numerous letters to the editor on the issue today illustrate the deep divisions and different perceptions of it among Catholics and others. Ours is an age of confusion and religious ignorance due in significant part to the disorder within the Catholic Church in the […]
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Letters to the Editor – Ted Kennedy Funeral Coverage – Pro and Con, Praise for LSN

Re: Senator Ted Kennedy Funeral Coverage I seem to be too stupid to understand where Senator Kennedy is coming from. Perhaps someone could enlighten me. How can one “believe and respect the fundamental beliefs of the Catholic church”, and at the same time advocate abortion and sodomy?  All too clever for me I'm afraid. Robert Smith, Australia _______________________________________ To the Editor, I would like to submit the following letter concerning the royal mass the Catholic Church gave  Senator Kennedy, the great defender of the right to take the life of the least and most helpless among us: Today I watched […]
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Illinois Supreme Court Requested to Order Officials to Enforce Parental Notification Law Immediately

CHICAGO, September 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Thomas More Society, a public interest law firm based in Chicago, has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to issue a court order mandating the immediate enforcement of the state's Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995, a law just recently freed from legal limbo, which Illinois public officials have attempted to delay implementing even further. The Thomas More Society has requested the court to issue a “writ of mandamus,” which would order the members of the Illinois State Medical Disciplinary Board, the Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, […]
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ALL President on Kennedy Funeral: “Beyond Anything I have Witnessed in 65 Years”

By Judie Brown, President, American Life League (ALL) September 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Each of us who believe in the justice and mercy of God are called, as an act of charity, to pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased. However, there are some rubrics of decorum that should – at the very least – have been respected over this past weekend. I speak, of course, of the grandiose funeral ceremonies, particularly the Catholic funeral Mass, for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The entire travesty, from the television cameras to spectacle itself, goes beyond anything I have witnessed […]
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Same-Sex ‘Marriages’ Begin Today in Vermont

By Patrick B. Craine Vermont, September 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As of midnight today, September 1, 2009, same-sex 'marriages' began to be performed in Vermont. Vermont became the fourth state to legally redefine 'marriage' on April 7th, and the first state to do so through legislation rather than through the courts.  The new law gives full marriage rights to same-sex couples who choose to 'marry.' Vermont Governor Jim Douglas vetoed the House of Representatives' April 6th vote in favor of the same-sex 'marriage' bill, but the next day his veto was overturned when the House obtained the needed votes for […]
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Mother Fighting Lesbian for Custody of Child Asks for Prayers in Upcoming Hearing

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman VIRGINIA, September 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Lisa Miller, the woman who has been struggling to keep her daughter from the custody of a lesbian who has no relation to the child, is asking for prayers for her next hearing, which is scheduled for September 4 in Vermont as a telephone “status conference.”   Judge William D. Cohen, who has repeatedly ordered Miller to surrender her child to lesbian Janet Jenkins, may transfer custody to Jenkins at the hearing, according to Miller. “Please keep in prayer the upcoming Sept. 4th hearing which is when Judge Cohen in Vermont […]
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Alberta Parental Rights Over Sex Ed to be Delayed Until the 2010 School Year

By Patrick B. Craine September 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The parental rights enshrined by Alberta's controversial Bill 44 will now not come into effect until the 2010 school year, says Alberta Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett. The bill will amend the province's human rights legislation to give parents rights over their children's education, requiring school officials to notify parents of direct discussions about religion, sexuality, or sexual orientation. The bill, which also enshrined'sexual orientation' as prohibited grounds for discrimination, was passed in June, but must be proclaimed by the Minister before it comes into effect. On Sunday, Blackett indicated that he had […]
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Local Catholic Bishops Fight Wisconsin Contraceptive Coverage Mandate

Monday August 24, 2009 Local Catholic Bishops Fight Wisconsin Contraceptive Coverage Mandate By Kathleen Gilbert MADISON, Wisconsin, August 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Catholic bishops of Wisconsin are strongly objecting to a new state budget requiring employers to include contraceptive coverage in their employees’ health insurance, without exemptions for religious employers – a move the bishops call “blatant insensitivity to our moral values and legal rights.” “Nowhere does the Constitution say that the right of conscience is protected except in matters related to human reproduction,” wrote the bishops of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference in the August 20 statement (see the […]
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