Articles for Month: November 2009

By Peter J. Smith WASHINGTON, D.C., November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released its latest available figures on abortion submitted to the federal agency, which shows an overall decrease in the number of abortions for the ten years between 1997 and 2006, but with a small uptick in abortion rates and ratios between 2005 and 2006, which CDC analysts believe may be attributable to an accompanying rise in fertility rates. While the CDC report provides an analysis of trends in abortion patterns, it qualifies that its data reflects approximately 65 to 69 percent […]

November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Supporters of Linda Gibbons are disseminating the following information to encourage support for the Canadian pro-life sidewalk counsellor: Linda Gibbons has been a “common criminal” for many years now.  For fifteen years, since 1994, this grandmother has been in and out of Ontario prisons. Her totally accumulated jail time is seven years.  What is her crime?  Linda prayerfully and quietly witnesses in front of Ontario abortion clinics, in violation of an unjust “bubble zone” law.  This past session has been particularly onerous – she has been behind bars since last January, and this will be […]

By Patrick B. Craine TULSA, Oklahoma, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma also chose not to contribute to the national collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) has confirmed, making him the sixth bishop confirmed to have done so. In a letter to the pastors of his diocese, read at Masses on the weekend of the November 21-22 collection, Bishop Slattery informed the faithful that the funds contributed to the CCHD collection would be reserved for use within the diocese. Msgr. Patrick Brankin told LSN that Bishop Slattery made his […]

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski TORONTO, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Barbara and Timothy Farlow, parents of a baby girl born with the non-fatal genetic disorder Trisomy 13 and who died in 2005 at 80 days old, have lost a malpractice suit against Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. The parents claimed that the hospital failed to give their daughter Annie proper medical care because she was disabled and alleged that the hospital placed a “do not resuscitate” order on the child without their consent. The couple brought the suit to Small Claims Court following unsuccessful attempts at having their case heard […]

By Kathleen Gilbert TRENTON, New Jersey, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Jersey's six Catholic bishops have called on Catholics to combat the state's legislative push for same-sex “marriage” with a day of prayer aimed at protecting marriage in the state legislature.  “This day of prayer is timely because marriage faces serious challenges from a society more focused on individual satisfaction than on the Gospel,” state the bishops. ”One of the most serious challenges is the current effort to pass Bills in the New Jersey legislature that would change the very definition of marriage as a union of one man and one […]

By Hilary White LONDON, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Christian marriage counselor has joined the burgeoning ranks of those in the UK who have been sacked for their Christian religious beliefs. Gary McFarlane, a 48-year-old solicitor and part-time counselor with a relationship counseling charity, was sacked when he refused to endorse same-sex relationships as equivalent to those of heterosexual couples. McFarlane has lost his chance at appeal with the Employment Appeal Tribunal in which he claimed unfair dismissal and discrimination contrary to the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003. McFarlane said that he believes the Bible teaches that […]

By Hilary White BELFAST, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life advocates in Northern Ireland are celebrating a major court victory today as the Belfast High Court has ordered the recall of health guidelines that they said would have undermined and effectively overturned the province's pro-life laws. Lord Justice Girvan found that the guidelines failed to deal properly with conscientious objection to abortion and counseling on abortion. The judge said the guidelines were open to misinterpretation, saying the language was “ambiguous” and left doctors and staff unclear as to what was expected of them. The judge said the guidelines needed to […]

By Hilary White ROME, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI told demonstrators at St. Peter's square this Sunday that the crucifix has a “religious, historical and cultural value.” In a rare move, the pope directly addressed the demonstrators, saying, “I greet with affection the Italian-speaking pilgrims, especially those who took part in the march organized by the Movement of Family Love to express my deep love for the Crucified, recognizing the value of religious, historical and cultural heritage.” The papal boost for the protesters came at the end of the Sunday Angelus, a weekly address by Pope Benedict […]

By James Tillman DETROIT, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com)—Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron led parishioners of the archdiocese in a pro-life prayer march in front of two abortion facilities on Saturday, November 21st. The prayer march was preceded by an early morning mass and concluded with Eucharistic benediction. We “must be a witness patterned after God Himself: generous, kind, patient, but undaunting and constant,” said the archbishop at the 7:30 Mass opening the event. The archbishop explained: “It is God's plan that the whole world would somehow reflect His greatness, and that we, men and women, the human beings of His who […]

By James Tillman SALT LAKE CITY, November 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com)—A recent study by a task force of the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) led researchers to recommend comprehensive risk reduction programs (CRRs), which include instruction in contraceptive use, over abstinence education programs (AE).  But two members of the study's external review team have released a minority report arguing that this conclusion is unjustified. “According to this minority report, the study recommendations may mislead policymakers by presenting conclusions that don't match key study findings,” said Paul Birch, Director of the Institute for Research and Evaluation (IRE), a Utah-based organization […]