Recent Catholic News

ONTARIO FAMILY COALITION PARTY ANNOUNCES CANDIDATE FOR BI-ELECTION

TORONTO, June 11, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Rina Morra has been accepted as the Family Coalition Party of Ontario (Ontario Coalition) candidate for the Vaughan-King-Aurora by-election announced for June 28, 2001. Mrs. Morra, who ran as a candidate for the Ontario Coalition in previous elections, “is an experienced and determinate candidate, and a believer in traditional liberal philosophy,” said Giuseppe Gori, Ontario Coalition Leader, in a recent press release. Mrs. Morra faces Greg Sorbara (Liberal) and Joyce Frustaglio (Conservative) in the prominent Ontario mid-term race. (see http://www.OntarioCoalition.com or http://www.FamilyParty.ON.CA)
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FORMER CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER LEADS GAY PARADE

CALGARY, June 11, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Sunday saw Conservative leader Joe Clark became the first former Canadian Prime Minister to act as grand marshal for a gay pride parade. Before a crowd of approximately 6,000, Clark and wife Maureen McTeer rode along the streets of Calgary in a red convertible leading a long line of homosexual advocates on floats, some dressed in studded leather and condoms. “I was happy to be part of the celebration,” Clark told reporters. “I’ve always believed in equality and encouraging groups to do their best and make their community better.” Newspaper editorials have pointed to […]
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LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld the right of the Speaker in the Ontario legislature to recite the Lord’s Prayer before beginning a session.  (http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20010609/587241.html) Catholic University of America cancelled the use of its campus for the 10th annual “Healing for the Homosexual Conference,” which begins today, saying that the group’s application for rental was fraudulent.  (http://www.washtimes.com/culture/20010608-419345.htm) A Florida judge declined to stop production of that states’ “Choose Life” specialty licence plate sticker, over 13,000 of which are already in use.  ( http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/search/sfl-flicense09jun09.story?coll=sfla%2Dflorida%2Darchives)
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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL JOINS U.N. POPULATION CONTROL

UNITED NATIONS, June 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – At a U.N. news conference Wednesday, representatives of the business organization Rotary International and the U.N. Population Fund signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to work together on projects to address global population. In the past, conservative groups such as Rotary have steered clear of population issues or opposed them because of opposition to sex education and family planning, especially abortion. “This has almost been a taboo subject,” said Rotary President Frank Devlyn, representing 1.2 million members in 164 countries and 35 other geographical areas. “For our organization, it’s one big step into a […]
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U.S. PROMISE AGAINST DEATH PENALTY INSUFFICIENT SAYS KOPP’S LAWYER

RENNES, June 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A letter from the US Embassy in Paris stating the U.S. Government will not seek the death penalty for James Kopp is insufficient, said his attorney Herve Rouzaud-Le Boeuf in a French Court hearing Thursday. Kopp is charged in the U.S. for the sniper-style killing of a New York abortionist Barnett Slepian. France does not extradite suspects to countries where they may face execution. “We do not even know who wrote the letter. It was not signed,” Rouzaud-Le Boeuf told the court. “It has no legal value.” The lawyer further argued that given the […]
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HUMAN CLONING A “FREEDOM OF CHOICE” ISSUE SAYS PROFESSOR

NEW YORK, June 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A college chemistry professor, stopped by the U.S. government from attempting to clone the first human baby, says that she is “fighting for the freedom of choice of reproduction.” Brigitte Boisselier used the abortion-rights language in response to the American Food and Drug Administration ordering her to stop project “Clonaid”, which sought to re-create a 10-month-old boy who died in a hospital accident. Boisselier said she hopes to go to federal court to challenge the FDA directive, and she believes arguments for and against cloning are destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. “If […]
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GENETIC TESTING EQUALS ONE HEALTHY BABY, 17 DISCARDED EMBRYOS

CHICAGO, June 8, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Chicago scientists announced yesterday the first birth of a baby screened as an embryo to insure no predisposition to cancer. Researchers at the Reproductive Genetics Institute tested 18 early-stage embryos from two in-vitro fertilization attempts for a particular genetic disorder and seven were found to be normal. Two of those embryos were transferred back to the mother resulting in one successful pregnancy. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, is performed at about 29 medical centers worldwide, mostly to uncover single-gene disorders. Last year the same institute’s scientists stirred worldwide debate when they selected from among […]
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LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

Polygamy could solve the daycare dilemma for professional women, says the Utah Chapter of the National Organization of Women. Men having multiple wives would mean that working women could “have someone at home they can trust to watch their children,” says the group.  http://www.polygamy.com/Practical/Polygamy-Could-Help-Moms-Who-Work.htm The cloning of pigs containing human DNA by a US firm could shortly lead to a supply of animal organs for transplanting into human beings.  http://thescotsman.co.uk/world.cfm?id=77931 US Republican Chris Smith will introduce legislation today “encouraging “ethical” research using only adult [stem] cells, not those of destroyed fetuses.” (Wall Street Journal, June 8, 2001) Protesters in California […]
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ONTARIO WOMEN DOCTORS TAKE DOUBLE THE EXPECTED MATERNITY LEAVE

TORONTO, June 7, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Ontario government has agreed to double the budget for a year-old program that pays female doctors to take maternity leave as twice the expected number of physicians took advantage of it. As self-employed business people doctors are not eligible for the parental leave benefits salaried workers can receive under Employment Insurance, a federal program. A new Ontario program based on a Nova Scotia model offers them up to $880 a week for 17 weeks without having to pay premiums. Women physicians think a lot about when they’re going to have children because of […]
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CANADIAN PHYSICIANS DEFEND CONCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

ALBERTA, June 7, 2001 (LSN.ca) – An allegation that physicians who object to abortion for reasons of conscience are obliged to refer patients for the procedure has been refuted by Canadian Physicians for Life (CPL). Planned Parenthood of Alberta spokeswoman Melanie Anderson stated on CTV News that “even doctors ethically must make referrals for abortion services, whether they morally support that or not.” CPL President Dr. Will Johnson responded that both in Alberta and nationally, a physcian’s responsibility is to “inform a patient when their personal morality would influence the recommendation or practice of any medical procedure that the patient […]
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