Friday January 19, 2001
See today’s LifeSiteNews stories
UNREPENTANT LATIMER SEEKS ROYAL PARDON
OTTAWA, Jan 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Robert Latimer, who’s second-degree murder sentence (minimum 10 years without parole) was upheld Thursday by the Supreme Court, told reporters after the ruling, “This is not a crime. Almost everything that’s happened have been things that ordinary humans would do.” While he turned himself in to prison, his lawyer said that he intends to appeal to the federal cabinet for leniency, under a rarely used Royal Prerogative of Mercy, after Latimer has spent a year in prison.
Meanwhile right-to-life and disabled groups as well as religious organizations praised the ruling. Pro-euthanasia groups said they would continue their campaign to legalize assisted-suicide despite this setback. Paul Young, the past president of People First – a disabled rights group, said Canadians with disabilities can now “take a breath and relax.” Young, who has cerebral-palsy, as did Latimer’s 12-year-old daughter and victim, noted that the disabled community was concerned that a ruling in favour of Latimer would make for open-season on the disabled. “We were all very scared about that,” he told the National Post.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and the Catholic Group for Health, Justice and Life, both intervenors in the case, praised the decision. “As a society, our message to parents of disabled children must be one of compassion and a commitment to assist them in caring for their children. We must not condone or excuse the taking of their child’s life,” said Bruce Clemenger, Director of the EFC’s Centre for Faith and Public Life. The Catholic group representing the Bishops, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Women’s League and the Catholic Health Association said in a press release, “The Court’s decision is an eloquent affirmation of the value of each human life and the role of the state to protect human life, especially when it is most vulnerable as in the case of Tracy Latimer.”
See the coverage in the National Post at:
https://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/200…
See related LifeSite story:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010118.html#1
OTTAWA ARCHBISHOP BLASTS CATHOLIC HEALTH MINISTER OVER ABORTION
OTTAWA, Jan 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais soundly rebuked Catholic Health Minister Allan Rock in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen published today. The archbishop told the paper that Rock’s actions to promote the funding of abortion “make my blood boil,” and urged Catholic voters to “raise a stink” about the funding of abortion. “The fact that we do not have a law to protect the rights of the unborn … should not lead us to quietly accept abortion as a right, as a medically necessary procedure. Life is at issue here,” Gervais said.
The archbishop lamented that although the Church teaches abortion is evil, there is not one major political party in Canada that is pro-life, even though nearly half of all Canadians call themselves Roman Catholic. He called on Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Rock, both Catholics, to come out of the closet on the pro-life side of the issue. “Catholic politicians should be making their private opinions public. Religion is not a private affair. It is a public issue,” he said. Pro-life leaders, while very praising of the archbishops comments, tend to believe the evidence is substantial that Chretien, Rock and other prominent Liberal Catholic politicians are in fact not in the closet on the abortion issue. Steve Jalsevac of Campaign Life Coalition notes that “their practical support for abortion access, funding and promotion nationally and internationally has been extreme”.
The Citizen reports that Archbishop Gervais was stunned that the mainstream media totally ignored a letter from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on the issue, released January 10. (see the LifeSite coverage here https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010111.html#1) He is sending out the letter to all Ottawa priests to disseminate the information to parishioners. Archbishop Gervais’ statement was given front-page coverage in the Ottawa Citizen, and has shown that the media remains much more attentive to familiar local church authorities than to bureaucratic organizations without a face such as the CCCB
See the story in the Ottawa Citizen at:
https://www.ottawacitizen.com/national/010119/5024716.html
TORY MP TO INTRODUCE BILL AGAINST ABORTION FUNDING
ST JOHN, NB, Jan 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Saint John, New Brunswick Tory MP Elsie Wayne plans to introduce a private member’s bill to prevent the Canada Health Act from being used to fund abortions. Mrs. Wayne is responding to suggestions made in a letter from NB Right to Life executive director Peter Ryan about the current dispute between Ottawa and New Brunswick over the funding of private abortion clinics. Health Minister Allan Rock is pressuring the province to pay for abortion on demand at the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton.
In the letter, sent to New Brunswick’s 10 Members of Parliament, Mr. Ryan stated, “we can find no evidence that the Canada Health Act authorizes the federal government to unilaterally define abortion on request as medically necessary. In fact,” he said, “it seems doubtful the federal government is authorized to determine any service as medically necessary without the consent of the provinces.”
Because of the present political confusion over the meaning of the Act, Ryan suggests two amendments be made: (1) Under Section 2 (Definitions), that abortion be added to the list of what is not included as “insured health services.” (2) Under Section 22 (Regulations), Subsection 2 (Agreement of Provinces), that a sentence be added specifying that no regulation may be made with respect to the definition of insured health services except with the agreement of each of the provinces. Such amendments would not prevent the provinces from paying for abortion, Ryan points out. But they would at least prevent the federal government from dictating to the provinces that they must cover abortion, whether at private clinics or elsewhere.
See related LifeSite coverage:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010109.html#1
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010108.html#1
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010110.html#2
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010111.html#2
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jan/010117.html#3
WIFE OF PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS NO TO OVERTURNING ROE V WADE
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) – In a stunning disappointment to U.S. pro-lifers, Laura Bush, wife of President-Elect George Bush was quoted on Friday saying of the Roe v Wade court decision, “No, I don’t think it should be overturned.” Her comments came in response to a question on NBC’s “Today.” There was also some dismay about the comments of Attorney-General nominee John Ashcroft, during the very hostile grilling he has been receiving from the Senate Judiciary Committee and pro-abortion leaders.
Ashcroft stated he would not seek to overturn Roe v Wade and would uphold and enforce current laws in the US favouring “access to abortion” such as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Gary Bauer, a right-to-life leader and 2000 presidential candidate, told the New York Post that Ashcroft’s remarks were “troubling” and would upset the “millions” of right-to-lifers who “worked very hard” for Bush’s election.
However, Jim Sedlak of American Life League told LifeSite that although such comments would disqualify candidates for President or for Senator, in the context of the position of Attorney General, the comments are understandable since the position is specifically geared to the enforcement of existing law. Sedlak told LifeSite that Ashcroft is a solid pro-lifer and will be one of only two solid pro-lifers in the Bush Administration alongside Vice-President-Elect Dick Cheney.
See the New York Post coverage at:
https://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/20481.htm
REGRETS ALL ROUND BUT BISHOPS REMAIN FIRM ON MARRIAGE
OTTAWA, Jan 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) – In response to a letter from the Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) protesting a letter of congratulations sent by the Governor General of Canada to a ‘wedded’ homosexual couple, the Governor General sent a letter of explanation to the CCCB. A press release by the CCCB notes “the CCCB accepts the personal explanation of the Governor General that the message sent from her office “did not imply political intent.” But the CCCB continues, “Nevertheless, the CCCB remains convinced that the political use that was made of the message both at the ceremony and in subsequent media reports and headlines could not go unanswered.” The release concludes that “the Roman and Eastern Catholic Bishops of Canada, together with millions of other Canadians, will continue to be concerned about efforts to change the definition and reality of marriage as the sacred union of a man and a woman.”
Meanwhile a press release from the Canadian Catholic Civil Rights League and subsequent phone calls and emails to a CBC television program which ridiculed the CCCB’s stand on the issue has resulted in an apology. Dave Stephens, host of CBC’s Ontario Today apologized for his remarks on air. He stated, “On yesterday’s show, after we re-broadcast an interview Andy Barrie did with Monsignor Peter Schonenback about a letter the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops had written to the Governor-General, I made an off-the-cuff, and in retrospect, inappropriate comment. I would like to express my regret for having done so.” Stephens ridiculed the CCCB concern over the Governor General’s letter to the homosexual couple by making a ridiculous parallel, stating his concern that the Governor General’s visit to the unfortunate glue sniffing Innu children of remote Labrador would somehow be seen as an endorsement of their glue sniffing.
See the Bishop’s and the GG’s releases:
https://www.cccb.ca/english/fullpublice.asp?ID=68
https://www.gg.ca/news/20010117_e.html
See related LifeSite coverage:
https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/jan/010117.html#2
https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/jan/010116.html#1
https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/jan/010118.html#5
LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
Pope John Paul II has again referred to the “urgent” need to defend life and family. Zenit reports that in a meeting with Rome’s city leaders yesterday the pope said, “proposals and measures in favor of maternity and the protection of life from conception to its natural end deserve sincere support.” He also said, “the family must be at the center of social policies and must be respected in its own identity, as a stable union between man and woman founded on marriage, which can never be assimilated to other forms of relation.”
The BBC reports that the funeral of the Siamese twin Mary is taking place near the family’s Maltese island home, while her sister remains in hospital in England.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1125000…
The Catholic News Service reports that youth in Nairobi, Kenya are pledging chastity to avoid AIDS. “Only abstinence will save our generation,” said David Odero of True Love Waits, a group of young Kenyans who tour schools, universities and television chat shows preaching the message that sex before marriage is wrong. True Love Waits Kenya is a nondenominational movement but has received substantial funding from the Catholic Church in Kenya.