Monday December 20, 1999
PRO-LIFE PRIEST HARASSED BY ANTI-LIFE CANADIAN MP – MORE DETAILS
OTTAWA, Dec 20 (LSN.ca) – As LifeSite reported Friday, Fr. Tony Van Hee, a pro-life Catholic priest who has for the past ten years quietly and peacefully picketed, prayed and fasted outside the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa was harassed by gay MP Svend Robinson, a politician known for his aggressive promotion of euthanasia and homosexuality.
LifeSite interviewed Fr. Van Hee and has learned that the altercations with Robinson began November 30 and thus not in the last week as LifeSite had reported. Among seven signs on display that day, one read “Homosexuality – objective disorder tending to deviant acts,” a sign based on Vatican documents. The sign had been on display since the 1996 debate around bill C-33 involving adding the term “sexual orientation” to the human rights code.
Fr. Van Hee told LifeSite that Svend came up to him and said “I’m a homosexual. I’m not deviant” and called the sign “unacceptable.” “Are you going to take it down?” Robinson demanded and threatened to and did see the Sergeant-at-Arms to have it removed. Fr. Van Hee decided to remove the sign as he did not want to offend anyone and his only purpose for the sign was to witness to the truth.
A second incident occurred on December 7 where a more agitated Robinson approached Fr. Van Hee saying “You haven’t learned anything from the Sergeant-at-Arms.” On display this time among his pro-life signs was one that read, – “Sexual orientation. Defeat of reason. Protecting disorder.” “Are you going to take that sign down?,” Robinson demanded. Fr. replied “are you going to be open to the truth?” They both repeated their statements to each other three times. Robinson stated “You’ve been here long enough”, indicating he was going to try to have Fr. removed from the Hill. Robinson then moved toward the sign saying “I’ll take it down for you”. He tried unsuccessfully to crush the sign and then threw it over the wall behind Fr.Van Hee.
Fr. discussed the matter with the RCMP police who were nearby and wrote complaint. However, he was eventually advised that the Ottawa police have jurisdiction over this incident and no further action has been taken to date. Later that same day, the RCMP photographed Fr. Van Hee’s signs, a move some suspect is related to Robinson’s efforts to evict the priest from the Hill.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MOTHER OF PRO-LIFE PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec 20 (LSN.ca) – On Friday, Jane Wagner, mother of Mary Wagner, 25, a political prisoner in Maximum Security at BC Women’s Correction centre, issued a moving letter to the press. Jane explains that her daughter’s “crime” is “offering flowers and hope on the streets of Vancouver to desperate women making desperate choices. She wanted to help women in crisis pregnancies to choose life for their babies.”
“Our family will miss her on Christmas, especially my little ones,” writes Jane. “They are heart-broken and confused. They miss her terribly.” Using the imagery of the first Christmas, Jane writes that Mary has “made room in the Inn of her heart for those without hope or shelter from darkness. She is imprisoned for recognizing the Christ child in the humblest of settings. The Mary of the first Christmas story accepted her role in salvation with humility and wonder at God’s plan for her. Our Mary reflects the same consent to God’s will.”
“Mary is not complaining and is very much at peace,” says Jane as she wishes all a Merry Christmas and peace. “She is our hero, joined with Christ in this holy season of joy.”
BRITISH COUPLE WANTS TO CREATE GRANDCHILD FROM DEAD SON
LONDON, Dec 20 (LSN.ca) – In the latest innovation from the world of reproductive technology, a British couple is fighting for the right to create a grandchild for themselves using the sperm from their dead son.
After the death of Lance Smith, 36, last year, a fertility clinic extracted sperm from his body for the in-vitro fertilization of his girlfriend of 10 years. The woman declined the treatment so Lance’s parents, Natasha and Barry Smith, from Droitwich asked for the sperm to be released to them. Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said that the sperm could not be released to the parents since such a move was not authorized by Lance. The Smiths are now taking the fertility clinic to court to fight for their son’s sperm.
For more see the Associated Press story at:
https://www.canoe.ca/TopStories/sperm_dec19.html
UN RWANDA INQUIRY “WHITEWASH”
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20 (LSN.ca) – The report of the so-called “independent” inquiry into the actions of the United Nations during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda may be nothing more than a recommendation to give the UN more money, authority, military personnel and equipment.
Conducted by Ingvar Carlsson, long-time UN devotee, the inquiry recommends more political will, finances and personnel supporting the UN because “the overriding failure in the response of the United Nations before and during the genocide in Rwanda can be summarized as a lack of resources.” With this, UN president Kofi Annan was able to issue a statement of regret on the part of the UN, sanctimoniously promising that there would be no next time since the international community would now provide the UN with its needed “resources”.
The much-heralded “independent” nature of the inquiry has fallen under severe criticism. While inquiries conducted in Belgium and at the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda were denied testimony from the key player in the situation, General Romeo Dallaire, this UN sponsored inquiry, says Annan, “enjoyed full and unrestricted access to United Nations records, including internal documents and cables.”
At the outset of the inquiry the appointment of the fiercely pro-UN Ingvar Carlsson, former prime minister of Sweden, as the chairperson of the three-man investigating panel prompted US Representative Cynthia McKinney to write UN Secretary General Kofi Annan: “The United Nations inquiry is merely designed to deny responsibility, deflect criticism and defend poorly planned and executed UN decisions made during the catastrophe which engulfed Rwanda in 1994. I am very concerned that this inquiry has been established for the purpose of whitewashing your own role and that of other officials in the tragic events surrounding … the genocide,” she wrote.
LifeSite notes that concern around Carlsson’s assessment is warranted. In 1994 Carlsson co- chaired the report of the Commission on Global Governance called Our Global Neighborhood working with leading advisor to Kofi Annan, Maurice Strong. The report called for the UN to be empowered to exercise international political power.
For the “independent” report and Annan’s remarks go to:
https://www.un.org/News/dh/latest/rwanda.htm
For background on the Rwanda genocide see:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1998/dec/981210b.html https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1998/sept/98090301.html https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/march/99032301.html https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1998/dec/98121602.html
EXXON-MOBIL GAS COMPANY ELIMINATES “DOMESTIC PARTNER” BENEFITS
WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (LSN.ca) – In a move seen as a victory for pro-family forces, Exxon-Mobil made a corporate decision to end Mobil’s policy of granting “domestic partner” benefits to homosexual partners of employees as well as unmarried heterosexual ones. Several pro-family groups in the US had petitioned Mobil in March of 1998 asking them to reconsider their extension of benefits to benefits to homosexual and unmarried couples “on an equal footing with married employees.”
Commenting on the decision, Family Research Council’s Chief Spokeswoman Janet Parshall said “Think of the energy Exxon-Mobil can now channel towards delivering gas instead of pumping the homosexual agenda.” The American Family Association (AFA) reported last week that the radical homosexualist activist group, Human Rights Campaign, has launched a campaign to have Exxon-Mobil reverse their decision.
The AFA urges pro-family supporters to contact Exxon-Mobil and thank them for their removal of domestic partner benefits and honoring the marriage covenant as between a man and woman.
Mr. L. R. Raymond, CEO Exxon-Mobil Corp. 5959 Las Colinas Boulevard Irving, TX 75039-2298 Phone: (972) 444-1107 Fax: (972) 444-1138 E-mail: (form) https://www.exxon.com/contact/index.html E-mail: (direct) [email protected]
LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Friday that the US law forbidding child pornography infringes the first amendment rights of pornographers since it includes a ban not only on child pornography but also on porn involving people who “appear” or “convey the impression” they are minors. https://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2562685643-…
Catholic World News reported Sunday that a new wave of forced sterilization in Mexico has prompted calls of protest to the government by Provida, a Mexican pro-life group. Jorge Serrano Limon, president of Provida, explains that the over 200 cases of forced abortions discovered are the fruit of the government’s birth control policy.” https://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=44804
Friday’s Federalist Digest quotes Hollywood celebrity Cybill Shepherd explaining her motivation for a presidential run – “I think it is crucial that the next president is pro- choice.”
The December issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility contains a study indicating that early miscarriage is more likely with in-vitro fertilization than with normal reproduction. https://www.meddevel.com/site.mash?left=/library.exe&m1;=3&m2;=… .exe&action;=latest&source;=now&node;=TOC@@FNS&site;=FNS&jcode;=FNS
American life League noted last week the production of a brochure on conscience legislation by the New Hope Life Center, a project of Catholics United for Life, which details the law in each of the 50 states regarding legal protection for those who are involved in the medical profession and do not wish to participate in aborting children. Visit their site:
https://members.aol.com/newhopelc/
Speaking on Minnesota’s governor Jesse Ventura’s anti-Christian comments in Playboy magazine, Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer said Thursday he would not want to associate with “Jesse, the bigot, Ventura.” He called the comments “a bigotry that would not have been tolerated had he said it about any other group.” https://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2562656133-…