News

Thursday November 29, 2001


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PETITION WITH 30K+ SIGNATURES AGAINST LATIMER CLEMENCY PRESENTED

OTTAWA, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) presented its petition entitled: Protecting People With Disabilities – The Supreme Court of Canada Latimer Decision to Liberal MP Paul Steckle today. The purpose of the petition, signed by over 31,500 Canadians, is to support the needs of people with disabilities and other vulnerable Canadians by rejecting the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy for Robert Latimer. Mr. Steckle said he would present the petition in the House of Commons.

Pro-euthanasia activists have been clamouring to allow convicted murderer Robert Latimer a royal prerogative of mercy (negating his mandatory 10 year sentence) since he claims the killing of his disabled 12-year-old daughter was an act of mercy.

At a press conference following the presentation, EPC President Dr. Barrie deVeber and Executive Director Alex Schadenberg, raised concerns about the Exit Bag – Suicide Bag which is produced and distributed by the Right to Die Society of Canada.


BRITAIN’S TOP COURT REJECTS WOMAN’S APPEAL FOR ASSISTED SUICIDE

PM Says Not In Favour of Altering Law

LONDON, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The House of Lords has rejected an appeal by Dianne Pretty, a 47-year-old British woman suffering from motor neurone disease, who asked the courts to allow her husband to assist in her suicide without facing criminal charges. The BBC reports that five law lords unanimously dismissed the appeal, saying that human rights legislation, on which grounds Pretty appealed, was in place to protect life rather than end it.

The Telegraph reports that Lord Bingham, the senior law lord, said it would have been a “gross abuse of his power” if the public prosecutor had promised that a crime yet to be committed would not lead to prosecution. Pretty, who also lost her case in an unanimous ruling at the High Court, said she would appeal the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday that he was not in favour of reforming the Suicide Act to allow ill people to take their own lives. “It is really a matter of conscience for people on both sides of the House, but I’m afraid I’m not in favour of amending that Act,” he said in the House of Commons.

The coalition of three pro-life groups which had intervened in the case (SPUC, the Medical Ethics Alliance and ALERT) welcomed the ruling, which they said safeguarded the right to life of vulnerable sick people. The coalition had been allowed to submit legal argument but had not been allowed by the court to submit medical evidence provided by Dr Nigel Sykes, a leading expert in terminal care for sufferers of motor neurone disease, demonstrating that much could be done to alleviate Mrs Pretty’s suffering.

For the BBC and Telegraph coverage see:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1682000/16827…
https://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/…
(with files from SPUC)


STOCKWELL DAY REPORTED TO RUN FOR ALLIANCE LEADERSHIP

OTTAWA, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Canadian Press reports that an Alliance Party caucus source has revealed that Stockwell Day will run for the Canadian Alliance leadership. “He’s going to run, for sure,” said an unidentified source. “It’s pretty much a fait accompli.”

Day will step down as leader after an interim leader is chosen December 12. It is expected Day will announce his run for leader shortly thereafter. Although no candidates have officially declared, Stephen Harper former head of the National Citizens’ Coalition and Calgary MP Diane Ablonczy are seeking support to run.

The Alliance leadership vote will begin March 8 with the results of the first mail-in ballot to be announced March 20. If a second ballot is required, another vote will be held March 21. Those results would be announced April 4 at the party’s national convention in Edmonton.

See the CP coverage:
https://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSPolitics0111/28_day-cp.html


UMBILICAL CORD STEM CELLS SAVE TEEN’S LIFE: 60 MINUTES II

CHICAGO, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – 60 Minutes II carried a special program on the cure of a teenage boy with sickle cell disease – a cure which came from stem cells from umbilical cord blood, not from embryos. The case of Keone Penn has made medical history since he was the first to be cured of the life-threatening disease using umbilical cord blood stem cells.

Dr. Andrew Yeager of the University of Pittsburgh, attempted the experimental treatment on the boy after failing to find a bone marrow match. A public blood bank that had stored umbilical blood stem cells contained a match that was close enough since the umbilical blood cells do not require an exact match. The treatment worked and cured the Keone.

Sixty Minutes reported that Keone “was diagnosed when he was 6 months old. He was 5 when his sickle cell caused a stroke . For six years, Keone and his mother, Leslie Penn, were constantly in and out of an Atlanta hospital to receive transfusions to stave off another potentially deadly stroke. By the time Keone was 11, the transfusions were becoming less effective and he had excruciating pain in his joints and lower back . It stunted his growth . Keone had, at best, only five years to live.”

After receiving the stem cell treatment over Christmas 1998, his blood type was amazingly found to have changed from type O to type B – he had taken on the donors blood type. A year later he was checked by doctors who said the sickle cell had disappeared and he is considered cured.

“After a baby is born, there is just a 15-minute window to retrieve the four to six ounces of blood in the umbilical cord. And in that blood are potentially lifesaving stem cells that can be saved for future use,” reports 60 Minutes. Applications to store cord blood at birth must be pre-arranged.

For information on the Toronto and International programs for storing cord blood see:
https://www.sickkids.on.ca/FetalCentre/TorontoCordBloodProgra…
https://www.marrow.org/NMDP/non_nmdp_cord_blood_banks.html

See the full 60 Minutes II coverage: https://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,319351-412,00.shtml

See LifeSite coverage of another successful treatment with umbilical cord stem cells:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/may/01052301.html


FATHER PAVONE SAYS HIS PARISH ASSIGNMENT WON’T HINDER PRO-LIFE LEADERSHIP

INDIANAPOLIS, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, has said his parish assignment in the diocese of New York “will be compatible” with continuing his “pro-life leadership.” The Catholic News Service reports that Fr. Pavone made the comments in a talk to Civitas Dei, a Catholic business guild in Indianapolis.

As LifeSite reported in September, Fr. Pavone, the National Director of Priests for Life for the past eight years, has been asked by Cardinal Edward Egan to resume full-time work within the Archdiocese of New York. The reason given for the decision was the need for parish priests in New York.

Fr. Pavone’s spokesperson was unable to comment on the story since discussions are still ongoing with Cardinal Egan.

See the CNS report:
https://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20011128.htm#hea…


AMENDMENTS TO ANTI-TERROR LEGISLATION ADDRESS PRO-LIFE CONCERNS

OTTAWA, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The controversial anti-terror legislation proposed by the Liberal government and amended after an outpouring of public objection passed the House of Commons yesterday. Pro-lifers’ concerns with the legislation were much abated when the government rendered its amendments.

Gwen Landolt, a lawyer with REAL Women Canada, told LifeSite that the legislation’s amendments have alleviated the concerns of pro-life groups which could have been liable to prosecution under the original bill. The amendments “ensure that protest activity, whether lawful or unlawful, would not be considered a terrorist act unless it was intended to cause death, serious bodily harm, endangerment of life or serious risk to the health or safety of the public.” Moreover, an interpretive clause was added to the Bill “clarifying that the expression of political, religious or ideological beliefs is not a terrorist activity unless it also constitutes conduct that meets the definition of ‘terrorist activity.'”

Janet Epp Buckingham, General Legal Counsel with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, agreed with Landolt that the concerns for pro-life groups have been addressed. However she noted that groups that engage in innocent charitable work overseas may still be caught by the legislation. EFC’s release on its ongoing concerns with the legislation explain that “many Christian charities provide humanitarian assistance in conflict-ridden areas where those who are engaged in terrorist activities, or their families, might avail themselves of food aid, hospital or dental services.”

For a full explanation of EFC concerns see their release at:
https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/resources/resource_viewe…>

See the National Post coverage of the bill’s passage in the House:
https://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20011…

See the Justice Canada release on the amendments to the bill:
https://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2001/doc_27902.html


CORRECTION ERIC GENUIS CONCERT DATE DEC. 11

The date of the Eric Genuis concert is Dec. 11, not Sept. 11 as reported in yesterday’s news


MICHAEL COREN THIS WEEK

This week Michael relates a story about the precious love between and father and daughter
See https://www.lifesitenews.com:7070/ramgen/112801fatheranddaughter….


NOTABLE QUOTES

London free Press Columnist Herman Gooden (Nov 29) on the problems with Canadian government:
“They take prayer out of our schools and gut the history and English curricula of any lingering traces of positive Judeo-Christian influence. They set up kangaroo-court human rights tribunals which unfailingly punish politicians and citizens who refuse to perjure their Christian conscience by promoting gay rights. They publicly fund a national TV network that mocks the religious tenets held by Stockwell Day, yet never questions the pro-abortion Catholicism of Jean Chretien or Joe Clark. They forbid clergy to mention Jesus Christ or offer Christian prayers at a memorial service following the Swissair crash off Peggy’s Cove. They hold a post-Sept. 11 “memorial event” on Parliament Hill that attracts 100,000 Canadians and again ban any expression of Christian faith. Just before Remembrance Day, they instruct military chaplains to not use the terms Father, Son, Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ in public prayers and services.”
https://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/goodden.html


LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

CANADA APPROVES NEW PERMANENT CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICE
Conceptus Inc. announced that it has won approval to market its selective tubal occlusion procedure in Canada. The permanent contraceptive procedure, called Essure, is based upon the process of tubal ligation; it uses a 1.6-inch metal coil that is inserted into the fallopian tubes which irreversibly destroys their natural function after 3 months. The procedure is performed in 15-30 minutes.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/011127/5/ev1q.html

A SYPHILIS EPIDEMIC HAS BEEN LINKED TO HIGH-RISK HOMOSEXUAL SEX
https://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/1233283p-1301723c.h…

AUSTRALIAN MOTHER ABORTS ONE IVF TWIN DUE TO “PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS”
https://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,33…


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