* In a press release Wednesday announcing funding for new alcohol and substance abuse programs in Ontario, federal Health Minister Allan Rock was quoted as saying: “We know the problems substance abuse causes in families, the scars it leaves on children before and after birth, and the tragic consequences it has for so many of our young people.” Usually when pro-abortion politicians refer to unborn babies as children instead of fetuses, it is inadvertent. Nevertheless, it is good to have the Health Minister on record recognizing the humanity of the unborn.
* International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region, Inc. (IPPF/WHR) has launched its first website designed to raise online donations. It has solicited the services of Entango Corporation, an online fundraising service for non-profit organizations, the pro- abortion organization announced last week. The new site is expected to be ready in August. “Entango will not only integrate the ability to collect donations online directly into our site, it will also give us instant access to those funds by sending them straight to our merchant account,” said Dr. Hernan Sanhueza, regional director, IPPF/WHR.
* The Toronto Star published a guest column by a Buddhist monk last week which explains the eastern philosophy’s view of abortion. Punnadhammo Bhikkhuv lives in a Buddhist monastery retreat in Ontario. Buddhism teaches that “consciousness first arises at the moment of conception”, he wrote, explaining his opposition to abortion. He criticized the Pro-Life Movement for making legislative reform such a high priority and recommended a preventative approach to the problem including “ready access to contraceptives.”
* An international Catholic pro-life meeting is being held in Argentina next month from August 3-5. The III Meeting of Politicians and Legislators of America has been organized by the Pontifical Council for Family and will bring together clergy from across America as well as politicians other authorities and experts. Argentinean President Carlos Menem will be attending the meeting. Topics to be discussed include “Bio-ethics within the scientific challenge of the Third Millennium”, “Juridical status of the human embryo”, and “America: new globalization and new values”.
* First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas has been trying for a year to have two pro- homosexual children’s stories, Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate, removed from the children’s section of the city’s public library. They are waiting for a court ruling on the matter, expected in mid-August. The controversy has pitted the church against the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church, and the American Library Association, reports the Conservative News Service.