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AYLMER, ON, July 13, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The case of a Christian family whose 7 children aged 6 to 14 were taken from their home by the Children’s Aid Society and police on July 4 because of spanking has sent shockwaves throughout Canada. Pro-family groups – Canada Family Action Coalition and REAL Women spoke with the press to condemn the tactics of the CAS, which in this case seem extreme. New developments in the case include the setting up of a website, for the family’s case as well as a defense fund for their support. Moreover, famed Canadian author William Gairdner, best known for his work “The War Against the Family”, has written authorities to protest the CAS “in what appears to be an unjustified legal childnapping”.

A website www.childrentaken.com was set up by the Church of God, where the family worships. The website enables people to email all the seven children and send them words of encouragement. Initially the website named the family and provided photos of the happy children, however Aylmer Deputy Police Chief Andre Reymer sent an email to the Church ordering the “site and its contents be terminated immediately” noting that the law forbade identifying information on the family to be published. The site was shut down and revised so as to obscure the photos of the children and remove the family’s name to comply with the law.

The Aylmer Children Legal Defence Fund has been established to offer support to the family. Donations are accepted at all Bank of Montreal branches in Canada or can be sent to Family Legal Defense Fund – P.O. Box 82 – Aylmer, Ontario N5H 2R8.

At the hearing the parents were granted access to the children two times a week for three hours at a time in their home. The church pastor was forbidden any contact with the children and they were not allowed to attend any of the church’s services.

In a letter to police and social workers involved in the case, Gairdner urged authorities to “reconsider their hasty actions.” Gairdner wrote: “Canada is currently passing though a phase of “abuse hysteria” in which increasing numbers of ordinary human relations that have endured for millennia and served society’s families, and nations very well, are under public scrutiny and suspicion. This is creating a bizarre public mood in which teachers are afraid to discipline unruly and violent students, indeed, are often attacked by such students; parents are afraid to spank their children when clearly justified, and are often sworn at and vulgarized by them; and public servants, such as the police – who ought to be devoting themselves to the real crimes in our midst such as breaking and entering, fraud, rape, and murder – are caught in the middle, pawns of zealous public authorities and lower level bureaucrats or social workers on a mission to purify society.” See related coverage from LifeSite https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/july/010706.html#1 https://lsn.ca/ldn/2001/july/010709.html#1