Weekly News

1. 4MyCanada Has Scheduled Its Second Siege National Conference, 'Reverse The Curse’ – October 11, 2007

Saint John was chosen because it was the first incorporated city in Canada and the home region of Leonard Tilley, who gave Canada its motto based on Psalm 72:8: "He will have dominion from sea to sea." Saint John is also the site of the Reversing Falls; the movement seeks to launch a spiritual revival that will reverse the "ungodly moral tides" that have been flowing over Canada for the past 40 years.

2. CitizenLink – Teen Sues Her School For Rejecting Pro-Life Club – October 11, 2007

3. Deaths Associated with HPV Vaccine Start Rolling In, Over 3500 Adverse Affects Reported – October 1, 2007

With this knowledge would the NS Government be liable for any deaths? – HHW

Deaths Associated with HPV Vaccine Start Rolling In, Over 3500 Adverse Affects Reported – By John-Henry Westen

TORONTO, September 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As Canada, in large part due to aggressive behind the scenes lobbying, rolls out the not-comprehensively-tested Merck HPV vaccine for girls as young as nine, a look at developments on the vaccine south of the border should cause Canadians serious concern. In the United States a similar lobby campaign by the same company launched the mass HPV vaccination of girls beginning in June last year.

In just little over a year, the HPV vaccine have been associated with at least five deaths, not to mention thousands of reports of adverse effects, hundreds deemed serious, and many that required hospitalization.

Judicial Watch, a US government watchdog, became concerned while noting large donations to key politicians originating from Merck. A freedom of information request from the group in May of this year discovered that during the period from June 8, 2006 - when the vaccines received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - to May 2007 there were 1,637 reports of adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine reported to the FDA.

Three deaths were related to the vaccine, including one of a 12-year-old. One physician's assistant reported that a female patient "died of a blood clot three hours after getting the Gardasil vaccine." Two other reports, on girls 12 and 19, reported deaths relating to heart problems and/or blood clotting.

As of May 11, 2007, the 1,637 adverse vaccination reactions reported to the FDA via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) included 371 serious reactions. Of the 42 women who received the vaccine while pregnant, 18 experienced side effects ranging from spontaneous abortion to foetal abnormities.

Side effects published by Merck & Co. warn the public about potential pain, fever, nausea, dizziness and itching after receiving the vaccine. Indeed, 77% of the adverse reactions reported are typical side effects to vaccinations. But other more serious side effects reported include paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures.

Judicial Watch informed LifeSiteNews.com that a subsequent request for information on adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine, covering the period from May 2007 to September 2007, found that an additional 1800 adverse reactions have been reported, including more deaths. Exactly how many more deaths will be released in the coming days, Judicial Watch's Dee Grothe informed LifeSiteNews.com.

However the Canadian lobby effort by Merck's Canadian affiliate Merck Frosst Canada has been underway using powerful lobbyists with close connections to the politicians who have signed off on massive government funded vaccination programs.

The Toronto Star recently reported that Merck Frosst Canada Ltd hired public relations giant Hill & Knowlton to push the immunization strategies using some well-connected lobbyists: Ken Boessenkool, a former senior policy adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Bob Lopinski, formerly with Premier Dalton McGuinty's office; and Jason Grier, former chief of staff to Health Minister George Smitherman.

Harper's Conservative Government approved Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil in July and later announced a $300 million program to give the vaccine to girls from ages 9-13. That of course is only the beginning of what Merck likely hopes will be a much larger vaccination of all potentially sexually active women in Canada. In August, McGuinty's Ontario Liberals, on the advice of his Health Minister George Smitherman, announced that all Grade 8 girls will have free access to Gardasil.

One of the major complaints by physicians is that the HPV vaccination program has been implemented before adequate testing has been completed. Long-term effects of the vaccine remain unknown. Many are asking why the huge, seemingly reckless rush?

At least one answer to that question comes from the fact that Merck currently is the sole provider of an HPV vaccine with its Gardasil product. A competing HPV vaccine, Glaxo Smith Kline's Cervarix, is set to hit the market in January 2008. As more children are vaccinated with Gardasil, fewer will be able to later receive the necessary repeat boosters of a competing, incompatible vaccine. Merck is in a race to capture as much of the market as it can, consuming many millions of government tax dollars.

US sales of Gardasil are expected to reach $1 billion in the first year of its availability.

Dr. Dobson says winning an election is important, but not at the expense of our core beliefs.

Reports have surfaced in the press about a meeting that occurred last Saturday in Salt Lake City involving more than 50 pro-family leaders. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss our response if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion. Although I was neither the convener nor the moderator of the meeting, I’d like to offer several brief clarifications about its outcome and implications.

After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand.

5. HIV, AIDS – Western Failure and Ugandan Success – September 17, 2007

Dear Colleague,

Bishop Hugh Slattery of the South African Diocese of Tzaneen recently commissioned two beautifully done documentaries, which he shared with PRI. Together, they tell how the Catholic Church in Uganda and South Africa are successfully fighting the AIDS epidemic and dealing with its social consequences. But those who promote the life-saving message of abstinence and marital fidelity are being ridiculed and mocked by degenerate population controllers at every turn. – Steve Mosher

That Sub-Saharan Africa lies in the grip of a vast AIDS epidemic is no secret to anyone. According to statistics published in 2006 by UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS), an estimated 24.5 million people in the region were HIV-positive by the end of 2005, with 2.7 million contracting the virus in that year alone.

Desperate to stop the spread of this disease, which is well on its way to becoming the most destructive plague of all time, AIDS-stricken countries in Africa have turned to the West. The assistance they have received may have done more harm than good, however.

Secular-minded Western aid agencies have bombarded the continent with graphic sex-education programs and condoms. Yet, according to numbers published by UNAIDS itself (available here), HIV infection rates in Africa continue to climb, suggesting that such programs, instead of curbing the disease, are actually contributing to its spread by encouraging risky behaviour.

Only one African country, Uganda, has successfully combated AIDS. No other country has experienced a comparable decline.

Only one African country, Uganda, has successfully combated AIDS. Its HIV prevalence rate has plummeted in recent years. Over 18% of the adult population tested positive for the AIDS virus in 1992. By the end of 2005, only 6.7% did. No other country has experienced a comparable decline.

How was this remarkable turnaround achieved? Western aid organizations, eager to justify their programs (and their funding), falsely attribute the decline to sex education and condoms. The Ugandans themselves tell a much simpler story. It can be summed up in one word: abstinence.

The unsung hero of Uganda's victory over AIDS is a Catholic nun by the name of Sister Miriam Duggan, M.D. Early on in the fight against this deadly disease Sister Miriam developed a program called "Education for Life," a program which encourages people to be abstinent before marriage and faithful within it. By educating people about the dangers of promiscuous sex and its deadly consequences, "Education for Life" has helped to change the mindset of the Ugandan people. Sister Miriam Duggan and her collaborators insist that it is this program, backed up by the willingness of the government to accept abstinence education that has helped reduce the AIDS epidemic in Uganda.

"I think it can be very confusing for young people deciding now 'which way do I go?'" says Thandi Hadebe, an abstinence educator for Education for Life. "And that is where I think we fail our young people; because we give them too much conflicting information." He blames the AIDS epidemic on indiscriminate condom promotion and mixed messages sent by "comprehensive sex" educators.

Uganda's startling success in combating the spread AIDS can be attributed to its revolutionary approach to the problem -- through the promotion of abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriages.

Education for Life takes a very different approach. "We emphasize the aspect of freedom," says Fr. Andrew Shingange, another educator with the program, "that it is within themselves that they can protect themselves."

A brilliant new documentary film called The Change is On celebrates this victory for life and common sense. Commissioned by Bishop Hugh Slattery of the South African Diocese of Tzaneen, it tells Sister Miriam's story, and explains how "Education for Life" works in practice.

In Sowing in Tears, the sister documentary to The Change is On, Bishop Slattery describes the work of faith-based organizations in dealing with the social consequences of HIV/AIDS. Nor surprisingly, it is people of faith who are heroically caring for the infected in their homes, and staffing the orphanages full of orphaned and grieving children. (These excellent documentaries were produced by Metanoia Media, and may be ordered by going to CatholicStudio.com ).

Few know the problems of the HIV/AIDS epidemic better than Bishop Slattery. The adult HIV rate in South Africa was 18.8% at the end of 2005, or about what it was in Uganda 15 years ago. The "Education for Life" program has now been introduced in his diocese, and is spreading throughout South Africa.

"[AIDS] is a threat to a whole civilization, it is a threat to our future, it is a question of 'will there be generations around here in the future?'" says Bishop Slattery. "It sounds pessimistic put that way, but really, it is massive if you look at the numbers."

"It is becoming more and more evident day by day that the Western world's obsession with condom promotion is severely hampering the efforts of African countries to deal effectively with HIV/AIDS," says Bishop Slattery. "The only country to show real progress in combating the disease is Uganda … through the promotion of abstinence before marriage and fidelity in marriages. The Western world refuses to accept and laud this tremendous achievement. On the contrary it is doing its utmost to undermine it by using every possible means of promoting condoms there, against the wishes of the government leadership."

Media Contact: Colin Mason; E-Mail: colin@pop.org ; (540) 622-5240, ext. 209

PRI is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to PRI, please go to our Donations Page . All donations (of any size) are welcomed and appreciated.

The pro-life Population Research Institute is dedicated to ending human rights abuses committed in the name of "family planning," and to ending counter-productive social and economic paradigms premised on the myth of "overpopulation." Find us at www.pop.org.

Greetings from LifeIssues.net (www.lifeissues.net) Dear Friends for Life, Persistent Vegetative State Diagnosis is often inaccurate. Researchers at the University of Liege, Belgium, examined 59,000 patients in intensive care units. Of these, 357 were diagnosed on admission as being in persistent vegetative state (PVS). Just over half of these subsequently left the hospital with some degree of restored conscientiousness, while 59% were able to then obey commands. The study's conclusion was that at least one fourth of such patients have a good chance of recovering a "significant proportion of their faculties." Further 40% of PVS patients were incorrectly diagnosed as having no cognitive function, when in fact they did have minimum conscientiousness. Many previous studies have also shown that a PVS diagnosis is frequently inaccurate and should give pause to those who quickly advocate removing life support for people with traumatic head injuries. – Jerry Novotny, omi

Table Of Contents:
1. Oral Contraceptives Decrease Bone Density
2. The Truth And Meaning Of Human Sexuality
3. Pope Laments Collapse Of Marriages
4. Men Can Suffer A Myriad Of Grief Issues Following A Partner's Abortion
5. Mother Teresa's Darkness
6. Follow The Money: Stem Cells And Subsidies
7. Euthanasia: Death On Demand
8. American Girls' Suicide Rates Spike
9. Poll: Hispanic Immigrants Take Very Strong Pro-Life Stand On Abortion
10. Blade Runner: What Does It Mean To Be Human In An Artificial World?
11. The Scourge Of In Vitro Fertilization - The Brave New World Of Reproduction

Focus On Asia: Cholera-hit Indians 'face hunger' – Villagers are facing starvation in a tribal area of eastern India where an outbreak of cholera has killed scores of people in recent weeks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6981548.stm

Item #1. Oral Contraceptives Decrease Bone Density
A study of female military cadets has shown that the use of oral contraceptives is linked with loss of bone density in women. The study examined the effects of lifestyle, diet, and exercise on bone health in 107 white female cadets at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and found that irregular menstruation and oral contraceptives had a negative impact on bone density.

Item #2. The Truth And Meaning Of Human Sexuality
Among the many difficulties parents encounter today, despite different social contexts, one certainly stands out: giving children an adequate preparation for adult life, particularly with regard to education in the true meaning of sexuality. There are many reasons for this difficulty and not all of them are new.

Item #3. Pope Laments Collapse Of Marriages
Benedict told an estimated 300,000 young pilgrims who trekked to the shrine city of Loreto for a weekend religious rally to have faith that they can succeed in marriage even though so many others had failed. "There is so much failure of love all around us," Benedict told the crowd, camped out on a vast, dusty field. "How many couples don't succeed and separate? How many families end up in pieces? How many young people, even among you, have seen their parents separate and divorce?"

Item #4. Men Can Suffer A Myriad Of Grief Issues Following A Partner's Abortion
Prenatal tests for Down's syndrome could cause women to miscarry their healthy babies, according to a British doctor Dr Hylton Meire, formerly of King's College Hospital, London, warned that the amniocentesis test can be needlessly invasive and can lead to miscarriages of unborn children. Writing in Ultrasound, he calculated that there are 160 healthy babies lost for every 50 cases of Down's or Edwards' syndrome detected.

Item #5. Mother Teresa's Darkness
The path was quick – she was declared "Blessed Teresa" by Pope John Paul II in 2003 as part of the celebrations marking his 25th anniversary. But it was not uneventful. The exhaustive review of her papers revealed an interior life primarily marked by darkness and suffering. For over 50 years, Mother Teresa's spiritual life was characterized by an experience of the absence of God. A new book of her journal and letters, edited by Winnipeg-native Father Brian Kolodiejchuk will be released next Tuesday. The book, Come Be My Light, reveals that hidden life.

Item #6. Follow The Money: Stem Cells And Subsidies
Last week the scientific world was abuzz with the news that adult stem cells could be used to regenerate tissues and cure diseases.

Item #7. Euthanasia: Death On Demand
Should laws against assisted suicide be rescinded as "paternalistic?" Should assisted suicide be transformed from what is now a crime (in most places) into a sacred "right to die"? Should assisted suicide be redefined from a form of homicide into a legitimate "medical treatment" readily available to all persistently suffering people, including to the mentally ill?

Item #8. American Girls' Suicide Rates Spike
The suicide rate among preteen and young teen girls spiked dramatically in a disturbing shift that federal health officials say they can't fully explain. For all young people between ages 10 to 24, the suicide rate rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004 – the biggest single-year bump in 15 years - in what one official called "a dramatic and huge increase."

Item #9. Poll: Hispanic Immigrants Take Very Strong Pro-Life Stand On Abortion
The pro-life movement has a key ally and the support comes from an unlikely source that's producing considerable consternation on another political issue – Hispanic immigrants. A new survey of incoming Hispanics finds that they don't have attachments to the Democratic Party and are pro-life on abortion.

Item #10. Blade Runner: What Does It Mean To Be Human In An Artificial World?
In our strange and potentially very dangerous world where science fiction and Charles Darwin often collide, a handful of scientists are racing to be the first to create life. According to a flood of recent reports, this artificial life could be as close as six months away. In fact, Pat Mooney, executive director for the science watchdog organization the ETC Group, states: "For the first time, God has competition." Indeed, far different than cloning or cultivating stem cells, today's scientists are going beyond replicating life. They're creating life in a lab. The process of creating so-called "wet artificial life" or "synthetic life" involves building a living organism from nothing but life's very own basic building blocks-genes.

Item #11. The Scourge Of In Vitro Fertilization – The Brave New World Of Reproduction
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a medical technique that enables infertile couples to have children. The basic process requires that the woman’s eggs be artificially stimulated and then removed. The man’s sperm is obtained by masturbation. The eggs are fertilized with the sperm in a Petri dish. (In vitro is Latin for “in glass.”) Some of the embryos are then implanted in the woman’s uterus. With virtually every procedure, there are unused embryos. Couples typically have these frozen for possible use in the future. (This freezing is called cryopreservation.) There are approximately 500,000 cryopreserved embryos in the United States.

Get Involved:
1. Inform yourself on crucial issues at Lifeissues.net: http://www.lifeissues.net.
2. Pray daily for the courage to be God's presence in society and strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life".
3. Supportive Missionary For Human Life: "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia" is a project, which appeals for donations to help finance travel expenses for talks to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Schools and Family related groups. A series of lectures places emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Trends and Challenges". For inquires about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group within Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@star.quolia.com . To become a supportive Missionary participant for Human Life in Asia, kindly send your donations directly to: Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI; LifeIssues.net, Editor; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; (or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)

Contact Editor: Jerry Novotny, OMI; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; Tel/Fax: 088-843-0406; E-Mail: jerry@lifeissues.net

Contact Assistant Editor: Mr. Marlon Castillo Ramirez; Author of Book: "The Sights and Soul of Life"; E-Mail: mcr4lifeissues@gmail.com

Refuse Euthanasia And Face Criminal Charges? A leading British official has announced that practicing physicians who refuse to withdraw food and treatment from an ill patient might face criminal charges. This follows a bio-ethics council recently recommending that severely disabled newborns be killed by direct euthanasia. Does this new warning mean that if a doctor refused to deny food and water, he could possibly be sent to prison?

Dutch euthanasia is actually increasing. There has been a report that euthanasia in the Netherlands has declined. This is incorrect, for there has been marked increase in the number of patients being sedated and dehydrated to death. These are not listed as euthanasia under the law. According to LifeSiteNews, 14 May in 2005, there were approximately 12,660 euthanasia deaths, which accounted for 10% of all the people who died in Holland.

Pakistan states clearly that abortion is murder. CEDAW is the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. This U.N. Committee continues to push countries for legalization of abortion. Often the country does not fight this and some have buckled under and legalized. In May, however, it was Pakistan's time. They did not take this brow beating peacefully. The delegate to the U.N. from Pakistan told CEDAW, "Abortion is considered murder once a foetus is conceived, and it is illegal in our country except to save the life of the mother."

Whatever Happened To Common Sense At The End Of Life?
Britain: GMC Clears Hospital Doctor Who Hastened Babies' Deaths
Euthanasia: Bishops Recommend Health Care Directive
Bishop Says University Plan To Distribute Abortion Pill Is "Immoral"
New Head Of Family Life Office Wants To Get Word Out About Marriage
Oregon State Board Of Nursing Protected Nurses Over Patients
California Launches Same-Sex Marriage
Human Embryos As Human Subjects
Whatever Happened To Common Sense At The End Of Life?
The Intention To Hasten Death: A Survey Of Attitudes And Practices Of Surgeons In Australia
Israeli Doctor Exposes Nazi Abortion Program

Item #1. Whatever Happened To Common Sense At The End Of Life?
Withdrawal of treatment, 'living wills', terminal sedation, assisted suicide, organ donation, etc. Currently, it’s virtually impossible to escape all the death talk in the media and elsewhere. For example, if you are admitted to a hospital for almost any reason, you or your relatives will be asked if you have or would like information about documents formalizing your 'end-of-life' choices.

Item #2. Britain: GMC Clears Hospital Doctor Who Hastened Babies' Deaths
A neonatologist who injected a large dose of a muscle relaxant into babies moments before their deaths has been found fit to continue practicing. The doctor was originally charged with hastening the deaths of these babies whose life support had been discontinued with the full knowledge of their parent.

Item #3. Euthanasia: Bishops Recommend Health Care Directive
Bishops in Colorado have issued a letter containing a set of guidelines for Catholics who are taking end-of-life decisions. These guidelines urge Catholics to take measures to ensure that they are cared for at the end of their lives according to the church's moral teachings. Archbishop Chaput of Denver wrote: "The Church has always remained steadfast in her foundational teaching that every human life is a gift from God and made in his image. This gift is the foundation for all his other gifts. Therefore, the Church offers moral principles to guide our decision-making process during times of serious illness and imminent death." This letter was partly in response to the death of Mrs Terry Schiavo in Florida in 2005, who starved to death two weeks after her feeding tube was removed.

Item #4. Bishop Says University Plan To Distribute Abortion Pill Is "Immoral"
Auxiliary Bishop Antonio Marino of La Plata warned this week that the National University of La Plata is committing an immoral action by offering the morning-after pill free of charge to students, because it goes against "a principle that is non-negotiable, which is the respect for life."

Item #5. New Head Of Family Life Office Wants To Get Word Out About Marriage
"There are so many good families out there, so many who are embracing the culture of life. We have to get the message out to others that what the culture is selling – sexuality, consumerism, and rugged western individualism – is a lie. Rugged western individualism isn't working," he said.

"All we have to do is get the message to them, and they'll see the truths. But the places we're delivering the message - in the churches - they're not there to see and hear it. Our challenge is how are we going to reach them? The families that are there in the churches are a start."

Item #6. Oregon State Board Of Nursing Protected Nurses Over Patients – Report
There's a big story in Oregon, but you wouldn't know it from the amount of coverage it is getting.

Due largely to a series of investigative reports by the Portland Tribune's Peter Korn, the state initiated an investigation into the practices of the Oregon State Board of Nursing. Last week, the report was released and it was as bad as anyone could have imagined.

Comment: A few years ago, there was a case in St. Louis where a nurse admitted giving massive amounts of morphine and propofol without a doctor's order to a stroke patient who wasn't dying as fast as expected. She received only 5 years probation in a plea deal with prosecutors and indefinite suspension (not revocation) from the nursing board. Besides the obvious injustice, these kinds of cases have a chilling effect on the whistleblowers who report cases of medical murder. And that really endangers the public! – Nancy Valko, RN

Item #7. California Launches Same-Sex Marriage
Vote substitutes 'two persons' for 'man and wife' in state law.

Item #8. Human Embryos As Human Subjects
Embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) is a hot topic in public debate once again. Within the past few years, some states, most notably California, have allocated public funds for this research. The U.S. Congress and Senate recently passed S. 5, the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act" of 2007. This act would open up federal funding for research that destroys human embryos, but I argue in this article that federal regulations logically provide protection of the human embryo against destructive research.

Item #9. Whatever Happened To Common Sense At The End Of Life?
Withdrawal of treatment, "living wills", terminal sedation, assisted suicide, organ donation, etc. Currently, it's virtually impossible to escape all the death talk in the media and elsewhere. For example, if you are admitted to a hospital for almost any reason, you or your relatives will be asked if you have or would like information about documents formalizing your "end-of-life" choices. But despite all the hype, not every situation involving end-of-life issues has to involve wrestling with big ethical dilemmas. Many times, there are relatively simple considerations or strategies that actually used to be commonly employed until the introduction of the so-called "right to die". Accurate information, common sense and a good understanding of ethical principles can cut through the "right-to-die" fog and make a person's last stage of life as good as possible both for the person and his or her family.

Item #10. The Intention To Hasten Death: A Survey Of Attitudes And Practices Of Surgeons In Australia
More than a third of surgeons surveyed reported giving drugs with an intention to hasten death, often in the absence of an explicit request. However, in many instances, this may involve the use of an infusion of analgesics or sedatives, and such actions may be difficult to distinguish from accepted palliative care, except on the basis of the doctor's self-reported intention. Legal and moral distinctions based solely on a doctor's intention are problematic.

Item #11. Israeli Doctor Exposes Nazi Abortion Program
Reveals Chilling Parallels with the Ideas of Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger.

Get Involved:
1. Inform yourself on crucial issues at Lifeissues.net: http://www.lifeissues.net.
2. Pray daily for the courage to be God's presence in society and strongly support those who are deemed "unworthy of life"
3. Supportive Missionary For Human Life: "Journey for Life into the Heart of Asia" is a project, which appeals for donations to help finance travel expenses for talks to developing countries in Asia. Strong focus is placed on reaching Asian Catholic Major Seminaries, Schools and Family related groups. A series of lectures places emphasis on "The Asian Family at Crossroads: Trends and Challenges". For inquires about no-cost Pro Life Talks to your group within Asia: contact Fr. Jerry at jerry@star.quolia.com . To become a supportive Missionary participant for Human Life in Asia, kindly send your donations directly to: Fr. Jerry Novotny, OMI; LifeIssues.net, Editor; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; (or transfer donation directly to ProLife bank account: Jerome Novotny, Shikoku Bank, Asakura Branch, No. 102-1-0080824)

Contact Editor: Jerry Novotny, OMI; Akebono-cho 1-15-9; Kochi City, Japan, 780-8072; Tel/Fax: 088-843-0406; E-Mail:jerry@lifeissues.net

Contact Assistant Editor: Mr. Marlon Castillo Ramirez; Author of Book: "The Sights and Soul of Life"; E-Mail:mcr4lifeissues@gmail.com

Halton Catholic School Board Approves Controversial HPV Vaccinations on School Premises

All three student trustees supported resolution to ban the vaccine from Board's schools but did not have right to vote – By John-Henry Westen

HAMILTON, September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a move which came as an unexpected shock to many in the pro-life movement, the board of trustees at the Halton Catholic District School Board voted 4-3 to reject a motion to forbid the controversial HPV vaccine to be offered or administered on the Catholic school board's premises for the duration of this school year. The board has instead permitted the vaccine to be administered to girls as young as twelve on its premises.

As LifeSiteNews.com reported last week, trustee Anthony Danko formulated a resolution opposing the HPV vaccines based on concerns expressed by the Bishops of Ontario. The bishops said that they regretted the introduction of the vaccine without appropriate testing. (See coverage:

The most interesting aspect of the debate and vote was that the 12 trustees include three student trustees who are not permitted a vote. All three student trustees are female, and all three supported Danko's resolution to ban the vaccines from Halton Catholic schools. Had the three students been permitted a vote, Danko's resolution would have passed.

The three female students saw that the administration of a vaccine on Catholic premises to combat sexually transmitted diseases presented a mixed message to students.

"I'm taught every day to save myself for marriage and practise abstinence," said 16-year-old Erin Gamble. "Giving the vaccine to Grade 8 girls contradicts what I have been taught."

"I go to a Catholic school every day for a reason," Gamble added. "I have a big problem with this."

The letter from the Ontario Bishops on the vaccine spoke similarly. "Sexual activity is appropriate only within marriage," said the letter. "Outside of marriage, abstinence is not only clearly the choice that leads to spiritual and moral wellbeing, but it is obviously the best protection against risks of disease."

The Bishops also warned of health risks since the long-term effects of the vaccination have not been tested. "There is no consensus among those involved in public health in Canada that HPV vaccination is the most prudent strategy in terms of allocating health care resources to address the goal of preventing deaths resulting from cervical cancer," says the letter. "The Bishops of Ontario regret its introduction without further opportunity for thorough study of all of the effects of this program. The best interests of children demands that parents and guardians be fully informed before granting consent."

In its decision the board voted to send the letter from the Bishops to parents to assist them to discern what decision they should make. The board also decided that a signed form from parents would be required before the vaccine could be administered to their children on school property.

Nonetheless, the active participation of the Catholic board in the controversial vaccine has left many perplexed by the normally strongly pro-life, pro-family Board's decision. Danko says he has had many supportive calls from parents. "I'm not sure if we've been true to our Catholic identity here," said Danko in comments to LifeSiteNews.com. "I think we've compromised something."

At the meeting one of the trustees, Catholic priest Fr. David Wilhelm, argued against Danko's motion with an interpretation of the Bishops' letter which ran contrary to Danko's. "What the bishops are telling us is that parents have the right and the responsibility to make these decisions for their children and I don't think any of us have the right to take that away, as difficult as that may be," he said.

In reality however, Danko's motion sought not to deny parents permission to vaccinate their children with the HPV vaccine but merely to refuse to allow the Catholic school to be party to the controversial vaccine's administration.

"The bishops were clearly unhappy with the situation," said Danko, "and wanted us to do something about it." However, the letter from the bishops, despite expressing serious concerns, did not specifically direct or encourage Catholic school boards to decline participation in the vaccination program.

Fr. Wilhelm stated, "If this was so morally reprehensible, the bishops would have come out and said that clearly". He added, "Making this decision is well beyond what trustees are there for." The lack of clear direction in the bishops' letter thus left the door wide open to interpretations such as Fr. Wilhelm’s, which defeated the Danco motion.

Voting in favour of Danko's motion were Danko himself, Bob Van de Vrande, and Ed Viana. Voting against were Rev. David Wilhelm, Rosanna Palmieri, Pauline Houlahan, and Joanne Matters, who had previously expressed serious concerns about the vaccine and was expected to vote for the motion.

Ontario Premier Scandalized Catholic Students, Says Leading Catholic Magazine Editor
"Particularly offensive" that McGuinty says he can remain Catholic in good standing while advocating abortion and same-sex "marriage"

September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With statements made on Sept. 17 at a Markham Catholic high school that his so-called "private" Catholic faith does not determine his positions on public policy, Premier Dalton McGuinty scandalized his youthful audience, says the editor of Canada's leading Catholic magazine of news and opinion.

"There is no such thing as a 'private' Catholic faith," says Father Alphonse de Valk, editor of Catholic Insight magazine. "From the original biblical scriptures to the teachings of the Catholic Church today, it is made clear that Christians cannot live a 'double life' and try to separate their faith from what they do and say."

It is particularly offensive that Premier McGuinty would suggest to the students he can remain a Catholic in good standing while advocating such evils as abortion and the dismantling of the family unit through avenues such as same-sex "marriage," adds de Valk.

He cites the words of Jesus Christ in the biblical book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others."

As well, the current Catechism of the Catholic Church declares that "faith is not an isolated act. No one can believe alone… Our love for Jesus and for our neighbour impels us to speak to others about our faith (Paragraph 166)."

"We call on Premier McGuinty to establish where he actually stands," says de Valk. "'No one can serve two masters,' Jesus Christ said. At the moment, Premier McGuinty is serving the wrong master."

Amnesty International Organizes Worldwide Gay Protest Against Nicaragua – By Peter J. Smith

Managua, Nicaragua, September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After enshrining abortion as a human right in its humanitarian mission, Amnesty International has now stepped up its campaign to target nations that criminalize sodomy as grave violators of human rights, beginning with Nicaragua.

Last week Amnesty International through its affiliates orchestrated international protests outside Nicaraguan embassies and consulates in Germany, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Mexico, Paraguay, Sweden and Taiwan, demanding the repeal of Nicaragua's sodomy ban.

"Article 204 contradicts numerous provisions in international human rights law," said an Amnesty press release. It added that Nicaragua's law, "clearly violates all these articles as well as the provisions of other human rights instruments that Nicaragua has ratified on sodomy."

Nicaragua has criminalized sodomy since 1992 under Article 204 of Nicaragua's criminal code, which stipulates that "anyone who induces, promotes, propagandizes or practices sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex commits the crime of sodomy and shall incur one to three years' imprisonment."

Nicaragua remains one of the last Latin American countries to criminalize homosexual behaviour, and is familiar with bullying tactics used by Amnesty and other international groups intent on destroying its pro-life and pro-family laws and culture.

The predominantly Catholic nation passed a total ban on abortion in all circumstances in 2006 and has endured mounting international pressure from the United Nations and pro-abortion nations resolved to make the government reject the pro-life will of its people.

Physician sounds alarm about unethical or at least highly questionable practices of organ transplant industry – By Steve Jalsevac

September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – There has been growing concern over the past several years about increasingly aggressive measures undertaken to harvest human organs from dying patients. Dr. John, Shea, a Toronto physician who has specialized in researching the issue, has just completed a report, Organ donation: The inconvenient truth, that sounds an alarm about the unethical or at least highly questionable practices of the organ transplant industry. The article is published in the September issue of Catholic Insight magazine.

The magazine editor states the article is offered to inform the public about "the moral principles and scientific facts pertaining to both the donation and harvesting of human organs for transplantation purposes. Many physicians have serious and well-considered concerns about the morality of human organ transplantation and about the fact that the general public has not been properly informed about what really happens when organs are retrieved."

Dr. Shea reports on the modern and still very unsettled definition of "brain death" used by many organ transplant physicians to justify declaring organ donors dead and therefore fair game for immediate organ harvesting.

Shea points out, "There is no consensus on diagnostic criteria for brain death. They are the subject of intense international debate. Various sets of neurological criteria for the diagnosis of brain death are used. A person could be diagnosed as brain dead if one set is used and not be diagnosed as brain dead if another is used." It depends on what hospital or which doctor is involved in a particular case.

In fact, says Shea, "A diagnosis of death by neurological criteria is theory, not scientific fact. Also, irreversibility of neurological function is a prognosis, not a medically observable fact."

The coldly utilitarian goal of promoting the acceptance of brain death, says Shea, "is to move to a society where people see organ donation as a social responsibility and where donating organs would be accepted as a normal part of dying." In fact, he says, the specific wishes of a donor opposed to having his organs removed would be bypassed by putting skilled pressure on surviving family members to approve the organ removal.

The apnea test, or removal of a ventilator, that is often used to determine brain death, says Dr. Shea, is the thing that often ends up killing the patient. "The test", he reports, "significantly impairs the possibility of recovery and can lead to the death of the patient through a heart attack or irreversible brain damage."

Shea reveals there are some preventive measures taken by organ removal teams that bring in to serious question whether their donor body, kept functioning through artificial means to preserve the organs, is really, fully dead.

"Some form of anaesthesia is needed to prevent the donor from moving during removal of the organs. The donor's blood pressure may rise during surgical removal. Similar changes take place during ordinary surgical procedures only if the depth of anaesthesia is inadequate. Body movement and a rise in blood pressure are due to the skin incision and surgical procedure if the donor is not anaesthetized. Is it not reasonable to consider that the donor may feel pain? In some cases, drugs to paralyze muscle contraction are given to prevent the donor from moving during removal of the organs. Yet, sometimes no anaesthesia is administered to the donor. Movement by the donor is distressing to doctors and nurses. Perhaps this is another reason why anaesthesia and drugs to paralyze the muscles are usually given."

Since the definition of brain death was invented in the late 1960s "as a means for the moral validation of the retrieval of human organs for transplant", says Shea, the demand for organs has increasingly exceeded supply and so a new definitions of death had to be created to help meet the demand. The concept of "cardiac death" was developed but this also has serious ethical challenges and test measures that also kill a possibly still alive patient.

Another "ominous and disturbing development" is the recent recruitment of palliative caregivers by the organ harvesting industry. "Those care givers,” says Shea, "In effect… are to be the agents of a soft-sell program to make the family 'feel comfortable and supported during this extremely difficult time.'"

Shea covers the changing Vatican debate on these end of life issues and the need for more definitive and better-informed direction from the Church on the issues. An Italian researcher is quoted stating, "The concern of many is that the Vatican has not taken the appropriate position when doubts exist about the end of human life."

Organ donation: The inconvenient truth contains many references to support its statements and is a timely paper on the human transplant trend that is fast becoming ethically out-of-control. Many political jurisdictions are considering radical legislative measures, such as presumed consent, without being fully aware of the major ethical dilemmas related to organ transplants. Most are not aware, for instance, that organs are often taken from persons who are likely, in many ways, still alive.

More Hospitals/Governments Push For Organ Transplants 5 Minutes or Less After Heart Stops

September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The four top Republican presidential candidates skipped Monday's "Values Voter" debate, leaving the forum to several second-tier candidates who lag at single digit levels of poll support.

The debate, which was held at the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, intended to stimulate debate over religious and moral issues, including those pertaining to human life and family.

Rudolph Giuliani, who shares front-runner status with Fred Thompson, claimed he had not been present at the debate because he "didn't know about it", although he was in the Fort Lauderdale area during the debate, and was contradicting a previous statement by his campaign that his schedule wouldn't permit it. Giuliani has a history of supporting abortion and homosexual "rights" during his political career as mayor of New York City (see previous LifeSiteNews coverage at http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/may/07051408.html).

Debate organizers left four empty lecterns to represent the four top candidates who failed to attend the debate: Rudolph Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Fred Thompson. All four have a history of varying levels of inconsistency on human life issues.

The participants included pro-life candidates Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, Ron Paul, Alan Keyes, and Tom Tancredo, and Duncan Hunter. Keyes entered the race very recently, complaining that fundamental values were not being adequately represented (see recent LifeSiteNews coverage at:

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/sep/07091711.html).

The candidates generally agreed in their endorsement of a pro-life and pro-family agenda, although only four (Keyes, Huckabee, and Hunter) stated their support for an amendment banning homosexual marriage, while Ron Paul claimed that marriage should not be a legal matter at all, and should be left to churches.

Regarding abortion, Alan Keyes said that the fight against terrorism is no different than the "fight against the killing of innocents in the womb. The killing is the same. The principle is the same."

At the conclusion of the debate, Mike Huckabee won the "value voters" straw poll, provoking the New York Times to speculate "whether Christian conservative leaders and voters might be able to coalesce around him as a longshot candidate and propel him to the first tier in the Republican race." Notably, Mitt Romney, who has made a strong pitch to "value voters" in the past, received no votes, the lowest count in the poll.

U.S. Christian Camp Loses Tax-Exempt Status over Same-Sex Civil-Union Ceremony – By John Jalsevac

Ocean Grove, N.J., September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on Monday that it was stripping the Methodist Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of its tax-exempt status for part of its property. The Methodist camp made the news earlier this year after it refused, for religious reasons, to allow a lesbian couple to hold a "civil-union" ceremony at a pavilion on the camp's property.

The pavilion, said Scott Hoffman, the camp's chief administrative officer to LifeSiteNews, "is a facility we have used exclusively for our camp meeting mission and worship celebrations since 1869."

Until recently the camp held tax-exempt status on its entire boardwalk property under a New Jersey program that gives tax-breaks to organizations that open up their property to the general public.

In June, however, Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Pester, a lesbian, filed a complaint with the state attorney general's office on the basis of sexual orientation discrimination, after Ocean Grove refused to allow them to hold their "civil-union" ceremony at the camp's pavilion. A second lesbian couple has also sued Ocean Grove. New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws currently forbid those who "offer goods, services, and facilities to the general public" from "directly or indirectly denying or withholding any accommodation, service, benefit, or privilege to an individual" on the basis of sexual orientation.

"It is clear that the pavilion is not open to all persons on an equal basis," DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson, wrote to the camp on Monday, in announcing the DEP's decision to revoke the camp's tax-exempt status.

"When people hear the words 'open space,' we want them to think not just of open air and land, but that it is open to all people," Jackson continued. "And when the public subsidizes it with tax breaks, it goes with the expectation that it is not going to be parsed out, whether it be by activity or any particular beliefs."

Currently, however, there is some confusion over just how much of the camp's property no longer has tax-exempt status. As such, one homosexual advocacy group is threatening to appeal the DEP's decision, saying that it doesn't go far enough, reports the AP. "We're looking for a bigger victory here," said Steve Goldstein, the chairman of Garden State Equality. "We have the symbolic victory of the state telling Ocean Grove they're wrong, but there is a bigger victory to be had by having the entire tax-exemption removed. We're happy, but there's a lot more happiness to be had."

According to the Neptune Township tax assessor, the revocation of the tax-exempt status on the pavilion will only cost Ocean Grove about $175/year, although Scott Hoffman has reportedly issued a statement claiming that the DEP's decision in fact appears to revoke tax-exempt status for "over 99 percent of the land." Hoffman said that Ocean Grove's lawyers are currently reviewing the decision.

In August, the Christian camp pre-empted the complaints currently pending against it by itself suing New Jersey state officials. According to the Alliance Defence fund, which is representing the camp, the attorney general's office is violating First Amendment protections by investigating Ocean Grove. "Religious groups have the right to make their own decisions without government interference," said Brian Raum, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defence Fund. "The government can't force a private Christian organization to use its property in a way that would violate its own religious beliefs."

Methodist Camp Meeting Association Sues New Jersey for Civil Union Investigation

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Permission to republish granted but acknowledgement of source (use LifeSiteNews.com) is Required

9. New Study Shows Abortion Is 'Best Predictor Of Breast Cancer' – October 3, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons published a study yesterday entitled, "The Breast Cancer Epidemic." It showed that, among seven risk factors, abortion is the "best predictor of breast cancer," and fertility is also a useful predictor.

The study by Patrick Carroll of PAPRI in London showed that countries with higher abortion rates, such as England & Wales, could expect a substantial increase in breast cancer incidence. Where abortion rates are low (i.e., Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic) a smaller increase is expected. Where a decline in abortion has taken place, (i.e., Denmark and Finland) a decline in breast cancer is anticipated.

Carroll used the same mathematical model for a previous forecast of numbers of breast cancers in future years for England & Wales based on cancer data up to 1997 that has proved quite accurate for predicting cancers observed in years 1998 to 2004.

In four countries – England & Wales, Scotland, Finland and Denmark – a social gradient has been discovered (unlike that for other cancers) whereby upper class and upwardly mobile women have more breast cancer than lower class women. This was studied in Finland and Denmark and the influence of known risk factors other than abortion was examined, but the gradient was not explained.

Carroll suggests that the known preference for abortion in this class might explain the phenomenon. Women pursuing higher educations and professional careers often delay marriage and childbearing. Abortions before the birth of a first child are highly carcinogenic.

Carroll used national data from nations believed to have "nearly complete abortion counts." Therefore, his study is not affected by recall bias.

Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer commented on the latest findings stating: "It's time for scientists to admit publicly what they already acknowledge privately among themselves – that abortion raises breast cancer risk – and to stop conducting flawed research to protect the medical establishment from massive medical practice lawsuits."

10. News From Today's Excellent IMFC Conference In Ottawa On Marriage And Family – September 27, 2007

IMFC is Focus on the Family's research arm. I attended the conf. It was excellent. Keep an eye on IMFC's website http://www.imfcanada.org/Default.aspx?cat=0 for posting of the speeches and papers in the days ahead (they already have pictures and a post-event press release up on their website. Subjects were the harm caused by cohabitation, the nature and importance of marriage, the harmful ramifications of day-care with emphasis on the devastating consequences of the brainless family-hating Blair gov't in the UK, and poverty and single-parenthood. – Tim B.

Social conservatives move on to next marriage debate – By Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA – Nearly a year after Parliament shelved the same-sex marriage debate, Canada's socially conservative thinkers are shifting gears and pushing government to promote and support the traditional family unit. There was nary a mention of same-sex marriage at a policy conference Thursday of the Institute for Marriage and Family Canada. Instead, speakers that included economists and writers emphasized the benefits of marriage to the social fabric and the economy. With Prime Minister Stephen Harper announcing a $13.5-billion surplus would ultimately translate into tax reductions, the notion of income-splitting was a popular topic.

Right now married Canadians are taxed as individuals, but allowing them to split the total family income would be especially advantageous in situations where one spouse stays at home. "If we have high taxation, people also appear to have fewer children," said David Quist, executive director of the institute. "The two go hand in glove and that's a large part of what today is, to talk about strong family and strong society. If we have a weak family, we will in turn have a weak society as well." Said Douglas Cryer of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada: "There's things to consider, such as income splitting and other measures the government can do to strengthen marriage. Ultimately, it's a cultural as well as a government issue. We can't ask government to solve the problem of marriage. All of us need to work on it together."

Most alarming to many participants was a Statistics Canada study released earlier this month that suggested fewer Canadians are getting married and more are in common-law relationships. Still, a married couple remained at the centre of 70% of families.

American economist Jennifer Roback Morse, a research fellow at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, said her own research has shown that marriage is a much healthier proposition than co-habitation.

She said women and their children who lived with boyfriends were more likely to face violence. She too suggested legislators should be encouraging marriage through their policies and regulations. "They should be looking at not treating cohabitation as equivalent to marriage," said Roback Morse. "Living together for one year is not equivalent to marriage, and it's not good policy to say it is. Taxing people as individuals is a mistake, it's better to treat marriage as a real functioning unit."

All speakers emphasized the welfare of children as central to supporting traditional marriages. Fellow economist Doug Allen, of Simon Fraser University, suggested the government could help by revising its position on child support. He argued the guidelines for payments result in some custodial parents – mostly women – getting too much money. He said the system acted as an incentive to divorce for some. "For me the main goal is to have a greater proportion of children living with two married parents," said Allen.

But is the Conservative government listening? Income splitting is still being actively discussed in Harper's circles, and modest steps were taken in the last budget to remove any unequal treatment between singles and married couples. His government did away with the concept of a national child-care program, but introduced a $100 per month taxable payment for every child a family has under the age of 6. Jason Kenney, one of the party's leading social conservatives and secretary of state for multiculturalism, attended most of Thursday's conference. Quist is optimistic the message is getting through. "The family advocates are having the best hearing that they've had with this government for many, many years..." Quist said. "I find that encouraging. There are people who are willing to listen to some of the discussions that are going on today or similar discussions in the public sphere."

11. Status Of Government Legislation – Specifically Bill C-22, The Age Of Protection Act – September 24, 2007

There is quite a history time line on how the age of consent for sexual activity went from 18 to14 over the past twenty years. It has been mainly the lobbying efforts of Planned Parenthood and the Homosexual Activist along with sympathetic courts. Not sympathetic to children however. Although parliament could re-introduce legislation or seek parliaments consent to re-instate Bill C22 where parliament left off, that is in the senate. Please read the following and consider acting by sending your comments to your Member of Parliament. – Herm Wills

Parkway Postal Station, Box 62569; 85 Ellesmere Rd.; Toronto, ON; Canada; M1R 5G8
Phone : (416) 412-6065 F ax: (416) 412-1321 E-Mail: case@4case.ca Website:www.4case.ca

Status Of Government Legislation – Specifically Bill C-22, The Age Of Protection Act – September 24, 2007

It has been reported that Bill C-22, The Age of Protection Act will not pass and that is the harsh reality of it, after getting so very close!

Unfortunately Bill-C-22 was “delayed” by the Senate after being passed by the House of Commons and was sitting in the Senate when the House convened for the summer recess.

At that time supporters, I am sure, were frustrated with the time that was passing by, but were confident that the Senate would clear the Bill and it would then be law when the Government reconvened in the fall.

On September 14, 2007 the Prime Minister contacted the Governor General and requested a prorogation of Parliament until it is reconvened on October 16, 2007.

It is my understanding that the prorogation brings an end to this session of Parliament and eliminates any pending Bills in the House and Senate with the exception of private Members Bills and in doing so Bill C-22, The Age Of Protection Act will not move forward and is now dead.

On October 16, 2007 Parliament will reconvene and there will be a Speech from the Throne, followed by a motion for debate on the Speech which usually last 6 days. After the period of debate, there will be a vote of confidence or non confidence by all the members of the house.

If the vote is in favour of the Government, things will continue on as they have with a new session of Government, however if the opposition (Bloc, Liberal and NDP) vote against the Speech then the Government is defeated and an election called.

It is my understanding that never has a Speech from the Throne vote of confidence ever brought down the Parliament and if indeed history repeats itself proceeding Bills may be re-instated by Parliament with an amendment followed by unanimous consent and it would then be sent on to the Senate …so there is hope, however it would appear that recent articles are indicating that both the Bloc and NDP are not prepared to support the Government unless their issues are addressed in the Speech.

It would appear that the only hope at this time to see The Age of Protection Act brought forward again is to call upon the Members of Parliament to support the Government!

Bill C-22, The Age of Protection Act, to raise the age of consent from 14 years of age to 16 years of age passed the House of Commons in May, with all parties’ unanimous support. This means it has an excellent chance to be one of the bills reinstated to its former situation. So, it would go back to the Senate for committee discussion and final third reading. Members of Parliament must hear from their constituents, requesting that The Age of Protection or Age of Consent Bill, C-22 be reinstated at its previous position before Parliament was prorogued.

Contact your Member of Parliament requesting support for the reinstatement of Bill C-22 The Age of Protection Act.
Contact the Leaders of the Federal Parties asking for their continuing support of this legislation and its reinstatement.

Robert Pfaff, Co-President, C.A.S.E – (Canadians Addressing Sexual Exploitation)

On Tuesday, October 2, 2007 a young 25 year old mother and her child in the womb were murdered in North York. The husband and father were charged with only one murder.

“Two people were killed in this tragedy, mother and baby. The age of the child doesn’t matter anymore than the age of the mother,” said Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition (CLC). “If the private members’ bill, which was presented to Parliament last year by Mr. Leon Benoit, had passed the child’s murder would have been recognized. Campaign Life Coalition supported this bill as a common sense bill which any reasonable person could support.”

“It would appear from media reports that the father and husband stabbed the mother twice in the abdomen and it would seem therefore that some venom was directed at the child in the womb,” said Mary Ellen Douglas, National Organizer of CLC. “The Canadian criminal code must be revised to recognize the obvious fact that the child in the womb is worthy of recognition as a human being.”

Campaign Life Coalition calls on all members of parliament to enact legislation to recognize the reality of the child in the womb.

We report today on a new global initiative on women and children's health that is being chaired by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Like UNFPA, UNICEF claims vociferously that they do not support abortion in any way, shape or form. Yet, their name keeps popping up on abortion initiatives. The Catholic Church stopped contributing to UNICEF in 1998 precisely for its abortion advocacy, which continues.

UNICEF Sponsors New Campaign Promoting Abortion Under The Guise Of Protecting Women – By Samantha Singson

(NEW YORK – C-FAM) A new global initiative was launched by various UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in New York last week that includes a call for legal abortion. Among the sponsors of the initiative called "Deliver Now for Women and Children" is the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), a UN agency that persistently denies they support abortion in any way, shape, or form.

Marketed as a campaign to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on maternal and child health, the agenda of "Deliver Now" includes a call for “safe abortion" which is synonymous with legal abortion. The campaign is coordinated by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, chaired by Kul Gautam, the deputy executive director of UNICEF and assistant secretary-general of the UN, and whose members include among others: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, International Planned Parenthood Federation, government development agencies from the US, UK, Canada, and Bangladesh, as well as WHO and UNFPA.

The campaign lists a number of severe maladies that effect maternal health and concludes, “most maternal deaths could be prevented if women had access to and could use professional care.” "Deliver Now" defines “quality care” as including “services before and during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, as well as safe abortion.”

The "Deliver Now" website features the stark tagline, “More than 10,000,000 deaths per year. Too many to ignore.” This enormous number is the conflation of two numbers; the total number of childhood deaths per year from all causes, said to be 10 million, and the number of deaths women suffer from maternal causes, a highly suspect number claimed by some UN agencies to total 500,000 per year.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the child mortality numbers are calculated from official sources including birth and death data derived from vital registration, census, and/or household surveys. On the other hand, the maternal mortality statistics are questionable estimations at best. According to the WHO, the primary source for maternal mortality statistics, “data on maternal mortality and other causes of death are often unavailable or, where available, are unreliable due to deficiencies in vital statistics registration systems.” Dr. Joseph Chamie, the former head of the UN Population Division, official statisticians of the UN, states the 500,000 number used for maternal deaths cannot substantiated and he refused to use it.

Pro-family UN watchers are concerned that the disproportionate focus on unsafe abortion based upon questionable maternal mortality figures detracts from addressing the major health risks to pregnant women in the developing world. Experts say these are severe bleeding, eclampsia and obstructed labour. By UNFPA’s own admission in a 2004 report, the most important means of reducing maternal mortality is not access to contraceptives and legal abortion but the presence of skilled birth attendants and access to emergency obstetric care.

Abortion proponents often link unsafe abortion and maternal mortality to push for legal, so-called “safe” abortion. Critics of this argument are quick to point out that in Poland, when abortion was severely restricted in 1993, the country showed a sharp decline in the abortion rate and a decline in maternal deaths. In Ireland, where abortion remains illegal, the country reports one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world. By contrast, while the United States has had abortion on demand since 1973, this year the US reported a rise in maternal deaths.

The next scheduled event in the "Deliver Now" campaign is the Women Deliver Conference in London from October 18-20, which also focuses heavily on abortion rights.

For more news visit us at www.c-fam.org
Copyright 2007 Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required

Last spring, Canada came very close to raising the age of protection from 14 to 16 when Parliament passed Bill C-22 and forwarded it to the Senate.

Unfortunately, Bill C-22 died in the Senate on the Order Paper when Parliament was prorogued on September 14.

Bill C-22 must be brought back and supported as a priority bill by all four parties when a new Parliament convenes this fall.

The process of reintroducing the bill and moving it along to the Senate is not a complicated one so long as there is all party support.

It is our hope that with your lobbying (and that of thousands of others) the House Leaders will cooperate in bringing this bill back to the House and onto the Senate so that it can receive Royal Assent by Christmas.

Let your MP, the Prime Minister, the Justice Minister, and the party leaders know how important this bill is to you and Canada’s children.

Step 1) Call your MP’s office. If you make just one phone call to a politician this year, this is the one to make!

Briefly tell your MP, or his or her assistant, what you are calling about. State clearly and respectfully what action you want your MP to take. For example:

ii) Thank you for your party’s support for raising the age of protection through Bill C-22. It was wonderful to see the level of cooperation between all four parties in supporting this important child protection bill at third reading last May.

iii) I am very concerned that this bill has not passed and Canada continues to have one of the lowest ages of protection in the world. [ See our October 2006 newsletter for a comparison of Canada to other countrieshttp://unitedmothers.ca/special/newsletters/age-of-consent.php ]

iv) Canada’s children continue to be vulnerable to predators within Canada and from other countries because of our low age of protection.

v) I ask that you and your party do everything you can to cooperate with other parties in immediately reinstating this important child protection bill when Parliament convenes and support its speedy passage to the Senate.

vii) [Be sure to leave your name and telephone number if you are not able to speak directly with your MP so that he, or she, can identify you as a constituent and respond.]

STEP 3) Consider calling the Prime Minister’s office, Justice Minister’s office, the leaders of the other parties, and the party house leaders at the numbers below.

The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Telephone: (613) 996-7752

Last April Bill C-22 survived several unsuccessful attempts to weaken it by two members of the Justice Committee. On May 4, it passed third reading in the House of Commons. Some MPs were opposed to the bill, nevertheless the four parties were able to reach an agreement on the bill behind the scenes prior to the vote, which allowed it to pass quickly with no debate, or need for a recorded vote on the bill.

Progress on the bill stalled as debate on the bill did not begin until May 29. It passed second reading almost a month later on June 20. C-22 was then referred to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for consideration prior to third reading.

Unfortunately, the committee never discussed the bill as the senate adjourned on June 22 for summer recess.

On September 4 Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced his intention to ask Governor General. Michaëlle Jean to prorogue Parliament.

When Parliament is prorogued the parliamentary session is brought to a close, causing the government’s legislative agenda and any pending bills to die on the Order Paper. Thus, Bill C-22 along with twenty six other pieces of government legislation died as a result of prorogation.

When Parliament reconvenes, however, the government does not have to start from scratch. They have the option to introduce motions returning bills onto the legislative agenda at the stage they where at when Parliament prorogued.

This is what we are hoping the government will do with C-22 if they have the support of the other parties’ house leaders.

#1 It will protect children, prevent abuse, and stop cross-border shopping. By sending a clear message to predators in Canada, and abroad, that children under age 16 are off limits, there will be a reduction in the number of abused children and foreigners will no longer be able to take advantage of our low age of consent.

#2 Raising Canada’s age of consent will protect Vulnerable Youth. “Statistics from Cybertip.ca and elsewhere show that between the ages of 13-15 youth are at highest risk to being manipulated in sexual relationships. They are in a transitional stage of life, ‘often taking risk with a sense of invincibility at the same time as they are looking for relationships.’ Police officials observe that the average age for victims of sex crimes across the country is 14.”
http://www.c-a-s-e.net/Age%20of%20Consent%20Facts%20in%20Canada%20by%20Beyond%20Borders.htm

#3 Current laws are unclear and make it very difficult to prosecute. It is important for Canada’s laws to be clear and predictable. Unfortunately, under this new system a person technically won’t know he is breaking the law until he is arrested and a judge decides that he has in fact “exploited” a child. As MP Vic Toews said in reference to the new category of exploitive relationships, “That’s an absolute nightmare to try and prosecute. Many children of that age don’t even feel they’re being exploited. They feel that they’re in love.”

If you appreciate our efforts, newsletter and technology please send your support today!

To become a quarterly donor of $25, $50, or $100 every 3 months, or to make a one-time donation using our secure server, please visit http://unitedmothers.ca/links/donate/

Campaign Life Coalition National Newsletter (Current)