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POLICE ARREST MEDIA OUTSIDE TORONTO ABORTUARY - CONFISCATE FILM

TORONTO, Oct 15 (LSN.ca) - Canadian pro-life hero Linda Gibbons was arrested again today outside the Scott abortuary in Toronto, three weeks after her last release from prison. The arrest was extremely unusual since media covering the protest from within the no-protest zone were also arrested.

Freelance journalist Sue Careless, LifeSite Director Steve Jalsevac, on assignment for the Interim and LifeSite, and Gordon Truscott, who is writing a book on Linda's life, were all handcuffed and taken into police custody despite repeatedly informing the officers that they were official media. Moreover, Mr. Jalsevac and Mr. Truscott were not warned and given opportunity to leave the zone as legally required by injunction procedures. Jalsevac emphatically told all officers that he would have left immediately if asked although he questions whether police had any right to do so since he and the other reporters were not violating the injunction prohibitions. They had been cautious about not interfering with the officers or the abortion clinic operations or participating in any pro-life actions.

This morning at ten, pro-lifers Rosemary Connell and Rev. Ken Campbell joined Linda in the no-protest zone, picketing quietly and prayerfully. When eleven police officers arrived an hour later, the injunction was read and Mrs. Connell left the zone. Rev. Campbell did likewise after being specifically asked to do so. Mrs. Connell told LifeSite that as she was crossing the busy street to leave the zone she was approached by an officer who asked if she was leaving to which she responded in the affirmative. As she neared the outskirts of the zone another officer grabbed her by the arm and said she was under arrest but after a look from another officer let go and pursued no further.

After his release this afternoon, Mr. Jalsevac learned from other witnesses that the police also used excessive force in handling Linda. After first stripping the reporters of their cameras and video equipment, police handcuffed Linda behind her back and dragged her, one officer to an arm, across the street, face down with her toes scraping the pavement, to a police car. Observers note that this procedure is usually very painful since Linda's body weight is supported by the arms being pulled up from behind the back. Officers normally carry Linda after she goes limp in identification with the defenceless child in the womb. Also, unlike any previous occasions, Linda was literally hurled into the police car.

The reporters were released at 2:30 this afternoon and amazingly charged with obstructing a police officer. All three also had their films confiscated which they believe was another serious violation of press freedom.

To protest this action contact Ontario Attorney General Jim Flaherty at: 720 Bay Street, 11th Floor, M5G 2K1 Telephone: 326-4000 Facsimile: 326-4016

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STATS CAN STUDY SAYS DAY CARE BETTER THAN PARENTS

OTTAWA, Oct 15 (LSN.ca) - A study released yesterday by Statistics Canada claims that "children who are enrolled in early childhood programs and day-care centres appear to get a head start in school over youngsters who stay at home with a parent." The study says that the effect was noted only until the first grade and not thereafter. Improvements of day care over parent care were reported in reading, writing, mathematics and overall achievement. The findings are highly suspect firstly since they coincide perfectly with the current Liberal government push for universal day care.

While the study claims to have controlled for education of the child's mother and the income of the household, it did not take into account the reading that any stay-at-home parents gave to their children. Moreover the results for the stay-at-home parents are accompanied in the study by the phrase, "These estimates should be used with caution due to small sample sizes."

In an interview with LifeSite, Dr. Mark Genuis, the executive director of the National Foundation for Family Research and Education (NFFRE) said that there is "overwhelming evidence in the studies on parental care for over 42 years that children benefit tremendously from parental care" as opposed to day care. Dr. Genuis noted that the "key benefit is in the area of attachment" which is a powerful determinant of psychological health. Studies have shown children develop much more secure psychological attachment with stay-at-home parenting as opposed to paid day care.

For a studies from NFFRE on day care vs parent care see:
http://www.nffre.org/html/documents/attachment_bonding.html

For the study from Statistics Canada see:
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/991014/d991014a.htm

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CHRISTIAN HERITAGE PARTY LEADER RUNNING IN BY ELECTION

AYLMER, Que., Oct 15 (LSN.ca) - The Christian Heritage Party (CHP)of Canada reported this week that party leader Ron Gray will be running in a by-election to be held to replace Marcel Masse in Hull-Aylmer Quebec. The CHP is an openly pro-life and pro-family party without exceptions and supports the inclusion of the supremacy of God in the Charter.

Mr. Gray says "The importance of this clause in defining Canadian democracy cannot be over- stated; without a higher, transcendent standard to guide a democratic government, majority rule inevitably degenerates into the 'Law of the Jungle': whoever can amass the most power controls everyone else."

Mr. Gray can be contacted at:

Ron Gray Campaign, Christian Heritage Party Suite 200, 155 Queen Street, Ottawa ON, K1P 6L1. (613) 788-3716 rgray@netcom.ca

Read about the CHP (Christian Heritage Party of Canada) http://www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/chp

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LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

The Toronto Sun reported yesterday that Ontario Attorney General Jim Flaherty said that he may not be able to meet the November 20 deadline to alter the definition of spouse in Ontario Family Law, as dictated by the Supreme Court of Canada

Yesterday the Reform Party introduced legislation in the House of Commons to raise the age of consensual sex for heterosexuals to 16 from 14. http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-10-15-0013.html

The British government has caved in to the European Court which ruled that denying homosexuals the right to serve in the Armed Forces was discriminatory. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced the British ban could be lifted within months. http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/10/15/timnwsnws...

The American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Birmingham Tuesday against an Alabama school district on behalf of a student who has been told that she cannot openly display a cross necklace at school -- and could face severe disciplinary action if she continues to do so. http://www.aclj.org/PR991012.html

Pro-Life E-news distributed an Africa News report noting that Helen Rees, the head of South Africa's Medicines Control Council, has announced that the abortion pill will be available in the country by the middle of 2000. http://www.africanews.org/south/southafrica/stories/19991013...

Catholic World News reported this week that a Florida judge overturned a law requiring parental consent for abortions for minors. http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=41975

Catholic World News reported yesterday that Prince Charles's charity supports abortion by giving money to International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=41977

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