LifeSiteNews.com

Thursday February 21, 2002

SHARE THIS PAGE: E-mail  Print ArticlePrint


     

CHRISTIAN DOC THREATENED WITH LOSS OF LICENCE OVER REFUSING PILL PRESCRIPTIONS

University of Toronto Prof Says Doctor unwilling to perform abortions should "find another job"

BARRIE, ON, February 21, 2002 (LSN.ca) - A Christian family doctor in Barrie Ontario is in danger of losing his licence to practice medicine for refusing to prescribe the birth control pill to unmarried women. Dr. Stephen Dawson faces a discipline committee at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) in April after four women made formal complaints to the college about being refused the pill.

Dr. Dawson also says he does not to provide abortions, offer the-morning-after pill to unmarried women, or prescribe Viagra (a sex enhancement drug) to unmarried men. "If a Christian physician must forsake his religious beliefs to maintain his medical licence, we cannot delude ourselves to believe we live in a free country," Dawson told the Barrie Examiner.

The CPSO says Dawson has been charged with 'professional misconduct in that he failed to meet the overall moral and professional standard of care' and awaits the ruling of the disciplinary committee comprised of three doctors and two members of the public. If found guilty he faces: a reprimand, a suspension, imposition of conditions on his licence, or losing his licence altogether.

Dr. James Robert Brown, a professor of science and religion at the University of Toronto, told the Examiner doctors must perform abortions and offer contraception and if they refuse, "Fine - just resign from medicine and find another job." Brown said, "Suppose someone (doctor) said, 'I'm uncomfortable with (treating) a minority,' I'd say, 'So long scum'." He concluded: "Religious beliefs are highly emotional - as is any belief that is effecting your behaviour in society. You have no right letting your private beliefs effect your public behaviour."

Alternately, Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition praised Dr. Dawson. "I think it's great. He's one of the few doctors I've heard of recently whose acting responsibly, Hughes told LifeSite, noting studies which have found the pill to increase the risk of cancer, and other deadly diseases.

Express your concerns to the CPSO or Professor Brown:
feedback@cpso.on.ca jrbrown@chass.utoronto.ca

See the coverage in the Barrie Examiner:
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/examiner/archives/022102/ne...

Back to Top Back to Top


     

ONLY STOCKWELL DAY AND GRANT HILL ANSWER CLC PRO-LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES

OTTAWA, February 21, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), Canada's national pro-life lobby group, sent a questionnaire to all current Canadian Alliance leadership candidates. Responses were received from Stockwell Day and Dr. Grant Hill. While all four candidates profess to be personally pro-life, CLC's primary concern with the questionnaire was determining their political commitment to the abortion and euthanasia issues.

CLC has issued previous newsletters indicating that Stockwell Day and Grant Hill have both demonstrated a political commitment to their pro-life convictions, whereas Diane Ablonczy and Stephen Harper have not. The questionnaire responses reveal key differences between Day and Hill. CLC expressed shock and "disappointment with the responses from Dr. Hill, an MP who has always been considered strongly pro-life, but who has failed to impart this in his survey answers."

Hill chose to identify himself not as "pro-life" on the questionnaire but rather as "pro-life with exceptions" - meaning accepting of abortions in cases of rape and incest. Dr. Hill indicated he would vote in favour of legislation to ban abortion but added the major and contradictory qualification that the legislation would have to allow abortion "in cases of threat to the mother's health." Hill chose to identify the abortion issue as a "health issue" rather than a "criminal issue", thus relegating it to provincial rather than federal jurisdiction. The term "health" in Canada's previous abortion legislation was so liberally interpreted as to allow abortion virtually on demand. On the issue of destructive research on human embryos Dr. Hill indicated that he would only support a ban on such research as long as adult stem cell research "is productive." Finally, he said that even on matters of conscience such as abortion and euthanasia he would vote according to the wishes of ! a majority of his constituents rather than his own convictions.

In contrast, Day identified himself as "pro-life", and indicated he would vote in favour of a ban on abortion. Day noted correctly that, "Funding and regulation of abortion procedures fall under the purview of provincial responsibility for health care. Any legal limits on abortion per se would be a federal matter." He indicated that he supports a permanent ban on destructive research on human embryos. Day also explained that while he believes in an elected member representing his constituents to the best of his/her ability, "this obligation cannot bind legislators to vote in favour of measures which would abrogate inalienable human rights, such as the rights to life, liberty, and property." Thus he would vote according to his conscience on issues such as abortion and euthanasia.

Both Hill and Day said they would not initiate pro-life legislation but they also said they would not stand in the way of such legislation either. "In the context of Canadian Alliance policy, Campaign Life Coalition at the very least wants assurances that if others launch initiatives to restrict or criminalize abortion (e.g. a referendum or 'citizen's initiative'), the candidate would not be involved in backroom manoeuvring to kill the process," says CLC public affairs director Karen Murawsky. "From Mr. Day and Dr. Hill we have that assurance in writing."

See the questionnaire responses, the related CLC Media release and the March 2002 CLC National News report on the leadership race at:
http://www.lifesite.net/clc/elections/allianceleadership2002...

Back to Top Back to Top


     

FLAHERTY WELCOMES PRO-LIFE SUPPORT FOR HIS LEADERSHIP

TORONTO, February 21, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leadership candidate Jim Flaherty warmly welcomed pro-life support for his candidacy. Reacting to media reports that Campaign Life Coalition was supporting his candidacy Flaherty said: ""We don't exclude people from our party because they have a particular belief."

The Toronto Star reports that "In a recorded telephone message sent out to 50,000 Ontario households Monday night, Jim Hughes, national president of Campaign Life, urged those who are Tory supporters to buy a party membership before Saturday's deadline so they can vote in the leadership race."

On the recorded message Hughes said, "Of the five candidates, Jim Flaherty openly describes himself as pro-life, and Tony Clement describes himself as six or seven out of 10 on pro-life issues."

The deadline to apply for membership to vote in the PC leadership election is Saturday. Voting day is March 23, and will require attendance at a specific location in the riding and remaining present for the vote and perhaps a second ballot. Voting on the first ballot will take place from 8am to 11am. Organizers hope a second vote could be ready two hours later.

In related news, the National Post reports that an article on LifeSite, which was published in the Interim, refers to Flaherty's main rival Ernie Eves as: "one of the earliest pro-abortionist and anti-family politicians in Ontario."

See LifeSite's PC Ontario Leadership election page:
http://www.lifesite.net/clc/elections/ontpcleadership2002/in...
See the Toronto Star coverage:
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thest...

See the National Post
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020...

Back to Top Back to Top


     

HARPER ATTACKS DAY OVER RELIGIOUS TIES AGAIN

OTTAWA, February 21, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Canadian Alliance leadership hopeful Stephen Harper has repeated attacks about religion against rival Stockwell Day which landed Harper in trouble with the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) and other Christian groups earlier this month. The National Post reports today that Harper attacked Day over his outreach to Christians.

"My view is the purpose of a Christian church is to promote the message and the life of Christ," Mr. Harper said during a meeting with the Ottawa Citizen editorial board. "It is not to promote a particular party and candidacy."

Last week CCRL President Thomas Langan took issue with attempts to "limit the participation of citizens to the political process based on their religious beliefs." Langan said, "The discussion of fiscal and social issues in Canada would be improved if more people of faith took up an active role in political parties."

See the National Post coverage:
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020...
See related LifeSite coverage:
CATHOLIC LEAGUE DEFENDS RIGHTS OF PEOPLE OF FAITH TO PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/feb/02021402.html

Back to Top Back to Top


     

CANADIAN WOMAN WHO KILLED DISABLED DAUGHTER RULED CRIMINALLY INSANE

MONTREAL, February 21, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Quebec Superior Court Justice Fraser Martin ruled Wednesday that Rachel Capra Craig, 47, "is not criminally responsible for the death of her daughter by reason of mental disorder." Craig admitted to killing her severely handicapped 14-year-old daughter with a poisonous drug cocktail. Capra Craig was ordered transferred to a locked psychiatric unit for an unspecified period.

Interestingly a CBC Radio News report by Justin Heyward on the matter revealed that Capra Craig "suffered miscarriages and abortions." However the CBC report written for the CBC website left out the fact that Capra Craig suffered abortions.

See the CBC written report:
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?category=Canada&sto... /news/2002/02/20/craig_trial020220

Back to Top Back to Top


     

HEALTH MINISTER PROMISES REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY LEGISLATION BEFORE SUMMERE

OTTAWA, February 21, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Health Minister Anne McLellan has promised legislation dealing with new reproductive technologies before the summer break. "It may be very likely that we will be able to move more quickly, and certainly I would like to be able to introduce legislation, and I would like to see that legislation get through the House and Senate before we rise for the summer," she said in the House today.

CBC reports that she said she would have a response to the committee no later than May. See the CBC report:
http://cbc.ca/stories/2002/02/21/reproductive020221

Back to Top Back to Top


     

LIFESITE NEWSBYTES

MICHAEL COREN THIS WEEK
Hear Michael Coren’s Real Audio broadcast on government-funded revolutionary students.
http://www.lifesite.net:7070/ramgen/022002revolutionarystude...

GERMAN BISHOPS BLAST EMBRYO RESEARCH
In his opening address at the Plenary Assembly of the German Bishop's annual conference Monday, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, bishop of Mainz and president of the episcopal conference, said the "Church will never cease to speak of the embryo as being man from the beginning, and of human dignity."
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=16932

TAIWAN BANS ALL HUMAN CLONING
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020220/h...

CHINA DENIES RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION DESPITE VATICAN'S EVIDENCE
http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_526425.html

Back to Top Back to Top


     

US NEWS ROUNDUP

US SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS CONSTITUTIONALITY OF SCHOOL VOUCHERS
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020...

SUPREME COURT RULES WOMAN ALLOWED TO CHALLENGE ABORTION INDUSTRY ANONYMOUSLY
http://www.forerunner.com/cc/press/pr021902.htm

SUPERMAN ACTOR SPEAKS IN SUPPORT OF HUMAN CLONING FOR RESEARCH
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020221/a...

SENATOR JESSE HELMS ON FIGHTING AIDS
The North Carolina Republican did not mention homosexuality in his speech Wednesday, but he said, "There is no substitute for the joy brought by strong and healthy marriages. We must not hesitate to share this truth" with people around the world. He praised Janet Museveni, first lady of Uganda, for running a campaign based on "biblical values and sexual purity" to stop the spread of HIV-AIDS.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020220/a...

Back to Top Back to Top

SHARE THIS PAGE: E-mail  Print ArticlePrint

MORE NEWS: LifeSiteNews.com Home Page  Last 10 Days   Archives   Special Reports

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.