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Thursday February 27, 2003

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CANADIAN STEM CELL BILL ALLOWS CREATION OF EMBRYOS FOR EXPERIMENTATION

OTTAWA, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Assisted Human Reproduction Act, Bill C-13, received surprising criticism in the House of Commons today from Liberal MP John Bryden. Bryden, an MP believed to be pro-abortion and who has supported embryonic stem cell research, has nevertheless pointed out the inconsistency in the bill regarding its supposed prohibition of the creation of human embryos for research.

Bryden stood up in the House today to note how one clause in the bill specifically permits the creation of human embryos for the purpose of instruction and better working of in vitro fertilization. Under the Prohibited procedures section 5 (1) b the bill reads "(No person shall knowingly) create an in vitro embryo for any purpose other than creating a human being OR IMPROVING OR PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN ASSISTED REPORDUCTION PROCEDURES." (emphasis added) Thus, said Bryden, the bill allows for the creation of human beings for experimentation.

In a shocking statement, Bryden said that had he seen this inconsistency earlier he would have been standing in the House with an amendment to rectify the glaring discrepancy. Unfortunately Mr. Bryden was previously unmoved by numerous presentations on these issues by Campaign Life Coalition.

Campaign Life Coalition pointed out this very problem with the bill and suggested amendments to counter it months ago in briefs to pro-life politicians.

Jim Hughes, President of Campaign Life Coalition told LifeSite that the incident is a good example of how deceptive the legislation is. "It claims to ban creation of human embryos for research in one place and then specifically allows it in another and in the same way claims to ban cloning but omits to mention some of the methods thereby allowing them."

See the exact section of the bill in question:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2/parlbus/chambus/house/bills/gover...

MP John Bryden email address is brydej@parl.gc.ca

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PRO-ABORTION MP MAKES BIGOTTED RACIST SLUR AGAINST U.S.

Says "Damn Americans .. I hate those bastards," to reporter.

OTTAWA, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pro-abortion MP Carolyn Parrish has enraged many Canadians with bigoted remarks against the citizens of the United States. At the end of a press interview yesterday, Parrish was caught saying "Damn Americans .. I hate those bastards."

Political commentators have noted that Parrish would have been dismissed from the Liberal Party had she made the same remarks about Africans or people of a specific race. Last year, Prime Minister Jean Chretien's communications director resigned after using the term "moron" in reference to U.S. President George W. Bush.

See the CBC coverage at:
http://cbc.ca/stories/2003/02/26/bastards030226

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UN WARNS OF BELOW REPLACEMENT FERTILITY LEVELS

By 2050 75% of even developing countries will be under 2.1 birth rate

NEW YORK, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Yesterday, the United Nations released the 2002 Revision of the official United Nations population estimates and projections. For the first time, the United Nations Population Division projects that future fertility levels in most developing countries will likely fall below 2.1 children per woman, the level needed to ensure the long-term replacement of the population, at some point in the twenty-first century. By 2050, the medium variant of the 2002 Revision projects that three out of every four countries in the less developed regions will be experiencing below-replacement fertility, with all developed countries far below replacement level as well.

As a consequence of these changes, the 2002 Revision projects a lower population in 2050 than the 2000 Revision did: 8.9 billion instead of 9.3 billion according to the medium variant. About half of the 0.4 billion difference in the projected populations results from a reduction in the projected number of births, primarily as a result of lower expected future fertility levels. The other half of the difference reflects an increase in the number of projected deaths, the majority stemming from higher projected levels of HIV prevalence.

Populations will decline in 33 countries by 2050 according to the report, with countries such as Italy projected to be 22 per cent smaller and the Russian Federation nearly 50 per cent smaller.

The deeper reductions of fertility projected in the 2002 Revision result in a faster ageing of the population of developing countries than in previous revisions, which will stress social security systems. Globally, the number of older persons (60 years or over) will nearly triple, increasing from 606 million in 2000 to nearly 1.9 billion by 2050. In more developed regions, the population aged 60 or over currently constitutes 19 per cent of the population; by 2050 it will account for 32 per cent of the population.

Increases in the median age, the age at which 50 per cent of the population is older and 50 per cent is younger than that age, reflect the ageing of the population. Among developed countries, 17 are expected to have a median age of 50 years or more, with Japan, Latvia and Slovenia (each with a median age of about 53 years), and the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Singapore and Spain (each with a median age of about 52 years) leading the list.

See the UN report online at:
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2002/WPP200...

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NICARAGUAN BISHOPS COMPARE ABORTION TO TERRORIST BOMBING

MANAGUA, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The abortion of a 4-month unborn child of a 9-year-old rape victim has sparked a renewed abortion debate in Nicaragua. The country's Roman Catholic bishops compared the violation of the womb, which destroys innocent human life, to a terrorist bomb.

"Is there any difference between a bus full of passengers that receives the impact of a car bomb," the bishops demanded, "and a metallic instrument that impacts the maternal womb to suck out a fetus?"

The bishops took the occasion to encourage Nicaraguan congressmen not to accept proposals to liberalize abortion laws, which for the moment place restrictions on abortion in many cases. "For the love of Jesus Christ, for the salvation you hope for and for the good of the nation, do not approve abortion under any motive or pretext," they wrote, or consider "legalizing the abominable crime of abortion even disguised under supposed
pseudo-humanitarian extenuating factors such as calling it therapeutic."

Meanwhile, the government is investigating the abortion. Attorney General Julio Centeno said it may have been a crime under the current law. Health Minister Lucia Salvo has called it "a crime."

For Newsday coverage:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-ni...

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BUSH TOLD TO BEWARE OF PRO-ABORTION DEMOCRAT STRATEGY

Democrats attempting to impose change to 200 years of precedent

CHICAGO, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Robert Novak, the pro-life pundit and columnist, says the Democrats' strategy in blocking Bush judicial nominee Miguel Estrada "is part of a grand design to talk to death a succession of conservative judges" whenever Bush nominates one.

Novak says then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, and six other pro-abortion Democrats devised "a long-term strategy" last month to hamstring each and every pro-life nominee in the Senate review process.

With added urgency, conservative pundit George Will writes, "If at least 41 Senate Democrats succeed in blocking a vote on the confirmation of Miguel Estrada to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Constitution effectively will be amended."

Mr. Will explains that the Constitution and 200 years of precedent require a bare majority to confirm nominees. But Democrats want to bring in a new system requiring a 60-vote supermajority. "By thus nullifying the president's power to shape the judiciary, the Democratic Party will wield a presidential power without having won a presidential election," Will says.

For Robert Novak's column:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak27.html

For George Will's column:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/will/cst-edt-geo27.html

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ACTOR WANTED WIFE TO GET AN ABORTION OR DIE

'We're going to abort her' or 'whack her,' actor told witness

LOS ANGELES, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Actor Robert Blake, 69, star of the 1970s cop show "Baretta," himself went on trial this week for allegedly murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, aged 44.

"We're going to hire a doctor, we're going to abort her and if that doesn't work we're going to whack her," Blake allegedly said to a witness in 1999, at a preliminary hearing heard this week. Earlier that day, it is alleged, Blake tried to talk her into having an abortion voluntarily. Later, Blake claims he found her in their car, dead from a bullet to the head.

Blake sat grimly in court as prosecutors played a recording of the 1999 phone call in which he berated his wife for being pregnant. "You lied to me. You double-crossed me. You double-dealt me, and that's who you are," the actor snarled, sounding like a TV script. Brushing aside her assurances of love, Blake said she should get an abortion, using "a pill from France" - a reference to the RU-486 abortifacient.

For newswire coverage:
http://www.austin360.com/aas/life/ap/ap_story.html/Entertain...

For more background:
http://www.courttv.com/trials/blake/

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LARGEST CANADIAN UNION ARGUES FOR HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE

Union dues used for radical agendas without vote from membership

OTTAWA, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canada's largest union lobbied in support of homosexual marriage before the House of Commons Justice Committee Tuesday. Judy Darcy, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), told Members of Parliament of the organization's homosexual advocacy and said they had "spoken up for same-sex marriage, and we think it's about time the federal government made it legal."

CUPE claims to represent half a million workers. The union's leadership has consistently taken on pro-homosexual and pro-abortion activism using mandated dues to fund the activism.

Stephen Gray, a British Columbia writer and researcher, published a newsletter for 11 years detailing the abuses of union dues by union leaders. Gray told LifeSite, "Union members pay union dues for collective bargaining, but union leaders have subverted their mandate." Gray called the homosexual advocacy "a misuse of union time and money" noting also that "the CUPE membership have never been polled individually on this issue."

Gray called for a public inquiry as to where union dues are going in Canada for CUPE and all unions. "If any other organization in Canada were doing what these union bosses are doing charges would be laid," he said."

See Stephen Gray's website detailing union abuses:
http://www.geocities.com/graysinfo

See the CUPE presentation to the Justice Committee:
http://cupe.ca/issues/equality/showitem.asp?id=8669&cl=1

Send your concerns to
CUPE khasselriis@cupe.ca
And the Opposition Labour Critic Jim Gouk at:
goukj@parl.gc.ca

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WOMEN'S GROUP NOTES STUDY SHOWING SAME-SEX UNIONS ARE VERY DIFFERENT

OTTAWA, February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - REAL Women of Canada, in its Jan/Feb 2003 Reality magazine recalls the significant results of a 1984 study by a male homosexual couple of 156 other homosexual couples. The findings of the study by psychiatrist, Dr. David McWhirter, and psychologist, Dr. Andrew Mattison were described in their book, 'The Male Couple'.

Reality refers to the current intense push by gay activists for their unions to be given legal recognition equal to male-female marriages. The article states "Homosexual activists claim that their relationships operate from the same dynamics and meet similar needs as heterosexual unions and, therefore, should be treated the same in law. This study … shows clearly that this is not the case."

Major differences between the two types of unions as noted from the report are:

1. Sexual infidelity - "homosexual couples regard sex as recreational without emotional content." Regard freedom to sexual engage others "as one of the most important factors in maintaining their bond."
2. Complete financial independence - "the expectation in same-sex unions is that each partner will take care of himself financially."
3. Skills conflict - 'Finding 'compatibility' in skills with each other does not arise naturally as it does between different sexes
4. Short duration of unions - average length of time that same-sex relationships were maintained in this study was 5.0 years. Other researchers found male relationships commonly end at the end of the third year
5. Use of drugs - "the majority of the male couples and individuals use drugs as a regular part of both their social and sexual lives."
6. Same sex unions are consensual sexual liaisons

See the complete Reality article on LifeSite at
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003_docs/samesexunionsdiff....

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FLORIDA TRANSSEXUAL GIVEN CUSTODY OF CHILDREN

Judge claims 'self-identity', not nature, determines someone's 'true' gender

BAYONET POINT, Fla. February 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A retired county judge has given a post-operative transsexual woman custody over two young children. The judge found that the woman, Margo Kantaras, who has had breast-removal surgery and hormone therapy and now calls herself "Michael," is legally a man.

The natural mother, Linda Kantaras, admitted in court that she married "Michael" in 1989 knowing that she had been born a woman. Now, she says the marriage was never valid and that she should have protective custody over the children.

But Pasco County Judge Gerard O'Brien ruled: "Chromosomes are only one factor in the determination of sex and they do not overrule gender or self-identity which is the true test or identifying mark of sex. ... Michael [sic] has always, for a lifetime, had a self-identity as a male." Thus, the marriage being legal, he said the two must share custody and awarded her visitation rights to Matthew, 13, and Irina, 11, every other weekend.

The mother's lawyer warned that the case would be "like a barnyard door coming open. If Michael can be a male because Michael thinks he is a male, and because of some surgery, your honor, then we're headed for big trouble ... It will create utter chaos."

For newswire coverage:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ct/20030226/c...

For related coverage in which an Australian family court upheld a transsexual "marriage" see:
AUSTRALIAN COURT REJECTS GOV'T ANNULMENT OF TRANSSEXUAL 'MARRIAGE'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/feb/03022108.html

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NEWSBYTES

PRO-ABORTS FURIOUS AT SUPREME COURT RULING
Both liberals and conservatives see the ruling as a welcome affirmation of the constitutional right to free speech. But the National Organization of Women's Kim Gandy says, "it's a green light for ideological terrorists to engage in whatever kind of violent campaigns they want."
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-rico27.html

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