Politics
Tuesday June 19, 2001
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Print- HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS TRUMP RELIGIOUS RIGHTS PROVINCIAL RIGHTS COURT RULES
- EVANGELICALS DENIED HEARING ON EDUCATION TAX CREDIT
- JEWISH ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE TO MONITOR PRO-LIFE WEBSITES
- PBS AND AMA SLAM BOY SCOUTS WHILE HELMS BILL TO DEFEND THEM MOVES IN SENATE
- CANADIAN POLITICAL PARTY OUTLINES RULES FOR STEM CELL RESEARCH
- LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS TRUMP RELIGIOUS RIGHTS PROVINCIAL RIGHTS COURT RULES
ALL TODAY'S HEADLINES
Bible Verses Regarding Homosexuality Ruled Unpublishable
SASKATOON, June 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) - The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (HRC) has ordered both the Saskatoon StarPhoenix newspaper and Hugh Owens of Regina to pay $1,500 to three homosexual activists for publishing an ad in the Saskatoon newspaper quoting bible verses regarding homosexuality. The ruling issued Friday by the sole adjudicator, feminist lawyer Valerie Watson, also prohibits Hugh Owens, who purchased the ad, from "further publishing or displaying the bumper stickers submitted in evidence in a newspaper or any other medium," and prohibits The StarPhoenix from accepting the ad for any future publications.
On June 30, 1997, Owens placed the ad in the StarPhoenix to coincide with Gay Pride Week. His intention, as a committed Christian, was to draw people's attention to the Biblical teachings on homosexuality. The ad gave four Bible passages from Romans I, Leviticus and First Corinthians, which condemn homosexuality. The list was followed by a mathematical equal sign, which was followed by two stick-figure men holding hands. This drawing was contained within the universal prohibition symbol (circle with a slash across it). Viewed in its entirety, the purpose of the ad was to indicate that the Bible says no to homosexual behaviour.
Homosexual activists Jeff Dodds, Jason Roy and Gens Hellquist, submitted complaints to the Saskatchewan HRC and Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Jewish religious leaders testified on behalf of Owens' religious freedom. Meanwhile a witness on behalf of the complainants, Rev. Brent Hawkes of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (who recently attempted to 'marry' homosexuals sidestepping legal boundaries by using the reading of the banns), said the Bible did not condemn homosexuality and called religious denominations such as Roman Catholicism and Judaism, "extreme," and said that fundamentalists were "satanic".
In the ruling, Watson conceded, "there is no question that Mr. Owens believed that he was publicly expressing his honestly held religious belief as it related to his interpretation of the Bible and its discussion of homosexuality." However she also ruled the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code issues a "reasonable restriction on Mr. Owens' right to freedom of expression" since she determined that as a result of the ad the complainants "were exposed to hatred, ridicule and their dignity was affronted on the basis of their sexual orientation."
Commenting on the case during the hearings, University of Western Ontario law professor Ian Hunter wrote, "If Mr. Owens cannot express his opinions through a paid ad in the StarPhoenix, can he express them from a street corner soapbox? From the pulpit of a church? Should he get himself elected, in the House of Commons? Do we have the right to express anti-consensus views anywhere in Canada?"
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EVANGELICALS DENIED HEARING ON EDUCATION TAX CREDIT
TORONTO, June 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) - The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), an interdenominational, national association of 32 Protestant denominations representing over a third of Canada's 3 million Protestant evangelical Christians, has been denied a hearing on the Ontario government's proposed tax credit for private education (Bill 45). In a release today the EFC expressed its disappointment with the decision noting that it has been active on the issue for many years and that many of their members educate their children at independent, religious schools.
"We wonder whether the Finance Committee is now being unbalanced in hearing more from those who oppose the Education Tax Credit than from those who support it," questions Dr. Janet Epp Buckingham, EFC's General Legal Counsel. On the tax credit itself, Dr. Buckingham states: "We believe this is a basic issue of fairness. Parents pay taxes towards their child's education and they should be able to educate their children in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs."
The EFC submission to the committee notes that all education is value-laden. According to Dr. Buckingham, "Values and information must be based in belief about something, whether it is an explicitly religious belief or not. To exclude formal religion from education communicates that religion is thought to be irrelevant or merely part of one's private life." Gary Walsh, the EFC's President, said: "For those parents who desire education for their children in a context that is consistent with their faith, it is important to have teaching and learning that is informed by their faith in all areas of study."
The EFC encourages the Ontario government to proceed with the extension of the Equity in Education tax credit, as a way of fulfilling international obligations and of implementing fairer public policy on education.
EFC's submission to the committee is posted on its web site at:,br> http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/resources/resource_viewer.asp?Resource_ID=11...
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JEWISH ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE TO MONITOR PRO-LIFE WEBSITES
NEW YORK, June 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) - The U.S. Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has once again demonstrated its transformation into a leftist activist group rather than a defender of the rights of Jews. AP reports that on Monday ADL launched a Web site to monitor "extremist" and "hate" groups, which is to serve as a database for law enforcement officials. While the group claims it is only seeking to identify "anti-abortion groups that advocate violence," the groups pro-abortion advocacy and attempt to associate the shooting of abortionists with peaceful pro-life groups such as Human Life International contradicts their reassurances.
An ADL press release from October 30, 1998 identified Human Life International among "anti-abortion extremists" and derided any pro-life group comparing the slaughter of the unborn to the Nazi Holocaust.
Far from defending the rights of all Jews, the ADL attacks conservative Jews such as Dr. Laura Schlessinger for their conservative views. In fact, Carl Pearlston, a member of the ADL for 25 years wrote recently in the Jewish World Review that he was booted off the ADL's Executive Committee and Regional Board for not towing the ADL's leftist agenda. Pearlston laments that the ADL was "turning Judaism on its head." He said the for the ADL "fighting 'hate' became a euphemism for an attack on sexual morality, the traditional family, and the Jewish view that children deserve a loving father and mother, not two fathers or two mothers."
The ADL aggressive pro-abortion stand was confirmed when in a June 28, 2000 press release they cheered the Supreme Court decision barring a partial-birth abortion ban in Nebraska and admitted that the ADL had "filed an amicus curiae or 'friend of the court' brief which said the Nebraska law unconstitutionally interfered in matters of individual choice."
See Pearlston's Jewish World Review article at:
http://jewishworldreview.com/0601/pearlston.html
See the AP coverage of the ADL's new website:,br> http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010618/tc/brf_adl_web_site_1.html
See related ADL press releases:
http://www.adl.org/presrele/supremecourt%5F33/3638%5F33.asp
http://www.adl.org/presrele/asus%5F12/3265%5F12.asp
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PBS AND AMA SLAM BOY SCOUTS WHILE HELMS BILL TO DEFEND THEM MOVES IN SENATE
WASHINGTON, June 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Tomorrow, PBS (the Public Broadcasting Service) will air a 'documentary' which slams the Boy Scouts of America for excluding practicing homosexuals from leadership. While the PBS claims its publicly funded film represents both sides, Peter LaBarbera, senior policy analyst at the Culture and Family Institute in Washington points out that the documentary's producer, Tom Shepard is a known homosexual activist. Moreover the video has been shown at "Gay Pride" events in an attempt to mobilize homosexuals against the Boy Scouts. The Washington Times reports that several homosexual activists, including Kevin Jennings, executive director for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), are on the film's board of advisers.
According to the Times, the documentary, "Scout's Honor," examines the aftermath of last summer«s Supreme Court ruling that the Boy Scouts may exclude homosexual members and leaders. It follows the lives of 16-year-old Boy Scout Steven Cozza and 71-year-old Scoutmaster David Rice. They are the heterosexual founders of "Scouting for All," an alliance of homosexuals and heterosexuals that is fighting the Boy Scouts« policy.
The American Medical Association has also taken aim at the Boy Scouts with a proposed resolution, to be voted on this week, that would ask national youth groups not to ban gays because such policies could drive young people to suicide.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is likely to debate an amendment to the education bill this week, which would bar discrimination against the Boy Scouts due to their policy against homosexuality. Proposed by Sen. Jesse Helms. R-N.C., the measure seeks to stop the practice by some school districts that denies the Boy Scouts equal access to meeting facilities because the Boy Scouts' stand. A similar measure was passed in the House several weeks ago.
See related coverage:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20010618-89432168.htm
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010618/hl/ama_meeting_3.html
http://library.northernlight.com/FC20010618290000199.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0
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CANADIAN POLITICAL PARTY OUTLINES RULES FOR STEM CELL RESEARCH
OTTAWA, June 19, 2001 (LSN.ca) - The Christian Heritage Party (CHP), Canada's only pro-life political party - at the federal level, has produced a release on the "Rules for Stem Cell Research". While noting the great potential benefits of stem cell research the paper notes that "some potential sources are ethically unacceptable" specifically referring to "aborted babies and 'surplus' embryos developed for treatment of infertility."
The paper condemns the arguments of researchers who pursue these unethical sources of stem cells saying that the relief of suffering justifies the means by which the tissue or cells might be obtained. "Their arguments sound hauntingly like the suppliers of cadavers for medical research a century or more ago, who robbed graves and even murdered prostitutes and street people to 'meet the medical need,'" says the CHP. The release concludes, "The only acceptable source of stem cells is one that would never, if nature were allowed to take its course, become a mature human being . But any source that is a stage in the development of a fellow human being must be off limits."
See the Party website and the Stem Cell release:
http://www.chp.ca
http://www3.sympatico.ca/askok/24-062001.htm
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LIFESITE NEWSBYTES
The editorial in today's National Post concludes, "Whatever one believes about the right to abortion, it is unacceptable to enshrine it in international documents, and give it the imprimatur of the UN, by camouflaging it carefully with anodyne language."
http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/editorials/story.html?f=/stories/20010619...
A poll reported in the National Post reveals that almost twice as many Canadians would prefer to see Paul Martin lead the Liberals into the next general election over current pro-abortion Prime Minister Jean Chrˇtien.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/politics/story.html?f=/stories/2001061...
Catholic News Service reports that Pope John Paul II said Benin's lay Catholics should make a major effort to protect the unborn and all of society's weakest members. Abortion is illegal in Benin, an African nation of 6.4 million people, but the country has been targeted in recent years by international groups seeking to make abortion legal. Speaking to bishops of Benin during their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican June 16, the pope said lay people must take the lead in political action -- including pro-life issues. "There is a pressing duty for the Christian to be engaged in promoting the respect for the life of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death," he said.
Australian euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke is travelling to the Netherlands in the hopes of buying a Dutch-registered ship so he can legally perform physician assisted suicide in international waters following the example of the abortion ship.
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,509129,00.html
Planned Parenthood of Chicago has launched an advertising campaign to promote its online prescriptions for the abortifacient morning-after pill.
http://www.latimes.com/print/asection/20010617/t000050441.html
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