Articles from March, 1985
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 13:17 in
Abortion, Human rights, Pro-Life | Author:
The following statement was released by Dr. Joseph Stantan on Oct. 12, 1984, at a press conference in Washington, D.C. It was signed by 65 physicians, including two past presidents of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the former co-founder of NARAL.
The continuing debate on abortion has generated an atmosphere in which the biological facts may be ignored or can be forgotten.
As physicians, we wish to bring to the attention of all interested parties scientific facts about which ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 13:14 in
Activism, Pro-Life, Religion | Author:
On Monday, February 11, 1985, calls went out to religious leaders and others in Toronto to help intensify the picketing at the Morgentaler abortuary for each afternoon from Feb-ruary 18 to 25. Picketing, carried out for two weeks in December, but interrupted for a two-week Christmas break when the abortuary was closed, and resumed in early January, has been organized by the political-action group, Campaign Life, with support from Toronto Right-to-Life and pro-lifers in general.
The initiation of the week ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 13:04 in
Abortion, Activism, Pro-Life | Author:
Carl Scharfe
Perhaps one of the more curious stories to emerge in the past two months concerning the confrontation between pro-lifers and those who operate the Toronto Morgentaler abortuary is that of Carol Vanderburg, a part-time graduate student at the University of Toronto.
Carol has earned three degrees from the U. of T. (she is working on a fourth) and for some years has been accustomed to going just off campus to the New Moon restaurant now across the street from ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 12:54 in
Abortion, Activism, Politics | Author:
Douglas Moore
Our Spadina neighbourhood is unique in many ways. Settled in the heart of Toronto, one of the largest cities of the world, we have a congenial community that has a mix of people as diverse as the architecture of our buildings. Both our buildings and people come in all ages and extremes.
On a lovely spring day I can see my neighbour, the punk rock university student studying under one of the many towering trees on our street. While in the ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 12:06 in
Marriage and Family, Society & Culture | Author:
David Scott
Effects on rape behavior, and the rape myth
The effects of pornography are clear and disturbing. Research by the University of Indiana psychologist Dolf Zillman has demonstrated that repeated massive exposure to nonviolent, noncoercive standard-fare pornography can lead to increasing callousness toward women and to the trivialization of rape as a criminal offence by both men and women.
Following repeated exposure to nonviolent, noncoercive pornography, Zillman found, on the one hand, that his subjects became increasingly desensitized to this ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 12:03 in
Society & Culture | Author:
Deemed unacceptable to Ontarians are scenes that portray:
Graphic or prolonged scenes of violence, torture, crime, cruelty , horror, or human degradation;
Physical abuse or humiliation of human beings for purposes of sexual gratification or as pleasing to the victim;
A person who is or is intended to represent a person under 16 years of age nude, partly nude, in a sexually suggestive context, or involved in explicit sexual activity;
Explicit and gratuitous urination, defecation or vomiting;
Explicit sexual activity;
Explicit indignities to the human body;
Undue ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 11:55 in
Politics, Society & Culture | Author:
The Badgley Committee on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youth made several recommendations for changes in the law to protect children from the effects of pornography. There recommendations cover the two main areas in which children are exploited by such material.
Firstly, there is the direct sexual abuse of children who are used in the production of child pornography. Secondly, there is the harm done to children when access to pornography, both child and adult pornography, is not restricted.
Recommendation 49 calls ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 11:43 in
Human rights, Politics, Society & Culture | Author:
Sabina McLuhan
Child pornography is readily available in Canada. It is mostly imported illegally and is almost impossible for the authorities to detect because it comes to the purchaser through the mail in “plain brown envelopes.”
Child pornography production is not a large industry in Canada, according to the Badgley Committee on Child Abuse. However, a substantial amount of child pornography is now being imported into Canada, and there is evidence that the so-called “soft-core” pornography is not as harmless as is ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 11:36 in
Politics, Society & Culture | Author:
The Criminal Code contains a number of provisions governing pornography although the word itself I is never used. These provisions generally refer instead to material which is “obscene”, “indecent,” “immoral” or “scurrilous”, or in some combination thereof. Obscenity is the only one of the four words that is spelled out in law. The others have been left to the Courts to define.
The main provision against pornography comes in Section 159 of the Criminal Code under which it is an ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 11:30 in
Abortion, Politics | Author:
January 23, 1985
PETITIONS
Abortion Clinics
Mr. Bill Domm(Peterborough): Mr. Speaker, it is my duty to present this petition from the undersigned constituents of the riding of Peterborough who humbly pray and call upon Parliament to work for immediate change in the present law so that abortion clinics are made available to everyone in need of their services.
January 29, 1985
NATIONAL FILM BOARD
Funding of pro-abortion film condemned
Mr. Bill Gottselig (Moose Jaw): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of this House ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 9:43 in
Human rights, Politics, Pro-Life | Author:
Ottawa
On January 16, 1985, Mr. Justice Gerard LaForest of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada by Justice Minister John Crosbie. Judge La Forest, 58, replaces Mr. Justice Roland Ritchie who resigned because of ill health.
It had been expected that the successor of Judge Ritchie, who was from Nova Scotia, would come from the Atlantic Provinces. The Campaign Life Newsletter of December expressed fears that Canada’s Human Rights Commissioner Gordon Fairweather, a ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 9:41 in
Abortion, Activism, Pro-Life | Author:
The Montreal Gazette of February 11, 1985 reported that about 25 anti-abortionists marched outside Henry Morgentaler’s East-end clinic on Saturday, February 9. The group also picketed the Montreal General Hospital on the same day and plans to continue staging demonstrations every weekend outside institutions where abortions are performed.
The picketing was organized by the Montreal coalition Pro-Life Action. It was the second two-hour weekend demonstration in a row. Twice the number of protesters participated in the Saturday demonstration of the ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 9:35 in
Human rights, Pro-Life, Society & Culture | Author:
In January, a judge of Alberta’s Court of Queen’[s Bench ruled that “sexually explicit films in which women are degraded or dehumanized”, are obscene. In March, a Maritimes judge criticized recent court decisions on obscenity as being too liberal and said, “one really has to rack one’s mind to conjecture an act, or depiction of that act, that would be designated obscene.”
In the Alberta case, Mr. Justice Mel Shannon fined a video store owner $1,000 on two counts of ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 9:03 in
Abortion, Resources | Author:
Final statistics on abortions carried out in Nova Scotia hospitals for the year 1983 have just now been made available by Statistics Canada.
Hospital Location No. Performed
Aberdeen New Glasgow 19
Colchester Truro 92
Dawson Memorial Bridgewater 19
Queens General Liverpool 9
Sydney City Sydney 62
Valley Health Association Kentville 62
Victoria General Halifax 1,387
Western Kings Berwick 14
Yarmouth Regional Yarmouth 37
Note: All hospitals performing abortions are required ... (Continue reading)
Written on 6 Mar, 1985 at 8:53 in
Activism, Pro-Life | Author:
A new group committed to the defence of unborn children was established at a recent meeting in the Halifax Holiday Inn.
Twenty-five evangelical Christians from at least six denominations agreed to form an explicitly Christian Pro-Life group in the metro area under the name “Christians Concerned For Life.” The Christian commitment of the group is guarded by a statement of faith borrowed from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
“The aim of Christians Concerned For Life is by prayer, education ... (Continue reading)
