Issues
Written on 22 Feb, 2011 at 7:41 in
Columnist, Religion, Rory Leishman | Author:
Rory Leishman
On Jan. 10, Orville Nichols was in a state of shock: He knew he might lose in a ruling that day by a panel of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in the Marriage Commissioners Reference, but he probably was not expecting to lose by an overwhelming five to nothing decision.
Nichols is a devout Baptist who has served as a marriage commissioner in Saskatchewan since 1983. Having performed more than 10,000 marriages without ... (Continue reading)
Written on 22 Feb, 2011 at 7:32 in
Announcements, Bioethics, Features | Author:
Pauline Kosalka
An inexpensive genetic test has been developed that can detect 448 genetic childhood diseases. The makers of the test are hoping to expand this to 580 conditions within the next six months and the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation, which funded the National Center for Genome Resources research hopes that the new universal screening process will be available commercially within a few years.
Presented in the January issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, ... (Continue reading)
Written on 9 Feb, 2011 at 10:47 in
Announcements, Features, Religion | Author:
Paul Tuns On Jan. 18, the Halton Catholic District School Board caved to pressure from gay activists and rescinded its Equity and Inclusive Education Policy II-45, following a media storm over the board’s policy banning gay-straight alliances.
Over the past year, public and separate school boards in Ontario have been required to implement policies in line with the province’s Ministry of Education equity and inclusive education (EIE) initiative that includes strategies to make all ... (Continue reading)
Written on 3 Feb, 2011 at 13:42 in
Abortion, Announcements, Features | Author:
Paul Tuns Philadelphia abortionist faces 39 charges
in connection with death of woman, seven newborns
A Philadelphia abortionist has been arrested in connection to the murders of a pregnant woman and seven newborn babies in a case that has garnered international attention.
On Jan. 19, Kermit Gosnell, 69, wife Pearl, and eight other employee-accomplices were arrested in connection with the death of 41-year-old refugee, Karnamya Mongar and seven specific incidences in which Gosnell or ... (Continue reading)
Written on 28 Jan, 2011 at 12:17 in
Euthanasia | Author:
Paul Tuns
On Nov. 29, child murderer Robert Latimer was granted full parole. Latimer, 58, was convicted in 1997 for second-degree murder after the 1993 gassing death of his daughter Tracy, then 12 and who had cerebral palsy.
Latimer, a Saskatchewan farmer, was granted day parole in March 2008, but last year the parole board refused to grant him full parole. He sought looser restrictions and in September 2009, Latimer was required to check ... (Continue reading)
Written on 28 Jan, 2011 at 11:56 in
Columnist, Euthanasia, Paul Tuns | Author:
Paul Tuns Robert Latimer has been granted full parole. I am not surprised by the decision, just ticked off. It sends a terrible signal to society that the life of a person with a disability is less valuable than the life of an able-bodied person. That is sick, perverse and dehumanizing. Canada is better than that. As the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition’s Alex Schadenberg says, “the EPC has always held that Robert Latimer should be treated in ... (Continue reading)
Written on 28 Jan, 2011 at 11:33 in
Society & Culture | Author:
Tony Gosgnach Special to The Interim
At the conclusion of a hearing into Linda Gibbons’ case on Dec. 14, Judge Mara Beth Greene reserved a ruling on an abuse of process application until Jan. 12. This ensures that Gibbons, who refuses to sign bail conditions requiring she stay away from abortion sites, remained imprisoned over the Christmas season.
Arguments for and against a judge hearing the abuse of process application consumed the majority of time when Gibbons made her ... (Continue reading)
Written on 21 Jan, 2011 at 12:03 in
Euthanasia | Author:
Commentary Alex Schadenberg A study published in the Oct. 5 British Medical Journal found that nearly half of all euthanasia deaths in the Flanders region of Belgium were not reported. This study combined with the recent study that was published in the CMAJ in May 2010 that indicated that 32 per cent of all euthanasia deaths in the Flanders region of Belgium were without request or consent suggests that the Belgium euthanasia model is ... (Continue reading)
Written on 21 Jan, 2011 at 11:52 in
Announcements, Features, Marriage and Family | Author:
When the Ontario Court of Appeals ruled that the immemorial definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman violated the equity provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, social conservatives opposed the short-sighted and egregious activism of the court on many grounds. We argued that, in addition to misunderstanding (and far exceeding) the proper bounds of the state, the court made the future prohibition of polygamy ... (Continue reading)
Written on 21 Dec, 2010 at 9:37 in
Euthanasia | Author:
Alex Schadenberg For many years the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has been analyzing Canadian survey results related to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The first major survey that the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition commissioned was part of an Environics Group – National Omnibus survey in April 2001.
The recent Environics Group survey, sponsored by Life Canada, shows that the EPC strategy not only convinced MPs to vote against legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada, but has also helped to shift public opinion against the legalization ... (Continue reading)
Written on 21 Dec, 2010 at 9:14 in
Marriage and Family | Author:
Pauline Kosalka
A report from the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada speculates on why boys and men in the modern world are lagging behind girls. Using a thesis put forth by scholars such as George Gilder, Margaret Mead, David Popenoe, and David Blankenhorn, the report, “The Status of Men” written by Andrea Mrozek, manager of research and communication at the IMFC, considers “men and boys as the forgotten casualty in gender warfare” and ... (Continue reading)
Written on 18 Dec, 2010 at 9:35 in
Activism, Pro-Life | Author:
Tony Gosgnach Special to The Interim A development that the presiding judge described as having the potential for “dire implications” scuttled an expected trial of Linda Gibbons in October. The judge made the decision to delay the trail on the morning of Oct. 29, when the long-time pro-life demonstrator appeared in a downtown Toronto courtroom to answer a charge of disobeying a court order.
At issue is a meeting held in 2001 between representatives of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney-General and lawyers for 18 pro-life demonstrators ... (Continue reading)
Written on 18 Dec, 2010 at 9:31 in
Abortion Law, Politics | Author:
Paul Tuns
On Nov. 1, Bill C-510, Rod Bruinooge’s private member’s bill that would outlaw coercive abortion, received second reading before heading to the Justice and Human Rights Committee. During an hour of debate, three Conservative MPs spoke in favour of C-510 while MPs in all four parties criticized the bill and its sponsor.
Bruinooge noted that his bill is also known as Roxanne’s Law, after Roxanne Fernando who will killed by her boyfriend in ... (Continue reading)
Written on 13 Dec, 2010 at 13:49 in
Issues | Author:
Paul Tuns In a letter to the editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal, Virginia Zignego, communications director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, explains why pro-lifers do not accept the rape and incest exception: it unfairly punishes the unborn child for the crime of another and makes the woman an aggressor. Zignego says:
The circumstances of conception may have been criminal, but the life of the newly-created human being is just as valuable as any other person's. (Continue reading)
Written on 13 Dec, 2010 at 8:59 in
Announcements, Book Review, Features, Issues | Author:
Review Michael Taube
Ask parents to come up with things that make their children cringe, and you will have enough material to fill an entire 32-volume Encyclopædia Britannica set. Such a list would likely include the ever unpopular liver and onions, green vegetables, romantic movies and, without question, big, thick, heavy hardcover books.
It doesn’t matter if your child likes to read, or would rather watch paint dry on a hot summer’s day. ... (Continue reading)
