Free Republic

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorOctober 5, 2007Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- That a handful of pro-life advocates are considering a third party bid for president next year holds no attraction for former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Both Republican presidential candidates have worked to attract pro-life voters and say they won't look to third party bids.Huckabee, who served as governor of Arkansas, told the Washington Post on Thursday that he would not seek or accept an invitation to run as a third-party presidential candidate from Christian conservative leaders."No, I think a third party only helps elect Hillary [Clinton]," Huckabee said of...

Young Pastor's Powerful Sermon Encourages Parishioners to Take Part in Life Chain By Steve Jalsevac MANOTICK, Ontario, October 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Sunday, Sept. 23, a week before Canada's Life Chain Sunday, Fr. Geoff Kerslake gave what was seen as a powerful sermon encouraging his parishioners to take part in the local Life Chain the following Sunday. Fr. Geoff is the young pastor of St. Leonard's parish in Manotick, Ontario, located on the fringe of Canada's capital city of Ottawa. Fr. Geoff's sermon so encouraged one couple who heard it that they had the text re-printed in the bulletin...

Campaign Life Coalition Presents Candidate Information for Ontario Pro-Life Voters Will assist voters to cast informed vote Oct. 10 By Steve Jalsevac TORONTO, Ontario, October 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Many candidates for the Oct. 10 Ontario Provincial election have been very reluctant to provide voters with their position on the life issues or they have been responding as if those issues are now irrelevant and "settled". Nevertheless, with enormous effort, Campaign Life Coalition, Ontario has been able to assemble an impressive amount of candidate information to assist pro-life voters to cast an informed vote on election day this coming Wednesday,...

Happy Thanksgiving from Our Family to Yours - A Poem of Thanks On the American Thanksgiving last year I shared a touching poem which was memorized and recited by my son Joshua that had the effect of causing our family to reflect on and give thanks for all our blessings from the Lord.  Many readers appreciated it, and in case you missed it you can read it here:http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06112303.htmlWith the Canadian Thanksgiving this Monday, I thought I'd share another poem which my daughter Hannah recently memorized and recited publicly.  The poem by Ethyl Lynn Beers was particularly special in our case...

VATICAN, October 5, 2007 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - By denying the existence of natural law, secularism is undermining the very foundations of democratic society, Pope Benedict XVI argued in an October 5 private audience with members of the International Theological Commission. Disregard for natural law, the Holy Father said, has caused "a crisis for human-- even more for Christian-- civilization." In response to that crisis, he continued, Church leaders should mobilize "both lay people and followers of religions other than Christianity" to reclaim a common moral tradition. The International Theological Commission had gathered in Rome this week to discuss a forthcoming document...

Quebec Mandates Relativistic Ethical and Religious Education For All Students in Province Program includes positive presentation of homosexual families and requires children to question their own religious upbringing By John-Henry Westen QUEBEC CITY, October 4, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As of the beginning of the 2008 school year, all students in the province of Quebec whether in public school, private school or even homeschooled will be mandated to take a program on "Ethics and Religious Culture" which runs from grade one till the end of high school.  The program is completely relativistic and includes positive presentation of homosexual families and requires...

WASHINGTON – Some of the top leaders in Christian pro-family activism – including James Dobson of Focus on the Family – met in Salt Lake City yesterday to plot a strategy if Rudy Giuliani or another supporter of legalized abortion is nominated by the Republican Party as its presidential candidate. Not only was there a consensus among activists to withhold support for the Republican nominee, there was even discussion about supporting the entry of a new candidate to challenge the frontrunners. It's no secret that Dobson, founder of one of the largest Christian ministries in the country, has no use...

Catholic Pro-Abortion Ontario Premier Confronted at Campaign Debate by Pro-Life Candidate Pro-life singer David MacDonald runs against Premier Dalton McGuinty in Ottawa South By Paul Lauzon and John-Henry Westen OTTAWA, September 28, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In Ottawa South, Liberal Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's riding, well-known pro-life singer David MacDonald is running for the Family Coalition Party. MacDonald has posted numerous signs and delivered over 10,000 pro-life and pro-family flyers in the riding. In a moving and dynamic presentation at an all candidates debate Wednesday - with Premier Dalton McGuinty looking on - MacDonald spoke of his experiences as a Broadway...

Catholic School Board calls Pro-Family Group "Extremist Hate Group", Board Defends Pro-Gay Manual Board's family life committee said to have approved homosexual-activist counselor who is raising male child with his homosexual partner. By  Mauro MacMillan WATERLOO, Sept 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com)  In an attempt to divert attention from a controversial pro-homosexuality resource that the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) has approved, the Board has taken to calling into question the motive and character of the Defend Traditional Marriage and Family (DTMF) group that brought the issue to light earlier this year. At the heart of the issue is a teacher...

A speech by a "parental rights" activist in Gloucester has been canceled after a gay marriage advocacy group threatened to protest what it deemed "hate speech." Cape Ann Marriage and Family, which characterizes itself as "pro-family" and has been active in advocating for a popular vote on gay marriage, had planned a meeting at a Main Street pizza parlor featuring a lecture by David Parker of Lexington. Parker is suing the state for the right to be notified when issues of sexuality, including gay marriage, are discussed in his young son's school. The case was initially dismissed but is on...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today FRC Action announced that GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson will speak at the Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit on Friday October 19. Senator Thompson becomes the seventh presidential hopeful to commit to address the largest gathering of pro-family activists in the nation's capital.

President George Bush Proclaims September 24 Family Day 2007 WASHINGTON, DC, September 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The following text is a proclamation by President Bush: Families are the cornerstone of our Nation. On Family Day, we underscore our dedication to strengthening America's families and recognize the importance that the bonds between parents and children hold for the future of our country. Parents and family members are the first and most important influence in a child's life. Families offer a stable and nurturing environment by providing love, guidance, support, and comfort. They help young people gain the skills they need to...

Halton Catholic School Board Approves Controversial HPV Vaccinations on School Premises All three student trustees supported resolution to ban the vaccine from Board's schools but did not have right to vote By John-Henry Westen HAMILTON, September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a move which came as an unexpected shock to many in the pro-life movement, the board of trustees at the Halton Catholic District School Board voted 4-3 to reject a motion to forbid the controversial HPV vaccine to be offered or administered on the Catholic school board's premises for the duration of this school year.  The board has instead...

Amnesty International Organizes Worldwide Gay Protest Against Nicaragua By Peter J. Smith MANAGUA, Nicaragua, September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - After enshrining abortion as a human right in its humanitarian mission, Amnesty International has now stepped up its campaign to target nations that criminalize sodomy as grave violators of human rights, beginning with Nicaragua. Last week Amnesty International through its affiliates orchestrated international protests outside Nicaraguan embassies and consulates in Germany, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Mexico, Paraguay, Sweden and Taiwan, demanding the repeal of Nicaragua's sodomy ban. "Article 204 contradicts numerous provisions in international human rights law," said an Amnesty press release....

Maryland's Highest Court Upholds State Law Favoring Traditional Marriage ANNAPOLIS, September 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Today, the Maryland Court of Appeals, in a 4-3 decision, upheld the state's marriage law, which says "only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in this state." In January 2006 the circuit court for Baltimore City struck down the marriage law (Family Law Article 2-201) as discriminatory on the basis of sex, in violation of the Maryland Declaration of Rights, in the case of Conaway v. Deane. Maryland's highest court reversed the circuit court, ruling today that the marriage law did...

Christian Psychologist Sues Minneapolis After Being Fired for Membership in Pro-Family Group MINNEAPOLIS, September 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit last Tuesday in federal court on behalf of an Illinois clinical psychologist who lost his contract with the city of Minneapolis because of his membership with a politically conservative, pro-family organization. "Pro-family, Christian conservatives cannot be treated as second-class citizens," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum.  "Government officials do not have the right to end someone's contract on the basis of religion or political viewpoint.  The city of Minneapolis is engaging in...

Ireland 1986-2006: 500% Increase in Divorce; 400% Increase in Cohabitation without Marriage Cities much worse off than rural areas By John-Henry Westen DUBLIN, September 17, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new report from The Iona Institute based on a detailed analysis of Census 2006 - the first analysis of its kind published to date - reveals the full extent of changing family structure and marriage breakdown in Ireland. The analysis shows marriage breakdown by age and region and includes colour-coded maps of major Irish cities illustrating this down to the electoral division level. According to the analysis, marriage breakdown has increased...

Ontario Liberal Premier McGuinty Boasts of Legalizing Homosexual 'Marriage' Frequently touts his Catholic faith and comfortable with acting and speaking against Church moral teachings By John-Henry Westen TORONTO, September 17, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Xtra, a Canadian homosexual newspaper has published interviews with political party leaders from the province of Ontario.  Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty was not available for the interview but sent the paper written comments in which he boasted of his role in bringing homosexual 'marriage' to the province. "Together, we moved early in our mandate to pass legislation that allows gays and lesbians to recognize their love through...

Study Finds Divorce Negatively Affects How Much Care Child will give Elderly Parent PHILADELPHIA, September 17, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study has found that divorce, even when the kids are older, can have negative affects on the amount of care children will provide to elderly parents. And that spells trouble for the baby boomer generation. Temple University researcher Adam Davey, Ph.D. has found the impact of divorce and remarriage can predict about whether a child will provide more involved care in the future. A divorce may have happened over 30 years ago, but the changes it caused can have...

Ontario Court Refuses Appeal of Three-Parent Case By Hilary White TORONTO, September 14, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) has linked the recently released statistics on the decline of legal marriage in Canada to the so-called Three Parent case. In that case an Ontario judge ruled that a five-year-old child was the legal offspring of the father, biological mother and the mother's lesbian partner. The court has refused to hear any appeal of the 2006 case which means that in Ontario, not only the legal institution of marriage but the biological nature of the family has been...