Free Republic

A woman who helped to bring down a Brazilian faith healer accused of sex abuse has taken her own life in Spain. Sabrina Bittencourt, 38, died at her home in Barcelona just days after accusing John of God - real name Joao Teixeira de Faria - of running a 'sex slave farm'. She claimed young girls were held captive in a farming operation which exported babies on the black market. The women would be murdered after ten years of having babies in the alleged scheme run by the 77-year-old celebrity faith healer, who was arrested last year after hundreds of...

An image from a TV ad for gay marriage, reproduced in the January 18 New Yorker, provides a Rorschach test for reactions to America’s ongoing revolution in family structure. Two men in black suits stand shoulder to shoulder in a group of people, looking into each other’s eyes. In their arms are two newborns in white baby clothes and blankets. Though it’s not immediately apparent from the photo, the men are at a baptism for their infants. The ad, still being test-marketed, is called “Family Values,” and is intended to emphasize the “conventionality of gay couples,” explains the New Yorker....

OTTAWA, June 27, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has announced that it will allow the creation of living human embryos specifically for research purposes. Although pro-life advocates working to kill the Liberal government’s 2002 Assisted Reproduction Act predicted that embryonic stem cell research would be the next move--although the bill purported to protect against this type of research--they were roundly criticized as “alarmist” during the debates over the bill. Meanwhile, biotech lobbyists have worked steadily to find ways around the legislation or simply to amend it to get what they wanted: “fresh” embryos made to...

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this morning on the death of Dana Reeve: "Today I offer my heartfelt condolences to Dana Reeve's family and friends. Her death, coming so soon after the death of her husband Christopher, is a source of deep sadness for so many -- both to those of us who knew her, and those who admired her work and her values. "Dana Reeve used the great personal challenge of her husband's paralysis to work so that other families would not have to endure the same pain. By bringing hope to the sick and...

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement on the passing of Dana Reeve: "Today, I join millions of Americans in mourning the loss of Dana Reeve. Dana and Christopher Reeve were tireless advocates for people with disabilities. Their activism and passion were an inspiration to millions. Together, they sent a powerful message that Americans who fight for what they believe in can change our country. "Reeve's courage in the face of her husband's struggles was matched by her grace in confronting her own illness. The sudden, tragic loss of such an effective champion and committed mother...