Dear pro-life friends:

It's 2:30 a.m. and I have just awakened in an Ottawa hotel room to write this letter to you. Since it is minus 24 C. outside, I'm grateful not to be sitting in an unheated van in a parking lot this time, but in the warmth of my room.

On May 25, 2003, Campaign Life will celebrate its 25th anniversary of battling in the Canadian political arena for God's little ones, those born with special needs and the elderly at risk. Actually, the Coalition part of CLC marks its 30th this year

For many of our Christian supporters the Lenten season begins March 5. Ash Wednesday offers a special opportunity for reflective prayer, sacrifice and almsgiving.

The world is on the brink of a possible war and our country on the cusp of enacting legislation which would allow the cloning of human beings and the killing of human beings at the embryonic stage of life in order to extract their stem cells for research purposes. We pause to wonder which poses the greatest long-term threat to our well-being.

If human life is made a commodity by legislation which supposedly places meaningful restrictions on scientific research but actually does not, then Canadian society will have continued its slide much further down the slippery slope.

Prayer is at the core of our work --- it couldn't be any other way, and in addition to the personal prayers of all our supporters, we know of many groups that join together to petition God for His guidance in all that we do.

We know, too, that in all the little ways, Campaign Life Coalition makes its presence felt through everything that you do in your communities; in large cities and small towns and hamlets, in farming communities, by the sea or even in wilderness communities.

You continue in a very positive fashion, to educate your children and grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other relatives on the evil of abortion and all other anti-life activities.

You photocopy articles from the CLC National News, The Interim and other publications and pass them on to help educate your friends, neighbours and co-workers.

The anti-life elements in the media have been 'snookered' to a degree by your communications network as you spread knowledge of these issues among your own circles and provide inspiration to those of us in the front lines.

You have responded to our action items by phoning, visiting, writing, faxing and emailing your elected representatives (and others). You are very much a beacon of light and hope in a sometimes despairing era in which a large percentage of Canadians have opted out and even refuse to vote.

Please keep up your prayers and your efforts on our behalf and please donate sacrificially whenever you are able.

Since the beginning of this year, donations have slid below meeting our basic everyday needs, let alone the costs of any special projects (for example, preparing for the upcoming provincial elections). Please help us to rectify the situation.

For years, a volunteer in our Toronto office worked well into her 80s a few days each week. She died without a will and without any known relatives. Her estate, consisting of a house and belongings and her savings went to the government. So, if your personal situation provides an opportunity to include CLC in at least a portion of your will, please remember us so that your support for our life-saving work will continue even after your death. If you don't have a will or lawyer, contact our offices and ask for Rhonda and we will assist you in any way we can.

Before signing off, I just want to pass along some wonderful news about our good friend Joseph Scheidler, director of the Pro-Life Action League based in Chicago.

As I was finalizing this letter we got word that the case against Joe by the National Organization of Women using RICO ( anti-racketeering law) was decided in Joe's favour by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 8-1 decision. The justices said RICO cannot be applied to pro-life protestors. This is great news. (Please say a prayer of thanksgiving that this long ordeal has come to an end.)

Yours for Life,
Jim Hughes

P.S. In order to continue to provide for your needs, CLC has set up 2 new sub-groups: Campaign Life (Catholic) and Campaign Life (Evangelical). One of their first projects will be to pray for abortionist Henry Morgentaler who will be celebrating his 80th birthday on March 19. Many have indicated they will pray and sacrifice for 9 or 10 days prior to his birthday asking God to touch his heart.

We have sent a letter across Canada to approximately 4,000 pastors, priests, religious and faith communities requesting special prayer for his conversion to the Lord.

P.P.S. May Almighty God continue to bless you and yours and provide you comfort in times of distress.

As we were ready to go to press, the federal government's reproductive technologies Bill C-13 still hadn't been voted on. Although Parliament was called back early in January to clear up some business before Finance Minister John Manley presented his budget February 18, Bill C-13 was debated but never voted upon. It seemed that C-13 was put on the backburner as the House discussed the budget and war in Iraq before a two week recess in March, so we thought we had bought some time. This bill is volatile and the government handling of it is unpredictable.

Over the last 18 months many pro-life Canadians have contacted their MPs on the issue of embryonic stem cell research and human cloning. Many more of you contacted your MPs in early January and early February as the House of Commons debated some of the numerous amendments, some of which are supportable by pro-lifers. Most of the amendments we would support have been placed together in Group 2. As of this writing, Group 2 has not yet come up in the debates. In general, though C-13 is fundamentally flawed and cannot be supported.

We look at the delay in voting on C-13 as a God-given opportunity to further work with the MPs to fix or defeat the bill - and we need your immediate help. Please phone or email your MPs and urge them especially to vote for two motions for amendments. The first, Motion 13, would tighten the definition of cloning enough to hopefully prohibit all the methods of cloning now done and any methods that might come up in the future. The second, Motion 17, would outlaw embryo experimentation of any kind. We strongly urge MPs to vote for these motions.

You can make a difference. In early February, a bill that would allow human cloning and embyronic stem cell research was withdrawn from the New Jersey state legislature after pro-life citizens and lobbyists pointed out the severe flaws of the bill. Catholic University of America professor Dianne Irving noted that the "same scientific errors and linguistic loopholes - in the proposed N.J. legislation - are all throughout the Canadian legislation."

The 30th annual March for Life in Washington D.C., in January, was a great success. Organized by Washington lawyer Miss Nellie Grey, it commemorates the anniversary of the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision which virtually allowed abortion on demand. Nellie has told us time and again that it took a full 8 years before the idea caught on and took on a life of its own.

In Canada, May 14, 1969 is our day of infamy. It was on that day that Pierre Trudeau and John Turner gave Canada the Omnibus Bill which effectively implemented abortion on demand. The legacy of this single piece of legislation is 2.5 million babies killed by abortion. The theme of this year's march is "Life is the ONLY Choice." The purpose of the March for Life is to demonstrate to elected officials, the public and the media that the great injustice of abortion must not be allowed to continue. Please join us in Ottawa for this very important demonstration.

There is an extensive program from May 13-15. There will be youth activities organized by Campaign Life Coalition Youth on May 13, from 1-5 p.m., at St. Joseph's Parish in Ottawa. There is also a youth event the morning of May 15. For more information, call Gillian Long at (416) 204-9749 or 1-800-730 5358. At 9 p.m. May 13, there will be a Candlelight Vigil at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument. On May 14 at 10 a.m., there will be a Mass at St. Patrick's Basilica and an ecumenical prayer service at St. George's Anglican Church. At noon on Parliament Hill there will be welcoming remarks from MPs, Archbishop Marcel Gervais of Ottawa, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Halifax and leaders from other faith communities before the 1 p.m. march through the streets of downtown Ottawa. That evening at 6:30, there will be a banquet at Ottawa Congress Centre with special guest speaker Dr. Jack Willke, President of International Right to Life Federation. Advance tickets are needed for the banquet. Please call: Ottawa (613) 729-0379, Toronto (416) 204-9749 or toll free 1-800-730-5358. Please join us for this special demonstration.If you cannot make it, consider offering a donation to help offset the costs or to help students attend. Especially encourage students and other young people to attend the March for Life events. Their presence give extra special encouragement to the pro-life MPs and veteran activists. Also, please pray for a successful March.

Last month, we reported that provincial elections are expected in 7 of 10 provinces in 2003 (every province in the country but Alberta, B.C. and PEI). The February 6 National Post reports that Ontario will likely hold an election either May 10 or in June (our sources say an additional scenario has a fall election, but we've heard that MPPs have been told to be ready for the spring election). Of course, the leaders of all three major Ontario parties are pro-abortion, pro-same-sex rights. Ernie Eves has upset social conservatives by moving his already centrist Tories leftward, putting the future of educational choice up in the air and flouting his disdain for traditional values by proudly displaying his "life-partner" Isabel Bassett. Both Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and NDP leader's Howard Hampton are solidly committed to abortion and same-sex "rights." That said, there are a number of pro-life Tory and Liberal MPs, and we expect that in the upcoming election, there will be other possible pro-life candidates. We urge our supporters to determine the position of individual MPPs on life issues and not make a judgement based solely on the party or leader. We remind pro-lifers that support for abortion is a disqualifying issue and that candidates who are unwilling to challenge the abortion status quo also betray our nation's great need to have legal protection for the right to life restored. Once again, we encourage you to support the Family Coalition Party, the only provincial party committed the protection of innocent human life.

Our provincial offices are always strapped for both manpower and money. These shortages become more pronounced during provincial and federal elections. They will desperately need your involvement, even before the election writ is dropped. Contact your elected representatives and other declared candidates and present them with our CLC provincial questionnaire. Pass this information onto your local CLC representatives (it is best to get anything you can in writing from those seeking election, but any truthful information is better than none at all). If you have the time, volunteer to help CLC during the election. There are many tasks but never enough people to do them; we need help finding out who all the candidates are and how to best contact them (no easy task), sending out questionnaires and getting information to our supporters. There are also substantially increased costs, especially for mailings and faxes during an election. If you can, please give generously. We are working hard to ensure the unborn have a voice in the political sphere, and to make that voice audible, we need everyone pitching in.

And don't forget, on election day, vote pro-life.

The candidates for the federal Progressive Conservative leadership race are mostly uninspiring, which is too bad considering the many pro-life MPs the party has had over the years (the same can be said for the Liberal Party). It is a shame that pro-life MPs such as Elsie Wayne, Norman Doyle or Greg Thompson will not run for the leadership. There is an excellent opportunity for the Tories to expand their base if they would offer pro-life Canadians reasons to vote for them.

The front-runners seem to be a pair of Nova Scotia MPs, Peter MacKay and Scott Brison. Both support abortion and same-sex rights; Brison is, himself, a recently self-outed homosexual. Brison and MacKay said the party needs to move to the center to attract more Canadians - moving to the centre is a common code for many politicians to mean opposing pro-life and pro-family policies. Other candidates include grain farmer David Orchard and former Quebec MP Heward Graftey, both of whom accept that the Tories should be "socially progressive." Little is known about Calgary lawyer Jim Prentice, although we are trying to contact him and determine his views on life issues. Craig Chandler, a former Reform Party candidate in Hamilton, Ont. and Christian lobby activist, is pro-life and pro-family. This time around, according to the Hamilton Spectator, he is focusing on uniting the right, increasing military funding and improving relations with the U.S. The leader will be chosen May 31 at a Toronto convention. Offering fiscal responsibility does nothing to distinguish the Tories from the other parties. Brison said it was time for the party to be bold because "mediocre, bland, pablum policies won't offend anyone, but they won't turn anyone on either." Nothing could be bolder than to shakeup the abortion status quo: defunding, right to know, conscience rights, outright prohibition. But accepting Prime Minister Jean Chretien's lie that the country has social peace on abortion is bland - and wrong.

Toronto city councillor Jack Layton became the leader of the New Democratic Party in January. Layton is a rabidly pro-abortion, pro-same sex rights advocate. As a city councillor he was one of the first Canadian politicians to march in a Gay Pride Parade and he actively lobbied the Ontario Tories in the 1980s to keep abortion free of any restrictions. When he ran for mayor in 1991, lawyer and then CLC spokesman Paul Dodds said "Jack Layton is completely unacceptable as a candidate for mayor … (We are) revolted by the sort of values Jack Layton wants to push on council." Layton emphasized his pro-abortion credentials in a number of candidates debates during the NDP leadership race, saying the answer to the issue of abortion is to have universal, taxpayer-funded daycare and an end to child poverty.

Federal Heritage Minister Sheila Copps is the first person to formally announce their candidacy for the Liberal leadership. Copps, a twice divorced, abortion-supporting Catholic, has said that a key plank in her leadership bid will be support for same-sex "marriage." She said she will focus on issues of interest to women and youth, which her liberal strategists will take to include abortion, same-sex rights and radical, anti-people environmentalism. Copps also said she wants measures (whether within the party or through legislation, she did not say) to ensure more women made it to Parliament. Prime Minister Jean Chretien used a similar rationale to parachute pro abortion women into numerous ridings in 1993 and 1997, often over the expressed wishes of the constituency associations.

Pro-abortion Toronto MP Allan Rock has announced he will not seek the Liberal leadership. The current and former finance ministers, John Manley and Paul Martin, respectively, are both expected to announce their leadership bids. Manley is pro-abortion. Martin supports abortion but would allow MPs more freedom in Parliament. His campaign has focused on democratizing the House of Commons, which may present new opportunities for pro-life legislation.

Last August, Chretien announced he would step down in February 2004, but the convention to chose the next Liberal leader will be this fall.

When we are involved in the public square, we all have the obligation to stand up for innocent human life. It is an old, but sad joke that politicians don't care about abortion because the unborn child doesn't vote. We must make it clear to politicians that not only do we care about the unborn and want them protected by law, but that we are willing to act on those convictions. Abortion cannot be just another one of many issues that we consider when voting; it must be the most important issue, for it is literally a matter of life and death.

Now comes news that should spur us to action. The February 10, Globe and Mail reported that a Pollara poll conducted for the Carleton University's Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, found that Canadians are steadily becoming less involved in politics. They don't show up for protests and boycotts, they don't sign petitions or write letters to the editor, and they don't show up to vote. Just six out of 10 eligible voters cast ballots in the 2000 federal election. So why should we become involved? Because our votes will be weighted heavier, our involvement will be more pronounced and noticeable. With at least one out every four Canadians identifying themselves as pro-life, and the majority of Canadians opposed to the status quo, you would think that the major political parties would be interested in their support. We must show them that our support comes at a price well-worth paying: protection of the unborn child. It is the right thing to do, it will save babies and it will win votes. A win-win situation.

The Trillium Foundation, an Ontario government funding agency, has given a grant of $177,800 over three years to the pro-euthanasia group Dying With Dignity. The story was broken by LifeSite News, the internet arm of Interim Publishing and it has caused quite a stir. The Ottawa Citizen reported on it and the Foundation has launched an investigation into the matter. The key concern is that a provincial body is promoting suicide, which is illegal in Canada. Kathy St. John, executive director of Dying With Dignity, which enjoys charitable tax status, denies her group uses the money to counsel suicide, going so far as to claim that "We absolutely do not counsel, aid or abet assisted suicide."

However, a peek at Dying with Dignity's website finds it boasting that it is "a member and active participant in the World Federation of Right to Die Societies" and that one of its goals is to "build public support for legal change to permit voluntary, physician-assisted dying." As Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition notes, Death with Dignity is a participant at NuTech conferences; NuTech is an organization which promotes the "Exit Bag - Suicide Bag," the 'Debreather' and the use of Helium as a suicide agent.

St. John told the Ottawa Citizen that the Trillium Foundation-funded program, "will be for members of Dying With Dignity who are faced with important end of-life decisions," but did not include details of the program. According to the Catholic Register, St. John has described the program as for "terminally ill individuals who are faced with making important end-of-life decisions. They are going to come to us for information and support in making these decisions. We're going to work along side family members, health care professionals, other care givers as directed by the terminally ill client." There was no elaboration of what the program will entail or what they mean by "support," but one can only guess. Schadenberg said that while he has seen no indication that Dying With Dignity plans to encourage euthanasia, the group's stance on the issue is reason enough to cancel the grant.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition questions whether the Ontario Trillium Foundation officials who approved the grant will be willing to reverse their decision without an independent review. "We believe that it is in the interest of the Ontario Ministry of Culture to do an independent inquiry into this matter." CLC concurs with EPC's evaluation of this improper and possibly illegal grant.

A Canadian Press/Leger marketing poll released January 20 showed an incredible ignorance on the part of Canadians who said they were opposed to human cloning but supported cloning human embryos for research purposes. The poll found that 84% of Canadians opposed the cloning of human beings (with 5% supporting it). At the same time, 52% of respondents support cloning "human embryos for the creation of stem cells that could be used in transplants, organ replacements or in the prevention or treatment of diseases." Just 32% of respondents were opposed to such cloning, commonly but erroneously called therapeutic cloning.

Putting aside the wording of the second question which would have led respondents to increase their support for research cloning (who doesn't want to cure disease?), the dichotomy of human being and human embryo shows an incredible lack of scientific fact. As CLC Medical Consultant John Shea noted, "human embryos are human beings." Indeed, if the embryos weren't human beings, researchers wouldn't be so eager to get their hands on them: what additional benefits would these embryos have over, say, laboratory rats or monkeys?

The pro-cloning, pro-stem cell research side has been deceitful in its claims that cures and treatments for many diseases are just around the corner. There has never been a clinical cure of anyone using embryonic stem cells. Now they are being deceitful about human embryos, propagandizing the public with the lie that the embryo is not a human being.

Abortion may be bad for the soul and the unborn child, but there is further evidence that is very good for the abortionist's pocketbook. The January 20 Globe and Mail reported that an unnamed Ontario physician billed OHIP for $552,695 in 1998-99, during which time he committed 2,280 abortions. (We'd like to know which Ontario bureaucrat lifted the billing cap in order to pay this.) This, of course, comes at a time when the provinces are crying for more healthcare dollars from the federal government. Governments could realize enormous savings if they would stop funding medically unnecessary (indeed, medically harmful) procedures such as abortion.

Globe and Mail reporter Lisa Priest, who wrote the story, found it difficult to get OHIP billing information, despite the fact that most newspapers publish an annual list of salaries of people paid more than $100,000 by the government to keep everyone accountable. Apparently, there is no accountability for doctors, especially abortionists. British Columbia and Manitoba publish doctor's billings by name and Saskatchewan publishes the average amount by speciality, though not the doctors' names. In response CLC National Organizer Mary Ellen Douglas said "Why can't Ontario have the courage to at least publish the amount of tax capital which is spent every year in the deadly business of abortion, as Saskatchewan does. Taxpayers need to know that the killing of the child in the womb is big business for the doctors who accept money to kill on request."

Dr. Stephen Dawson, the Barrie Ontario family doctor who last year was in danger of losing his medical licence over his refusal to prescribe abortifacient birth control pills to unmarried women, has had charges of professional misconduct against him dropped. Dawson, a Christian, believed giving contraception to unmarried women encouraged promiscuity. After threatening him with the possibility of removal of his licence for nearly a year, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario quietly withdrew the charges after reaching an agreement which stipulates he must advise his patients of his views on the matter in advance.

The January 18 Globe and Mail ran a large 3000-word feature by Heather Mallick entitled "Why doesn't this man have the Order of Canada?" The photo underneath was of Canada's leading abortionist, Henry Morgentaler. There was an additional column by Mallick claiming that having an abortion is just a dandy experience and that it is no more difficult than having your teeth pulled. The Globe is entitled to its opinion, no matter how wrong it is, but it's journalistic practices, as demonstrated by Mallicks‚ feature, are questionable. For the last year or so, the Globe has run ads saying "Perspective is everything." It certainly is, and the Globe and Mail's was offensive. They did not even acknowledge the pro-life side of the abortion debate other than to claim that they present a danger to the life and health of abortionists. Because perspective is everything, we remind supporters that The Interim newspaper has a definite perspective: it is pro-life and pro family. If you or someone you know who might be interested in seeing what The Interim is all about, pass on their name to its circulation manager Dan DiRocco at (416) 204-1687 or dirocco@lifesite.net and a copy can be sent to you, or them.

The Interim was started by CLC 20 years ago to provide pro-life, pro family information to Canadians concerned about these issues. We were told it would never last. Even some of its supporters thought it should shut its doors after one or two issues. Twenty years later, it continues to cover the issues that the major media outlets refuse to cover, or when they do, with an anti-life, anti-family, anti-faith bias. If you live within driving distance or will be in Toronto, join The Interim and CLC and the pro-life community is celebrating 20 years of pro-life journalism on April 24 at Spiralle, on Don Mills Road, north of Eglinton in Toronto. Reception begins at 6:30, dinner at 7:30. Confirmed speakers include CLC National President (and inaugural editor) Jim Hughes, long-time columnist Fr. Ted Colleton, Catholic Insight editor and former Interim editor Fr. Alphonse de Valk and REAL Women vice president Gwen Landolt. That would be a great lineup on its own, but we are working on one last great speaker who will be announced in the April Interim. But don't wait, April 24 will be here before you know. Please contact Yoli or Rhonda at (416) 204-9749 or 1 800-730-5358 to purchase tickets for the event. Tickets are only $80 each, $150 for a couple or a table of 10 for $600.

Yours for life
Jim Hughes
National President