Dear Pro-lifers:

A special Easter "thank you" to all of you who have offered up special prayers, fasting and sacrificial almsgiving on our behalf and behalf of God's little ones.

Its pretty herky-jerky on this early Monday morning train ride to Ottawa for an activist meeting organized by CLC Ottawa-Carleton. But it provides a special opportunity to work on this letter to you.

My three-day trip will also include meetings with lobbyists in our Public Affairs Office, with activists and with various MPs and Senators on Bill C-13, outlining new strategies and discussing recent developments on pro-life issues from around the world.

The plans for next month's March for Life in our nation's capital are also just about completed. If you are able to do so, please make an extra special effort to attend the events: assembly on the Hill with MPs and Senators; church services; march through the downtown streets; dinner banquet with guest speakers and youth events.

For most of you the trip is understandably impossible because of distance. For some, other commitments make it impossible to participate. In those cases, please consider a special donation to subsidize those who can't attend because of their personal financial situation.

At times we hear criticism about nothing pro-life being done in this country. We beg to differ.

In addition to the wonderful work of the educational and service groups throughout the country, the political lobbying arm of the pro-life movement has been especially busy these past two years on the issues of stem cell research and human cloning. I cannot recall CLC ever receiving so much congratulations and thanks for the incredible work that CLC and its supporters have been doing getting out the word about Bill C-13 to MPs, pastors, relatives and friends.

On this issue so many of our MPs have done yeoman service. It's difficult to single out one or two but I will anyway. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Liberal MP Paul Szabo and Canadian Alliance MP Rob Merrifield - and their staffs - for their outstanding work.

Merrifield was the co-chair of the standing committee on health and attempted to alter the legislation so that it would ban the bad and strengthen the good. On the government side, Szabo became an expert on the issue, producing a book on stem cell research (Ethics and Science of Stem Cells), offering excellent amendments and generally being prepared to provide leadership to his colleagues.

It has been difficult for our parliamentarians and our supporters to remain focussed on these important life issues. There is much fear and anxiety over the war in the Middle East and the possibility of terrorist attacks here in North America. I support everyone and anyone for being concerned about the loss of innocent life - that's what motivates pro-lifers each and every day.

Remember what Mother Teresa said? "The fruit of abortion is nuclear war. " That is, as long as we continue to allow this massive killing of God's most innocent humans to carry on, there will be plummeting respect for life and more deaths of persons born and unborn.

Despite all the above, we must not let worries and anxiety cause us overwhelming fear. I want to share this old Irish expression with you which pretty well sums up our feelings: "Don't worry about a single thing … He loves to be trusted."

Even as we are concerned about the world around us, there are some reasons to celebrate. As you have undoubtedly heard, on Thursday April 24th, a dinner is being held to celebrate The Interim's 20th anniversary at Spirale Banquet Hall in Toronto.

For those of you who live within a reasonable drive, please be sure that you're there to celebrate this wonderful, inspiring pro-life, pro-family newspaper with us. You can get full details on www.lifesite.net or by calling The Interim at (416) 204-1687 or toll free 1-800-730-5358. Ask for Emma or Yoli.

The Lenten Season ends with the Risen Christ celebrated at Easter on April 20th. We must live our lives with the deep love that God has for all of His children foremost in our thoughts and in our hearts. After all, Christ died for each and every one of us.

Yours for Life,
Jim Hughes

P.S. Thus far this year on only six days have we received funds sufficient to cover the daily costs of running CLC. We have no luxuries, are swamped with work and can't cut back anymore. Please give generously so that we can continue this life-saving work, protecting all human life from the degradations of abortion, destructive and immoral research and euthanasia.

P.P.S. We now have an excellent 30-minute video of highlights from many of the impressive talks from last October's International Forum "Creating a Culture of Life." Call (416) 204-9749 or 1-800-730-5358 to order your tape for $19.95 plus $5 shipping.

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

The 2003 March for Life, with the theme "Life is the only Choice," will be held in Ottawa May 13-14 and should be the biggest and best march yet. The March for Life commemorates the passage of the 1969 federal Omnibus Bill that opened the floodgates for legalized abortion in Canada. This year, there will be more religious leaders, including Archbishops Gervais (Ottawa) and Prendergast (Halifax). Pro-life Catholics have often been frustrated by the apparent lack of support they get from the hierarchy. Well, we are now getting that leadership. I'm sure the messages that Archbishop Marcel Gervais and the others will give to the marchers will be an inspiration to all.

In the past, many veteran pro-lifers have been inspired to redouble their efforts after seeing the increasing number of youth at these events. This year, organizers are encouraging young people to sign up now for the special May 13 CLCY youth events featuring The Chastity Challenge Team, former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, CLC Director of Research Hilary White and CLCY Director Gillian Long. The Canadian March for Life, like its U.S. counterpart, is increasingly seeing a high percentage attendance by youth concerned about the future of their nation. There will also be a continuing youth event May 15 with speakers. For more information about either of the youth programs, call Gillian Long at (416) 204-9749 or1-800-730 5358.

Blocks of rooms are being reserved for the March at several local hotels but reservations must be made soon. To ensure the rooms are available to marchers, please tell the receptionists that you are with Campaign Life Coalition. The Doral Inn (10 minute walk to Parliament Hill) is reserving a block of rooms for May 13-14 until April 13. Phone number is (613) 230 8055. The Lord Elgin Hotel is also close and they have been keeping rooms open for the March but reservations must be made by April 14. Call 1-800-267 4298 or (613) 235-3333. Also, 10 minutes away from Parliament Hill, the Embassy Hotel & Suites is holding rooms for the March until April 13. Call 1 800-661-5495 or (613) 237-2111. A little farther away (5 minute by car, 10 minute by bus, or a 20 minute walk along the Rideau Canal) is the Ramada Hotel & Suites. Call them at 1-800-267-8378 or (613) 238-1331. They have rooms blocked off until April 15. The Bay Guest House bed and breakfast has reasonable rates and can be contacted at 1-877-230-3335 or (613) 230 3333. Also, Ottawa University has rooms for adults $40 per bed. You can call OU at (613) 564-5400, extension 0. I look forward to seeing many of you at the March for Life. If you are unable to attend, please consider a special donation to help subsidize those who would like to attend but are financially unable to do so.

On February 20, all political parties in the House of Commons agreed to make all Private Members' Business subject to a vote, on a trial basis. The Canadian Alliance Party which led the charge on the switch said the change "represents a big step forward for democracy." On a trial basis, all Private Members' business (bills or motions) will begin the process as votable items, and only in certain circumstances will some items be deemed non-votable by a sub-committee on Private Members' Business. Any MP who has an item deemed non-votable by the sub-committee can appeal to Procedure and House Affairs committee. Failing that, the member can appeal to the House of Commons provided the member could garner support from at least one member from four out of the five parties. This could be a significant improvement from the old practice where a Private Member's item began as non-votable, relying on the sub-committee to agree to make it votable. There was no appeal mechanism. The changes will make it easier for MPs to get motions to the floor for a debate and vote. Under the old system, very few private members' bills made it to the vote, and interference from the Prime Minister's Office made it all but impossible to get pro-life bills to the floor. Quite frankly, it may only be wishful thinking on our part that the government will allow any bill that is even slightly pro-life to come forward. Action Item: Please pray that under the new rules, pro-life bills and motions will make it to the House floor.

By the time you receive this or shortly after, a provincial election may have been called in Ontario for an early May election. If not May, many expect Premier Ernie Eves to call it in June (although some are even talking about a fall election).

Pro-life voters looking to the major parties and their leaders will be sorely disappointed. Officially, the Liberals, NDP and Progressive Conservatives are nearly identical on life and most family issues - none would seriously challenge the abortion status quo. In 1995, many pro-life Ontarians supported the Mike Harris Tories because they indicated they would end the expansion of abortion and opposition to pro-life activities that characterized 10 years of David Peterson's Liberal and Bob Rae's NDP government. Yet, the Tories, elected on a Common Sense plank, have shown little common sense when it comes to life and family issues as they continue to ignore the plight of the unborn and harass peaceful pro-life activists.

That said, there are pro-life MPPs in the Liberal and Tory parties. We urge pro-life voters put aside their partisan loyalties and stand up for the unborn by voting their conscience; that means supporting pro-life candidates and opposing pro-abortion candidates, regardless of party affiliation. Support for abortion is a disqualifying issue and such candidates cannot be voted for.

Elections are extremely busy times in our offices and the Ontario election, with its shortened four-week campaign, is especially so. We need your help. We will be sending every candidate a questionnaire that will be the basis of a voter's guide. The information will be available online at www.lifesite.net and distributed in a hard-copy format when it is available. Please pass this information to your family, friends, neighbours, co-workers and fellow worshippers. Let your vote be an informed vote so you don't unintentionally support a candidate who does not share your pro-life values.

We also need you to supply information about the candidates. First, we would ask you to send us contact information for candidates in your riding. This saves us lots of time finding the names of candidates and tracking down their phone, fax and email addresses. Second, ask the candidates where they stand on life issues - when life begins, what legal protection should be accorded to the unborn child, and whether they support taxpayer funding of abortion and conscience protection for the healthcare workers. Please forward this information as sometimes it is the only information we receive about candidates.

We once again remind Ontario voters that the only party committed to recognizing the sanctity of human life and protecting the traditional family is the Family Coalition Party. The FCP deserves your support.

We are also anticipating an election call in Quebec. Sadly, none of the major Quebec parties is pro-life, although Campagne Quebec Vie President Luc Gagnon reports that Action Democratique du Quebec (ADQ), while not a pro-life party, has a pro-family tendency and that its leader Mario Dumont seems uncomfortable with abortion and homosexual marriage. Gagnon says that the ADQ, if it follows the logic of its libertarian philosophy, might be opposed to taxpayer funding of abortion. None of this is an endorsement of the ADQ, but Gagnon suggests voters look closely at their candidates to determine if they are supportable. The ADQ was riding high in the polls last year, but have since fallen in support (10% behind the pro-abortion Parti Quebecois and 2% behind the Jean Charest-led Liberal Party of Quebec) because, Gagnon says in the April Interim, Quebecers are afraid of change. There is one pro-life party, the Democratie Chrestinne du Quebec (the Christian Democracy of Quebec) and they will field 20 candidates - the first time they have reached that benchmark. For more information on the election in Quebec, contact Campagne Quebec-Vie at (514) 344-2686.

Bill C-13, the government's Assisted Human Reproduction Act, may have passed by the time you receive this issue of CLC National News. On February 27, John Bryden (L, Wentworth-Burlington), who is pro-abortion and who supports embryonic stem cell research, pointed out an inconsistency in the bill regarding its supposed prohibition of the creation of human embryos for research. Bryden stood up in the House to note how one clause in the bill specifically permits the creation of human embryos for the purpose of instruction and better working of in vitro fertilization. Under the prohibited activities section 5 (1) b the bill reads "No person shall knowingly create an in vitro embryo for any purpose other than creating a human being or improving or providing instruction in assisted reproduction procedures." Thus, said Bryden, the bill allows for the creation of human beings for experimentation. Bryden said that had he seen this inconsistency earlier he would have been standing in the House with an amendment to rectify the glaring discrepancy. Campaign Life Coalition pointed out this very problem with the bill and suggested amendments to counter it months ago in briefs to pro-life politicians. CLC National President Jim Hughes noted that the incident is a good example of how deceptive the legislation is. "It claims to ban creation of human embryos for research in one place and then specifically allows it in another and in the same way claims to ban cloning but omits to mention some of the methods, thereby allowing them."

If C-13 has passed unamended or without any significant amendments, we urge you to contact all the senators from your province. If you do not know the status of C-13, please contact our office at (416) 204-9749 or 1-800-730-5358. We have listed them, with phone number and mailing address. Please inform them that C-13 does not ban human cloning, exploits embryonic human beings by turning them into objects from which to harvest stem cells and is fundamentally flawed beyond repair. If it has not passed, we urge you to continue pressing your MP to vote against C-13.

Mailing Address:
The Senate of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4

Senators Phone Numbers

Alberta Tommy Banks 613-995-1889 Thelma Chalifoux 613-943-0445 Joyce Fairbairn 613-996-4382 Daniel Hays 613-992-4416 Douglas Roche 613-943-9559 British Columbia Jack Austin 613-992-1437 Pat Carney 613-943-1433 D. Ross Fitzpatrick 613-992-4974 Mobina S.B. Jaffer 613-992-0189 Edward M. Lawson 613-996-5453 Gerry St. Germain 613-947-2242 New Brunswick John G. Bryden 613-947-7305 Eymard G. Corbin 613-996-8485 Joseph A. Day 613-992-0833 Noël A. Kinsella 613-943-0753 Viola Léger 613-992-1186 Rose-Marie Losier-Cool 613-947-8011 Pierrette Ringuette 613-943-2248 Brenda Robertson 613-998-5585 Fernand Robichaud 613-943-0675 Newfoundland George Baker 613-947-2517 Ethel M. Cochrane 613-992-1577 Joan Cook 613-943-1051 C. William Doody 613-995-1144 George Furey 613-943-7805 William Rompkey 613-947-9584 Nova Scotia John M. Buchanan 613-943-1409 Gerald J. Comeau 613-943-1448 Jane Cordy 613-995-8409 J. Michael Forrestall 613-943-1442 B. Alasdair Graham 613-992-3770 Michael Kirby 613-992-2976 Wilfred P. Moore 613-947-1921 Donald H. Oliver 613-943-1445 Gerard A. Phalen 613-996-4680 Nunavut Willie Adams 613-992-2753 N.W. Territories Nick G. Sibbeston 613-943-7790 Ontario Norman K. Atkins 613-992-7172 Anne C. Cools 613-992-2808 Consiglio Di Nino 613-943-1454 John Trevor Eyton 613-943-1460 Isobel Finnerty 613-943-7808 Jean-Robert Gauthier 613-947-7536

Jerahmiel S. Grafstein 613-992-2642 James F. Kelleher 613-943-0762 Colin Kenny 613-996-2877 Wilbert Joseph Keon 613-943-1415 Laurier L. LaPierre 613-992-0081 Marjory LeBreton 613-943-0756 Frank W. Mahovlich 613-943-2065 Michael A. Meighen 613-943-1421 Lorna Milne 613-947-7695 Lowell Murray 613-995-2407 Landon Pearson 613-947-7134 P. Michael Pitfield 613-992-2784 Marie-P. Poulin 613-947-8005 Vivienne Poy 613-943-7854 David P. Smith 613-944-4079 Peter A. Stollery 613-992-3012 Prince Edward Island Catherine S. Callbeck 613-943-0686 Elizabeth Hubley 613-992-1177 Eileen Rossiter 613-992-1650 Quebec W. David Angus 613-947-3193 Lise Bacon 613-995-6194 Gérald A. Beaudoin 613-995-6128 Michel Biron 613-992-0923 Roch Bolduc 613-995-6185 Pierre De Bané 613-992-8289 Marisa Ferretti Barth 613-943-0679 Joan Fraser 613-943-9556 Aurélien Gill 613-943-7851 Céline Hervieux-Payette 613-947-8008 Serge Joyal 613-943-0434 Leo Kolber 613-992-2690 Jean Lapointe 613-992-0166 Raymond Lavigne 613-947-2547 John Lynch-Staunton 613-943-1481 Shirley Maheu 613-947-2212 Yves Morin 613-992-1689 Pierre Claude Nolin 613-943-1451 Lucie Pépin 613-996-1726 Marcel Prud'homme 613-947-2227 Jean-Claude Rivest 613-947-2236 Raymond C. Setlakwe 613-995-8493 Charlie Watt 613-992-2981 Saskatchewan Raynell Andreychuk 613-947-2239 Leonard J. Gustafson 13-947-2233 Pana Merchant 613-944-7777 Herbert O. Sparrow 613-996-5994 David Tkachuk 613-947-3196 John (Jack) Wiebe 613-995-1800 Yukon Ione Christensen 613-996-5937

Oregon is the only state in the U.S. in which physician-assisted suicide is legal and last year the numbers rose to an all-time high. The March 6 Oregonian reports that 38 people killed themselves with a doctor's assistance. In 2001, 21 people killed themselves, according to official state health records. The new numbers give greater urgency to the Bush administration's attempt to quash the Oregon law. Two years ago, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft declared that the erroneously named Death With Dignity Act violated federal drug laws and he authorized federal agents to crack down on Oregon doctors who prescribe lethal drug doses, but last April a federal judge rejected Ashcroft's legal challenge. The administration appealed the decision. Anti-euthanasia activists worry that the 81% increase in the number of assisted-suicides is the beginning of a trend as killing becomes a substitute for treating terminally ill patients. Many people who request assisted suicide may be depressed (official figures show that many patients who requested physician assistance to kill themselves lived alone) and require TLC not a fatal concoction. Dr. Susan Tolle, director of the Center for Ethics in Health Care at Oregon Health and Science University, said that focusing on assisted suicide distracts society and the medical profession from providing proper pain relief: ""Pain is still a significant problem in dying patients, and Oregon is not the leader that we all wish we were."

One sign of hope for the future in many countries is that fewer doctors and hospitals are committing abortions and fewer medical schools are teaching the lethal procedure. To counter this trend, abortion advocates want abortion training to be mandatory in med schools. In England, they are so desperate that they are pushing for institutionalized discrimination against Muslim students because some medical schools complain that Muslims refuse to commit abortions because it runs counter to their faith. A proposal by the Council of Heads of Medical Schools has apparently been implemented at several medical schools to restrict the number of Muslim medical students. Dr. A. Majid Katme, Muslim co-ordinator at the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and spokesman on medical and ethical issues for the Islamic Medical Association observed: "The reported discrimination against pro-life Muslim medical students and doctors is outrageous, and demonstrates the extent to which respect for fundamental medical ethics in Britain has declined." Dr. Katme lamented the medical establishment's refusal to espouse strong pro-life values. "All doctors are trained to protect and save life, and we all have the right to practice our faith. We Muslims intend to continue doing just that." The events in England lead us to wonder what manipulation is taking place in the medical schools in Canada to ensure students with sound ethical values are effectively blocked from joining this honourable profession? The role of doctors and nurses in society is to help the sick, not kill the vulnerable.

Pro-life students at Ryerson University in Toronto have been turned down in their bid to achieve official group status. On February 20, 2003 the Ryerson Students' Administrative Council (RyeSAC) held their monthly board of directors meeting during which the ratification of Ryerson University Choose Life Association (RUCLA) was on the agenda. At the invitation of RyeSac executive member Ken Marciniec, 20 pro-abortionists attended the meeting, including a representative of the Ontario Coalition of Abortion Clinics and a pro-abortion professor of moral philosophy. During debate over whether RUCLA should be given official status, abortion advocates claimed that the group's pamphlets had a "hateful nature." The pamphlets quoted Mother Teresa, described abortion as morally wrong and highlighted the plight of the unborn. RyeSAC voted 11-6 against ratification. The pro-life students, many of whom will graduate in a year or so, are allowed to reapply for official status in two years. This is just the latest incident of pro-abortion intolerance at the university level and systemic discrimination against pro-life students.

According to the March 10 London Daily Telegraph, the unborn may develop consciousness before 24 weeks. Baroness Greenfield, a professor of neurology at Oxford University, urged doctors and society to be cautious when assuming unborn babies lacked consciousness. "We should be very cautious about being too gung ho and assuming something is not conscious. We should err on the side of caution." Last year, the Daily Telegraph polled neurologists and found that many were concerned that unborn babies could feel pain in the womb in the first half of pregnancy - when most abortions are committed. However, many in the medical establishment replied to the findings by claiming that giving the unborn anesthetics during late abortions would suffice.

Lady Greenfield is skeptical of doctors who argue that consciousness is "switched on" at some point during the brain's development and believes instead that there is a sliding scale of consciousness that develops gradually as neurons, or brain cells, make more and more connections with each other. This is further evidence, as if more evidence was necessary, that the unborn child is a human being deserving and worthy of respect.

Yours for life
Jim Hughes
National President