Former MP joins CLC

We are very happy to announce that Pat O’Brien, the former Liberal and independent MP, has joined Campaign Life Coalition as national political consultant. In this new, part-time position, O’Brien will work with political and religious leaders on our behalf. We look forward to tapping into his expertise and the opportunities this presents for us to engage civil and religious leaders in the public square.

On January 22, American pro-lifers, joined by their brothers and sisters from across the globe but especially from Canada, marched through the streets of Washington on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to protest the injustice of abortion. The annual National March for Life in Canada gets more than 5000 participants, yet local and national media choose not to notice; the Washington march this year had well over 100,000 participants and US media also barely mentioned it.

As the Media Research Centre noted, no network sent a camera crew and NBC and CBS merely noted that “both sides” had Roe v. Wade demonstrations - never mind that the pro-life side brings the equivalent of a medium-sized city to Washington to brave the bitterly cold Winter day that marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion on demand in the U.S., while the pro-abortion attempt at a counter-demonstration consisted of perhaps a few dozen people who were not even noticed by the vast pro-life crowd.

And numbers weren’t the only difference. Whereas most of the pro-abortion demonstrators were older white women, the pro-life crowd was diverse in age (families with their young children, tens of thousands of high school and university students, and a few of us old veterans of the pro-life movement), race (black, white, Asian), religion (Catholic, Evangelicals and Christians of many denominations, Jewish, Muslim, Hindus, reportedly even a few agnostics), and class (from poor to wealthy and every group in between).

The pro-life march, despite the gravity of the issue, was upbeat and energetic. The young inspired the veterans with their enthusiasm. It is obvious that they are prepared to stand against the brutal, murderous injustice of abortion and to take a stand for life! Politicians can’t help but to take notice of the vitality of the pro-life march and compare it to the nearly non-existent and sadly drab pro-abortion counter-protests.

Of course, this is nothing new. The only difference is that every year there are many more new youth who have become involved. They take back to their high schools and universities positive stories about their pro-life experience. The same thing is happening in Canada. The number of youth easily exceeded the more experienced marchers. But this only makes sense: the young and vibrant are more likely to be attracted to life-affirming and positive messages. The pro-abortion side has been reduced to demonstrating personally against pro-lifers, whereas the pro-life movement stands in solidarity with the unborn, the elderly, the disabled and all who are vulnerable.

We believe in the empowerment of women through life-affirming policies and programs, being a voice for unborn children by exposing the deception of the pro-abortion agenda, assisting the disabled by strongly opposing the killing of those whose lives are considered inconvenient, affirming the worthiness of the elderly by holding up the sanctity of all human life and supporting programs that value such life. For young people who care about human rights, justice and truth, there is only one side to be on: the pro-life side.

That is the message that many people came away with from the March for Life and it is refreshing and encouraging. I hope and expect that the same dynamic occurs again in Ottawa this year, the tenth annual National March for Life.

Join us for the 10th annual National March for Life in Ottawa, May 9-11. Beginning with a pro-life Mass at St. Theresa’s Parish at 7:30 pm on May 9, there will be events over the three days for people of all ages and interests. We want to bring special attention to the Candlelight Vigil at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights Monument near the intersection of Elgin and Lisgar Streets, to mark the unjust and inexcusable violation of the rights of the most vulnerable Canadians, the unborn. This begins at approximately 9 pm.

Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life will celebrate Mass at St. Patrick’s Basilica on Kent St. at 10 am on May 10 and there will also be a non-denominational prayer service at St. George Anglican Church on Metcalfe Street at 10 am and a Reformed Service at 9:30 am at 1876 Merivale Rd..

Of course, the actual March for Life takes place that afternoon, with speeches beginning on Parliament Hill at noon. The March, this year led by Fr. Frank Pavone and members of Silent No More, leaves Parliament Hill and winds its way through the streets of our nation’s capital at 1:30 pm. Afterwards there will be a Silent No More presentation on the Hill at 2:45 pm. The Rose Dinner will be held at the Hampton Inn with cocktail hour commencing at 6 pm.

Tickets are required for this event and they are $60. To order call (416) 204-9749 or (613) 729-0379 or toll free 1-800-730-5358. The Youth Conference will be held Friday, May 11 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Hampton Inn. Fr. Frank Pavone and other inspiring speakers have been lined up to educate and motivate the youth. . For more information call Yoli at (416) 204-9749 or 1-800-730-5358. If you can’t be at the March for Life, please fill out the Candlelight Vigil pledge that was enclosed in this mailing.

Your pledge is one way in which those who cannot make the trip to Ottawa can be with us spiritually. Furthermore, your candlelight vigil donations help offset the many costs of holding the March for Life which is a significant way of witnessing to the sanctity of human life. Please fill out the pledge form today, encourage family and friends to pledge, too, and return it to our offices as soon as possible.

One area in which we thought that Prime Minister Stephen Harper might have made a significant difference is at the UN. Harper’s style is to make subtle changes, usually under the radar of the mainstream media, and without directly attacking a problem. Instead, he tweaks policies and shakes up personnel. That is exactly what the UN needs: move the background and stop pushing a radical pro-abortion, pro-gay agenda and ship out the radicals who staff the permanent mission to the United Nations. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened.

For the past year, it has been business at usual at the UN. As the National Post reported February 2, Nell Stewart, an old Liberal appointee responsible for legal, economic and social affairs for the permanent Canadian mission at the UN, berated Muslim countries over their opposition to the admission of a Canadian homosexualist non-governmental organization (NGO), the Coalition gaie et lesbienne du Quebec (CGLQ).

As a consequence of the Muslim countries’ (Egypt, Guinea, Pakistan, Qatar and Sudan) opposition within committee, the group was denied NGO status. Stewart said Canada was “deeply dismayed” by the decision. She added: “Canada strongly supports an inclusive United Nations which allows room for diverse voices to be heard.” In recent years, numerous homosexualist groups have acquired NGO status that allows them more access and influence to delegates at UN conferences and meetings. Notably, Yvan Lapointe, the executive director of the CGLQ said his group was interested in lobbying at the international level because, “We pretty well have all the rights we seek in Canada.”

Nell Stewart, LifeSiteNews.com reports, “has written extensively on human rights issues and in those writings indicates strong feminist, pro-abortion views. She actively advocates wider international ratification of the radical feminist initiated Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.”

We are appalled that ideologues such as Stewart continue to represent Canada at the UN and push their own, personal leftist agenda of abortion and gay rights. We call upon the government to review all UN staff with the objective of removing those who push radical leftist ideologies at the UN and replace them with competent, open-minded staff who will respect the original mission of the UN to promote international peace rather than foist upon the world a narrow agenda that violates national sovereignty by interfering in domestic social policy areas such as sex education, gay rights, the status of abortion, and other social engineering projects.

Action Item: Contact the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter MacKay and your own MP, and urge them to review the staffing of Canada’s UN delegation and remove all those who push the narrow, self-serving leftist ideology. Email the minister at MacKay.p@parl.gc.ca. Or write to Foreign Affairs Canada, 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0G2

Over the years, Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry has repeatedly been involved in immoral legal decisions, from acquitting Henry Morgentaler in the 1980s, to finding same-sex ‘marriage’ a constitutional right, to declaring that a child can have three parents. In 2003, REAL Women exposed the fact that Justice McMurtry attended a celebratory party held by gay activists in the same month his court decided that the definition of marriage as it was traditionally held violated the constitution.

Last year, The Interim reported another scandal, declaring that because his daughter was an admitted lesbian, Justice McMurtry had a conflict of interest. REAL Women took the source material used by The Interim (a letter written by McMurtry’s son to a local B.C. paper) and the fact that the chief justice was partying with the litigants in the 2003 marriage case and made a complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council charging a conflict of interest. In January, it became public that the Judicial Council – made up of McMurtry’s judicial peers – claimed that there was no conflict of interest. REAL Women argued that the circumstances of McMurtry’s daughter should have led him to recuse himself from the case under conflict of interest. The Interim reported that there is precedence for such a recusal. In the U.S., Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas excused himself from a case regarding a university that his son had previously attended.

In the Judicial Council’s letter to REAL Women dated December 19, 2006, (but not released to the public until a month later), the Council claimed: “… the sexual orientation of a judge’s children, and indeed the fact that a judge’s children are married or living in a common law relationship are not, in Chief Justice Scott’s view, indicative of any bias on the part of a judge.” But as REAL Women pointed out, the council’s decision appears to contradict the guidelines established by the CJC in its document, “Ethical Principles for Judges,” which state that: “Judges should disqualify themselves in any case in which they believe that a reasonable, fair minded and informed person would have a reasoned suspicion of conflict of interest between a judge’s personal interest (or that of a judge’s immediate family or close friends or associates) and a judge’s duty.” REAL Women’s Gwen Landolt said, “It seems clear that the Judicial Council chose to ignore its own guidelines in order to protect Chief Justice McMurtry.”

A new poll conducted by Omnifacts Bristol Research and touted by abortion rights activists in New Brunswick has come under sharp criticism today from the New Brunswick Right to Life Association. The poll suggests a majority of New Brunswickers favor “the right to choose” and more access to abortion. But as Right to Life executive director Peter Ryan says, the poll is biased due to its leading wording - or perhaps its misleading wording.

Generally speaking, people are manipulated towards supporting abortion when it is posed as a ‘right to choose’ instead of using the term ‘abortion’. ‘Right to choose’ is a seriously loaded term. Other less biased polls, such as recent Environics polls, show that most Canadians oppose the status quo of abortion on demand for all nine months of pregnancy and that two-thirds of them completely oppose publicly funded abortion or support it only in cases of medical emergencies. Respondents in Atlantic Canada were generally more likely to take a pro-life position than Canadians at large. For example, while 31% of respondents told Environics last Fall that they completely supported abortion funding, that number dropped to 21% in Atlantic Canada.

Currently, the province only pays for abortion when deemed medically necessary by two physicians, and not for abortions performed on demand in private abortion facilities. This seems to be in line with public opinion. Late last year, the federal government indicated it would stop pressing the province to pay for all abortions, an on-going battle between Ottawa under the Chretien-Martin Liberals and various governments in Fredericton. In January this year, a group of feminists announced that they were suing the province over its restrictive funding policy. They plan to meet with provincial Health Minister Mike Murphy and cite the misleading Omnifacts survey to back their case.

Action Item: New Brunswick residents are urged to contact their MLAs and MPs encouraging them to stand fast in resisting taxpayer-funded abortuaries.

There is strong possibility that there will be an election this Spring, with the Globe and Mail and CTV both reporting that it could be called in March for late April or early May. The Conservatives have announced that all their candidates will be in place in all ridings by March and the Liberals said they will do the same. We have been preparing for the federal election for some time, but we need more information. Please send us any information on your riding candidates’ stands on life issues. Send that information, if possible with documented proof (newspaper clippings, a letter from the candidate), to Jeff Gunnerson in our Toronto office at 104 Bond St., Toronto, Ont., M5B 1X9. Or email him at jeff@lifesite.net or fax it to (416) 204-1027.

The Portuguese government will ignore the country’s own laws on valid referenda and legalize early stage abortion. Currently abortion is legal in Portugal only when the mother’s life or health is in serious danger or in cases of rape or fetal abnormality. On February 11, 60% of Portuguese voters supported a proposal to permit abortion in the first 10 weeks gestation, but turnout for the referendum was only 44%. National law requires that half of the citizens must vote for a referendum result to become valid. In 1998, the pro-life side won a referendum, but the result was dismissed because only 30% of Portuguese bothered to vote.

This time, however, Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates is ignoring the low turnout figure. By ignoring the majority involvement threshold, Socrates is plowing ahead with abortion despite the fact that only one in four Portuguese voters expressed a preference for it (60% of 44% of voters = 26% of the voting age population). Certainly that is not enough to justify a dramatic change in law on a very contentious issue. Contrary to the prime minister’s contention that “The people spoke with a clear voice,” the outcome shows, at best, a deep ambiguity about the country’s abortion law.

Unfortunately, the ruling Socialist Party has made the legalization of abortion a key part of its political agenda and the true will of the people is of little consequence. But Christian voters who stayed home during this very important referendum they bear some of the responsibility. Their inaction is a warning against the cost of complacency which in the case of Portugal was an invitation to the ruling Socialists to pursue their own ideologically driven agenda.

Telus Mobility, Canada’s second largest phone company, has begun to offer hardcore pornography through its cellphones. The issue became front-page news when Vancouver Archbishop Raymond Roussin criticized the telephone company’s decision to add the corrosive effects of pornography by making it so readily available: Telus, he said, takes the “accessibility of pornographic material further into the public realm.” Considering the pervasive problem of sexual addiction to pornography, the availability to young people and the harm it does to those who participate in it, society should resist pornography’s expansion. Telus has made it clear that they are not going to give up this lucrative cell-phone pornography market: the company charges $3-4 per item view.

A British study estimates that the worldwide cellphone pornography market will exceed US$14 billion over the next five years.

Archbishop Roussin is considering asking parishes and Catholic schools in the Vancouver diocese to cancel their contract with Telus. We have learned that despite 100 customer complaints (as of February 7), Telus is unrelenting. But they might reconsider after receiving thousands of complaints – and cancelled subscribers.

Action Item: Contact Telus President and Chief Executive Officer, Darren Entwistle and urge the company to reconsider its policy of permitting cell phone pornography. If you are a customer, consider cancelling your service with them and let them know why. Write Telus head office at TELUS Mobility, 200 Consilium Place, Suite 1600, Scarborough, Ont., M1H 3J3. Or send them an electronic message by filling in a form at http://about.telus.com/cgi-bin/tcontactus.cgi, by clicking on Select Mobility and then Cellular/PCS and then enter your message in the box below that.

The man affectionately known by pro-life colleagues as “Earl the Pearl” died at the age of 74. For nearly three decades he was a tireless pro-life worker in the Windsor/Detroit area during and following a career as a U.S. banker.

He described himself as one who was meant to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” He was a founding member of Campaign Life Coalition and was the first leader of the Pro-life Party of Canada. He regularly picketed at the local hospitals, including those on the American side of the border. In recent years he was active with Show the Truth, a pro-life ministry that uses graphic images to force the public to face the reality of abortion. As Windsor area president of CLC he provided local newsmen with great anecdotes and quotable quotes. He was frequently in the local media.

Amyotte, a faithful Catholic, usually reserved his most biting criticism for bishops and those in charge of Catholic institutions who were slow to respond to crucial moral problems. Nor did he have time for those who gave ‘lip service’ to an issue. He had little use for the ‘meet, eat and retreat’ crowd. He called the wealthier do-nothing pew sitters, ‘the wine, dine and recline crowd.’ His dedication, sense of humour, and leadership will be greatly missed by countless pro-life friends and colleagues. He is survived by his companion, Anne Marie Stephens, his sons Tom and David, grandchildren Jessica and Adam, sister Linda Whitehouse and brothers Lawrence and Ron Amyotte. Pray for us dear friend.

Denis Culver, a heroically pro-life doctor who practiced in the Kitchener area, passed away on February 9 after losing a battle with cancer. Out of principle, Dr. Culver, an anethesiologist, refused to participate in abortions and on at least one occassion that led directly to him having to leave the hospital that employed him. He was involved with Physicians for Life as well as local pro-life groups both in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and in the Durham-Walkerton area where his family owned some land. He also practised pro-life in a very personal way, adopting and raising three children. Our country would be much better off if more in the medical profession were like Dr. Denis Culver. His example and dedication will be missed.

In the Catholic calendar, March 19 is the Feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Canada. It is also the birthday of Canada’s most prominent abortionist, Henry Morgentaler. We ask that you offer him up in prayer in the hope of converting him from his murderous ways. Remember Bernard Nathanson, one of the most prominent pro-life voices in the United States today, was once a very prominent abortionist himself.

God does touch hearts. Catholics may wish to pray a novena in the nine days leading up to March 19 and dedicate their prayers to Morgentaler’s conversion. Also, many Christians make special observations for Lent. We urge you to dedicate a day of prayer and fasting to God for the unborn during this time of sacrifice in preparation for Easter. Uniting our thoughts and actions with the unborn is a very appropriate way to prepare for Easter, and follows in the footsteps of Christ, who talked to and walked with many of society’s outcasts and vulnerable people.

Yours for life and family
Jim Hughes
CLC National President