In response to a Lifesite News exposé, which was reprinted in the May 2003 issue of The Interim, the Catholic Women's League has reaffirmed its previously articulated endorsement of "the bond of matrimony between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others." While this acknowledgement of Catholic church teaching on the subject of marriage is both timely and commendable, [...]
When Dr. M told me, two years ago, that I had multiple myeloma, he added that a) the disease is incurable, b) at my age (68), I could expect to die of it in five years. Unless, that is, c) I agreed to have an autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation, in which case I would probably be around for another two. No [...]
Cardinal Ambrozic 'Sorry, disappointed and upset' with PM's abortion stand In widely reported comments, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said "I am a Catholic and for abortion." The prime minister's remarks were made en route to Athens recently during a frank discussion with reporters in which he boasted that he was superior to U.S. President Bush on fiscal and social matters. Through [...]
The provinces oppose it and so do the police. Even much of the federal Liberal caucus opposes it, yet Jean Chretien is intent on pushing through Bill C-38 to decriminalize the possession of sizable amounts of marijuana. Introduced May 27 by Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, the bill will permit "pot" smokers to possess 15 grams of marijuana, equivalent to several marijuana cigarettes, [...]
On April 29, the National Right to Life Committee Educational Trust held its annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, honouring three celebrities for their commitment to defending the unborn. This year's recipients were television and movie personality Ben Stein, theatre actress Margaret Colin and actress Jennifer O'Neill. Stein, host of Win Ben Stein's Money [...]
The U.S. House of Representatives, by a two-thirds vote (282-139), joined the Senate in approving a bill to ban partial-birth abortions. The bill (H.R. 760) legally defines a partial-birth abortion as any abortion in which the baby is delivered alive until "in the case of breech presentation, any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the [...]
Twenty-five years ago, Alexander Solzhenitsyn delievered his landmark commencement speech at Harvard, "A World Split Apart." In what was one of the 20th century's most famous and poignant commencement addresses, Solzhenitsyn offers a reminder to conservatives of just what it is that they seek to conserve. Later released as a book and commented upon in numerous newspaper columns and magazine articles, it [...]
Rebecca St. James has distinguished herself as one of contemporary Christian music's leading artists. The 25-year-old native of Australia, who immigrated with her parents to the U.S. in 1991, has sold some two million recordings throughout the world, and garnered a Grammy Award for best Christian rock album in 1999. She has also had nine Dove Award nominations, currently serves on the [...]
Following the decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal to overturn the historic definition of a legal marriage, Liberal MP John McKay pointed to the obvious conclusion: "We apparently have judge-made law in this country, and we're just here for decoration." McKay is right. Why, then, do most Canadians still think Canada is a democracy? Why can't they see that while our [...]
According to Campaign Life Coalition New Brunswick president Peter Ryan, the June 9 elections in his Atlantic Canadian province offered tremendous hope for pro-lifers across the country. The elections saw Progressive Conservative Premier Bernard Lord's huge majority shrunk from 46 seats to 28, in the 55-seat provincial legislature. Ryan told The Interim that the bare majority should make for a more intriguing [...]
On June 7, the Pro-Life Action League hosted a hugely successful rally in Chicago celebrating Joseph Scheidler's Supreme Court victory earlier this year and the return of free speech and free assembly rights of pro-lifers across America. More than 500 people attended the daytime rally and 550 the evening banquet at an event dubbed Bring America Back to Life. Scheidler told The [...]
The media focused on a deal between anti-free trade activist David Orchard and Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay (Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough) that secured the latter's election as leader for the federal Progressive Conservative Party but brought into question the party's commitment to fiscal conservative issues. But pro-lifers lamented the lack of social conservative ideas among the leadership candidates. The race in which MacKay eventually [...]
A picture of a child in-utero accompanies the question, "Should a Fetus Have Rights?" on the cover of the June 9 issue of Newsweek. Scientific advancements and high-profile criminal cases have prompted a spate of public ponderings upon the rights of the unborn child by media outlets which, in former times, would not have broached the topic. It would seem that, by [...]
A July 19 boat cruise on the Toronto harbour will highlight the 90th birthday celebrations for Fr. Ted Colleton, one of the most energetic personalities to emerge on Canada's pro-life scene. Priest, teacher, comedian, raconteur, cheerful but firm leader, humble servant, genuinely uplifting soul. Take your pick from this melange of positive nouns and adjectives. Add your own anecdotes if you are [...]
Satire, according to the New Collins Concise English Dictionary, is described as occurring when "topical issues, folly or evil are held up to ridicule." And also "the use of ridicule, irony, etc. to create such an effect." One of the readers of my column (or perhaps my only reader) recently wrote in complaining about me badmouthing Jean Crouton. She implied that I [...]