Canada
The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party wooed Toronto Sun city hall columnist and married lesbian Sue-Ann Levy to run in a by-election in the downtown Toronto riding of St. Paul. She lost to Liberal candidate Dr. Eric Hoskins, 48 per cent to 29 per cent … Ontario MPP Gerry Martiniuk (PC, Cambridge) introduced a private member’s bill that would require all schools and libraries to put porn-blocking filters on any computer that is accessible to anyone under the age of 18. Martiniuk says it is not censorship but rather “protecting our children at particular locations.” Shelagh Paterson, executive director of the Ontario Library Association, said “we’re really opposed to legislated use of filtering” … The Trillium Gift of Life Network in Ontario announced it has distributed 200,000 brochures targeting Catholics, Jews and Muslims as part of an organ donation campaign … On the advice of their lawyers and local police, the Vancouver Public Library cancelled an event hosted by the Australian-based, pro-euthanasia Exit International organization which planned to provide information about lethal drugs patients could use to commit suicide and how to obtain them … Pride Toronto announced that they will bid to host the 2014 World Pride event and organizers estimate the cost will be $10 million rather than the $4 million they spend on the annual Pride Week festivities. World Pride 2012 will be held in London, England; the 2006 event in Jerusalem was cancelled … A pair of Manitoba professors will embark on a study on homophobia in schools because as University of Winnipeg education and communications professor Catherine Taylor claims, “Kids are being tormented and terrorized, and very little is being done about it”
United States
Former senator Rick Santorum, a stalwart pro-lifer defeated in 2006, told the Catholic Leadership Conference that he is considering running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 … When asked by the Columbus Dispatch whether the Republican Party had room for pro-abortion candidates such as local GOP nominee Steve Stivers, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said, “There absolutely is, there absolutely is” … According to a survey conducted by the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute, 44 per cent of women are delaying having children or reducing the number they expect to have due to the economic downturn. Of that 44 per cent, about a third say they will get pregnant later and 28 per cent say they will have fewer children, while 7 per cent say they do not want any more children. Guttmacher president Sharon Camp said the survey results show women need financial help to pay for contraception. Neither the survey nor institute’s press release, alluded to abortion … Despite numerous stories in the media claiming that the recession is spurring growing demand for abortion and reproductive health services, Tri-Rivers Planned Parenthood in Kirksville, Missouri, which made referrals but did not do abortions, announced it was closing permanently in November because there was an insufficient number of clients due to the economic downturn. Rita Diller, national director of American Life League’s Stop Planned Parenthood, responded: “After 38 years in business, Planned Parenthood officials cited declining client numbers and a lack of donations as reasons for closing the facility. According to our records this marks the 14th Planned Parenthood clinic to either close or announce its closing in 2009” … Planned Parenthood of Indiana announced that it would close five of its 34 centers in the state because of a lack of government funding … An ad for AshleyMadison.com, an online dating service, uses the motto, “Life is short. Have an affair.”
International
The newly elected Democratic Party of Japan has as part of its platform is a payment of 26,000 yen (just over $250) per month to parents for each child until he or she reaches junior high school. Feminists say the money would be better spent building new daycare centers … The Globe and Mail reported on the dramatic drop in the birth of girls in India and resultant gender imbalance, especially among the wealthy, and Stephanie Nolen, the paper’s Indian correspondent, said local feminists and government officials are “stumped” by the phenomenon. Considering the population-control push from most state and local governments that includes penalties for having more than one child, there is a preference for sons. While it is technically illegal to use abortion for sex-selection, it is widespread in the country and today there are only 927 girls aged 0-6 for every 1000 boys, but in South Delhi and Haryana, it is 832 or 822 for every 1000 and among wealthy urbanites in Punjab, it is 300:1000 … Christian Rossiter, 49, an Australian quadriplegic, died on Sept. 21, five weeks after winning a court battle that permitted him to refuse food and medication. Rossiter, who was paralyzed from the neck down, died after developing an untreated chest infection. Rossiter’s lawyer said his client welcomed his own death, but Right to Life Australia president Veronica Andrew said Rossiter should have received a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he was depressed … According to the Daily Mail, once you take into account various spellings of the name Mohammed, it is the third most popular name for boy children in England and Wales.
