Lakehead student union erects strict club restrictions
THUNDER BAY, Ont. — On Nov. 28, the board of directors of the Lakehead University Student Union voted to adopt an amendment to the student union constitution adding a broad range of restrictions applying only to religious and political clubs. The restrictions include: “Campaigns must be positive in nature and cannot slander the opposing stance of the campaign;” “All club publications shall not have content that may be deemed as offensive or in bad taste to any identifiable group as described in the Human Rights Code of Canada;” “Members of the club are not allowed to impose belief(s) or practice(s) of the club to anyone who does not give them consent to outside of the club’s meetings.” A press release from Lakehead Life Support stated: “In short, LUSU is working to create a simple, happy world, where expressing a single critical thought that may upset anyone is banned and where LUSU will be the final arbiter of what is acceptable.” The pro-life student group said LUSU has “violated their own procedures in passing” these restrictions, because Section 26 of the student union constitution requires amendments to publicized, including publication in the student paper, two weeks or more prior to the LUSU directors’ meeting. They charged LUSU with attempting to ram the amendment through without consulting the student body. Lakehead Life Support has been seeking official LUSU recognition for 16 months and Francisco Gomez of LLS alleges the new restrictions are a direct response to the group seeking club status. “LUSU was running out of excuses not to give Life Support club status,” says Renee Schmitz, assistant western director of thw National Campus Life Network. “Now that they are on the verge of receiving club status, LUSU has decided that they will try to not only control and limit their activities, but those of all clubs and viewpoints that are contrary to the LUSU.”
CHP picks new leader
LONDON – At its convention in London, Ont., the Christian Heritage party chose Jim Hnatiuk of Nova Scotia as its new leader. After 13 years, Ron Gray stepped down as CHP party leader. A press release from the CHP said that Hnatiuk is looking forward to strengthening the party and building its membership across the country. Hnatiuk said he was surprised by the larger-than-typical turnout at the CHP convention and noted that the demographics of the party are changing. “Many of the delegates here are young people,” he said, “and they are the ones at the microphones, debating the resolutions.” Hnatiuk has been married to Ellen for 35 years and is the father of two and grandfather to two more. In 1995, he retired after 25 years of service in the Canadian Forces and now runs a sizeable hunting, fishing and taxidermy business in Nova Scotia.
Catholic hospital admits eugenic abortions
LONDON – In a special Dec. 5 report, LifeSiteNews.com revealed that St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in London has been performing “early induction” procedures in cases of diagnosed lethal fetal anomalies for 20 years. Fr. Michael Prieur said he did not consider early induction – during which labour is induced in mothers with unborn children – an abortion, despite the fact the procedure is condemned as such by the U.S. bishops doctrinal committee and been called “direct abortion” by the National Catholic Bioethics Centre. The U.S. bishops’ document, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, defines abortion as including such “early induction” procedures: “Abortion (that is, the directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the directly intended destruction of a viable fetus) is never permitted.” The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has no similar document.
Prieur explained that at St. Joseph’s, “early induction” is only used when the diagnosed fetal disabilities are considered so severe that the child will likely die shortly after being born and that, “We’ve been doing it for 20 years now.” He was adamant that early induction is not abortion. “Now it’s not called abortion. We’re not killing the baby. We’re bringing the baby out and allowing the baby to die.” Yet, few healthy babies survive birth at 21 weeks’ gestation and none without intensive care. Prieur admitted that babies diagnosed with fatal anomalies are not provided life-saving treatments. He said: “Some of these conditions, you know, we’ve had babies that are terribly deformed. Oh my goodness, I mean you pray that the baby will die.” Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told LifeSiteNews.com that once the child is delivered prematurely, the omission to care for these children may be euthanasia.
