Judicial Activism: A Threat to Democracy and Religion. Edited by Fr. Alphonse de Valk (Life Ethics Information Centre, $19.95 165 pages) Reviewed by Paul Tuns The Interim It has become increasingly apparent in recent years, and impossible to ignore in recent months, that Canada is not a democracy. We are ruled by nine robed dictators on the Supreme Court and numerous miniature [...]
Virtue's Alphabet From Amiability to Zeal By Donald DeMarco (Central Bureau, Central Verein of America, $10, 112 pages) Donald DeMarco is a very prolific writer. In addition to all the columns and articles he writes for newspapers and journals, he has written 20 books. There are 26 letters in the alphabet, and so this book contains 26 sections - though DeMarco cannot [...]
Rebecca Ducusin, a writer for religious publications and ardent pro-life supporter, died Aug. 24, three and a half years after she had a massive stroke. She was 54. Born in Manila, Philippines, Rebecca graduated valedictorian of her class at V. Mapa High School in Manila. She completed her bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of the Philippines where she also finished [...]
Almost since the first day the word "musician" became a job description, and certainly since the early days of mass media, there have been musical acts that have combined spectacle with their music in an attempt to gain an audience. On Oct. 4, one band planned on taking spectacle to a new low. Hell On Earth, a St. Petersburg, Fl. heavy metal [...]
The Archdiocese of Vancouver is being harassed by homosexual activists for breaking its ties to a credit union with a history of supporting pro-gay and pro-abortion causes. On an evening in late September, a small crowd of angry protesters shouted threats and obscenities outside the window of Archbishop Adam Exner. The archdiocese has also received over 100 telephone calls, faxes and e-mails, [...]
A network of evangelical Christians in Mississauga, Ont., just outside Toronto, is demonstrating how effective Christian activism can be. Centred around a periodic e-mail dispatch called the PALM (Pray ALways Mississauga) Report, the network has been particularly effective in combating the proliferation of massage parlours and the acts of prostitution that often accompany them. "We've seen some interesting results," says Bruce Fligg, [...]
On Sept. 20, approximately 1,000 people attended Love Won Out, a conference on homosexuality hosted by Focus on the Family and held in Scarborough, Ont. Developed to address the complex issues surrounding same-sex attraction, Love Won Out accomplished its goal with sensitivity and fidelity to gospel values. Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, psychologist and president of the National Association of Research and Therapy of [...]
By Elsie Wayne Special to The Interim Editor's Note: The following is a speech by Elsie Wayne (PC, Saint John, N.B.) during the Sept. 30 debate over M-83, a private member's motion requesting the House of Commons Standing Health Committee study whether abortion is medically necessary and explore the medical consequences of abortion. The motion was defeated. Mr. Speaker, I want to [...]
During a debate among the Toronto mayoral candidates at Osgoode Hall law school, NDP city councillor David Miller criticized former Liberal and independent MP John Nunziata for his pro-life views. Dramatically, Miller reached into his pocket and pulled out a copy of pro-life legislation the former MP supported in the 1980s and attacked Nunziata's opposition to "reproductive choice." Miller added: "I think [...]
A pro-family organization in Hamilton is taking at least part of the credit for a significant drop in teen pregnancies in that city during the latest years for which statistics are available. The pregnancy rate for girls in Hamilton aged 15-19 dropped from either 51.3 or 49.6 per thousand in 1997 (depending on the source of the statistics) to 39.8 per thousand [...]
Several universities in the Washington, D.C. area were recently invaded by pro-lifers. These weren't just any pro-lifers. They were Canadian pro-lifers. The Centre for Bio-Ethical reform took its autumn tour of the Genocide Awareness Project to schools around and inside "the Beltway" Sept. 24 to Oct. 8, including to the University of Delaware, the University of Maryland and George Mason University. GAP, [...]
Many see the roots of the abortion problem, and other attacks on human life, as rooted in the phenomenon of contraception. To that end, a Mississauga, Ont.-based Catholic lay apostolate is drawing attention to this aspect of the culture of death, as well as to the importance of rank-and-file Catholics following their church's teachings forbidding the use of contraception in any state [...]
The first Sunday in October is a busy day in Canada. Most pro-lifers know it as Life Chain Sunday, but it is also the day that the CIBC sponsors Run for the Cure, an event that raises money for breast cancer research. This year, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, which organizes and profits from the run, reports on its website that the [...]
Man is a great mystery to himself. Human beings ask themselves basic questions such as: how did I come to exist? Where am I going? What is the point of my life? Why am I here? Questions like these are elementary and must be answered if humans are to understand themselves. The Bible, the Word of God, gives us answers to the [...]
In a widely anticipated move, the Supreme Court of Canada on Oct. 9 avoided direct comment on the current political machinations aimed at redefining marriage, by quashing an application for leave to appeal by religious and pro-family coalitions that were fighting lower-court decisions on the matter. The court gave no reasons for its refusal to hear an appeal of the June 10 [...]