A pair of Rasmussen polls are demonstrative of the political power of social conservatism in U.S. politics. In Illinois, the Republicans have a pro-lifer, Bill Brady, challenging the incumbent Governor Pat Quinn. Brady is leading Quinn, an abortion rights suppoters, by a decisive 48%-35%. This will be a great pickup for the Republicans, and pro-lifers. In the Illinois Senate race, the Republicans [...]
Yesterday I noted that U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocked federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and I wanted to expand on that today. Judge Lamberth found that Barack Obama's relaxed regulations on ESCR funding -- which jumped from $40 million during the Bush administration to nearly three times that number today -- violated federal statutes restricting research that depends on [...]
Today we were finishing off the September issue. Larger than usual (24 pages compared to the typical 20, 16 pages in the Summer months) and I couldn't find the time to blog. I'll get back to blogging on Wednesday. In the meantime, enjoy some good news from the U.S. on the decision by Judge Royce Lamberthof U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to block [...]
Andrea Mrozek explains that the linear trajectory of binge drinking to bad decisions to abortion is a sign that "we are raising our girls wrong."
The International Pro-life Conference, entitled "Building A Global Culture Of Life," is co-sponsored by Campaign Life Coalition and the International Right to Life Federation, and will be held in Ottawa, October 28-30. LifeSiteNews.com has an article on the just-announced lineup of speakers. You can register online here or call CLC at 1-800-730-5358. In the September issue, we have an interview with Catholic novelist Michael O'Brien, who will [...]
"'Research unclear on how daycare affects child development"is a must-read column by Andrea Mrozek, manager of research and communications at the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, in today's Montreal Gazette, succinctly explaining a lot of data from a recently released study. Mrozek concludes by making an important point: The childcare research field does not lend itself to unequivocal statements, or easy guilt-free [...]
My interview with lawyer John Carpay, who represents the pro-life students at the University of Calgary, is online. The Q&A will also appear in the forthcoming (September) issue of the The Interim.
The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart says that conservative lawyer Ted "Olson delivers a succinct and eloquent rebuttal to conservative arguments against same-sex marriage." You can read Olson's words for yourself, but notice that they don't really rebut the conservative argument against SSM, but rather merely repeats standard liberal talking points about allowing gays to marry (it's a matter of equality and it is [...]
Info is here.
LifeSiteNews.com reports on the Crossroads Walkers who ended their trek from the Pacific Ocean to the nation's capital, bringing the pro-life message to communities in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and western Quebec, before finishing up in Ottawa this past weekend. Their efforts were praised by pro-life veterans: Paul Lauzon of Campaign Life Coalition Ottawa praised the Crossroads initiative for bringing attention [...]
A story from our August issue on the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform's summer training session for students is now online. An excerpt: Ruth Lobo, a 22-year-old student at Carleton University, is one of the summer interns. She says that through “Choice” Chain, “The most impactful thing for me thus far has been sharing my adoption story with strangers and showing them through [...]
Campaign Life Coalition, LifeCanada and the International Right to Life Federation are co-sponsoring the 2010 international pro-life conference, "Building a Culture of Life," in Ottawa. There is a great lineup of speakers including John Smeaton from SPUC, Bill Saunders from AUL, Jack Willke from IRLF, and Emmy-winning pro-life documentarian Brad Mattes. One of our favourites around here is Rev. Johnny Hunter, president of the U.S. group LEARN, who [...]
The weekend paper had stories about how a federal judge reversed a stay on Judge Vaughn Walker's decision over-ruling of the will of the people of California on the issue of same-sex marriage. Now comes news that the extremely liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals motions panel has re-instated the order to stay the decision, effectively ending same-sex marriage until the court can render its decision in a full [...]
Lately I have been talking to our editorial writer about why abortion is so important, and so unlike any other issue. Some of that conversation is going to make it into an editorial or my column. Then I open the August/September issue of First Things and find that journal's editor writing about the very same topic. Here is an excerpt: Even now, [...]
Miriam Grossman gave an excellent lecture last year at the Heritage Foundation which has just been released and all eight of its pages are worth reading, especially for those who deal with education issues -- both parents and teachers. The gist is that sex ed curricula ignore scientifically valid data about STDs as well as the positive role parents play in adolescent development and that's [...]