In defense of the pernicious proposition that all mentally competent Canadians should have a legal right to medical assistance in committing suicide, the “expert panel” of the Royal Society of Canada on end-of-life decision making contends, in its recent report, that: “Autonomy (or the capacity for self-determination) is a paramount value to Canadians. Respect for autonomy requires respect for competent individuals’ [...]
In November and December, the British Columbia Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case challenging the Criminal Code prohibition on euthanasia and assisted-suicide. Last April, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) brought forward a suit on behalf of the family of Kay Carter to challenge the constitutionality of provisions in Canada’s criminal code which protect people from euthanasia [...]
As the year came to an end, Campaign Life Coalition’s petition campaign to defund abortion in Ontario had garnered nearly 10,000 signatures over the previous two months. CLC national president Jim Hughes told The Interim the campaign “was going well” and that “other provinces will benefit from Ontario’s experience.” Hughes also said the petitions will be presented to MPPs when they return [...]
Politically, this past year might have been one of the busiest we ever had. Campaign Life Coalition and its provincial wings were busy with the federal election, elections in five provinces, and local elections in British Columbia (and municipal elections in Ontario near the end of 2010). The Conservatives have a majority so there will not be a federal election until [...]
Honourable mentions: There are notable stories that would typically make the top 10 list, but do not – although they still warrant acknowledgment: the media fury over the 7 billionth person in the world being born; the British Columbia Supreme Court ruling against polygamy; the Supreme Court of Canada decision to keep the Insite “safe injection” clinic in Vancouver open; the release [...]
case. 1. Is it true that Canada has rejected assisted suicide and euthanasia? Yes. Just last year, Parliament defeated Bill C-384, which would have legalized physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada. The vote was 228 to 59. 2. What is the Carter Case? Carter vs. Attorney General of Canada is a constitutional challenge to Canada’s laws prohibiting physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Carter [...]
Canada Chief Justice Robert Bauman of the British Columbia Supreme Court upheld Canada’s ban on polygamy on Nov. 23. The case came before the B.C. Supreme Court after charges against two men from a Mormon sect in Bountiful were stayed. “Based on the most comprehensive judicial record on the subject ever produced, I have concluded that (there is) a reasoned apprehension of [...]
On Nov. 14, the B.C. Supreme Court began hearing arguments in Carter vs. Attorney General of Canada, challenging Canada’s laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide. The case, brought forth by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association on behalf of Lee Carter and four others, seeks to throw out Canada’s Criminal Code provisions against euthanasia and assisted suicide and have assisted death treated as [...]
A study of submissions to Quebec’s public hearings on euthanasia, the Special Commission on Dying with Dignity, shows clearly that Quebecers overwhelmingly opposed legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia. The independent analysis of the 427 oral presentations and written submissions to the commission was conducted by Vivre dans la Dignité (Living With Dignity), a grassroots anti-euthanasia group. The report found that only about [...]
After three months in prison, Linda Gibbons was found not guilty on a charge of disobeying a court order and released from custody to the hugs of supporters in a downtown Toronto courtroom Nov. 4. Justice Alphonse T. Lacavera determined Sheriff Peter Krause improperly read the text of an outdated injunction when he directed that she be arrested outside the Morgentaler Clinic [...]
I have a large box truck with five-foot by ten-foot pictures of aborted babies on both sides. When I feel disgusted at my own passivity in the face of abortion I drive it up and down Highway 401, across the top of Toronto. I don’t know who will see these pictures of these dead babies on a given day. Of [...]
On Nov. 9, residents of Mississippi defeated a ballot initiative that, if passed, would recognize all fertilized eggs as people. Initiative 26, the Personhood Amendment, backed by Personhood USA, was defeated 55 to 45 per cent. The measure might have led to a legal challenge because of its contradiction to the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. It needed 89,285 signatures [...]
Damian Goddard says he spoke out against same-sex ‘marriage’ out of love A TV sports anchor fired in the Spring after tweeting his support for true marriage says he hopes the case will inspire other Canadians to take up the marriage battle, which is experiencing a lull in Canada six years after Parliament legalized same-sex “marriage.” Damian Goddard, [...]
Rise to autism may be result of use of fetal cell lines A pro-life biomedical research company is investigating whether vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines increase the risk of autism. The Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute (SCPI) based in Seattle, Wash., claims that the use of human DNA in vaccines has the potential to combine with the patient’s own genetic material, potentially [...]
Parents concerned over the radical direction the Burnaby School District has been taking were encouraged by the Nov. 19 school board election results, even though none of their five nominees made the final cut for the position of school board trustee. “Burnaby voters have stated loud and clear that they need Burnaby Parents’ Voice on the scene to bring forward policy and [...]