The Criminal Code contains a number of provisions governing pornography although the word itself I is never used. These provisions generally refer instead to material which is “obscene”, “indecent,” “immoral” or “scurrilous”, or in some combination thereof. Obscenity is the only one of the four words that is spelled out in law. The others have been left to the Courts [...]
In January, a judge of Alberta’s Court of Queen’[s Bench ruled that “sexually explicit films in which women are degraded or dehumanized”, are obscene. In March, a Maritimes judge criticized recent court decisions on obscenity as being too liberal and said, “one really has to rack one’s mind to conjecture an act, or depiction of that act, that would be [...]
It has been said that one human death is a tragedy, but a thousand are merely statistics. In no arena is this ancient proverb more appropriate than in the field of abortion. Each year in North America over a million and a half preborn children are destroyed by this process; our minds have been dulled and our hearts [...]
A health-care package being planned by the University of Toronto’s Students’ Council is to include coverage for contraceptives. Some other universities already have student-sponsored health benefits but none include coverage for contraceptives. If it goes into effect, the plan will be mandatory for all full time students. An executive of the Students Administrative Council, Kevin Perkins was reported by the [...]
Over 200 women attended the first national Real Women of Canada conference, held on February 2 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Women from British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Northern Ontario and Ottawa, as well as Toronto and Southern Ontario travelled at their own expense to meet each other and discuss the options and challenges for women in the [...]
Italy has the second highest abortion rate in Europe, with 405 abortions for every 1,000 live births, bishop Fiordelli of Prato told a conference in Salerno last October. The European country with the highest abortion rate is Denmark, according to a report in The Universe (October 19, 1984). Bishop Fiordelli said that births in Italy had dropped from 1,170,000 [...]
In the Toronto Sunday Star of December 30, 1984, an article by Tom Harpur appeared under the heading “Why We Must Speak Out.” I feel that I could challenge almost every one of his statements but space would not permit, so I shall address myself to just four. - According to Mr. Harpur, we must opt for a [...]
Many of the arguments in favor of “liberalizing the law,” as it came to be called, centre precisely on this idea of ridding the country of an “outmoded morality,” an expression which became standard in newspaper editorials and articles. It was claimed that opposition to legal contraceptives, divorce, homosexual activity, and abortion was based either on religious foibles [...]
The Toronto Board of Education’s Advisory Committee on Sex Education has issued its draft report. The Committee is now inviting comment from parents, teachers and other interested parties. The Committee has already considered briefs from such organizations as Planned Parenthood, the Gay Community Council and Lesbian and Gay Youth Toronto. It is recommending that the Ministry of Education [...]
Over the last two years, more and more people have begun to publicly express their opposition to pornography business. Formerly, only the churches seemed willing to take a firm stand in public. Today, radical feminists (looking at it exclusively from a woman’s point of view) have advanced at least to the recognition that violent pornography is a menace. With the [...]
A constant cry of our pluralistic and secular society is that morality is not to be legislated. Indeed in 1969, then Justice Minister, John Turner, claimed that the Criminal Code of Canada is neutral and cannot represent ‘private moralities.’(Speaking on the abortion bill in the House of Commons.) An unexpected subsidiary theme of this is-called neutrality [...]
Access to pornography was once limited to specialty bookstores and movie houses found mainly in decaying inner areas of large cities. Most of us were once untouched by pornography and its effects. Those innocent days are over. The past fifteen years have been a period of explosive influence has spread to suburban areas and small towns, into corner [...]
Canadian newspapers reported recently that next year the first “foolproof” birth control drug will be distributed in Europe. “First foolproof post pregnancy birth control pill” read the Ottawa Citizen caption. (Dec. 5). “Foolproof pill ready next year,” said the Toronto Sun. The Winnipeg Free Press, however, headed its short news item more accurately: “Abortion pill safe, labs say.” (Dec. 4). [...]
The recent published report of a working party of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) calls for: - full and free access to all methods of fertility regulation, including abortion and sterilization for all, irrespective of age or marital status, as a “human right”; - the right of children to contraception and abortion from the age [...]
Conversations concerning the rubella vaccine and fetal experimentation in general have jammed our telephone during the last month. I have heard such statements as, “let’s drop this: it’s not an issue we can win,” “there’s nothing wrong with this vaccine,” “good can come from evil,” and so on. Most opinions are strongly-held. This had touched a number of nerves. [...]