Should The Interim take an editorial stand on the toplessness question? A seemingly trivial subject has generated a great deal of attention, particularly as the summer weather hits with a vengeance. Everywhere it seems, Ontario newspapers are beating the bushes for stories involving topless women and the public's reaction to this newfound expression of "equality." But what might appear a little inane [...]
The hoopla may have died down somewhat - at least for the time being - but the ramifications of Ellen DeGeneres's "coming out" as television's first openly homosexual prime-time lead character continue. The fact that television and other entertainment media are once again being used as a vehicle to promote certain moral stances should come as no surprise to anyone who has [...]
Some alarming questions arise from the case of a cantor at a Halifax synagogue who fled to the States in disgrace this January after being charged and fined $2,000 for downloading child pornography from the Internet. No suggestion was made that the cantor's involvement with porn went beyond the fantasy stage. Undoubtedly, part of the buzz which made this sad tale so [...]
As the temperature has risen in Ontario this summer, so hast the heat surrounding the topless question. The province has been regularly treated - or subjected - to prominent media coverage of incidents and controversies on the issue since the weather warmed up following an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling last December. The ruling said it's okay for men or women to [...]
Abortion quietly decimating French-speaking population Campagne Quebec-Vie President Gilles Grondin would not rate 1993 as one of his most successful campaigns. However, he has learned a lot and more importantly, has managed to keep Quebec’s pro-life political lobby alive. Despite many hurdles which his organization faces, Grondin is convinced that there is hope for the future. “People will come to realize that [...]
Low birth rates “My opinion is that the drop [in births] is due to many factors: a bad economy, relatively small numbers of women at peak childbearing age, delayed marriages and the socially accepted conundrum that children are damaging to the environment and to personal happiness.” Katherine Dowling from her article “Mothers and Other Strangers.” (L.A. Times, March 3, 1994) Handicapped are [...]
Bergen-Belsen. The name sent a shudder down my spine. It evoked unreal black and white images – images from documentaries and photographs I had seen over the years. Yet what would I find in this place of death? Would it even be real? Not alone on this venture, my 11-year-old daughter Rebecca was with me. I wanted her to see this reality. [...]
The United Nations Population fund has issued its 1997 State of World Population Report. The slick 76-page document, subtitled “The Right to Choose: Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health,” lays out a program for action designed to turn Third World women into feminist “wimmin.” They will be educated, plied with contraceptives, and their unborn children aborted. The report’s subtitle gives the game away. [...]
Several times during the five-minute drive home from school, my 11-yea-old reminded me that I still hadn’t paid up the five bucks I owed her. Finally, at a long red light, I searched my wallet for the measly sum, but it was nowhere to be found. As the light turned green and my daughter turned red with exasperation, I realized once again, [...]
The Interim Support for abortion “rights,” radical feminism, homosexuality, environmentalism, earth-based religion, New Age philosophies, sexual liberation, gays in the pulpit… Although liberal Christianity, as characterized by these aspects and others, has been making rapid inroads in the last few decades (particularly since the 1960’s), the roots of the crisis within Christianity can be traced back centuries. Some might put the start [...]
Children! Attention, please! How do the federal Liberals know when to call an election? Morgy?” “Whenever they feel like it, sir” “Wrong, Morgy! Sit down! The Liberals call an election when they think they can win. Everybody should know that.” “But usually, children, it’s when the polls are favorable to Liberals – when the Tories don’t have enough members in Parliament to [...]
My eldest daughter turns16 this spring. In a rather neat reversal of the fashion dictates which have ruled Canadian society from its very inception, the young males are allowed to promenade in color and elegant plumage while the girls shuffle along in a remarkably innocuous looking, lumpen-proletariat herd. Or maybe they’re taking their cues from the ducks, which populate the river in [...]
Debbie Mahaffy, whose daughter Leslie, was brutally murdered, wants a National Victims’ Bill of Rights and a National Office of Victims’ Affairs. Mahaffy knows from bitter experience that she, as well as Leslie’s father Dan, and brother, Ryan, all became victims when Leslie was tortured and killed. For too long a victim’s family has been considered “non-persona, non-existent, a nuisance or a [...]
Where the parties stand on the life issues The Liberal Party In 1993, Jean Chrétien said that his government would not revisit the abortion issue. In doing so, he committed the Liberals to the status quo of lawlessness where pre-born children are concerned. The party has recently confirmed that a Liberal government will not entertain measures to re-criminalize abortion. In effect, therefore, [...]
Interim staff Many couples looking to adopt a child have turned their attention to Third World countries. Some are finding success in Latin America, particularly Guatemala. The Stratford, Ontario-based Saint Anne Adoption Centre is doing its part to facilitate adoption from Guatemala. The centre opened its door in July, 1989. It was the first agency in Canada doing adoptions from Latin America, [...]