Another political ruling
Vancouver – The BC Supreme Court has ruled that the province can no longer exclude same-sex partners from its Medicare definition of spouses. The decision means homosexual couples will be entitled to the same medical coverage as any other couple.
The Supreme Court’s ruling came in response to a court action launched by Timothy Knodel, a Vancouver male nurse. Knodel launched his law suit because he felt “entitled” to spousal benefits from the province’s Medicare system after his live-in lover died of AIDS two years ago.
Knodel’s lawyer, John Steeves, says the ruling was all his client had hoped for. “He’s given up a lot with this decision,” says Steeves, “a lot of privacy, and fortunately he’s had the support of the Hospital Employees’ Union, and the two of them have worked together.”
Reaction
Pro-family reaction to the decision has been one of dismay. Canadian Focus on the Family spokesman Jim Sclater pointed out that costs to the health-care system could sky-rocket since monogamy among gals is quite rare. “The majority of homosexuals have a great number of partners through their life,” says Sclater. “To extend spousal benefits would open up a difficult challenge for government to try to fund the medical and other benefits that these folks are asking for.”
At press-time the BC government hadn’t launched an appeal.
Fetal rights
Toronto – Canadian doctors disagree over when an unborn baby becomes a human being. According to Canadian Medical Association spokesman Dr. Noel Doig, a discussion paper concerning the humanity of the unborn child was brought forward at the CMA annual convention in August. “It has two underlying principles,” explains Doig. “One is that from the moment of conception a conceptus or a fetus is a human being.” The other, says Doig, is that a fetus “does not become a person until it is 20 to 23 weeks old.” However Doctor Willard Johnson rejects the suggestion that “personhood” be bestowed at the twentieth to twenty-third week. “That’s…just devoid of any real scientific basis,” states Johnson. “It’s an arbitrary and convenient cut-off point and happens to suit the doctors.”
Lesson for BC teachers
Vancouver – “British Columbia public school boards are financially pinched this year, not least because of seven per cent plus increases in teachers’ salaries. Some even predict lay-offs.”
Thus the BC Teachers’ Union promptly attacked its usual scapegoat. Public schools are “starving for lack of money while private schools are better off than ever” its president charged.
But Education Minister Stan Hagen, who has two of his own children in independent schools, was ready with a quick lesson in educational economics.
The government spends three billion dollars annually on public schooling, he noted, while grants to independents total $79.6 million. But if BC’s pupils switched to the public system, it would cost taxpayers another $200 million.
“Besides,” the minister added, “in a democratic society surely parents should have some choice.”
Parents fight back
Vancouver – A doctor is being questioned after he ordered the apprehension of a 13-year old girl from her home.
The situation arose when the doctors concluded that the girl needed extended treatment for a liver disorder. When the girls parents questioned the diagnosis and refused to bring their daughter to the hospital for treatment until they could obtain further medical advice, the doctor contacted the provincial Social Services department and asked that the child be apprehended.
The apprehension apparently failed because the family refused to turn the child over to authorities. Instead they produced second and third medical opinions which raised serious questions about the conclusions of the first doctor.
Family rights watchdog Kari Simpson applauds the parents for standing up to the powers-that-be. “This case provides insight that we should embrace and cause us to rightly question the societal path we are currently running down. What if this case had been a question of euthanasia: what if the first doctor had been the voice of decision? Why do we put so much faith in those so-called professionals? Where are the rights of the family? Why are government agents so willing to take children from their homes against their will? I say, ‘Bravo, bravo’ to this family for standing and fighting for what is right until another questions it. If second questioning causes something to crumble, chances are that it was never standing.”
Edmonton abortuary
Edmonton – Interim correspondent Lianne Lawrence was sent to jail for a second time on Tuesday, October 8. This time she was given a 15-day jail term for picketing and trespassing on the grounds of Morgentaler’s newly opened abortuary.
Meanwhile, long-time Planned Parenthood representative and now Morgentaler abortuary spokeswoman, Ellen Ticoll announced that the abortuary will not “perform” abortions on women in their twentieth week of pregnancy. The Edmonton Journal brought this preposterous ‘god news’ under the headline “Clinic won’t abort fetuses 20-weeks-old. 18 weeks was set as an upper limit.”
Until now, the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons has been pretending that in Alberta no abortions were being done beyond 12 weeks. That limit was changed by the College on September 6 so that now the College can pretend that no abortions will be done beyond 18 weeks.
Those who have followed Morgentaler’s career closely know that he has publicly defended abortions up to 26-28 weeks and that his Toronto abortuary charges up to $1,000 for over 20-week abortions.
Morgentaler has demanded also that Alberta pay the full cost of his ‘clinic’ and not the “mere $105 per client as is still the practice in Alberta. He wants Alberta to follow in the footsteps of the NDP’s Ontario which covers the full cost at taxpayers’ expense. The feminist slogan that abortion is a private matter and should affect no one except the parties involved has gone by the board long since.
Today abortionists insist, contrary to all evidence, that abortion is a “necessary medical procedure.”
Pro-abortion Alberta health Minister Nancy Betkowski has reasserted her “duty” to provide reasonable access for this procedure.” She has not yet caved in to Morgentaler’s demand but is bound to do so in the future. There is no Family Coalition Party in Alberta nor other political pro-life force to oppose the pro-abortion Tories.
Elsewhere
Brantford, Ontario – On September 25, 1991, Brantford Judge Kevin Lenz ruled that a pro-life sign erected in violation of a city by-law was protected under the Charter of Rights.
The sign was put up by Mr. Bill Fuller. It was professionally painted. It was not an eyesore nor a distraction to drivers. It read “Adoption not abortion.”
The city’s zoning by-law bans signs in the area, which is zoned for industrial use. Despite the fact that city officials habitually allowed exceptions for businesses in the area, they decided to prosecute Mr. Fuller for his pro-life sing. An earlier judgment found Mr. Fuller guilty of breaking the by-law.
Defense counsel Paul Vandervet argued during an appeal hearing that the by-law violates the Charter of Rights, especially in view of the city’s practice of allowing signs in the past.
Judge Lenz agreed.
Vancouver – (FFIF). The Royal Commission on Reproductive Technologies is once again touring the country. The Commission is examining questions such as homosexual surrogate parenting, test-tube babies and sex selection.
Commission chairman Dr. Patricia Baird says that although her panel has heard from hundreds of Canadians they still need more input to answer the ethical questions involved. “It’s a complicated question,” says Baird. “We have to weigh all the facts and come up with what makes the most sense.”
But BC physician Dr. Ron Jarvis says that toying with the natural process of creating human lives is definitely unethical: “They’re freezing what we call embryos and that’s already the start of human life. Human life starts with fertilization and then these embryos are frozen in large numbers and many of them are destroyed.”
The commission is inviting more responses until next spring. Their conclusions are expected next October – three years after the commission was established.
Ottawa – Catholic priest Tony Van Hee is back on parliament hill. Father Van Hee returned to his post on the hill in September after an absence during the summer months. With his placard demanding “Justice for the Unborn” and his continued prayers for a conversion of hearts, the priest stands as a constant sign reminding members of Parliament of their God-given duty.
