Pro-life ‘Choice Chain’ cancelled by UVic
VICTORIA – The University of Victoria cancelled a campus pro-life group’s “Choice” Chain the day before it was to take place. In February 2012, Youth Protecting Youth (YPY) was prohibited by the student union, the University of Victoria Student’s Society (UVSS), to book public space and hold the “Choice” Chain, a display by the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform that uses graphic abortion images to confront passers-by to face what choice actually entails. YPY then appealed to the university administration and was able to book the event for February 1, 2013. On Jan. 31, the day before it was to be held, the event was cancelled when the university claimed it was unaware of the UVSS’ original decision to ban the YPY from booking public space.
Trent pro-life group threatens legal action
PETERBOROUGH – Trent Lifeline, the pro-life group at Trent University in Ontario, is demanding that the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) give the group club status or face a lawsuit. Trent Lifeline was told in an e-mail from Vanessa Jones of the TCSA that it could not have club status because “all groups at Trent University must be inclusive” and that the TCSA does not permit clubs that “take away rights from other people.” Rebecca Richmond, head of National Campus Life Network, said the point of a pro-life club is to “engage with people of different opinions.” John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and Trent Lifeline’s legal counsel, sent the TCSA president a letter on Feb. 6, where he noted that many of the clubs at Trent “express beliefs that oppose the beliefs of other groups” and that student unions “should be supporting free speech and vigorous debate, not trying to muzzle it.” Sun Network’s Ezra Levant wondered: “Is it against the law to have a pro-life point of view at Trent.”
Enshrine abortion in Canada Health Act: Liberal candidate
TORONTO — George Takach, a candidate for the Liberal Party leadership, published a column on abortion at Huffington Post Canada. He claimed, “Conservatives are calling women who have abortions, and their doctors, murderers,” and said it was wrong for “men in suits to have a say” in the matter of abortion. Takach, who barely polls one per cent in the nine candidate field, said he is “pleased” Prime Minister Stephen Harper insists on not changing the law, but then adds, “the law needs to be changed.” Takach, a technology lawyer, said it is not “good enough” that abortion was decriminalized by the Morgentaler decision in 1988, and vowed if he became prime minister the Liberal Party would “immediately introduce legislation to amend the Canada Health Act to make clear what should have been made clear a long time ago – abortion is a medical procedure.” Takach insists abortion “must be funded by all provinces” and said, “it’s time for the Liberal Party of Canada to stop riding the fence on abortion.”
LSN suffers setback in court
JOLIETTE, Quebec – Superior Court Judge Paul Mayer denied three motions presented by the lawyer for LifeSiteNews.com in the defamation case brought against the online pro-life news agency, five of its writers and editors, and Campagne Quebec-Vie and its former director Luc Gagnon. Catholic priest Fr. Raymond Gravel, a former Bloc Quebecois MP who supports abortion and same-sex “marriage,” is claiming $500,000 in damages arising from 39 articles LSN and Campagne Quebec-Vie’s newsletter published beginning in 2003. LSN asked to have the claim declared abusive and requested sanction against Gravel, to reduce the amount Gravel is suing for, and to move the case to Ontario, where LSN Canada is based. Judge Mayer rejected all three arguments, saying “the Court is of the opinion that the motives leading to the lawsuit cannot be described as reproachable or abusive at this point in the proceedings.” LSN editor and co-founder John-Henry Westen said that costs are mounting in the case, which may not even be heard until 2015. He told The Wanderer, “this lawsuit could very well shut us down,” because in addition to the $500,000 claim, legal bills for LSN are expected to top $200,000. Furthermore, LifeSiteNews could be made to pay Gravel’s court costs.