Canada
A National Post story has confirmed the suspicions of pro-life organizations that claimed Conservative MP Leon Benoit’s Unborn Victims of Violence private member’s legislation, which was deemed non-votable by a parliamentary committee, was influenced by the government. Reporter Peter O’Neil, through a Freedom of Information search, discovered that Justice Minister Vic Toews was advised in an unsigned document from Justice Ministry bureaucrats that Bill C-291 be deemed not votable because: “Any change to the definition of a ‘human being’ in the Criminal Code could have the effect of criminalizing abortion.” C-291 specifically addressed the harm done to unborn victims of violent crimes and was not applicable to abortion. Toews’ instruction to the parliamentary committee, however, did not mention abortion. Instead the justice minister’s written advice vaguely stated that the bill “clearly” violated the Constitution, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Nor did it give any indication how the proposed bill violated the Charter … Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua has dropped out of his party’s leadership race, leaving just 10 candidates vying to become Grit leader. Earlier this year, Bevilacqua told Maclean’s that he was a fiscal conservative, but “socially progressive.” He supports abortion, same-sex “marriage” and embryonic stem cell research, but voted twice to increase the age of consent … The Calgary Herald reports that for the first time, a Canadian scientist will begin destructive experiments on human embryos in order to procure their stem cells for research. University of Calgary associate professor Dr. Derrick Rancourt, told the paper he was asked to take part in a larger research project by the universities of British Columbia and Toronto because of his expertise in non-stem cell embryonic experiments as well as his research on mouse embryonic stem cells.
United States
Some pro-life groups are opposing President George W. Bush’s nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration, after Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said he would consider allowing over-the-counter sales of the abortifacient drug Plan B. Paul Chaim Schenck, director of the National Pro-Life Action Centre, said the president risks losing the support of his pro-life base if he pushes for von Eschenbach. Ironically, the nominee also faces criticism from the pro-abortion lobby, who are angry at a three-year delay in permitting non-prescription sales of Plan B … The FDA has approved Implanon, the first single-rod implantable contraceptive, which manufacturers claim is effective for up to three years. The matchstick-size contraceptive is inserted under the skin in a woman’s upper arm and releases a steady dose of progestin … Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York have found that medical institutions affiliated with religious bodies are less likely to prescribe the “morning-after” pill. Writing in the American Journal of Public Health, Dr. Linda Prine, one of the study’s authors, said, “To us, the real take-home message is, this medication needs to be over the counter, because physicians are not doing a good job of getting it out there” … Missouri will appeal a federal court ruling requiring that pregnant prisoners must be taken to abortion facilities when they request it. Attorney-General Jay Nixon argues that the ruling violates the state’s law prohibiting the use of public funds, facilities and employees to assist an abortion when it is not necessary to save the life of the woman … Florida abortionist James Pendergraft’s medical licence was suspended, and his five abortion facilities prevented from doing abortions, after he committed two illegal later-term abortions. In one case, he failed to get a second opinion before doing the abortion and in the other, he did not commit the late-term abortion in a hospital as required by state law.
International
The Associated Press reports that Zhang Weiging, an official with the State Commission for Population and Family Planning, said the Chinese government will punish sex-selection abortions committed on girls. There are 119 boys born in China for every 100 girls, compared to a global average of 105:100 … South Africa’s Constitutional Court has struck down the Abortion Amendment Act and the Traditional Health Practitioners Act with a suspending order in place for 18 months, after Doctors for Life petitioned the courts claiming that South Africa’s Parliament and the Nine Provinces had failed to provide “a meaningful opportunity” for the public to participate in the democratic process in passing the bills. The court agreed with DFL’s submissions that Parliament had been in breach of the constitutional obligation to facilitate public involvement in the legislative process. Despite the name, DFL is focused not on abortion and euthanasia, but humanitarian projects such as working with HIV/AIDS orphans and prostitutes … LifeSiteNews.com reports that Concerned Women for America has condemned the paying of poor women (up to $200) to have their unborn children killed between 8 and 12 weeks gestation when the fetus’s stem cells are harvested for use in cosmetic clinics for beauty treatments. Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, senior fellow of CWA’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, said, “It is hard to believe that such atrocities are going on today. These exclusive and exorbitant treatments are available in such varied locales as Barbados, Moscow, Dominican Republic and in Rotterdam.”