Canada
In 2009 there was controversy when the study guide given to new immigrants, “Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship,” did not include reference to same-sex “marriage.” A new guide released on March 14 states: “Canada’s diversity includes gay and lesbian Canadians, who enjoy the full protection of and equal treatment under the law, including access to civil marriage.” The new guide still rankles gay activists; EGALE complains that the revised guide suffers from the “obvious omission of our trans population” … Openly gay Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation Glen Murray criticized opponents of the sex ed program the province announced and scrapped in the Spring of 2010 as “homophobes.” The NDP called upon the Ontario Liberals to bring back the sex ed program that included graphic sexual descriptions to children in Grade 3 and Murray stated on the social media site Twitter: “The right-wing reactionary homophobes love these issues.” The Family Coalition Party and Progressive Conservatives have condemned Murray’s comments. The FCP described Murray’s charge as “bully tactics on traditional families” … YWCA Canada released a report, “Educated, Employed, and Equal: The Economic Prosperity Case for National Child Care.” They argue that a well-educate workforce with more women than men requires, “As a choice for parents, early learning and child care services should be normalized” … The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has filed a submission in the B.C. Supreme Court arguing against prohibitions against polygamy, saying in a statement the law against plural marriage “invites the state to inspect the bedroom – and kitchens and living rooms – of consenting adults” … Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith announced on his blog that because organizers could not guarantee there would be no signage with graphic images, “The Alberta Bishops have decided not to participate in the 2011 Alberta March for Life.”
United States
A study in the scholarly State Politics and Policy Quarterly found that abortions restricting abortion have passed in 34 states since 1990 have led to a 22.22 per cent drop in the number of abortions. SPPQ reports that parental consent and notification laws reduced teen abortion rates by 15 per cent and defunding abortion reduced abortion among Medicaid recipients by nine per cent. States that passed and maintained abortion restrictions had larger reductions in abortion numbers than states that did not enact or had restrictions nullified by the courts … Former nurse William Melchert-Dinkel was convicted of aiding the suicides of Nadia Kajouji, 18 of Ottawa, and Mark Drybrough, 32 of England. Rice County District Court Judge Thomas Neuville said the internet predator sought depressed people online, posed as a suicidal person ,and entered phony suicide pacts with the victims. Melchert-Dinkel faces up to 15 years in each count and sentencing is scheduled for May 4 … The Hawaii Senate Health Committee voted 4-0 to defeat SB 803, a bill to legalize assisted suicide in that state. Committee chairman Josh Green, a former physician who originally supported the bill, said he was moved to vote against it after listening to the testimony of euthanasia opponents, including representatives of the disabled community … The New Hampshire House of Representatives defeated HB 513, an assisted suicide bill, by a vote of 234-99. A similar bill was defeated 242-113 in January 2010 … An ABC-Washington Post poll found that 53 per cent of respondents support legalizing same-sex “marriage” while 44 per cent are opposed, but Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, pointed to an problem with the question, noting that asking whether it should be “legal or illegal for gay and lesbian couples to get married” implied the criminalization of homosexuality and thus skewered the results.
United Nations
An Obama administration statement in the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva condemned any country that criminally punishes homosexual activity and it marks the first time the United States has endorsed a homosexualist policy at the UN. The Council document calls upon the UN to scrutinize the treatment of homosexuals in individual countries. Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe said: “Human rights are the inalienable right of every person, no matter who they are or who they love … The U.S. government is firmly committed to supporting the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals to lead productive and dignified lives, free from fear and violence” … The UN Commission on the Status of Women was rebuked by a representative from Chile over its promotion of abortion. A Chilean diplomat stated, “Respecting human life is the key to reducing maternal mortality.” A more representative statement of the UN view was provided by a Norwegian representative who claimed: “We’re not serious about maternal health if we fail to promote and support access to safe abortion and liberalization of abortion laws.” The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute noted that, “Even though the theme of this year’s Commission was education, science and technology, abortion still dominated much of the debate.”