Canada
Campaign Life Coalition launched a national TV advertising campaign on Sun News focused on the B.C. court challenge to Canada’s euthanasia and assisted suicide restrictions. It asks Canadians to write to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson to urge them to invoke the notwithstanding clause if necessary to uphold the prohibition on killing vulnerable people … The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to appeal to the doctors of Hassan Rasouli in a case the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition says will have “profound implications for patients throughout Ontario and Canada.” In 2011, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that doctors at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto had to seek consent from the Consent and Capacity Board when consent for withdrawal of treatment is refused by a patient or the attorney for personal care. EPC executive director Alex Schadenberg said “the EPC is concerned that if the Rasouli decision is overturned that vulnerable Canadians will be denied Life-Sustaining treatment or care, against their wishes or consent. The definition of Life-Sustaining Treatment or care includes fluids and food, ventilators and antibiotics” … A chapter of Medical Students for Life was launched at the University of Ottawa by David D’Souza (class of 2013), a member of the board of Physicans for Life … Prince Edward Island Right to Life Association launched an education campaign to counter the increased pro-abortion activism on the Island in late 2011. Association president Greg Hebert said a “Pro-life Working Committee has put together a comprehensive multi-stage, multi-facetted program that will provide all Islanders with accurate information on the current legal situation, as well as the consequences of abortion for both mother and child” … Beginning Dec. 29 and Jan. 1, breaking up became easier, quicker, and cheaper in Ontario. New regulations brought in by the Family Statute Law Amendment Act reduces the fee to restore a surname and make it simpler to divide pensions after a divorce. Government Services Minister Harinder Takhar said, “the last thing people should have to think about when going through a difficult time is government red tape” … The city of Toronto ran an online survey in December to gage support to allow retailers to open on holidays, including Christmas and Easter … Saskatchewan Education Minister Donna Harpauer announced the province would extend public education funding to independent schools, including private religious schools, joining Alberta and British Columbia as jurisidictions in Canada that fund such institutions. Harpauer said her government “is committed to providing a high-quality education that supports Saskatchewan’s families and attracts new families to our communities” … An Abacus Data poll on sex education found that 56 per cent of Canadians thought it was “somewhat or very inappropriate” to teach Grade 3 students about gender identity including homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and transexuality. Asked if they thought it was appropriate to teach Grade 7 students about oral and anal sex, 59 per cent thought it was inappropriate, and 57 per cent said parents should be notified when “their children are going to be taught sensitive material.”
International
In the new documentary Gift of Life, former Dallas abortionist Carol Everett admitted: “I wanted to be a millionaire and the way for me to be a millionaire was to do 40,000 abortions a year” … The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over the past three decades, the incidence of twins, now one in 30 infants born in 2009, has doubled mostly due to women putting off having children until after 30 and fertility enhancing therapies such as in-vitro fertilization … The homosexualist magazine The Advocate rated Salt Lake City, Utah, the “gayest city in America” based on a host of criteria including the number of LGBT elected officials, anti-discrimination laws, whether or not it hosted a Women’s National Basketball Association team and the availability of nude yoga classes. Orlando, Cambridge, Mass.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla,; and Seattle round out the top five. San Francisco didn’t make the top 15 … Among those rated the 100 most gay friendly employers in the U.K. according to Stonewall, a British gay activist group, was M15, the domestic spy agency, and the Home Office, the government agency that oversees the police, counter-terrorism and immigration. Among private sector employers rating highly were Goldman Sachs and Barclays … The Commission on Assisted Dying in the United Kingdom recommended that general practitioners be allowed to prescribe lethal doses of medication to help patients take their own lives. The commission suggests permitting doctors to help patients kill themselves when they have less than 12 months to live. The British Medical Association responded that “the majority of doctors do not want to legalize assisted dying.”