Canada

In July, federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau called for the legalization of marijuana to help keep the illicit drug out of the hands of children, saying that criminalization has not worked. In August, Trudeau, who says he does not drink coffee, admitted to smoking pot “five or six times” including at a dinner party in his home since becoming an MP … Ashley Martyn, who has been identified as Trudeau’s “social media manager” tweeted that “religious people are less intelligent than atheists” and linked to a study purporting to prove the claim true … Researchers from the University of Western Ontario have been able to use a new MRI technique to show that a patient in a permanent vegetative state and two minimally conscious patients were able to respond to commands. The vegetative patient was able to answer “yes” or “no” questions about his identity and surroundings correctly. The authors of the study say that the technique may offer patients the ability to make decisions, including about end-of-life care. The Calgary Herald editorialized that because of the UWO findings, patients in PVS should not be assumed to be unaware … The Canadian Forces participated in Capital Pride march in Ottawa. Also seen at the march along Bank Street, a woman wearing a rainbow outfit and a sign that promoted the website, “www.prolifehumanists.com.” The Liberal Party of Ontario had an official poster that said “Proud to support Pride 2013” and featured a picture of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s face on a rainbow background.

United States

On August 5, the Government Accountability Office announced it would examine the use of federal funding by pro-abortion agencies that receive taxpayer money, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation and its American affiliates, the Population Council, and the Guttmacher Institute.  In February, more than 50 federal legislators called upon the GAO to update its 2010 report on how such groups use federal subsidies. Rep. Diane Black (R, Tenn) applauded the decision, saying “this independent study of how much and for purposes these dollars are allocated to all abortion providers is necessary for Congress to ensure accountability and oversight” … On August 22, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that Jonathan and Elaine Huguenin, the owners of Elane Photography, have no right to refuse a job shooting a gay “wedding.” Justice Richard C. Bosson says the case “provokes reflection on what this nation is all about, its promise of fairness, liberty, equality of opportunity, and justice.” It also “teaches that at some point in our lives all of us must compromise, if only a little, to accommodate the contrasting values of others. A multicultural, pluralistic society, one of our nation’s strengths, demands no less.” Bosson said they “are free to think, to say, to believe, as they wish,” but drew the line at acting on those beliefs …  California has become the first state mandating that public school students kindergarten through Grade 12 be allowed to choose whatever sex they wanted to belong to when participating in school activities and using facilities as part of a sweeping transgender and transsexual rights law for the state’s public schools. Students wll be able to choose whether to join boys or girls teams depending on which sex they choose to identify. Carlos Alcala, spokesman for Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, the bill’s sponsor, dismissed criticism of the bill saying, “clearly there are some parents who are not going to like it.”

International

A survey of 150 surrogate mothers by the Centre for Social Research in New Delhi, India found that they are many are paid just 1-2 per cent of the surrogate fee and many are forced to have abortions, while some couples opt to have more than one surrogate at once to increase the chance of having the desired child (with the extra baby aborted) … Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban dictator Raoul Castro and niece of Fidel Castro, told attendees of a United Nations meeting that “Latin America and the Caribbean cannot progress on sexual and reproductive health if abortion is not a right.” The meeting, held in Uruguay where abortion was recently legalized, was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the United Nations Population Fund. Castro is a self-described sexologist and is a member of the International Conference on Population and Development task force … The International Planned Parenthood Fund has erected a billboard in the town of Awassa, Ethiopia advertising Levonorgestrel oral contraceptives. The sign, which shows an attractive young woman with a small package in her hand, calls the pill a “safe” way to deal with the “unexpected.” Instructions on the billboard read “When you have unprotected sex, take this medicine (sic) within five days, and you will prevent an unplanned pregnancy” … Retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu addressed the Cape Town launch of the United Nation’s “Free and Equal” campaign for gay rights, and said he would rather go to hell than worship a “homophobic God.”