Canada
Pro-life MP Rob Anders is once again facing a challenge from the Red Tory wing of the party for the Conservative nomination in his riding. Ron Liepert, a former provincial finance minister, announced he would challenge the incumbent in Calgary-Signal Hill, a new riding that makes up most of Calgary West, the riding Anders has held since 1997. Liepert’s supporters launched an anti-Anders website, “Time to do Better,” and among the complaints about Anders is that he is pro-life. Asked about the issues of abortion and same-sex “marriage” by LifeSiteNews.com, Liepert said “they are the laws of the land” and “the federal government has long ago settled those issues” … Two mothers from a Montreal school have created a web site cautioning parents about sexually explicit books in elementary school libraries after one of their daughters (an 11-year-old) brought home L’Enchanteur (The Enchanter), a book for teenagers with graphic content. Spokesman Alain Perron of the CDSM (the largest school board in Montreal) said to QMI that the books are intended for ages 12 and over but maintains they are appropriate to have in school libraries … On Dec. 18, British Columbia’s Ministry of Advanced Education authorized the establishment of a law school at Trinity Western University in Langley despite controversy over the university’s covenant mandating that all staff and students refrain from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.” Former Henry Morgentaler lawyer Clayton Ruby has vowed to fight TWU’s approval … In a 28-2 vote on Dec. 18, Toronto city councillors voted in favour of 519 Church Street Community Centre’s proposal to develop a $100 million gay community centre, with a third of the cost to be covered by the three levels of government … And what we’re trying to do is create a space that’s inclusive of everyone” … Almost a year after news broke that Liberal leader Justin Trudeau earned $277,000 in speaking fees while an MP, Trudeau told the Ottawa Citizen that he wrongly claimed $840 in MP travel and living expenses during these engagements and has paid the money back, after denying he expensed costs related to his speaking engagements. Trudeau had received $82,500 in speaking fees from Catholic schools and organizations for trustees and teachers.
United States
The Susan G. Komen Foundation, a breast cancer awareness organization that reversed its decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood in 2012, had a 22 per cent decline in donations in 2013. Spokesman Andrea Rader told the Associated Press that the drop could be due to the Planned Parenthood controversy, the economic situation, and other charity events … On Jan. 13, New Mexico Judge Nan Nash ruled that the state ban on assisted suicide is unconstitutional in a lawsuit brought forward by Compassion and Choices. “One would think that such a radical agenda should be enacted democratically. But alas, that’s not the country we live in anymore,” writes Wesley Smith in his blog for National Review Online … The Massachusetts’ Commission against Discrimination found probable cause against gay-friendly Baystate Reproductive Medicine for refusing in 2009 to impregnate Andy Inkster, now a transgender health promoter at Toronto’s LGBTQ Parenting Network with a three-year-old daughter. Inkster claims Baystate Reproductive Medicine told him he was “too masculine” to be impregnated … “If President (Barack) Obama wants to reduce income inequality, he should focus less on redistributing income and more on fighting a major cause of modern poverty: the breakdown of the family,” writes Ari Fleischer in the Wall Street Journal, citing 2012 census data analyzed by the Beverly LaHaye Institute that shows single mother families have a 33.9 per cent poverty rate, in contrast to 7.5 per cent of married parents.
International
Organizers estimate 40,000 people took part in the ninth annual March for Life in Paris on Jan. 21 … On Jan. 12, 300 Belgians gathered outside the offices of the euthanasia Control and Evaluation Commission in Brussels to protest against the bill extending euthanasia to minors. They also demanded that the current 2002 euthanasia law be better enforced … Gong Qifeng was the victim of a forced abortion by Chinese officials while seven months pregnant with her second son, and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to an Associated Press report. “I feel like a walking corpse,” she said regarding the abortion … In a Jan. 19 interview with foreign journalists, Russian president Vladimir Putin said that despite the country’s laws banning the spread of gay propaganda to people under 18, he is “on friendly terms” with homosexuals and millions of Russians “sincerely love” Elton John “despite his orientation.” Russia, which hosts the Winter Olympics this month in Sochi, has been under criticism for the country’s anti-activism law … Canada cancelled a schedule February visit by President Goodluck Jonathan because of Nigeria’s new law against homosexuality.