Canada
Governor General Michaelle Jean has formally accepted the resignations of Father Lucien Larré and Renato Giuseppe from the Order of Canada. Both had objected to the awarding of the Order of Canada to Henry Morgentaler in July 2008. Fr. Larre, who started the Bosco Centers for troubled youth in Saskatchewan, said Morgentaler’s investiture “was a terrible mistake.” In total, nine medals of the Order of Canada have been publicly returned while several recipients returned their honours without publicity … In a CanWest story about the contraceptive pill, Laura Wershler, executive director for Sexual Health Access Alberta (formerly known as Planned Parenthood Alberta), criticized the medical establishment for largely ignoring natural family planning and focusing too much on “hormonal birth control” as the “be-all and end-all” in terms of programs and advocacy … Calgary and Mississauga transit authorities refused Virgin Mobile advertising because the content was too sexually suggestive. Calgary Transit spokesman Ron Collins told the Calgary Sun: “If you look at that through the eyes of a child using the transit system, we didn’t think it was appropriate they should be subjected to that” … In a Jan. 18 shuffle, openly lesbian Ontario cabinet minister Kathleen Wynne was moved from the education ministry to the transportation portfolio … Glen Murray, the openly gay former mayor of Winnipeg, is running for the Ontario Liberal Party in the riding of Toronto Center in a by-election to replace openly gay former MPP George Smitherman who stepped down to run for mayor of Toronto … John Tory, the socially liberal former Progressive Conservative leader of Ontario, has decided against running for mayor of Toronto.
United States
Senator Ben Nelson (D, Neb) flip-flopped and supported the Senate version of Obamacare after vowing not to vote for it as long as it contained provisions to subsidize abortion … The victory of Republican Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special Senate election to replace the late senator Ted Kennedy means that the Democrats no longer have a filibuster-proof 60 votes which could affect the future of the U.S. health care debates. Blogging at TheInterim.com, Oswald Clark said Democrats might be forced to advance their health care agenda piece-meal, but warns that anti-life provisions might be less detectable and introduced by stealth … Janet Morana, co-founder of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, said her organization expected more than 30,000 signs from her organization to be carried in the Washington March for Life on Jan. 22 and in other regional marches. The campaign, which gives a voice to women and men who have suffered from their decision to abort, now includes signage that can be carried by friends and supporters who have not had abortions: “Women do regret abortion” and “Men regret lost fatherhood” … John Nugent, CEO of Baltimore Planned Parenthood, told Forbes magazine that health insurance companies are increasingly comfortable with providing abortion coverage because killing an unborn child is cheaper than bringing the child to term. According to Forbes, a typical first trimester abortion costs $300-$450 while a vaginal delivery costs nearly $6,000 and a c-section more than $8,500 … Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez told Elle magazine that she opposes artificial methods of procreation, saying: “When it comes to family and relationships, I’m quite traditional. Just because of the way I was raised … And I also believe in God and I have a lot of faith in that, so I just felt like you don’t mess with things like that.”
International
More than 100 Polish scientists have signed a document demanding that the government legislate a statutory ban on artificial fertilization procedures. They also called for full funding of NaProTechnology, a natural and ethical method of evaluating and treating infertility … The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has admitted that Red China’s one-child policy, enforced by coerced abortion for many pregnancies, has created a gender imbalance as a result of sex-selection abortions, female infanticide and a cultural preference for boys. Consequently, by 2020 there will be 24 million more Chinese men than women of marriageable age … China Daily says that the country’s one-child policies have resulted in the “prevention” of 400 million children … More than 25,000 people took part in the March for Life in Paris on Jan. 17, to mark the 35th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in France. Cécile Edel, president of Choisir La Vie, called upon the French to reflect upon “the disastrous result” of 35 years of legal abortion and the “unspeakable sufferings” of millions of women, and the “blatant injustice” towards millions of their unborn brothers and sisters.
