In an interview given 10 years ago, the then-Cardinal Ratzinger was asked about the possibility of his retiring from his position at the Vatican: “Yes, I had the desire to retire in 1991, 1996, 2001, because I had the idea I could write some books and return to my studies.” He then added, by way of explanation: “But, on the other hand, [...]
As noted in our editorial on the opposite page, we are marking 30 years of publishing The Interim this month. I have had the privilege of writing and serving on the editorial board of this paper for 15 years, and as editor for almost 12 years. I consider it an incredible honour to be able to use my journalistic talents to [...]
During the most recent presidential election cycle, the American electorate was scandalized. Statements made by two Republican senatorial candidates about their opposition to abortion in cases involving rape occasioned an avalanche of outrage with condemnations, recriminations, and death threats following swiftly upon each of their remarks. In a famously divided political climate, unity suddenly, somehow appeared. This curious event allows us to [...]
Due to the slow progress in the country’s reconstruction, last month International Development Minister Julian Fantino announced that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) would stop funding new development projects in Haiti, which is still recovering from 2010’s devastating earthquake. We are not qualified to judge whether or not $50 million in Canadian aid to Haiti was spent wisely, but we do [...]
Behind every legal fiction lies an ugly, brutal fact. The incoherent contradiction in Canadian law which maintains that life only begins at birth has allowed the silent slaughter of an untold number of nascent human lives; and, thus, for more than 40 years, unborn children in Canada have been extinguished behind the thin screen of a preposterous pretense. This contradiction has resulted [...]
In 2012, the conservative MP for Kitchener Centre, Stephen Woodworth, filed a modest motion proposing a re-examination of Canada’s seventeenth-century definition of human personhood in light of 21st century scientific knowledge. His motion proposed no new laws and merely recognized the fact that a 400-year-old notion of prenatal life might be a little out of date. Predictably, however, this sensible measure met [...]
Last month the death of 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar became international news. Halappanavar died in Ireland, the story goes, because she was not able to obtain a legal abortion. The story was reported around the world, with three Toronto papers featuring it prominently within their first three pages. On Oct. 21, Halappanavar believing she suffered a miscarriage at 17 weeks sought to have [...]
The cross, among other things, is a reminder of Christianity’s relationship with the state. An ancient method of execution with all the charm of the electric chair, crucifixion was a form of capital punishment deemed too degrading for a Roman citizen to endure, fit only for rebels and slaves who needed to be visibly crushed under the imperial heel. Before the cross [...]
The Alberta Tories’ 41-year reign appeared to be coming to an end with the April 24 election (held after we went to press). The upstart and more conservative Wildrose Party was leading in the polls. While Wildrose is not a pro-life party, it did have numerous socially conservative candidates run under its banner. Wildrose leader Danielle Smith ran for the leadership in [...]
Two recent events south of the border illustrate the importance and centrality of life issues in the political sphere: the Obama administration mandated that all employers cover contraception in insurance plans and the Komen Foundation for a Cure, which raises money to fight breast cancer, was bullied into reversing its decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood. Both stories demonstrate the [...]
In early October, the long-time pro-life and pro-family activist Bill Whatcott got his proverbial day in court. Whatcott, who had been brought before the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal in 2006 over his practice of distributing flyers about the dangers of abortion and homosexuality, was ordered to pay a $17,500 fine and to cease publicly spreading his beliefs about homosexuality. Whatcott’s case has [...]
In an age of instant information, the lack of widely-known facts about abortion is scandalous. To be sure, the mini-industry surrounding the brutal practice of prenatal infanticide is hardly transparent, but the real dearth of clear information about abortion proceeds from the public’s incorrigible lack of curiosity. It is not that such information is unattainable; instead, it is simply unwanted. While corrupt [...]
From the election-time boogeyman of the “hidden agenda” to novels like The Handmaid’s Tale, the left-wing of the Canadian imagination preoccupies itself with the production of alarmist prophecies. Self-anointed seers repeat a ritual unmasking of supposed culturally conservative conspiracies, and expose the concealed seeds of a coming Christian despotism. This nightmare scenario is like the paranoid fantasy of a patient who is [...]
It seems that the human rights commission industry has avoided making headlines lately, but that does not mean they are not up to their usual mischief, finding new vistas of wrong-doing to correct. The June 14 Globe and Mail reported that the Ontario Human Rights Commission is reading want ads for housing to determine if landlords and would-be roommates are discriminating in [...]
Michael Ignatieff has famously insisted that the government’s plan to address maternal health and infant mortality include abortion. We cover this story in depth on pages 10-11, but there are two important points. First, nobody in his right mind would equate abortion with maternal health; that much should go without saying, although apparently there are some things only a Harvard professor can [...]