NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY
Words of Life
Our neighbors to the north are debating the value of life. The latest round of heated talk comes after a Member of Parliament introduced a bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. Similar bills considered in the U.S. have failed in state legislatures, in large part due to the testimony of medical professionals who care for terminally and chronically ill patients.
One voice worth listening to in this debate is Dr. Bill Toffler. The Oregon physician knows first hand how legalized assisted suicide can be abused, cause fear among patients and negatively impact the delivery of medical care.
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Pope Appoints 'Strong' Pro-Life Advocate to Los Angeles Position
Pope Benedict XVI has announced pro-life Archbishop Jose Gomez to replace Cardinal Roger Mahoney when he steps down as the archbishop of Los Angeles.
Gomez reportedly objected to the appearance of then Senator Hillary Clinton at a Catholic University in 2008, because of her pro-abortion views.
"The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles," Gomez said at the time. "They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."
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6-Year-Old's Accidental Death Classified As 'Suicide'
The death of a 6-year-old Oregon girl sent to her room after exchanging cross words with her mother has been classified as a suicide by a state medical examiner. After her mother told her to go to her room, Samantha Kuberski, a first-grader in McMinnville, Ore., crawled into an unused crib, tied one end of a belt around her neck, the other on a bar of the crib, and hanged herself, according to reports. The incident happened on Dec. 2, days shy of the girl's 7th birthday, making her the youngest person in Oregon history to have committed suicide. But McMinnville police investigating Samantha's death are not convinced that the girl understood the consequences of her actions. They are challenging the classification of suicide. Samantha's death, they argue, was the result of an accident.
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Wis. Prosecutor: Sex Ed Rules Could Mean Charges
A Wisconsin prosecutor is warning sex education teachers they could face charges if they follow a new state law that allows them to instruct students about proper contraceptive use. A letter sent to five school districts by Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth said the instruction could amount to contributing to the delinquency of a minor if teachers know students are sexually active. He said the districts should drop sex education until the law is repealed. Southworth also argued that teaching contraceptive use encourages sexual behavior among children, which equates to sexual assault because minors can't legally have sex in Wisconsin. "Depending on the specific facts of a case ... this encouragement and advocacy could lead to criminal charges," Southworth, a Republican, wrote to districts in his county.
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Alaska Court Sets May 20 Hearing On Baby Killing Regulations In Voters Ballot
Oral arguments are set for May 20 in a case seeking to keep a proposed abortion initiative off the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court released the schedule Wednesday. ACLU of Alaska and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest appealed a lower court ruling that Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell write an "accurate" summary of the proposed initiative. A judge had ordered Campbell to make clear several points, including that the initiative would restrict existing rights and potentially subject doctors to penalties. The ACLU's Jeffrey Mittman has said the decision didn't go far enough and that the proposal shouldn't appear on the ballot since voters weren't given a complete picture of what it would do during the signature-gathering process.
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'Abortion Kit' Flyer Called Mail Fraud
Some may call it a prank, a hoax or a sick joke. The U.S. Postal Service said a flyer for an "at-home abortion kit" will be investigated as mail fraud. The flyer was mailed in the mane of a non-existent group called American Women's Health. It offered an 'at-home abortion kit' for $400 and encouraged people to call or write for more information. But the phone number and address on the flyer belong to the Pro-Life Action League, a group opposed to abortions.
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Illinois Federation for Right to Life
2600 State Street, Ste E
Alton, IL 62002
Phone: 618-466-4122
Web: www.ifrl.org
E-mail: mail@ifrl.org
