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World News Digest 2008

WEEK OF APRIL 28

South Dakotans will Vote on Pro-Life Ballot Measure in November
Pro-life forces have collected more than three times the minimum number of signatures to qualify an initiative banning abortion ban for the November election ballot. "Initiated Measure 11" includes exceptions for the health of the mother and for victims of rape or incest. If passed, it could put the state’s only abortion clinic out of business. A tougher measure failed in the 2006 election.

Ontario Birth Rate Sinking, Schools Closing
Due to declining enrollment, hundreds of schools in Ontario may be forced to close. A sagging birth rate has been cited as a leading cause, according to a new report released by the organization People for Education. Student enrollment has dropped by 90,000 in the past six years. Projects call for a national decline of 500,000 students in Canada in the next 10 years.

Florida School Board Member Warns Parents about Wasting Money on Cigarettes and Alcohol
Jay Wheeler, a member of the school board in Osceola County, Florida, raised eyebrows when he recommended in an email that parents turn off their cable TV or stop buying alcohol and cigarettes so that the money can be spent instead on their children. Despite some criticism, Wheeler didn’t back down. He said his message was intended as a wake-up call that would make parents get serious about their children’s education.

WEEK OF APRIL 21

Vermont Commission Redefines Marriage
This Monday, a Vermont commission is expected to encourage the state legislature to approve of same-sex “marriage.” The 11-member commission, called the Commission on Family Recognition and Protection, will meet Monday at the Vermont Statehouse. Upon reviewing their data, the legislature will determine what to do with the commission’s report. By extending current civil union laws, Vermont may see same-sex “marriage” legalized as early as 2009

Pro-Life Bill Brought Back to Life After Oklahoma Governor’s Veto
Oklahoma lawmakers voted to override Governor Brad Henry’s veto of a pro-life bill on Thursday. The bill stated that women would be required to get an ultrasound before having an abortion and prohibited abortion to all minors without parental consent. The bill also gave health-care professionals the right to refuse to perform an abortion if it compromised their moral or ethical beliefs. The bill, which will become a law on November 1, is evidence of the House and Senate’s desire to defend the most vulnerable of human kind -- those not yet born.

Singles Site, eHarmony, Promotes One-Night Stands
Dating service website eHarmony featured an article earlier this week on dating advice titled “Navigating the One Night Stand.” Single men and women members were outraged at the site’s willingness to encourage such behavior. Some users removed their membership because of the incident. eHarmony, whose mission statement promises to, “empower people with the knowledge and inspiration needed to grow and strengthen relationships for a lifetime of happiness,” according to eHarmony.com, compromised its own purpose and mission by posting the article. The offensive article is no longer on the site, but can be found by searching by the article title.

Fight for Protection of Traditional Marriage rises in New York
Same-sex “marriage” advocates continue to push for recognition by the State of New York of such weddings performed out of state. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys filed an appeal Monday on behalf of a group of New York taxpayers. New York state law permits taxpayers to challenge any illegal action by a state official who is allocating state funds. Instead of promoting strong families, New York officials are stepping outside of established marriage laws by accepting marriage laws of a foreign country. ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit in 2007 against the New State Department of Civil Service after officials redefined the term “spouse” to be inclusive of same-sex couples who “wed” outside the state of New York. This appeal extended state benefits only to legally married couples.

California Education Committee Protects Pro-Homosexual Legislation
Conservative lawmakers are trying to undo radical gains by colleagues pushing the homosexual agenda. Last week, California’s Legislature killed a bill that would have reversed a law requiring schools to present positive portrayals of homosexuality. The defeat is commonplace for the Left-leaning state. California’s majority party continually votes to disregard the will of the people and the rights that parents should have in a public school system.

WEEK OF APRIL 14

New Study Reports Family Breakdown Costs U.S. Taxpayers $112 Billion Annually
In the first rigorous estimate of the costs to U.S. taxpayers of high rates of divorce and unmarried childbearing at state and national levels, the estimated cost of family fragmentation is $112 billion annually. That amounts to more than $1 trillion annually. Of this cost, $70 billion is spent at the federal levels, $33 billion at the state level and $8.5 billion at the local level. The study, "The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing,” was done by the Institute for American Values, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, Georgia Family Council, and Families Northwest.

British Pro-Life Ads Rejected by Google
Google is being sued by the British-based Christian Institute after refusing to carry its pro-life advertisements. U.S. policy seems less restrictive, as several pro-life U.S. companies have had success in advertising with Google. The Christian Institute claimed that Google refused its advertisment because they were “religious.” Google’s refusal came at a critical time for Britain, because the Parliament is going to be, after many years, debating whether to make changes to Britain’s abortion laws.

WEEK OF APRIL 7

School Board Members Vote to Give Condoms to Prom-Goers
The school board in Bisbee, Arizona voted 4-1 in a recent board meeting to include condoms in a prom bag that will be handed out to students attending the spring prom. The condoms will be included in a bag along with picture frames, candy and a balloon. Numerous parents in Bisbee were appalled at the board's message of encouragement for teen sex. Millicent Kasum was the only board member opposing the alarming decision.

Eight Women in Mexico Reportedly Die after Legal Abortions
A leading pro-life advocate in Mexico says as many as eight women may have died from legal abortions in the nation's capital despite media outlets and local officials acknowledging the death of just one young woman, Life News reports. The nation's federal district legalized abortion last April, though it remains illegal nationwide. In the first year of legal abortion in Mexico, there were 6,400 legal abortions and 22 injuries, in addition to the eight deaths.

Planned Parenthood Aborts Babies at Record Level
Just under 300,000 pre-born children lost their lives in Planned Parenthood clinics in 2006-07. The figure of 289,650 abortions represents an increase of almost 25,000 compared to the 2005-2006 reporting period. Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider, and it received $336 million in federal funding in 2007.

Arizona Governor Vetoes Pro-Life Bills
Janet Napolitano, the liberal governor of Arizona, last week vetoed a bill banning partial-birth abortion and another bill which would have tightened parental consent law on abortion. A majority of Americans oppose the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion, which involves the stabbing death of full-term babies upon delivery.

WEEK OF MARCH 31

Belgium Lawmakers Want Teens, Mentally Disabled to Have Assisted Suicide ‘Rights'
Lawmakers in Belgium are teenagers and the mentally disabled to be legally able to commit suicide with the assistance of others. Bart Tommelein, leader of Belgium Liberals, will introduce a bill allowing parents to subject their terminally ill children to euthanasia. This would amount to expansion of the 2002 law allowing patients with considerable mental or physical pain to submit to “assisted suicide.”

Embryo Bill in Northern Ireland Could Lead to Legal Abortion
Pro-life advocates in Northern Ireland fear that attempts to force Britain 's Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill into the country could be used to bring abortion into the country by the back door against the wishes of the majority of the country's people. Ian Paisley, the First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, warned British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the Labour government's bill must not be used to bring legalized abortion into Northern Ireland. Paisley said that the matter is one for the Northern Ireland Assembly, not Westminster to decide. All political parties in Northern Ireland oppose to the bill.

WEEK OF MARCH 24

California Court Vacates Homeschooling Ban, Grants Rehearing
A recent California court order banning homeschooling in the state has been vacated, World Net Daily reports. The judges who issued the ruling will hear further arguments on the status of parents who want to teach their own children. The ruling stemmed from a juvenile proceeding that already had been closed by the court when court-appointed attorneys for the children of Phillip and Mary Long appealed in an attempt to ban homeschooling. The ruling from Appeals Court Judge H. Walt Croskey granted the attorneys' wishes.

Brazilian Government Punishes Dissenters of Pro-Homosexuality Policy
LifeSite reports that the Brazilian government has fined one organization and upheld the censorship of another for rejecting the socialist regime's endorsement of homosexual behavior. The Department of Justice fined the Association of Public Functionaries 14,800 reais ($8,559), for "discrimination" for refusing to allow one of its homosexual members to register his sexual partner as his "spouse." The federal government of Brazil does not recognize same-sex "marriage,” nor "civil unions" for homosexuals, and the only state that does so is Rio do Sul. However, Brazilian judges often apply liberal interpretations of the law that conform to their particular ideology.

Nebraska Bans Public Funding for Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Nebraskan senators voted 48-1 Tuesday to pass Legislative Bill 606 banning some human cloning. The measure was signed into law by Governor Dave Heineman. The measure allows research grants to be given to institutions doing stem cell research without using human embryos. The new law also prohibits public funding of research that creates or destroys embryos for stem cell research.

Belgium Liberals Call for Euthanasia of Children
The Leader of the Belgium Liberals, the primary Party in the Belgian coalition Government, has called for legal euthanasia to be permitted for teens and children. The 2002 law which permitted euthanasia on newborns and terminally ill patients suffering "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" currently restricts euthanasia to newborns and those over 18 years of age. Bart Tommelein, Leader of Belgium Liberals, said his Party would seek approval for measures to extend euthanasia to teens and elderly disabled with dementia and thus unable to decide for themselves to be euthanized.

Susan G. Komen Foundation Criticized for Close Ties to Planned Parenthood
Life News reports that a pro-life group in Texas is using a billboard to draw attention to the abortion-breast cancer link and Planned Parenthood's cozy relationship with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Pro-Life Waco has set up a billboard on the 1700 block of Franklin Avenue that poses suggestive questions: "What? An abortion increases my risk for breast cancer? Why does the Komen Race grant $45,000 to Waco 's Planned Parenthood abortion provider?" Twenty-eight international studies and liberal researchers have confirmed that abortion raises the likelihood of breast cancer.

WEEK OF MARCH 17

Abortions Down in New Zealand
Abortions in New Zealand decreased by three percent from 2003 to 2006, according to Life News. Statistics New Zealand reported 17,930 abortions in 2006, compared to 18,510 in 2003 -- a decline of about 3.2 percent.

Idaho House Approves Bill Criminalizing Coercive Abortion
The Idaho House of Representatives approved legislation that would outlaw threatening or harassing a pregnant women into having an abortion, by a vote of 56-11. Women are frequently pressured to have abortions they don't really want to have. The bill applies to cases when a person threatens a pregnant woman or inflicts injury or death upon her in pressuring her to have an abortion. Violation of the law would amount to a misdemeanor unless violence was involved, resulting in a felony charge.

Just Two European Cities Resist Homosexual Pride Parades
The mayors of Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia both declined to participate in a campaign launched by the International Lesbian and Gay Association-Europe to attempt to force the leaders of various European cities to hold "Gay Pride" demonstrations, LifeSite reports. The parades are typically characterized by public nudity and lewd displays of simulated sex acts.

WEEK OF MARCH 10

Seventy Percent of Canadians Support Unborn Victims Bill
New poll finds 70 percent of Canadians support an unborn victims bill before Parliament, according to LifeNews. The majority support the bill's requirement to hold criminals accountable for killing and injuring both mother and child when they violently attack a pregnant woman. The Vancouver-based Angus Reid Strategies conducted the poll and found just 19 percent of the people in Canada oppose the measure. The survey found 44 percent of Canadians strongly support the bill while 26 percent moderately support it. Another 11 percent are undecided.

Amsterdam Decriminalizes Sex in Public Park
Families don't matter to the city fathers of this Dutch city. The government of Amsterdam has decriminalized night-time sexual activity in the Netherlands ' most popular and famous park, the Vondelpark -- as long as sex partners don't make too much noise or litter the ground with condoms. Frequented by families and tourists, the Vondelpark features ponds, children's playgrounds, an open air theater with free performances and wooded areas where authorities say that couples of any sexual combination will be free to copulate beginning in September of this year. The park is already a favorite meeting place for homosexuals, who often engage in anonymous sexual activities there.

President Bush Proposes $28-Million Hike for Abstinence Education
President George W. Bush's budget proposal for 2009 includes a $28 million increase for Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE). Congressmen Lee Terry, R-Neb., and Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., took his recommendation to Congress by co-signing a letter to the chairman and the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, urging support for CBAE funding and current guidelines.

Marriage Amendment Stalled in Iowa Legislative Committee
Democrats blocked passage a state marriage bill in a House Committee last week. Seven Democrats reneged on promises to vote for the bill. The bill would have helped remedy a judicial activist who last year declared the state's Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. That decision has been stayed pending a decision by the Iowa Supreme Court.

Free Speech Restrictions in California University System Eliminated
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Center for Academic Freedom recently reached a settlement with California State University (CSU) system to eliminate restrictions on student speech at all 23 of the system's schools. A federal judge suspended or limited aspects of the CSU speech policy last year, saying it contains serious constitutional problems. As part of the settlement, portions of the Cal State system “speech code,” the San Francisco State University Student Organization Handbook “speech code,” and the SFSU harassment policy will be modified to eliminate unconstitutional restrictions that have been misused by university officials.

WEEK OF MARCH 3

Move To Decriminalize Prostitution in Canada
Legal challenges underway in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia seek to decriminalize prostitution, the World Congress of Family reports. Under the country's criminal code, it is illegal to: maintain a residence or commercial unit used for prostitution, offer or negotiate the sale of sex in public places, and live off prostitution or entice individuals into prostitution. The suits seek to eliminate these restrictions.

Peace and Family Congress in Moscow in April
The theme of The International Congress “Peace and the Family,” April 2-4 in Moscow, is, “The Best Social Techniques to Promote Family Values.” The Conference's objectives include: promoting the family as an institution in society, promoting efficient demographic and family policy and promoting cooperation between public and private organizations working with the family. Among the speakers are Galina Zaytseva (director, Independent Institute for Family and Demography, Moscow), Eva Kovalevska (president, The Federation of Polish Women and an organizer of WCF IV), Lech Kovalevski (president of Human Life International, Poland) and Dr. Michele Barbato, M.D. (president, European Institute for Family Life Education, Italy).

Denver Airport Blocks Online Access to Pornography
Denver International Airport is blocking wireless access to pornographic websites. Airport officials are more willing to accept complaints about blocked sites than to allow the exposure of children to sexually explicit sites.

Grand Jury Won't Indict Kansas Planned Parenthood
A grand jury is not going to issue an indictment of a Johnson County, Kansas abortion clinic on allegations that it violated state laws on parental notification and a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. Nevertheless, Planned Parenthood still faces 107 criminal charges filed by Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline. A hearing is set for April 7.

Massachusetts Governor Favors 'Transgendered Rights
Governor Deval Patrick is supporting a bill to protect so-called "transgendered" people from "discrimination." The bill was introduced by state Representative Carl Sciortino and would add the terms "gender identity and gender expression" to existing antidiscrimination and hate crime laws in Massachusetts. "Transgendered" people are said to be people "transitioning" to a gender different than the one they were born with.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25

Planned Parenthood Turns Over Abortion Records to Grand Jury
A Planned Parenthood clinic in suburban Kansas City, Kansas must turn over patient records to a grand jury investigating accusations of illegal abortions, The Associated Press reported. The Comprehensive Health clinic in Overland Park clinic, facing 107 criminal charges, has been battling Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline over whether a subpoena for the records should be enforced. After a hearing Friday, an attorney for the clinic said it would turn over records for 16 patients that pertain to parental notification and a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. Any information that could identify a patient will be removed.

Senate to Vote on Stopping Abortion Funding in Indian Health Care Bill
The United States Senate this week will debate health care coverage for Native Americans. Senator David Vitter (Republican, Louisiana) aims to offer an amendment codifying a longstanding policy against the funding of abortions with federal Indian Health Service (IHS) funds. Governments should not fund the harmful and deadly practice of abortion.

Abortion Doctor Loses Medical License after Woman's Death
Rapin Osathanondh has lost his medical license permanently after a 22-year-old woman died during an abortion he performed in his Hyannis, Mass., clinic last year. He also faces a criminal investigation and disciplinary action. Last week, the Boston Medical Examiner's office stated that the cause of Laura Smith's death was "cardiac pulmonary arrest during anesthesia during a voluntary termination of pregnancy." This is the latest confirmation that legal abortion is not safe abortion and that abortion harms women.

Man Wills $65 Million to Homosexual Pressure Group
Though law, social science and common sense lean heavily in favor of traditional marriage, the power of money to buy influence cannot be ignored. UFI learned today that the estate of the late Ric Weiland has willed $65 million to the Pride Foundation of Seattle -- the largest single bequest ever given to a homosexual activist organization. Weiland, who died in 2006, was one of Microsoft's first employees. Another homosexual millionaire, Tim Gill, was able to use his great wealth in 2006 to help liberals gain control of the Colorado legislature. Pride Foundation may be able to use this huge gift to damage the family. How far and how wide is still open to speculation.

Public Schools in USA Pressured by Homosexual Propaganda
The superintendents of all 16,000 public school districts in the United States will receive the latest version of the booklet, “Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation,” in an attempt to convince them that homosexuality is normal. The booklet also undermines religious viewpoints and parental influence on children. Several mental health and counseling organizations and education associations endorsed the booklet. It is not the purpose of education to teach its students what sexuality to value; superintendents should reject this propaganda outright.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 18

CaliforniaSupreme Court to Hear Arguments on Marriage March 4
The state Supreme Court will convene a three-hour hearing March 4 on the constitutionality of a state law allowing only opposite-sex couples to marry. Oral arguments will be presented that day. Current law was enacted in 1977 and affirmed in 2000 when 61 percent of voters passed a proposition defending heterosexual marriage as the ideal. The case is identified as “In re Marriage Cases, S147999.” California's Supreme Court justices will do well to recognize the stabilizing influence that marriage provides in communities, and will be wise in upholding the 2000 ballot proposition.

New Jersey Governor Wants to Sign Same-Sex 'Marriage' into Law
Governor Jon Corzine is hoping for the opportunity to re-define marriage law, but would prefer to do it after the 2008 elections. He was opposed to same-sex "marriage" when he previously served in the U.S. Senate and when he first ran for governor.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 11

Israel's Government Denies Civil Marriages
The Knesset has defeated two bills aiming to institute civil unions, which tend to undermine marriage. Cohabiting couples would have been recognized as "married," if the bills had passed. Knesset Members David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) and Moshe Sharoni (Pensioners Party) introduced the controversial bills, which lost 59-20 and 48-19. This is a step in the right direction in the defense of marriage. We congratulate the Knesset for its wisdom in upholding marriage and recognizing its value to society.

Colorado Lesbians Sue to Overturn State Constitutional Ban on Same-sex 'Marriage'
Lesbians from the Denver suburb of Englewood are suing in Denver County Court to overturn the state constitutional ban on same-sex "marriage." The citizens passed the ban in 2006. Kate Burns and Sheila Schroeder appeared in court to face trespassing charges for civil disobedience last year when a recorder's office denied them a marriage license.

California Abortion Clinics Raided by State Health Department
Bertha Bugarin and her sister Raquel were arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license for performing abortions on five patients last year. They face five felony counts and two misdemeanor counts for dispensing medication with a license. Both women have been ordered to stay away from abortion mills, but Bertha Bugarin was photographed at a Chula Vista abortion office wearing a stethoscope. Bugarin's incompetence resulted in serious complications among patients. Five doctors with checkered pasts -- including abortion deaths, alcoholism, probation and license revocations -- were all working at the Bugarin clinics. The Bugarin sisters face up to six years in prison if convicted.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 4

Florida Marriage Amendment Qualifies for Ballot
Needing 22,000 petition signatures in the last two weeks to qualify a marriage petition for the 2008 general election ballot, Floridians collected collected 92,000 signatures. The Florida Division of Elections announced late Friday that a petition drive to let voters protect traditional marriage has officially qualified for the November ballot. Initiative organizers thought they had qualified for the ballot in December. However, the state had inadvertently counted some ballots twice, leaving the measure short of qualification. The defenders of marriage rallied to meet the qualification deadline of January 29. Twenty-seven other states have already passed constitutional amendments to protect marriage in the past four years.

Another Death Results from Legal Abortion
A woman in England has died after her family forced her to have an abortion when they learned she had secretly married. Sobia Wali, 22, had married Usman Gulzar in a secret ceremony in Scotland in December. When her family found out about the pregnancy and the wedding, they took her to their native Pakistan and forced her to have an abortion. Five months pregnant at the time, the abortion went awry and Wali died. As we have stated previously, “legal” abortion does not translate into “safe” abortion.

WEEK OF JANUARY 28

Coalition Ally Urges European Parliament to Resist Abortion Advocacy
Douglas Sylva, senior fellow with the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), recently testified before the European parliamentary Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, urging it to resist efforts by pro-abortion advocates to manipulate international law. He warned that giving in to those who would abuse international law to advance abortion would undermine the consent of nations. Abortion advocates from International Planned Parenthood and the ASTRA Network called for European Union institutions to make reproductive rights a priority and called for the removal of barriers to sexuality education, access to contraception and abortion. UFI lends its support to our coalition ally from C-FAM.

Terri Schiavo II: Mother Wants to Deny Daughter of Food and Water
A Delaware family has divided over whether or not their daughter will be allowed to live or forced to die a cruel death. Lauren Richardson, 23, overdosed on heroin in 2006 and has been on life support since then. Her mother wants to remove her feeding tube and starve and dehydrate her to death just like Michael Schiavo did to his late wife Terri Schiavo three years ago. However, Lauren's father wants to be appointed guardian so he can save her from that cruel fate. The mother received guardianship of Lauren from a court, but the father, Randy Richardson, has filed an appeal. Delaware Court of Chancery Master Sam Glasscock III has put a hold on any actions pending a review of guardianship.

WEEK OF JANUARY 21

European Bishops Call for EU to Focus on Family Difficulties
A recent report by the European Bishops' Conference calls on the European Union (EU) to focus on the continuing increase in divorce rates and the difficulty faced by young Europeans who decide to raise children. The report says that, “Men and women struggle to translate the new gender balance into a stable relationship that can respond to the multiple challenge of leading a twin professional career, raising children in a sometimes difficult environment and, perhaps, caring for older members of the family. Very often the result is a break-up of the couple and the family, which is in many cases a traumatic experience, which may have a very negative psychological impact for partners and especially children.”

Leading Abortion Advocates Concede Moral High Ground to Pro-Lifers
Frances Kissling, the former president of Catholics for a Free Choice, and Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, have co-written in the Los Angeles Times that pro-choice advocates must adjust to regain the moral high ground. They admit that being pro-life is a “respectable point of view.” Also, they wrote that science facilitated the swing of the pendulum, with the arrival of three-dimensional ultrasound images of pre-born babies. “These trends gave antiabortionists an advantage, and they made the best of it. Now, we rarely hear them talk about murdering babies. Instead, they present a sophisticated philosophical and political challenge. Caring societies, they say, seek to expand inclusion into "the human community." Those once excluded, such as women and minorities, are now equal. Why not welcome the fetus (who, after all, is us) into our community?”

Americans Oppose Tax-Funded Abortions
A poll commissioned by the Family Research Council (FRC) shows a majority of Americans would not support universal health care if it included taxpayer-funded abortions. The 56 percent of respondents who opposed taxpayer-funded abortions represented all political and demographic lines. More and more people are coming to the realization that abortion should be unthinkable and that defenseless human life needs to be protected at all stages.

WEEK OF JANUARY 14

Abortion Numbers at 30-Year Low
As the 35 th anniversary of the sorrowful Roe v. Wade decision – January 22 – approaches, a report by the Alan Guttmacher Institute reveals that abortion levels in the U.S. fell in 2005 to a 30-year low. Guttmacher is the research arm of Planned Parenthood. There were 1.18 million abortions in the U.S. in 2005, a decline of 25 percent since 1990. The abortion rate of 19.4 per 1,000 women is the lowest such figure since 1974. The downward trend is a healthy sign, but pro-lifers need to maintain the argument that life is precious and abortion is unthinkable.

2008 Homosexual Agenda Aggressively Targets Society
The homosexual agenda for 2008 is loaded and aggressive. Homosexual activist organizations will press hard for hate crimes laws, transgendered rights and fullcourt press everyaspect of society for special rights. Despite their money and political connections, homosexual pressure groups do not have a message to match the statement that the homes headed by two married parents – a male and a female – provided the safest place for children and the most value to society.

Canadian Abortion Nurses Recognize Harms to Women
The University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) is now offering a day-long training seminar to teach nurses working at a publicly funded abortion facility to engage in "therapeutic conversations" with women planning to abort their unborn children. Highlighted in the faculty magazine, the training is supposed to provide nurses with the skills to offer comfort and healing to abortion patents. The pro-life message has succeeded in making the abortion industry realize the harms to women that come from abortion. Incremental gains add up to a greater respect for human life.

WEEK OF JANUARY 7

Marriage Had Ups and Downs Legally in 2007
The legal landscape for same-sex "marriage" changed very little in 2007, as both supporters and opponents were dealt setbacks. In Florida, a citizens' petition drive will get a marriage amendment qualified for the general election. The biggest loss for traditional-values supporters occurred in Massachusetts, the only state that legally allows same-sex couples to "marry." Massachusetts residents successfully conducted a petition drive to put a constitutional amendment to end same-sex "marriage" before voters. The amendment won the first of two legislative votes, and in 2007, failed to attract the minimum 50 lawmakers to be qualify for the 2008 ballot. In Indiana, a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman failed to pass a House committee this year. Marriage amendments in Wyoming, Maryland and New Mexico were defeated by lawmakers. In other legislative acts, Washington state lawmakers passed a domestic-partnership law, while New Hampshire lawmakers enacted a civil-union law. In California, lawmakers passed a "gender-neutral" marriage law, but the governor vetoed it. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the state constitution did not require same-sex "marriage." Rhode Island 's Supreme Court ruled that the state's Family Court cannot handle the divorce case of two lesbians who married in Massachusetts. Work with those people in your state who work in the defense of marriage.

California Families Seek to Overturn Radical Homosexual Law
The Save Our Kids Coalition has filed a referendum to overturn California Senate Bill 777, signed into law last year. The law imposes sweeping new mandates on schools to accept and promote homosexuality and transgender behavior. SB 777 requires all California public elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, and universities to promote transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality to children as young as kindergarten. Parents must rise up to oppose programs and curriculum which not only get in the way of real education, but also undermine parental rights and confuse young children about sexuality.

New Jersey Falls in Line with Special Rights for ‘Transgenders'
New Jersey lawmakers voted recently to give transgendered individuals special rights. The state has 153 laws aimed at protecting homosexuals and transgendered people. The new bill adds “gender identity or expression” to an existing hate-crimes law, which includes sexual orientation, race and religion. The bill also requires all new police officers to attend a mandatory, two-hour hate-crimes sensitivity training session. Transgendered legislation does nothing to help people who are psychologically confused about their gender; it serves a harmful and ennabling function.

Public Schools Cool to Religious Freedom Day
Religious Freedom Day in the United States is set for Januarry 16, but public schools are not showing strong intentions of celebrating the nation's religious heritage. The goal of ReligiousFreedomDay.com is to promote and protect students' religious expression rights by informing educators, parents, and students about these liberties. A guide for the day is available online for schools, administrators, teachers, students and parents.

Porn gets its own home set-top box
Miami-based entrepreneur Estefano Isaias is using an adult expo in Las Vegas to debut "Fyre," billed as the first set-top box to deliver DVD-quality adult movies on demand to home televisions. The Fyre simply has to be plugged into an Ethernet port in a broadband connection. Another plug goes into the TV and pornography becomes available to viewers. As if pornography is not insidious enough, now parents will have another technological challenge to their attempts to protect their family from the harms of smut.

WEEK OF JANUARY 1

Well Over One Million Spaniards Demonstrate for Marriage and Family
Between one and two million people gathered in Madrid's Colón Plaza and surrounding streets December 30th to affirm the values of marriage and family and to protest the socialist government's attacks on the institution. The gathering, held only three months before Spain 's presidential elections, was addressed by Pope Benedict XVI by video link from St. Peter's Square, where he told the crowds that "the family, founded on marriage, an indissoluble communion of man and woman, is the sphere where the life of man is protected."

Sex Lessons not Halting Rise in Teen Pregnancy
Figures released Thursday by the United Kingdom 's Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) revealed that underage pregnancies rose by four percent -- to 7,462 in 2005 -- the latest year for which data is available. This leaves England and Wales with the highest birth rates for under-16s in Western Europe. However, the DCSF said the number of under-18s becoming pregnant was now at its lowest in more than 20 years. There has been a tendency for the government's teenage pregnancy strategy to focus on the morning-after pill and other forms of family planning at school or clinics. The danger with this sort of approach is that it can lead to an increase in risky sexual behavior among some young people. There is now overwhelming evidence that such schemes are simply not effective in cutting teenage pregnancy rates.

Some Girls Fainting after Receiving HPV Vaccine
The groundbreaking vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in girls is gaining a reputation as the most painful of childhood shots, health experts say. Health officials have touted the Gardasil vaccine as an important new protection against a cancer-causing sexually transmitted virus. In recent months, they've also noted reports of pain and fainting from the shot. During its first year of use, reports of girls fainting from vaccinations climbed, but it's not clear whether the pain of the cervical cancer vaccine was the reason for the reaction.

Planned Parenthood Entices Teens with ‘Mile High Club'
Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, in San Francisco, has aired a new commercial featuring a homosexual man showering teens with condoms and contraceptive pills aimed specifically at 18- to 24-year-olds. The ads, aired on MTV, VH-1, Comedy Central and TLC, are set to a "Mile High Club" theme, where Stephen, a homosexual, "educates" the teenage passengers about “safe sex” by shoving contraceptives at them. At the end of the commercial, Stephen sits on the pilot's lap and hits on him. The commercial, which will run through February 2008, is the latest in a series of raunchy sex-obsessed commercials aired by the heavily-tax-funded Planned Parenthood and aimed at subverting teens and young adults.

Spanish Clergyman Investigated for Encouraging Heterosexual Child Development
Marcos Zapata, a protestant minister and president of the Dignity Association, was giving a seminar for the Evangelical Council of Aragon when he made the comments, at a talk titled "How to Raise Heterosexual Children." The Galician Vice President of Equality and Welfare responded to the reported remarks by announcing that he was initiating an investigation into Zapata's activities to discover "any type of proselytism or homophobic attitude" in his work with minors. Zapata's Dignity organization works in the province's schools to combat drug addiction and other social ills. Homosexual groups have responded by threatening to sue Zapata.

Oregon's Domestic-Partnership Law Placed on Hold
A federal judge placed a stay on Oregon's domestic partnership law, which would have gone into effect January 1. A hearing is set to take place in court in February. The law aims to give spousal rights to same-sex partners.

Same-sex Unions Now Legal in New Hampshire
Several homosexual couples waisted no time entering into civil unions in the early hours of 2008 in this northeastern state. More than three dozen homosexual couples took part in a mass civil union ceremony outside the New Hampshire legislature. The state legislature had legalized civil unions last year. Civil unions give same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as marriage.

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World News Digest 2008

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