The strongest case for legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide is individual experiences of suffering, although this case is counteracted by the fact that suffering can be relieved by modern medical and palliative care techniques. The strongest case against is the effect on society of allowing doctors to kill. These were basic arguments put forward in the recent TVO’s The Agenda debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide. For a summary, click here.

“We believe the time has come for our government to extend full legal protection to every human being from their biological beginnings to natural death.” 

That’s how Alliance For Life Ontario describes the mission of its latest project and website, Personhood.ca. Anyone visiting the website gains a thorough education on the issues surrounding personhood of the pre-born:

• The history of abortion that has cost three million pre-born Canadians since 1969.
• Discrimination against personhood: against Native Americans, against slaves, against Jews, against women and now against the pre-born.
• The biological science that proves the humanness of the pre-born and the false science that denies the pre-born personhood.
• Polls showing how ill-informed the Canadian public is about abortion yet how most want the pre-born to be protected.
• A petition to sign to send to Ottawa.

 It’s an excellent resource of information. Please bookmark it and refer to it often: http://www.personhood.ca

A special presentation produced by the Sexual Health Network, City of Hamilton Public Health Services, titled: “Calling all parents to learn . . .How to raise preteens/teens in an age of overindulgence” will be held on Tuesday, April 13, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Michelangelo Banquet Centre, 1555 Upper Ottawa Street, Hamilton.

The main speaker is Karyn Gordon, Ph.D., a motivational speaker and family consultant, who regularly addresses schools, corporations and other organizations. In her talk, she will present “7 Strategies to Raise Healthy Teens in An Age of Over-Indulgence.– An Informative Workshop for Parents of Youth (Grades 4-12).”

Dr. Karyyn, as she likes to be known, says many youth are living in a ‘buy now, pay later’ culture which affects their decision making, spending habits, priorities and eating habits. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, a Masters in Counseling and a Doctorate in Marriage and Family.

People attending are asked to RSVP to 905-546-city (2489).

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, reports that parliament gave Bill C-384, sponsored by Francine Lalonde (La Pointe-de-l’Île, BQ) to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada, its (repeated) first hour of debate on March 16, 2010, repeated because it had been debated before prorogation and is still on the order paper.

Francine Lalonde’s strategy, he says, is to “create confusion concerning Bill C-384, euthanasia and assisted suicide and pressure Members of Parliament to pass the bill at second reading and amendment it in committee.” She is trying to confuse MPs about the bill and about what euthanasia is and what it is not.

To read Alex Schadenberg’s blog explaining the dangers of the bill, click here. For an analysis of the bill, go to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition website and access our own euthanasia articles.

A ‘Breaking News’ item emailed from the Life Issues Institute recently told of a teenage high school student in Seattle, Washington, whose school’s health clinic arranged for an abortion for her without informing her parents. This prompted a question from a Halton Pro-Life member: what’s the policy in Canada on parental consent? The policy is: no legal requirement for parents to be informed, even though teenage abortions are more psychologically damaging than abortions on adults. To find out more, click here.

Halton Pro-Life presented the 2010 Culture of Life Award to the Halton Catholic District School Board at the School Board’s meeting on March 23^rd.

In presenting the award, Tom Bartlett, HPL President, said, “The annual Culture of Life Award was instituted by Halton Pro-Life five years ago to recognize an individual or organization who, through their own expertise a

nd sphere of influence, has worked to build a Culture of Life — a culture that welcomes, supports and celebrates human life in all its stages from conception to natural death.

“It is with great pleasure that we present the 2010 Culture of Life Award to Mr. Michael Pautler, Director of Education, Mr. Bob Van de Vrande, Chair of the School Board, and the Halton Catholic District School Board for their role in supporting, encouraging and fostering a Culture of Life in the Catholic high school communities of Halton.”

Shown above are (left to right) Bob Van de Vrande, Michael Pautler and Tom Bartlett.

Below, Tom Kelly, Executive Director, Marjorie Matthews, Executive Assistant, Halton Pro-Life, Bob Van de Vrande, Michael Pautler and Tom Bartlett, President, Halton Pro-Life, plus some enthusiastic supporters from the schools and community. (Click on images to enlarge.)

A video recently posted on Twitter shows a young woman, Angie Jackson, explaining that she is “having an abortion - right now” through use of the abortion-inducing pill, RU-486. She recorded it, she says, to show people that it’s “not that bad - not that scary - basically like a miscarriage” . . . “to demystify abortion,” and to tell women “this is nothing compared to childbirth.”

 What is so sad about this is how misinformed she is, how widely her misinformation is being spread an influencing others, and how her baby will never know her love. But is also sad is the judgmental and hostile reaction to her by a few of the people who commented regreting the death of her preborn child. They too are misinformed. For my thoughts on this, please visit my Executive Director’s blog.

The Halton Catholic District School Board has been selected to receive our Halton Pro-Life Culture of Life award for 2010 in recognition of the great work that has been done in the Catholic high schools of the Halton Region in educating and inspiring students on pro-life. For details of when and where the award will be presented, as well as highlights of pro-life activities at the schools, click here.

It’s Walkathon time again, Saturday, May 29

Put your walking shows on and mark your calendar for the Halton Pro-Life Walkathon fundraiser on Saturday, May 29. Invite  family and friends to sponsor you for a 5 or 10km walk or sponsor a walker for the 5 or 10km walk.

You can pick up your pledge forms at your church or from our Resource Centre (Burlington Square Plaza, 760 Brant Street, Burlington) or download from here:pledge-sheet-in-word2

Come on out for a free t-shirt, barbecue and prizes.

 We will gather at the parking lot of St. Dominic Church on Rebecca Street (at Jones Street) at 8:30 a.m. for registration of people taking the 10 km walk. They will set off at 9:00 a.m. We will register people for the 5 km walk at 9:30 and they will set off at 10 a.m. Both groups are due to return by 11 a.m.

 I’s fun, it’s a chance to witness for life and it will help raise funds for our pro-life work.

We have been hearing for years how those standing opposed to embryonic stem cell research are leading to deaths. We are told (wrongly) that embryonic stem cells hold the promise of an array of cures. In fact, we heard assurances from former presidential hopeful Jonathan Edwards that through embryonic stem cell research, quadriplegic Christopher Reeves (still living at the time of Edwards’ comments) would get up and walk again.

Certainly in understanding the controversy surrounding the stem cell debate, the underlying point has been deliberately distorted and fingers have been pointed at pro-lifers for failing to get on board with “stem cell research.” To read who are the people really standing in the way of life-saving research, click here for my blog.

Tom Bartlett, HPL President