LifeCanada’s Monthly E-Newsflash

Thursday March 17, 2005

This is LifeCanada’s third e-news monthly bulletin. LifeCanada’s Monthly E-Newsflash will appear on or about the 15th of every month. Please invite your friends or family members to sign up for this free bulletin which will provide important updates, action items and notices of upcoming events.

Conservative Party of Canada Convention

About 2000 delegates are expected to attend The Conservative Party of Canada’s policy convention in Montreal which starts today and runs through to Saturday, March 19, 2005. Social policies dealing with the issues of abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage are scheduled to be debated and voted on. There are two resolutions dealing with abortion; one would maintain the status quo and the other would ban third trimester partial birth abortions. Please pray that the resolution to ban the performing or funding of third trimester partial birth abortions is passed. This would give Canadians some hope of eventually limiting access to abortion and even redirecting some funds from the practice of abortion to legitimate health care.

LifeCanada sends pro-life resource to all MPs

At the end of February, LifeCanada sent a copy of the book “Women’s Health after Abortion The Medical and Psychological Evidence” written by Elizabeth Ring-Cassidy and Ian Gentles to all 308 Members of Parliament. The book examines over 500 articles from medical and scientific journals, which document risks, complications, side effects and long and short-term consequences of abortion. Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures that women undergo. It is time to have another look at this issue and its impact on women’s health. LifeCanada is hoping that MP’s will be more open to having an informed discussion now that they are aware of the medical and psychological consequences of abortion.

We have had a very good response from MPs to date. Some have even taken the time to send us positive feedback. Please feel free to contact your MP to ask if they have consulted the book and if they would support an initiative to warn women of the health risks of abortion.

LifeCanada to release new pamphlet on the Health Risks of Abortion

Life Canada’s new pamphlet will soon be available in English and French for distribution. The new pamphlet entitled Health Risks of Abortion will answer the question: Is abortion safer than childbirth? The pamphlet highlights the latest studies and shows that abortion can seriously affect not only a woman’s health but even her future pregnancies. For example, recent studies point to an approximately 85 per cent increase in premature births to women who have had a previous induced abortion. This risk increases sharply with every additional abortion that a woman undergoes. Premature infants suffer a very high rate of disability. Their rate of cerebral palsy for example, is thirty-eight times greater than among the general population. We believe that this pamphlet will go a long way in dispelling the myth that abortion is a safe procedure.

Montreal conference update

The 2005 National Pro-Life Conference is scheduled for November 17, 18 and19 in historic Montreal. The conference, sponsored by LifeCanada and Campaign Life Coalition and hosted by Campagne Québec-Vie in Montreal, will be held in the renowned Saint Joseph’s Oratory which was founded by Brother Andre in 1904 and completed in 1967. Brother Andre was known as the miracle worker of Mount Royal because of his healing ministry. The Oratory is a famous pilgrimage site which attracts over 2 million visitors and pilgrims each year. Besides a great location, the conference will feature many inspiring speakers which will make the trip worthwhile. Some confirmed speakers are:

-Lydia Miljan, co-author of Hidden Agenda: How Journalists Influence the News,

-journalist Peter Stockland formerly editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette and now editor-in-chief and vice-president of Reader’s Digest,

-Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, Rabbi of Congregation Machzikei Hadas of Ottawa, well-known author and editor of over 30 books as well as countless articles for professional journals in the fields of religion, health and psychology and host of a television series “In Good Faith” and a radio call-in program “Sunday night with Rabbi Bulka”,

-Dr. Deborah Zeni, family physician and recipient of the 2004 Council Award given out by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Board member of The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research and appeared in the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s video on euthanasia and assisted suicide “Ending the Journey”.

As you can see, we are looking forward to an interesting conference. We hope that many of you will be able to join us.

Statistics Canada Reports 11,500 later abortions in 2002

Statistics Canada reports that in 2002, 89% of the 105,154 abortions in Canada were performed in the first trimester. This means that 11,500 abortions were performed in the second and third trimester. This is offensive to the majority of Canadians who consistently tell pollsters, most recently in an October 2004 poll by Environics, that they believe there should be legal protection for human life before birth.

It is important to note that the actual number of abortions is even higher than reported by Statistics Canada. The number of 105,154 excludes the late-term abortions that were performed in the US and paid for by Canadian taxpayers. In addition, Statistics Canada acknowledges that due to spotty reporting, primarily by private, for-profit abortion clinics across the country, these numbers reflect only about 90% of the abortions performed in Canada. More information about the 2002 abortion statistics will be included in the next issue of the LifeCanada News.

Report from Oregon sheds light on deadly practice

A recent press release by the Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Foundation reveals that the practice of assisted suicide in Oregon is fraught with problems and inconsistencies. Some areas of concern reported in the press release include the fact that only 5% of those dying of assisted suicide in 2004 received psychiatric evaluations – the same percentage as for the year 2003, the prescribing physicians were present for only 6 of the 37 deaths by assisted suicide which means that there is no real monitoring of patients to know what happens at the time of ingestion of barbiturates, vomiting complications were reported in at least 3 cases but it does not appear that patients are being told the truth about this risk of taking massive doses of sleeping pills. Physicians for Compassionate Care are concerned that intractable pain is being promoted as a reason to promote assisted suicide even though pain can be controlled by modern medicine. The complete press release can be obtained by calling or emailing the LifeCanada office.

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