| Conflicts of Conscience in Health Care: Commentary |
| | 2009-12-18 |
| Conflicts of Conscience in Health Care was published in 2008 as the 24th volume in the Basic Bioethics series from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is an American book dealing with the American political and legal controversies over freedom of conscience in health care. However, the discussion of the American experience by Holly Fernandez Lynch is relevant elsewhere, since the United States has the most extensive and varied network of protection of conscience legislation in the world. While acknowledging that freedom of conscience is of concern to all health care workers and institutions, Fernandez Lynch focuses exclusively on physicians.This carefully and deliberately restricted focus is one of the strengths of the book. Detailed backgrounder and commentary by Sean Murphy of the Protection of Conscience Project.League commentary on euthanasia and doctors' conscientious freedom. ... |
| Faith groups’ hiring rights under the microscope |
| | 2009-12-16 |
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TORONTO, Ont. Dec. 15, 2009 - Arguments begin today in Ontario Divisional Court in the appeal of the decision by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal against Christian Horizons. The Tribunal ruled against the social service agency in April, 2008, stating that it cannot insist on faith requirements in its hiring, nor require employees to sign agreements attesting to such requirements.
The decision raised significant concerns about the freedom of all religious organizations to require employees to pledge to adhere to tenets of a religious faith. Christian Horizons operates more than 180 residential homes for people with developmental disabilities and provides support and services to about 1,400 people. It is funded almost entirely by the province, receiving about $75 million each year. Prior to the OHRT decision, all staff were required to sign its Doctrinal and Lifestyle Morality Statement, which forbade a number of activities, including homosexual conduct. The organization’... |
| Stop the use of human rights’ commissions in free speech cases |
| | 2007-12-31 |
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TORONTO, December 31, 2007 - The news in early December that Mark Steyn and Macleans Magazine are the subject of a complaint to the B.C. and federal Human Rights Commissions because of an article the magazine published, excerpted from Mr. Steyn’s book “America Alone”, is a higher-profile example of an ongoing pattern in the use of human rights’ commissions to penalize the expression of unpopular opinions.
The League is concerned about this disturbing trend, since it often involves opinions based on religious beliefs. In several cases, some of which has seen the League participate as an intervenor, attempts have been made to characterize scriptural passages as hate literature. While these commissions and their tribunals have generally been sympathetic to complaints of “offended feelings” brought by homosexual rights activists, those brought by Christians seeking support for their right to freedom of religion or religious expression have been less ... |
| “Taking Stock”: Election study guide issued by Ontario bishops |
| | 2007-08-21 |
| To help voters prepare for the Ontario election Oct. 10, the Catholic Bishops of Ontario have revised and updated their 2002 pastoral letter “Taking Stock, an Examination of Conscience.” It provides reflections on Catholic social teaching and the many general issues on which it has a bearing. It also includes discussion suggestions for study groups.We're also pleased to provide pdfs of the League's popular position papers on the importance of participating in public life. In keeping with our commitment to bringing a positive and non-partisan perspective to political issues, these articles integrate contemporary Church teaching on Catholic participation in the public forum. 1. The Church and political affairs2. The clergy and political affairs3. The laity and political affairs4. Catholic candidates for public office... |
| The use of union dues for non-workplace advocacy |
| | 2007-08-17 |
| Many Canadians object to having their mandatory union dues used to promote various social agendas such as same sex “marriage”, anti-life legislation and other issues that are deeply informed by religious values. The League has been involved with several such cases, including one involving the right to divert mandatory union dues to Church or charity rather than go along with this advocacy. The factum for the appeal of this case, between Susan Comstock and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, summarizes many of the freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom of association issues associated with the use and possibility for diversion of mandatory union dues.... |
| The question of Catholic school funding |
| | 2007-04-26 |
| As Ontario prepares for an election in October, several groups are trying to raise the question of continued funding for the province’s Catholic elementary and secondary schools. Some claim that all publicly-funded schools would be operated more efficiently if there was one, non-sectarian system, with school boards drawn geographically and, in most localities, in French or English streams. Several public school boards have already passed resolutions to this effect. Others claim that public funding for religious schools, currently enjoyed only by Catholics, should be extended to other faith groups in the name of fairness and respect for religious equality. Read the League's position paper on this topic.... |
| Euthanasia: Pressures mounting for liberalized laws |
| | 2007-01-18 |
| Medical science, social attitudes and demographic pressures are creating calls for liberalized laws on euthanasia and assisted suicide. The League supports Church teaching that life is sacred from conception to natural death, and participates as much as possible in media debates, parliamentary hearings and court cases on life issues. The Pontifical Academy for Life's document: Respect for the Dignity of the Dying (Dec. 9, 2000) summarizes much of the Church's teaching on end of life care.The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops marked Divine Mercy Sunday (April 15, 2007) with the release of “Let me go to the house of the Father,” a brochure about Church teaching on euthanasia. The title was taken from the last words of Pope John Paul II, who died April 15, 2005. Although previous attempts to legalize euthanasia in Canada have failed, it is likely that new proposals will be put forward. ... |
| League presentations to Parliament on the re-definition of marriage |
| | 2006-10-12 |
| League presentations to Parliament on the re-definition of marriage. Our backgrounders, delivered in person to the legislative committees of the House of Commons and the Senate, summarize much of our work in provincial and federal courts on the marriage issue, and present the compelling reasons for upholding the traditional definition of marriage. Our Marriage Resources section includes many other sources of information.... |
| League encourages CRTC to review processes |
| | 2006-09-01 |
| League encourages CRTC to review processes for complaints of defamation. Submission to CRTC, Sept. 1, 2006. ... |
| Disciplined by the BCCT for Expressing Christian position on Homosexuality |
| | 2004-09-01 |
| BC Supreme Court Upholds Kempling Suspension for Exercising "Free Speech" February 3, 2004 - The BC Supreme Court has ruled that the BC College of Teachers was within its rights to suspend high school teacher and student counsellor Chris Kempling for one month, without pay because of letters he wrote to the editor of his local newspaper which where critical of homosexuality.In his Reasons for Judgment, The Honourable Mr. Justice Holmes writes, " [T]he appellant's publicly discriminatory writings undermine the ability of members of the targeted group, homosexuals, to attain individual self-fulfilment... Anything less restrictive than the sanction chosen by the BCCT (e.g. by issuing a reprimand only or no penalty at all) would not be an effective measure and might reasonably give rise to the perception that both the school system and the teaching profession condone the appellant's publicly discriminatory conduct, or think little of it." Kempling himself explains, in a letter written to h... |
