UK: Homosexual sues church for right to be employed as youth worker

An Anglican Bishop has been accused of unlawful discrimination because he blocked the appointment of a practising homosexual to a youth worker post within the Church of England ... This is an important case which shows how ‘gay rights’ activists want to use the law to force churches to accept practising homosexuals on the staff. External Site

April 2007

Victoria - Embryo stem cell research bill goes to Legislative Council... The Victorian lower house, the Legislative Assembly, has voted to approve the bill that would allow the creation of embryos by ‘therapeutic cloning’ for embryonic stem cell research. The vote was 58-25 to allow 'therapeutic cloning'.
(Media Link)

The Bill will now go to the Legislative Council. This will happen within the next week or so. Your help is urgently requested.

We ask ALL Victorians to write to their FIVE Members in the Legislative Council.

We are also asking everyone to write to the THREE GREENS Members.

In the federal Parliament the Greens have often been split on this issue, and some of them are concerned about the exploitation of women that could occur with these procedures in order to obtain the eggs.

The Victorian Parliamentary Committee that examines legislation to see if it confirms with human rights laws has found that there are human rights concerns with this proposed legislation. This is another very good reason for MPs to vote AGAINST the Bill.

Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee - Alert Digest No 4 of 2007
Tuesday, 17 April 2007

See http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/sarc/Alert_Digests_07/07alt4_infertility_bill.htm

Regarding the obtaining of eggs, "The Committee considered that there are human rights concerns regarding issues of consent and relationships of dependency."

The Report says: "However, the Committee does considers that the Bill fairly raises a Charter implication under section 10(c). Section 10(c) of the Charter provides that – ‘A person must not be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation or treatment without his or her full, free and informed consent’. "

We thank all MPs who voted against the Bill in the Legislative Assembly. We have opposed this legislation because a human embryo is a living human being from the moment of conception.

Adult stem cells already provide more than 70 treatments/cures. See www.stemcellresearch.org

Our Campaign Page and an update on the issue, votes etc. is at www.saltshakers.org.au/html/P/302/B/385

It contains a link to the actual Bill - the "INFERTILITY TREATMENT AMENDMENT BILL 2007".

ACTION:

Victorians, please write politely to your FIVE Legislative Council Members.

Please write NOW!

1. Your FIVE Members... If you don't know who they are it is REALLY EASY to find out your Members...

1. Click http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/handbook/menupage.
cfm?menuId=1 to find your 6 MPs and their addresses (1 Lower House and 5 Upper House).

2. Just type in your address and click on Search!!!!

2. Writing to the THREE GREENS Members...

Greg Barber - greg.barber@parliament.vic.gov.au
Colleen Hartland - colleen.hartland@parliament.vic.gov.au
Sue Pennicuik - sue.pennicuik@parliament.vic.gov.au

For all Legislative Council Members click

http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlcs.html

March 14, 2007

Bill Muehlenberg offers some practical action on the clone and kill bill

Three MPs have already made clear their opposition to the bill: Christine Campbell and Tammy Lobato of Labor, and Peter Ryan of the Nationals.

They will need to be encouraged along the way, so why not send them a letter of support?:

christine.campbell@parliament.vic.gov.au

tammy.lobato@parliament.vic.gov.au

peter.ryan@parliament.vic.gov.au

Also, I have just penned a new article on this situation:

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/03/14/bioethics-and-the-lessons-of-history/

And I wrote letters to both the Age and Herald Sun. Pray that they get in, and please shoot off a letter yourself.

Thanks for taking action to protect the unborn from death and exploitation.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, who are appointed to destruction. (Proverbs 31: 8)

Bill Muehlenberg
CultureWatch

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com

March 13, 2007

ABC AM Program:

Victoria moves to allow cell cloning

External Link: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1870172.htm

March 13, 2007

The Victorian Parliament will debate a new cloning bill introduced by Health Minister Bronwyn Pike.

There are various ways we can get involved.

There is a vote line on it here:

http://www.theage.com.au/polls/national/form.html

Also, please write to your local State MPs, sharing your concerns.

Contact details are here:

http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mps.html


If you are not sure about the cloning and stem cell debate, and want more information, here is a place to begin:

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/category/ethics/bioethics/

Also, send in a letter to the newspapers:

The Age - letters@theage.com.au

The Sunday Age - sunday@theage.com.au

The Herald Sun - hsletters@heraldsun.com.au

The Sunday Herald Sun - shsletters@sundayheraldsun.com.au

Thanks for being involved,

Bill Muehlenberg
CultureWatch

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com

States propose cloning and embryo stem cell research legislation

Following the passing of the federal 'cloning' bill, in December 2006, to allow the creation of embryos for embryo stem cell research, several state governments are now introducing similar legislation to mirror the federal law - Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia.

If you live in these three states, PLEASE use this email to take action soon!

Overview

The federal legislation continues to ban reproductive cloning (ie leading to the birth of a baby from such processes) but allows the creation of embryos by SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer).

The Bill was called "Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Embryo Research Amendment Bill 2006".

The theory is that it takes genetic material from a donor and implants that into a donor egg from which the genetic material has been removed (leaving the outer 'shell' of the egg). After several days of the embryo developing it is killed when the stem cells are removed.

Since the process involves the creation and then the destruction of life we believe as Christians that the process is unethical and should not be allowed. Adult stem cells have already been used to find over 70 cures and treatments whereas embryo stem cells have been used in NO treatments.

See www.stemcellresearch.org for the latest results and studies.

As well as opposing the total bill in each case, PLEASE also ask specifically that the use of eggs from aborted babies NOT be allowed.

This was allowed in the federal law and is an abhorrent practice.

For more information see the website set up for the federal debate last year - www.cloning.org.au Lots of really helpful information and articles!

We have posted the information on state cloning bills on our website under 'Campaigns' at http://www.saltshakers.org.au/html/P/302/B/385/

VICTORIA

The Victorian government has introduced a bill into the parliament to allow the creation of embryos by ‘therapeutic cloning’ for embryonic stem cell research.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike introduced the "INFERTILITY TREATMENT AMENDMENT BILL 2007" on 13 March 2007.
It has had its second reading and will sit in the parliament for several weeks before being debated and voted on.

The bill contains similar provisions to the federal bill passed last year. The Bill is due to be debated and voted on when parliament returns after Easter - they return on 17 April 2007. Catholic archbishop Denis Hart spoke out strongly and urged the government not to pass the law. The Bill is on the web HERE

A link is posted on the campaign page on our website: www.saltshakers.org.au/html/P/302/B/385

ACTION: Victorians, please write politely to Mr Bracks, State Attorney General Rob Hulls, Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu and National Party leader Peter Ryan.

Please write before 17 April 2007.

Steve Bracks: steve.bracks@parliament.vic.gov.au
Rob Hulls: rob.hulls@parliament.vic.gov.au
Ted Baillieu: ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au
Peter Ryan: peter.ryan@parliament.vic.gov.au

Then write to ALL your own MPs – Each voter has ONE Member in the Legislative Assembly and FIVE in the Legislative Council. Send your letter to (your MP) Parliament House, Melbourne Vic 3001 OR you can email your letter.

Click http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/handbook/menupage.cfm?menuId=1 to find your 6 MPs and their addresses (1 Lower House and 5 Upper House).

This is really easy - just type in your address and click on Search!!!!

For all MP addresses and emails click http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mps.html

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

There has been a media report in The Advertiser that the South Australian government is planning a similar bill. This was followed by a second article in The Advertiser saying that the report was premature and that no bill had been drafted. However, it is time to tell our MPs that we don't support such legislation.

ACTION: South Australians, please write to your MPs...

Click here for details of MPS. http://www.saltshakers.org.au/html/P/13/B/108/

Voters have one representative in the House of Assembly, but are represented by ALL Members of the Legislative Council.

Also write to Premier Hon Mike Rann - ramsay@parliament.sa.gov.au
Attorney General - Hon Michael Atkinson - croydon@parliament.sa.gov.au
Leader of the Opposition (Liberal) - Hon Iain Evans - davenport@parliament.sa.gov.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The WA government has also also introduced a bill very similar to Victoria's. The Parliament does not sit again until the 8 May 2007 - when the Bill will be debated.

The Bill is called the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2007.

The Bill is posted at

http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/web/newwebparl.nsf/iframewebpages/Bills+-+

All The Catholic church is opposing this bill.

See http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1884772.htm

Where are the other churches??????

Media article:

Therapeutic cloning bill introduced in WA, The West, 28th March 2007 http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=24695

ACTION: If you live in Western Australian, please write to your MPs before 8 May 2007.

Each voter has one representative in the Legislative Assembly and 5 or 7 members in the Legislative Council. Click here for details of MPS...

http://www.saltshakers.org.au/html/P/13/B/109/

Also write to: Premier - Hon. Alan John Carpenter - alan.carpenter@mp.wa.gov.au
Attorney General - Hon. Jim McGinty - jim.mcginty@dpc.wa.gov.au

Leader of the Opposition - Hon. Paul Domenic Omodei - paul.omodei@mp.wa.gov.au

TEACHERS are taking students as young as 13 to get the "morning after" pill without parents being told.

The revelation comes as a government agency called for condom machines to be installed in schools, starting from year 9 then to progressively younger year levels. And a leading reproduction specialist has said that condom machines should be placed in primary schools because children are losing their virginity as young as 12.

A Sunday Herald Sun investigation found teenage girls are being taken to family planning "action centres" by teachers and counsellors. Dr Kathy McNamee, from Family Planning Victoria, said her group's city action centre was visited by school staff with young teens in tow to pick up "morning after" pills.

She said parents would generally not be told what was happening because of privacy concerns.

Parents Victoria president Gail McHardy said she was also aware of school "pill runs" in Melbourne and regional Victoria that had left parents fuming when their daughters eventually told them.

"(In one case) the mother was very frustrated and disappointed because the girl was only very early secondary age," said Ms McHardy. She said it seemed ludicrous that schools needed parental consent for excursions to the zoo but not to clinics to get the morning after pill.

The Education Department said the practice was unauthorised.

A spokeswoman said: "It's completely unacceptable." CEO of public body VicHealth Rob Moodie said a radical approach was needed as an antidote to current "prudish" approaches to teen sex that risked lives.

"We've got major rises in chlamydia, a syphilis epidemic and rising HIV in gay men," he said.

Mr Moodie said he did not see why schools refused to install condom machines when infection rates were getting worse.

"If we can get availability into 16, 17, 18-year-olds, that's a great place to start," he said.

Australian Christian Lobby head Jim Wallace said it was a tragedy the parental role of providing ethical guidance to their children was being taken away.

Full Article found at the Herald Sun

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,21439070-2862,00.html

School pill runs
Liam Houlihan
March 25, 2007

Victoria CLOSER TO SAME SEX RELATIONSHIP REGISTER

Attorney General Rob Hulls is promoting the register. Whilst it is said to be based on the Tasmanian register, there is no mention being made – yet – of heterosexual couples being included… even though the Tasmanian register allows both same-sex and heterosexual couples to register.

Gay couples may win battle for legal rights
The Age, 3 April 2007

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/gay-couples-may-win-battle-for-legal-rights/2007/04/02/1175366160758.html

ACTION:

Victorians, please write politely to Mr Bracks, State Attorney General Rob Hulls, Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu and National Party leader Peter Ryan.

Steve Bracks: steve.bracks@parliament.vic.gov.au
Rob Hulls: rob.hulls@parliament.vic.gov.au
Ted Baillieu: ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au
Peter Ryan: peter.ryan@parliament.vic.gov.au

Then write to ALL your own MPs – 6 of them 5 in the Upper House and 1 in the Lower House.

Send your letter to (your MP)

Parliament House,
Melbourne
Vic 3001

OR you can email your letter. Click

http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/handbook/menupage.cfm?menuId=1

to find your 6 MPs and their addresses (1 Lower House and 5 Upper House).

This is really easy - just type in your address and click on Search


For all MP addresses and emails click

http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mps.html

As you may know, Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has launched a new Make a Stand campaign against the legalisation of prostitution in WA.

The Make a Stand website provides an easy facility where a user can enter their postcode, bring up their MLAs & MLCs names and send an email to them asking them to vote against the legalisation of prostitution.

As the Women Are Worth More campaign makes clear, legalising prostitution doesn't dignify the women involved in the sex industry; it just dignifies the industry, its pimps and madams and the men who buy sex.

Legalised prostitution leads to a massive expansion of the sex industry including sex slavery and trafficking in women.

Those living in WA will be able to email their own state politicians.

People living outside WA can send a message to WA Premier Alan Carpenter, copied to their own state premier.

Please could you promote this campaign through your own networks, asking your supporters to make a stand against the legalisation of prostitution in WA.

Many thanks