September 8, 2023
Dear Maureen, I’m Pete Baklinski and this is your Canadian Pro-Life News Bits where I let you know what’s happening on our country’s pro-life and pro-family front.
It did not take long for pushback from LGBT activists against provinces that dared to defend parental rights by requiring schools to inform parents if their children want to undergo a “social transition” from one sex to the other. A pro-homosexual group from the University of Regina has now filed a lawsuit against the Saskatchewan government over the province’s new policy. And, the Trudeau Liberals have now weighed in, saying that they are “watching closely” what unfolds. So far, the province is standing firm.
Real Women of Canada has written an excellent piece arguing why surrogacy must be entirely banned.
Josh Alexander, the boy who was barred from his high school for saying that God created only males and females and who refused to bend the knee to gender ideology, has won the right to appeal his case to the school board, which will now be forced to hear what the young man has to say. This will be a case to follow.
Finally, don’t miss my reflection at the end about a preborn baby who was tragically killed during World War II and who is on the road with the rest of his family to being declared a saint in the Catholic Church.
Top Canadian pro-life stories you need to know about
Campaign Life Coalition: Support Dr. Ann Gillies in her fight against censorship
“We need to support courageous people like Dr. Gillies. When they stick their necks out for the cause of life and family, they deserve to be supported by our community.”
Campaign Life Coalition: Saskatchewan Respects Parental Rights
“Following the lead of New Brunswick, Saskatchewan Education Minister Dustin Duncan has put in place a new parental consent and inclusion policy that safeguards vulnerable and impressionable children under age 16.”
Run With Life: Canada’s leading abortion group lobbies government against pro-life charity
“Lobbying the government is one thing. But for a pro-abortion group to lobby the government against giving a pocket-change-sized grant to a pro-life charity is pretty low even for a pro-abortion group.”
Real Women of Canada: Why Surrogacy Must Be Banned
“The banning of surrogacy cannot come soon enough because it not only exploits mothers and children, but also has given rise to horrendous abuses.”
LifeSiteNews: Josh Alexander wins right to appeal his school suspension for opposing gender ideology
“An Ontario court has ruled in favor of pro-family activist and high school student Josh Alexander, saying the Catholic school board which suspended him because he said there are only two genders must hear his appeals regarding his many suspensions.”
Western Standard: Sask sexual minority group files lawsuit against new school pronoun policy
“In their court filing, UR Pride argues that these new policies go against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
Epoch Times: Ottawa 'Watching Closely' as Provinces Change School Gender-Transition Policies
“Canada’s minister for women, gender equality, and youth is critical of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan's new policies saying schools must have parental consent to use the chosen name of a child who is changing genders. ‘We’re watching closely as this develops,’ [said] Minister Marci Ien.”
Mass Resistance: Victory: Canadian father set free by appeals court after conviction for breaking “gag order” on daughter’s “transgender” medical treatments
The Canadian father has been living a nightmare.
Real Women of Canada: Homosexuals Lied to Us
“When the homosexual network asserted its “rights”, its representatives said it only wanted “equality”, the end to discrimination against it, and to “live and let live”. It lied to us.”
Inspiring stories to give you hope
Right to Life UK: Girl With Trisomy 18 Beats the Odds, Starts School After Her Mother Rejects Abortion
“Jennifer wanted to share her story to show ‘there are positive outcomes.’”
Live Action: Told that she and her baby would both likely die, she still refused abortion
“In 2015, Michael and Angela Bakker were facing both heartbreaking situations. Their preborn baby girl Naomi was deemed unlikely to survive, and Angela’s health was on the line.”
Right to Life UK: Premature twin born weighing less than a can of Coke at 23 weeks is now home
“Tiny baby Sky was born 17 weeks early at 23 weeks gestation, weighing only 350g, which is less than a can of coke. The little girl, from Bracknell, Berkshire, is now at home and her parents have shared the story of her journey from birth to home.”
Live Action: Told she may never get pregnant, she welcomed three sons on the same day years apart
“One UK mom who was told she could never get pregnant has welcomed three ‘rainbow baby’ boys within 10 years, all three of whom were born on the same day, years apart.”
March for Life UK: 7,000 give witness to ‘Freedom to Live’ at March for Life UK
“Police estimated that 7,000 pro-life attendees of all ages, including a large contingent of youth, filled Parliament Square on Saturday to show their support for the 2023 theme of the event ‘Freedom to Live’.”
Awesome pro-life social media posts this week
Right To Life UK
Lila Rose
Abby Johnson
Must-see video of the week
Live Action has produced some pro-life satire making the case that many women don’t realize the hypocrisy in taking abortion pills to end the life of their child while championing various other causes, such as being against child labour and animal cruelty. It’s a dose of pro-life comedy at its best.
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Sign our petition to have Planned Parenthood banned from Canadian schools. Tap here to add your name.
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Maureen, this Sunday, the Catholic Church will beatify (the step prior to sainthood) an entire family of nine, including the youngest child who was not yet born when the entire family was rounded up by Nazis for helping Jews.
I was completely stunned when I first encountered the story of the Ulma family from Poland.
It was in 1942 when Poland was still occupied by Nazi Germans, that the Ulma family accepted eight Jewish people to come and live with them in hiding in their farmhouse in the village of Markowa in southeastern Poland. They did this fully knowing the risk that those who helped Jews would be instantly killed.
The Ulma family on their farm in 1943. Photo taken by the father, Józef.
The Nazi occupiers discovered that the Ulmas were hiding the Jews. The Nazi police descended upon the family home in the early morning of March 24, 1944. They immediately rounded up the Jewish occupants, lined them up, and shot them. They then killed the parents Józef and Wiktoria before killing their six children: Stanisława, aged 7, Barbara, 6, Władysław, 5, Franciszek, 4, Antoni, 2, and Maria, 1.
The Nazi murderers then set the house ablaze and hastily buried the bodies.
A few days later, the townspeople retrieved the bodies to give them a more dignified burial. That was when they noticed beside the body of the mother, who at the time had been seven months pregnant, the body of her baby. It was a male child.
The evidence was clear that the mother had entered labour prematurely at the time of her execution, likely due to the stress of the situation.
The entire family, including the unnamed baby boy, will be beatified for giving their lives to save others.
The Church made the case that the youngest child is eligible for beatification, despite never having received baptism, because of going through a “baptism of blood.” The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints stated that “at the time of the massacre, Mrs. Wiktoria Ulma was in a state of advanced pregnancy with her seventh child,” noting that “this son was delivered at the time of his mother’s martyrdom,” and was therefore fitting that this child be included alongside the other children who were also martyred.
“In fact, in the martyrdom of his parents he received the baptism of blood,” the Church explained.
The Polish Bishops explained why the family was so heroic: “The Ulmas, trying to live like Christ, implementing the commandment of love on a daily basis, were ready to give their lives for their neighbours…Józef and Wiktoria Ulma, being absolutely aware of the risks, sacrificed their lives to save Jews in need. Their heroic attitude is a testimony that love is stronger than death.”
The Ulma’s story deeply moved me. I was heartbroken by the inhumanity of the Nazis while being filled with admiration for the generosity of the Ulmas to help those in need.
I could not get out of my mind how terrifying it must have been for the family to go through this horrifying ordeal.
What gave me consolation is that they all entered heaven together, as a family. And, isn’t that the goal of our earthly pilgrimage – that we along with our family members enter heaven where we can be with one another forever and ever? It must have been a great day in heaven when the Ulma family arrived at heaven’s gate, altogether, the children getting to meet their youngest member for the first time.
I was also very glad that the Church recognized the youngest member of the Ulma family and will beatify this little one along with the rest of the family. There is something extremely pro-life about this.
May the Ulma family inspire each one of us to be faithful to the end and to love without counting the cost.
Be bold and daring for life!