Cartoonist Busted

A Dutch cartoonist has been arrested following a lengthy investigation into allegations his work was discriminatory to other races, authorities say.

Radio Netherlands said Friday that the artist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested and had a number of his materials seized as part of the ongoing investigation.

The rest.

The Invigorating Experience Of Abortion

DWE isn’t much for the abortion debate because it’s huge and threatens to take over a website with one posting. But we run into it all the time while we look at human rights mumbo-jumbo. Anyway, this piece just more or less scared the shit out of us. 

[Caroline Carter, Fist Post Daily] Guess what these women are talking about: “As soon as I came round from the anaesthetic I felt amazing - invigorated and positive”; “The procedure itself was uncomfortable but interesting and I feel lucky to have had the experience.”

Liposuction? Breast augmentation? No. Abortion. Both of these women are describing their experiences on the website of the pro-choice campaign group Abortion Rights.

Sheer honesty such as this is a rare commodity in the pro-choice community. We might like the fact that abortion exists, but we keep a tight rein on our enthusiasm. The best prevarication is: “Of course it’s a terribly difficult decision for any woman,” but, really, we’re silently scoffing, “A baby!? You must be joking!”

Of course, abortion is a hugely traumatic and confusing prospect for many women. But for others, it’s not. It’s not a soul-wrenching, hand-wringing ordeal. For plenty of women it’s a no-brainer. I have friends who’ve agonised longer and harder over what to wear for a date than whether or not to bring a new life into this world.

The rest.

In Canada, He’d Be In Front Of A Tribunal

A Berkman Award went to Esra’a Al Shafei of Bahrain, the 21-year-old director of student-owned MideastYouth.com, whose mission is “to inspire and provide young people with the freedom and opportunity of expression, and facilitate a fierce but respectful dialogue among the highly diverse youth of all sects, socio-economic backgrounds, and political and religious beliefs in the Middle East.” MideastYouth.com fights for social change with podcasts, blogs, social networks, and online video.

The rest.

Let’s See If The French Are Toeing The Line

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, will carry out a high-level visit to France starting on Tuesday 20 May to assess a broad range of human rights issues including prison conditions, precautionary detention (retention de sûreté), juvenile justice and migrants’ rights.

The rest.

Didn’t Get The Memo On Sex Change Surgery

Niagara Falls Liberal MPP Kim Craitor says he was “caught by surprise” by news his government is planning to reinstate coverage for a limited number of sex-change surgeries each year under the province’s publicly funded health insurance system.

“I just don’t remember having any conversations about this at Queen’s Park,” Craitor Told The Niagara Falls Review, Monday.

“I’ve been trying to find out if there’s some kind of obligation that I don’t know about or understand that requires this to take place. I haven’t got a clear response yet.”

The rest.

The New Speak Testament

The prayer book removes male descriptions of God such as King, Father and Lord, in favour of “gender neutral” expressions such as Eternal One and living God.

It includes mentions of prominent women from the Old Testament for the first time in prayers such as the Amidah, the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy.

It also provides prayers for 21st century problems such as environmental and natural disasters and prayers for depression, miscarriage and the death of a child.

The rest.

We Know What’s Good For You

When she was almost 15, a hospitalized teen from Winnipeg was apprehended by child welfare authorities and forced against her religious beliefs to undergo a blood transfusion that she compared to “being raped and violated.”

The surgery kicked off an intense legal dispute that reaches the Supreme Court of Canada today in a test of the rights of “mature minors” to make their own decisions when stacked against the competing interest of the state in protecting children.

…

In 2001, 16-year-old Bethany Hughes of Calgary refused to undergo blood transfusions because of her faith. After receiving 38 transfusion, she died of leukemia in September 2002, sparking a court battle between her father and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Three years ago, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled against a 14-year-old Jehovah’s Witness decision to refuse life-saving blood transfusions. The teen suffered from a potentially fatal form of bone cancer and the court said that the rights of a mature minor to make her own medical decisions did not trump the court’s authority to protect her life and safety.

The rest.

Voting’s For Losers, Ordering Is Better

You wouldn’t want to know where people stand, anyway.

From July until the end of 2008 France will speak for all EU member states at the UN General Assembly.

The French initiative envisages the EU advocate a solemn declaration from UN states to decriminalise homosexuality, rather than a vote in the UN on the matter.

The rest.

Deaf Woman Appeals For Right To Jury Duty

Deaf since birth, Mrs Clarke, who lip-reads and is training to become a sign language teacher, has claimed that the refusal to allow her to serve as a juror breaches her rights under the Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights.

And now the State, which should be at the cutting edge of policies and practices that promote equality and inclusiveness, finds itself defending a blanket ban on deaf jurors that appears to defy due regard for people with disabilities.

The rest.

Free Speech Debate An Opportunity For Quebec Separatists

So, what dramatic statement could he make that could reshape the entire human rights tribunal fiasco?  I was figuring something like this: threatening to introduce legislation for a referendum on Quebec independence the moment Steyn, Levant, Macleans, or anyone else exercising free speech is convicted by any tribunal.

The rest.