OTTAWA, Apr 4 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Exemplifying the profound prejudice of the courts in Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected the appeal of an abstinence-only educational youth group to be granted charitable status. The Challenge Team’s appeal was denied for the same reason that Revenue Canada denied them charitable status in the first place - they do not promote alternatives to chastity such as condoms and the morning-after pill.

Harold Visser, the leader of the Challenge Team, represented the group in court arguing that they should be considered an educational group since they have traveled the country since 1992 teaching chastity as safe and healthy sexuality. However, in a 2-1 split decision the courts preferred the arguments of Department of Justice lawyer, Roger Leclair, who argued that they should be denied the status because they did not present other “options.” When questioned as to the other options should be, Leclair responded: “Sexual activity using the pill, and now the morning-after pill, and prophylactics of all kind, and apparently there are now injections.”

(Glen McGregor, The Ottawa Citizen, Apr 3, 2000)

(with files from Pro-Life E-News)