* SA NURSING COUNCIL RECOGNISES CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION RIGHTS - The South African Nursing Council has affirmed its recognition of the rights of nurses to conscientiously object to participation in abortions, according to a report from Christian View. The issue of objection to indirect involvement with abortions will be examined early next year, according to a letter response of the Nursing Council to Mr Keith Evans, labour consultant and member of Health Professionals Defence Campaign. In a letter to the Nursing Council he had cited the relevant laws protecting the rights of Christian and other conscientiously objecting nurses. He also expressed concern that unless the Nursing Council recognises nurses' right to object to all forms of support for abortionists, they could be unfairly disciplined for refusing to assist abortionists with peripheral tasks such as making beds, filling in forms and transporting anything involved in the abortion process. (www.christianview.org, 18 October)

* LESBIAN MARRIAGE RULING LIMITED - (South Africa) In a court ruling on 18 October a lesbian couple were refused permission to have their marriage legalised. Pretoria High Court Judge Pierre Roux turned down an application by the couple - Marie Fourie and Cecilia Bonthuys - and ruled that they were, in fact, not married. The two ladies had applied that Home Affairs be compelled to register their "marriage" in terms of the Marriages Act. Roux said that, "As the law currently stands, a marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Nothing that I am aware of has changed this. A marriage must be solemnised by a marriage officer. It must thus follow that the applicants are not legally married. I am not prepared to exercise my discretion to inquire into a non-existing right." Fourie and Bonthuys said that they are continuing their legal battle. (Saturday Star, 18 October)

* TRUCKERS' PRAYER MEETING ENDS IN WASHINGTON SNIPER'S ARREST - (USA) One week before a Kentucky truck driver spotted a blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with New Jersey tags at an interstate rest stop, he had used his CB radio to organize an impromptu gathering of truck drivers to pray for an end to the Washington sniper crisis. When Ron Lantz, 61, pulled his 18-wheeler into an interstate rest stop in rural Myersville, Md., at 1:54 a.m. on Oct. 24, he spotted the car which he had just heard mentioned on a police radio news conference. He called 911 and within hours became a hometown hero in Ludlow, Ky. Lantz said some 50 truckers had gathered at the pre-arranged stop near Baltimore on Oct. 16 and prayed for America, for an end to "evil in our country" and for the arrest of the snipers who had been terrorizing the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. (World Tribune.com, 31 October 31)

* REVERSE GENERATIONAL GROWTH IN HUNGARIAN CHURCH - An 11-year-old evangelical church in Budapest is reporting the coming to Christ of three generations - only in reverse order. "About 50 young people came to Christ in the last seven years," the pastor told Christian Aid, this month. "None of them had Christian parents. So the church was composed predominantly of young adults". Then, during the last year, through the life and witness of these young people, their parents began to come to the Lord. First one couple, then several mothers, and then more and more parents until they formed a second generation of believers. "We can now see some signs that a third generation is coming to the Lord," the pastor said. The pastor said that this reverse progression toward faith in Christ is one of the consequences of 40 years of Communism. It is not common in Hungary yet, since many youth have left the traditional faith, but that those planting new churches see this process more and more. (Religion Today, 29 October) (to index)

* 'PENDING "HATE CRIMES" BILL THREATENS CANADIAN CHRISTIANS - A federal hate crimes bill making its way through the Canadian Parliament could signal what's in store for American Christians should similar efforts succeed in the U.S, according to a report in Agapepress. An open homosexual and member of the Canadian Parliament is pushing to have sexual orientation added as a protected category in Canada's genocide and hate crimes legislation. Pro-family groups in that country are raising the alarm that it could well lead to outlawing any criticism of homosexuality. WorldNetDaily says there have already been incidents at the provincial level in Canada where people who have done just that paid a high price. For example, a Saskatchewan man recently was fined $5,000 for buying a newspaper ad that quoted verses from the Bible condemning homosexual behavior. In addition, two years ago in Ontario, a human rights commission leveled a $5,000 fine against a Christian businessman who refused to print letterhead for a pro-homosexual group. In a current case in British Columbia, a teacher is facing the loss of his job for making statements critical of homosexuality - even though he made his comments outside the classroom. (Agapepress, 23 October)

* WEBSITE LAUNCHED FOR "DAY OF PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED" - The World Evangelical Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals are making a full range of materials available on a new website, http://www.dayofprayer.net. It includes country profiles, skits prepared for various age groups, sermon and Bible study aids, a power point program for use in church services or Sunday school programming. The website aims to assist Christians in remembering their persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is on 10 November. (http://www.dayofprayer.net ; http://www.idop.org)

* 'DAY OF THE DEAD' EVENT IN CALIFORNIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL - Fourth-graders (nine-year-olds) at a California public elementary school were to commemorate dead relatives and pets in class on 31 October in observance of "El Dia de los Muertos," or "Day of the Dead", according to a report in WorldNetDaily. A judge had ruled on 30 October that the activities represent an acceptable "cultural event" and pose no "irreparable harm" for students. In a hearing devoid of all basic procedure, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Raymond Giordano rejected a motion by the United States Justice Foundation (USJF) filed on behalf of a concerned parent to stop the three-day series of activities planned at McNear Elementary School. According to an Oct. 11 letter sent home to parents, students were slated to "celebrate" the traditional Meso-American holiday by putting together altars with "symbolic items" and were to bring a picture of a deceased family member, friend or pet in accordance with the traditional "ritual." According to the written handouts provided to parents, the traditional "Day of the Dead" celebration is a "ritual event in which the spirits of dead loved ones are invited to visit the living as honored guests" and reflects the ancient Aztec belief that death is a part of life. Though teachers slightly altered procedures, the event was to go ahead. (WorldNetDaily.com, 31 October)

* AIDS AND HUNGER CAUSE ZAMBIAN CHILD LABOUR - AIDS and hunger have forced more than half a million Zambian children to quit school and take up often-hazardous jobs in farms and factories, the International Labor Organization said on 28 October. Some 800,000 children have been orphaned by the pandemic in the past 18 years. Many children are forced into labor because AIDS has killed their parents, turning them into breadwinners, said Chilufya Siwale, the ILO's program manager for child labor. "Some crush stones, while others work as domestic servants for more than 10 hours per day and are only paid $8 per month," said Siwale. "Zambian laws are weak and do not protect the rights of children. There are many children working in very poor and dangerous conditions despite the laws stipulating that children below 14 years should not be engaged in any form of employment," Siwale said. Hunger has exacerbated the child-labor problem, said ILO Country Project Coordinator Mpala Nkonkomalimba. The ILO is working with NGOs and Zambian authorities to teach older children skills such as bricklaying, carpentry and tailoring to help them get safer jobs. It is also trying to get younger children back into school. (Reuters, 28 October)

* TEENS HIT BY SILENT STD EPIDEMIC - (Washington, USA) While teens have been taught about the risks of HIV, the dangers of nearly 25 other diseases have not reached young people, says White House Correspondent Melissa Charbonneau. "For years, teens have only associated pregnancy as a risk of casual sex. But a widespread epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases is spreading today among promiscuous teens. Just 20 years ago, there were two venereal diseases. Today, teens are catching over 50 different viruses, many of which will plague them for life or will even kill them. Today's TV shows, films and music depict casual sex as common, carefree and glamorous", says Charbonneau. The alarming rise in sexually transmitted diseases among teens has quickened physicians and abstinence experts to end the silence on the ugly infections that come with casual sex. Abstinence advocate Lakita Garth, who regularly sounds the warning at school assemblies, says: "...Eight out of 10 people that go to the doctor that have a virus have an STD. And the majority of ‘em are coming from your peer group, junior high and up from college." While teens have been taught about the risks of HIV, the dangers of nearly 25 other diseases have not reached young people. According to Charbonneau this year alone, between two to four million teens will contract a sexually transmitted disease. (CBN.com, 20 October)

* WOMAN MISLED ABOUT ABORTION CAN SUE FOR MALPRACTICE - (Trenton, NJ) A woman who was misled by an abortion practitioner to have an abortion can sue for severe emotional distress, an appeals court ruled on 29 October. Rosa Acuna says she was incorrectly told by Dr. Sheldon Turkish that she was not aborting a human life when she had an abortion in 1996, according to court papers. Turkish had told Acuna that the pregnancy was causing damage to her kidneys and an immediate abortion was needed, according to court papers. She then asked if "the baby was already there" and Turkish replied that "it's only blood", court papers said. In its 22-page ruling, the appeals court said Acuna's argument that her doctor did not give her enough details before the abortion, is a question of medical malpractice. If Acuna can convince a jury that that is a fact, she can demand damages, the panel said. "Based on the circumstances, background and beliefs of a mother, inducing her to terminate a pregnancy, even at eight weeks, because of the physician's failure to obtain an informed consent may also result in severe distress and mental anguish," the court said. (Associated Press, 29 October)

* TRIBUTE TO 'DOC' WATSON, CHAIRMAN OF FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP BOARD - Rev. I.E. ‘Doc’ Watson passed away on Thursday, October 24^th 2002. He was 79 years old. In a tribute to Rev Watson, Dr Peter Hammond, one of those converted and discipled under his ministry, says: " ‘Doc’ Watson was a tall man with a ready smile, a keen sense of humour and an unusual love and understanding of children" He began working in children’s ministries immediately after his return from his military service in Italy in 1946. A qualified Chartered Accountant, he obeyed God's call to the ministry. This included pastoring many congregations, involvement in Scripture Union camps and holiday missions and pioneering its work in KwaZulu Natal, being General Secretary of Cape Town YMCA, and being the Chairman of Frontline Fellowship’s Board since 1985. "‘Doc’s’ vision for evangelism, particularly amongst children, was contagious," says Hammond. In 1997 Rev Watson authored and published Fantastic But True, a manual for Christian workers amongst children and young people. (Frontline Fellowship, 28 October)