Debating merits of Halton’s charity ban
Re Halton Catholic board under fire for charity ban over religious values, March 2 Halton Catholic rustee Helena Karabela’s crusade to ban charity donations to organizations that support abortion, contraception, sterilization, euthanasia or embryonic stem cell research is hypocritical. I doubt that no individual in the entire Halton Catholic school board has not made use personally of one of these procedures.
Embryonic stem cell research benefits people with juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure and spinal cord injuries. To deny scientific advances due to religious values is misguided and selfish. Diane Sullivan, Toronto I have the highest regard for trustee Helena Karabela and the board of directors of the Halton Catholic District School Board in halting fundraising and donations toward charities that publicly support abortion and other procedures that do not support Catholic values. I wish Durham trustees would follow this action.
If Catholic authorities do not respectfully stand up for Catholic values, the separate school board will further weaken and eventually implode. Parents will then have to put their vacation money aside and pay privately for a solid Catholic education. Denise Mauro, Whitby Upon finishing the story, I had two thoughts:
One: Why is a board, funded by taxpayer dollars, giving money to anything?
Two: Why would it deny fundraising activities for organizations noted for disaster relief — the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders were mentioned — because they have distributed condoms in an effort to control disease?
In my view, that is about as un-Christian an act as you can get. Robert Drummond, Exeter, Ont. Many Catholics do not agree with a woman’s right to choose, contraception, euthanasia, gay/straight clubs in schools, etc. That is their right.
It is also their right to voice these opinions in public.
However, a major problem arises when these beliefs are imposed on students.
Almost all Catholic schools are publicly funded. They should therefore not be espousing views and policies that contradict public sentiments.
If they form their own private schools, then they can then teach and inculcate what they choose.
Until then, they should not be allowed to spread conservative ideas in publicly funded schools. John Morton, Toronto