Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center recently learned about a videothat was shown last month to a group of Grade 10 students at École Secondaire Notre Dame High School. According to news outlets,such as TorontoStar, this video compared abortion to the Holocaust.

While we believe everyone has a right to express their religiouspoint of view, comparisons with the Holocaust or any other genocide for thatmatter are inappropriate and hurtful to the many Holocaust survivors amongstus. The systematic annihilation of 6 million Jewish people – from theisolation, ghettoization, and murder – should never be a point of comparison orused by any other group to advance its cause.

We sent a request to the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools’chairperson, Guy Pelletier, to no longer allow the video to be shown or such comparisons to bemade inside classrooms.

Pelletier responded, stating the school board "shares the same opinion."

"Thelearning outcome was intended to be a focus on the sanctity of human life fromconception - the methods used were clearly not appropriate," he said. "The third-partyorganization that made the presentation that used the video in question hasbeen contacted and instructed not to use that video again. Our futurerelationship with this organization is under review as well."