A blog launched on the 41st anniversary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the first pro-life organisation in the world, established on 11 January 1967. SPUC has been a leader in the educational and political battle against abortion, human embryo experimentation and euthanasia since then. I write this blog in my role as SPUC's chief executive, commenting on pro-life news, reflecting on pro-life issues and promoting SPUC's work.
James Reilly
Ireland's pro-abortion minister for health
Under the simple title "pro-life alert" Pat Buckley has published one of the most important blogposts of its kind that I've read. I urge you to read it now if you can.
In brief:
You can help to prevent the legalisation of abortion in Ireland
Pat reminds us that Ireland is regarded by the pro-abortion lobby as the jewel in the crown of the pro-life movement
He explains the current threat of pro-abortion legislation in Ireland, not least in light of the Irish health minister's (pictured) public commitment to legislate in favour of abortion
Above all Pat calls upon his Catholic readers "to commit to an hour of Eucharistic Adoration every week specifically for the intention of protecting unborn life in Ireland" - and for such readers to let Pat Buckley know about their commitment by emailing him at patrick@europeanlifenetwork.org or by writing to him at the following address: Glenrue, Ballinclea Road, Killiney, Co Dublin, Ireland
The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development has witnessed a notable pro-life success, with abortion being excluded from the text of the conference's outcome document. SPUC, which has UN recognition as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), lobbied throughout the document's negotiations and in the conference's preparatory sessions.
Pat Buckley, one of SPUC's UN representatives, reports*:
"The outcome document (known as 'The Future We Want') has been a major battleground for months with attempts to insert anti-life measures including abortion and population control under the guise of so-called 'reproductive rights' or 'reproductive health services'. The finally-agreed text, to be signed by heads of state on Friday, has no reference to 'reproductive rights' and no mention of 'reproductive health services'.
"This pro-life success was won by a group of countries together with the Holy See, among others including Russia, Poland and several Latin American countries. Pro-abortion groups are furious at the result. The next phase of the Rio+20 meeting begins today with the high-level meeting of leaders who must vote on the text's adoption."
claims falsely that "Rapid population growth can be an obstacle to improving standards of living in poor countries"
looks forward to a world "where population growth comes to a halt"
encourages the "development strategies that help to reduce population growth"
calls for universal "access to comprehensive reproductive health and family planning programmes" - euphemisms for abortion on demand and population control
warns sinisterly that "The longer the delay, the more radical and difficult measures will be needed."
"The IAP's statement is based on the Royal Society's report in April called 'People and the Planet'. The working group for that report featured population control enthusiasts such as Malcom Potts the veteran abortion campaigner, as well as Jonathon Porritt and Professor Roger Short who have both praised China's brutal one-child policy.
What we are witnessing is a rising trend of organisations being hijacked by radical agendas which have nothing to do with those organisations' remits. For example, the BBC has an agreement with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the world's largest abortion provider, to spread pro-abortion propaganda among the world's youth. Multi-national companies such as Google and Starbucks now campaign for same-sex marriage. We should not be so naive as to believe that science academies are immune from such ideological bias.
The fact that the IAP's statement is based on the long-discredited ideas of Malthus suggests that the ideology of abortion rights has blinded the signatories to scientific reality. History shows that health and wealth improves as population rises, and declines when fertility rates fall below replacement level. In any case, the rate of world population growth peaked in 1970, and fertility in most countries has been dropping rapidly. Concerns about sustainability, pollution, etc will not be addressed if fewer potential future scientists, engineers, etc are born."
Draft doctors' guidance undermines human rights
Draft guidance for doctors by the General Medical Council (GMC) undermines human rights. SPUC made the comments in its submission to the GMC's consultation on personal beliefs, which closed last week. (SPUC's submission http://www.spuc.org.uk/documents/papers/gmcsub201206 ) In its submission, SPUC said that the right to conscientious objection is a human right, which the GMC should recognise and protect far more fully. Patients need doctors of integrity who practise medicine in accordance with their conscience, including in regard to pregnant women and their unborn children. [SPUC, 15 June]
Other stories
Abortion
How many women really died from abortions prior to the Abortion Act? [Peter Saunders, 17 June]
Prayerful witness outside abortion clinics gives women hope and saves lives [John Smeaton, 15 June]
Famed pro-life Brazilian bishop who sued ‘Catholics for the Right to Decide’ dies at 76 [LifeSiteNews.com, 15 June]
UK abortionist writes anonymously of their pride in abortions [HuffPo UK, 14 June]
Embryology
Scientists urge MEPs not to cut funding for human embryo research [Guardian, 15 June]
Euthanasia
'Locked-in' Tony Nicklinson petitioned by Twitter users encouraging him to live [Telegraph, 18 June]
Sexual ethics
Scottish survey supporting same-sex marriage branded 'flawed' by Catholic Church [BBC, 17 June]
Home Office Minister Nick Herbert: Churches should be allowed to marry gay couples [Pink News, 16 June]
SPUC has responded to the General Medical Council's consultation on personal beliefs, which closes today. SPUC's submission can be read at http://www.spuc.org.uk/documents/papers/gmcsub201206
In our submission, SPUC said:
The right to conscientious objection is a human right, which the GMC should recognise and protect far more fully
Patients need doctors of integrity who practise medicine in accordance with their conscience, including in regard to pregnant women and their unborn children. Doctors need protection from pressures to treat patients in ways they believe are harmful, or to facilitate such harm by e.g. referring women for abortion
The relationship between doctor and patient is not one of service provider to client. It cannot be consistent with professional ethics to require doctors to provide specific procedures, such as abortion, based not on patient need but solely on patient demand
It is also quite unreasonable to expect a doctor with a conscientious objection to arrange for the patient to see another doctor “who does not hold the same objection as you” (e.g. to abortion)
To require someone to act against his or her conscience is a violation of the person
The guidance is unclear and internally incoherent in several places.
Dr Lisa Nolland (pictured), social historian, family issues expert and leading figure in Anglican Mainstream, has very kindly given me permission to publish a letter (below) she has sent to her member of parliament, which reveals how homosexual acts are being promoted among children. I hope that Dr Nolland's excellent letter will increase the sense of urgency among readers about opposing same-sex marriage and thus protecting our children. (See SPUC's position paper and background paper on why SPUC as a pro-life organisation is campaigning to defend real marriage and oppose same-sex marriage)
Before reading Dr Nolland's excellent letter, please be warned that the materials she references are graphic, shocking and revolting.
"I am deeply concerned about the impact of gay ‘marriage’ which the Prime Minister continues to endorse, on issues of schools and education.
The Terrence Higgins Trust is a ‘charity’ which has been generously funded by the state to work with kids age 14 and older in schools around the country. Its site materials are labelled as mainstream sexual ‘health’ and endorsed by the NHS. The NHS page for Young People even directs kids to a page on the THT site which features its ‘Playzones’, THT-sponsored venues for semi-public, anonymous, promiscuous sex in dark toilets and saunas, with tips on illegal anal drug use and cleaning up the blood produced by such sex acts afterwards. ‘Playzones’ are endorsed by the NHS and the London Metropolitan Police.
I attach another NHS- and THT- endorsed sexual ‘health’ book for ‘gay’ children 13 and up in Dorset, ‘The Sexy Stuff’. These organisations are essentially endorsing high-risk sex activity like rimming and anal sex. The latter is 20 times more risky that vaginal sex, because of the fragile construction of the rectal wall and the very real possibility of tearing the membrane and subsequent leakage back into the blood stream of rectal content which is packed with pathogenic organisms. It is one of the reasons MSM (men who have sex with men) experience such high rates of STIs./STDs (including HIV/AIDS). In this country HIV/AIDS rates among the MSM community (ca. 1-2% of the population) comprise almost 75% of new HIV infections sexually acquired in the UK (2010), and this figure continues to climb. In terms of expense, it costs more than £300,000 per patient for a lifetime of care. One in 11 MSMs in London is estimated to be HIV positive, according to the BMJ (British Medical Journal, p. 11, 31 March 2012). According to THT, ca. 1/4 of those remain unaware of their status. Even THT admits AIDS is still a killer (680 died in 2010).
I understand no one wants to sound the alarm because this stuff is so appalling, and any critique of the gay world is damned as homophobic and a harbinger of professional suicide. Such is the result of the pressure exerted on almost every one of our mainstream institutions by LGBT rights groups. However, this content is dangerous and damaging and if gay ‘marriage’ becomes legal we will get far more of this directly pumped into schools. This has already happened in Massachusetts, which legalized gay ‘marriage’ in 2004. The following year kids (11 and up) received the appalling Little Black Book in a school context.
( http://www.massresistance.org/docs/issues/black_book/black_book_inside.html )
Gay marriage entails gay sex. Legalising gay ‘marriage’ will make mandatory the teaching about gay relationships and gay sex. In the powerful name of LGBT rights, graphic materials like those produced by THT will become much more mainstream for underage teens. If gay relationships are included and protected under the umbrella of the institution of marriage, anyone who tries to take a stand against the promotion of this material will be seen as anti-gay and effectively silenced. Even now, it is nigh impossible to get anyone in public office to address this egregious content – who will venture to do this when gay ‘marriage’ is legal?
This is a simply massive issue which has been whitewashed, denied, and ignored by this ‘pro-family’ government. We are in fact damaging children and young people because we are allowing special interest groups access to school populations, knowing that on their sites (which kids are assured provide good advice) they are tacitly or overtly encouraged to experiment with high-risk, psychologically and physically dangerous sex acts which can cost them their lives. We teach our children to wash their hands after going to the toilet; the THT’s site resource, ‘The Bottom Line’ (p. 16) describes individuals who gain sexual stimulation by eating human faeces as part of their sex ‘play’. What madness is happening here?
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, ‘Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act’.
Approval for new and controversial embryo techniques is dangerous
SPUC has responded to a report published by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics which claims that: "Novel techniques to prevent mitochondrial DNA disorders would be an ethical treatment option". Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, commented: “As with IVF and cloning, these mitochondrial techniques may well lead to developmental abnormalities. Creating embryonic children in the laboratory abuses them, by subjecting them to unnatural processes. These techniques are both destructive and dangerous and therefore unethical. The vast majority of embryonic children created in the laboratory are killed because they do not meet the 'quality control' requirements dictated by scientists involved in such increasingly macabre experiments. Scientists should abandon the spurious field of destructive embryo experimentation and instead promote the ethical alternative of adult stem cell research, which is already providing cures and treatments for an increasing number of conditions.” [SPUC, 12 June]
First half-a-million signatures for real marriage presented to Downing St
Half-a-million signatures were delivered to the prime minister's residence at No. 10 Downing Street on Tuesday when the Coalition For Marriage (C4M) presented its petition in defence of real marriage. The petition remains open as it is still growing - the last count was 557,627. SPUC supports the Coalition For Marriage and SPUC supporters have been leafleting and signature-gathering in support of the petition. [John Smeaton, 13 June]
Yesterday half-a-million signatures were delivered to the prime minister's residence at No. 10 Downing Street when the Coalition For Marriage (C4M) presented its petition in defence of real marriage - see the video report below. The petition remains open as it is still growing - the last count was 557,627. SPUC supports the Coalition For Marriage and SPUC supporters have been leafleting and signature-gathering in support of the petition (see SPUC's position paper and background paper on why SPUC as a pro-life organisation is campaigning to defend real marriage and oppose same-sex marriage). SPUC has also been encouraging submissions to the government's consultation on same-sex marriage, which closes tomorrow (see SPUC's guidelines paper for responding to the consultation).
A SPUC supporter kindly sent me the video of "Small bump", a song by Ed Sheeran, a young British songwriter, which is currently in the UK charts. It's beautiful that a popular singer thought to sing about the unborn. I found it very moving, and it made me cry. Watch it and if you like it, maybe pass it on to others. I include the lyrics underneath the video below.
'Small Bump' Lyrics
You're just a small bump unborn in four months you're brought to life
You might be left with my hair but you'll have your mother's eyes
I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can
But for now you're a scan of my unmade plans
A small bump in four months you brought to life
And I'll whisper quietly and give you nothing but truth
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you
You are my one and only
And you can wrap your fingers round my thumb
And hold me tight
You are my one and only
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb
And hold me tight
And you'll be alright
You're just a small bump, I know you'll grow into your skin
With a smile like hers and a dimple beneath your chin
Fingernails the size of a half grain of rice
And eyelids closed to be soon open wide
A small bump, in four months you'll open your eyes
And I'll hold you tightly and tell you nothing but truth
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you
You are my one and only
And you can wrap your fingers round my thumb
And hold me tight
You are my one and only
And you can wrap your fingers round my thumb
And hold me tight
And you'll be alright
Then you can lie with me, with your tiny feet
When you're half asleep I'll leave you be
Right in front of me, for a couple weeks
So I can keep you safe
'Cos you are my one and only
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb
And hold me tight
You are my one and only
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb
And hold me tight
And you'll be alright
'Cos you were just a small bump unborn for four months, then torn from life
Maybe you were needed up there but we're still unaware as why.
Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro (right), the executive director of Human Life International‘s (HLI) office in Rome, Italy, has written an article on the need for Catholics in America to refuse to comply with the mandate from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, issued under The Affordable Care Act, which would force religious institutions to provide funding for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception.
Monsignor Barreiro summarises the grave threat posed by the Affordable Care Act, saying:
"Under the Affordable Care Act the government is forcing almost all religious institutions to pay for insurance that must fully cover abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception, or face stiff penalties. This legal mandate is not only a threat to all Christians, but to all persons of good will who cherish the rights recognized by the U.S. Constitution."
It is encouraging to see that the US Catholic Bishops Conference is taking a similarly strong line against the proposals. With reference to the HHS Mandate, the bishops said in their June newsletter:
"Some unjust laws impose such injustices on individuals and organizations that disobeying the laws may be justified. Every effort must be made to repeal them. When fundamental human goods, such as the right of conscience, are at stake, we may need to witness to the truth by resisting the law and incurring its penalties."
Dr James Dobson, a well respected American Evangelical leader, has also voiced his opposition to the Affordable Care Act, saying:
""I will not pay the surcharge for abortion services...So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation"
This united and widespread opposition to the act was manifested in rallies in 160 American cities this past weekend, with tens of thousands involved in total.
SPUC has responded to the report published today by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics which claims that: "Novel techniques to prevent mitochondrial DNA disorders would be an ethical treatment option."
Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, told the media today:
“As with IVF and cloning, these mitochondrial techniques may well lead to developmental abnormalities. Creating embryonic children in the laboratory abuses them, by subjecting them to unnatural processes. These techniques are both destructive and dangerous and therefore unethical. The vast majority of embryonic children created in the laboratory are killed because they do not meet the 'quality control' requirements dictated by scientists involved in such increasingly macabre experiments. Scientists should abandon the spurious field of destructive embryo experimentation and instead promote the ethical alternative of adult stem cell research, which is already providing cures and treatments for an increasing number of conditions.”
Yesterday The Sunday Telegraph published a joint letter (scroll half-way down the page) from Jamie Bogle, chairman of the Catholic Union of Great Britain, and myself on the debate about same-sex marriage. The version published by The Sunday Telegraph was actually a condensed version of the much-longer original letter, which was signed jointly by ten other Catholics (plus Jamie and me). Here is the full version below:
The Government's proposals to allow 'equal civil marriage'
The undersigned met at a gathering recently where the proposals for 'equal civil marriage' were under discussion. As the Government's consultation period on those proposals draws to its close, we would like to draw attention to four particular facets of this debate. These points are not argued from the background of any one faith, belief, or philosophy but in order to raise certain basic points which should undergird the debate:
1. The government's proposals have no democratic mandate whatsoever. Proposals for 'equal civil marriage' were not included in the manifestos of the 2010 general election of the three principal political parties, namely, Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrats. Neither did such a proposal feature in the Coalition's agreement. Furthermore, the proposal is in direct conflict with statements made and undertakings given when the arrangements for civil partnerships were legally enacted. At a time when politicians are held in particularly low esteem by the electorate, we have to ask: what mandate does the Government or Parliament have to enact such far-reaching legislation? If the answer is merely that Parliament is sovereign, then there seems to be a grave misunderstanding of the relationship between the legislature and the people.
2. In the law of England and Wales, there only exists one law relating to marriage, whether that state is entered into in civic premises with a civic registrar or in churches, faith premises etc. There is only one law and standard of marriage and this has far-reaching implications in relation to citizenship, taxation, inheritance etc. The government's proposals seem to be drawing a distinction between religious marriage and civil marriage and this distinction has hitherto been unknown to our laws.
3. There has, of course, already been a consultation in Scotland on proposals for 'equal civil marriage', the results of which are not yet known. But, are we potentially facing a situation where within one United Kingdom we have three different arrangements, namely, for England and Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland? What are the implications again for citizenship, taxation and inheritance in these
separate provinces of one United Kingdom?
4. This matter is being treated as government business rather than a proposal on the basis of private members' legislation. We believe that this ill thought-out legislative proposal should be dropped without further ado for the duration of this Parliament. Governments come and go. Economies rise and wane but marriage and the family remains and will continue to remain. Therefore, if political parties wish to bring forward these proposals as part of their next election manifesto and campaign, so be it, but that will allow the electorate to make its views felt. This, we believe, is the proper way for these controversial proposals to be canvassed.
Yours faithfully,
Jamie Bogle
Bob Edwards
John Smeaton
Anthony McCarthy
Edmund Adamus
William Capstick
Matthew Connolly
John de Waal
Michael Elmer
Neil Ferrigan
Richard Mitchell
Dr Michael Straiton
Top Tory says PM's backing for gay marriage is "big factor in a slump in Tory membership"
A prominent activist and commentator within the British Conservative party has said the backing given to same-sex marriage by David Cameron, the Conservative prime minister, has resulted in many resignations by party members. Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home wrote: "The Conservative Party has damaged relations with many of the country's churchgoers by promising to introduce gay marriage. Many of the more than half-a-million signatories to the Coalition for marriage petition are churchgoers. It's also been a big factor in a slump in Tory membership. MPs tell me that the issue is a top reason for why members are resigning." [Conservative Home, 7 June] Nonetheless Mr Montgomerie, one of the founders of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and the pro-family Centre for Social Justice, has endorsed same-sex marriage.
Unborn babies could be tested for 3,500 genetic anomalies
US scientists claim to have predicted the entire genetic code of an unborn child. The Telegraph newspaper says that it could lead to tests for 3,5000 genetic anomalies. [Telegraph, 6 June] Tests on unborn children often lead to decisions to perform abortions. Anthony Ozimic of SPUC commented: "The science-fiction scenario of the film Gattaca, in which babies are graded at birth according to predictions of future health, is becoming fact. Society can reverse this nightmare scenario by resolving to put human beings above so-called scientific progress."
Other stories:
Abortion
Pro-life groups rally against Spain's abortion law [CNA, 5 June]
Abortion can kick-start ‘vicious cycle’ of repeat pregnancies, abortions: UK expert [LifeSiteNews.com, 4 June]
Rite of blessing for the unborn child approved by Catholic bishops of England and Wales [John Smeaton, 4 June]
Bishop of London says moral decline has hit 'epidemic' levels, including abortion [Independent, 2 June]
Book now to hear Linda Couri, former pro-abort turned pro-lifer, 8 June, Westminster [John Smeaton, 1 June]
Embryology
Higher risk of complications in IVF pregnancies, say experts [BBC, 6 June]
UK prime minister backs controversial IVF plan to create children with 3 parents [Mail, 3 June]
Euthanasia
I'm scared of dying badly, admits Alzheimer's sufferer Terry Pratchett [Mail, 7 June]
Population
Chinese couple pay £130,000 to have a second child to avoid one-child policy [Telegraph, 1 June]
Sexual ethics
US Democrats leave party over marriage, religious freedom concerns [CNA, 7 June]
The European Parliament was bounced into voting for the radical homosexual agenda [John Smeaton, 6 June]
World Congress of Families signs declaration upholding natural family [LifeSiteNews.com, 5 June]
Minister attacks Channel 4's 'shocking' sex education film aimed at five-year-olds [Mail, 3 June]
English Catholic bishop accuses government of one of history's greatest acts of social engineering [John Smeaton, 3 June]
State must recognise specific identity of family founded upon marriage, says Pope [VIS, 3 June]
Why are Catholic schools in Tower Hamlets using sexually-explicit teaching materials? [John Smeaton, 2 June]
General
Abortion and euthanasia to dominate ethics agenda at BMA annual meeting [Peter Saunders, 6 June]
Vatican condemns US nun's book for sexual ethics errors [VIS, 4 June]
Following the European Parliament's vote on Thursday 24 May in favour of a radical homosexual rights resolution (see my blog-alert prior to the vote), our colleagues at European Dignity Watch have revealed how the parliament was bounced into passing the resolution. In short, the resolution was tabled at the last minute, bypassing the usual procedures meant to give MEPs sufficient advance notice of the resolution and proper opportunities to consider it, table amendments to it, discuss it with colleagues and voters, etc.
This outrageous impropriety, added to the fact that issues such as same-sex marriage are outside the remit of the European Union, shows us that we can never be complacent about the democratic process during this present era of the culture of death.
I am told that the Rite of Blessing of a Child in the Womb is approved for use by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
I understand that Blessing forms part of the (US) Book of Blessings which is approved for interim use in England and Wales - thus the Rite of Blessing of a Child in the Womb may be used here.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, chairman of the Committee on Divine Worship of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says:
“We hope the use of this blessing will provide not only support and God’s blessing for expectant parents and their child in the womb, but also another effective witness to the sanctity of human life from the first moment of conception”.
The blessing can be offered within the context of the Mass as well as outside of Mass.
Bishop Mark Davies, the Roman Catholic bishop of Shrewsbury, has responded sharply to Nick Clegg, the UK's deputy prime minister, who said he could not understand why people of faith regarded the legalization of homosexual "marriage" as a matter of conscience.
Bishop Davies was speaking in Walsingham, the Marian Shrine, at the annual pilgrimage of the National Association of Catholic Families (NACF). Walsingham has been a Marian shrine for almost a thousand years and was one of the greatest shrines in medieval Christendom. Mrs Maria Hayne is pictured above introducing Bishop Davies at a previous NACF Walsingham.
Bishop Davies said in his address at Walsingham today:
“The Deputy Prime Minister was recently reported as saying he could not understand why Christians and other people of faith saw a legal redefinition of marriage as a matter of conscience: it would not, he claimed, impinge on religious freedoms. Experience, of course, might make us cautious of such assurances, even those given by a Deputy Prime Minister, that this agenda will not threaten religious freedom.
“However, our concern is not only with religious freedom but also the enormous good which marriage represents as foundational to family-life. Today we see a government, without mandate, disposing of any credible consultation, seeking to impose one of the greatest acts of ‘social engineering’ in our history in uprooting the legal definition of marriage. Marriage lies at the very foundation of the family.
“For all generations to come one generation of politicians sets out to demolish in the name of an ‘equality agenda’ the understanding of marriage that has served as the timeless foundation for the family. The Government is seeking to do this at the very moment when marriage as an institution has been more weakened than ever before. Yet it asks: why are people of faith concerned?”
Bishop Davies added:
“So far from weakening and confusing the foundation of the family we invite our political leaders to give back to the institution of marriage and the family the recognition and confidence it deserves.”
The NACF is an association of Catholic families who give one another mutual moral, spiritual and social support in today's culture which is so threatening to our Catholic family values.
SPUC's concern regarding the government's plan to legalize homosexual "marriage" is to protect real marriage because real marriage, as the life-long exclusive union of a husband and wife, protects unborn children and helps families to flourish. Marriage is not owned by the state – it belongs to mankind.
SPUC has launched a briefing document to help supporters make submissions to the government's consultation on same-sex marriage. The document can be read and downloaded at http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/ssm_consult The deadline for submissions to the consultation is 14 June.
Antonia Tully of SPUC's Safe at School campaign has reported to me on the disturbing use of pornographic materials in sex and relationships education (SRE) in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. Safe at School is assisting parents in Tower Hamlets in their campaign to have such materials removed from schools in the borough. It is particularly disturbing to read in Antonia's report that:
"St Agnes Catholic Primary School E3 3ER and Holy Family Catholic Primary School E14 0DE both recorded that they use both The Christopher Winter Project and “Living and Growing”. Tower Hamlets Local Authority records that teachers at St Edmunds RC Primary School and Holy Family Catholic Primary School received training from The Christopher Winter Project."
'Living and Growing' and 'The Christopher Winter Project' are two of the most notoriously pornographic SRE programmes currently in use.
SPUC will be raising this matter with the relevant Catholic authorities. In the meantime, I encourage parents, whether Catholic or not, to find out what materials are being used in their local schools, and email me at johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk
Book now to hear Linda Couri speak on "The Choice-Driven Life" in London on 8 June. Linda is the director of lay ministry formation of the Catholic archdiocese of Chicago. A former Planned Parenthood employee with experience on abortion issues, Linda Couri will present an inside perspective on the so-called 'pro-choice' mindset. She will address the values, goals and motivations behind the so-called 'pro-choice' movement and offer suggestions with regard to how Christians might best respond to them. Linda is now a sought-after pro-life speaker with unique insights to share.
Details:
When: Friday 8 June 2012, 7pm
Where: conference room, Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street SW1P 1QN (behind Westminster Cathedral).
How: advance booking essential – contact cathmacgillivray@rcdow.org.uk or telephone Catherine on 020 7931 6064. Entrance fee: £5
Please sponsor mountain-climbers raising funds for SPUC
On 1 and 2 July, a team of SPUC supporters are planning to climb Britain’s three highest peaks – Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike – in order to raise funds for the Glasgow midwives’ appeal costs and SPUC’s other life-affirming work. Please sponsor them. > Full details
Please respond to consultation on conscientious objection
The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued new draft guidance for doctors on "Personal beliefs and medical practice". The draft deals with the important issue of conscientious objection, and it seeks to control how doctors deal with requests for treatments which they do not in conscience provide, which may include abortion, IVF, contraception, the morning-after pill, or euthanasia. There are serious flaws in the draft and doctor who hold pro-life values could be penalised or prevented from practising medicine as a result. Please respond to this consultation yourself and/or ask others (especially doctors). This consultation is being conducted online only. Please visit: http://gmc.e-consultation.net/econsult/ and click on "Consultation on Personal beliefs and medical practice". You need to register to contribute but it is free to do so. The deadline for comments is 13 June 2012. SPUC has published a guideline brief http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/alerts/gmc_consultation_2012 to help you respond to the questions in the consultation.
New abortion figures represent "bonanza" for private abortion sector
Figures issued by the Department of Health indicate that in 2011 there were almost 190,000 registered abortions on resident women in England and Wales. A further 6,000 abortions were registered on non-residents. Paul Tully of SPUC commented: “The statistics also represent an increasing bonanza for the private abortion sector, as their share of the abortion market increases and more NHS money flows into their coffers. They are looking to widen their market further by promoting flawed birth control practices and by promoting abortion as a normal part of people’s sexual health needs." [SPUC, 29 May]
