Pray for the downfall of children's "rights" referendum in Ireland

At critical moments in history, even secular politicians unashamedly turn to God to pray for Divine intervention.

Famously, Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during the Second World War, organized "Divine Service" on the quarterdeck of HMS Prince of Wales for his first wartime meeting with Franklin D. Roosevelt, the US president, on 10th August 1941.

After the war, Churchill said:

"On Sunday morning, August 10, Mr. Roosevelt came aboard H.M.S. Prince of Wales and, with his Staff officers and several hundred representatives of all ranks of the United States Navy and Marines, attended Divine Service on the quarterdeck ... I chose the hymns myself – 'For Those in Peril on the Sea' and 'Onward, Christian Soldiers.' We ended with 'O God, Our Help in Ages Past,”' ... Every word seemed to stir the heart. It was a great hour to live. Nearly half those who sang were soon to die."

Today, one of Ireland's great pro-life leaders, Patrick McCrystal, is appealing for 9 days of prayer, starting today, for the downfall in Ireland of the Children's "Rights" referendum. What's at stake for Irish families and for Irish parents is every bit as grave as what was at stake for those on board HMS Prince of Wales - as Pat McCrystal, the father of a large family, explains on the HLI Ireland website.

I particularly commend Patrick's prayer novena to my fellow Catholics for whom it is designed.

I refer visitors to my blogpost last week in which Fr Fleming described the proposed amendment to Ireland's constitution as "potentially be a disaster for Irish families."

The proposed amendment, according to Fr Fleming "represents a dramatic ideological shift in both emphasis and practice", "provid[ing] a beachhead by the state into what has traditionally been the preserve of the rights of parents in the upbringing of their children."

Fr Fleming is a foundation member of UNESCO's International Bioethics Committee, and a corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life

Whether or not you join Patrick's prayer novena, to which I strongly commend you, everyone should pray - and, if possible, work for the defeat of the amendment.

You might also look at Pat Buckley's blog for a full legal analysis of the wording and text of the referendum on children,

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Congratulations to SPUC South Wales for well-supported campaign vs presumed consent for organ donation

Congratulations are to SPUC South Wales, in particular Wendell and Janet Thomas, for organising a well-supported campaign against the Welsh government's proposals for presumed consent for organ donation. The vast majority of submissions to the Welsh government's consultation (2,601 out of 2,891) were in response to SPUC South Wales' call for action. See Monday's press release from our colleagues at CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) for more information.

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Pro-life experts issue statement challenging the Liverpool Care Pathway

Prof. Patrick Pullicino

Earlier this week senior pro-life medics and experts have issued a joint statement (full text below) which raises serious objections to the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP), in reply to a statement by the National End-of-Life programme. The Mail and The Telegraph have published a range of pieces recently about the LCP:

• "Hospitals 'paid millions to put patients on death pathway'" [Telegraph, 26 October]
• "Hospitals bribed to put patients on pathway to death: Cash incentive for NHS trusts that meet targets on Liverpool Care Pathway" [Mail, 25 October]
• "A welcome review of the pathway to death" [Mail, 25 October]
• "Care Pathway condemned by senior doctors as 'medical treatment that hastens death'" [Mail, 23 October]

In another recent development, Archbishop Peter Smith, chairman of the relevant department of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), last week called upon the Department of Health to launch an official enquiry into the LCP. Although the Department of Health rejected his call, the Association of Palliative Medicine (APM) has announced that it will be conducting its own review. We are, however, doubtful that the review by the APM, which supports the LCP, will address adequately the disturbing claims about the LCP.

Here is the joint statement from senior pro-life medics and experts:

Commentary on the Statement supporting the Liverpool Care Pathway

21 October 2012

The Statement supporting the Liverpool Care Pathway from the National End of Life Programme was published under multiple signatories. We have a number of serious reservations and questions about the working of the Liverpool Care Pathway.

1 The statement says, “it is not always easy to tell whether someone is very close to death”.
The fact is that there is no scientific evidence to support the diagnosis of impending death and there are no published criteria that allow this diagnosis to be made in an evidence-based manner. This is even more true of non cancer conditions. This diagnosis is a prediction, which is at best an educated guess. Predictions have been shown to be often in serious error.
There is no evidence that the diagnosis of impending death can be improved by using “the most senior doctor available “, and an actual misdiagnosis of impending death could result in a wrongful death.

2 “The Liverpool Care Pathway …is not a treatment”.
This statement belies what actually happens once a patient is signed up onto the LCP. The fact that morphine, midozelam and glycopyrrolate are prescribed makes the LCP a treatment protocol.

3 “The Liverpool Care Pathway …is…a framework for good practice.”
In the twenty-first century all good clinical practice is evidence based. Good clinical practice has always traditionally involved a close doctor-patient relationship and the management of symptoms in the best interest of the patient, as and when they arise. The LCP is more than a framework. It is a pathway that takes the patient in the direction of the outcome presumed by the diagnosis of impending death. The pathway leads to a suspension of evidence based practice and the normal doctor-patient relationship.

4 “The Liverpool Care Pathway does not….hasten death.”
It is self evident that stopping fluids whilst giving narcotics and sedatives hastens death. According to the National Audit 2010-2011, fluids were continued in only 16% of patients and none had fluids started.
The median time to death on the Liverpool Care Pathway is now 29 hours. Statistics show that even patients with terminal cancer and a poor prognosis may survive months or more if not put on the Liverpool Care Pathway.

Your statement fails to mention the relief of symptoms at all. We think this is a serious omission. The question of consent is not mentioned either.

If as you say, the LCP does not replace “clinical judgement”, and is a “framework for good”, why is it not endorsed by 28% of senior healthcare professionals? (National Audit 2010-2011)

Patients should receive an individual treatment plan according to best evidence based medicine. They should not be deprived of consciousness, but receive such treatment that is aimed at relieving all their symptoms including thirst. Nothing should be done which intentionally hastens death. An individual care plan based on best evidence is preferable to a rigid pathway.

Signed

Professor P Pullicino
Prof of Neurosciences

Mr J Bogle
Chairman Catholic Union of Great Britain

Dr P Howard
Chairman Joint Medico Ethical Committee Catholic Union

Dr R Hardie
President Catholic Medical Association

Dr A Cole
Chairman Medical Ethics Alliance

Dr M Knowles
Secretary First Do No Harm

Mrs N McCarthy
Catholic Nurses Association

Ms T Lynch
Chairman Nurses Opposed to Euthanasia

Mr R Balfour
President Doctors who Respect Human Life

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BBC World helps Marie Stopes vs SPUC

Last week Anthony McCarthy, SPUC's education and publications manager, was interviewed on BBC World News by George Alagiah, the veteran BBC reporter and news-presenter, about the Marie Stopes abortion centre opened in Belfast. Watch the video below or on YouTube:



Anthony's point - that any abortions which Marie Stopes will perform in Northern Ireland will almost certainly be illegal abortions - is borne out by the admission in 2007 by Paul Cornellisson, Marie Stopes' programme director in South Africa, that Marie Stopes:

"do illegal abortions all over the world"

See the video below, produced by Precious Life, our colleagues in Northern Ireland, which shows that the strategy Mr Cornellisson proposed in 2007 is coming to pass in Northern Ireland in 2012:



It should also be noted that Marie Stopes' abortion operations in Zambia were stopped by the Zambian government as recently as July, when it was discovered that Marie Stopes had performed hundreds of illegal abortions. And in 2004 Marie Stopes' staff in Kenya admitted to performing illegal abortions there too. It is therefore very welcome news that the Northern Ireland Assembly's Justice Committee has launched an investigation into Marie Stopes' Belfast clinic.

In a future blog-post I will explain why Mr Alagiah was so biased against SPUC's spokesman.

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Top ethicist delivers damning opinion on Children's Referendum

A top ethicist has delivered a damning opinion on the amendment proposed in the Children's Referendum in the Republic of Ireland.

Fr John Fleming Ph.D., professor of bioethics at the Southern Cross Bioethics Institute (Adelaide, Australia), a foundation member of UNESCO's International Bioethics Committee, and a corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, delivered the opinion on behalf of European Life Network, led by Patrick Buckley and based in Dublin. Full text: http://europeanlifenetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/bioethical-opinion-on-implications-of.html

In his opinion, Dr Fleming said: "It is difficult to see how the present Constitutional arrangements are not fit for purpose. The rights of the family and the child are already safeguarded". The proposed amendment, according to Dr Fleming "represents a dramatic ideological shift in both emphasis and practice", "provid[ing] a beachhead by the state into what has traditionally been the preserve of the rights of parents in the upbringing of their children."

Dr Fleming concluded that the "amendment, if passed, could potentially be a disaster for Irish families" and calls upon Ireland's Catholic bishops "to do all they can to persuade the Irish people that such a constitutional change is not in the best interests of Irish families ".

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Mon 22 Oct

Top story:

EllaOne morning-after pill trial is dangerous
A trial by The Co-operative Pharmacy chain of prescription-free sale of the EllaOne morning-after pill has been described as 'dangerous' by SPUC. EllaOne is claimed to work up to five days after sexual intercourse. The Co-operative Pharmacy is conducting the trial in 40 pharmacies. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, commented: "Our main concern is that EllaOne is dangerous for unborn children. As well as a form of contraception, EllaOne can also act as a form of abortion, by making the lining of the womb hostile to newly-conceived human embryos, thus killing them. [SPUC, 19 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

• 27% of all human deaths in England and Wales are due to abortion [Peter Saunders, 22 October]
• Protest at Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast and intervention by Attorney General [Pat Buckley, 19 October]
• SPUC youth blog reviews pro-life film 'October Baby' [SPUC youth blog, 19 October]
• Russian priest saves 2,000 babies from abortion [LifeSiteNews.com, 18 October]
• Uruguay senate approves first-trimester abortions [New York Times, 17 October]

Euthanasia

• Nurse's account of mother's death on Liverpool Care Pathway [Mail, 20 October]
• Retired magistrate 'starved herself to death after being inspired by right-to-die campaigner Tony Nicklinson' [Mail, 19 October]
• 19-year-old woke up as doctors were preparing to harvest her organs [Mail, 17 October]

Sexual ethics

• Redefining marriage - the case for caution [Peter Saunders, 21 October]
• Parents for Children calls for no vote in children’s referendum [Pat Buckley, 18 October]

General

• Down Syndrome student crowned homecoming queen to school's standing ovation [Mail, 19 October]

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SPUC welcomes inquiry into Marie Stopes Belfast

The pro-life movement in Northern Ireland has welcomed the news that the Justice Committee in the Province's devolved government is to launch an investigation into the operations of the Marie Stopes International (MSI) abortion facility which opened amid protests in Belfast on Thursday 18 October. The arrival of MSI has caused widespread public concern that laws protecting children before birth will be overturned.

Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland development officer, told the media earlier today that the Northern Ireland Assembly has no choice but to act against the direct challenge to the law presented by MSI:

"Abortion is not health care and in Northern Ireland it is a criminal offence. The Parliament of Northern Ireland rejected the British Abortion Act in 1967 and for the last 45 years the majority of the people and politicians have continued to oppose the liberalisation of our abortion laws. Through the long years of direct rule from London only the force of public opinion stopped successive British governments from imposing the Abortion Act on the Province. The last attempt to introduce it, in 2008 came only months before criminal justice powers were returned to local politicians. It failed because of the pressure brought to bear on the Prime Minister in London."

Pro-life campaigners are calling on members of the public to lobby their elected representatives to urge them to take all the necessary steps to ensure that Marie Stopes is unable to maintain its abortion centre in Belfast.

Liam Gibson continued:

"Public opinion must demand action to shut this centre down. There is too much evidence of Marie Stopes's involvement in illegal abortions in other countries for claims that the Belfast centre will operate inside the law to hold any credibility.

This is probably the greatest threat against the right to life of Northern Ireland's unborn children. We need everyone to raise this issue with their politicians, in their churches and among their families and friends. The financial resources available to MSI are enormous; but the pro-life people of Northern Ireland have fought long against the threat of liberal abortion. They worked too hard for the return of accountable democracy to see our laws and our devolved institutions swept aside by the abortion industry. I believe Marie Stopes have underestimated the level of opposition it faces from the people of Northern Ireland."

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EllaOne morning-after pill trial is dangerous

SPUC has described as dangerous a trial by The Co-operative Pharmacy chain of prescription-free sale of the EllaOne morning-after pill. EllaOne is claimed to work up to five days after sexual intercourse. The Co-operative Pharmacy is conducting the trial in 40 pharmacies. See The Telegraph report "'Five-day-after' pill to be sold at chemists' without prescription"

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, told the media this morning:

"Our main concern is that EllaOne is dangerous for unborn children. As well as a form of contraception, EllaOne can also act as a form of abortion, by making the lining of the womb hostile to newly-conceived human embryos, thus killing them. Women should be told that this is one of EllaOne's modes of action. (see note 1 below).

EllaOne and other so-called 'morning-after' pills are marketed as 'emergency' contraception, yet millions of packs have been sold in the UK alone over the past two decades. Older forms of morning-after pills have been widely available without prescription throughout the UK for 12 years now, and in that time the incidence of registered (i.e. post-implantation) abortions and of sexually-transmitted infections has continued to rise. As the work of Professor David Paton of Nottingham university has shown, increasing access to morning-after pills doesn't improve sexual health outcomes. (note 2)

Contraceptive use has a massive failure rate. Easy access to EllaOne will promote a casual attitude to sex by lulling people into a false sense of security about unplanned pregnancy. Abortion clinics are quite open about the fact that most women seeking abortion were using contraception when they fell pregnant.

We know from past experience that age restrictions won't stop under-16s from getting morning-after pills, and that many pharmacists won't ask the questions which the prescription-free protocol requires. Also, pharmacists don't have access to medical records and this places women at danger from side-effects. Some young women asking for morning-after pills will be under pressure from partners demanding sex or even wanting to hide abuse.

Society must move in the opposite direction, by reducing the level of premature sexual activity among young adults, and by defending marriage as the responsible place for sex."

Notes :
1) See SPUC's leaflet "Contraceptives: what you need to know", July 2012 http://www.spuc.org.uk/education/contraceptives Also see SPUC's briefing "Birth-control (‘contraception’) methods which can cause abortion", July 2012 http://www.spuc.org.uk/documents/papers/abortifacients201207
2) See http://spuc-director.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/professor-david-patons-address-on.html

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Abortion never saves a woman's life

Congratulations to Life Institute who have produced a superb new video Abortion never saves a woman's life.

Life Institute says: "Please take 90 seconds to watch this powerful new video message which spells out the facts - abortion never saves a mother's life: it just kills a baby".

For more information on this theme, see Liam Gibson's blogpost Abortion is not medically necessary to the life of a woman. ... and as Life Institute's new video makes clear, the Republic of Ireland, with its constitutional ban on abortion, has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world, according to figures published by the World Health Organization in 2007.

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SPUC Scotland protests against abortionists' conference

venue of abortionists' conference

Top stories:

SPUC Scotland protests against abortionists' conference [Edinburgh Evening News, 16 October]

SPUC youth and student newsletter published
SPUC has today published a youth and student newsletter. In its history, SPUC has consistently sought to support pro-life young adults and students. This has included support for pro-life societies, speakers, conferences, public acts of witness, and campaign materials. In the last few years we’ve seen a resurgence of pro-life youth societies in the UK. Our international youth conference has gone from strength to strength, making it the largest pro-life youth event in the UK. We felt that it was a good time to re-launch a straightforward, action-focused newsletter, about how we can work together for the culture of life. Please forward this newsletter to a friend. It features information about:

• SPUC's 9 Million Children campaign
• SPUC's pro-life speaker taster training day
• SPUC's youth blog
• SPUC's internship scheme
• SPUC's campaign to inform people about abortion-inducing forms of birth control
• SPUC's campaign to defend marriage, which protects unborn children
• SPUC's universities speaker tour
• SPUC's international youth conference
• news of other pro-life events and resources

Abortion poster campaign move condemned as cynical by SPUC
Responding the announcement that the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of Britain's main abortion providers, is launching a national billboard poster campaign, Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, commented: "BPAS, which is a lucrative abortion enterprise, is cynically exploiting the hype over the upper-limit debate to drum up more clients. BPAS knows very well that there is no realistic prospect of new abortion limits getting past Parliament's large pro-abortion majority. Instead of pursuing the red herring of time-limits, ministers should instead cut off the tens of millions of pounds the government hands to BPAS in NHS contracts." [SPUC, 15 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Catholic bishops warns pro-abortion US vice-president not to receive Holy Communion [New American, 15 October]
• Marie Stopes situation in Belfast ‘grim’ unless politicians act swiftly: SPUC [LifeSiteNews.com, 12 October]

Euthanasia

• Australian bishop warns against lethal age-rationing of healthcare [Tablet, 16 October]
• Elderly man died after 'doctors proclaimed him DNR without consulting family' [Telegraph, 16 October]

Sexual ethics

• Australian school-children taught heterosexuality is not the norm [Daily Telegraph, 17 October]

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Archbishop Neary appeals to Irish politicians to give unborn children full legal protection

Archbishop Michael Neary (right), the archbishop of Tuam, has made a dramatic appeal to the Irish government, to Irish politicians, and to Irish citizens to give "full protection in Irish law for the right to life of the baby in the womb".

His appeal follows a powerful statement from Cardinal Sean Brady, the primate of all Ireland, that the Church would vigorously oppose any Government proposals to legislate for abortion in Ireland.

In bold clear terms, during an interview on Vatican radio, Archbishop Neary said:

"The Irish government is under no obligation to legislate for abortion because of ... the European court. Indeed on the contrary our government is free to respond [to the European Court of Human Rights] by seeking full protection in Irish law for the right to life of the baby in the womb. And this could be done while ensuring women in pregnancy continue to receive every treatment necessary to safeguard their lives so as bishops we’re calling on our public representatives and on our people to respect the humanity and life of children in the womb and to reject abortion."

If you want to hear for yourself Archbishop Neary’s eloquent appeal in support of full constitutional protection for the right to life of unborn children and their mothers, you can listen to it now on Pat Buckley’s blog.

What he says is so timely and important  and is so clear and so instructive about Irish constitutional protection for mothers that I have transcribed much of the interview below:

"The right to life .. is the most fundamental of all rights because it is the foundation of all other rights. The Catholic church teaches that the direct and intentional killing of innocent human life from conception till natural death at any stage is gravely morally wrong.

"The day for life [launched by the Irish bishops] coincides with the decisive moment for Ireland. In the coming weeks our government here in Ireland will decide how to respond to a 2010 judgement of the European Court of Human Rights  ... despite what some people have asserted, the Irish government is under no obligation to legislate for abortion because of this ruling of the European court.

"Indeed on the contrary our government is free to respond by seeking full protection in Irish law for the right to life of the baby in the womb. And this could be done while ensuring women in pregnancy continue to receive every treatment necessary to safeguard their lives so as bishops we’re calling on our public representatives and on our people to respect the humanity and life of children in the womb and to reject abortion ...

" ...  By virtue of their common humanity the life of both mother and her unborn baby are sacred  ...  Concern for the mother’s life must go hand in hand with concern for her unborn child. Anyone who claims to be pro-life must be emphatically pro-mother. That’s the kind of context in which the day for life is being celebrated this year.

"Ireland is one of the few remaining countries in the EU and indeed worldwide in which abortion is not legal. The World Health Organization recognized that Ireland without abortion remains one of the safest countries in the world in which to be pregnant and to give birth. And this is something we should be proud of as a country but also something that we should seek to protect ... Under article 40 of our constitution 'The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its law to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.'

"Now the clear intention of that article was to equally protect from direct attack the right to life of both the mother and her unborn child. But this intention was undermined by the decision of the Supreme court in 1992 in the X case judgement of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court interpreted that article of the Irish Constitution as permitting the direct killing of the child in the womb in certain circumstances.

"If our government chooses now to legislate in line with the Supreme Court judgement, this will mean legislating for abortion in Ireland for the first time. That's our concern and we are endeavouring to bring that concern to the people of our parishes and to our dioceses so that they will recognize that this is a decisive moment for our country.

"Genetics and technology have been able to highlight for us something of the beauty and mystery of the life in the womb. Any mother or father who has gazed in wonder at an ultrasound scan of their baby or heard his or her heart beating for the first time ... will surely know how rapid and beautiful is the development of their baby in the womb. Because of the advances in technology this is something which has been brought home to us in ways which we would probably not be aware of in a previous age. It emphasises that the baby does not suddenly become a human being at birth and they would know that their son or daughter now present before them as an infant or teenager is the same human life, the same child, they saw in that first scan.

"The child in the womb is not a potential life but rather a human life with potential, a precious and God–given potential, that all of us whether we’re parents, nurses, midwives, doctors, lawyers, politicians, citizens or voters are called on to respect and protect. We are encouraging an initiative of prayer coinciding with this. There will be a month of prayer from the 7th October, from the day for life, until 6th November which is the feast of all the Irish saints."

Archbishop Neary encouraged Vatican radio listeners worldwide to join Irish Catholics in the prayer being said in Ireland's 1360 parishes during this month of prayer for the unborn child.

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SPUC youth and student newsletter published

SPUC has today published a youth and student newsletter. In its history, SPUC has consistently sought to support pro-life young adults and students. This has included support for pro-life societies, speakers, conferences, public acts of witness, and campaign materials. In the last few years we’ve seen a resurgence of pro-life youth societies in the UK. Our international youth conference has gone from strength to strength, making it the largest pro-life youth event in the UK. We felt that it was a good time to re-launch a straightforward, action-focused newsletter, about how we can work together for the culture of life. Please forward this newsletter to a friend. It features information about:

• SPUC's 9 Million Children campaign
• SPUC's pro-life speaker taster training day
• SPUC's youth blog
• SPUC's internship scheme
• SPUC's campaign to inform people about abortion-inducing forms of birth control
• SPUC's campaign to defend marriage, which protects unborn children
• SPUC's universities speaker tour
• SPUC's international youth conference
• news of other pro-life events and resources

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Abortion poster campaign move is cynical

Responding the announcement that the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of Britain's main abortion providers, is launching a national billboard poster campaign, Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, has told the media:

"BPAS, which is a lucrative abortion enterprise, is cynically exploiting the hype over the upper-limit debate to drum up more clients. BPAS knows very well that there is no realistic prospect of new abortion limits getting past Parliament's large pro-abortion majority. Instead of pursuing the red herring of time-limits, ministers should instead cut off the tens of millions of pounds the government hands to BPAS in NHS contracts."

For more information, see today's Telegraph story "Charity accused of 'exploiting' controversy over abortion"

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Keep up-to-date with the pro-life battle in Northern Ireland

Liam Gibson, SPUC Northern Ireland

Liam Gibson, SPUC's development officer in Northern Ireland, recently started an excellent blog, "Pro-life Belfast". The widely-reported controversy last week over Marie Stopes setting up an abortion clinic in Belfast shows how important it is for pro-lifers to keep up-to-date with the pro-life battle in Northern Ireland. Do bookmark Liam's blog and spread the word. Below are links to a few of Liam's recent blogposts:

• Marie Stopes International moves in for the kill
• Marriage: A pro-life issue
• The Many Dangers of Assisted Suicide
• FPA gets the go-ahead for a Judicial Review

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No plans to review abortion law, insists health minister Earl Howe

Top stories:

No plans to review abortion law, insists health minister Earl Howe [Independent, 11 October]

Related story:
Viability bad guide to abortion law reform, says SPUC
SPUC has responded to the latest official statistics on infant mortality, by warning that viability is a bad guide to abortion law reform. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, said: ”Anyone who has experienced the trauma of a premature birth will warmly welcome scientific advances in saving prematurely-born babies, but the viability of unborn children should not be used as a guide for reforming the law on abortion. Viability is a criterion which varies from place to place in the country and from place to place in the world. Viability has nothing to do with the humanity of the child in the womb; it has everything to do with technological progress and the excellence and dedication of medical staff. A child's capacity to survive is not what makes him or her a human being. When a premature baby, after receiving expert treatment, sadly dies, doctors are not criticised for treating a non-person. They have tried to save a baby, but sadly failed. Passing legislation on such an arbitrary basis leads to legislatures making equally arbitrary exceptions – as the UK Parliament did in 1990, making abortion lawful up till birth for disabled babies and on certain other grounds.” [Telegraph, 11 October]

SPUC condemns Belfast abortion centre plans
Claims that Marie Stopes International is to carry out abortions at a new centre in Belfast have been condemned by SPUC. It is irresponsible and crass for the abortion giant to suggest it would provide abortions at a newly-established centre. The procedure is only legal when there is a serious danger to the mother’s life. SPUC has twice taken Northern Ireland health department to court to force it to withdraw abortion guidelines, because they failed to reflect the law accurately. SPUC was proved correct in its approach to the law on both occasions. [SPUC, 11 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Irish bishops: A decisive moment for nation, we must choose life [Pat Buckley, 12 October]
• Mayor of Buenos Aires announces veto of abortion law [LifeSiteNews.com, 11 October]
• An inside view: abortion is foreign to Africa [LifeSiteNews.com, 10 October]

Embryology

• Dolly the sheep scientist Keith Campbell dies [Guardian, 12 October]

Euthanasia

• Colombian bishops say nothing justifies legalizing euthanasia [CNA, 11 October]
• ‘Prosecute doctors who put my mother on pathway to death’ [Scotsman, 11 October]

Sexual ethics

• The drive for gay marriage is causing a major rift in Labour as well as Conservative ranks [Anglican Mainstream, 12 October]
• Attorney General hints at 'profound difficulties' ahead for religious public servants over gay marriage [Premier Christian Media, 11 October]
• Rick Santorum: Equal marriage will destroy families [Pink Paper, 11 October]

General

• Ontario minister says Catholic schools can’t teach pro-life views [LifeSiteNews.com, 11 October]

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SPUC condemns Belfast abortion centre plans

Claims that Marie Stopes International is to carry out abortions at a new centre in Belfast have been condemned by SPUC. It is irresponsible and crass for the abortion giant to suggest it would provide abortions at a newly established centre. The procedure is only legal when there is a serious danger to the mother’s life. 

SPUC has twice taken Northern Ireland health department to court to force it to withdraw abortion guidelines, because they failed to reflect the law accurately. The pro-life group was proved correct in its approach to the law on both occasions.

Liam Gibson, SPUC's development officer in the Province, told the media earlier today:

"The law here is clear. The Northern Ireland Assembly has jurisdiction over abortion, not Marie Stopes. And the people of Northern Ireland are not prepared to let the abortion industry change our law by breaking it. Abortion is not health care, it is a criminal offence. Only in extreme circumstances, when a woman's life is in danger, can it even be considered. Health officials and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) should explain why they think any doctor dealing with such a case should send a pregnant woman to a private, commercially-run campaign group’s abortion centre rather than offering her NHS hospital care.

Health officials and the RQIA are grossly abusing their power by suggesting that Marie Stopes will be offering ‘legal abortions’ at this centre.

Abortionists in Britain may be used to flouting the law by performing sex-selection abortions on baby girls and falsifying paperwork, but the pro-life people and politicians in Northern Ireland expect officials to ensure that the laws here protecting the right to life of unborn children will be enforced. It is deeply disturbing to see public officials adopting the role of promoting illegal abortion regardless of the law, as the Department of Health has done in England over many years."

Marie Stopes International (MSI) UK had an income of £145 million last year, mostly in fees and grants from government bodies (but also fees from clients) for abortion and other “sexual health services”. 

MSI began advertising abortion on television in England in 2010, but stopped after advertising groups received a record number of objections and SPUC pointed out that the advertising was both grossly offensive and illegal.


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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Wed 10 Oct

Top story:

Abortion limit stories dismissed as hype by UK's main pro-life group SPUC
The UK's largest and oldest pro-life group, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk has dismissed recent newspaper stories about ministerial support for reducing abortion time-limits as "journalistic hype". SPUC was responding to recent stories in The Times and The Telegraph newspapers in which ministers were asked whether they support reducing time-limits for abortion. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC communications manager, commented: "These stories are in reality media-generated hype. There is no 'news' in these stories. The voting records of Jeremy Hunt, Maria Miller and Theresa May on abortion time-limits, over four years ago, are public knowledge. The Telegraph supports reducing abortion time-limits while The Times is strongly against any abortion restrictions, and between them they are generating some heat but little light on the real politics of abortion. There is some scare-mongering by pro-abortion figures, and some groundless hope for success by Nadine Dorries MP, whose amendments in 2008 were clearly defeated. There is a large pro-abortion majority in Parliament which will ensure that any time-limiting amendments are rejected while using the opportunity to push for pro-abortion amendments. The real political debate about abortion in the UK should focus - as it does elsewhere in the world - on the right to life of all unborn children and on way governments bankroll abortion access at home and abroad." > [SPUC, 6 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

• New song “Follow Me” begins with sound of unborn child’s heartbeat [NRLC, 9 October]

Euthanasia

• 12-year-old gunshot victim declared in ‘vegetative state’ now talking: will make full recovery [LifeSiteNews.com, 9 October]
• Terminally ill woman changes her mind over right to die [Telegraph, 7 October]

Embryology

• Nobel prize given for work that proves adult cells can be reprogrammed [Fr Stephen Wang, 9 October]

Sexual ethics

• William Hague: Conservative support for gay marriage reflects 'generational change' in society [Telegraph, 10 October]
• Marriage & protection of children in the womb: prophetic words from 20 years ago [SPUC youth blog, 9 October]

General

• Pro-lifers in over 100 cities and towns across Spain join third annual March for Life [LifeSiteNews.com, 9 October]

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Abortion limit stories dismissed as hype by UK's main pro-life group SPUC

The UK's largest and oldest pro-life group, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has dismissed recent newspaper stories about ministerial support for reducing abortion time-limits as "journalistic hype".

SPUC was responding to recent stories in The Times and The Telegraph newspapers in which ministers were asked whether they support reducing time-limits for abortion.

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC communications manager, told the media earlier today:

"These stories are in reality media-generated hype. There is no 'news' in these stories. The voting records of Jeremy Hunt, Maria Miller and Theresa May on abortion time-limits, over four years ago, are public knowledge. The Telegraph supports reducing abortion time-limits while The Times is strongly against any abortion restrictions, and between them they are generating some heat but little light on the real politics of abortion. There is some scare-mongering by pro-abortion figures, and some groundless hope for success by Nadine Dorries MP, whose amendments in 2008 were clearly defeated.

There is a large pro-abortion majority in Parliament which will ensure that any time-limiting amendments are rejected while using the opportunity to push for pro-abortion amendments. The real political debate about abortion in the UK should focus - as it does elsewhere in the world - on the right to life of all unborn children and on the way governments bankroll abortion access at home and abroad."

See SPUC's release of last Thursday (4 October 2012) Fresh perspective, not time-limit debate, needed on abortion, says pro-life group SPUC

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Fri 5 Oct

Top story:

Fresh perspective, not time-limit debate, needed on abortion
A fresh perspective, not a debate about time-limits, is needed on abortion, says SPUC. SPUC was responding to comments to The Telegraph newspaper by Maria Miller, the new women's minister, in support of a reduction in the 24-week upper time-limit on social abortions.  Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, commented: "Mrs Miller should instead be pushing for the government to stop its multi-million pound funding arrangements with the abortion industry, and to block broadcast advertising for abortion businesses." [SPUC, 4 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

• UK doctor illegally sells abortion pills to undercover reporter [Christian Institute,  5 October] 
• 40 days for life - 9 campaigns around the UK [SPUC youth blog, 4 October]
• How Abortion Rights lost the argument about illegal abortion figures [John Smeaton, 2 October]
• France to cover 100 percent of abortion costs [AFP, 1 October]
  

Euthanasia

• Famous British film director thinking of assisted suicide [Mail, 4 October] 
• UK tries to prevent backdoor euthanasia via palliative sedation [LifeNews.com, 3 October] 
• Court rejects posthumous appeal in Nicklinson euthanasia case [BBC, 2 October]
  

Population

• US birth rate at all-time low [Catholic Culture, 3 October]

Sexual ethics

• Marriage: A pro-life issue [Pro-Life Belfast, 4 October]
• French bishops up gay marriage ante [Tablet, 4 October]
  

General

• Report of SPUC north-west regional conference, Blackpool [St Helens Crosby, 22 September]

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Advance notice of SPUC website down-time on Mon 8 Oct

On Monday (8 Oct) the SPUC website www.spuc.org.uk will be offline or not visible from 10am until at least 12 noon (UK time) as it moves to a new server. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. Information about pro-life issues and SPUC can be found during that period on this blog or at:

• SPUC youth blog
• SPUC Page on Facebook
• @spucprolife on Twitter

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Fresh perspective, not time-limit debate, needed on abortion

Maria Miller

SPUC has responded to comments to The Telegraph newspaper by Maria Miller, the new women's minister, in support of a reduction in the 24-week upper time-limit on social abortions. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, told the media earlier today:

"Every few years the tired, old refrain to reduce the upper time-limit for social abortions is heard. These calls have either gotten nowhere or, as in 1990, been counter-productive. There is no realistic prospect of any such amendments being passed by the current Parliament, any more than in 2008 when Nadine Dorries's amendments were defeated by large margins.

Opening up the Abortion Act on the floor of Parliament will provide an opportunity for the large pro-abortion majority in Parliament to push for radical amendments to make abortion law even worse. The pro-abortion lobby will argue that early abortions are better than late abortions, and therefore that women need easier access to abortion. Such amendments have the support of David Cameron and many other frontbenchers from all the main parties.

We need a fresh perspective on what can be done to save unborn children. Mrs Miller should instead be pushing for the government to stop its multi-million pound funding arrangements with the abortion industry, and to block broadcast advertising for abortion businesses. The government should also stop funding the promotion of abortion in developing countries and promoting access to abortion for children in school."

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How Abortion Rights lost the argument about illegal abortion figures

Abortion Rights stunt

Abortion Rights is the UK pro-abortion group formed by the merger of the National Abortion Campaign (NAC) and the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA), and is supported by the trades union movement. Yesterday Abortion Rights tweeted:

"There are 600-800 illegal abortions every day in Morocco. Support legalisation here: http://bit.ly/REHm9g"

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, tweeted back and here is the record of the conversation:

Anthony: "More fake figures from [the] abortion lobby, famous for such fakery. UK: pop. 60m, 600 legal abortions daily. Islamic Morocco: pop. 32m"

Abortion Rights: "Fakery? Don't make me laugh. Anti-choice groups have zero credibility when it comes to facts or medical accuracy."

Anthony: "Stop avoiding the q[uestion]. Back up [the] Morocco figures or withdraw. Admit abortion lobby history of faking illegal abortion stats."

Abortion Rights: "What? Don't be ridiculous. Figure comes from [the] petition link."

Anthony: "[The p]etition doesn't cite any studies, just asserts [the] figure. Back it up."

Abortion Rights: "Don't order me to back it up. If you've got a problem with the figures you're welcome to investigate. Till then, get lost."

Anthony: "In other words: you've lost the argument. No wonder you're reduced to silly stunts with coathangers and weird make-up." (Anthony was referring to a Guardian report last week, pictured).

Abortion Rights: "Ha! I won't take lessons in PR from the group that thinks 'gay marriage will increase abortion rate' is a good campaign idea."

Anthony: "We stand by our campaigns. Do you stand by the figures you tweeted for illegal abortions in Morocco?"

No further reply was received from Abortion Rights. Shortly afterwards they (we assume the tweeter was Darinka Aleksic, Abortion Rights' campaigns coordinator, pictured centre) told another pro-lifer on Twitter:

"[I]t was SPUC telling me to 'back it up', that got to me! Wouldn't normally be so irritated."

Well done Anthony for exposing the latest in a long line of cases where the pro-abortion lobby have simply invented illegal abortion figures - see the following blog-posts for more information:

• Claim of rise in illegal abortions globally is dubious
• Does legalizing abortion protect women's health?
• Pro-abortion lobby tries again to deceive Polish women
• The Philippines and backstreet abortion claims published today by AFP in Manila
• Diane Abbott MP misleads British public about "backstreet" abortion in Northern Ireland
• The Abortion Lobby's Massive Deception
  

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Over-40s denied free IVF can now sue NHS

An elderly IVF mother

Top story:

Over-40s denied free IVF can now sue NHS
Women aged over 40 can now sue Britain's National Health Service (NHS) if they are denied IVF treatment, under a new law against age discrimination. Norman Lamb, a newly-appointed health minister, said: "It gives legal force that people have to be treated as individuals, and not written off because of an arbitrary age limit." Mr Lamb also said that such women "would have to show that the upper age limit was not objectively justified" in their case. [Mail, 1 October] Anthony Ozimic of SPUC commented: "It is neither good medicine nor in the best interests of families for natural biological limits to childbearing to be violated by the unnatural process of IVF."

Other stories:

Abortion

• Abortion drug RU486 marks 12 years in US: 14 dead, 1,200 injured [LifeNews.com, 28 September]
• Argentine capital passes law allowing abortion [France24, 28 September]

Euthanasia

• Interview with son of UK man in euthanasia court battle [Independent, 1 October]
• Irish assisted suicide campaigner launches court case [Sun, 30 September]
• Switzerland rejects moves to clamp down on assisted deaths as suicide tourism is becoming less popular [Mail, 28 September]

Population

• Japan: The grey planet's ticking timebomb [Independent, 1 October]
• Mayor of Brussels condemns large families [Flanders News, 1 October] 
  

Sexual ethics

• Opponents of gay marriage dominate MPs' postbags [Telegraph, 1 October]
• Gay population much smaller than government estimates, official survey suggests [Mail, 1 October]
• Presbyterian Church calls for a 'no' vote on gay marriage [Belfast Telegraph, 1 October]
• US Catholic Medical Association says male-female marriage important to children's welfare [Catholic Culture, 1 October]
• Sexual health advice compromises child safeguarding [Fr Tim Finigan, 28 September]

General

• Ireland's Catholic Bishops declare 'Choose Life' month [Irish Times, 1 October]

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SPUC's Anthony McCarthy debunks the gay lobby's 'bigot' label

Anthony McCarthy, SPUC's education and publications manager, was interviewed earlier this month by Rod Liddle, The Sunday Times columnist, along with Peter Tatchell, the veteran homosexual campaigner and Ed Fordham, the vice-chair of LGBT Liberal Democrats. Do watch the video of the interview, either below at the end of this blog-post or on The Sunday Times website. Here is a transcript of Anthony's excellent comments:

"I think objecting to what Nick Clegg said doesn't equate to bigotry! ... I think his statements about gay marriage, the fact that the Lib Dems coalition government never put in any proposal for gay marriage in their coalition agreement or even in their manifestos, and this is one of the most important changes being proposed ever, makes me rather suspicious of Mr Clegg."

"The proposals for gay marriage completely redefine marriage; they turn it into a genderless institution ... [T]here's no reference to children whatsoever, and also there's no rationale, then, for not privatising marriage, or even having incestuous marriages or having threesomes as we're seeing now in Brazil. All of that foundation which we build around children is actually shattered at the level of law, with this new conception of marriage."

"We're not going to be bullied by people who fling names at us rather than listening to our arguments. Calling people 'bigots' is not an argument, it's not particularly clever and it's rather bullying." Liddle: "... [I]t marks you down as people not to be taken seriously." Anthony McCarthy: "Yes. The other thing, it lumps - and I know that Peter Tatchell does this very often - he tries to draw parallels with racially-mixed marriages and with the opposition to that in some American states some time back ... I do think that (opposition to racially-mixed marriages) is bigotry, without a doubt; but of course those (were) heterosexual marriages. They did nothing to change the nature of marriage, so we are dealing with a completely different kind of argument there. Yet this constant lumping-together, to depict the opponents of (same-sex marriage) as bigots, is a form of thought-control. I hope people can see through it." 

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Watch these excellent talks on maternal health

Earlier this month an International Symposium on Maternal Health was held in Dublin, organised by the Committee for Excellence in Maternal Healthcare, which is chaired by pro-life veteran Professor Eamonn O'Dwyer. The symposium featured many valuable presentations, all of which have been posted on YouTube - see below for a selection. Thanks to Fiorella Nash, an SPUC speaker on maternal health, for highlighting these for me:

Dr Jean Kagia, a top obstetrician from Kenya, spoke on "Improving maternal healthcare in Kenya: challenges and strategies for low resource nations". She spoke about the lack of resources, the struggle to encourage doctors to stay in Kenya, and the wastage of resources funding wars and corruption:


Dr Frédéric Amant, a leading specialist in gynaecological oncology, spoke on "Cancer treatment during pregnancy". He looked at recent studies which show an equally good prognosis for both pregnant and non-pregnant women being treated for cancer, the various treatments available to pregnant women and the safety of the unborn baby:


Dr. Byron Calhoun, an American professor and specialist in maternal-foetal medicine, spoke on "Perinatal hospice: comprehensive care model for families with fatal prenatal diagnosis". He looked at studies which show the negative psychological effect of abortion in these cases and the need for parents to have time with their babies even when they have a terminal diagnosis:


Dr Priscilla Coleman, a world-leading expert on the mental health aspect of abortion, spoke on "The Relative Safety of Abortion vs. Childbirth: A Focus on Psychological Morbidity and Mortality". Her presentation is very valuable, not least because the subject continues to be so contentious:


Dr John Monaghan, a leading Irish obstetrician and gynaecologist, spoke on "A Safe Place: Achieving Excellence in Irish Maternal Healthcare". He looks at the history of Ireland’s excellent maternal health system and makes various interesting comparisons between the situation in Ireland and the UK. Maternal mortality has increased in Ireland as in other western countries because of issues such as older maternal age and IVF-related complications such as multiple pregnancies. Also, unlike the Republic of Ireland, the UK has a massive recruitment shortage in obstetrics and gynaecology, raising the question as to whether abortion is putting junior doctors off:


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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Wed 26 Sep

Top stories:

Northern Ireland pro-abortion group accused of bullying minister over guidance
SPUC has accused the Family Planning Association (FPA) of using the courts to bully Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland's Minister for Health, into cutting short his revision of abortion guidance for doctors in the Province. Reacting to the High Court decision to grant leave to the FPA to apply for a judicial review of the department's actions in re-drafting the guidance (BBC, 24 September), Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland development officer, commented: "It is clear that the FPA is trying to bounce the Minister into issuing abortion guidance because they believe that the longer it takes to produce the guidance the harder it will be to use it to undermine the current law. [SPUC, 24 September]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Threat to legalise abortion in Uruguay [Guardian, 25 September]
• US politicians ask Irish PM to keep abortion out of Ireland [Irish Central, 24 September]
• Incorrect assertions and unsubstantiated claims in A,B and C case [Pat Buckley, 24 September]
• Scottish Catholic bishop compares abortion to Holocaust [BBC, 23 September]
• SPUC youth blog on abortion and the US presidential race [SPUC youth blog , 21 September]
• Woman dies from infection after UK abortion clinic failed to follow up [Mail, 20 September]
• Pro-life group challenges Department of Health in wake of mysterious abortion case [SPUC, 17 September]

Embryology

• Woman who had baby using surrogate sues over maternity pay denial [Mail, 24 September]
• Denmark tightens sperm donor law after NF1 transmissions [BBC, 25 September]
• Mitochondrial transfer produces clones and GM babies [SPUC, 17 September]

Euthanasia

• UK anti-euthanasia groups launch billboard campaign [ALERT, 26 September]
• Warning to Canada and the UK - Oregon Health Plan steers patients towards suicide [Peter Saunders, 24 September]
• British NHS issues DNR for man with Down Syndrome without consent [LifeNews.com, 17 September]

Population

• Pro-life open letter to Chinese leader on 32nd year of one-child policy [LifeNews.com, 25 September]

Euthanasia

• Patients with dementia and psychiatric illnesses included as Dutch euthanasia cases rise steeply [Peter Saunders, 25 September]

Sexual ethics

• Gay marriage debate has turned unpleasant, argues UK Catholic columnist [Catholic Herald, 26 September]
• France set to ban the words 'mother' and 'father' from official documents [Telegraph, 24 September]
• David Cameron enlists help from American pressure group to help push through gay marriage [Peter Saunders, 23 September]

General

• New English Catholic bishop asks the faithful to fight ‘strangling counter-culture of death’ [Catholic Herald, 26 September]
• Ireland's Children's Rights referendum [Pat Buckley, 26 September]
• Pope Benedict reminds Christian politicians of their duty to protect life from conception to natural death and to protect marriage and the family [Pat Buckley, 25 September]

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