Book now for SPUC's national conference, 5-7 September

Bishop Philip Egan

***Book before 31 July for a £20 discount***

SPUC's national conference takes place once again at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire, from 5-7 September. This will be a fantastic opportunity to hear international speakers on a range of pro-life topics, and get up to date with all SPUC’s campaigns. It is a must for all SPUC branches. We are delighted that our speakers this year will include:

• Bishop Philip Egan, Roman Catholic bishop of Portsmouth
  
• Dr. Greg Gardner MRCGP
• Obianuju Ekeocha, Culture of Life Africa
• Colin Harte, carer of the late Alison Davis
  
• Jim Hughes, Campaign Life Coalition, Canada
  

See the conference programme

To book, download the booking form and return it to SPUC with the conference fee. Book before 31 July for a £20 discount

If you have any questions about the conference, please contact Katherine Hampton, the conference organiser, by email to conference@spuc.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7820 3137.

Speaker profiles:

Bishop Philip Egan
Roman Catholic bishop of Portsmouth, who responded firmly to criticism from pro-abortion Catholic MPs who were appalled when he said political advocates of abortion and same-sex “marriage” should not present themselves to receive Communion. Bishop Egan spoke out against the Liverpool Care Pathway, and strongly defended doctors who respect life.  In a recent interview he said that, “Abortion, euthanasia, eugenics, [and] assisted suicide gravely degrade and undermine respect for the dignity and value of human life”. Bishop Egan issued an important statement on the passing of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, which made clear that same-sex marriage is "the inevitable outcome" of the rejection of the intrinsic link between the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual intercourse, the link taught in Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Humanae Vitae". Bishop Egan needs our prayers and support for his courageous pro-life stand, and we are very excited that he will be speaking at the conference.

Dr. Greg Gardner MRCGP
Hon. tutor in General Practice, University of Birmingham, who will be speaking about the GMC and its tacit involvement in colluding with pre-signing of abortion consent forms. Dr. Gardner is a GP at an inner city practice in Birmingham. He is a member of the Christian Medical Fellowship and writes and speaks widely against abortion. He has been an adviser to SPUC on literature for GPs.

Obianuju Ekeocha
Runs Culture of Life Africa, an internet-based resource which monitors and publicises the attacks on the culture of life in her home continent of Africa. Obianuju organised the first ever pro-life conference in her native Nigeria in June 2013. She is outspoken against first world countries deluging the world’s poorest countries, most of them in Africa, with contraception and abortion.

Colin Harte
Carer of the late Alison Davis, who will speak on, “Suffering for what we value: the legacy of Alison Davis.” Alison was the co-ordinator of SPUC group, ‘No Less Human’.

Jim Hughes
National President of Campaign Life Coalition in Canada.

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SPUC Pro-Life urges supporters to keep lobbying against Falconer assisted suicide bill

Following a decision by a group of Peers, opposed to Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill, not to vote against the Bill at its Second Reading debate this Friday (18 July), SPUC Pro-Life is urging supporters to keep on lobbying members of the House of Lords both to oppose and to vote against the Bill. SPUC Pro-Life is a leading anti-euthanasia group which was represented officially in the High Court in the Diane Pretty and Debbie Purdy assisted suicide cases.

In a letter published in today's Times the group of Peers said:

"In the light of the opinion expressed recently by the Supreme Court that Parliament should consider whether, and if so how, the law should be changed, we believe, albeit reluctantly, that the bill should have an unopposed second reading and proceed to its committee stage."

SPUC told the media earlier today:

"By deciding not to vote against the Bill at Second Reading, this group of Peers is bowing to the flawed opinions of biased judges and to questionable parliamentary convention, rather than the urgent need to protect the right to life. The Bill does not need to be debated by Parliament, either in general or in detail. Assisted suicide was debated in the last parliamentary session and in previous sessions and does not deserve further consideration.

The Falconer bill is a dangerous and deceitful proposal, which will lead to wider and wider demands for disabled people and others to be granted a 'right to die'."

The Supreme Court has threatened to overturn the existing law if Parliament does not allow people to help others commit suicide. The media and a number of celebrities are ranged against the pro-life position.

Mark Davies, the Catholic bishop of Shrewsbury, has said of the Falconer bill:

"... whilst we recall the heroism of generations before us, we must not fail to recognise the great challenge for our own generation. We are now being called upon to defend the sanctity of human life amidst the growing threats against it."

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Lord Carey's support for death for sufferers - SPUC Pro-Life's response

SPUC Pro-Life has responded to Lord Carey's support for Lord Falconer's assisted suicide bill. SPUC Pro-Life was represented officially in the High Court in the Diane Pretty and Debbie Purdy assisted suicide cases.

Paul Tully, SPUC Pro-Life's general secretary, told the media this morning:

"This is a blow for those sharing the burden of suffering, physical or mental, in the world. Sadly they will feel more friendless and worthless. Christian thinkers and leaders have long understood what it is to suffer, and this has led to great strides to relieve suffering - by both personal and social initiatives. Christians must not abandon suffering people now when they are under greater threat than ever from Supreme Court judgments and Lord Falconer's bill."

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How the euthanasia lobby stole the language of compassion

Top story:

Falconer assisted suicide bill, urgent action needed
Lord Falconer has reintroduced his Assisted Dying bill, which aims at helping terminally-ill people to commit suicide. It is due to have a Second Reading in the House of Lords on Friday 18 July. Please write (send letters by post) to Peers (members of the House of Lords) asking them to oppose the bill. [SPUC, 7 July]
Related stories:

• How the euthanasia lobby stole the language of compassion [Conservative Woman, 8 July]
• If 'dying with dignity’ is legalised, soon it will be expected [Telegraph, 4 July]
  

3 internships open at SPUC HQ
Three places are available for a paid (minimum wage) six-week internship at SPUC HQ in London. This year's internship will run from 21 July to 5 September (concessions may be made for those whose university term begins particularly early.) The deadline for applications is 11 July. [SPUC, 2 July]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Polish conscience tested: the case of Professor Chazan [LifeSiteNews.com, 8 July]
• Thousands attend pro-life rally in Belfast [UTV, 6 July]
• Irish health department publishes detailed abortion guidelines [Irish Times, 3 July]

Embryology

• IVF centre 'used wrong sperm' [BBC, 8 July]
• TV host wants 'nothing to do' with unborn surrogate baby following marriage breakdown [Mail, 5 July]

Sexual ethics

• Victory for parents as French government drops gender theory lessons [Pink News, 4 July]
• A picture of the homosexual lobby's war against children and families [John Smeaton, 4 July]

General

• Warning on mums' mental health care [Jersey Evening Post, 8 July]

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Falconer assisted suicide bill, urgent action needed

Lord Falconer has reintroduced his Assisted Dying bill, which aims at helping terminally-ill people to commit suicide. This is the same bill that he introduced last session as a 'dry run'. It is due to have a Second Reading in the House of Lords on Friday 18 July.

Write
Please write (send letters by post) to Peers (members of the House of Lords) asking them to oppose the bill.

To receive a list of suggested Peers to whom you can write, please send an email to political@spuc.org.uk with the subject line "Peer list request".

Please ask as many people as possible to write to Peers. Short, preferably hand-written letters, relating personal experiences and concerns, are likely to be most effective. We believe they are likely to be much more effective in this instance than sending e-mails.

The Falconer bill poses a major threat at this time because the composition of the House of Lords has changed markedly in recent years, with many more 'Cameron' appointees reflecting anti-life attitudes. Although previous bills, such as Lord Joffe's bill, have been defeated in the Lords, this vote could be much closer.

Bishop Mark Davies in a pastoral letter calling for opposition to the bill recalls the major conflicts of last century and says:

"Whilst we recall the heroism of generations before us, we must not fail to recog¬nise the great challenge for our own genera¬tion. We are now being called upon to defend the sanctity of human life amidst the growing threats against it."

Please write to Peers, and encourage others to write, opposing the Falconer bill. We would be most grateful to receive copies of replies from peers who indicate whether they intend to support or oppose the bill.

Demonstrate
On the day of the Lords' Second Reading, the Care Not Killing Alliance is organising an event in Parliament Square and SPUC supporters are encouraged to attend. Please contact CNK for details: 020 7234 9680 or via their website http://www.carenotkilling.org.uk

Read
Read a detailed critique of the Falconer bill by Rev. Dr. John Fleming.

Nurses Opposed to Euthanasia (NOE), a group within SPUC, has also published a critique.

Further briefing information is available on the Care Not Killing website at: http://www.carenotkilling.org.uk/falconer-bill

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A picture of the homosexual lobby's war against children and families

Today Stonewall, the UK's main homosexual organisation, is holding a conference about how to indoctrinate schoolchildren with homosexual ideology. Sarah Guerra, one of Stonewall's supporters, today tweeted this picture, with the caption "Now for including different families in primary schools":

Interestingly, Sarah Guerra, whose surname is Spanish for "war", has the Twitter handle "equalitywarrior". I can't think of a more poignant example of the homosexual lobby's war against children and families.

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3 internships open at SPUC HQ

Three places are available for a paid (minimum wage) six-week internship at SPUC HQ in London.

This year's internship will run from 21 July to 5 September (concessions may be made for those whose university term begins particularly early.)

The internship provides an excellent induction for those seeking to 'learn the ropes' of a leading pro-life organisation. Many interns have gone on to work in the pro-life or political sphere.

This year's internship will involve (among other things):

• writing blogposts for the SPUC youth blog, ‘Why I am Pro-life’
• media training and preparation for pro-life debates
• training in presenting SPUC's schools talk
• a guided tour of Parliament.

The programme will involve some evening and weekend work, and travelling.

To apply, please email a covering letter and CV to rhoslynthomas@spuc.org.uk or post it to SPUC HQ in London. The deadline for applications is 11 July.

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Listen to my talk to Nigeria's bishops via EWTN's Celtic Connections

As readers will recall, earlier this month I gave an address to the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria. You can now listen to my talk courtesy of EWTN's Celtic Connections programme, presented by Kathy Sinnott, the Irish former MEP and a good friend of SPUC.

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Join the Rally for Life, Belfast, Sat 5 July

Liam Gibson of SPUC Northern Ireland writes:

"In a little under a week people from all over Ireland will converge on Belfast for the 8th annual Rally for Life. The rally will set-off from Custom House Square at 2pm, 5th July. As always it promises to be an enjoyable event for all the family.

Last July the rally brought the centre of Dublin to a standstill as an estimated 60,000 people turned out to protest against the Irish governments plans to legalise abortion. Despite this unprecedented level of public opposition the Irish abortion law, the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act (sic), came into effect on 1st January this year. Experience shows that when abortion is legalised it quickly becomes acceptable to the general public. But there is never an acceptable level of abortion, either it is stopped or the killing spreads. Already there is mounting pressure on both sides of the Border to permit the abortion of children with disabilities.

The victory of the abortion lobby in Ireland was a defeat for the pro-life movement globally. The politicians and abortion advocates are now watching how we react. They're looking for signs that we will simply give-up and go away so they can get on with legalising abortion on demand. If the people who came on to the streets last year don't want to see a further expansion of abortion in Ireland they cannot afford to stay at home Saturday 5th July."

Here are videos of the 2012 and 2013 rallies:





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BREAKING NEWS UN Human Rights Council passes pro-family resolution

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council today passed a resolution for the "Protection of the Family" (link), despite opposition from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The resolution was passed by 26 votes in favour, with 14 votes against the resolution and six abstentions. Supporters of the resolution included the Russian Federation, India and Indonesia.

Earlier the Council rejected an amendment, designed to undermine the resolution, which promoted the false concept of "various forms of the family", as opposed to the natural family based upon marriage between a man and a woman.

Patrick Buckley, representing the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk at Geneva, described the vote as "truly historic". He said: "Rarely has a resolution been so vigorously resisted by anti-life and anti-family forces."

The resolution:

• calls for "concerted actions to strengthen family-centred policies and programmes as part of an integrated comprehensve approach to human rights and development"
• recognises that "the family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of children"
• says that the family is "the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children"
• describes the family "the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State"

Roll-call of votes on the resolution:

Yes (26):

• Algeria
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• China
• Congo
• Cote d'Ivoire
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• India
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kuwait
• Maldives
• Morocco
• Namibia
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Russian Federation
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates
• Venezuela
• Vietnam

No (14):

• Austria
• Chile
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Montenegro
• Republic of Korea
• Romania
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

Abstained (6):

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Costa Rica
• Mexico
• Peru
• The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

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Mixed opinions by judges in Nicklinson case shows danger of Falconer bill

The mixed opinions of judges in this morning’s Supreme Court judgment (read the court's press summary) in the Nicklinson case shows the danger of Parliament passing the Falconer assisted suicide bill.

The warning came from SPUC Pro-Life a leading anti-euthanasia group which was represented officially before the courts in the Pretty and Purdy cases.

Paul Tully, SPUC’s general secretary, told the media earlier this morning:

“Although the Supreme Court has rejected the Nicklinson appeal in general, several Supreme Court justices have encouraged and even pressured Parliament to pass Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide bill. Today's judgment shows the real danger that judges who want to see assisted suicide allowed will undermine the Falconer bill’s weak safeguards for vulnerable people if the bill is passed. This danger adds to the urgent need for Parliamentarians robustly to oppose the Falconer bill.

Death as a new 'right' is a false right, that will not empower the vulnerable, but will empower the strong to kill the weak, the clever to kill the less educated, the fit to kill the unfit, adults to kill children.

The recent lessons from places like Holland and Belgium are clear: once the medical profession is given power to kill certain adult patients, the 'dyke is breached' and a small trickle of killings grows gradually at first to encompass more and more people, who, whether able to consent or not, are deemed to be 'lebensunwertes Leben' - 'life unworthy of life'.

"Those who should be particularly concerned by this judgment include:

• supporters of the hospice movement
• medical specialists
• care workers looking after elderly and disabled people
• disability rights groups
• people with congenital conditions like cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down's Syndrome, and cystic fibrosis
• people with acquired conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis, dementia, and terminal cancers."

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Friends of the Family group of nations tables pro-family resolution at the Human Rights Council

A group of United Nations member states representing all regions of the world, calling themselves "Friends of the Family", has introduced a draft resolution entitled "Protection of the Family", at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Among other things, the draft resolution:

• calls for "concerted actions to strengthen family-centred policies and programmes as part of an integrated comprehensve approach to human rights and development"
• recognises that "the family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of children"
• says that the family is "the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children"
• describes the family "the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State"

Pro-family lobbyists at the Human Rights Council session in Geneva have welcomed the draft resolution (see text below). These lobbyists include the Family Rights Caucus, Human Life International and Pat Buckley, representing the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC):

"This much-needed and long overdue initiative is intended to be a procedural resolution only, seeking a debate on protection of the family during the September session of the Council, followed by a report from the new High Commissioner. Rarely has a resolution been so vigorously resisted by anti-life and family forces.

Despite the fact that all the family references included in the document are from previously agreed Human Rights Treaties and Conventions, to which every country has acceded, the UK negotiating on behalf of the EU, the US, Australia, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway and others have stated that in order to achieve consensus, the draft resolution must explicitly include language to the effect that: “in different cultural, social and political systems various forms of the family exist”.

The resolution, on the other hand, refers to the generic term ‘the family’ as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the other treaties and covenants that form the Bill of Rights

The attacks on the resolution are ongoing and include false claims regarding the purpose, intent and scope of the resolution.

In an attempt to broaden the scope of the resolution beyond its simple procedural intent, it has been falsely claimed that the draft resolution fails to acknowledge widespread human rights violations and abuses occurring within families and would thereby undermine the Human Rights Council’s ability to address such violations.

Such claims, according to the Family Rights Caucus, are not only absurd, but they are being used as scare tactics to pressure UN Member States, either to abandon, or substantially weaken, the draft resolution by dramatically changing its intent, title and focus.

The UN Member States hostile to this resolution know full well that the meaning of this phrase ‘various forms of the family’ has evolved over time and has become extremely controversial and divisive. In other words these countries are attempting to force their ideological views on all nations in a manner that will only cause further division between Member States. They hope that by continuing to push for this controversial language, they may be able to stop the resolution in its tracks.

2014 is the International Year of the Family and it is not only appropriate for the Human Rights Council to issue a resolution on the protection of the family unit, it was in fact called for by this year’s Commission on Social Development (CSD), in resolution (CN.5/2014/L.5) which:
Invites “United Nations agencies and bodies” (including the HRC) to conduct and report on “activities in support of the objectives of the International Year of the Family and its follow-up processes and to share good practices and data on family policy development,” and
Calls upon “United Nations and regional entities . . . to promote and advance family empowerment”

The HRC panel on the family by proposing the current draft resolution on ‘Protection of the Family’ certainly answers this call.

The Friends of the Family group currently includes the following member states.
Bangladesh, China, Egypt, El Salvador, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Qatar, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Uganda and it is understood that more countries intend to join the group."

(One note of caution is the presence of China within the Friends of the Family group. China is of course notorious for its violation of family rights through its population control programme.)

In addition to the joint text above, Pat Buckley has sent the following message to the Friends of the Family Group:

"We are happy that a resolution on the family is finally under consideration and we believe that the currently proposed format is best for a procedural resolution.

We recommend that proposals to alter the title and to include such language as ‘various forms of the family’ should be resisted bearing in mind Article 16.3 of the Universal declaration on Human Rights, which uses the term ‘the family’;

“Whereas the United Nations has recognized that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, entitled to protection by society and State”

We submit that personal rights are well protected under other Conventions and Treaties and that protection of the family, far from being a threat to personal rights helps to underpin them.

To date however the family has largely been ignored despite the fact that it is one of the fundamental groups responsible for driving development and has been described by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon as the Key to attaining the SDCs.

“The majority of the Millennium Development targets, especially those relating to the reduction of poverty, education of children and reduction in maternal mortality, are difficult to attain unless the strategies to achieve them focus on the family.” (SG Family Report 2011 (A/66/62–E/2011/4)

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Doctors must consult before issuing "do not resuscitate" notes

Janet Tracey

Top story:

Doctors must consult before issuing "do not resuscitate" notes
The Court of Appeal has ruled that patients or their families should be consulted before "do not resuscitate" (DNR) notices are placed in their notes. The ruling was made in the case of Janet Tracey, 63, who had terminal lung cancer. Doctors at Addenbrooke's hospital, Cambridge, had placed a DNR notice in her notes without consulting either her or her family. [Sky, 17 June]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Georgia abortionist sentenced to 5 years in prison for criminal abortion [LifeSiteNews.com, 17 June]
• Taxpayers funded almost all abortions in England and Wales in 2013 [SPUC, 12 June]
• "We cannot be terrorised" Nigerian archbishop tells abortion lobby [John Smeaton, 12 June]

Embryology

• Boss of sperm donation business charged with multiple sex assaults [Mail, 16 June]

Euthanasia

• Kids should get help to kill themselves, say charities [Christian Institute, 17 June]

Sexual ethics

• Latin American nations reject same-sex unions at international assembly [LifeSiteNews.com, 17 June]
• San Francisco archbishop defies pressure to cancel March for Marriage appearance [LifeSiteNews.com, 16 June]

General

• Communique from pro-life conference in Abuja, Nigeria [Culture of Life Africa, 18 June]
• The Nigerian Pro-Life Anthem thrills me with its directness and innocence [John Smeaton, 13 June]
• In loving memory of Margaret Ann Harris [John Smeaton, 13 June]

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The Nigerian Pro-Life Anthem thrills me with its directness and innocence

The Nigerian Pro-Life Anthem which my SPUC colleagues and I heard performed last week in Abuja, at the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Pro-Life and Family Conference, is truly inspiring. It was performed in tribal dress from all over Nigeria.

It covers abortion, euthanasia, embryo research and the homosexual lifestyle. It is a loving affirmation of life and the family and the truth about human sexuality. Its directness and innocence (innocence of the fundamental undermining of authentic human and moral values) may be lost on many people in the West today.



The words of the song are printed below - and you can sing along. In Cardinal John Henry Newman's famous expression: "Heart speaks unto heart": The Nigerian Pro-Life Anthem, in its powerful simplicity and truth, thrilled me.

People in the West need also to reflect deeply on the teaching of Pope St John Paul II. In Evangelium Vitae paragraph 97, he taught that it is an illusion to think that we can build a true culture of human life if we do not offer adolescents and young adults an authentic education in sexuality, and in love, and the whole of life according to their true meaning and in their close interconnection.

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In loving memory of Margaret Ann Harris

Earlier this year, on 18th February, one of SPUC's staunchest supporters, Mrs Margaret Ann Harris, died. May she rest in peace!

Her life-time of work for the Society has been remembered and reflected in a most generous gift of £500 from monies (in lieu of flowers) collected at Margaret Ann's local church. Thus, through Mrs Harris's legacy - that is, her legacy of inspiring others to act to protect the lives of unborn children - a significant gift has been made which enables SPUC to continue our educational and political work in defence of those who cannot defend themselves.

David, her husband, tells me that a lot of the donations made at the church were from people unknown to him. On behalf of SPUC, I thank you all. We will not stop our work until every unborn child enjoys the full protection of the law.

I am sure that many of my readers will join me in prayer for the repose of Margaret's soul and will pray too that God may comfort and strengthen David, her husband, and all their family, at this difficult time.

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Taxpayers funded almost all abortions in England and Wales in 2013

Paul Tully, SPUC's General Secretary, has published the following statement on the abortion statistics for England and Wales, just published, for 2013:

The abortion statistics for 2013 published for England and Wales today reveal once again a huge toll of child-killing, now almost wholly funded by taxpayers. Over 8 million unborn children have now officially been slaughtered under Britain's iniquitous abortion law, the Abortion Act 1967.

Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said: "More abortions than ever are now funded by the NHS, and most of them are performed in private clinics by the so-called abortion charities. Nearly 119,000 unborn children were killed in private hospitals in 2013 at taxpayers' expense. A further 62,000 unborn children were killed in NHS hospitals - also at taxpayers' expense.

"Against this backdrop, the encouraging signs in today's figures are very meagre. The abortion rate among under-18s has dropped slightly for the 6th year in succession. At the same time the number of under-18s who conceive and give birth is also dropping.

"In the late 1990s, nearly 60% of babies conceived to girls under 18 were born, rather than aborted. But by 2007, under the Blair government's "Teenage Pregnancy Strategy", one baby was killed for every one born to this age group. The latest figures show that about 52% of babies conceived by under-18s survive to be born.

"Births to teenagers have dropped by about 25% in the past 6 years, while abortions dropped by about 40%."

"Whatever commentators make of these figures, they disguise thousands of individual tragedies like the 13 year-old recently sent for an abortion by judge Sir James Munby, president of the High Court Family Division, despite reports that a psychiatrist told the court that the abortion could worsen the girl's mental state," concluded Mr Tully.

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"We cannot be terrorised" Nigerian archbishop tells abortion lobby

I am still pinching myself whenever I think about my experience of the magnificent bishops who lead the Catholic Church in Nigeria.

At last week's pro-life conference in Abuja, organised by the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference, an official from the Nigerian health department arrived, strolled up to the podium and began to speak. A number of us were quite put out that he appeared to be taking the stage uninvited, with impunity, presenting the health department’s position as “pro-life” and then speaking vaguely about “reproductive health” etc.

After ten or 15 minutes of this, we wondered whether the bishops were being naive in letting him get away with it. Not so! ... as the video of the event I shot shows.

After about 15 minutes the presiding bishop rose to his feet to insist that the health official sit down and to listen to the conference speakers before he intervened any more.

When the health ministry official failed to leave the stage, a lawyer, Sonnie Ekwowusi, came forward and accused the health ministry official of lying about the government’s position.

As my second video, above, shows, he was immediately followed by Theresa Okafor, a member of the Holy See’s delegation at the UN, who told conference delegates that the health official had used ambiguous language in describing the Government's position on life issues. She explained that government and UN bodies interpret the right to “reproductive health” as the right to abortion on demand.

When the health official began to respond, the presiding bishop sternly ordered him to sit down and crossly deplored the health department’s action in sending along an official to lecture the conference and to lecture the Church; next time the bishops hold a pro-life conference, he said, government officials should be there, and should have the respect to listen to what is being said. Then a proper conversation with the government could take place.

At the end of the Conference, Archbishop Kaigama (pictured without a poster below), the president of the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference, said: "We cannot be terrorized into doing anything to diminish life and the family. We don't want an abortion industry in Africa. We want industries which produce food, which builds homes and roads, and other practical things which people need. Someone from the government came to give a lecture. They should have listened. This is not the way it should be!"

Please pray for Archbishop Kaigama and his fellow bishops. They see themselves, rightly, at the centre of the global defence of life, the truth about human sexuality, and moral values.

A few of the bishops who participated in the Nigerian
Catholic Bishops' Pro-Life Conference in Abuja

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Judge orders abortion on girl, 13, with intellect of 7 year old

Sir James Munby

Top story:

Judge orders abortion on girl, 13, with intellect of 7 year old
The High Court in London has approved an abortion in the case of a mentally-impaired teenager. The girl, aged 13, was said to have the intellect of a seven year-old. Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division of the High Court, held that an abortion was in the girl's best interests [Mail, 10 June]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Planned Parenthood removes letter claiming Bible okays abortion [LifeNews.com, 9 June]
• Thug attacked girlfriend to abort their unborn baby [Mail, 9 June]
• Police use draconian 'riot law' to break up pro-life vigil outside abortion clinic [Mail, 7 June]
• Russian Orthodox believers collect 100,000 signatures against abortion [Interfax, 29 May]

Embryology

• Robert Winston: my research could open door to 'risky' eugenics [Telegraph, 6 June]
• Three-parent embryo technique flouts global ethics says SPUC [SPUC, 4 June]

Euthanasia

• Belgian deacon confessed to killing up to 50 people in Catholic hospital [LifeSiteNews.com, 6 June]

Population

• Nigerian village chief astonished to meet English woman with six children [John Smeaton, 7 June]

General

• Nigerian bishops give standing ovation for UK pro-life leader's tough words [SPUC, 6 June]
• Students at pro-life conference in Nigeria [John Smeaton, 5 June]
• Catholic knights in Nigeria do major pro-life projects [John Smeaton, 5 June]
• Job opportunity: Personal Secretary to SPUC's Chief Executive [SPUC, 3 June]

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Bishop of Oyo leads Nigerian bishops' pro-life conference in song

Enjoy a brief glimpse of the sense of togetherness between the bishops and their people in the pro-life battle, expressed in song and followed by dance, which SPUC's team of speakers experienced at the Nigerian bishops' pro-life conference in Abuja last week.



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Nigerian village chief astonished to meet English woman with six children

Antonia Tully, along with other speakers at the International Family and Pro-Life Conference hosted by the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, visited a poor village on the outskirts of Abuja where the conference is taking place. Antonia, Pat Buckley and I are speaking at the bishops' conference on behalf of SPUC.

Here's how Antonia described her trip:

"The group was accompanied by Sister Cecilia, a Medical Missionary of Mary, who runs an outreach project to support and care for vulnerable families in the village of Dutse Alhaji.

"By western standards, Dutse Alhaji presents a shocking picture. The houses are crumbling, roughly-built brick dwellings with corrugated iron roofs. Families cook over open fires. The narrow pathways between the houses are umade dirt tracks, with open waste waterways criss-crossing the village. This is a very poor place.

"The visiting party was welcomed by the village chief, a Muslim, who invited the group into his palace - a lowly building only slightly better than the surrounding houses.

"Having removed their shoes, the other visitors and I sat on the floor while the chief presided over the gathering from his sofa, dressed in his regal robes.

"I introduced myself saying that I was married with six children and in my role at SPUC I do a lot of work with Muslim mothers in England, helping them to protect their children from immoral sex education.

"Replying to his visitors, the village chief expressed his astonishment at meeting a white woman who has six children. 'Why are we being told that we should only have two children?' he exclaimed.

"The chief spoke of the common ground tween Islam and Christianity ... that the people of both religions should strive to lead Godly lives and protect unborn children. The chief also said that he wanted to give a message to the people of his village that men and women must be faithful to their partners.

"The purpose of the visit to Dutse Alhaji was to witness at first hand the target of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the other agencies of the culture of death. 

"Yes, the villagers of Dutse Alhaji are living in very poor circumstances. Yes, every effort must be made to improve their material circumstances.

"But bribing and cajoling the villagers of Dutse Alhaji, as the population control lobby commonly does, into accepting contraception and abortion, is not the solution. Offering the poor people of villages like Dutse Alhaji contraception and abortion is not the answer to their daily hardships."
 

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