JOHN SMEATON, DIRECTOR OF SPUC

A blog launched on the 41st anniversary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the first pro-life organisation in the world, established on 11 January 1967. SPUC has been a leader in the educational and political battle against abortion, human embryo experimentation and euthanasia since then. I write this blog in my role as SPUC's chief executive, commenting on pro-life news, reflecting on pro-life issues and promoting SPUC's work.

Saturday, 10 May 2014

Scottish Catholic leaders and others defend parents' rights

Yesterday I reported that the leaders of Scotland's largest NHS boards want every Scottish child to be brainwashed into accepting same-sex marriage, and to be given the power overrule their parents' objection to such "sex education".

I am in Scotland and was greeted by this news when I picked up my morning newspaper yesterday morning.

How encouraging, then, to pick up my morning paper this morning and to read another story. The Telegraph reports that Catholic Church leaders in Scotland and leaders of the Kirk are fighting back, accusing NHS boards of making an "inappropriate" and "highly political" intervention and of actively undermining "the rights and consciences of parents".

Whilst I've been in Scotland these past few days I have met a number of church leaders and I am not surprised to note the strength of their immediate defence of parental rights.

I am not surprised, but I'm also mightily relieved that Catholic Church leaders and others in Scotland and others have spoken out. Let's just reflect again on what The Telegraph reported yesterday: in a letter from Scotland's largest health boards to Scottish government ministers, NHS leaders have protested against new draft sex education guidance. The Telegraph report states:

"Allowing children to withdraw from sex education lessons on the grounds of conscience risks them coming under pressure from parents opposed to gay marriage, the health boards warned.

"Instead they argued that the guidance should include greater protections against parents mounting campaigns against the content of the lessons. Children should be given the power to overrule their mothers and fathers, it was suggested."

As I said in my speech at the Legatus Convention in Orlando:

" ... we cannot defeat the culture of death which threatens constantly to overwhelm us on our own. Pro-life organizations and the wider community must be fortified by unequivocal, unyielding voices of Catholic Church officials and bishops throughout the world"

... as well as other church leaders.

As the threat in England grows (as I reported yesterday), I pray that we will see similar robust leadership from church leaders in our country too.

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Friday, 9 May 2014

Respond to inquiry into compulsory sex ed

The Education Select Committee of the House of Commons has launched an inquiry into personal, social and health education (PSHE) in schools. PSHE covers a number of topics such as drug education, healthy eating and so on. Sex and relationship education (SRE) is also covered in this topic.

We are very concerned that this inquiry will be used to make sex education a compulsory schools subject. This would mean that children as young as five years old would have to learn about sexual matters. Parents would be unable to protect their children from inappropriate teaching.

It is absolutely vital that there is an overwhelming response from parents, grandparents, teachers, clergy and all concerned citizens saying "no" to compulsory sex education. Compulsory sex education will sever parents from the moral upbringing of their children. And the innocence of children will be wiped out by ever more sexual content in the classroom.

Every school will be affected by this. Every child deserves to be protected.

Please download SPUC's briefing to help you respond to this inquiry. Please circulate the briefing as widely as possible asking others to respond to the inquiry. The deadline for responses is the first week of June (see the briefing for further details).

P.S. You may have seen this frightening report today by The Telegraph:
"NHS chiefs tell ministers: Change sex education lessons to make all pupils learn about gay marriage"

The NHS in Scotland wants:

all children to learn about gay marriage in sex education lessons
children to be given the power to overrule their parents
a stop to parents campaigning against the content of sex education lessons
training for teachers to help them overcome their objections to gay marriage.

Read SPUC Safe at School's reaction "Brainwashing children about gay marriage condemned by parents' rights group"

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Brainwashing children about gay marriage condemned by parents' rights group

SPUC Safe at School has condemned calls from Scottish health boards for parents to hand over their children's moral education to the state.

See today's Telegraph story, "NHS chiefs tell ministers: Change sex education lessons to make all pupils learn about gay marriage"

Safe at School said that Scotland's largest NHS boards want nothing less than to brainwash every Scottish child into accepting same-sex marriage, by setting up children to overrule their parents.

Antonia Tully, national coordinator of Safe at School, told the media earlier today:

"The NHS is demanding that parents hand over their children to state indoctrination. I believe that Scottish parents will be quick to see that this is about using innocent children as pawns to promote same-sex marriage. We will be organising meetings in Scotland to empower parents to protect their own children."

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Thursday, 8 May 2014

Welcome for decision not to fund abortion of Northern Ireland babies

Pro-life campaigners in Northern Ireland have welcomed the decision by the High Court in London to reject claims that women from the Province should be entitled to "free" NHS abortions in Britain. The Court ruled that there is no legal obligation on health services in England and Wales to provide publicly funded abortions which would be unlawful within Northern Ireland.

Liam Gibson, the development officer for SPUC in Northern Ireland told the media earlier today:

"While this result is what we would have expected had it gone the other way it would not only have led to more children being killed but it would had serious implications for the rule of law and the value of Northern Ireland's devolved institutions. This case is merely the latest effort of abortion advocates in Britain to undermine our law. We have every right to defend our unborn children by law and the High Court recognised that.”

Liam said he believed that the real motivation behind the case was the potential increase in revenue for English abortion providers:

"Over the years it has been the strategy of abortion providers to make money from the tax-payer by billing the NHS for abortions. This case was about organisations like Marie Stopes International angling for more money from the NHS. Despite enormous pressure from the pro-abortion lobby the number of women seeking abortions in Britain has continued to decline. The figure for 2012 was down by about one third of what it was 10 years earlier.

More and more people, and not just in Northern Ireland, are appalled by the culture of abortion which has taken root in Britain where around 98 percent of abortions performed fail even to meet the legal criteria. Under the Abortion Act disabled children in Britain can be legally aborted right up to birth but the British Government has even been ambivalent about ending the scandal of sex-selective abortions where babies are targeted simply because they're girls. Nor has the health department taken action against doctors who break the law by pre-signing abortion forms. To see what liberal abortion laws can do to a society the people of Northern Ireland only need to look across the water to Britain. We are determined that that's not going to happen to our country," said Mr Gibson. “Women in crisis pregnancies don’t need free abortions, they need help and support so that they don’t feel they have no choice but to kill their babies.”

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

15-year-old supporter's heartfelt abortion plea

Allow me to share with you the feelings of Estelle Dawson, a 15-year-old supporter of SPUC, about abortion. Here's the message she sent to SPUC recently:

"Hello,

"I am writing to share with you a poem which I wrote in a campaign against abortion. I'm a 15 year old girl who wasn't able to attend your most recent conference [SPUC's youth and student conference] fortunately my eldest brother did and was able to share his experience with me.

"There was no great intention in my poem other than turning the way I felt into words in the hope of making people think about the legal murder that we accept as a 'normal' part of modern life.

"Thank you.

"Yours

"Estelle Dawson"

Mass Slaughter of Mankind.

If you were to find,
A new child of mankind,

Would you end its life?

I'm sure you wouldn't,
Or better yet, that you couldn't,

You would not end its life.

This living child,
Oh so gentle, oh so mild,

You would not end its life.

Its small feeble hands,
The way it can't stand,

You would not end its life.

It's beauty in existence,
Gods creation and consistence,

Could you end its life?

If you agree,
Then why be an adoptee,

To malicious inhumanity,
For reasons such as vanity,

When you could be antiabortion,
And stop this human distortion,

To not think it's okay,
To murder and betray,

Someone so delicate and frail,
Just because you're a female.

So, would you still end their life?

Monday, 5 May 2014

Stolen Childhood conference tackles child sexualisation

An important conference on child sexualisation held in London last week was organized by the Combined Working Party of the Lords and Commons Child Protection Group. It covered sex education, the grooming and abuse of children through social media, and how to combat bullying and same-sex parenting. It featured Antonia Tully, of SPUC's Safe at School, amongst other leaders.

It's important that parents in particular thoroughly immerse themselves in these dangers to our children. There are already moves in this Parliament which are paving the way for the introduction of compulsory sex education in the next Parliament. Watch this space.

Parents cannot expect the overwhelming majority of church leaders of all denominations to help them in combatting these dangers. On the contrary. This is the tragic reality of the plight of children and of parents in the Church and in the society of the early 21st century.

Prepare for battle!

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Friday, 2 May 2014

Walk in reparation for abortion in York

On this coming Sunday, 4th May, there's a walk for life in York.

It's a walk in reparation for the legalizing of abortion and praying for the healing of wounds caused by abortion.

The timetable is as follows:

1 - 1.25: Prayers in St. Wilfrid's Church, Petersgate, YO1 7EF
1.30: Procession starts from the West front precinct of York Minster
Process to Margaret Clitheroe Monument, Ousebridge, where 80 red and white flowers will be thrown into river, representing 8,000,000 aborted babies.
Process to Bar Convent grounds. Veneration of relic of St Margaret Clitheroe
Process to Knavesmire for prayers
Process to Church of English Martyrs, Dalton Terrace YO24 4DA for Holy Mass at approximately 5 p.m.

Further details regarding transport etc can be obtained from Pat Sammon on 0113 2582745 or 07747 698553.

The total distance of the walk is approximately 2 miles. Both St Wilfred’s Church, Petersgate, and English Martyrs Church,Dalton Terrace, are open for prayer all day.

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Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Undercover video exposes cruelty to elderly in care home

Photo from undercover video

Undercover video exposes cruelty to elderly in care home
Undercover filming by BBC's Panorama has revealed shocking cruelty against elderly residents of a care home in Essex, England. Residents at the Old Deaney, Braintree, were slapped, handled roughly, taunted, mocked, ignored and neglected. One member of staff has been sacked, while seven more have been suspended pending an investigation. [BBC, 30 April] Anthony Ozimic of SPUC commented: "This scandal is only one of many cases in which elderly and ill people in England have suffered appalling institutional abuse. Laws and policies which permit euthanasia will only add to the prejudice that many in society have against the elderly and the disabled.

Other stories:

Embryology

London woman is surrogate mother for sister [Mail, 27 April]

Sexual ethics

Northern Ireland Assembly votes against same-sex marriage for third time [Christian Institute, 29 April]
PM to reject opposite-sex civil partnerships [Christian Institute, 29 April]
Top family judge calls for no-fault divorce for all [Telegraph, 29 April]
Vatican lifts writing-ban on dissenter on sexual ethics [Universe, 29 April]

General

English Catholic bishop shuts down deacon's pro-life/pro-family blog [Protect the Pope, 29 April]

Saturday, 26 April 2014

My interview by Michael Voris

I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by Michael Voris, the great American Catholic apologist, on his Mic'd Up! programme on ChurchMilitant.TV. You can watch the interview below or on YouTube. I spoke about:

the fine work of my colleagues at SPUC
the successes and expertise of the pro-life movement
the importance of Catholic Church leadership to winning the pro-life fight
the geo-political significance of pro-life battle in English-speaking world
the effect of international anti-life agencies on developing world
the scandal of Holy Communion for pro-abortion politicians
the importance of marriage and families for protecting unborn children
the need for Catholic Church leaders to speak out against contraception and abortifacient birth control
the scandalous appointment of dissenters as Catholic officials

Friday, 25 April 2014

Newcastle MP gives support to campaign to protect children from explicit sex education

Mary Glindon, Member of Parliament for North Tyneside, has given her support to a national parents' rights campaign which opposes making sex education a compulsory classroom subject.

Mrs Glindon attended a packed public meeting at Tyneside Irish Centre on Tuesday evening, addressed by Antonia Tully of SPUC's Safe at School campaign. Safe at School upholds the rights of parents to protect their children against unacceptable sex education.

Mary Glindon MP

Antonia told a shocked audience about the graphic nature of sex education which exposes children to damaging images and messages. She also told the meeting that claims by Ofsted that a lack of sex education makes children vulnerable to abuse are unfounded.

Antonia Tully

RCOG faculty bars pro-life medics

Top story:

RCOG faculty bars pro-life medics
A faculty of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology (RCOG) has barred pro-life medics. New guidelines by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) bar doctors and nurses who have a conscientious objection to abortifacient birth control. Such medics will not be allowed to become faculty-members nor receive qualifications or training from the faculty. [Peter Saunders, 23 April]

Other stories:

Abortion

Oregon county puts stop to incinerating aborted babies for electricity [LifeSiteNews.com, 24 April]
Nearly 1,000 Texas women hospitalized every year after botched abortions [LifeNews.com, 22 April]

Euthanasia

Elderly care demand to 'outstrip' family supply [BBC, 24 April]
Right-to-die 'guidelines' not on cards [Irish Independent, 24 April]
Mother arrested on suspicion of murdering her three 'terminally ill' children [Telegraph, 23 April]

Population

Chilling unearthed video: Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger says, ‘No more babies’ [LifeSiteNews.com, 22 April]
Shocking photos show China’s one-child policy in action [LifeSiteNews.com, 22 April]

Sexual ethics

10-year-old boy raped male classmate after watching porn [LifeSiteNews.com, 23 April]
Three lesbians are 'married' in Massachusetts [Mail, 23 April]

General

Church will always proclaim life, Argentine archbishop says [CNA, 23 April]
Poll shows most nations around the world find abortion, homosexuality immoral [LifeSiteNews.com, 22 April]

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Doctors who signed blank abortion forms are let off

Top stories:

Doctors who signed blank abortion forms are let off
Over 60 doctors who pre-signed blank abortion authorisation forms will not be disciplined, according to The Mail. The newspaper obtained the information through a Freedom of Information request. The General Medical Council (GMC) has taken the decision not to discipline the doctors, despite an investigation by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which confirmed the unlawful practice. [Mail, 22 April]

Other stories:

Abortion

Alabama Supreme Court recognizes child in the womb has fundamental rights [Catholic Online, 22 April]
Sinn Féin's Paul Maskey says sorry to Bishop John McAreavey over abortion letter [BBC, 17 April]

Euthanasia

Brain-damaged man communicates with doctors after 10 years [news.com.au, 20 April]

Population

China’s hope for baby-boom likely to become policy bust [Washington Times, 20 April]

Sexual ethics

SPUC's Anthony Ozimic in superb debating form on same-sex marriage [John Smeaton, 22 April]
UK ministers drafting law to make online pornography sites ban children [Telegraph, 21 April]
Christian nursery worker 'sacked after refusing to read gay stories to children' [Telegraph, 19 April]

General

Inspirational father-son Team Hoyt race their last Boston marathon [LifeNews.com, 21 April]

SPUC's Anthony Ozimic in superb debating form on same-sex marriage

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, is in superb debating form in "The Big Debate" on same-sex marriage at the University of Westminster:

Visitors to my blog may recall Anthony's tour-de force back in January 2013 on ITV's This Morning programme on the subject of same-sex marriage and schools. Not only did Anthony hold his own against what was a three-against-one cross-examination, but the gap in the viewing public's opinions narrowed during the debate from 80%-20% to 60%-40%.

On this occasion, Anthony is debating against David Allison, a spokesperson for Outrage, a militant homosexual campaigning group.

I recommend everyone to watch how Anthony deals concisely, reasonably and convincingly with:

the history of marriage
the best interests of children
the structure of marriage, and
why same-sex marriage is a disordered lifestyle choice.

It's clearly essential that all those who seeking to uphold marriage as the permanent, exclusive union of one man and one woman, and as the fundamental goup unit of society, does so in a calm and measured way - as Anthony succeeds in doing in the brief debate recorded above.

Friday, 18 April 2014

New Premier of New South Wales supports pro-life, pro-family values

Mike Baird and family

Top stories:

New Premier of New South Wales supports pro-life, pro-family values
Mike Baird, the new Premier of New South Wales, Australia's largest state, supports pro-life and pro-family values. The Guardian reports that Mr Baird voted for a bill which could give personhood rights to some unborn children. He also voted against embryonic stem cell research and same-sex marriage. [Guardian, 17 April]

Brian Harradine

Brian Harradine, pro-life Australian politician, dies age 79
Brian Harradine, the pro-life Australian former politician, has died aged 79. [SBS, 14 April] John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, said: "Senator Brian Harradine was an inspirational figure for me, who almost single-handedly stopped the Australian government from funding the anti-life population control lobby. I fondly remember his visit to SPUC’s offices in Westminster in the late 1970s. When he walked into our office, shortly after we had moved in, he said 'Gee, this is a mess! The Holy Spirit must be here'. Certainly he demonstrated in his political life the power of the Holy Spirit in confounding our enemies. May he rest in peace."

Embryology

The rise of 'social' surrogacy [Mail, 16 April]
Scientists discover how sperm and egg bind [Telegraph, 16 April]

Population

Philippines population control law gets judicial green light [LifeSiteNews.com, 16 April]

Sexual ethics

Judge Sir Paul Coleridge retires and calls for end to family breakdown [Telegraph, 17 April]

General

Hospital let 22-week preemie die despite mother’s urgent pleas [LifeSiteNews.com, 16 April]

Thursday, 17 April 2014

Families: Beware the homosexual lobby's agenda

Ruth Hunt, the acting head of Stonewall, the UK's main homosexual lobby, wrote an article recently for "Pink News" entitled: "We must celebrate equal marriage whilst looking ahead to what is still to be done".

As I say in my forthcoming column in SPUC's Pro-Life Times: "This aggressive homosexual rights group wants to probe right into family homes – yours and mine – to dictate what parents should teach to their children. And they’ll be looking for legislation to enforce this".

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager who has studied the homosexual lobby in Britain carefully, has written the following helpful reflections on Hunt's article:

After reflecting on the legal recognition of same-sex pseudo-marriage, she writes: "This is an important milestone. But we’re not done yet. We must use our skills and energy to make sure homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are eradicated from our schools, our streets, ours sports fields, our workplaces, our churches and our homes. And we must support our friends abroad."

Hunt deploys the term "homophobia" but, in her article, does not define it. Both the word and the concept of "homophobia" were invented by an American psychologist at the height of the 1960s' sexual revolution. Some soi-disant pro-family commentators have accepted this ideological neologism and use it imprudently to try to position themselves as more reasonable than their sounder colleagues. They accept the gay rights lobby's narrative that irrational negativity towards individuals homosexuals exists to a significant extent in society. The dangerous folly of this acceptance can be clearly seen when we consider what the narrative about "homophobia" will mean in reality.

Stonewall's official definition of homophobia is "the irrational hatred, intolerance, and fear of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people." This official definition, however, masks the reality of how "homophobia" is being deployed. Dr Evan Harris, the former Liberal Democrat MP and a vice-president of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, who has called for the Church of England to be disestablished because it is "homophobic" , claimed that "lots of religious texts are homophobic" and argued that "discrimination against having gay sex equals discrimination against gay people" Dr Harris has also called for faith schools to be stopped from sacking or rejecting a teacher based on their marital status, and for religious organisations not to withhold public services from users on "sexual grounds".

If we move away from the high ground of politico-moral discourse and descend the low ground of trash television, we see exactly the same dynamic at work. In January this year, Evander Holyfield, the retired boxer, appeared on Channel Four's "Celebrity Big Brother". In the course of a casual conversation, one of the other celebrities raised the subject of homosexuals in sport, to which Holyfield replied with brief remarks that homosexuality was unnatural, contrary to Biblical morality and a curable condition. The programme's production team disciplined Holyfield and warned him that "expressing these views will be extremely offensive to many people...Big Brother does not tolerate the use of offensive language..." Boy George, the homosexual pop singer, reacted to Holyfield's comments by tweeting: "At customs there should be a huge sign! Welcome to Britain, racism, sexism, homophobia and bad hair are not tolerated!"

The result of this dynamic is that "homophobia" can be deployed to devastating effect to relegate anyone who objects to any aspect of homosexuality to "an irrational hatred, intolerance, and fear of" homosexuals, akin to racism. So when Ruth Hunt calls for action "to make sure homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are eradicated from our schools, our streets, ours sports fields, our workplaces, our churches and our homes", this will mean the eradication of the freedom to uphold normative sexual morality. To achieve this, new laws would need to be passed, especially laws to disempower parents and to make pro-homosexuality sex education compulsory in schools. A very disturbing development in this area is the proposal by the Scottish Government to assign every child with a state guardian. This proposal is reminiscent of the surveillance of citizens by Communist regimes and of the control exercised by sects over their victims. Such power to interfere in family life will almost certainly be used to clamp down on any parents who dare to preserve their children from the influence of the sexual rights agenda - abortion, contraception, homosexuality. The sexual rights lobby have always known that the complete success of their agenda depends upon suppressing the right of parents to be primary educators of their children in moral matters.

All this is why SPUC has a Safe at School campaign - to help parents protect their children. Find our more today about SPUC's Safe at School campaign.

Friday, 11 April 2014

Sponsor Juan as he carries 8ft cross 60km for unborn children

Tomorrow Juan Rios Perez flys out from London to Spain, where he will start a 60km sponsored walk for SPUC across the island of Mallorca, carrying a cross almost eight foot in height (exact size 240cm x 132cm).

Juan's walk will start at Lloseta and finish at the Oratory of San Salvador, Felanitx. He writes:

"I was born in the south of Spain (Malaga) to a family of traditional Spanish Catholic farmers. In 1980, I met my wife (Deborah) from London, on the island of Mallorca. Two years later we wed in 1982.

My daughter Sophia was born 3 years later in 1985. By that time I had a business with my wife which stagnated during the late 1980s recession. By the end of 1988 we decided to sell our business as it had become difficult to keep running. We made the decision to move to London, my wife's home-city for good.

My son Jonathan was born upon my first year in the UK. At that time I was working as a professional photographer. I later changed my career, as I had very little quality-time to spend with my wife and children due to the work commitments of a professional photographer. In February 1991, I took a two-year catering course at Westminster College and qualified as a chef in July 1993.

Unfortunately, in June 2000, my wife was diagnosed with cancer. She was given all the treatment possible but passed away in August 2001. Her death changed my life, and since then I have dedicated myself to Jesus, to preaching His word and reading Sacred Scripture.

Today, I am an active member of the pro-life movement. It is my voluntary sacrifice to raise money for the protection of unborn children. As a devout Catholic, my priority is always to serve God and my family all the days of my life."

To sponsor Juan, visit https://www.spuc.org.uk/support/donations or telephone SPUC on 020 7091 7091.

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Thursday, 10 April 2014

The gloves are off in the fight over "sexual rights" here at the UN

This week I have been attending the 47th session of the Commission on Population and Development at the United Nations in New York. I have been working with SPUC's veteran lobbyists, Pat Buckley (pictured standing in the photo) and Peter Smith (sitting). We have been joined this week by the redoubtable Obianuju Ekeocha, pictured with us, representing Culture of Life Africa.

The ugly, anti-life agenda has been all too evident this week here at the United Nations. The gloves are off and war is being waged against the unborn, marriage, children and the family. The pro-abortion lobby - which is out here in force - is being led by the likes of Lynne Featherstone on behalf of the British government - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development. I will say more about that another day.

Here's SPUC lobbyist Pat Buckley's bird's eye view of what's happening:

"This meeting has to be viewed through the lens the original Cairo Conference on Population and development (in 1994) during which an uneasy balance was reached between the radical western sexual rights agenda and the more generally accepted societal norms for life and family issues.

"Tragically, the Cairo agreement, twenty years ago, has never stopped the anti life lobby from endeavouring to implement their complete agenda of sexual and reproductive rights, which includes, amongst other things, abortion on demand, comprehensive sexuality education for children and adolescents and acceptance of every form of same sexual practice plus same sex marriage.

"It has become clear during the conference that the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has been targeting some of the small Caribbean and Pacific Island States in order to promote their radical sexual agenda. Many of these small Island nations from Kiribati, to Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, and Papua New Guinea, suddenly began speaking up for the first time and became abortion and sexual rights activist countries overnight."

Pat tells me: "The population and 'sexual rights' lobby don’t care about the real needs of small Island Nations and developing countries. All they seem to care about is advancing their sexual rights agenda".

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Job opportunities at SPUC

10 April 2014
Support Development Officer
SPUC wishes to recruit a full-time Support Development Officer (37½ hours per week), whose role will be to inspire support for the pro-life cause through the organising and promotion of:

youth activities
clergy and religious group projects
SPUC branch and volunteer activities.

He or she will:

have an absolute commitment to the pro-life cause
be educated to university degree level or be able to demonstrate success at project management, as well as an ability to write and carry out basic research
enjoy working with people and possess good inter-personal skills
be willing to travel, and to work some weekends.

The position will be based in SPUC’s Kennington HQ and salary will be according to age and experience.

The deadline for applications is 12 May 2014.

To request an application pack, please contact:
Patrick Kingman, SPUC, Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, London, SE11 4AB. Email: patkingman@spuc.org.uk Telephone: 020 7820 3121

10 April 2014
Secretary to SPUC’s Chief Executive
SPUC wishes to recruit a part-time Secretary to SPUC’s Chief Executive (15-25 hours per week, negotiable).

Applicants must have:

an absolute commitment to the pro-life cause
a minimum of 3 years’ experience working at director/board level
be able to cope with a wide range of secretarial responsibilities.

Duties will include:

drafting letters
taking dictation
maintaining a filing system
assisting in making travel arrangements
photocopying and printing.

Advanced word-processing and shorthand skills essential. You must enjoy working under pressure and have excellent communication and organisational skills.

The position will be based in SPUC’s Kennington HQ and salary details are available on request.

The deadline for applications is 12 May 2014.

To request an application pack, please contact:
Patrick Kingman, SPUC, Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, London, SE11 4AB. Email: patkingman@spuc.org.uk Telephone: 020 7820 3121

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Friday, 4 April 2014

Concern grows regarding Cardinal Nichols's position on compulsory sex education

LifeSite News has published an important story on Cardinal Nichols's current position on compulsory sex education.

At the heart of the story is a statement made last January by Lord Knight (pictured right) during a debate in the House of Lords in which he referred to his past "very good conversations with Cardinal Nichols" on the subject of compulsory sex education. Lord Knight was a minister in the (former) Department for Children, Schools and Families.

In 2010 I wrote on this blog about how Archbishop Nichols painted the then (Labour) Government's intentions in an entirely positive light - at a time when the government was making it absolutely clear that their intention was to promote abortion, contraception, and homosexuality in all state schools, including in Catholic schools.

Antonia Tully of SPUC's Safe at School warns: "It is quite clear that an incoming Labour government would lose no time in making sex education compulsory" (my emphasis). In view of this political threat to our families, I trust that the Cardinal will lose no time in reviewing his position with a view to protecting the innocence and welfare of our children and grandchildren as well as the lives of unborn children.

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Monday, 31 March 2014

Abortion-compromised London "Catholic" hospital to remove orthodox Catholics from Board this evening

LifeSite is reporting that there's a meeting today at which the Board of Trustees Company for the the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth will be removing from its Board a number of orthodox Catholics.

LifeSite reports:

The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, which calls itself "the UK’s premier Catholic Hospital," is attempting to remove from its Trustee Company several orthodox Catholics. The hospital, despite taking "great pride" in its "Catholic ethos", hosts a National Health Service clinic that refers women for abortions.

LifeSiteNews called the hospital and was informed that Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, [pictured above] was still patron of the hospital despite this fact not being mentioned on their website at the time of writing.

(I have written previously of the approval given by Cardinal Murphy O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, of an ethical code at St John and St Elizabeth’s Hospital, London, which failed to ban abortion referrals, unlike the previous code approved by the hospital board in 2007.)

I understand that the Hospital's board meeting to remove orthodox Catholics takes place this evening.

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Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Bishop Egan answers pro-abortion Catholic MPs

In a further interview published today, Bishop Philip Egan, the bishop of Portsmouth, has 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.

“Those who do not accept the Catholic Church’s principle teachings on the value of life – as expressed in her teaching on abortion, on marriage and family life, on euthanasia, on eugenics and on assisted suicide – the main tenets of Christian anthropology – are rejecting Christ’s vision for the human person, whom he redeemed on the Cross,” told LifeSite News in a second interview.

“Abortion, euthanasia, eugenics, assisted suicide gravely degrade and undermine respect for the dignity and value of human life,” he said.

LifeSite put Bishop Egan's comments about the reception of Communion into context thus:

"Egan’s statements reflect those of American Cardinal Raymond Burke who recently called a priest’s refusal to give Holy Communion to a publicly dissenting Catholic politician a 'prime act of pastoral charity', since it helps the person in question to 'avoid sacrilege and safeguard[s] the other faithful from scandal.'”

You may wish to write to Bishop Egan to thank him for his clear, firm and loving pastoral leadership at bishop@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

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Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Shocking disposal of fetal remains is the result of our abortion culture

Last night a Channel 4 Dispatches programme highlighted the disposal of human remains from aborted and miscarried babies in NHS hospitals.

Paul Tully (pictured right), General Secretary of Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), has commented to the media on the revelations in the programme. Here's what he said:

“We welcome the efforts of those who have highlighted these appalling practices, but we insist that the answer is not as simple as having a new code of practice or better ways of treating babies’ remains. We must stop killing babies like these by abortion and then we will know how to respect the dead.

“The way we treat those who have died is important, yet parents who lose a baby by miscarriage or abortion are rarely consulted over the disposal of the baby’s remains.

“The reluctance to consult families in these situations is undoubtedly linked to our barbaric abortion policies, even if sometimes after late abortions everyone admits that the baby is a baby and tries at least to respect his or her remains.

“There are two issues at stake here. One is the feelings of the parents, and the other is the respect due to the dead – in this case a dead unborn child, killed by abortion or who has died as a result of spontaneous miscarriage.

“Some argue that because very early spontaneous miscarriage is not marked by social ceremony, and may be unrecognised by the mother herself, this indicates that the human embryo is not a person. This approach is used to argue for an arbitrary time before which the unborn are treated as non-persons.

“In fact the unborn has all the essential attributes of a person from conception, even though some characteristics take months or years to develop fully. If we feel differently about the unborn, it is simply because he or she is a stranger – someone we have not yet met or developed affection for.

“Until we reject the abortion culture and learn to honour all mothers – including expectant mothers and bereaved mothers - the sickening consequences of aborting over 500 babies every day will continue to resurface and unsettle us.”

Monday, 24 March 2014

She risked her show-business career to protect unborn children

Read in full in LifeSite News about the lady who risked her show-business career as a pop singer and Ireland's number one sweetheart - to fight for the unborn in politics. As LifeSite's report concludes:

In 1997, Dana entered politics with a nomination to run in the Irish presidential election. Not forgetting the faces of the women [who had suffered the pain of an abortion], she ran her campaign on defending life from conception and protecting Christian family values, both enshrined in the Irish Constitution and both being undermined by a heavy-handed European Union. Dana managed to beat out one of Ireland’s major political parties — earning 14 percent of the vote — but did not win the election.

In 1999, Dana became elected as a Member of the European Parliament, a position she held until 2004. During this time, in spite of intense opposition, she courageously defended her country’s constitutional protection of the unborn and constitutionally-backed marriage law that defined marriage as between a man and woman.

Dana continues through her music and speaking engagements to work for peace, Christian family values, and respect for life. “I love to sing, but I love people,” she said.

Take inspiration from SPUC's youth conference video

Take a few moments to be inspired by the young people who attended SPUC's international pro-life youth conference earlier this month.

And write to conference@spuc.org.uk if you want to be sure of a place at next year's youth conference ... somewhere in England, at the same time of year.

You can also read a full report of the conference and a wonderful message from one of the young people who attended.

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Friday, 21 March 2014

We can be happy, say people with Down Syndrome

Please watch this beautiful testimony - addressed to mums - from people with Down Syndrome. They say "We can be happy ... Don't be afraid ... ".

On Sunday I am hearing a Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, to celebrate the work of the Lejeune Clinic and the unrivalled advice and help they have given to children with Down Syndrome and their parents, assisting Down Syndrome people with their education and development. The SPUC Education and Research Trust is proud of its long association with the clinic, ever since its inception, and the late Professor Jerome Lejeune was President of SPUC.

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Suffer with Christ and defend life and marriage, says Bishop Mark Davies

In an interview with John-Henry Westen, editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, Rt Rev Mark Davies, delivered the following message to those involved in the pro-life movement and in the defence of marriage:

“I would say not to be afraid because I think we’ve got to have confidence that the essential goodness of the message that we are teaching, its truth, is going to attract the generations to come and what I often say is what we are doing now... is for the generations who will follow us.”

The bishop spoke of the ‘growing intolerance which we are seeing in society, which is in many way reducing the space in which Christians can live and give witness to their faith’. Bishop Davies called on those suffering under persecution to look to the Cross which he called a sign of ‘sharing the suffering of Christ’ and ‘the promise of victory... in so far as we remain united to Him in truth and in love.’

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Thursday, 20 March 2014

Nigeria withstands the international anti-life sexual rights lobby

Pat Buckley, SPUC's lobbyist at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, reports to me today:

Nigeria has been resisting pressure to change its laws on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The outcome of the Nigerian Universal Periodic Review was presented at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 20th. H.E. Mr. Umunna Humphrey Orjiako (pictured right) spoke on behalf of behalf of Nigeria.

The report of the working group shows that Nigeria has rejected pressure from a number of member states to introduce 'same sex marriage'. Nigeria rejected the recommendations on sexual orientation and gender of the following states:

Austria

Czech Republic

Sweden

France

Uruguay

Argentina

Australia

Canada

The United States

Slovakia recommended the introduction of sex education in the school curricula and France called for the continuation of work in favour of women’s rights […] including respecting sexual and reproductive rights.

The Centre for Reproductive Rights called for more family planning, sex education and abortion and complained that there was inadequate access to so called 'safe abortion'.

ILGA, the gay-lesbian organization, substantially funded by the European Commission, expressed deep concern about the prohibition of same sex marriage. They complained about a witch-hunt against and arrests of homosexuals. They also complained that none of the recommendations on sexual orientation had been accepted by Nigeria.

Mr. Orjiako in winding up the debate told the meeting Nigeria does not witch-hunt anyone and the laws on 'same sex marriage' were arrived at through a democratic process to which no one can object.

Nigerian Catholic Bishops launch national pro-life seminar to prepare for Family Synod

Here are stirring words, simple words which are full of hope for humanity, from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN):

"In the light of various global attacks on Human Life, Marriage and the Family, which work to erode Christian and Cultural values, we urge all to join in the preparation for the forthcoming Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in October 2014 under the theme: "Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization". We congratulate all the dioceses in Nigeria which took part in recent consultations on the family initiated by the Holy See. As further preparation for the Synod, we, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, are organizing a Seminar on Pro-Life issues under the theme: 'Witnessing to the Dignity of every Human Life'. It will take place in Abuja from June 5 to 7, 2014 at This Day Dome, International Central Business District, Abuja. We hope in this way to affirm Christian families, Youth and organizations that promote the culture of life. We urge all people of goodwill to fully support the forthcoming Seminar."

It is encouraging for families, pro-life and pro-family groups that Catholic leaders in Nigeria seem clearly to understand the global crisis which has been triggered by the killing untold millions of unborn children during the past half century, largely financed by western governments, and by attacks on the rights of parents.

By way of complete contrast, this crisis is largely ignored by Christian leaders, including Catholic leaders, in the West.

As I said in my address to the Legatus Convention in Orlando last month:

Yes, in the US and the UK we have had our pro-life successes. We must be full of hope but we mustn’t kid ourselves, ladies and gentlemen:

The forced abortion regime in China is funded by the taxpayers of virtually every nation on earth as the IPPF, Marie Stopes International and UNFPA, funded by governments worldwide, co-operate with the Chinese government’s policies.

Developing nations worldwide are under pressure from our powerful western governments to legalize abortion, population control measures, and a homosexual rights agenda which threatens our children.

And in our own nations countless millions of abortions take place annually, recorded under the abortion statistics, and unrecorded under the guise of so-called contraceptive drugs and devices so overwhelmingly accepted throughout society and widely in use even within the Catholic community.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The pro-life movement, however hardworking, however well-informed, however blessed and strong we may be in our initiatives, the pro-life movement cannot defeat the culture of death on our own ... Pro-life organizations and the wider community must be fortified by unequivocal, unyielding voices of Catholic Church officials and bishops throughout the world.

Throughout Britain, Ireland and Europe, the failure of Catholic bishops to teach their flocks on matters relating to the fundamental right to life is directly responsible for great confusion and, consequently, for the failure of the overwhelming majority of Catholics, both clerical and lay, to provide truly effective resistance to the greatest legalized slaughter of human beings in the history of the world. Countless millions of unborn children are being killed each year and the policy of very many Catholic bishops in Europe is contributing hugely to this deplorable situation.

It is time for the church leaders everywhere, starting in Rome, to follow the increasingly courageous lead of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.

Visitors to my blog might like to express their appreciation of what the Nigerian Catholic bishops' conference is doing by writing to their head office at csnabuja@cbcn.org or to John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja at onaiyekan7@hotmail.com or at onaiyekan7@yahoo.com

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Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Here's a real message of hope for the pro-life movement in Britain

Nichola Pope on the right is pictured here with her friends
Patricia Benson (left) and Tilly Rock - from Castlerigg

Last week I received the following message from Nichola Pope who attended SPUC's youth conference earlier this month. It was one of the most inspiring, encouraging, messages I've ever received in nearly 40 years working at national level in SPUC:

Hello,

My name is Nichola Pope, I'm 22 years old and work at a Catholic youth retreat centre in the Lake District. I met you very briefly when I came to the SPUC youth conference on the weekend and feel like I've had something completely new breathed into me. I've never been to anything like the SPUC conference before and didn't know what to expect, but I'd heard of it through my parish priest who once asked me to read a letter of yours to the parish. What I experienced was a group of compassionate, faithful and genuine individuals who gave me back my faith in humanity. I felt enveloped in goodness and a real sense of solidarity in breathing God's love and life into the world and this 'culture of death'. I've always believed that like you said, politcians can't and won't change world but only the conversion of hearts and minds will ever make a difference. I came back from the conference and tried to tell somebody about where I'd been on the weekend and what the general ethos and mission of SPUC is (and my wholehearted agreement with it) and with the reaction I got, exactly what you said at the last talk about 'the battle' completely came to light. I realised how hard it is and how hardened hearts have become, and it made me very sad... but even more determined to live a life of love and witness which cares for nothing but the life and welfare of others, whether it be inside or outside of the womb.

I have always, always been pro life, I'm quite positive I was pro-life before I even realised there was an option... but since the conference I feel more passionately about it more than anything I've ever felt passionate about and I want to thank you and all who are part of SPUC for your dedication, your love, your compassion, your encouragement and your inspiration.

Love and prayers always,
Nichola Pope

112 nations at the UN form "Friends of the Family", SPUC's UN lobbyists report

Ambassador Jean Marie Ehouzou

Here's some encouraging news I'm hearing from the SPUC team at the Human Rights Council in Geneva:

Many UN member countries, sick and tired of the constant bombardment from European and other first world member states about same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, have established an informal group known as Friends of the Family, consisting of 112 member states. This cross-regional group is being formed in the context of this, the 20th anniversary of the International year of the Family, and immediately prior to the 25th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Pat Buckley, one of SPUC's veteran lobbyists at the UN, tells me:

"When 112 member states come together to object to the agenda being forced on them through UN agencies and highlight their determination to support the family, as the fundamental group unit of society, as set out in the international bill of rights, one has to sit up and take notice. This new initiative will no doubt be stiffly resisted by the nations that promote the anti-life and family ideology but it represents the 'winds of change' in international relations and has the potential to lead to genuine appreciation of, and support for, the family."

The Group’s first initiative, consisting of a panel discussion on the role of the family as a vehicle in the fight against poverty, was held on Thursday, 13th March. The meeting focused on the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family and looked at the potential for the development of a new development goal on the family now that the international community is negotiating a 15 year programme consisting of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The panel focused in particular on strengthening the family in its role as a stimulator of autonomous economic activities, a factor for social integration and intergenerational solidarity and an engine for development; all of which are important components in the development of the post 2015 development agenda.

The event was arranged by the new group together with the permanent delegations of the African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Holy See, and speakers included Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See and Mrs. Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International. The session was chaired by, H.E. Ambassador Jean Marie Ehouzou, Permanent Representative of the African Union.

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What counts as abortion

Pro-lifers must be prepared to answer the most challenging questions facing doctors - and facing all men and women - on the matter of abortion.

In the current edition of the Catholic Medical Quarterly, Anthony McCarthy of SPUC argues that the induction of pre-viable unborn babies in order to save the mother’s life cannot be seen as morally acceptable. Either it involves an invasion of the baby’s bodily integrity of an impermissibly harmful kind or - at very least - it constitutes an expulsion of the baby from a place where it has a fundamental right to be.

This is a piece pro-lifers really need to read if they are to grasp the correct scope of the term abortion.

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Monday, 17 March 2014

Defending unborn children is inseparably linked with defending real marriage: LifeSite's interview with SPUC's Anthony McCarthy

John-Henry Westen, LifeSite's editor-in-chief, interviews Anthony McCarthy, SPUC's education and publications manager, on the link between defending marriage and defending unborn children.

Anthony says:

“To really understand what the natural habitat of that child is — where that child will survive — we have to look at that institution that is built around that child, which is marriage.”
“What we do know is that a baby is much more at risk [of being aborted] if it is conceived outside of its natural habitat, that is, outside of marriage ... ”

Watch the interview above in full.

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About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 39 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.