Wednesday, 25 March 2015

The Annunciation reminds us of the pro-life movement's sacred work

Monsignor Barreiro's and Father Peter West's article "Salvation begins in the womb; honouring the Annunciation" reminds us of the sacred work of the pro-life movement which seeks to protect Christ Himself in Whose image and likeness all of us are made at the moment of our conception. It's also a reminder why we must patiently and charitably correct our colleagues in the international pro-life movement who do not yet understand that we must explicitly oppose contraceptive drugs and devices which, according to the manufacturers, can stop the newly-conceived embryo from implanting in the lining of the womb. One of the consequences of failing to do so is the virtually worldwide acceptance of the IVF industry - including amongst Church-goers. According to peer-reviewed research up to 23 babies are killed (discarded), or used in destructive human embryo research, or frozen, or miscarry, for every one baby born by IVF. Today's culture of death is characterised by contempt for the the human embryo - contempt for our Saviour Jesus Christ Who began His life in the womb of Our Lady, the Mother of God, Whose consent to our redemption we celebrate today in the feast of the Annunciation.

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Tuesday, 24 March 2015

“Senior churchmen” accused of intimidating clergy faithful to Catholic teaching on marriage

I was greatly encouraged to read this morning the press statement released by the co-ordinator of the “Support Marriage Letter”, which reveals that 461 priests from across England and Wales have signed a letter urging those cardinals and bishops attending the Ordinary Synod to uphold Catholic teaching on the nature of marriage and to affirm the unchangeable doctrine and discipline of the Church regarding the reception of Holy Communion by divorced persons living in invalid civil unions.

The priests’ letter says:
“We affirm the importance of upholding the Church’s traditional discipline regarding the reception of the sacraments, and that doctrine and practice remain firmly and inseparably in harmony.”
I was however greatly concerned to read in their press statement the accusation that there “has been a certain amount of pressure not to sign the letter and indeed a degree of intimidation from some senior Churchmen”.

It should be shocking to us to hear that senior clerics are intimidating priests who simply wish to remain faithful to the unchanging teachings of the Church. Unfortunately, I was not surprised by this allegation.

Back in December the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales published a document that insinuated that priests who remain faithful to the Catholic doctrine and discipline of the sacraments are guilty of an attitude similar to the fourth century heresy of Donatism. It is difficult to see this as anything other than an attempt to intimidate clergy who are unwilling to go along with the radical agenda being pursued by senior clerics, particularly with regard to the reception of Holy Communion by the divorced and “remarried”, and with regard to attempts to undermine the teaching of the Church on homosexuality and same-sex unions.

The President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Vincent Cardinal Nichols, indicated his openness to the reception of Holy Communion by the divorced and “remarried” at a press conference on 21st October 2014 despite authoritative and irreformable Church teaching to the contrary.

Cardinal Nichols’ views on, and approach towards, homosexuality and same-sex unions have been documented many times on this blog:
Please write to the following bishops who will representing the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and inform them that you expect them to faithfully promote and defend the Catholic faith:

His Eminence Vincent Cardinal Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
Archbishop’s House
Ambrosden Avenue
London
SW1P 1QJ
cardinalnichols@rcdow.org.uk

Rt Rev Peter Doyle
Bishop of Northampton
Bishop's House
Marriott Street
Northampton
NN2 6AW
bishop@northamptondiocese.com

Rt Rev Philip Egan
Bishop of Portsmouth (substitute if one of the above cannot attend)
Bishop's House
Bishop Crispan Way
Portsmouth
PO1 3HG
bishop@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Please also write to your own bishops to state your expectation that they will remain faithful to Catholic teaching on human life, marriage and the family and their intimate and intrinsic connection to the doctrine of the sacraments.

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Monday, 23 March 2015

Head of Scotland's Catholic bishops says links between Church and SPUC will be strengthened by SPUC Pro-Life Scotland's new CEO

John Deighan
The Catholic Church in Scotland and SPUC Pro-Life Scotland are pleased to announce that John Deighan has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of SPUC Pro-Life Scotland. John has been the Catholic Church's Parliamentary Officer in Scotland for the past 16 years. In a statement (full text below), His Grace Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said:
“The links between the church and SPUC in Scotland are already strong, but they will be strengthened and renewed as a result of John’s appointment.”
SPUC Pro-Life Scotland pointed to John’s long involvement in pro-life work, which began in the 1990s when he chaired the East Kilbride SPUC group.

Below are the full statements from the Catholic Church in Scotland and SPUC Pro-Life Scotland welcoming John's appointment. I would like to take this opportunity, not only to extend a warm welcome to John, but also to express my gratitude to Donna Nicholson for her many years of hard work and flair as Director of SPUC Pro-Life Scotland.

Statement from the Scottish Catholic Media Office:
Monday 23 March 2015

Bishops thank Parliamentary Officer for service

Scotland’s Catholic Bishops have thanked their Parliamentary Officer Mr John Deighan for his “resolute and dedicated service” to the Bishops’’ Conference over the past 16 years. Mr Deighan, who leaves to take up the post of Chief Executive Officer of SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) Scotland next month became the Catholic Church’s Parliamentary Officer in 1999 at the inception of the Scottish Parliament.

Commenting on the move, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, President of the Bishops’ Conference said;

“John has provided dedicated and energetic service to the church in Scotland for 16 years and we wish him well in his new role. His ability to skilfully analyse political developments and track legislative changes has been immensely helpful to the Bishops’ Conference.”

The Archbishop added;

“The links between the church and SPUC in Scotland are already strong, but they will be strengthened and renewed as a result of John’s appointment.”

Responding to the Archbishop’s comments. John Deighan said;

“I have been privileged to work with the Scottish Bishops during a period of great political and parliamentary change and thank them all for their support and friendship over many years.”

“The greatest human rights challenge of our time is the right to life from conception. SPUC had been an outstanding organisation in its efforts to defend unborn children and those threatened by euthanasia. I greatly look forward to leading the organisation as it continues its work in this vital area and to continued collaboration with the Bishops’ Conference. I am confident there is much we can do to bring the justice of our cause to the attention of our fellow citizens and our politicians.”

ENDS

Peter Kearney
Director
Catholic Media Office
5 St. Vincent Place
Glasgow
G1 2DH
0141 221 1168(T)
0141 204 2458(F)
07968 122291(M)
pk@scmo.org
www.scmo.org

Note to Editors:

1. John Deighan was appointed Parliamentary Officer to the Bishops’ Conference in June 1999, a new post, created by the Catholic Church to coincide with the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament, he will take up his new post on 20 April 2015.
2. For further information on SPUC Scotland, contact Stephen Shaw on 01466 751267 (on Wednesday 25 and on Thursday 26 March call 0141 221 2094)

Statement from SPUC Pro-Life Scotland:
Appointment of New CEO

SPUC Pro-Life Scotland is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr John Deighan as their new Chief Executive Officer following 15 years as Parliamentary Officer with the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Scotland where a considerable part of his work was in the pro-life field, particularly on the end of life issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

John’s long involvement in pro-life work began in the 1990s when he chaired the East Kilbride SPUC Group. He stood as a pro-life parliamentary candidate in both the 1997 General Election and the Paisley South by-election later the same year and has for the past nine years run the Paisley Pro-Life Group.

This strong foundation of pro-life work coupled with his extensive knowledge of the Holyrood Parliament gained through his role with the Scottish Catholic Bishop’s Conference made him the ideal candidate for the position.

Welcoming the appointment, Stephen Shaw, Board Chairman of SPUC Pro-Life Scotland stated

“We are delighted that John has accepted our offer and we feel confident that his appointment will bring a new enthusiasm for the pro-life cause in Scotland. I feel sure his undoubted commitment will encourage others to be more active and will attract new supporters to work in defence of life at all stages of its development, from conception to natural death”

For further information please contact

Stephen Shaw
s.w.shaw@btinternet.co.uk
0141 221 2094

Ian Murray
ian51@blueyonder.co.uk
07914515376
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Thursday, 19 March 2015

Over 2 million IVF embryos killed since 1990

frozen embryos at risk
Over 2 million IVF embryos killed since 1990
The number of embryos killed in the UK has increased almost every year since records began, now amounting to 170,000 a year, according to new figures. The same figures also show that 2,053,656 embryos have been killed since 1990. The figures are held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and were released in a parliamentary answer to Lord Alton. [Catholic Herald, 11 Mar]

France considers "deep sleep" bill
A bill to allow patients to halt treatment and be given general anaesthesia until death will be debated in the French parliament tomorrow. Jean Leonetti of the UMP party said: "The patient has to be at the end of their life and suffering despite the treatment given...When these elements are present, I (the doctor) am obliged to start sedation that is deep and continues until death". Representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in France have opposed the legislation. [France 24, 10 Mar]

Dublin rally challenges media's pro-abortion bias
A rally in Dublin against the media's basis against the pro-life cause was attended by 300 demonstrators in Dublin last week. The rally, entitled "33 to 1: Challenging Media Bias" was organised by the Pro-life Campaign. Wendy Grace of the Pro-Life Campaign told The Irish Times that the title of the rally was chosen because 33 pro-abortion articles had been published in the Irish media compared to just one pro-life article within a period of two weeks. [Irish Times, 11 Mar]

Pro-abortion buffer-zone campaign is money-driven and anti-women
The abortion industry's "Back-Off" campaign is a money-driven exercise designed to stop women receiving help to avoid abortions. Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, said: "The campaign against these pro-life counsellors is being supported and run by private abortion clinics and others with financial interests in abortion. They do not want women getting help to avoid abortions." [SPUC, 4 Mar]

Other stories:

Abortion
Embryology
Euthanasia
Population
Family issues
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Monday, 16 March 2015

Catholic authorities' platform for Fr Radcliffe is a grave betrayal of trust

Young people, their parents and clergy
were betrayed by organisers
of Flame 2 youth event 
Once again Fr Timothy Radcliffe, the well-known dissenter from Catholic teaching,  is being given an official platform by Catholic authorities to spread his unorthodox views in England and Wales.

Fr Radcliffe will be speaking tomorrow evening on the theme "Tolerant and Free despite being Catholic" as part of the Archdiocese of Westminster’s “Faith Matters” series of Lenten talks at Vaughan House.

Even more disturbing was Fr Radcliffe’s invitation to address thousands of young people at the Flame 2 youth event earlier this month. To invite a known dissenter from Catholic teaching like Fr Radcliffe to speak to young people, under the cover of a supposedly Catholic youth event, was a grave betrayal of the trust that parents and clergy across the country placed in the organisers - and a betrayal of the young people who expect to be taught the truth in love.

Please read my brief outline of Fr Radcliffe’s dissent from Catholic teaching below and please write to the organisers of both events charitably to  express your concerns.

From a pro-life perspective, it is absolute essential that we act now to protect our children and grandchildren’s right to receive the Catholic faith from Catholic authorities - on matters relating to human sexuality, remembering the words of Pope John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae paragraph 97, where 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.

To express your concerns about “Faith Matters” contact:
Ausra Karaliute, STL
Adult Faith Formation Adviser
Agency for Evangelisation
Vaughan House
46 Francis Street
LONDON, SW1P 1QN

 Email: ausrakaraliute@rcdow.org.uk or Ausara Karaliute's immediate manager Bishop Hudson at nicholashudson@rcdow.org.uk

 “Flame 2” contact:
CYMFed Board
Catholic Youth Ministry Federation
39 Eccleston Square
London, SW1V 1BX

Outline of Fr Radcliffe’s dissent from Catholic teaching

 In the context of Fr Radcliffe's open dissent from Catholic teaching on homosexuality, it's important to keep in mind the teaching of the Church as expressed in The Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
In his submission to the Church of England Pilling Commission on human sexuality, chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling, Fr Radcliffe made the following comments about “gay sexuality”:

“We must ask what it means, and how far it is Eucharistic. Certainly it can be generous, vulnerable, tender, mutual and non-violent. So in many ways, I would think that it can be expressive of Christ’s self-gift.

“We can also see how it can be expressive of mutual fidelity, a covenantal relationship in which two people bind themselves to each other for ever.”

In a 10 March 2012 article in The Tablet entitled "Can marriage ever change", Fr Radcliffe wrote:
"This is not to denigrate committed love of people of the same sex. This too should be cherished and supported, which is why church leaders are slowly coming to support same-sex civil unions. The God of love can be present in every true love."
The confusion caused to those attending the “Soho masses” was eloquently described by Mrs Daphne McLeod of the organisation Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice:
“I do feel that this pretence and condoning is not in any way compassionate or pastoral. These Catholics need and deserve proper guidance, especially the young one who have not received good religious instruction. I cannot forget the poor young man who said to me ‘Don’t worry about Daphne, if it were still wrong these Masses wouldn’t have been arranged especially for us.’”
In a 26 November 2005 article in The Tablet entitled "Can gays be priests?" Fr Radcliffe rejected the clear teaching of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's document on "Persons with homosexual tendencies and the priesthood".

The document states that it is forbidden to ordain men with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” to the priesthood. Fr Radcliffe responded:
“...we may presume that God will continue to call both homosexuals and heterosexuals to the priesthood because the Church needs the gift of both.”
Criticising Fr Radcliffe's interpretation, Fr Alphonsus de Valk wrote that:
"The article has done a disservice to the Church...by attempting to deconstruct the Vatican warnings ... In unjustly deriding the Vatican warnings, Fr. Radcliffe has given succor to other detractors."
In 2006, Fr Radcliffe joined Britain's leading dissenting “Catholics” in contributing an essay to "Opening up: Speaking out in the Church", a book of essays produced as a tribute to Martin Pendergast, one of Britain's leading Christian homosexual activists and one of the organisers of the Soho gay Masses. The book co-edited by Julian Filochowski, Pendergast's civil partner, and Peter Stanford, another well-known dissenter from Catholic sexual ethics.

On 10 July 2009, Fr Radcliffe gave a talk to a Catholic parish in Mashpee, Massachusetts, which he said:
"It's not that sexual ethics are particularly important. I don't think they are" (video at 8min40sec)
and
"We have to find ways of promoting our vision of the Christian family so as we can have a context within which to raise children, another generation; but we have to do it in a way which doesn't trash the relationships that people actually have." (video at 1min)
This echoes Fr Radcliffe's words in:
  • a 28 January 2006 article in The Tablet ("How to discover what we believe") in which he wrote:"[S]hould the Church accommodate her teaching to the experience of our contemporaries or should we stick by our traditional sexual ethics and risk becoming a fortress Church, a small minority out of step with people’s lives? Neither option seems right ... I confess that I do not know the answer."
    During his 2009 Mashpee talk, Fr Radcliffe was asked about relations between the Catholic Church and the newly-elected strongly pro-abortion President Barack Obama. He replied (video at 9mins28secs) that:
    "I think that the most important thing is to have a mutually-respectful dialogue with President Obama. He is a very bright man. I have to say that when he was elected, in England you cannot believe the excitement we had. And I believe that he is a man with whom the Church can be in dialogue, on all sorts of issues."
    Fr Radcliffe then called to the stage Professor Thomas Groome to speak as an expert on the Church's "dialogue" with Mr Obama. As LifeSiteNews.com has detailed, Professor Groome is a leading dissenter from Catholic teaching within the world of Catholic education. Cardinal George Pell banned his books within the Archdiocese of Sydney. Professor Groome said (video at 0mins40secs) that:
    • Obama "on many, many issues, really embraces Catholic social teaching"
    • "many Catholics would not be in favour" of banning all abortions
    • banning all abortions would "to send abortions back to the back-alleys of our country"
    • Obama is "deeply committed to reducing the numbers of abortions"
    • Catholics "can work with" Obama on the abortion issue.
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    Wednesday, 11 March 2015

    Cardinal calls for saint-like love in defence of marriage

    IMG_9636Release by Voice of the Family:

    Cardinal calls for saint-like love in defence of marriage

    9 March 2015: A prominent Cardinal of the Catholic Church has called for Catholics to imitate the Christian martyrs in defence of marriage and human life.

    His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke made the call this past weekend in addresses for Voice of the Family http://voiceofthefamily.info/ and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk in Chester and Southport, north-west England.

    On Friday evening in Chester there was standing-room only as the Cardinal spoke on the theme “Remaining in the Truth of Christ on Holy Matrimony” [full text: Cardinal Burke Chester 20150306]. Bishop Mark Davies, Catholic bishop of Shrewsbury was present, as were many priests, journalists and families who had travelled from all over the UK. Cardinal Burke said: “Today, for example, we sadly find the need to speak about ‘traditional’ marriage, as if there were another kind of marriage. There is only one kind of marriage as God has given it to us from the Creation and as Christ has redeemed it by His saving Passion and Death.”

    He continued: “Even within the Church, there are those who would obscure the truth of the indissolubility of marriage in the name of mercy, who condone the violation of the conjugal union by means of contraception in the name of pastoral understanding, and who, in the name of tolerance, remain silent about the attack on the very integrity of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

    The cardinal said that the faithful must be ready to suffer, as Christians have suffered down the ages, to defend the sanctity of Holy Matrimony.

    Many people attending the address asked Cardinal Burke to autograph their copies of “Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church”, the popular Ignatius Press book co-authored by the cardinal on authentic Catholic teaching on marriage and the Sacraments.

    On Saturday evening Cardinal Burke also addressed 150 young people at SPUC’s annual youth conference in Southport on the theme of “The New Evangelisation of the Fallen Christian West“. He started his address by saying that he had long admired SPUC, its work and John Smeaton, its chief executive.

    Cardinal Burke described the family home as “the cradle of life” and lamented the wholesale destruction of the baby in the womb. He asserted that there is no such thing as ‘alternative sexualities’, only sexuality as enshrined by God in human nature.

    On Sunday morning he celebrated Pontifical Low Mass in the traditional Roman rite at the Church of Ss. Peter and Paul and St Philomena, New Brighton. In his homily on the Gospel text of the Mass, Cardinal Burke said that our Lord warns the faithful to be aware of those things which lead them into repeating sins, such as those of lust.

    Today the cardinal is making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Augustine, Ramsgate to pray for England. During his visit the cardinal urged the faithful to turn to the intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham and the many English martyrs and saints, especially St Thomas More as a martyr for uncompromising obedience in conscience to the moral law. The true understanding of conscience (recognition of truth) is held by the Church, in contrast to the world’s false understanding (relativism), he said. In public life, only being true to the natural moral law can serve the common good.

    For more information, please contact Voice of the Family:
    Follow Voice of the Family via:
    About Voice of the Family:
    Voice of the Family is an initiative of Catholic laity from major pro-life/pro-family organisations.> Find out more

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    Same-sex marriage: Children are being sacrificed on the altar of adults' "sexual rights"

    Jerry Cirino, chairman of Cleveland
    Right to Life, introduces Molly Smith,
    Cleveland Right to Life president, to
    speakers and volunteers at last
    weekend's convention
    Last weekend I was honoured to speak at Cleveland Right to Life's Convention Bringing America Back to Life. The title of my talk was "Why the pro-life movement must embrace marriage and the family or face defeat".

    Like SPUC did (in November 2011), last year Cleveland Right to Life committed themselves to defend marriage, the permanent exclusive union of a man and a woman, and to oppose same-sex marriage.

    My talk, which you can read in full on the SPUC website, spelled out the empirical evidence which overwhelmingly shows that marriage as an institution is fatally wounded by redefining it to include same-sex couples and that those who suffer as a result are, above all, children. We are sacrificing children on the altar of adults' sexual rights.

    I say:
    "... Legalising “same-sex marriage” is not a question of being kind to people with same-sex attraction and letting them get married if they want to. It is a question of the destruction of the family, the oldest human institution in the world, which protects the mental and physical wellbeing of men, women and children. No other grouping offers such a high level of that security and stability that human beings need to flourish. Research shows overwhelmingly that children growing up within marriage do better in terms of health, educational success, happiness, careers and their own marriages. It is precisely because children matter, that real marriage between one man and one woman matters so much ..."

    "... The destruction of traditional family structures has very grave consequences for all members of society, but it is children, born and unborn, who are especially vulnerable. Government statistics from the United Kingdom show that children conceived outside of marriage are 4 to 5 times more likely to be aborted than those conceived within marriage.

    There’s a website I looked up when I was preparing this talk called Rainforest Concern. Rainforest Concern tells us that half of the Earth’s wildlife and at least two-thirds of its plant species live in tropical rainforests ... These plants provide food and shelter for many rare animals that depend on the rainforest for their survival ... Destroy the rainforest and you destroy protection for that wildlife ... In the same way, the family, founded on marriage between a man and a woman is the natural habitat of children, of unborn children. Indeed, the natural family is a pre-political and pre-Christian institution. Destroy that institution in society and you destroy protection for children, both born and unborn.

    Historically, our nations’ laws protected unborn children from being killed, and so, quite logically and rightly, pro-life movements worldwide have worked tirelessly to restore, or to uphold, such laws.

    By the same token, historically, families based on the indissoluble union in marriage of a man and a woman, have provided children, both born and unborn, with their best hope of life and fulfilment in life ... so, quite logically and rightly, pro-life movements worldwide must work tirelessly to defend marriage and the family.

    The pro-life movement cannot possibly succeed in its efforts to end abortion if the family based on marriage between a man and a woman is destroyed.

    What’s more, a major way in which the so-called “homosexual rights” lobby is actively undermining the family and the culture of life, is through targeting its message at little children in their schools including, in the UK, I am ashamed to say as a Catholic myself, in Catholic primary schools. I have little doubt that the same pattern is repeated in other countries too.

    I am sorry to have to share with you that homosexual militants are being invited into schools in Britain, including into Catholic schools with the blessing of the local bishop, to train teachers how to educate little boys as young as four years old that they might grow up to marry a man rather than a woman – and the same with little girls.

    Catholic schools in Britain, and around the world, have long been complicit in the culture of death, providing access to abortion and contraception for the under 16s without parental knowledge. This is happening, to my shame as a Catholic, with the co-operation of the Catholic authorities.

    Now what happens when little Johnny at Our Lady’s School, say, in south London, says to his teacher: “Please Miss! Can boys who grow up to marry a man have babies like mummies and daddies can?” Without a shadow of doubt, very many teachers will say “Yes they can. In a different way ... but yes they can.”

    As you know, same-sex couples are now demanding the right to have children– making it even more difficult for pro-life groups effectively to oppose surrogacy and in vitro fertilisation. According to peer-reviewed research, for every baby born by IVF, 23 are either discarded, or frozen, or used in destructive experiments, or miscarry. Defending the right to life of unborn children will increasingly be viewed as an attack on the rights of homosexual couples.

    Thus, this is one of the most fundamental reasons why, as the title of my talk this morning states: 'The pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat' ...
    I also describe in some detail the serious danger to marriage and the family, and to our children in particular, posed by a political agenda at work at the Family Synod, to destroy the entire edifice of Catholic teaching on human sexuality.

    Pro-life activists and everyone of good will must take note of what's happening and take action.

    If you want to know how you can help, do contact me ...

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    Wednesday, 4 March 2015

    Pro-abortion buffer-zone campaign is money-driven and anti-women

    The abortion industry's "Back Off" campaign is a money-driven exercise designed to stop women receiving help to avoid abortions. Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, told the media this morning:
    "The campaign against these pro-life counsellors is being supported and run by private abortion clinics and others with financial interests in abortion. They do not want women getting help to avoid abortions. The abortion industry is losing money, because every week a few women who get as far as the doorstep of an abortion clinic change their minds. Most of these women never wanted an abortion anyway, but couldn't find help elsewhere.

    Pro-life counsellors are a threat to the abortion clinics' income. Every time a woman chooses to keep her baby, the clinics lose £500 or £600 in lost income. We estimate that they could be losing £100,000 a year because mothers decide to give birth instead of giving in to abortion bullying. Many women are pressured or bullied into 'choosing' abortion. Given the right support and resources, most women do not choose abortion.

    The lucrative abortion industry wants to criminalise the quiet and peaceful activity of the immensely kind people who give their time to stand outside abortion clinics and offer women help if they want to avoid an abortion.

    The Back Off campaign has deceived many people. The abortion giant BPAS, which runs the Back Off campaign, is denigrating selfless people who kindly offer help to expectant mothers. The campaign website repeatedly asserts that women and abortion clinic staff are 'intimidated' and 'harassed' outside clinics. If this were true the police could intervene to stop it, but this is not the case.

    This pro-abortion campaign is simply about money."
    SPUC does not run pavement counselling operations, but many SPUC members and officers have participated in such events. The eye-witness accounts they give testify that the vast majority of such events are peaceful, low-key and uneventful.

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    Tuesday, 3 March 2015

    Claims about teen pregnancy rebutted by expert

    Prof. David Paton
    Top story: 

    Claims about teen pregnancy rebutted by expert
    Claims that falls in teenage pregnancies are the result of the previous Labour government's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) have been rebutted. David Paton, professor of industrial economics at Nottingham University Business School, made the rebuttal following the release of official statistics which suggest that teenage pregnancy rates are at a record low. [BBC, 24 Feb] Professor Paton commented: "It is completely implausible that the TPS is behind this effect. If anything, the evidence is the opposite: for the first 8 years of the TPS there was very little change in underage conceptions. Just as the TPS was winding down and complaints were being made about cuts to teenage pregnancy services, rates started to go down significantly. The further we get from the TPS, the faster the decrease accelerates! There is little doubt that education in schools has been the key, along with demographic change and also the general shift towards less risk taking behaviour amongst teenagers (lower rates of smoking, drugs, alcohol and crime)."

    Other stories:

    Abortion
    Embryology and stem cell treatment
    Sexual ethics
    General
    • Virginia eugenics victims compensated for sterilisation [BBC, 27 Feb]
    • Church in Paraguay tells UN to drop anti-life agenda [CNA, 26 Feb]
    at

    Wednesday, 25 February 2015

    Amendment against sex-selective abortion defeated in Parliament

    Fiona Bruce MP
    British MPs voted yesterday to reject an amendment put forward by Fiona Bruce MP to clarify the law regarding sex-selective abortion. The Conservative MP said that her amendment would "clarify beyond doubt in statute that sex selective abortion is illegal in UK law". The amendment was defeated by 292 votes to 201. Opponents said that the amendment might "confer personhood on the foetus". [BBC, 24 February]

    House of Lords passes of three-parent embryo regulations
    The House of Lords has passed regulations to allow the creation of three-parent embryos. Peers rejected a motion against the regulations by 280 votes to 48. The regulations will now become law, making the UK the first country to allow the technique. [BBC, 24 February] Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, said: "Legislators have been consistently misled in the past about the prospects of success and the future intentions of those who want to use the tiniest humans - human embryos - for experiments." [SPUC, 24 February]

    Finland legalises gender-neutral marriage
    The President of Finland has signed legislation to legalise gender-neutral marriage. Sauli Niinistö confirmed the new law which will come into effect on March 1, 2017. The law has been described as historic because it is the first law to be brought to the Finnish parliament as a citizen’s initiative, signed by 167,000 Finnish voters. [Yie, 20 February]

    Irish PM pledges support for same-sex ‘marriage’
    Enda Kenny, Ireland's prime minister, has declared his support for same-sex 'marriage', despite previously being opposed to it. Mr Kenny made the declaration in a speech to Fine Gael supporters. A referendum on same-sex ‘marriage’ will be held in Ireland in May 2015. [Journal, 23 February]

    Other issues:

    Abortion:
    Embryology
    • Human egg and sperm cells could be created using skins from two adults of the same sex [February 23, International Business Times]
    Family issues:
    Pregnancy:
    Baby is born in an intact amniotic sack [Essential Baby, 18 February]

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    Young pro-lifers should book now for SPUC's youth conference

    Rhoslyn is busy spreading the word about the upcoming Youth Conference in Southport (6-8 March) where another excellent line-up of speakers will help to form the next generation of pro-life activists. The talks given at that conference will be published on this blog over the coming weeks.

    Once again, Rhoslyn has sent me an item about last year's youth conference - with a view to encouraging young people to attend this year's  exciting event ... Young people interested in attending should write to Rhoslyn at rhoslynthomas@spuc.org.uk:
    Below are the next two presentations from last year’s youth conference, held in Telford.

    The videos show Fiorella Nash’s talk ‘Men and Abortion’ and the closing address, delivered by SPUC’s Director, John Smeaton.

    At a time when Feminism has become intimately connected with support for abortion on demand, pro-life feminists, such as Fiorella Nash, are few and far between.

    Fiorella’s talks are always popular at the youth conference, perhaps because the youth of today crave arguments which incorporate an emphasis on the equality (and complimentarity) of the sexes with an equal emphasis on the sanctity of motherhood and children.

    John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, gave a rousing talk to close another excellent conference, imbuing attendees with a sense of the urgency of the situation, whilst inspiring them to continue with their endeavours to protect human life from conception to natural death.




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    Tuesday, 24 February 2015

    Lords should reject 3-parent embryo regulations

    House of Lords
    SPUC has called on members of the House of Lords is to reject the so-called "three-parent" embryo regulations being debated in the upper chamber today. The procedure is said to be necessary to help families affected by rare mitochondrial diseases.

    These regulations (the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations) are designed to usher in the cloning of human embryos. The manipulation of the human germ line would be permitted for the first time, contrary to modern international biomedicine agreements and long-standing ethical principles.

    Commenting on the background to today's debate, Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, told the media today:
    "The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act was not intended to permit human cloning, and so the alteration of germ-line genetic material was forbidden. The restrictions have been repeatedly weakened, however, and this is a further stage in dismantling the so-called safeguards of the embryology law.

    It is often supposed that the objection to germ-line modification is that it will lead to the creation of either 'monsters' or super-humans. Neither outcome is likely. Instead, many embryos will die in the efforts to restructure their genetic make-up.

    The reality is that we know far too little about mitochondria to know what impact the cloning process would have on mitochondrial disease. It is true that the mitochondria carry very few genes but scores of other genes needed by mitochondria are stored in the cell nucleus. Transferring the nucleus of an ovum or an embryo to another cell cannot be predicted to have any certain benefit.

    The proponents of embryo research have repeatedly held out promises of cures and medical advances in the field of inherited conditions. But the benefits have always failed to materialise, and we suspect that the same is happening again here. The parents of children affected by mitochondrial disease are being exploited to support unethical experiments, based on the false hope that their children will benefit.

    Legislators have been consistently misled in the past about the prospects of success and the future intentions of those who want to use the tiniest humans - human embryos - for experiments. They should reject today's proposals."
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    Monday, 23 February 2015

    No pro-life leader will match Dr Jack Willke's worldwide educational impact: May he rest in peace!



    Pictured above left to right in September 2009 at SPUC's London office are:
    Dr Jack Willke, the father of the worldwide pro-life movement, who died last Friday, has been a friend and collaborator of SPUC's for over 40 years. He was 89. May he rest in peace.

    To understand something of the full significance of Jack's life and work - shared by Barbara his beloved wife - read the obituaries in the National Review Online, and the Washington Post.

    No other pro-life leader or organisation will match the solid educational work done by Jack and Barbara Willke through their books and lectures. And for virtually the whole of their active pro-life service, they did it without the aid of the worldwide web.

    Their title Handbook on Abortion, the New York Times tells us, sold a million and a half copies - and there were so many other titles besides ... Other significant publications included: Abortion and Slavery, History Repeats and Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia, Past & Present and they co-authored six other books on human sexuality which have been translated into 30 languages. Five years ago they had clocked up 87 countries in which they had lectured ... and rising ... He also broadcast on 400 radio stations - one-minute pro-life messages in a programme entitled "Life Jewels". Jack was a pro-life marketing genius. Brad Mattes, his successor (see below) has kept up this remarkable broadcasting output since Jack stepped back a few years ago. His legacy is alive and very well.

    SPUC's presentation in schools, albeit updated with the latest research and delivered with the aid of all that modern technology provides, is fundamentally based on the Willke slide presentation which I personally watched them present in The Philippines, in the UK, in Kenya and elsewhere.

    I had the honour of serving as joint vice-president of International Right to Life Federation, with Jim Hughes, Canada's Campaign Life Coalition national president, during the final years of Jack's presidency - now succeeded by Brad Mattes who also succeeded Jack as president of Life Issues Institute.

    During Jack's visit to the UK in September 2009 (see picture above), Jack delivered a message of hope to SPUC's national conference in which he said: “We must keep doing what we’re doing. It’s slow but we shall win in the end.” One could not lose the argument, he said, when one advanced the case that abortion killed babies.

    On behalf of my colleagues in SPUC, and our thousands of supporters, I sent heartfelt condolences and a promise of prayers to Jack's family, his six children and 22 grandchildren. May he rest in peace.

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    Friday, 20 February 2015

    Surgery no cure for “gender confusion”

    I am grateful, once again, to the excellent Family Education Trust's January bulletin, which reports on a Wall Street Journal article about another deeply negative dimension of sex  education and its potential disastrous impact on our children's lives.

    A top psychiatrist, writing in the Wall Street Journal, has written of the dangers arising from an “everything is normal” sex education. He writes of school “diversity counsellors” who promote transgender surgery as a means of banishing psycho-social problems, and who (“rather like cult leaders”) encourage youngsters to distance themselves from families advising against such drastic actions. Paul McHugh’s article was entitled TransgenderSurgery Isn’t the Solution.

    If you are concerned about what is happening in schools in the name of sex education, please contact SPUC at politics@spuc.org.uk to find out how you can challenge parliamentary candidates in the forthcoming general election on this issue and on other vital pro-life issues.

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    Wednesday, 18 February 2015

    Department for Education promotes “traffic light” tool that condones under-age sex

    In a fact-packed January bulletin, the excellent Family Education Trust carries a compelling story on its front page showing how guidance backed by the Department for Education is encouraging unlawful sexual activity. (The Family Education Trust is a charity committed to researching the causes and consequences of family breakdown and promoting the welfare of children and young people.)

    The UK law is clear that sexual activity under the age of 16 is unlawful. Nevertheless, the Department for Education has funded[1] and recommended as a useful resource a Brook “traffic light” system that condones underage sex. The system has been adopted by at least one County Council[2]. (Brook Advisory Service is one of Britain's leading abortion referral organisations, specialising in advising young people - including those under 16 - about abortion, sex, STIs etc). 

    The traffic light system is not distributed to young people but is intended to “inform” teachers and other professionals working with children and young people.

    The tool identifies green, amber and red behaviours. Green behaviours – according to Brook – “reflect safe and healthy sexual development”[3], and “provide opportunities to give positive feedback”. Those behaviours include “consenting oral and/or penetrative sex with others of the same or opposite gender who are of similar age and developmental ability” – even where those engaged in the activities are in the 13-15 age group.

    Activities classified as amber rather than red include “following others into toilets or changing rooms to look at them or touch them” and “pulling other children’s pants down/skirts up/trousers down against their will”. These behaviours, according to Brook, merely “have the potential”[4] to be unsafe and unhealthy behaviour.

    Brook have denied that the tool condones any particular sexual behaviours, but Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, comments that “if giving positive feedback to sexually active children aged 13, 14 and 15 isn’t condoning and encouraging underage sex, then I don’t know what is!”.

    If you are concerned about what is happening in schools in the name of sex education, please contact SPUC at politics@spuc.org.uk to find out how you can challenge parliamentary candidates in the forthcoming general election on this issue and on other vital pro-life issues.

    [1] The funding is confirmed at http://www.foundationpsa.org.uk/page.asp?ID=16
    [2] Cornwall County Council – March 2014 – see http://www.cllrandrewwallis.co.uk/cornwall-council-launches-traffic-light-tool-for-positive-relationships-and-healthy-sexual-development/
    [3] See http://www.brook.org.uk/old/index.php/guidance?tid=6
    [4] See http://www.brook.org.uk/old/index.php/traffic-light-tool-0-to-5

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