First speech by Head of Russian Orthodox Church in Duma calls for nationwide abortion ban

First speech by Head of Russian Orthodox Church in Duma – calls on MPs to campaign against abortion
In the first ever speech by a head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian parliament (the Duma) Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has called for state funding of abortion to end and action towards a complete nationwide ban. The Patriarch said, “The argument that a ban would cause an increase in the number of underground abortions is pure nonsense.”  He called for abortion to be excluded from the list of services covered by mandatory medical insurance. He also said that banning abortion would help address concerns over population in Russia. [23 January, Orthodoxmag]

Pro-lifers march in Washington D.C.
The 42^nd annual March For Life took place in Washington D.C. on Thursday 22 January 2015. The march began with Benediction led by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky. The march attracted hundreds of thousands of people who were addressed by Congressman Chris Smith, March for Life President Jeanne Monahan Mancini and Congresswoman Kathy McMorris-Rogers, who is the head of the House Down syndrome caucus and mother of a son with Down’s Syndrome. Pope Francis sent a message via Twitter to show his support for the march - “Every life is a gift.  #MarchForLife”. [22 January, LifeSiteNews]

House of Representatives passes bill to ban state funding for abortion
As the March for Life was passing through Washington D.C., a bill was passed the House of Representatives which would ban state funding for abortion, including tax credits offered through ‘Obamacare’. The bill was approved by 242-179 although President Obama has said he will veto the legislation. [22 January, BBC News]

Adoption by same-sex couples debated in Portuguese Parliament
This week the Portuguese parliament debated three bills which would mean a change in the law allowing adoption and ‘equality’ in “medically assisted procreation” for same-sex couples. A spokesman for the Party for Animals and Nature (PAN) said, “An adult’s sexual orientation has no impact on his or her parental abilities nor does it interfere with the development of children’s personalities”. In a survey conducted on the subject of same-sex adoption, 41.5% of respondents said that the President of Portugal should call a referendum to decide the matter. [22 January, The Portugal News]

Abortion
China has the most serious gender imbalance in the world [21 January, Financial Times]
Bill banning abortion after 20 weeks fails in the House of Representatives [22 January, The Federalist]

Methodist human rights lobbyist mocks March For Life [23 January, First Things] 

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Alison Davis would have been 60 today

Alison Davis, who ran SPUC's work for the disabled for three decades and who was a worldwide public figure through her personal witness to the sanctity of human life, would have been 60 today.

Alison, in the lives she saved, and in the lives she turned around, changed history. May she rest in peace.

Without her work, the most defenceless of all human beings - anencephalic babies, for example - would have been deprived of their greatest champion. Her powerful writings and her talks on anencephalic babies and on other people with disabilities (who are so often completely rejected, not least by people of power, particularly before birth and/or at the end of their lives) will be read, I believe, in centuries to come.

To mark the occasion, Colin Harte, her full-time carer for 24 years, has published a moving blogpost.

Celebrate Alison's birth by reading it.

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Catholic laypeople must have maturity to speak up about bad things happening at highest levels in the church

This morning, I spoke during Mass in the parish church of St Theresa of the Child Jesus, in north west London, about the Extraordinary Synod on the Family in Rome last October.

Interestingly, my talk was very well received ... Interesting, because I spoke very directly about the teaching of Jesus Christ on the indissolubility of marriage and on the church's unchanging, unchangeable teaching on contraception and on homosexual acts. I have never had so many parishioners approach with me to express their appreciation after a talk. Even though I was speaking as a Catholic, I made it clear that these issues are profoundly related to the battle against the culture of death. I also emphasised that Catholics must be mature enough to speak up when there are clearly serious problems at the highest levels of the Church.

Here's what I said - just after Cardinal Nichols's pastoral letter on the Synod had been presented by Fr Richard Parsons, the parish priest ...

Fr Richard has kindly invited me to say a few words about Voice of the Family, an international initiative of the Catholic laity involving 23 pro-life and pro-family organizations from five continents around the world. We formed Voice of the Family in order to offer to our bishops our expertise and resources before, during and after the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, throughout most of October in Rome - a process which will culminate in the Ordinary Synod on the Family in October 2015. A team of us spent much of October in Rome, meeting and briefing many of the Synod Fathers, and writing reports on what was happening, both the good and the bad, and a team of us will be going to Rome for virtually the whole of October next year, doing the same job.

The following unchanging truths lie at the heart of the work of Voice of the Family:

• Sacramental marriage, binding parents together in an indissoluble union, is the greatest protector of children both born and unborn.
• The artificial separation of the unitive and procreative dimensions of the sexual act, in other words contraception and in vitro fertilisation, is a major cause of the culture of death.
• Parents are the primary educators of their children and it is through the education and formation of parents, and future parents, that the culture of life will be built.

Why do Catholic laymen and laywomen consider they have the right to go to Rome to advise their bishops on family issues, or advise them at all for that matter? Surely it’s the exclusive job of the Holy Spirit to guide the Church over the centuries?

Like Fr Richard, I want to make three points, but time is short so I will just make two!

Firstly, the Holy Spirit, Who guides the Church, guides the Church through people - through Fr Richard’s homilies, for example, and, according to Blessed John Henry Newman, through all sorts of people in the Church and in all sorts of ways: In July 1859, Blessed John Henry Newman, one of the patrons of St Theresa’s parish, wrote in an article in The Rambler: "I think I am right in saying that the tradition of the Apostles, committed to the whole Church in its various constituents and functions ... manifests itself variously at various times: sometimes by the mouth of the [bishops], sometimes by the doctors, sometimes by the people,sometimes by liturgies, rites, ceremonies, and customs, by events, disputes, movements, and all those other phenomena which are comprised under the name of history. It follows", Blessed John Henry Newman said, "that none of those channels of tradition may be treated with disrespect ...”

Secondly, how many Catholic lay men and women are there, worldwide, who are not acutely aware, in their own family lives of the crisis in family life? We Catholic parents and Catholic grandparents really are experts in this field because of the many crises we ourselves experience in our own families. In this connection, it was good to see in the final report of last October’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family, a section which clearly links this crisis in family life to a “crisis of faith” throughout the Church.

I have referred to a good aspect of the final report of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family. Unfortunately there are bad aspects too: Cardinal Raymond Burke said the interim report was “a gravely flawed document and does not express adequately the teaching and discipline of the Church and, in some aspects, propagates doctrinal error and a false pastoral approach”, a view shared by many other leading cardinals and archbishops. I am very sorry to share with you that some of these elements remain in the final report.

Catholic laypeople, in the light of the worldwide crisis of faith, must be mature enough to recognize that bad things can happen even at the highest levels of the Church, and we must be confident in speaking out when that's the situation.

In addition, it is striking that the final report of a synod purportedly on the theme, “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization”, fails to mention abortion, in-vitro fertilisation, embryo experimentation, gender theory, euthanasia, assisted suicide and threats to the freedom to live according to the moral law and the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Another grave omission is that there is no mention of the severity of the threat currently faced by parents. The most pressing threats, which vary from nation to nation, include:

- The denial of the right of parents to control what their children are taught in schools i.e.
through the imposition by the state of compulsory anti-life, anti-family sex education.
- The provision of access to abortion and contraception in schools without parental knowledge or consent, including in Catholic schools
- The requirement for teachers to instruct children in the new definition of ‘marriage’ in
countries where ‘same-sex marriage’ has been legalised - a policy being enacted in some Catholic primary schools in London

The failure of the final document to address these issues is a grave betrayal of families.

The threats to freedom outlined above are not the only threats faced by families. Cases are multiplying all over the world of individuals who have seen their livelihoods destroyed or threatened by a vigorous and intolerant homosexual lobby which demands complete approval and compliance. Cases include attempts to force Bed and Breakfast owners to accept homosexual couples sharing beds on their premises and to force bakers to bake cakes celebrating ‘same-sex marriages’. We have also seen employees punished for expressing their views on ‘same-sex marriage’ and homosexuality and religious ministers and street preachers arrested for sharing their traditional Christian views. Most seriously of all we see children being indoctrinated into the same-sex rights agenda in their schools. All of this has developed against a longer term background of threats to the right to conscientious objection to involvement in grave moral offences such as abortion.

Concern is growing across the Catholic world. Parents fear that their children will grow up in a world where they will have to face great hardships if they strive to live according to the natural moral law and the teaching of the Church. Yet the authors of the Family Synod final report, in Section 6, merely refer to the “general feeling of powerlessness” felt by families without any discussion of these realities.

Whilst in Rome, our Voice of the Family, which included Josephine, my wife, and myself, had the privilege of meeting outstanding, courageous bishops from Australasia and Oceania, Africa, north America and Europe - men who were prepared to insist on the unchanging and unchangeable teachings of Jesus Christ on marriage, and on the unchanging unchangeable doctrine of the church on intrinsic evil of homosexual acts, on contraceptive drugs and devices, and on parents as the primary educators of their children. These good pastors need our prayers since they are up against powerful forces within church structures.

For a fuller analysis of the problems do check out the Voice of the Family website details of which I am happy to share with you after Mass as well as tell you how you can help.

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Voice of the Family, a worldwide lay Catholic initiative, backs Cardinal Burke's clarion call to promote truth on marriage

The final report of last October's family synod at the Vatican is seriously flawed and contains grave omissions which represent a serious danger to our families, to the sanctity of human life, and to the pro-life movement worldwide, according to an analysis produced by Voice of the Family, a lay Catholic initiative.

This final report forms part of the "Lineamenta" - that is the text written for next October's general synod (2015) - on which there will be worldwide consultation.

Voice of the Family - an initiative of Catholic laity from 23 major pro-life/pro-family organisations on 6 continents - has produced an in-depth analysis of the final report (relatio synodi), which looks at the serious philosophical problems underlying the approach adopted in the report. It also considers the grave omissions. It is striking that the final report of a synod purportedly on the theme, “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization”, fails to mention abortion, in-vitro fertilisation, embryo experimentation, gender theory, euthanasia, assisted suicide and threats to the freedom to live according to the moral law and the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Meanwhile, since the 2014 October Synod, Cardinal Burke has been tireless in his defence and explanation of Catholic doctrine on marriage. In an interview last week (19th December) in Le Figaro magazine, His Eminence says:

"I am ... very worried, and I call upon all Catholics, laymen, priests, and bishops, to involve themselves, from now up to the upcoming Synodal assembly, in order to highlight the truth on marriage."

Here is an extract from Le Figaro interview:

Were you shocked with what took place in the Synod?

The synod was a difficult experience. There was a line, that of Cardinal Kasper, we might say, behind which lined up those who had in their hands the direction of the synod. In fact, the intermediate document [relatio post disceptationem] seemed to have had already been written before the interventions of the Synodal Fathers! And according to a single line, in favor of the position of Cardinal Kasper... The homosexual question was also introduced, which has no relation with the question of marriage, by looking for positive elements in it. Another highly troubling point: the intermediate text made no reference to Scripture, nor to the Tradition of the Church, nor to the teaching of John Paul II on conjugal love. It was therefore highly off-putting. As also the fact that in the final report were kept paragraphs on homosexuality and the remarried divorcees that had not however been adopted by the requisite majority of bishops.

What are the stakes in what has become a controversy?

In an age filled with confusion, as we see with Gender Theory, we need the teaching of the Church on marriage. Yet, we are on the contrary pushed towards a direction for the admission to communion of divorced and remarried persons. Without mentioning this obsession with lightening the procedures of annulment of the marital bond. All this will lead de facto to a kind of "Catholic divorce", and to the weakening of the indissolubility of marriage, whose principle is nonetheless reaffirmed. However, the Church must defend marriage, and not weaken it. The indissolubility of marriage is not a penance, nor a suffering. It is a great beauty for those who live it, it is a source of joy. I am therefore very worried, and I call upon all Catholics, laymen, priests, and bishops, to involve themselves, from now up to the upcoming Synodal assembly, in order to highlight the truth on marriage.

Inspired by Cardinal Burke's clarion call to all Catholics to promote the truth about marriage, I urge you to read and act upon the Voice of the Family report - which concludes:

Action points

• Please join the Voice of the Family prayer campaign for the Cardinals and Bishops attending the Ordinary Synod in 2015; may they reaffirm the Catholic faith as taught by the Magisterium for twenty centuries
• Please write to your bishops and parish clergy and make them aware of the problems with the approach being adopted at the Synod and ask them reaffirm the Catholic faith

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SPUC branch puts the unborn child at centre of Christmas celebration

The Rutland and Melton branch of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has, for many years, entered a tree in their town's Christmas Tree festival at St. Mary's C of E Church.

Frances Levett, SPUC's local leader in Melton, tells me:

"The festival, as usual, was supported by hundreds of local organisations and individuals who entered almost 1,000 trees in total, about 300 of which were large themed trees like our own.

"It is always a challenge to put anything pro-life in a public showcase without attracting accusations that we are causing offence. Round the tree was a ribbon asking visitors to question themselves, "When does life begin?"

"All credit must go to a new member, Ruth Escreet
Ruth also made silver bows with a tiny baby in the centre waving at us, and Sandra Ford made black and white baby photos. I hope you will agree that the result was elegant and tasteful, while making our pro-life point effectively. Perhaps a tribute to this may be found in the fact that the church included our tree as one in their children's quiz: "Find the tree with the baby on top". It's  interesting that they did not say, "The one with the foetus on top!"

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Glasgow midwives lose fight for conscientious objection

The Supreme Court has rejected the opportunity to uphold the right of conscientious objection for senior midwives who refuse to supervise abortions performed on a labour ward. Today's decision issued in the Supreme Court has been condemned by those who backed the Glasgow midwives' fight for their right to work in the NHS without being involved in abortions.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) which paid the midwives’ legal expenses throughout the case has said that senior midwives who refuse to kill babies could be forced to leave the profession.

Mary Doogan and Connie Wood (pictured right), the midwives in the case, commented on the judgment:

“We are both saddened and extremely disappointed with today's verdict from the Supreme Court and can only imagine the subsequent detrimental consequences that will result from today's decision on staff of conscience throughout the UK.

“Despite it having been recognised that the number of abortions on the labour ward at our hospital is in fact a tiny percentage of the workload, which in turn could allow the accommodation of conscientious objection with minimal effort, this judgment, with its constraints and narrow interpretation, has resulted in the provision of a conscience clause which now in practice is meaningless for senior midwives on a labour ward.”

Paul Tully, general secretary of SPUC said:

“The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children acknowledges the great debt that the whole pro-life community owes to Mary Doogan and Connie Wood for fighting this battle over the past seven years. They have fought not only for their own careers, but for all current and future members of the profession who uphold the right to life of everyone, from the time of conception, without discrimination. We are bitterly disappointed for them.

“Today's decision sadly makes it likely that senior midwives who refuse to kill babies will be forced to leave the profession. Junior midwives might still be able to work in labour wards where abortions are performed but they will be restricted to 'staff midwife' status at best. They could easily be placed in an impossible situation by pro-abortion superiors, and would be unable to receive promotion to a more senior role without fear of being required to violate their consciences. This will affect anyone who objects to abortion, of any religion or none. It will create a second-class status in midwifery for those who only deliver babies and don't kill them.

“Furthermore, the court has used the opportunity of this case to decide that the conscience clause in the Abortion Act does not apply to General Practitioners and that hospital doctors asked to prescribe abortion drugs will not be covered by the conscience clause. We anticipate that this will lead to renewed efforts by health officials to force doctors who have a conscientious objection to abortion either to compromise their respect for human life or to leave the profession. SPUC will support and encourage doctors to resist any such bullying approach.

“The pro-abortion lobby has long argued that conscientious objectors should be required to refer women seeking legal abortion to other practitioners. Bodies such as the Department of Health have qualified this by saying that this only applies when the statutory grounds for a legal abortion apply, but the Supreme Court has said that any medical professional who refuses to provide an abortion should arrange for a referral to someone else who will do so. This seems to go far beyond the scope of the Abortion Act, and furthermore is not even an issue there was any need for the Court to decide in this case.

“The Court has nevertheless said that midwives and doctors with conscientious objections are obliged to refer abortion patients to colleagues who don't object to abortion. This goes further than the General Medical Council, for instance, whose current guidance Personal Belief and Medical Practice says that doctors should refer patients to another doctor, but does not require them to check their colleague's pro-abortion credentials.”

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Joseph, SPUC's much-loved dispatch officer, retires after 24 years' service

Joseph Chiang, SPUC's dispatch officer, retired yesterday after nearly 25 years' loyal service to unborn children. Much loved by the Society's staff and volunteers, we gathered to celebrate this great servant and friend of the most vulnerable members of the community. Joseph is pictured in the centre, wearing a crucifix, standing in front of our youngest and tallest member of staff, Isaac Spencer.

Liz Foody, SPUC's dispatch manager and Joseph's line manager throughout most of that time, paid a lovely tribute to Joseph. Here's part of what she said:

"Joseph was born and raised in Uganda. In 1968, just three years before Idi Amin came to power, his grandmother, father and mother and 8 brothers and sisters moved to Birmingham where they lived with an aunt and uncle and their four children.

"He joined SPUC's staff in 1990 and has worked for us ever since.

"Joseph has travelled the world on many pilgrimages. Many a time he would leave work, travel overnight on Friday night to visit a Holy Shrine travelling back on the Sunday night and go straight into work on Monday morning.

"Joseph was always a very good time-keeper: First in, in the mornings, always on the dot of 8:15.

"Joseph, on behalf SPUC, I thank you most sincerely and wish many you year of retirement to spend with your family in Birmingham and of course happy birthday from us all."

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Foetal alcohol judgment is anti-rational

The Court of Appeal's judgment today in the foetal alcohol syndrome case is anti-rational. SPUC has responded to the judgment in the case of CP v CICA http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/cp-v-cica/

The judges said that they thought babies who are victims of violence should not be compensated by the state in the way that other victims of violence are. Previously, children affected by FAS have received compensation. In today's judgment in the 'CP' case, the court has upheld cost-cutting changes in the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority practices and prioritised finance above welfare of children and expectant mothers.

Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, told the media earlier today:

"This cruel judgment not only leaves disabled children without just recompense, it flies in the face of common knowledge about when life begins and - it is anti-rational.

The judges use complex legal argument to explain why 80 children and babies whose lives are blighted by their mother's extremely heavy drinking in pregnancy will not receive compensation.

There is no need to prosecute any mother in order for the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority to award compensation to the babies who have been injured. Indeed, no-one, so far as we know, has even suggested that this is necessary.

In order to reach its decision the court relied on arcane legal rules which say that although unborn babies are distinct from their mother from the time of conception, they are not in law 'other' people or 'human persons'. This approach is anti-rational: it denies the known facts about human life and how babies develop.

The judges noted that children who die after birth because of injuries inflicted before they are born can be regarded as victims of crime. But the judges said that damage inflicted during pregnancy (such as alcohol poisoning) cannot be regarded as causing harm to the baby after birth because all the damage is done in the womb. According to the judges, the post-natal effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, which can include heart problems, learning difficulties, musculo-skeletal abnormalities and epilepsy, do not count as additional damage caused after birth.

This kind of argument seeks to find a difference where there is no distinction. It has no place in a legal judgment.

English law remains in denial about biology by refusing to recognise the human person in the womb. People start in life as embryos who grow into fetuses, who are called 'babies' when they are born and 'adults' when they are fully grown. Our judges are some of the most intelligent people in society, yet they deny the facts of human biology that children know."

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Abortion industry calls for law to create "access zones" against pro-life vigils outside abortion centres

Top story:

Abortion industry calls for law to create "access zones" against pro-life vigils outside abortion centres
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of the UK's largest abortion providers, has called for a law to create "access zones" against pro-life vigils outside abortion centres. BPAS made the call in response to the rise of pro-life vigils in the UK, such as those by 40 Days For Life and Abort67. The campaign, called Back Off, is also supported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, and other organisations. [BBC, 28 November]

Related stories:

• Mother thanks pro-life campaigners for helping her keep her baby [BBC, 28 November]
• Southwark’s top cop quizzed about anti-abortion protests [London SE1, 26 November]

Others stories:

Abortion:

• Marie Stopes to open abortion centre in Huddersfield [Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 26 November]
• Pro-abortion journalist calls for SPUC guest speaker to be banned from entering UK [Stand True, 25 November]
• Students at Cardiff University say freedom of speech threatened by pro-abortion motion [Catholic Herald, 14 November]

Disability:

• Disabled child abandoned by parents doing well [LifeNews.com, 26 November]

Family issues:

• Only half of British 11-year-olds have married parents, suggests study [Telegraph, 28 November]
• Same-sex marriage proposals introduced on Jersey [Jersey Evening Post, 26 November]
• UN pressures Kyrgyzstan to drop bill against homosexual propaganda [Pink News, 26 November]
• Finnish parliament to vote on same-sex marriage [Pink News, 26 November]
• Ottawa archbishop says: Misleading people on sexual morals is not loving [LifeSiteNews.com, 26 November]
• Most British graduates aspire to marriage, suggests survey [Mail, 24 November]

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Swiss assisted suicide escorts produce film

Swiss assisted suicide escorts produce film
A Swiss association which exists to provide 'escorts to those who wish to be given the means to commit suicide has produced a video about its work. The film, made by Exit ADMD, shows the escorts during their meetings, socialising and going about their work, which some of them referred to as their "vocation". One escort tells a woman to whom he gives a lethal drink, “Have a good journey… May the light guide you… May it lead you to peace.” [Catholic Herald, 17 November]

25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

On 20 November 1989 the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention states that: "The child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth". John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, commented: "The Convention is often unjustly reinterpreted to limit its scope just to children who have been born ... SPUC, and in particular its international team - Peter C. Smith, Patrick Buckley and Maria Madise - are working tirelessly, at the UN and elsewhere, to defend the rights of unborn children, especially against the constant pressure of the pro-abortion lobby to enshrine abortion as a human right."

SPUC is disturbed by Belfast court ruling against respected pro-life campaigner
SPUC is disturbed by a ruling by a Belfast court against a respected pro-life campaigner. Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life has been found guilty of harrassment against Dawn Purvis, the director of the Marie Stopes abortion centre in Belfast. Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland development officer, said: "I find it very hard to believe that Bernadette Smyth, a highly-respected and long-serving pro-life leader, is guilty of criminal conduct. It would be quite wrong for her forthright opposition to abortion to be misconstrued as harrassment of women considering abortion or of abortion centre staff." [SPUC, 19 November]

Birth control injections for poor African women condemned by SPUC
A new device for giving birth control injections to poor African women has been condemned by SPUC, which has strong links to Africa. SPUC was responding to the news that Sayana Press, a self-injectable version of the Depo-Provera, is to be sold at US$1 per unit. [BBC, 16 November 2014] The media has described the device as a "contraceptive". Like most forms of hormonal birth-control, however, Sayana Press/Depo-Provera can induce early abortions by making the lining of the womb hostile to newly-conceived human embryos. A spokesperson for SPUC said: "Sayana Press is cheap and dangerous. Treating poor, black women like this is disgraceful." [SPUC, 18 November]

Abortion debate cancelled by Oxford college
A debate organised by Oxford University’s pro-life society on abortion has been cancelled by the host Christ Church college cited "physical and mental security" concerns. The debate was due to take place between Timothy Stanley, a pro-life Catholic writer and Brendan O'Neill, pro-abortion editor of Spiked Online. The debate was cancelled under pressure from Oxford University Student Union Women’s Campaign. [Buzzfeed, 18 November]

Two fathers die from infected kidneys
Two fathers from Wales have died after receiving kidneys from a diseased donor. The donor, a homeless alcoholic, had died of meningoencephalitis. His kidneys had been rejected by six other hospitals before they were accepted by University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, who were unaware that the organs has been rejected by other hospitals. [Metro, 18 November] Rhoslyn Thomas, SPUC’s youth and education officer, born and raised in Wales, said: "This incident raises concerns about the ability of the organ transplant system in Wales to protect patients. Serious ethical and safety concerns were raised by SPUC during the passage of the Human Transplantation (Wales) bill last year."

Job vacancy for Despatch Officer at SPUC
SPUC wishes to recruit a full-time Despatch Officer (37½ hours p.w.), whose role will be to open daily post and prepare all outgoing post. The duties include:

• photocopying and collating campaign material to be packed with the help of volunteers.
• keeping records of all outgoing mailings, filing of sample copies
• merchandise stock-keeping, store room organisation

The position, to commence in January 2015 and be based at SPUC’s Kennington HQ, would suit someone with good IT skills, organisational skills and manual lifting ability. The closing date is 12 December 2014. Salary according to age and experience. To request an application pack please contact Patrick Kingman, SPUC, Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, London SE11 4AB Email: patkingman@spuc.org.uk tel. 020 7820 3121.

Other stories:

Abortion

• Husband and wife reject abortion to welcome quintuplets [LifeNews.com, 16 May]

Family issues

• 'Courage International head says voice of chaste homosexuals was absent from family Synod [LifeSiteNews.com, 13 November]
• Cardinal Burke urges removal of controversial topics from 2015 family Synod [Catholic Herald, 18 November]

General

• 21 pro-life women elected to US Congress [Live Action, 16 November]

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Today is the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

On 20 November 1989 the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention defines a child as “every human being below the age of eighteen years” (art.1)

An unborn child is undoubtedly a human being, a member of the species Homo sapiens.

The Convention states that:

• “Every child has the inherent right to life” (art.6.1)
• “State parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child” (art.6.2)
• “The child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and
• care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth” (preamble)

lt should be noted that the CRC says “the need for such special safeguards has been…recognised in the UDHR [Universal Declaration of Human Rights]”.

The Convention has not been implemented for all children. The Convention is often unjustly reinterpreted to limit its scope just to children who have been born. lt is true that the practice of abortion is widespread and, in many countries, legal at least in some circumstances. There is, however, a mismatch between the human rights requirements of international law and the practice of individuals and nation states. Prohibitions on abortion by sovereign states are not only compatible with the requirements of international human rights instruments but are in fact the most probable interpretation of those requirements.

SPUC, and in particular its international team - Peter C. Smith, Patrick Buckley and Maria Madise - are working tirelessly, at the UN and elsewhere, to defend the rights of unborn children, especially against the constant pressure of the pro-abortion lobby to enshrine abortion as a human right.

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SPUC is disturbed by Belfast court ruling against respected pro-life campaigner

Bernadette Smyth

SPUC is disturbed by today's ruling by a Belfast court against a respected pro-life campaigner. Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life has been found guilty of harrassment against Dawn Purvis, the director of the Marie Stopes abortion centre in Belfast.

Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland development officer, told the media earlier today:

"I find it very hard to believe that Bernadette Smyth, a highly-respected and long-serving pro-life leader, is guilty of criminal conduct. It would be quite wrong for her forthright opposition to abortion to be misconstrued as harrassment of women considering abortion or of abortion centre staff. SPUC supports her legal team's decision to appeal today's ruling.

At present we do not have an official transcript of the judge's remarks. Once an official transcript is available, we will be seeking a legal opinion on the judgment. If the media's reports of the judge's remarks are accurate, it appears that the ruling may represent a disturbing curtailment of pro-lifers' freedom of speech and other civil freedoms. There is an unbroken tradition in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain of pro-life vigils outside abortion centres being conducted lawfully and peaceably."

According to the BBC, District Judge Chris Holmes told Belfast Magistrates' Court:

"I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not feel it's appropriate for anyone to be stopped outside this clinic in any form, shape or fashion and questioned either to their identity, why they are going in there and being forced to involve themselves in conversation at times when they are almost certainly going to be stressed and very possibly distressed."

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Job vacancy for Despatch Officer at SPUC

Job vacancy for Despatch Officer at SPUC
SPUC wishes to recruit a full-time Despatch Officer (37½ hours p.w.), whose role will be to open daily post and prepare all outgoing post. The duties include:

• photocopying and collating campaign material to be packed with the help of volunteers.
• keeping records of all outgoing mailings, filing of sample copies
• merchandise stock-keeping, store room organisation

The position, to commence in January 2015 and be based at SPUC’s Kennington HQ, would suit someone with good IT skills, organisational skills and manual lifting ability. The closing date is 12 December 2014. Salary according to age and experience. To request an application pack please contact Patrick Kingman, SPUC, Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, London SE11 4AB Email: patkingman@spuc.org.uk tel. 020 7820 3121.

Court of Appeal considers rights of unborn children
The Court of Appeal is currently discussing a test case of a mother who drank to excess during pregnancy, causing her daughter to be born with disabilities. The case was brought by a local authority on behalf of the now six-year-old girl. The local authority wish to win compensation on behalf of the young girl on the basis that she was a victim of a violent crime (that is, poisoning).  [Catholic Herald, 11 November]

Glasgow midwives hearing takes place in London
The case of the Glasgow midwives has been heard in the Supreme Court in London. Lawyers for Mary Doogan and Connie Wood defended the midwives' right to continue to work as Labour Ward Co-ordinators without being complicit in abortion. Mary and Connie have been midwives for over 25 years and helped deliver around 10,000 babies. It will be several months before the judgement is issued. SPUC has funded Connie and Mary’s legal representation throughout the case, with the kind donations of its supporters. [SPUC, 10 November]

Kenyan doctors discover tetanus vaccine laced with sterilising antigen
Vaccines used in Kenya have been laced with an antigen which can cause miscarriage and sterilisation, it is alleged. The vaccine has been administered to 2.3 million women and girls by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF. A spokesman for the Kenyan Catholic Doctors Association said: "[T]his WHO campaign is not about eradicating neonatal tetanus but a well-coordinated forceful population control mass sterilization exercise using a proven fertility regulating vaccine." [Acton Institute, 7 November]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Petition against rental space for abortion centre in London [Change.org, 17 November]
• 4D scan images reveal unborn children grinning in womb [Express, 15 November]

Disability

• Teacher with dwarfism to adopt child also with dwarfism [Cambridge News, 16 November]

Embryology

• The three-parent baby trap - is new IVF technique safe? [Independent, 16 November]

Euthanasia

• Assisted suicide groups to be allowed into Swiss nursing homes [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, 16 November]
• German Parliament debate euthanasia [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, 14 November]
• Inquiry on end-of-life care launched by Commons’ health select committee [Nursing Times, 7 November]

Marriage and family

• MPs launch petition in support of Ashers Bakery [Christian Institute, 14 November]

Pregnancy

• Mechanic invents device to save mothers and children in developing world dying in labour [LifeNews.com, 15 November]

Sexual ethics

• Women say popular birth control has ruined their lives [KDVR, 14 November]

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Birth control injections for poor African women condemned by SPUC

A new device for giving birth control injections to poor African women has been condemned by SPUC, which has strong links to Africa.
SPUC was responding to the news that Sayana Press, a self-injectable version of Depo-Provera, is to be sold at US$1 per unit. ("The one dollar contraceptive set to make family planning easier", BBC, 16 November 2014)

The media has described the device as a "contraceptive". Like most forms of hormonal birth-control, however, Sayana Press/Depo-Provera can induce early abortions by making the lining of the womb hostile to newly-conceived human embryos.

In addition to its abortifacient mode, Sayana Press is dangerous for women. Risks include:

• double the risk of HIV-1 infection
• 2.2-fold increased risk of invasive breast cancer
• permanent bone-density loss.   

Sayana Press is cheap and dangerous. Treating poor, black women like this is disgraceful.

Obianuju "Uju" Echeoka, a Nigerian women's advocate, said: "This is certainly not what African women have asked for. But yet in a world of shocking cultural imperialism, it is what our Western cultural masters have chosen to unleash upon us." For Uju's full comment, see
http://www.cultureoflifeafrica.com/2014/11/western-giants-launch-dangerous-and.html

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BBC Children in Need funds homosexual propaganda aimed at youth

BBC Children in Need is a charity of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to raise money for the support of children, including disabled children. Its main fundraising vehicle is an annual telethon, which this year (2014) is being held this evening (14 November). The BBC Children in Need website reveals that in the last three years it made grants to sexual health centres and homosexual youth projects. In SPUC's experience, such centres and projects often support and/or facilitate legal abortion, abortifacient birth control and/or damaging forms of sex education. For example, BBC Children in Need has given funds to the Terrence Higgins Trust, which has endorsed a right to choose abortion, promoted morning-after pills, produced pro-euthanasia advance directives ('living wills') and produced highly-explicit sex education material. [John Smeaton, 12 November 2011] Also, BBC Children In Need has previously given grants to charities funding abortion and family planning services and using research methods that involve destructive embryos - see the entry in the 2006 edition of SPUC's Charities Bulletin.

Here are the latest examples of BBC Children in Need's grants to pro-homosexual groups:

Allsorts Youth project (Brighton) – £13,143

"This project will provide a range of support and activities to lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans young people, reducing isolation and distress, and building resilience and confidence."

From the Allsorts website:

“Allsorts is a project based in Brighton to support and empower young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* or unsure (LGBTU) of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”

“Mission Statement: Allsorts Youth Project supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans young people to take a lead in raising awareness of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and challenge prejudice and discrimination in all areas of young people’s lives.”

Beat Bullying (London) - £92,745

"This project will provide and online peer mentoring and specialist counseling service for young LGBT people who are being bullied because of their sexuality, enabling them to improve their self confidence and for them to feel safe."

PACE (London) - £79,410

"This project will provide counseling, support and advocacy to LGBT young people who are at risk of self-harm or suicide. Young people will come to terms with their feelings, and increase their emotional well-being."

From the PACE website:

PACE are currently recruiting Youth Ambassadors who are between 14 and 18 years old and either identify as LGBT or as questioning their gender or sexuality to aid and advise PACE on its direction.

East London Out Project - £26,274

"This project will provide an after school social and support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender young people aged 13-18. The aim is to reduce isolation, provide a safe place to explore issues and build confidence."

From the ELOP website:

“ELOP was established around 1995 as a grassroots developed and community-led organisation with the aim to promote the mental health, wellbeing, empowerment and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities."

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Requiem Mass to be celebrated for Alison Davis

Fr Brendan Gerard has asked me to inform the countless friends and heartfelt admirers of the late Alison Davis that on Wednesday, 3rd December, Mass will be celebrated for the repose of Alison's soul at Corpus Christi church in central London. May she rest in peace.

3rd December 2014 is the first anniversary of Alison's death.

These are the details sent to me by Fr Gerard, a former member of SPUC's staff:

Solemn Requiem Mass in anniversario (Roman Missal 1962) for Alison Davis

Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Time: 6.30 pm
Place: Corpus Christi, 1 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NB (Underground: Covent Garden)
Sacred ministers: Revd Brendan Gerard (celebrant), Revd Timothy Finigan (deacon), Revd Dr Michael Cullinan (subdeacon)

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Pray for Connie and Mary in the Supreme Court today

Paul Tully (right), SPUC's general secretary, is joining Mary Doogan (left) and Connie Wood (right), at the Supreme Court this morning. Please pray for them and for the outcome of the case.

Connie and Mary are senior midwives from Glasgow. They are in the Supreme Court to defend their right to work while not being involved in abortions on the labour ward where they have been employed as Labour Ward Co-ordinators.

Connie and Mary, between them, have helped to deliver around 10,000 babies over the past 25  years.

History of the case

The dispute originated in changes of practice and workload in the labour ward of Glasgow's Southern General Hospital from 2007 and earlier, which led to senior midwives such as Mary and Connie being told to delegate, supervise and support staff midwives in carrying out abortions. This prompted a formal grievance process which ran from 2009-2011. The Health Board rejected Connie and Mary's request for their conscientious objection to be respected, and the midwives then sought judicial review. The Outer House of the Court of Session found against the midwives in 2012, but this decision was reversed on appeal by the Inner House in 2013. The Health Board then appealed to the Supreme Court, and the case is being heard on 11 November 2014.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has funded Connie and Mary's legal representation throughout the case. We are grateful that the generosity of our donors has enabled us to support them in their courageous stand in defence of midwives' rights of conscience.

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Connie and Mary defend right in Supreme Court not to participate in abortion

People from around the world are keeping the Glasgow midwives Mary and Connie in their prayers this week - including the sisters of the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy in Nigeria.

Tomorrow, Mary Doogan and Connie Wood, two senior midwives from Glasgow, are going to the Supreme Court in London to defend their right not to be involved with abortions.

Antonia Tully, SPUC's Safe at School co-ordinator, met Sister MaryLucy, pictured left, at the pro-life conference in Abuja, Nigeria, earlier this year. Sister Mary Lucy told Antonia about their work with orphans and Antonia spoke about the work of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). In particular Antonia asked the sisters to pray for Mary and Connie.

It was clear that Sister MaryLucy saw no division between her practical work in looking after orphaned and abandoned children and SPUC's work fighting for the lives of unborn children who have been foresaken by society.

Sadly in this country many people do not see that pro-life work supports the work of caring for neglected and rejected children in the poorest parts of the world.

Below is an email Sister MaryLucy sent to Antonia recently:

Hello Antonia!

Greetings to you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It's my pleasure writing you this morning to express our fondness for the work of saving life you are doing over there. We are all in the same boat fighting for the preservation and upliftment of life.

May God strengthen you in all your endeavours.

Cheers. God bless you.

SR. MARYLUCY, FROM NIGERIA

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Watch Maria Madise of Voice of the Family on Newsmax TV

Maria Madise, Voice of the Family’s coordinator, was interviewed this past week on Newsmax, one of the leading news and politics outlets in the United States. You watch the interview with Maria below or directly on the Newsmax website, where you can also read a report of the interview, entitled: “Catholic Activist: Gay Advocacy at Vatican Synod Did ‘Disservice’ to Church”.



About Voice of the Family.

Follow Voice of the Family via:

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Prophetic interview with Bishop Schneider on the Family Synod is published

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, has given a prophetic interview on the recent Extraordinary Synod on the Family. During the interview, Bishop Schneider says:

"During the Synod there had been moments of obvious manipulation on the part of some clerics who held key positions in the editorial and governing structure of the Synod. The interim report (Relatio post disceptationem) was clearly a prefabricated text with no reference to the actual statements of the Synod fathers. In the sections on homosexuality, sexuality and 'divorced and remarried' with their admittance to the sacraments the text represents a radical neo-pagan ideology."

Read about what he says by visiting the latest Voice of the Family post: "Bishop Schneider praises laity who opposed clerical manipulation of family Synod".

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Government's pro-gay schools plan is "an attack on all parents", says Safe at School

Nicky Morgan

Proposals to close schools which fail to promote homosexuality are an attack on every parent in the country, according to SPUC's Safe at School campaign.

Safe at School was responding to comments by Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, to The Sunday Times. The newspaper reports that Mrs Morgan is backing new rules from Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, which punishes schools which it deems to be intolerant of homosexuality.

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

"It's quite clear that the new rules for schools actively to promote so-called 'British values' are all about indoctrinating children with a homosexual ideology. The prospect that schools will have to champion homosexuality or risk being downgraded by Ofsted strips all parents of their right to educate their own children about sexual morality.

It is misleading to suggest that same-sex issues must be embedded in the school curriculum in order to protect children. Parents will be left powerless to keep their children safe from harmful sexual lifestyles. Nicky Morgan's zeal to further the gay agenda is undermining every parent in the country."

Safe at School is supporting parents at Welford Primary School in Birmingham, who are calling for the removal of a teaching resource which promotes same-sex families and relationships is being used. (See the related press release Birmingham parents call on Council to get CHIPS out of their school )

Antonia said:

"The Welford parents are furious that this scheme was introduced without ay parental consultation. But more than that, they are worried sick about what is happening to their children."

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Population control won't save the planet, admit experts

Professor Corey Bradshaw

Top stories:

Population control won't save the planet, admit experts
Population control will not cure the so-called ‘crisis’ of a perceived shortage of resources for future generations, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Corey Bradshaw from the University of Adelaide said: "Even if we had a third world war in the middle of this century, you would barely make a dent in the trajectory over the next 100 years" [BBC, 27 October] Scientists such as the late Julian Simon argued that a growing population would adapt to the growing number of humans on the planet.

Safe at School condemns government plans on alleged homophobic bullying
SPUC's Safe at School campaign has condemned plans to sink £2 million into dealing with alleged homophobic bullying in schools. The move was announced by Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, in an interview with a homosexual news service. Antonia Tully of Safe at School said: "Tax-paying parents will soon become aware that their money is actually being spent on the promotion of homosexuality. [SPUC, 29 October]

Mother speaks after legal battle to kill daughter
The mother has spoken of her relief after winning a legal battle to allow her disabled daughter to be dehydrated to death. Charlotte Fitzmaurice said: "Although I will live with the guilt forever, I know I have done everything I can for her and she is at peace." Nancy, her daughter, was not terminally-ill and was able to breathe unaided. Dr Andrew Ferguson, chairman of Care Not Killing, said: "It is never ethical to speed up the process of dying by any intervention which has the primary intention to end life".  [Express, 27 October]

Legal bid launched against sex-selective abortions
The Christian Legal Centre is backing a legal bid by a young pro-life activist against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Aisling Hupert instructed solicitors to bring action after it was announced that the CPS would not press charges against two medics who were filmed by undercover journalists, agreeing to abort babies because they were girls. Andrew Minichello Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre said: "The Director of Public Prosecutions has refused to enforce the law and this sends the wrong message to the medical world. This case shines a spotlight on this grave injustice against women." [Telegraph, 24 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

• A mother is forced to have limbs amputated after abortion [LifeSiteNews, 27 October]
• Parents speak of pressure to abort their baby girl because of Down’s Syndrome [Mirror, 15 October]

Embryology

• UK national sperm bank opens for business [BBC, 30 October]
• Post-IVF woman criticises egg freezing [Wired, 24 October]

Same-sex marriage

• Obama claims US Constitution supports same-sex marriage [IBT, 22 October]
• UN pressures Kyrgyzstan to drop law against homosexual propaganda [Pink News, 27 October]
• Campaign to abolish law against adultery to accommodate same-sex couples [Christian Institute, 22 October]

General

• MPs call for investigation into pregnancy drug [LBC, 24 October]

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Safe at School condemns government plans on alleged homophobic bullying

Nicky Morgan (centre) with Luke Tryl, her special advisor and gay activist

SPUC's Safe at School campaign has condemned plans to sink £2 million into dealing with alleged homophobic bullying in schools.

See "Government to fund campaign to stamp out anti-gay bullying in schools", Telegraph, 29 October 2014 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11193812/Government-to-fund-campaign-to-stamp-out-anti-gay-bullying-in-schools.html)

Safe at School supports parents who object to inappropriate sex education.

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

"Tax-paying parents will soon become aware that their money is actually being spent on the promotion of homosexuality. This has certainly been the experience of parents at Welford Primary School in Birmingham, who are protesting against the introduction of a teaching programme named Challenging Homophobia in Primary Schools (CHIPS). CHIPS was introduced without any parental consultation and many parents in the school are worried sick about what their children are being taught."  

The CHIPS programme includes getting six and seven year-old children to design a dress for a "princess boy", getting little girls of six to role play lesbian mothers, and showing 10-11 year old children a news report about a transgender six year-old. See the related press release Birmingham parents call on Council to get CHIPS out of their school A review of CHIPS can be read online.

The stress on homophobic bullying could result in other incidents of bullying being overlooked. In 2012 Ofsted brought out a report:  "No place for bullying" http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/no-place-for-bullying This report placed a great emphasis on homophobic bullying. Yet in Ofsted's sample of 1,060 pupils, children and teenagers spoke of being bullied for being too clever, having a learning disability, being too fat and wearing glasses, among other things. Ofsted could only find three primary school and five secondary school pupils seemingly bullied over sexuality.

Antonia concluded:

"We're advising parents to insist that any advice given by the new government-funded advisers does not indoctrinate children or undermine parents."

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Please join us in a minute's silence on Monday for unborn children

Rhoslyn Thomas, SPUC's youth officer, has initiated a call for people to hold a one minute silence on Monday for unborn children. Here are the details, courtesy of Rhoslyn:

On Monday 27 October, we commemorate the 47th anniversary of Royal Assent given to the Abortion Act by Queen Elizabeth II. Royal Assent is approval of a law passed by a nation’s parliament, given by the constitutional monarch.

We will be holding a minute’s silence on Monday, 27 October 2014 (this Monday) at 11.04am (the time when Royal Assent was given) to remember the (over) 8 million unborn babies (including those aborted in Scotland), who have been killed in the womb since the passing of the Abortion Act.

In 2013, 190,800 unborn babies were aborted in England and Wales under the Abortion Act – at least 550 a day, including non-residents. The highest rate of abortion was among women aged 22 years old. 773 abortions was carried out on mothers under the age of 15 and 81% of abortions were carried out on mothers who described themselves as single. 98% of abortions were funded by the NHS including those in private abortion centres such as the BPAS.

These figures demonstrate why the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children exists and why we need to continue to fight for the unborn and for the family, as a whole. More than ever, we see attacks on all sides to destroy the family as it has always been known: one man and one woman, joined together in matrimony in order to raise the children given to them. Absolute respect for all human life from the moment of conception to the last moment before natural death is the overall objective of SPUC.

Many countries, not least those countries which are part of the Commonwealth, look to Britain for leadership on issues concerning the family. Both David Cameron and Ed Miliband have publicly stated that they intend to export same-sex marriage to other countries and Cameron has even said, “British aid should have more strings attached”. What is passed or rejected in Britain concerning the family has international repercussions.

SPUC invites everyone to hold a minute’s silence in honour of the children who will never be born and who will never know what it is to be loved in this life. We also remember the mothers and fathers who have made this tragic mistake which has also damaged them. We honour as well all those mothers and fathers who have withstood enormous pressures and have given their babies the best chance of life by respecting their right to be born.

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New guidelines help schools support parents in sex education

SPUC's Safe at School has produced new guidelines for primary schools entitled Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) for today's primary school children https://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/safeatschool/sreprimary201409

This new publication promotes good practice in primary schools where parents are the main educators of their children in sexual matters and where schools have a key role in supporting parents. The guidelines build on the current government guidance, Sex and Relationship Education Guidance – DfEE 0116/2000.

Amid the increasingly loud calls for compulsory PSHE and sex education, SPUC Safe at School is calling for parents to be re-established as the primary educators of their children in sexual matters.

The new guidelines highlight the changes to the primary science curriculum which make clear that sexual matters are not covered in science lessons. Many primary schools interpreted the old national curriculum for primary science to mean that explicit details of sex had to be taught in science lessons, from which parents cannot withdraw their children. This amounted to compulsory sex education by the back door. However the new national curriculum clarifies that sexual matters are not part of primary school science classes.

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