A blog launched on the 41st anniversary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the first pro-life organisation in the world, established on 11 January 1967. SPUC has been a leader in the educational and political battle against abortion, human embryo experimentation and euthanasia since then. I write this blog in my role as SPUC's chief executive, commenting on pro-life news, reflecting on pro-life issues and promoting SPUC's work.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Prayer is urgently needed for Britain
The prayers of people of all faiths are greatly needed in Britain as we continue our fight against the sex and relationships proposals in the government's Children Schools and Families bill. Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families, made clear this week that one of the purposes of the Bill is that in all schools, including faith schools, schoolchildren must have access to abortion. This is, arguably, the greatest advance in the culture of death in Britain since the passage of the Abortion Act in 1967. The Government's bill is being given the general support of the Catholic Education Service, an agency of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales.
I'm pleased to draw the attention of Catholic visitors to the events below in London next month. For Catholics, Our Lady of Guadalupe has a special role as patroness of the unborn. I hope that as many as possible to pray for our children, our country and, as a Catholic myself, for our bishops at this critical time.
I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 33 years. I became director of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to SPUC's staff, supporters and advisers for their help to me in researching, writing and producing this blog.
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