JOHN SMEATON, DIRECTOR OF SPUC: Spare a prayer for founders of SPUC which is 50 years old today

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

Spare a prayer for founders of SPUC which is 50 years old today

50 years ago today, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), was formally established at a meeting at the Wig and Pen Club, Strand, in London, the world's first pro-life group. Spare a prayer for the founding members including Alan Smith, who continues to be a member of SPUC's Executive Committee, and Elspeth Chowdharay-Best (née Rhys-Williams), who continues to be the redoubtable honorary secretary of Alert, a body which campaigns against euthanasia.

Amongst those elected to serve on the Society's first executive committee was Professor Ian Donald, who pioneered the use of diagnostic ultrasound in medicine.

Over 8.7 million children are missing from Britain since the passing of the Abortion Act 1967. We've got to stop abortion in our country. The job of the pro-life movement in 2017 is to make the idea of stopping abortion in the UK completely normal. It is normal not to kill children.

During 2017 SPUC has an ambitious programme to take the pro-life message to people throughout the country. Contact rhoslynthomas@spuc.org.uk to find out about SPUC's 50th anniversary events, so that you can be a witness to life and help SPUC help you save lives.

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About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 42 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.