Friday 1 June 2012

Must-read pro-life news-stories, Fri 1 June

Prince Alois of Liechtenstein
Top stories

Please sponsor mountain-climbers raising funds for SPUC
On 1 and  2 July, a team of SPUC supporters are planning to climb Britain’s three highest peaks – Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike – in order to raise funds for the Glasgow midwives’ appeal costs and SPUC’s other life-affirming work. Please sponsor them. > Full details

Please respond to consultation on conscientious objection
The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued new draft guidance for doctors on "Personal beliefs and medical practice". The draft deals with the important issue of conscientious objection, and it seeks to control how doctors deal with requests for treatments which they do not in conscience provide, which may include abortion, IVF, contraception, the morning-after pill, or euthanasia. There are serious flaws in the draft and doctor who hold pro-life values could be penalised or prevented from practising medicine as a result.  Please respond to this consultation yourself and/or ask others (especially doctors). This consultation is being conducted online only. Please visit: http://gmc.e-consultation.net/econsult/ and click on "Consultation on Personal beliefs and medical practice". You need to register to contribute but it is free to do so. The deadline for comments is 13 June 2012. SPUC has published a guideline brief http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/alerts/gmc_consultation_2012 to help you respond to the questions in the consultation. 

New abortion figures represent "bonanza" for private abortion sector
Figures issued by the Department of Health indicate that in 2011 there were almost 190,000 registered abortions on resident women in England and Wales. A further 6,000 abortions were registered on non-residents. Paul Tully of SPUC commented: “The statistics also represent an increasing bonanza for the private abortion sector, as their share of the abortion market increases and more NHS money flows into their coffers. They are looking to widen their market further by promoting flawed birth control practices and by promoting abortion as a normal part of people’s sexual health needs." [SPUC, 29 May]


Other stories:

Abortion
Embryology
  • More Britons are paying Indian women to become surrogate mothers [Telegraph, 26 May]
Euthanasia
Population
Sexual ethics
  • Catholic schools should teach Theology of the Body, say English bishops [Tablet, 1 June]
  • Opposition to gay marriage is "not acceptable", UK minister says [Telegraph, 31 May]
  • STD fears as 70% of single women admit to regularly having unprotected sex [Mail, 30 May]
  • The fashion for gay marriage has nothing in common with the civil-rights campaigns of the 1960s [Brendan O'Neill, 29 May]
  • MPs should not be allowed free vote on gay marriage, Nick Clegg says [Telegraph, 27 May]
  • Ditch plans for same-sex marriage, voters tell MPs [Telegraph, 26 May]
General
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