JOHN SMEATON, DIRECTOR OF SPUC: An anencephalic baby is not a 'dead body'

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

An anencephalic baby is not a 'dead body'

Top story:

An anencephalic baby is not a 'dead body' [Belfast Telegraph, 14 October]

Abortion is not a compassionate response to fatal disability says SPUC Northern Ireland
Abortion is not a compassionate response to cases of fatal disability in unborn children, says SPUC in Northern Ireland. SPUC Northern Ireland was responding to the case of 'Sarah', a woman who contacted the BBC to say that the law on abortion in Northern Ireland had forced her to travel to England to abort a child diagnosed with anencephaly. Liam Gibson, SPUC Northern Ireland's development officer, commented: "Abortion is not a compassionate response to the diagnosis of fatal disability. Babies with fatal disabilities are no less human than other children and share the same right to life as all other human beings. [SPUC, 9 October]

Related item:

20 reasons to think twice about aborting a baby with anencephaly [Peter Saunders, 13 October]

Other stories:

Abortion

Mother of triplets decides to not to abort after pro-life march [March for the Babies, 15 October]
Letting women stockpile morning-after pills won't cut abortions or unplanned pregnancies, says US academic [Mail, 15 October]
Ecuador defies UN, Planned Parenthood, and internationalist pressure to liberalize abortion laws [LifeSiteNews.com, 14 October]
Irish priest removes pro-abortion politician from Communion role [Irish Independent, 13 October]
Doctors have lost moral sense, says Telegraph's doctor-columnist [Telegraph, 13 October]
Australian March for Babies turns violent: U.S. pro-life activists, MPs assaulted by pro-abort mob [LifeSiteNews.com, 12 October]
Pope Francis makes pro-life comments in address on women [Vatican Radio, 12 October]

Euthanasia

Legalised euthanasia devalues all life [Scotsman, 14 October]
Pro-life doctor says press crucial to exposing Liverpool Care Pathway [Mail, 14 October]

Sexual ethics

Disney reveals first bisexual character in fantasy television series [Pink News, 14 October]
Britain's married minority [Telegraph, 12 October]

General

Miss World: ‘I’m pro-life’ and ‘Sex is for marriage’ [LifeSiteNews.com, 14 October]
Today is called "International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day" [Wikipedia]

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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.