doctors and SPUC's patient information service

Dr Michael Culloty, a retired general practitioner, approached me today after I presented the White Flower appeal in St Theresa's church, Hatch End, north London. He was interested to hear about the number of doctors making use of SPUC's patient information service.

Hundreds of doctors will be ordering leaflets in the next few weeks in response to the Society's patient information service campaign to give to patients who ask for an abortion. The leaflets provide factual information about the development of unborn children and about what abortion and its aftermath really involve. Just as importantly the leaflets explain who the can contact for support and help in a crisis pregnancy.

Dr Culloty told me that more doctors should oppose abortion by conscientious objection and he hoped they would do so as a result of SPUC's initiative. His parting shot was unanswerable: "I notice that everyone who supports abortion makes sure they've been been born themselves first!"

Dr Culloty is pictured here at St Theresa's after the White Flower appeal with Alma, his wife.

Also, I met Fr Chacko Panathara (pictured) on Sunday at St Raphaels, Yeading. Fr Chacko is a Vincentian priest who ministers to the Indian community in west London. He wants Indian Catholics to get fully engaged in campaigning work to defend unborn children.

SPUC White Flower Appeal

Last Sunday I spoke at Masses in St Joseph's church Wealdstone in north west London the spiritual home of some 3000 Catholics and my family's parish church. I was speaking at the annual White Flower appeal of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.

The theme of this year's appeal is the Society's outreach to women and men suffering after abortion. Too many people are suffering the emotional pain of abortion in silence. SPUC's Silent No More campaign is helping to break this silence. Women and men are now speaking out publicly about their experience in towns and cities across Britain.

SPUC’s partner in the Silent No More Campaign is British Victims of Abortion, which is funded by the SPUC Education and Research Trust. It plays a key role in SPUC’s outreach work by offering free and confidential counselling and support. A Post-Abortion Helpline is available 7 days a week. The helpline number is 0845 603 8501

SPUC is not a Catholic or religious group of any description. But it must be said the support SPUC gets from Catholics in the UK is fantastic. I guesstimate that there have been approximately 40 thousand White Flower Appeals in Catholic parishes since the project began nearly 30 years ago.

Naturally SPUC is grateful to the Catholic laity. But we are particularly indebted to Catholic priests for their vote of confidence in the Society's pro-life work.

The picture shows Fr Michael Doherty SDS, my parish priest, and John O'Brien, grand knight of the Knights of St. Columba, Council 295, in Kenton. Like thousands of Knights of St. Columba throughout the UK, John is a stalwart supporter of SPUC and its White Flower Appeal.