Today marks a tragic anniversary in the history of abortion in the UK and worldwide

13th July 2012 marks a tragic anniversary.

Today is the 45th anniversary of the passage by the House of Commons of David Steel’s (pictured) Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill (later to become the Abortion Act 1967). Two days of government time had been provided, one on 29 June and the other on 13 July - for the Bill's Third Reading.

The first day of the additional Parliamentary time provided by the then (Labour) Government proved to be insufficient and the sponsors of the Bill went cap in hand again to the Leader of the House, Richard Crossman seeking further time. The Labour Cabinet met again to discuss this matter on Thursday, 6th July, 1967: i.e. to discuss whether further Parliamentary time should be provided. Once again, the pro-abortion lobby were not to be disappointed.

See below the note of this Cabinet discussion. There seemed to be a concern in Cabinet that for the Government to allow yet further time for this Bill would be taken by the public as implying a degree of governmental support for it. However, after a full discussion, the Cabinet “agreed that further Parliamentary time should be provided by the Government for the Termination of Pregnancy Bill, on the basis that this time was allowed solely in order to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on a Bill which had attracted considerable Parliamentary support.”

As a result, on Thursday 13th July 1967, John Silkin, the Government Chief Whip (and son of Lord Silkin, who would subsequently sponsor the Bill during its passage through the House of Lords) moved that the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill may be proceeded with though opposed until any hour ie another open ended debate. This motion was agreed to by 303 votes to 202.

Pro-life MPs fought against all the odds to prevent the passage of this Bill. Norman St John-Stevas had circulated a letter asking pro-life MPs to filibuster. Sadly, the sponsors – using a whole host of untruths and exaggerations – persuaded the House of Commons to support the Bill. However, it still took a further all night sitting for the Bill to complete its Report stage. At 11.45 am on Friday 14th July, MPs voted by 167 votes to 83 to give the Bill a Third Reading.

The full debate, beginning with the Business of the House motion can be seen here.

Under the tragic legislation over 7,500,000 babies have now been killed - and the legislation has been a model for countries worldwide.

Note of Cabinet discussion on whether further Parliamentary time should be given to Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill (later, the Abortion Act 1967)

The Lord President (Richard Crossman) said that, despite the provision of additional time by the Government for the debate of Mr. Steel's Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill, the House of Commons had failed to reach a conclusion on it. It was for consideration whether further Parliamentary time should be provided by the Government to enable the House to reach a decision on the Bill before the Summer Recess. It was clear from the amount of support which the Bill received that if it failed in this Session it would be revived in subsequent Sessions until the House reached a decision and from the point of view of Parliamentary business there was therefore a strong argument in favour of allowing finality to be reached this time. Furthermore, it was arguable that, in the case of a Bill which attracted this degree of support, time should as a matter of principle be provided to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion. In these circumstances the balance of advantage appeared to lie in providing further limited time for debate on the Bill.

In discussion it was urged that for the Government to allow yet further time for this Bill would be taken by the public as implying a degree of governmental support for it. The Cabinet had not debated the Bill on merits and in view of its highly controversial nature it would be unfortunate if without such discussion the Government were publicly assumed to have taken a decision to support it. It was, however, the general view that the question of governmental support was neither at issue nor would be seen to be implied. The basic principle was that of enabling Parliament to reach a conclusion on a measure which attracted such a wide measure of support. The Governments neutrality on the merits of the Bill could be demonstrated, more particularly if in the event some Ministers were to vote in favour of the Bill and some against it. In these circumstances, further Parliamentary time should
be allowed and it was indeed questionable whether it should not be made clear, in order to forestall further filibustering, that the additional time wouk not be limited, but would be sufficient to enable Parliament to reach a decision one way or another. This could be achieved by making it clear that the debate could continue over the night of Thursday, 13th July and throughout the following Friday (or indeed Saturday) if necessary. This course was, however,
open to the objection that it would involve the sacrifice of Government business on the Friday and though on this occasion the business in question was only of minor importance, its sacrifice might be taken as prejudicing the Governments neutrality on the substance of the Bill.

In further discussion it was urged that consideration should be given to the possibility of changes in Parliamentary procedure which would provide better opportunity for Parliament to reach conclusions on Bills of this nature. This might involve the appointment of a Standing Committee for the preparation of legislation. This and other suggestions could well be considered by the Ministerial Committee on Parliamentary Procedure.

The Cabinet—

(1) Agreed that further Parliamentary time should be provided by the Government for the Termination of Pregnancy Bill, on the basis that this time was allowed solely in order to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on a Bill which had attracted considerable Parliamentary support.

(2) Invited the Lord President of the Council to consider in the light of the discussion the extent to which the statement of the Governments intention to provide further
Parliamentary time for this purpose should indicate that the time would be limited.

(3) Invited the Lord President of the Council to arrange for the Ministerial Committee on Parliamentary Procedure to consider, in the light of their discussion, Parliamentary arrangements for facilitating Private Members' Bills.

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Minister confirms that schools are not required to teach children about sex in science lessons

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, has confirmed that primary schools are not required to teach children about sex in National Curriculum science lessons.

In a letter (full text) to SPUC which runs the Safe at School campaign, Mr Gibb stated:

"I can confirm that neither the current National Curriculum nor the new draft programme of study requires the naming of internal or external body parts with reference to reproduction. The current National Curriculum level descriptions and the new draft notes and guidance make clear that this is not included when pupils are taught to name the main body parts in KS1/Year 1".

Mr Gibb's letter continues:

"Whilst the new draft includes a little more detail about reproductive processes than the current curriculum; it requires a pupil in Year 6 to be taught to compare the life process of reproduction in plants and animals; the programme of study itself does not require pupils to be taught about the mechanisms by which fertilisation takes place."

Antonia Tully of the Safe at School campaign said:

"This clarification from Mr Gibb is very welcome. Parents from around the country have reported to me that their children are being taught about sex in statutory science lessons from which they cannot withdraw their children.

Teaching children about their sexual organs and sexual intercourse in science lessons completely undermines the legal right of parents to withdraw their children from sex education which they feel is too explicit or not age-appropriate. Sex education is part of non-compulsory Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) which means that schools can choose not to teach sex education and parents can choose to withdraw their children from the lessons."

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New Portsmouth bishop argues that Humanae Vitae is infallible

Good news today with the announcement that Monsignor Philip Egan, the vicar-general of the Catholic diocese of Shrewsbury, has been appointed the new bishop of Portsmouth, succeeding Bishop Crispian Hollis. In a lecture at St. Patrick's church, Soho, for the book launch of 'A Pure Heart Create for Me' (Family Publications 2009), Mgr Egan says that:

"[I]t seems to me that there is a persuasive case for believing that the doctrine of Humanae Vitae, regardless of the pastoral difficulty it causes, regardless of the philosophical and theological arguments thrown against it, regardless of the historical conditioning of its neo-scholastic framework, has been, and is being taught infallibly, that is, irreversibly and without error, by the Church's ordinary universal magisterium."

See my blog of 20 November 2009 for why the teaching of Humanae Vitae is crucial for the pro-life movement.

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Microsoft first lady partners pro-abortion leaders

Melinda Gates, the “first lady of Microsoft”, who is giving US$4 billion to reduce births in poorer countries, is due to attend a summit with world abortion leaders on 11 July. Mrs Gates has said she does not want to fund and support abortion. SPUC challenges the suggestion that the money will not help promote abortions.

Mrs Gates wants to focus on contraceptives. In a recent interview she said: 'From the very beginning, we said that as a foundation [the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation] we will not support abortion, because we don’t believe in funding it'.  She is expected to reiterate this at the family planning summit in London this week.  Fiorella Nash, a SPUC researcher, responds in this video and asks whether Mrs Gates’ intervention will save lives or cost lives:



SPUC believes that efforts to elevate abortion as a human right will be a key policy aim of the summit, which is expected to be dominated by pro-abortion organisations such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), certain UN agencies, Marie Stopes International (MSI), and Ipas, the hand-operated abortion-device company.

• Key stakeholders such as the British and US governments, IPPF, MSI, and Ipas are committed to pro-abortion policies and practices. These governments and groups include contraception and abortion in the same healthcare packages that they export to the developing world. Abortion and contraception are seen as part and parcel of family planning and so-called reproductive rights.
• Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said that you cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. ‘Reproductive health’ includes abortion. Pro-abortion governments such as the UK refuse to differentiate between money spent on abortion and contraception overseas. 
• Melinda Gates will be funding all types of hormonal contraception – pills, injections, implants, patches, IUDs, rings etc. Each of these has the potential to cause an abortion by preventing the human embryo implanting in the womb of his or her mother. Women are rarely told this when being given such drugs.
• When 'contraceptive failure' occurs, and a baby is conceived, family planning NGOs will promote chemical or surgical abortion as a back-up. Far from avoiding abortions, the Gates family planning summit may increase the number. Increasing contraceptive prevalence may often increase abortion rates, contrary to expectations.
• In a letter to The Financial Times, IPPF and Marie Stopes International say: “This initiative is invigorating the international sexual and reproductive health and rights community.” It is naive of Mrs Gates to think she can ring-fence the funding of contraception with these partners. 
• In June 2011 Mark Pritchard MP asked the Secretary of State for International Development to look into how much the DFID spent on abortion. Andrew Mitchell replied that: “the Government have no such plans. It is not possible to disaggregate UK aid spending for safe abortion from wider expenditure on areas such as reproductive health care, maternal and neonatal health and health personnel development.”  
• IPPF and allied groups refused to accept US government funds under the Bush administration when the funds were restricted to non-abortion family planning projects. 
• In 2008, the Gates Foundation gave over US$2.4 million dollars to IPPF Europe Network, and over US$6 million dollars in 2009.
• The Marie Stopes International Global Impact Report for 2010 estimated that MSI had performed 1.3 million abortion and post-abortion procedures.
• The latest project launched by DFID is called Preventing Maternal Deaths from Unwanted Pregnancy (PMDUP). DFID will give £67 million pounds over 5 years from July 2011 to June 2016 via MSI and Ipas, to carry out and promote abortion and contraception in 14 countries.

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Food not contraception saves lives

Food not contraception saves live, says SPUC in the run-up to Melinda Gates' London Summit on Family Planning on 11 July.

Recently, Save the Children has announced that family planning 'saves lives' of both women and babies. It has called for aid money to be spent on contraception, claiming that it is a good investment, cheaper than saving children from death by disease or starvation after they are born.  These claims are due to be rehashed in a letter to The Financial Times this week.

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC’s communications manager, examines in this video why money is being spent on contraception when people are starving:



In promoting contraception, Save the Children is echoing agencies that promote abortion and population control for poorer countries. The popular face of this campaign is a call to address the alleged 'unmet need for contraception' among the world’s poorest women. Although Save the Children says this would cost only one pound per woman per year, the UK government, the EU, the US, the Gates Foundation and others are proposing to give many billions of pounds more to stop around 0.2 billion poor women bearing children.

Save the Children make specious claims such as '570,000 newborn children will be saved if family planning needs are met'. In a forthcoming letter in The Financial Times, NGOs Beyond 2014, an alliance of pro-abortion organisations, plan to claim the summit will help progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 (reduce child mortality). There are real and urgent needs that newborns and young child need help with, and these should be the priority of Save the Children, not pushing contraceptives to stop future children existing.

A report by The Economist (May 2012) concluded that the link between mortality and broader demographic change seems weak.  This contradicts the claims of Save the Children and NGOs beyond 2014. 16 of the 20 African countries which have had detailed surveys of living conditions since 2005 reported falls in their child-mortality rates (this rate is the number of deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births). 12 countries had falls of over 4.4% a year, which is the rate of decline that is needed to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of cutting by two-thirds the child-mortality rate between 1990 and 2015. The report notes that countries which reduced their birth rates the most would be expected to have cut child mortality most. This is because such countries have moved furthest in the transition from poor, high-fertility status to richer, low-fertility status. But it turns out that while Senegal, Ethiopia and Ghana reduced both fertility and child mortality a lot, others like Kenya and Uganda also reduced child deaths, though their fertility declines have stalled in recent years. Lower birth rates are not the only factor. Liberia, where fertility remains high, did badly on child mortality—but so did low-fertility places such as Namibia and Lesotho.

Some further facts:

• Under-nutrition contributes to five million deaths of children under five each year in developing countries. (Source: Under-five deaths by cause, UNICEF, 2006)
• One out of four children - roughly 146 million - in developing countries is underweight (Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)
• 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths (Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)
• According to charity Mary’s Meals, 78% of malnourished children live in countries that have a surplus of food and there is enough food being produced in the world today to feed every person 2,720 kcals each day
• According to the charity Nothing But Nets, malaria causes 200 million instances of  illness per year and kills 600,000 people, mostly children under the age of five. Malaria is both preventable and treatable. Anti-malarial drugs, such as artemisinin and other combination therapies (if used early enough) can be used to treat malaria once it is contracted.

Below is table of leading causes of death of neonates and children under five. A condom, or a hormonal pill or injection will not cure a child of any of the following in the table. Deaths from these causes are extremely rare in the developed world.



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Hormonal contraceptives may cause early abortions and cancer

In the run-up to Melinda Gates' London Summit on Family Planning on 11 July, SPUC argues that critical effects of hormonal contraceptives are being ignored. Fiorella Nash, an SPUC researcher, talks about the issues in this video:

It is widely acknowledged that hormonal birth control causes early abortion in some instances. Studies also suggest a link to adverse health outcomes for women. If this is the case, then how are poor countries often lacking basic health systems, going to deal with these consequences?

• A 2003 study published in The Lancet systematically reviewed 28 studies on cancer and hormonal contraceptives, including 12,531 women who had cervical cancer. The study concluded that compared with never-users of oral contraceptives, the relative risks of cervical cancer increased with long-term use.
• In 2005 the World Health Organisation classified combined oral contraceptives as a group 1 carcinogenic (cancer causing) drugs and stated that the use of combined oral contraceptives modifies slightly the risk of cancer, increasing it in some sites (cervix, breast, liver).
• A 2007 study published in The Lancet found that “Among current users of oral contraceptives the risk of invasive cervical cancer increased with increasing duration of use. The risk declined after use ceased, and by 10 or more years had returned to that of never users. A similar pattern of risk was seen both for invasive and in-situ cancer, and in women who tested positive for high-risk human papillomavirus. Relative risk did not vary substantially between women with different characteristics. The relative risk of cervical cancer is increased in current users of oral contraceptives and declines after use ceases. 10 years' use of oral contraceptives from around age 20 to 30 years is estimated to increase the cumulative incidence of invasive cervical cancer by age 50 from 7· 3 to 8· 3 per 1000 in less developed countries and from 3· 8 to 4·5 per 1000 in more developed countries.”
• A study from Thailand published in 2008 found women who had ever used or currently use oral contraceptives were almost 1.5 times more likely to develop cervical cancer than the control group. the use of oral contraceptives for longer than 3 years was significantly associated with cervical cancer. Women who had used oral contraceptives for longer than 3 years had 2.5 times increase in risk of developing invasive cervical cancer. Women who had started oral contraceptives before age 20 were almost 12 times more likely to develop cervical cancer than those who started after 20 years old.
• A 2010 study by Harvard University scientist David Hunter concluded that “Current use of oral contraceptives carries an excess risk of breast cancer. Levonorgestrel used in triphasic preparations [three different doses in a cycle] may account for much of this elevation in risk.
• Yaz and Yazmin are two common forms of hormonal contraceptive that are sold in America and the UK. Both are now known to increase the chance of blood clots. According to the FDA, around 190 women have died from blood clots. This led to a review and re-labelling of these contraceptives.
• A 2009 study conducted in Holland at 6 clinics found that currently available oral contraceptives increased the risk of venous thrombosis fivefold compared with non-use. The risk clearly differed by type of progestogen and dose of oestrogen. The use of oral contraceptives containing levonorgestrel was associated with an almost fourfold increased risk of venous thrombosis relative to non-users. The risk of venous thrombosis was positively associated with oestrogen dose.
• Two 2011 studies published in the British Medical Journal looking at data from the USA and the UK found that there was a higher risk of non-fatal venous thromboembolism in users of oral contraceptives containing drospirenone, relative to levonorgestrel users. This was consistent with the results of two previous epidemiological studies.
• Concerns about injectable hormonal contraception have arisen as a result of a number of studies showing a higher risk of HIV infection in women who are using an injectable hormonal contraceptive as a method of birth control. Not all studies have found such an increased risk. But several recent studies have: see S McCoy, et al. Oral and Injectable Contraception Use and Risk of HIV Acquisition among Women and R Heffron, et al. Hormonal Contraception Use and Risk of HIV-1 Disease Progression.

SPUC will be issuing further commentaries in relation to the summit in coming days.

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The National Osteoporosis Society's position on end-of-life issues

National Osteoporosis Society is a UK-wide charity dedicated to improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

It is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).

In reply dated 27 June 2012 to a letter from SPUC, Claire Severgnini, the charity's Chief Executive, wrote:

"The National Osteoporosis Society is working for a brighter future for people with or at risk of fragility fractures and osteoporosis across the UK, putting an end to unnecessary broken bones and helping people to live without pain and disability.

The charity therefore does not have a policy on matters pertaining to euthanasia and assisted suicide, does not fund or support any campaigns for the legislation of assisted suicide/euthanasia or have a position on advance directives/living wills."

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Angry parents in Tower Hamlets to present petition to mayor calling for an end to explicit sex materials in the borough’s primary schools

9,000 local people have signed a petition calling on Tower Hamlets Council and the Healthy Lives Team to stop funding the Christopher Winter Project – a sex education programme which employs graphic images to teach young children about sex.

Parents are calling Tower Hamlets council to account for this use of taxpayers' money and to bring an end to local authority intervention in teaching sex education in primary schools. Schools need a clear message that sex education must be delivered in line with parents' wishes and the ethos of the community.

Mayor Luthfur Rahman has been asked to receive the petition on Wednesday 11 July at 1pm at the Town Hall, where leading parents from the Tower Hamlets Parents' Action Group on SRE will hand him the petition.

Parents will be meeting 10am to 11am on 11 July at the London Muslim Centre, where they will hear from Dr Lisa Nolland, a social historian, family issues expert and leading figure in Anglican Mainstream.

Also speaking will be parents from the Tower Hamlets Parents' Action Group, formed to campaign against explicit sex education in the borough. Mrs Emma Clarke, a parent from Northampton, will address the meeting. Mrs Clarke campaigns against graphic sex education in her area.

Yusuf Patel of SREIslamic and Antonia Tully of SPUC's Safe at School have been supporting the parents’ campaign.

The NHS paid £78,000 to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to train teachers to deliver the Christopher Winter Project. Tower Hamlets Council spent £2,277 plus VAT on DVDs. Both training and DVDs were offered free of charge to schools in the borough.

For more information, please contact Antonia Tully of SPUC Safe at School on telephone 020 8407 3463 or email safeatschool@spuc.org.uk

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Support the Rally for Life, Belfast this Saturday

Liam Gibson, SPUC Northern Ireland's development officer, has sent me the following notice about this Saturday's Rally for Life in Belfast:

"The annual All-Ireland Rally for Life will take place this year in Belfast on Saturday 7th July and SPUC is encouraging anyone who can to come along to Custom House Square at 2 pm for what is always a very colourful and enjoyable event. The rally provides an important opportunity for pro-lifers to demonstrate publicly their opposition to the culture of death. In previous years the rally has played a vital role in the campaign against the extension of the Abortion Act as well as highlighting the threat posed by the Northern Ireland health department's misleading guidance to doctors on the Province's abortion laws. Recently Jim Wells, the deputy chairman of the Stormont health committee, referred to SPUC's successful judicial review of the guidance as the cavalry riding to the rescue. But as Jim has also pointed out the victories of the pro-life movement in the North could be wiped out if abortion on demand becomes available south of the border.

The Republic of Ireland is one of the last nations in Europe to maintain a complete ban on abortion. The only other country is Malta and like Malta, Ireland also leads the world in the prevention of deaths arising from pregnancy and childbirth. This is positive proof that women's lives can be protected without the legalisation of abortion. It is for this reason the international abortion lobby are more determined than ever to overturn Ireland's constitutional protection of unborn children.

Ireland has never been in greater danger than it is at present. Developments in the Republic in the next 12 months will be decisive. The battle has already begun and it's up to the pro-life people in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic to ensure that culture of death is defeated. Anyone who wants to find out more about how they can help save women and children from abortion should make a point of being at the Rally for Life this Saturday."

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Order the new version of SPUC's real marriage flyer

Abortion statistics show that marriage helps to protect unborn children. This is why SPUC, together with other pro-life and pro-family groups, is opposing the government’s plans to redefine marriage to apply to same-sex couples.

The government consultation on so-called “equal civil marriage” ended on 14 June. Thank you very much to all those SPUC supporters who responded to the consultation. The government have said that they plan to issue a response by the end of the year.

In the meantime, we must concentrate our attention on MPs. We must not wait until the government produces its proposed legislation. We must get ahead of the game.

Order the revised Real Marriage leaflet (see sample picture above) and distribute it – door to door, through churches, etc. The previous version which encouraged people to respond to the consultation is now redundant.

Branches should distribute the revised Real Marriage leaflets in a systematic, organised way in local areas. This means asking supporters to leaflet particular streets in your neighbourhood with a view to reaching as many homes as we possibly can.

You can order a supply of the leaflets by contacting SPUC HQ:

• by email to orders@spuc.org.uk
• by telephone 020 7091 7091

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, 2 July

Top stories:

Number of IVF babies passes 5m worldwide 
The number of babies born following conception via IVF has reached five million worldwide, according to estimates. Around 100,000 IVF babies are estimated to have been born in the UK since the first IVF baby was born in 1978. [Mail, 2 July] Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, commented: "What is largely overlooked is that many millions more embryonic children have been killed following IVF, a quality-controlled process which is also intrinsically abusive of human beings. If the countless millions of pounds given to IVF had been given to the much-more successful ethical alternatives, many more children would have been born."

Other stories:

Abortion

• Prince secures landslide victory in referendum on royal powers including abortion veto [Independent, 2 July]

Euthanasia

• Cancer Focus Northern Ireland's response on end-of-life issues [John Smeaton, 30 June]

Population

• Husband of forced abortion victim tells of his escape from Chinese officials [Telegraph, 1 July]
• An Australian first: Working women are having fewer than two children [LifeSiteNews.com, 29 June]

Sexual ethics

• Schools could be made to teach pupils about gay marriage once it is passed into law [Mail, 2 July]
• Civil partners should get honorary title just like wives do, MP argues [Telegraph, 2 July]
• Filipino Catholic Church head says government should spend money not on condoms but on ending child labour [UCAN, 2 July]

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, 30 June

Top stories:

Save the Children 'family planning' claims are "false, illogical and unfounded" says SPUC
Claims about the so-called unmet need for family planning in the developing world made by Save the Children are "false, illogical and unfounded", says SPUC. SPUC was responding to the report "Every woman's right: how family planning saves children's lives". Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, commented: "Babies in the developing world die because of lack of good maternity and newborn care. This will continue whether young women use contraception or not." [SPUC, 27 June]

Pro-life success at Rio as abortion excluded from outcome document, report SPUC lobbyists
The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development has witnessed a notable pro-life success, with abortion being excluded from the text of the conference's outcome document. Pat Buckley, one of SPUC's UN representatives, reported: "The outcome document (known as 'The Future We Want') has been a major battleground for months with attempts to insert anti-life measures including abortion and population control under the guise of so-called 'reproductive rights' or 'reproductive health services'. This pro-life success was won by a group of countries together with the Holy See, among others including Russia, Poland and several Latin American countries." [SPUC, 20 June]

Academies' anti-human Rio statement shows hijacking of science
A statement by world science academies in favour of population control shows how public bodies are being hijacked increasingly by ideology, says SPUC. SPUC was responding to the statement on population and consumption by the Inter Academies Panel (IAP) prior to the Rio+20 conference. Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, commented: "The fact that the IAP's statement is based on the long-discredited ideas of Malthus suggests that the ideology of abortion rights has blinded the signatories to scientific reality." [SPUC, 18 June]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Cancer Focus Northern Ireland's response on end-of-life issues [SPUC, 29 June]
• You can help Ireland prevent the legalisation of abortion [John Smeaton, 20 June]

Euthanasia

• Good news as BMA votes to remain opposed to assisted suicide [John Smeaton, 28 June]

Population

• Chinese officials in forced abortion case 'made to resign' [Telegraph, 27 June]

Sexual ethics

• Queensland proves that we can 'turn back the clock' on the homosexual agenda [John Smeaton, 25 June]
• Two Anglican bishops reject Church of England's opposition to same-sex marriage [Telegraph, 24 June]
• Knights of St Columba lead prayer for sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman [John Smeaton, 23 June]
• Argument for gay marriage would also legalise incest and polygamy, claim bishops and MPs [Guardian, 23 June]
• Charter of the Rights of the Family [SPUC youth blog, 22 June]

General

• Olympic symbol desecrated by condom-mad European abortion lobby [John Smeaton, 28 June]
• Disabled man 'redefines possible' for everyone [John Smeaton, 22 June]

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Cancer Focus Northern Ireland's response on end-of-life issues

Cancer Focus Northern Ireland

Last year SPUC re-launched its information on charities as an online index, with new entries and updated information added as and when new information is received. Today's charity is Cancer Focus Northern Ireland.

Cancer Focus Northern Ireland was formerly the Ulster Cancer Foundation. It is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). In a letter to SPUC dated 26 June 2012, Roisin Foster, the charity's chief executive, wrote:

"Our charity sets great store by the value of human life and we work to extend life expectancy of people living with cancer and ensure the best quality of life for however long that survival may be.

We do not have a policy on assisted suicide or euthanasia, nor do we lobby or campaign for this. We do not have a formal policy on advance directives or living wills and we do not employ any staff member qualified to give advice on legal matters."

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Olympic symbol desecrated by condom-mad European abortion lobby

Countdown 2015, a consortium of European abortion providers and promoters, has sent out an invitation to a reception at the European Parliament in Brussels on 10 July, entitled "Everyone has the right to family planning". The event is being held to mark World Population Day and the London Summit on Family Planning being held the next day. The invitation featured this image:

I apologise for the low resolution of the image, but if you can't see it clearly, let me explain: the Olympic symbol is reproduced by five coloured condoms (unrolled) matching the five coloured rings of the Olympic symbol.

Right now, in the run-up to the London summit, promoters of contraception are trying to out-do each other. That they have chosen to desecrate the revered Olympic symbol just before the London Olympics shows just how unethical and vulgar they are.   

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Good news as BMA votes to remain opposed to assisted suicide

The Independent reports that the British Medical Association (BMA) annual representative meeting has rejected a motion to move the BMA's policy from one of opposition to assisted suicide to one of neutrality. The Independent reports some positive contributions to the debate:

Dr Dai Samuel said: "We must question what as doctors we stand for. I simply stand for looking after my patients and providing high quality care.
"I do not consider the killing of patients - whatever the reason is - justified. That is murder and I cannot commit that offence."
BMA's outgoing chairman of council Dr Hamish Meldrum urged doctors not to take a neutral stance.
He said: "The first part of this motion says that this is a matter for society and not for the medical profession.
"The medical profession is not only part of society, but it would be members of the medical profession that would have to carry out the wishes of society were there to be a change in the law.
"On (the second part of the motion) it says the BMA should adopt a neutral position on a change in the law.
"I think adopting a neutral position is probably the worst of all options. Neutrality does tend to exclude us from the argument, an argument which would have a huge bearing on the working lives of doctors.
"I don't come to this from any strong religious view but I do come to these views from having worked as a doctors for 40 years - mostly in general practice - where I have always felt I have been able, in almost every occasion, to support my patients when they were dying without having to actively end their lives."

Today's outcome shows that the euthanasia lobby cannot win where doctors stand up for the ethos of the medical profession and resist the pressures to conform to the culture of death.

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Save the Children 'family planning' claims are false, illogical and unfounded

SPUC has responded to the report "Every woman's right: how family planning saves children's lives", published today by Save the Children (SCF).

Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, told the media earlier:

"SCF claims that '222 million newborn babies’ lives would be saved if the unmet need for family planning was fulfilled.' This claim is false, illogical and unfounded. In fact, babies in the developing world die because of lack of good maternity and newborn care. This will continue whether young women use contraception or not.

SCF also claims that: 'For girls and young women aged 15-19, pregnancy and childbirth is the number one killer. It’s the cause of 50,000 deaths of teenage girls every year.' Yet it is misleading to say that pregnancy or childbirth are in general causes of death. Haemorrhage, sepsis and infection may cause death. In most cases, death and serious injury can be averted by good maternity care, such as trained birth attendants, blood transfusion, antibiotics, etc.

Other claims by SCF are simply not backed by the studies it references in its report."

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, also commented:

"The so-called ‘unmet need for family planning’ is a myth invented by the abortion-contraception lobby. That lobby arrogantly assumes that all adult women of childbearing age who aren’t trying to get pregnant but are not using contraception, have an unmet need for family planning. Yet even the Save the Children report has a whole chapter entitled 'Stimulating demand for family planning'. This is about pushing a decadent Western ideology of sexual liberation onto poor, vulnerable, culturally conservative societies. That’s not to deny that there are some cultural practices which should be addressed, such as coercion of teenage girls. But contraception doesn’t address that problem – it may even help to hide the evidence of abuse, help to enable it to continue etc.

The report relies heavily upon claims by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Population Reference Bureau, the Guttmacher Institute and the Population Council, as well as officials in the relevant sections of WHO, UNICEF and DFID. But these people are basically one group: the abortion-contraception lobby.

The report gives Somalia as an example of a country where (it is claimed) high fertility/population growth is linked to high child mortality. Yet Somalia doesn’t even have a central government, let alone a healthcare system. There are also big deficiencies in governance and healthcare provision in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Save the Children should not be exploiting the negative cultural practices which have been linked to those cultures (e.g. coercion of teenage girls) to promote population control."

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Queensland proves that we can 'turn back the clock' on the homosexual agenda

G.K. Chesterton, the famous Catholic apologist

"challenges the saying that you can't turn back the hands of time: a clock, Chesterton writes, is a mechanical mechanism, and so you only have to move the hands back with your finger to wherever you like! Human society, he said, is also a construction. Humans have the power, as sub-creators, to transform a society. We are not doomed. If something is wrong with the world, then we set out to make it right." 

(Fr Ian Boyd of the Chesterton Institute, Zenit, 14 Sept. 2010)

The Australian state of Queensland has proven Chesterton right: last week its legislature voted to downgrade same-sex civil partnerships and to remove access by same-sex couples to surrogacy arrangements. So let's take heart from Queensland and keep fighting against the homosexual agenda in the UK until victory for marriage and the family is won.

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Knights of St Columba lead prayer for sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman

I am delighted to see that the Knights of St. Columba (KSC) has launched a nationwide "chain of prayer".

The KSC says:

"We call upon you our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to join the Knights of St Columba in this chain of prayer. We will be praying that our politicians heed the message of faith to uphold human life from conception to the grave and defend the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman"

The prayer chain was launched this month by Archbishop Mario Conti, the archbishop of Glasgow, at St. Columba's church in Glasgow. Forthcoming landmark events in the chain of prayer include Liverpool Cathedral on Saturday, 6th October - and the chain concludes at the Knights' Supreme Council meeting in Glasgow on 26th - 28th October.

There will be many events en route so Catholics in particular may like to look out for a prayer chain event in your local area.

In a clarion call to Christians, Ron Lynch, the recently elected Supreme Knight (pictured above), has said "Our Christian values are under attack ... "

" ... Our campaign will consist of each local Council of the Order, where possible, organising or joining the congregation of a local parish in celebrating at least one Mass for the above intention during the period from the feast of St Columba (9th June) until the opening Mass of our Supreme Council in October."

(The KSC is an "order of Catholic laymen dedicated to the Service of the Church and fellow man" and their noble aims include working diligently "in accordance with the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church ... for the moral and social welfare of our country and in particular to help young people develop in the likeness of Christ ...". I am a member of the Knights of St. Columba. In fact I'm a fourth generation Knight. My father, my grandfather and my great-grandfather all members of the same Council in Whitechapel, east London, in the early 1930s.)

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Disabled man 'redefines possible' for everyone

Consider this true story whenever you're tempted to think that something is not possible to achieve.

A boy is born with a genetic disorder which leads to his legs being amputated at age five.

Medical experts conclude that he'll never be a functioning member of society.

Three decades later, he climbs the world's highest freestanding mountain - on his hands:

Spencer West, 31, from Toronto, Canada, has defied all those misanthropes who believe that the lives of the disabled are not worth living and thus the disabled are better off dead. He has truly 'redefined possible':

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URGENT: please vote NO in on-line euthanasia poll

The British Medical Association (BMA) is due to debate 'assisted dying' (assisted suicide and euthanasia) next week. Currently the BMA has a policy against legalising assisted suicide. The pro-euthanasia lobby want to change this to a netral policy.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) now has an online poll - open to everyone, not just doctors - asking people to express support for doctors adopting a neutral position. Please show your opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia by going to http://www.bmj.com/ (scroll down on the left) and voting 'no' in this poll.

Please do this today - time is very short.

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