European Life Network analyses Irish Expert Group on Abortion report

"By defining abortion as necessary medical treatment, and by undermining the absolute prohibition on abortion in the Irish Constitution and Irish statute law, the expert report sets the scene for legislation which will lead to ever-wider permissions for abortion." [European Life Network]

In a considered analysis of the Ireland's Expert group on abortion, Pat Buckley sets out clearly why it must be completely rejected by Ireland's legislature (Oireachtas). [Legislators] "must find a way to overturn the X case judgment and any other element of law or public policy in Ireland which fails to apply Ireland’s constitutional and statutory ban on intentionally ending the lives of unborn children from the point of conception onwards", Pat Buckley points out.

Read what he says carefully and, if you are an Irish citizen, tell your political representatives to stand firm against the pressure to legislate along the lines of the seriously flawed 'X' case judgement.

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Government ignores the child-centred nature of marriage

Maria Miller

SPUC has accused the Conservative-led government of ignoring the child-centred nature of marriage, following the government’s proposals detailed today regarding so-called same-sex marriage.

We pointed out that the government’s response to its consultation, the comments in Parliament by Equalities minister Maria Miller (pictured), and the Freedom To Marry website all fail to address the truth that same-sex marriage lacks basic elements of true marriage - the complementary sexual difference between spouses necessary for the procreation and healthy upbringing of children.

As I told the media earlier today, the assumption running through the government’s approach is that marriage is simply a stable, long-term relationship. This ignores the specific identity of marriage as a child-bearing and child-centred institution, fundamentally different from homosexual relationships. There has been not one single direct statement by the government, either in its response to the consultation results nor in the last two days’ parliamentary debates, on the intrinsic link between marriage and children.

Similarly, the Tory-composed Freedom to Marry group makes no reference at all in its published material to the terms ‘child/ren’, ‘parent/s’, ‘family/-ies’, ‘father/s’, ‘mother/s’, ‘husband/s’ or ‘wife/-ves'.

Same-sex marriage represents an attempt to redefine marriage, thus undermining marriage. This undermining lessens the protection for unborn children which true marriage provides. The family based on real (i.e heterosexual) marriage is the safest place for children both born and unborn.

Redefining marriage to include same-sex couples ruptures the intrinsic link between marriage and children, thus reducing marriage to a mere contract of cohabitation. Yet marriage is a pre-political institution, and the State does not have the moral right to seek to redefine this natural institution in law.

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"It's not too late to stop same-sex marriage bill" say Catholic archbishops: Pass on the message

Archbishop Peter Smith (l) and
Archbishop  Vincent Nichols

We must pray that the excellent message from England's Catholic leaders, Archbishop Vincent Nichols  and Archbishop Peter Smith - that it's not too late to stop the government's same-sex marriage bill - is promoted by the bishops' conference staff urgently amongst fellow-bishops, amongst Catholic parishes, and amongst national and local faith leaders, the length and the breadth of Britain.

The Catholic archbishops have spoken clearly and those who believe in prayer should pray for them personally, and that they remain strong and prophetic. We must also pray that a coordinated lead is given by church leaders of all denominations - together with coordinated action in which  everyone plays a vital part.

Please forward this post to others you know. There is no time to waste as the government increases in its arrogant determination to sweep marriage aside as a child-centred institution, to sweep the results of its own consultation aside (see the archbishops' statement below), without any electoral mandate to pursue their destructive legislation.

Read SPUC's comments on the government's statement today - and our briefing notes for lobbying - and write and urge others to write today to MPs.

Archbishop Nichols and Archbishop Smith said:

The meaning of marriage matters. It derives that meaning from its function as the foundation of the family. The union of one man and one woman for love and mutual support and open to procreation has over the centuries formed a stable unit we call the family. Marriage is the enduring public recognition of this commitment and has been rightly recognised as unique and worthy of legal protection.

The government has chosen to ignore the views of over 600,000 people who signed a petition calling for the current definition of marriage to stay, and we are told legislation to change the definition of marriage will now come to Parliament.

We strongly oppose such a Bill. Furthermore, the process by which this has happened can only be described as shambolic. There was no electoral mandate in any manifesto; no mention in the Queen’s speech; no serious or thorough consultation through a Green or White paper, and a constant shifting of policy before even the government response to the consultation was published today.

We urge everyone who cares about upholding the meaning of marriage in civil law to make their views known to their MPs clearly, calmly and forcefully, and without impugning the motives of others. We urge all parties to ensure their Members have a free vote. It is not too late to stop this Bill.

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Catholic and Anglican leaders speak out against David Cameron's same-sex marriage agenda

Bishop Philip Egan

In response to the Cameron government's announcement on Friday regarding its same-sex marriage plans, Catholic and Anglican leaders have spoken out.

Philip Egan (pictured), the new Catholic bishop of Portsmouth, has issued a statement saying (inter alia):

"[B]y attempting to change the natural meaning of marriage, he seems utterly determined to undermine one of the key foundations of our society ... If the prime minister proceeds with his intentions, he will pervert authentic family values, with catastrophic consequences for the well-being and behaviour of future generations ... The institution of marriage has its ups and downs, but will we ever forget that it was the leader of the Conservative Party who finally destroyed marriage as a lasting, loving and life-giving union between a man and a woman?"

Joseph Devine, the Catholic bishop of Motherwell, has written a two-page letter to David Cameron which says (inter alia):

“I suspect it is only a matter of time before you go one step further and outlaw the teaching of Christian doctrine on sexual morality on the grounds of discrimination.”

The Church of England has issued a statement, saying (inter alia)*:

"[T]he meaning of marriage will change for everyone, gay or straight, if the proposals are enacted ... [T]he uniqueness of marriage is that it embodies the underlying, objective, distinctiveness of men and women. This distinctiveness and complementarity are seen most explicitly in the biological union of man and woman which potentially brings to the relationship the fruitfulness of procreation.

To remove from the definition of marriage this essential complementarity is to lose any social institution in which sexual difference is explicitly acknowledged.

We believe that redefining marriage to include same-sex relationships will entail a dilution in the meaning of marriage for everyone by excluding the fundamental complementarity of men and women from the social and legal definition of marriage."

*Readers should note that the Church of England's statement contains a number of other comments which differ from Catholic teaching regarding the homosexual agenda.

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Please support vigil for life on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Next Wednesday, 12 December, is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn. The Helpers of God's Precious Infants are holding a vigil for life on this special day for the pro-life movement and for all unborn babies and expecting mothers.

The vigil will be led by Father Samuel Medley. They will meet for Mass at 10am at Saint Francis' Catholic Church, Week Street, in Maidstone. After Mass they will process with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the nearby abortion centre and spend time there praying for the closure of the abortion centre, the conversion of those involved with abortion and for mothers who are considering abortion to choose life their children.

The Church is just opposite Maidstone East Station. Trains run regularly to Maidstone East from London Victoria. The easiest way to get there by road is to take the M20 and come off at Junction 6. Follow the signs to the town centre and then to Maidstone East Station. There is a car park at the station and also 2 car parks in Brewer Street and 1 in Wheeler Street, both of which are accessed by Lower Boxley Well Road.

These vigils save many lives all around the world. Please attend this event if you can.

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Same-sex marriage bill imminent - SPUC warns government MPs

Following indications that the Cameron government plans to launch its bill for same-sex marriage next week, SPUC has written to government MPs warning them against the move.

The letter slams the government's railroading of its proposals as "dishonest", "high-handed" and "shoddy". SPUC points out that the family based on real (i.e heterosexual) marriage is the safest place for children both born and unborn. The letter ends by warning that at the next general election SPUC will highlight MPs' voting records on same-sex marriage.

The full text of SPUC's letter to MPs is below.

SPUC's position paper on the same-sex marriage issue can be read at http://www.spuc.org.uk/documents/papers/ssm201201

Letter to government MPs regarding same-sex marriage, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), 5 December 2012

"Dear [name of government MP],

I write regarding a story that the Government plans to launch its bill for same‐sex marriage next week.

If the story is correct, it is consistent with the thoroughly dishonest and dishonourable way the government and its allies have attacked real marriage. In the marriage consultation exercise earlier this year, Mr Cameron sought in a high‐handed manner to discuss only “how” to achieve his aims, and not to consider whether they have merit or public support. To hang his proposals on a non‐manifesto plan to “consider the case for changing the law” on civil partnerships is another shoddy manoeuvre.

Marriage is embedded in the fabric of society. Marriage is unquestionably the best setting for children to be conceived, born and raised and to receive their first education. The marriage‐based family is also (and critically for us who defend unborn children) the safest social context for new life.

Contributors to the consultation exercise drew attention to the evidence of the benefits of real marriage, the support for it, its ancient pre‐political heritage, its worldwide status, and the approach of mainstream religions. However, drawing attention to the enormity of his folly only seems to have made Mr Cameron more determined.

We will continue to point out the hypocrisy of asserting that “equal marriage” will not interfere with church weddings. Those planning the legislation know full well that churches which refuse to co‐operate will be denied civil recognition of their marriage rites or face worse persecution.

The recent by‐election results have proven disappointing for both Conservative and Lib‐Dem parties. This is not surprising, given the usual run of mid‐term contests. What was most notable was the strong showing by UKIP, which broadly supports real marriage. SPUC has never taken a party political line, but we do tell people where individual election candidates stand, and our activists have highlighted the position of UKIP candidates alongside others in these contests. We will continue to inform electors of candidates’ voting records and voting intentions on a wide range of issues in future elections.

I urge you to ask Mr Cameron to reconsider and to withdraw his plan.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Tully
General Secretary
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC)
London"

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Pro-abortion motion fails at Queen's University Belfast

Liam Gibson, SPUC's Northern Ireland development officer who blogs at Pro-Life Belfast, has kindly sent me this exclusive report:

"In an extremely close vote a motion calling for the legalisation of abortion in the Republic of Ireland was narrowly defeated at the meeting of the Students' Union Council, of Queen's University Belfast on Tuesday 27 November. The motion stated:

'This Council notes that, last month, a woman died 17 weeks into her pregnancy as a result of being denied an abortion. Savita Halappanavar was miscarrying and was denied a medical termination over two and a half days because the unviable foetus still had a heartbeat.

This Council also notes the great tragedy that this is for Savita's family and friends.

This Council recognises that the X case, a case ruled on by the Irish Supreme Court 20 years ago and never acted upon by Government, called for abortion if a woman's life was at risk due to pregnancy. Council further recognises that, if X case legislation was made into law, then many women in Savita's position would not be exposed to the same fate.

This Council resolves to express a message of condolence for Savita, her family and friends. This Council also agrees to send a message of support to the group 'Action on X', which actively campaigns for X case legislation in Ireland and to actively support the efforts of activists likewise fighting for abortion rights on the island of Ireland.'

In an unexpected victory for pro-life members of the council, an amendment to delete the last two paragraphs was adopted. In the debate that followed on the amended motion Ciaran McKinley, the president of the university's pro-life society, argued that it was too soon to draw definitive conclusions regarding the events surrounding Mrs Halappanavar's death and therefore the motion was potentially defamatory. He also asked if the council was going to adopt such a motion on other equally tragic cases.

With 17 votes in favour, 17 against and 17 abstentions, the motion fell when the speaker also abstained.

After such a close fought debate pro-life members of the council expect the motion to be re-introduced. However, doubts are growing over the accuracy of the initial media reports and even the basic facts are now in question. In a less impassioned debate attempts to link Mrs Halappanavar's death to calls for the legalisation of abortion may look increasingly like the cynical exploitation of a tragic loss of a young woman and her unborn baby."

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10,000 join Vigil for Life outside Ireland's parliament

Last night at least 10,000 people joined a Vigil for Life outside Dáil Éireann (Ireland's parliament) in Dublin to tell the Enda Kenny, the Taoiseach (prime minster), to keep his pre-election promise not to legislate for abortion. Watch the video below from Youth Defence. It's wonderful to see so many fresh-faced young people speaking out for the protection of human life in Ireland.

Pat Buckley, who represents SPUC in the Republic of Ireland, has blogged:

"All pro-life groups that make up Ireland’s pro-life movement united together and turned out in force today in response to the Irish Government’s recent announcement that it intends to legislate for abortion in Ireland along the lines of the X case judgment. The unprecedented turnout which included 5 Bishops ... The groups and many other pro-life individuals came together in order to send an unequivocal message to the Irish Government that legislation on the X case will lead to abortion on demand and is "absolutely unacceptable to the Irish people".

Pro-lifers on Facebook have started a novena that Ireland will be protected from abortion. They ask everybody willing to do so to:

• pray the Rosary each day
• some kind of personal fast each day, whatever it might be
• go to Mass on December 12th for this intention.

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Mon 3 Dec

Top story:

Please respond urgently to consultation on mitochondrial disease
An important consultation, by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), will close next Friday (7 December) on the genetic manipulation of embryos with mitochondrial defects. Researchers want to create human embryos in the laboratory that have genes from one man and two women. Alternatively they want to make a new embryos by combining two IVF embryos. This would extend the scope for destructive exploitation of human embryos, and in particular for more genetic experimentation on embryos, including human cloning. These processes reinforce the attitude that human embryos are things to be used, not early human beings. Embryos will increasingly be treated as mere commodities, ripe for commercial exploitation, and denied their proper status and respect as members of the human family. Please respond urgently to the consultation. We have produced a briefing with simple points that can be made in response to this important issue: http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/alerts/2012/mitochondria20121130 Please make a submission by going online and submitting your responses at: http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria [SPUC, 30 November]

SPUC calls for widespread resistance to Irish expert group abortion report
SPUC which was officially represented in the A, B & C case before the European Court of Human Rights, has called for "widespread resistance" to the report published by Ireland's Expert Group on abortion. SPUC describes the report's recommendations as "unconstitutional" and "a door to mass abortion on a British scale". John Smeaton, SPUC director, commented: "We call upon all people of good-will in Ireland, including the Catholic bishops, to back an all-out campaign to defeat - not just amend - any options allowing abortion. This will require widespread resistance to be mobilised. Ireland's politicians should be put on notice that they will lose their seats at the next election if they vote to legislate for abortion." [SPUC, 27 November]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Head of European Parliament's women's committee pressures Ireland to legalise abortion [Irish Times, 1 December]
• Pro-abortion reporter Savita says story may be 'muddled' and there may be 'no request for a termination' [Life Institute, 2 December] Reporter claims that Irish Times "never suggested that a termination of pregnancy might have saved [Savita]'s life" [RTE, 3 December]
• Abortion and mental health - a psychiatrist's experience [Youth Defence, 1 December]
• Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) publishes terms of reference of Savita inquiry [BreakingNews.ie, 30 November]
• I receive a beautiful gift at meeting about new abortion clinic in Preston [John Smeaton, 30 November]

Embryology

• Doctor charges governments with ignoring causes of infertility [CNA, 2 December]

Euthanasia

• Islamic Sharia Council urges Muslims to lobby against presumed consent to organ donation [John Smeaton, 30 November]
• Why opinion polls supporting euthanasia are a waste of space [Peter Saunders, 1 December]
• RCGP Chairman Clare Gerada moves to gag doctors on 'assisted dying [Peter Saunders, 30 November]

General

• Obituary: Richard Wilkins, pro-life and pro-family champion [Pat Buckley, 3 December]
• Congratulations to MaterCare International founder Dr. Robert Walley [MaterCare International, 29 November]

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The Islamic Sharia Council urges Muslims to lobby against presumed consent to organ donation

The Islamic Sharia Council, a panel of scholars which provides advice and guidance from an Islamic Sharia perspective, has issued a statement (pictured) against the proposed bill in Wales for presumed consent to organ donation. The statement says:

"We oppose the forced/compulsory taking of organs without consent at time of death (as in presumed consent)

We are dismayed to hear about the proposed bill in Wales on presumed consent which will allow doctors to take organs by force at the time of death and without giving our written consent or permission before.

We in Sharia Council absolutely oppose strongly this proposed bill.

We are aware that the present law is adequate in that anyone wishing to donate organs may do so by giving consent in writing before death. In absence of this, how can it be assumed that the deceased has consented? On the contrary it can be assumed that the deceased did not consent at all.

We therefore, not only oppose the proposed bill but also urge all the Muslims in Wales/UK to write to the members of the Welsh Assembly to drop and stop this bill."

This statement is a very welcome sequel to the fatwa (Islamic ruling) issued by Hizbul Ulama in the UK (Association of Muslim Scholars/UK) earlier this month.

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Please respond urgently to consultation on mitochondrial disease

An important consultation, by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), will close next Friday (7 December) on the genetic manipulation of embryos with mitochondrial defects. Researchers want to create human embryos in the laboratory that have genes from one man and two women. Alternatively they want to make a new embryos by combining two IVF embryos. This would extend the scope for destructive exploitation of human embryos, and in particular for more genetic experimentation on embryos, including human cloning.

These processes reinforce the attitude that human embryos are things to be used, not early human beings. Embryos will increasingly be treated as mere commodities, ripe for commercial exploitation, and denied their proper status and respect as members of the human family.

Please respond urgently to the consultation. We have produced a briefing with simple points that can be made in response to this important issue:
http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/alerts/2012/mitochondria20121130

Please make a submission by going online and submitting your responses at: http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria

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I receive a beautiful gift at meeting about new abortion clinic in Preston

Handed to me in Preston

I spoke at a public meeting in Preston this week about a new local abortion clinic. Whilst I was there I received a beautiful gift.

My talk centered on the recent opening of a Marie Stopes International (MSI) abortion unit in the Avenham Health Clinic. In our blurb about the public meeting, delivered door-to-door to local residents, the local SPUC chairman said:

"Marie Stopes will be doing abortions in our local health centre which is meant for families and local residents ... It will be using the abortion pill RU486. The action of this pill kills a baby in the womb and can cause medical problems for the woman".

I am delighted to say that over 60 local people turned up, including a large number of devout Muslims from the nearby mosque and a similar number of students from Preston University. One of the students thought he should be speaking rather than me at various points during my talk (!) - and I'm most grateful to his fellow-students, including those who shared his pro-abortion opinions, who firmly told him to pipe down, let me speak, and to respect my wish that comments and questions be taken at the end.

Many of those present signed up to continue the task of spreading the truth locally about the nature of the business of Marie Stopes International, an organization which demonstrates such lack of compassion for unborn children and their mothers. Also, most of those who attended were shocked to learn of the brutal racist and eugenic ideas of Marie Stopes herself and, like the author of an excellent piece about Marie Stopes in the Daily Telegraph, many attending the meeting seemed to be concerned about "the motivation of an organisation which takes Marie Stopes as its founding heroine".

Half an hour before the meeting started I was standing alone in the massive sports hall in which it was held. A gentleman arrived, around my age, and walked over to me. He handed me an envelope, addressed to me, with "THANK YOU" written in block capitals on the back. He said he wasn't able to attend the meeting that evening, but he wanted to deliver his message personally. He wished me well and left.

I opened the envelope. Inside was a donation and the following words written on to a page from a diary dated 20th February (see photo of the diary page above). It read:

Your first smile ... I will never see
Your first words ... I will never hear
My strong hands will never stretch out
To guide your unsteady steps
No whispered lullabies to a sleepy head

I will never wait at a school yard gate
Or watch with pride a nativity play
No school photographs on my mantelpiece
No first communion dress for me to buy

What would you have been like?
Pretty or plain? ... Clever or slow?
It doesn't matter ... You were mine.

When you died you were not tenderly laid in a snow-white coffin
No family or friends were gathered
To say goodbye
A man in a mask
Was your only companion
A plastic bucket
Was your resting place
Your only headstone
"Clinical Waste"

No-one remembers you
But I do
No-one misses you

But I do.

I don't know anything about the gentleman who honoured me with a brief visit on Wednesday evening at St. Augustine's Leisure Centre Sports Hall in Avenham; and, of course, neither do I know anything about the history of the beautiful, deeply moving poem he gave me.

I simply pray for everyone whose personal history may be reflected in the lines above.

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In Ireland, allow abortion in one case and it's allowed in every case

Enda Kenny, Irish PM

SPUC, which was officially represented in the A, B & C case before the European Court of Human Rights, has called for "widespread resistance" to the report published today by Ireland's Expert Group on abortion. The report's recommendations are unconstitutional and a door to mass abortion on a British scale.

As I told the media this afternoon, the expert group's report is based on the erroneous judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the A, B & C case. That judgment not only misrepresented the European Convention on Human Rights, but also failed to respect Ireland’s national sovereignty by unilaterally misinterpreting the Irish Constitution's protection of the right to life. The case was never about helping women faced with a crisis pregnancy. It was instigated by the international pro-abortion lobby, which has the ultimate aim of forcing governments across the globe to recognise access to abortion as a legal right.

This report is undemocratic. It fails to suggest as an option consulting the Irish people through a referendum. Conversely, it suggests proposals which the Irish people rejected in the 2002 referendum, namely repealing the ban on abortion in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Also, it is an outrageous violation of the consciences of parliamentarians for Enda Kenny to threaten to suspend any Fine Gael TD who will not vote to legislate for abortion. One despairs of politicians like Mr Kenny, who fail to respect basic human rights, such as conscientious objection and the right to life of all members of the human family, including the unborn.

Any Irish parliamentarian who votes for this report will be giving-in to unelected judges in Strasbourg who have tried to usurp the Irish people's constitutional right to decide on abortion. The Irish Supreme Court ruled that the Irish Constitution trumps the European Convention on Human Rights, because the Convention is not part of Irish law and therefore not directly applicable in Irish cases. (McD. -v- L. & anor, 10 Dec 2009 http://bit.ly/g5k35B )

In the A, B & C case, the court confused abortion with healthcare. The Irish Constitution does not confer any right to abortion, nor can the right to life of unborn children be seen as in any competition with their mother's equally inalienable right to life, or with life-affirming healthcare. Ireland has one of the world's best record for maternal health. Abortion does not treat or cure any medical condition.

Not only is abortion not genuine healthcare, but in Irish law it is a criminal offence. It would be wholly wrong for a criminal offence to be 'regulated'. If the expert group's report is implemented, it would in fact allow abortion in a wide range of circumstances. It would 'medicalise' abortion, introducing structures and procedures which will allow doctors to approve abortions as a matter of routine, then carry them out at designated facilities.

Once abortion is allowed in one case, there is no compelling logic against allowing abortion in every case.

We call upon all people of good-will in Ireland, including the Catholic bishops, to back an all-out campaign to defeat - not just amend - any options allowing abortion. This will require widespread resistance to be mobilised. Ireland's politicians should be put on notice that they will lose their seats at the next election if they vote to legislate for abortion.

Also see SPUC's release yesterday "Expert report could lead to British-style abortion system, warns SPUC" 

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Mon 26 Nov

Top story:

Irish expert report could lead to British-style abortion system, warns SPUC
The recommendations of Ireland's Expert Group on abortion could lead to a British-style abortion system in Ireland, warned SPUC. SPUC was commenting after various media outlets claimed to have seen the expert group's report, due to be published later this week. John Smeaton, SPUC director, commented: "According to a leaked copy of the report, the so-called experts recommend that 'termination of pregnancy should be considered a medical treatment regardless of whether the risk to the woman arises on physical or mental health grounds'. If this principle is followed to its logical conclusion, Ireland will end up with a similar abortion regime to Great Britain." > [SPUC, 26 November]

In related news:

• FG TDs warn legislation move will spark free abortion vote [Irish Independent, 26 November]
• Labour to seek limited abortion [Irish Times, 26 November]
• RTE claims to have seen full report from expert group [RTE, 26 November]
• Letter: Only election fears of TDs can stop abortion [Irish Examiner, 26 November]
• Irish Independent was leaked expert group report [Irish Independent, 25 November]
• Government to act 'speedily' if abortion law is required [Irish Times, 25 November]

Other stories:

Embryology

• Fertility treatment waiting times halve after increased payments to donors [Telegraph, 26 November]

Population

• UN report on world population draws criticism from pro-life advocates [Catholic World News, 26 November]
• GQ names China's Chen Guangcheng rebel of the year [France24, 25 November]

Sexual ethics

• Yorkshire Tory MP: Same-sex marriage is being forced on churches [PinkNews, 25 November]
• Majority support referendum on gay marriage [Telegraph, 24 November]
• Princes William and Harry endorse endorse Terrence Higgins Trust [Telegraph, 26 November]
• Bizarre new restaurant is first in the UK to offer family planning leaflets with meals [Mail, 26 November]

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Irish expert report could lead to British-style abortion system

Mr Justice Sean Ryan, who chaired the expert group

Various Irish media outlets claim to have seen the Irish expert group's report on abortion, due to be published later this week. As I told the media earlier today, according to a leaked copy of the report, the so-called experts recommend that:

"termination of pregnancy should be considered a medical treatment regardless of whether the risk to the woman arises on physical or mental health grounds".

If this principle is followed to its logical conclusion, Ireland will end up with a similar abortion regime to Great Britain. Britain’s Abortion Act 1967 is based on the false premise that there are circumstances in which abortion is a clinically-indicated medical treatment, such that abortionists should be automatically exempt from prosecution under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, under which abortion is a criminal offence. It is no surprise, therefore, that the report calls for the 1861 Act’s provisions on abortion to be removed from Irish law. The Irish people must rise up and demand that the Irish constitution’s ban on abortion be upheld against this report, which is the fruit of the international pro-abortion lobby’s machinations.

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Must-read pro-life news-stories, Sat 24 Nov

Top stories:

Savita Halappanavar death tragic but abortion doesn’t save women’s lives
The death of Savita Halappanavar in Ireland is tragic but does not justify allowing abortion, says SPUC. SPUC was responding to claims that Mrs Halappanavar’s death was due to a hospital's refusal to abort her unborn child by inducing labour. According to reports, Mrs Halappanavar was 17 weeks’ pregnant when she came to the hospital in Galway. She miscarried and later died from septicaemia. The case is currently subject to investigations. Paul Tully, SPUC’s general secretary, commented: “The full details of this case are not yet known, so we must await the investigations which have been launched before we can make definitive comments. What we do know is that miscarriage and infection can be managed by proper medical treatment. Abortion is not medicine - it does not treat or cure any pathology." [SPUC, 14 November]

Savita case round-up:

• New HIQA investigation into the death of Savita Halappanavar and Minister James Reilly meets Praveen Halappanavar [Pat Buckley, 23 November]
• Savita’s death may have been due to resistant bacteria strain [Pat Buckley, 22 November]
• Appointment of leading abortionist to head Savita inquiry bodes ill [John Smeaton, 21 November]
• Pius XII's teaching on double-effect did not allow induced delivery of non-viable children [John Smeaton, 20 November]
• Cynical exploitation of the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar by pro-abortion campaigners [Pat Buckley, 19 November]
• Indian Gynaecologist defends Irish doctors in the Savita Halappanavar case [Pat Buckley, 16 November]
• HLI statement on the death of Savita Halappanavar [Pat Buckley, 16 November]
• Induced delivery of non-viable children is neither ethical nor Catholic [John Smeaton, 15 November]
• Abortion-promoters knew about Savita case days before media: Leaked e-mail [LifeSiteNews.com, 15 November]

Other stories:

Parents criticise primary schools in Tower Hamlets
Parents in Tower Hamlets are unhappy with sex education in the borough's primary schools. SPUC Safe at School www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/safeatschool and SRE Islamic have released a report which contains statements from 20 local parents on their poor experiences with sex and relationships education (SRE). The report can be read at http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/safeatschool/towerhamlets201211 Antonia Tully of Safe at School said: "I am supporting parents in this area to protect their children from explicit sex education. [SPUC, 19 November]

Abortion

• Spain: pro-Lifers collect 100K signatures to repeal abortion law [LifeNews.com, 21 November]
• Report from latest pro-life vigil in Stratford [SPUC youth blog, 15 November]
• Pro-abortion campaigner is new head of Girl Guides [Mail, 15 November]

Embryology

• Why would we want to 'cure' our daughter's Down's Syndrome when we love her just the way she is? [Mail, 22 November]

Euthanasia

• Fatwa/Islamic ruling is issued on presumed consent organ donation legislation in Wales [John Smeaton, 17 November]
• Church of England says no to "mercy killing" [Anglican Ink, 16 November]

Sexual ethics

• 118 Tory MPs reported to be ready to vote against same-sex marriage [Mail, 23 November]
• Coalition government set to fast-track same-sex marriage vote [Telegraph, 22 November]
• Congratulations to Archbishop of Westminster for challenging government on same-sex marriage [John Smeaton, 17 November]

General

• European Parliament approves pro-life health commissioner [European Dignity Watch, 23 November]
• A close look at the BBC exposes its inbuilt bias against the pro-life message [John Smeaton, 21 November]
• Birmingham: pilgrims venerate Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa [ICN, 16 November]
• Pro-life analysis of US presidential election reveals need for Church support [John Smeaton, 13 November]
• The Life and Crimes of Margaret Sanger IV: Eugenics and Race [SPUC youth blog, 13 November]
• Obama's re-election is tragic, but failure to preach the Gospel of Life is worse [John Smeaton, 8 November]

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Appointment of leading abortionist to head Savita inquiry bodes ill

Following the sad death of Savita Halappanavar and her unborn child in Galway, Ireland's Health Services Executive (HSE) has announced that Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, the head of obstetrics and gynecology at St Georges Hospital, London, is to head the HSE's inquiry into Savita's death. This bodes ill for the outcome of the inquiry, as Sir Sabaratnam is the president-elect of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), which is one of the world's leading advocates of abortion. In 2009, he called upon governments to make abortion a legal right. And in 2007 he co-authored a paper which defended secret abortions without parental knowledge or consent for girls under 16.

We therefore must double our prayers for Ireland and especially for our pro-life colleagues, who are having to deal with a virtual tsunami of anti-life vitriol unleashed by the pro-abortion lobby and its fellow-travellers in the mainstream media.

By the way of summary, here are some key points about the Savita case:

• the full details of this case are not yet known, so we must await the investigations which have been launched before we can make definitive comments
• miscarriage and infection can be managed by proper medical treatment
• abortion is not medicine - it does not treat or cure any pathology
• many women have died from infection or other causes because of supposedly safe and legal abortions.

 Here are the statements and blogs SPUC has published about the Savita case:

• Savita Halappanavar death tragic but abortion doesn’t save women’s lives
  
• Induced delivery of non-viable children is neither ethical nor Catholic
• Pius XII's teaching on double-effect did not allow induced delivery of non-viable children

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A close look at the BBC exposes its inbuilt bias against the pro-life message

On 25 October I blogged about how "BBC World helps Marie Stopes vs SPUC", following an interview between George Alagiah of BBC World and Anthony McCarthy, SPUC's education and publications manager. SPUC spokespersons are of course well-accustomed to the anti-life bias of the mainstream media, including frequently on the BBC. Yet the intensity of Mr Alagiah's attack suggests something more. Let us look at the part of the BBC for which Mr Alagiah works.

BBC World News is the BBC's overseas television arm, and began life as the BBC World Service Television. BBC World News, BBC World Service (the BBC's government-funded overseas radio arm) and BBC Media Action (formerly named as BBC World Service Trust) are all part of the BBC's Global News Division. Mr Alagiah is both a trustee and a director of BBC Media Action, and is one of the BBC's representatives on BBC Media Action's board. Among its objectives BBC Media Action lists:

"raising public awareness of subjects such as sexual and reproductive health issues."

'Sexual and reproductive health' is a term commonly used by pro-abortion bodies and is interpreted by them as including access to abortion. BBC Media Action, which is both a registered charity and registered company, is entirely "funded by external grants and voluntary contributions." Among the main donors to BBC Media Action are:

• Department for International Development (DFID)
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
• European Union (EU) 
• Norwegian government
• Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• US Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

These governments and foundations are the very same bodies which are bankrolling abortion around the world - including funding and working closely with Marie Stopes International.

In July, the Gates Foundation and DFID co-organised the London Summit on Family Planning, which was a jamboree for the worldwide abortion lobby, including Marie Stopes. Sarah Montague, the well-known BBC presenter, hosted one of the summit's sessions. Prior to, during and after the summit, she and other BBC journalists ran news-pieces and published Twitter posts which were thinly-veiled advertorials for the summit and its main participants.

In 2010, BBC World broadcast a news-piece, including a sound-byte from Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's communications manager, which was entitled:

"Western anti-abortion campaigners' threat to African sex advice"

The blurb for the piece read:

"Western-based anti-abortion campaigners are undermining efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health education in Africa, according to some international agencies. Family planning and abortion are contentious issues in large parts of the continent, where access to reproductive health is far from universal. Zeinab Badawi reports on the challenges facing health workers in Uganda."

It should be noted that Zeinab Badawi is not just a BBC reporter, going about the usual business of a reporter, but is also:

• a trustee of the BBC Media Action
• the founder and chair of the Africa Medical Partnership Fund (AfriMed)
• a former trustee of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
• a Vice-President of the United Nations Association
• a member of the Foreign Office Public Diplomacy Strategy Board
• a board member of the British Council

Finally, returning to George Alagiah, in 2004 he gave an interview to The Messenger of Saint Anthony, a Catholic magazine run by the Franciscan Order. During the interview Mr Alagiah was asked:

"You were brought up a Catholic. On the basis of your personal experience, who is God for you?"

Mr Alagiah replied:

"For me God is a forgiving, understanding, figure. I find that some of the Church’s rules run against that."

Given that:

• Mr Alagiah allowed his professional standards to drop so markedly in his vehemence towards SPUC’s straightforward position on Marie Stopes (i.e. it quite openly breaks the law on abortion in countries in which it works)
• he is a trustee of BBC Media Action, which is funded hugely by pro-abortion bodies

I wonder if one of the church rules which, in Mr Alagiah’s view, run against God as a forgiving, understanding, figure, is its rule that:

“that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being ... No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church.”

John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995, #62

In 2003, Fiorella Nash of SPUC authored a paper entitled "Bias and the BBC: A study of BBC Panorama’s investigation Sex and the Holy City broadcast on 12 October, 2003". I recommend reading this as a detailed expose of how BBC bias works against the pro-life cause.

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Pius XII's teaching on double-effect did not allow induced delivery of non-viable children

Further to SPUC's statement and my blog on the sorrowful death of Savita Halappanar and her unborn child, Anthony McCarthy, SPUC's education and publications manager, has written a letter to The Catholic Herald,  explaining that the principle of double-effect, specifically as taught by Pope Pius XII, does not justify induced delivery of non-viable children. The Catholic Herald has kindly given us permission to publish the full text of Anthony's letter - see at the end below.

Anthony's letter is very timely, considering that today the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has issued a statement in response to the Savita case, in which they re-state the important principle of double effect. But, as I blogged last week, the Church's Magisterium made clear over a century ago that double effect does not allow induced delivery of non-viable children, where such delivery is itself intended. Saving the mother’s life or health is a further intention (a good intention, which should be pursued in other ways) but the immediate intention and immediate effect of induction is the termination of the pregnancy. In the case of a non-viable child, this is abortion.

By the way of summary, here are some key points about the Savita case:

• the full details of this case are not yet known, so we must await the investigations which have been launched before we can make definitive comments
• miscarriage and infection can be managed by proper medical treatment
• abortion is not medicine - it does not treat or cure any pathology
• many women have died from infection or other causes because of supposedly safe and legal abortions

Letter by Anthony McCarthy to The Catholic Herald, 18 November 2012:

SIR - The sad and painful death of Savita Halappanavar, in a country whose maternal health record far excels that of Britain, is prompting discussion of abortion definitions in regard to pre-viability induced labour. It is worth getting this issue clear, even if, as some doctors believe, it is doubtful whether removing the baby earlier would have saved Savita.

Of interest here are the words of Pius XII in his Allocution to Large Families in which he refers to life-saving interventions on a pregnant woman, "independently of her pregnant condition" , which are permitted, even if they have the unintended, but inevitable, effect of causing the death of her baby. These words were cited by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as recently as 2009.

In contrast, an intention specifically to expel a pre-viable child, perhaps without the intention to kill the child, is impossible to justify, as witnessed by Church teaching over the past hundred years and more (carefully tracked by John Connery S.J. in his book Abortion: the Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective). Abortion is not always defined by the Church in terms of deliberate killing, but sometimes in terms of deliberate expulsion or "acceleration of birth" before viability, which has been excluded even for the good end of promoting a woman’s health. Good ends must be promoted by good means, which good doctors can and must employ.

Where the woman’s own body needs treatment of a kind which does not target the presence of her child, all would agree that such treatment ought to be provided. That could include the giving of antibiotics or blood transfusions, the clamping of the woman’s blood vessels to prevent bleeding, hysterectomies for uterine cancer and, for ectopic pregnancy, the removal of a damaged fallopian tube. Irrespective of the unborn child’s continued presence, the damaged tube or uterus would need to be removed: an operation which targets the woman's body alone, and is therefore legitimate, despite its impact on the child.

In short, it is extremely important to distinguish between deliberately abortifacient procedures which are aimed at removing a pre-viable child (though in practice they also require a harmful separation of foetal tissues) and procedures which may result in a baby's removal via miscarriage as a genuine side-effect of treatment aimed to help the pregnant woman (in the words of Pius XII) "independently of her pregnant condition". Foetal removal should not be deliberately intended, any more than foetal death.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony McCarthy
Publications and Education Manager
SPUC

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Parents criticise primary schools in Tower Hamlets

Parents in Tower Hamlets are unhappy with sex education in the borough's primary schools. SPUC Safe at School and SRE Islamic have released a report today which contains statements from 20 local parents on their poor experiences with sex and relationships education (SRE). The report can be read at http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/safeatschool/towerhamlets201211

Antonia Tully of Safe at School told the media today:

"I am supporting parents in this area to protect their children from explicit sex education. I encourage the parents who contact me from across the country to try to work with their child's school to eliminate inappropriate sex education which is harmful to children. Sadly many parents in Tower Hamlets feel that the schools are not listening to them sufficiently.

"Parents are worried that although some schools are removing the most graphic elements from the SRE lessons, the sex education programmes in use are fundamentally flawed. These programmes are based on the Alfred Kinsey premise that children are sexual from birth. Parents know this is not true."

The report on SRE in Tower Hamlets includes the results of a questionnaire sent to all the borough's primary schools under the Freedom of Information Act and shows that many schools use highly explicit materials.

The Tower Hamlets Parents Action Group on SRE is holding a meeting today to inform parents about how they can protect their children from SRE. The group is angry that the Mayor and Isobel Cattermole, corporate director of the Children, Schools and Families Directorate, have so far not responded to their concerns, despite repeated requests for a meeting.

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