Printed from: https://www.cmf.org.uk/resources/publications/content/?context=issue&id=143
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph recently, Lisa Green from Margate, Kent, described how 35 weeks into her second pregnancy, her obstetrician broke the news that her baby had Down's syndrome, and encouraged Mrs Green and her husband to consider a termination. She went on to say,'My baby was fully formed...
At the start of June, delegations from across the globe, including over 100 from faith-based groups, descended on New York for a high level meeting at the UN General Assembly (UNGASS). It was five years since the UN's first declaration on HIV and AIDS in 2001. That declaration had been...
The shock announcement that international medical graduates (IMGs) now need a work permit to train or work in the NHS came in March.Years of encouraging doctors to come to the UK were suddenly ended by a statement from Health Minister Lord Warner: doctors will only be recruited to the UK...
The Church of Scotland has made a dubious mark for itself by approving the cloning of human embryos for research, swimming against the moral tide of the likes of the United Nations General Assembly, The Council of Europe, The World Council of Churches, President Bush and the Roman Catholic Church....
'I've just about had enough. I'm getting out!' How many times have we heard this? How often have we thought it? In Britain, we so often hear of stress, burnout and posttraumatic stress disorder. Healthcare professionals are not the only ones to witness one tragedy too many or simply to...
They are the latest fashion accessories for medical CVs. But what exactly is a portfolio career? Why would you want one? And how can you get one? Job for life? Even within the relatively stable working environment of the medical world, there has been a move away from the traditional...
The prospect of working every night for a week is daunting to say the least! After working nights in several specialties as a GP trainee, I offer these thoughts and coping strategies in the hope of reducing anxiety for anyone starting out on weeks of nights. Why nights? The creation of weeks...
The British Medical Journal's appalling coverage of the end of life debate over the past few months has led many to question what is going on at our flagship journal.[1,2] The controversy has arisen because the majority of the journal's coverage on physician assisted suicide took a different view to...
To date, there has been a shortage of accessible material on the experience of continuing a pregnancy where the child has been found to have a severe abnormality. Here, at last, is a book where allied medical professionals, pastors and friends can see into the hearts of a family living...
Midway through the nineteenth century, a new force emerged in Western missions to Africa and Asia – the medical missionary. Prior to that time, doctors, nurses and others with training in the healing and caring arts had travelled with missions to the far flung parts of the world, but only...
Lord Joffe's Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, [1] which sought to legalise physician-assisted suicide in England and Wales, was defeated at second reading in the House of Lords on Friday 12 May by a massive majority of 148-100 after an eight hour debate in which over 90 peers...
The 20th Century was defined by economic and class-based divisions between socialists and capitalists. But with the main political parties now increasingly embracing free market capitalism and in the absence of an argument about economic management, culture rather than economics will be the future's defining political divide. The 21st Century...
The ongoing conflict between orthodox medicine and the proponents of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) spilled onto the letters pages of the Times recently.[1] An open letter from leading doctors, including Professor Ernst and Nobel Prize winner Sir Black, criticised the NHS'seeping acceptance of CAM. It urged those holding influential...
In April, Christian Aid declared its support for the new HIV prevention strategy SAVE (Safer practices, Available medications,Voluntary counselling and testing, Empowerment.), as ABC (Abstain from sex until marriage, Be faithful to one sexual partner, and use Condoms) was 'not well suited to the complexities of human life'.[1] Some groups,...
In June and July 2006, Germany played host to the World Cup. Up to three million football fans from across the globe descended on the country. Amongst the leisure services provided by the German authorities were dozens of legalised brothels. Up to 100,000 women, mostly from outside Germany, are thought...
Going to church may extend life Weekly religious attendance could add years to your life, according to a medical study carried out in the US. The effects of exercise, religious attendance and anti-cholesterol drugs on life expectancy were examined. All three were found to be beneficial, with religious attendance adding...
Yesterday I attended a fund-raising coffee morning for a church overseas. One of the well-heeled ladies present had with her two young grandsons, who, despite all the lovely edibles, readily agreed that they found grown-up parties boring. They clearly longed to opt out. This morning, at a church breakfast convened...
Alec Bookless (q Guy's 1935; d 22 March 2003) Alec studied at Cambridge and Guy's, developing a lasting interest in the Church Mission Society. After qualifying he joined a medical practice near Sanderstead, Surrey and married Daphne with whom he had three daughters. During the Second World War Alec served...
I'm just writing to let you know that I'm off to the ends of the earth next week for a couple of years… So often, this is the first we hear of someone's intent to work overseas. Leaving it that late means that you may miss out on the resources...
