blogs

World Sight Day – lots achieved, lots to be done
The WHO estimated in 2012 that there were 40 million blind people in the world (with vision so poor…

Doctors cannot be trusted with a licence to dispense lethal drugs
A small minority of doctors in this country (a quarter of one per cent belong to Healthcare Professionals…

It’s common sense, but the best studies usually are
A new five year study shows for the first time that changes in diet, exercise, stress management and…

How you can help grow Christian doctors worldwide
In July 2014 over 1,000 Christian doctors and medical students from over 60 countries will meet in…

Battle lines form as new euthanasia battle looms in UK
The pro-euthanasia lobby and sympathetic media outlets like the BBC are gearing up for a campaign…

The 4/14 Window – probably the world’s most strategic mission field
Most mission-minded Christians have heard of the 10/40 window (left) - the geographical region between…

Praying for Christians in Syria is not enough
We have all been deeply moved to hear about the desperate plight of Christians in Syria who have been…

MP in NZ withdraws euthanasia bill after pressure from Labour Party colleagues
A bill to legalise voluntary euthanasia in New Zealand has been withdrawn amid fears it would become…

Why Adopt?
Quite a few people have asked us why we wanted to adopt a baby. There are many reasons and circumstances…

What people should know about the ‘once-a-month contraceptive pill’
The Guardian and other news outlets have highlighted a new journal article arguing that a ‘once-a-month…

Euthanasia deaths continue their relentless rise in the Netherlands
According to Dutch media reports today, euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands in 2012 increased by…
Surrogacy: Isn’t there a better way?
A major consultation on surrogacy is proposing significant – and concerning – changes to the law and regulation of surrogacy arrangements in the UK. Back in 2017, the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission were asked to conduct a review of the law governing surrogacy. They have undoubtedly done a […]
Abortion pill reversal: a chance for a change of mind
How many of us have ever made a really big decision in life and then changed our mind? I suspect quite a few of us. And if there was any ambivalence in the initial decision, then a subsequent change of mind is even more possible. In which case, decisions on abortion, especially if made with […]
About time! Australian doctors to investigate transgender treatments for kids
It’s about time. A national inquiry into the safety and ethics of transgender medicine in Australia will be conducted by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians with the backing of Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. At the moment there are no nationally agreed standards, although guidelines issued by Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital gender clinic have […]
Surrogacy: asking the questions no-one wants to ask (or answer)
In June, the Law Commission published a consultation document on surrogacy, which is still open for submissions. The premise of the consultation – and indeed of the Government – is that surrogacy is a positive, family-building, option but the current law is too restrictive and needs to be ‘reformed’. The Consultation paper could hardly be clearer with […]
Still time for some late summer reading: two books for holiday packing
A book on the impact of new ideologies on European culture and another on their impact on Africa and international development should be relevant for quite a few holiday destinations. Two books that I have recently read have been hugely informative – and challenging. I would love many others to read them too, so […]
Defending freedom of conscience on emergency contraception
The UK’s biggest abortion provider, British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), has attacked pharmacists who do not sell the ‘morning after pill’ for conscience reasons. After one incident where a pharmacist would not dispense emergency contraception to a woman for ‘personal’ reasons, BPAS condemned both the pharmacist and the conscience protections provided to pharmacists. A petition […]
What happens when a rat has a drug induced medical abortion?
The rat is a valuable animal model of human disease. Humans and rats share many common genetic features and by examining the physiology, neurology, neurophysiology and the resulting behaviours such as the response to stress, of a rat, scientists can gain valuable insights into how humans function. The rat is one of the primary models for […]
Will a robot look after you one day?
This is not a theoretical question. Robots are already widely used as ‘carers’ in Japan, the UK has a rapidly ageing population, an average of 900 care workers per day are leaving the profession due to low wages and tough conditions and there is a severe lack of new care workers joining the profession. Enter the […]
Marie Stopes: history erases ugly facts to create a mythical feminist hero
For some, the name Marie Stopes speaks of one of the biggest abortion providers in the world. For others, it speaks of a person, a feminist icon and pioneer for birth control and family planning. Both are true, but few people know about Marie Stopes the woman, the author, palaeobotanist, family planning pioneer, and eugenicist. […]
Prenatal Screening and Down Syndrome – million-dollar ethics
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, an independent think tank on bioethics, launched their report on the ethical issues of NIPT(non-invasive prenatal testing) in 2017. NIPT, a new more accurate way of screening for Down syndrome, is part of the genetic testing market, predicted to grow to a value of $22 billion by 2024. NIPT raises […]
Why is Royal College of GP’s so keen to decriminalise abortion?
In February the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) announced their support for the decriminalisation of abortion. This decision was based on a poll, which only 8.2% of their 53,724 members responded to. 62% of those responding said they supported decriminalisation. The RCGP now joins the British Medical Association, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, […]
Puberty Blockers: a societal experiment built on sand
Stories abound on social media. Documentaries and podcasts open the lid on the growing phenomenon of gender dysphoric children presenting in greater and greater numbers. In our field many of us hear first-hand the heart-breaking stories of children struggling with their gender identity and share a deep concern for their welfare. Last year around 2,000 […]