
blogs


Euthanasia bills fall at first hurdle
Last November I reported on the overwhelming defeat in the Scottish Parliament of Margo Macdonald’s…

The ‘ultrasound’ Jesus reminds us of the meaning of the incarnation
The creators of the 2010 ‘Christmas Starts With Christ' campaign say that its purpose is to bring attention…

How common is abortion to save the life of the mother?
Ireland’s ban on abortion was upheld this week by the European Court of Human Rights in a case brought…

A new exhibition touring the United States is highlighting lessons to be learned from the Nazi doctors
Most when remembering the holocaust will think of six million Jews but apparently this was only the final…

Two letters to the Times regarding Lord Falconer’s Commission on Assisted Dying
I have had two letters regarding Lord Falconer's Commission on Assisted Dying published on the Times…

Former Lord Chancellor misrepresents law on assisted suicide in national newspaper
Yesterday the Care Not Killing Alliance wrote to Lord Falconer, the former Lord Chancellor (pictured),…

ICMDA HIV Initiative 2010 Dignity and Right to Health Awards
The joint winners of the 2010 Dignity and Right to Health award are Dr Gisela Schneider from Germany…

More knowledge of fetal development leads to new US laws making late abortion illegal
In April this year the US state of Nebraska legislature signed off a bill that could weaken further the…

Chile’s president says country’s respect for life mandated great efforts to save lives of Chilean miners
I see that 26 of the rescued Chilean miners have just been welcomed to Manchester United by football…

As Christian doctors today let’s, like Nehemiah, be people of prayer and perseverance
Nehemiah was the key figure, along with Ezra, who was used by God in the fifth century BC to help bring…

Further stem cell advance brings clinical trials with ethically produced embryonic-like stem cells one step closer
Ethical stem cell treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis…
Happy Birthday NHS: Let’s not let a national good become a national god
Today (5 July 2018) marks seventy years since the world’s first, free-at-the-point of delivery, universal access, national healthcare system was launched. Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has become so much a part of the fabric of British life and culture in those seven decades that it is regularly cited in surveys of the British public […]
How to live longer, healthier and happier
It would be hard to have missed some of the recent glut of news articles on the importance of physical activity for health and wellbeing. The latest official government press release this week, from Public Health England in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners, encourages adults to improve their general health and wellbeing […]
20 abortions every hour – still not enough to satisfy the abortion business
The latest Government statistics reveal yet another rise in the number of abortions in England and Wales, showing a 2.3% increase from 2016 to 2017. A total of 194,668 abortions in 2017 now brings the number since 1967 to some 9,000,000 abortions. That’s approximately 1 every 3 minutes. 20 every hour. 600 every working day. […]
Stifling Dissent
Behind the statue of George Orwell, author of Animal Farm, outside Broadcasting House in London, are inscribed the words from his preface to that book: ‘If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.’ Stifling dissent is of particular concern in science and medicine, where […]
Abortion pills outside medical supervision? That’s just the start
The current campaign to remove the administration of the abortion pill, misoprostol, from medical supervision and oversight is part of a long-term goal for abortion activists. Their goal is to bypass medical professionals in the process of medical abortion and remove as many legal restrictions on abortion as possible. This will be achieved step by […]
Alfie Evans has a progressive incurable illness but his parents should not be stopped from doing what they believe is best for him
Hear my Premier Radio interview on this case here. Alfie Evans was admitted to Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool in December 2016 suffering from seizures. He was found to have a (still undiagnosed) progressive neurodegenerative disease and has now been in a semi-vegetative state for more than a year. During that time, he has been on a ventilator in […]
Transplants: are the donors really, truly dead?
Organ donation has hit the headlines recently following a debate in Parliament. The Mirror claimed much of the glory with its headline: ‘’We did it!’ Organ transplant Bill to save up to 500 lives a year in England passes crucial Commons hurdle’ However, I have read nothing on the medical aspects of it, on the […]
Back to the backstreets with abortion
After successful lobbying by abortion providers, women in Scotland are now allowed to take the abortion pill at home, in a first for the UK. Since 83% of abortions in Scotland use medical methods (abortion pills) this will have a significant impact. I’ve recently blogged on this change in Scotland, citing medical concerns with allowing […]
Global Health Challenges for the Year Ahead
A year ago, I blogged about some of the global health challenges that Christians and Christian organisations would be facing in 2017. At the start of 2018 I thought it would be good to revisit some of those issues and look to others that are emerging in the coming year. Changing Aid Climate As predicted […]
Protecting Freedom of Conscience
As Christians we are called to respect the governing authorities as they are instituted by God himself (Romans 13:1,2). But are there limits? What should we do if they try to force us to do something we believe is wrong? The ‘Free Conscience’ campaign, launched this week with the backing of many Christian groups, supports […]
Ideology or evidence? The battle over abortion pills
The debate about the use of abortion pills at home is one of a number of controversial issues where I believe that we are increasingly seeing the triumph of ideology over evidence. I’ve explained elsewhere what the current practice is but, briefly, medical abortions (as opposed to surgical) are most commonly used up to nine […]
Conway assisted suicide case – autonomy is not absolute and this appeal should be dismissed
Watch my previous Sky News interview on the Conway case here. A 67-year-old Shropshire man with motor neurone disease (MND) who wants help from doctors to kill himself has been granted permission to appeal an earlier decision rejecting his case. The judgement was handed down today (18 January 2018) following an oral hearing at the Royal […]