
blogs


British Medical Journal publishes my reply to its article on CMF and faith discussions with patients
A couple of weeks ago the British Medical Journal published an article in its Lobby Watch column about…

New pre-natal screening test makes eliminating all people with genetic disease an achievable reality
‘Fetal DNA tests: Are we finally entering an era of eugenics?’ This was the question raised by Nancy…

Christian pharmacists under threat from new guidelines on morning-after pill provision
Christian pharmacists who object to dispensing the morning-after pill are facing pressure from their…

London hospital backs down from forcing Christian nurses to participate in abortion after receiving lawyer’s letter
A London hospital which tried to force two Christian nurses to participate in abortion has backed down…

Commercials of convenience – plans to advertise abortion on TV and radio contested
HG Wells once said that 'advertising is legalised lying'. He would not have been thinking of TV adverts…

China vows crackdown on sex-selective abortion to close gender gap
You are unlikely to read this from any British media outlet in the midst of the London riots and falling…

Thriving 5-year old born at 23 weeks fuels calls for lowering of upper abortion limit
The mother of a boy, now five years old, who was born prematurely at 23 weeks gestation, has again ignited…

Dignity in Dying blog opts for assisted death after suffering unbearably
The Dignity in Dying blog has opted for assisted suicide after apparently suffering unbearably from a…

Matt Hampson – awe-inspiring article in Sunday Times on coping with tetraplegia
'Engage!' was the last word Matt Hampson heard before dislocating his neck while in rugby training with…

A politically incorrect final solution for Britain’s growing elderly population
The BBC has reminded us this week that today's 20-year-olds are three times more likely to live to…

Marketing tactics used by BPAS and MSI to increase abortion pressure
My attention has just been drawn to a new report by Right to Know (RTK) which reveals the pressure that…
BMA rejects attempt to push it neutral on assisted suicide by 2 to 1 majority
Yesterday the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Belfast voted against going neutral on assisted suicide by a two to one majority (see detail here). Delegates rejected motion 80, ‘that this meeting believes that the BMA should adopt a neutral stance on assisted dying’, by 198 to 115 (63% to 37%). The […]
The BMA should reject this latest attempt to push it neutral on assisted suicide and euthanasia
On 21 June, the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) of the British Medical Association (BMA) will consider two motions on assisted suicide. The BMA is the UK’s professional association and registered trade union for doctors and currently has 170,000 members. It has been opposed to the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia for every year of its history with the exception of […]
Healthcare apps: helpful or harmful?
From finding a carpark to counting our calories, apps now cover virtually every area of our lives, including in healthcare. A 2011 General Medical Council survey showed 30% of doctors use a smartphone for medical apps. This will have increased significantly in the last five years. In addition, health apps, ranging from health and fitness […]
Helping women when they need it most
In early May, statistics from a global study on abortion revealed shocking statistics showing that one in four or 25 percent of pregnancies worldwide were aborted. Statistics showed there was a drop in the numbers of women seeking abortions in developed regions such as Europe. However, the high global statistics – jumping from around 50 […]
Good news on three-parent embryos… or maybe not
According to media reports, it is now safe to produce three-parent embryos! We are well on the way to providing new treatments for women who have inheritable mitochondrial disorders! We just need the HFEA to issue the first licence to a clinic and soon healthy children will be born, free of disease. Ok, perhaps that […]
New three-parent embryo research leaves many questions unanswered
A new IVF-based technique ‘is likely to lead to normal pregnancies and reduce the risk that babies born will have mitochondrial disease’, according to researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Disease at Newcastle University. Published on Wednesday 8 June 2016 in the journal Nature, scientists report the first in-depth analysis of human embryos […]
Brexit and bioethics
On 23 June 2016, Britons will make the most important political decision of a generation: we will determine whether Britain exits or remains in the European Union (EU). The debate about the pros and cons of ‘Brexit’ and ‘Bremain’ will undoubtedly continue until polling day. It’s good for Christians to engage with political matters because […]
Going to church is good for your health
Nurses generally live healthy lives. But a new study shows that going to church could dramatically improve your health. The Harvard study followed almost 75,000 nurses over 20 years, interviewing them every two years on key indicators such as socioeconomic status, physical activity, social integration, smoking and mental health. There was a dose dependent response […]
Ethical objections to embryo research can trigger genuine progress
An admission from scientists in the latest issue of the journal Nature, that production of three-parent embryos may not accomplish the stated goals, reminds me of a promise made by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2008, one that most people have long forgotten. In fact, I suspect that many MPs and a good number of scientists […]
Discovering silence and solitude
It is surprisingly difficult for us to handle silence. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) the brilliant French mathematician and philosopher famously wrote, “All the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, they cannot stay quietly in their own room.” I find that amazingly profound. It is even more true today in our frenetic fast paced technology driven world than […]
Let’s invest more in relationships
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The Mental Health Foundation are focusing this year on the need for relationships to help improve mental health. They tell us that we urgently need a greater focus on the quality of our relationships, to prevent and help alleviate mental health breakdown. We need to understand just how […]
How to grow in resilience // podcast
‘That which does not kill us, makes us stronger’, so said the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It’s a great quote, but I have to say that it is not necessarily automatic! As I have got older I have found my need for resilience has grown greater. And I am convinced that experience is not unique […]