
blogs


Embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos – six reasons for caution
The newspapers are full today of the news that scientists in the US state of Oregon have produced embryonic…

Joy, sorrow and satisfaction – medical mission in Ecuador
My own personal journey to becoming a medical missionary began when I finished secondary school and went…

It’s exam time! Can smart drugs make you smarter at this testing time?
While a cup of strong coffee is probably the choice of drink for most people studying for exams, perhaps…

The ‘Groningen protocol’ for euthanasia of disabled babies in the Netherlands
In an interview this morning on BBC Five Live (at 0705) on the Paul Lamb case (listen here) I was asked…

Don’t be fooled by Lord Falconer’s ‘modest’ assisted suicide proposals
Lord Falconer has finally announced that his long awaited assisted suicide bill will be tabled in the…

Doctors should not be forced to provide emergency contraception
The Independent has run the story of a ‘Christian-run NHS GP surgery’ which has apparently ‘attracted…

Several leading bioethicists defend the practice of infanticide this week in leading medical journal
In February 2012 two bioethicists provoked international outrage with an article advocating infanticide.
Writing…

Marie Fleming loses Supreme Court appeal challenging ban on assisted suicide
A 59-year-old Irish woman today lost her Supreme Court challenge to the ban on assisted suicide.
Marie…

What the UK needs to learn from the worldwide Church
Last week there was a meeting between David Cameron and leaders of major UK NGOs on the process to find…

GMC and RCM must now move urgently to review their abortion guidance in light of Glasgow midwives court ruling
Two Roman Catholic midwives have today won a landmark legal battle to avoid taking any part in abortion…

Losing trust – why immunisation programmes fail
What do South Wales, North Nigeria and Northwest Pakistan have in common? They all have outbreaks of…
Latest NICE guidance on contraception could harm young people
New guidance from NICE recommends that Government provides free morning after pills, condoms (male and female ones) and other contraceptives, all readily accessible to school girls, including those under the age of consent, without parental knowledge. The guidance says that youngsters should be able to stock pile the morning-after pill in advance, keeping it at […]
Relationship signposting: another role for GPs?
GPs may soon see their portfolios expanded even further, this time into relationship territory, according to the Daily Telegraph. GPs, midwives and registrars may soon be enlisted to help couples stay together and reduce levels of family breakdown under new government plans. This proposal is being driven by Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions […]
Should doctors be involved in abortion decisions?
‘Doctor knows best.’ Those who are adamantly ‘pro-choice’ and fighting for abortion to be freely available on request, will disagree with this aphorism, because for years abortion campaigners have fought to remove the need for a doctor to sign abortion notification forms. In their view, women should not have to get a doctor to […]
David Cameron presides over largest liberalisation of abortion practice since 1967 Abortion Act
Prime Minister David Cameron has presided over the largest liberalisation of abortion practice since the passing of the Abortion Act in 1967. Under his leadership, former health minister Andrew Lansley, working closely with abortion providers and senior figures at the Department of Health, has managed to smuggle in what is in effect a nurse-led abortion […]
New government consultation on three parent embryos asks the wrong questions
The Department of Health today has published for consultation draft regulations to allow mitochondrial donation to prevent the transmission of serious mitochondrial disease from mother to child. The consultation will close on 21 May. This new government consultation is not asking whether but how these controversial techniques for mitochondrial disease should be implemented. In so […]
One of the best weeks of my life…
Last week was the International Medical Students Conference, which was one of the best weeks that I can remember! This was the conference that I had been helping to organise as part of volunteering for CMF. It had become a big part of my life as I had spent the last 5 months sending out […]
Abortion and breast cancer: just scaremongering or could there be a link?
A new report by Education for Choice (EfC) on pregnancy counselling states that: ‘linking abortion to breast cancer and ‘post-abortion stress’ is ‘medical misinformation’. It also states that: ‘Cancer Research UK has confirmed that abortion does not increase the chance of developing breast cancer. Despite this, a purported link has been promoted by anti-abortion organisations.’ […]
Behind the headlines: information and misinformation in pregnancy counselling
The pro-abortion organisation, Education For Choice (EFC) which is a project within the sexual health charity, Brook, who themselves work closely with the Family Planning Association to promote abortion, has produced a new report based on its own mystery shopping of some independent pregnancy counselling centres, mainly linked to LIFE and Care Confidential. Their […]
Abortion rates presented in a different way
During a clear out of old work papers and files recently, I came across a paper that stopped me in my tracks. It took just a moment to look through and understand, and be moved. The paper shows the power of visual representation and messaging over (often) dry statistics and percentages. The visual representation following […]
Francis Report: one year on
Kicking an institution already reeling from exposés of their failings seems to be the mode du jour, at least if the UN’s recent dressing down of the Vatican is anything to go by. All our institutions are under scrutiny and criticism like never before, not just the church (of all ecclesiastical flavours), but everything from […]
Carers: low pay is a scandal
A report published today suggests that the vast majority of local authorities are paying less than the recommended minimum to provide domiciliary, personal care for the elderly. The UK Homecare Association says that just over £15 an hour is the minimum needed to provide essential care – including paying staff national minimum wage of £6.31 […]
BMJ gives platform for abortion activists to dismiss evidence of adverse effects of abortion on women
The BMJ published a controversial article on abortion in early January, authored by employees of abortion providers, claiming that medical and surgical abortions are not associated with long-term psychological or physical sequelae and offering no hint of any ethical concerns with abortion. It is frustrating that the BMJ offers a platform for such openly pro-abortion […]