
blogs


New Study of Medical Students Reveals a Strong Support for Freedom of Conscience
A study in the Journal of Medical Ethics published yesterday showed that nearly 50% of medical students…

General Medical Council and Medical Defence Union endorse ‘tactful’ offers of prayer by GPs
The GP magazine Pulse reports in an exclusive this week on new guidance from the Medical Defence Union…

A life precious to God – how to cope when you find your unborn baby has special needs
There is a deeply heart-warming story in the Daily Mail today (July 18 2011) titled, ‘Doctors told…

Greater than Google – final reflections on the Developing Health Course
I'm back in the office after the Developing Health Course, analysing feedback forms, tying up loose ends…

Martin Pistorius: a story about faith, hope and love through ‘locked in syndrome’
The Sunday Times today tells the story of Martin Pistorius, a South African man who ended up paralysed…

Britain promotes media advertising for abortion whilst Russia attempts to curb it
The Daily Telegraph carried the story earlier this month that private clinics which carry out abortions…

Italy joins Bulgaria and France in blocking euthanasia legislation
Earlier this year I reported that France, Australia, Scotland, Israel and Canada had recently blocked…

Abortion and mental health: is there a link?
This is a question that has been the subject of many a debate in academia, in politics, in the public…

Is Treatment Becoming the New Prevention Fad for HIV & AIDS?
Two new studies (one in Kenya and Uganda, the other in Botswana) were published this week suggesting…

Emmerdale injects some reality into its depiction of the sequelae of assisted suicide
I am not an Emmerdale fan but I was interested to see the way the Soap is developing the story following…

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is too high a price for a perfect baby
Last week the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) held its annual meeting…
UCL Debate – ‘This House would legalise assisted dying’
A debate at University College London on Monday night allowed the issue of assisted suicide to be addressed. UCL’s Cruciform Building was the impressive setting for the motion, ‘This House would legalise Assisted Dying’, I was in the opposition team with Lord Carlile, Baroness Finlay and Robert Preston – leading lights in the think […]
What’s happening? A quick update on euthanasia and assisted suicide
Excerpts from the latest newsletter from Care Not Killing Alliance. Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill Independent MSP Margo MacDonald launched her long awaited second attempt to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland, just three years after her last bill was defeated in Holyrood by a massive 85-16 in 2010. 87% of all who made written submissions to the scrutinising committee for that […]
Belgian Senate will vote on bill to extend euthanasia to children with disabilities on 26 November
Alex Schadenberg is chair of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition International. The following article is reproduced with permission from his blog.Euthanasie Stop in Belgium is reporting that the Belgian Senate will vote on the bill to extend euthanasia to children with disabilities on 26 November. Earlier reports suggested that the bill might be delayed until after the next election. Insiders […]
Belgium’s grisly descent down euthanasia’s slippery slope
Wesley J Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism and a consultant for the Patients’ Rights Council. He also acts as a consultant for the Centre of Bioethics and Culture (CBC). This article is reproduced with permission from their website. If you want to see what happens when […]
A deadly conflict of interest: why euthanasia in Belgium is so out of control
It is widely acknowledged that euthanasia is out of control in Belgium: a 500% increase in cases in ten years; one third involuntary; half not reported; euthanasia for blindness, anorexia and botched sex change operations; organ transplant euthanasia; plans to extend euthanasia to children and people with dementia. One commentator has said that Belgium has […]
Should people be permitted to sell a kidney to save someone’s life?
In The Times last week Matthew Syed (£) forcefully argues, in what he admits is an angry tone, that we must allow a market in kidneys in the UK. His opinion piece was prompted by news this week that a hospital in Sri Lanka is conducting kidney transplants on the black market for Western clients. […]
Care Not Killing responds to the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill
Margo Macdonald MSP (pictured) today launched her new assisted suicide bill in Scotland. The Scottish government has said it does not support a change in the law and the British Medical Association (BMA) has in response reiterated its opposition to assisted suicide. The bill comes the day after the launch of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition […]
New European group launched to halt ‘growing threat’ of state-sanctioned euthanasia
A new coalition was launched in Brussels on Wednesday 13 November 2013 to combat the growing threat of euthanasia across Europe. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Europe, (EPC-Europe) brings together organisations and individuals from across the continent to campaign against the erosion of laws that protect people from euthanasia. This new campaign group will act as […]
Divorcing love from morality – the New Liberalism infecting British Evangelicalism
The Old liberalism had its roots in the radical biblical criticism of the 19th century. Old liberals doubted core Christian doctrines like the incarnation, Christ’s death and resurrection, his ascension and second coming, the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, the day of judgement, the sovereignty of God, and so on. The New liberalism is […]
Abortion and conscientious objection – My letter to the General Medical Council and their reply
On 21 June this year I wrote to Mr Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, to point out that in the light of a recent court judgement, their guidance on doctors’ involvement in abortion was now out of step with the law. I asked them if they intended to revise it. After […]
The violations of medical ethics at Guantanamo Bay are not dissimilar to those that led ultimately to Nuremberg
Bioedge has this week drawn attention to an independent report which has highlighted ongoing violations of medical ethics at Guantánamo Bay and called on the Department of Defense (DoD) and the medical community to conform to ethical principles. The Task Force on Preserving Medical Professionalism in National Security Detention Centers claims that medical staff […]
What does the Bible actually say about life before birth?
The Bible does not support the view that some human lives are worth less than others. All are made in the image of God and all are equally precious Devaluing or discriminating against any group of human beings is therefore inconsistent with God’s justice. He does not show partiality. The heart of Christian ethical teaching […]