
blogs


The government’s new ‘prevent duty guidance’ – imposing political correctness on university groups
The Government’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, currently being considered by the House of…

Freedom of conscience in the new Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct
A new year seems a good time to launch a new set of guidelines, and the NMC have chosen this January…

Disaster response: Malawi faces floods
Many people here daily live life on the edge, so it doesn’t take much to push it over into…

Why abortion is not the best solution for pregnancy following rape or incest
This incredibly difficult and sensitive issue has come into public discussion again as the Northern…

Why have we become so scared of disability?
When I went to see the midwife at 36 weeks of pregnancy, I did not expect to find myself leaving in…

Buffer zones – a form of subverting freedom of speech and real choice
It would appear that once again, liberties are under threat of being curtailed by the proponents of…

Ebola: Christmas is cancelled
As many of us stop work and get ready to enjoy Christmas, let’s spare a thought for the people of…

Conscientious Objection and the worrying implications of the Glasgow midwives case
The right for health professionals to exercise their conscientious objection to participating…

Ebola: dispatches from the frontline
CMF member Sam Dunnet is working as Staff Health Manager for Save the Children in Sierra Leone. Here…

Court rules that unborn babies are ‘organisms’: a look behind the headlines
Seven years ago, a baby girl (who cannot be named for legal reasons) was born to a 19 year old mother…

Censuring debate and free speech at Oxford University
Not for the first time, a college at a top UK university has completely shut down an attempt to organise…
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 Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the 15th WorldCongress of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA). Our aim is to help key students and junior doctors from resource-poor parts of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa to attend. Previous world congresses […]
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 aimed at legalising assisted suicide through British Parliaments both north and south of Hadrian’s Wall. Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide bill had its first reading in the House of Lords in May and Margo Macdonald’s Scottish bill is to be published next […]
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 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator – where most people unreached by the Gospel live. But far fewer it seems have heard of the 4/14 window – the world of children between the ages of 4 and 14. […]
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 targeted by radical Islamic groups during the civil war. But recent weeks and days have brought powerfully home to us that Christians throughout the whole of the Islamic world are facing great danger from those who […]
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 a political football. Labour MP Maryan Street (left) withdrew her End of Life Choice Bill on 26 September before the member’s bill ballot saying that she didn’t want it debated in election year. She claimed that the move […]
Why Adopt?
Quite a few people have asked us why we wanted to adopt a baby. There are many reasons and circumstances which led us to this point. This response was written on May 30th 2010, four days after our successful adoption hearing in the High Court of Malawi; at this time, we had been living and […]
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 contraceptive pill’ is ‘scientifically possible’. Writing in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, the researchers say such an advance would be welcomed by many women but the biggest hurdle to development is likely to be ‘political opposition’. The new pill, they […]
Euthanasia deaths continue their relentless rise in the Netherlands
According to Dutch media reports today, euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands in 2012 increased by 13% to 4,188. This follows increases of 13% in 2009, 19% in 2010 and 18% in 2011 and comes in the first year after the introduction of ‘mobile clinics’ which euthanize people in their own homes. In fact from 2006 to […]
Another amazing ethical stem cell advance
Here is another amazing breakthrough in ethical stem cell research that I haven’t yet seen reported by any UK media source. Researchers have for the first time converted cultured skin cells into stem cells with near-perfect efficiency. The discovery could clear the way for scientists to produce large volumes of stem cells on demand, hastening […]
Stephen Hawking is a great scientist but his advice on decriminalising assisted suicide should be given short shrift
Scientist Professor Stephen Hawking has spoken out in favour of assisted suicide for people with terminal diseases (See Independent, BBC, Telegraph). In an interview with the BBC, he said: ‘I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives and those who […]
Outrage over failure to prosecute doctors for sex selection abortions reaches new heights
It has not been an easy two weeks for Keir Starmer (pictured), the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). When it emerged on 4 September that the Crown Prosecution Service, which he heads, would not be bringing charges against two doctors who had been caught authorising abortions purely on grounds of gender, the outrage was immediate. […]
Ten things we can learn from the slaughter of the Amorites in the Old Testament
The Amorites were an ancient people, who according to the Bible were directly descended from Noah’s grandson Canaan (Genesis 10:16). At the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt (c 1446 BC) they occupied much of present day Palestine and Jordan on both sides of the Jordan River (see map). The Israelites under Moses wiped out […]