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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…
Canada’s home MAiD disaster?
My first recollection of the impact legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide would have – for that is what Medical Assistance in Dying (the innocent-sounding MAiD) is – was at a conference in Paris. An Ontarian ethicist enthusiastically explained to us how, among other preparatory measures for MAiD, all the mannequins in the resuscitation training rooms […]
Celebrating two Black British nursing pioneers
To mark Black History Month, we wanted to tell the story of two prominent Black nurses from British history, Mary Seacole and Chief Kofoworola Abeni Pratt. Both faced prejudice but battled through to gain recognition for their work. Their stories are a reminder that Black nurses have been making a significant contribution to the profession […]
Acting with a clear conscience? WMA, GMC, BMA, and moral injury
Having reasonable freedom to act in accordance with our conscience is something that Christian healthcarers rightly value. A number of recent events and reviews over the last year or so highlight some of the perennial vulnerabilities of conscience provision but also some reasons for hope and optimism. WMA International Code of Medical Ethics The World […]
Our workforce is on its knees: it’s time for us to be as well
A response to the RCN and RCM strike ballots Propping the staff room door open with her foot, Maria leans out into the corridor and shouts, ‘Bex! You coming for lunch soon?’. When I finally pull myself away it’s gone 4 pm. ‘I did make you a cup of tea’ Maria gestures to the cup […]
Praying for patients – punishable or permitted?
A Christian doctor who offered to pray for patients has agreed to attend a course on ‘boundaries’ after settling his case with the NHS. The Christian Legal Centre said Dr Richard Scott has been ‘vindicated‘ as NHS England lawyers agreed that the doctor is free to pray with patients if he does so within General […]
Queen Elizabeth II
We were all greatly saddened to hear yesterday evening (8 September 2022) of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second after a short illness. CMF wishes to extend our sympathies to the Royal Family and share in the nation’s mourning. In a reign spanning seven decades that saw massive social, political and cultural […]
Brain death, resurrection, and Archie Battersbee
Since June, when I last wrote about the deeply distressing case of Archie Battersbee, his ventilator was eventually switched off on 4 August. Soon after, he was declared dead when his heart subsequently stopped beating. In the evidence they gave at the court hearing on 6-8 June, the healthcare professionals caring for Archie all agreed […]
Unethical and outlawed are not the same
An article in the New Statesman this week implied that Conservative Party leadership contender Penny Mordaunt MP, had been involved with an organisation that ‘wants to outlaw abortion, even in cases of rape’. This might have been an interesting story if she had indeed had any relevant links to such an organisation; even more when […]
Roe v Wade
Last week we witnessed an event that I never thought I would see in my lifetime: the overturning of Roe v Wade. This 1973 Supreme Court decision held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, the right to privacy, protects a woman’s freedom to terminate a pregnancy. Half a […]
Wisdom of God or medical wisdom?
I have been working as a midwife for a few years now. As a believer, I am constantly fascinated by God’s design and wisdom and have been from day one of my training. Sometimes it appears to me as a midwife that in the last few decades, science has been catching up with what was […]
The tragedy of Archie Battersbee
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot’s judgement earlier this month on the tragic case of Archie Battersbee is sobering reading. Her ruling came across to me as kind and thoughtful, and the fact that she took time to visit Archie in hospital for herself speaks highly of her commitment to do the right thing for this twelve-year-old boy […]
Whole Genome Sequencing: challenges and opportunities
You may have requested whole-genome sequencing (WGS). You may be wondering what the words mean. Is it an exciting new way to improve health and wellbeing, or is it a modern tower of Babel (Genesis 11)? This article aims to help us understand WGS to better think about what it means for us as Christian […]