blogs

Britain’s growing elderly population – a massive challenge
The UK is ‘woefully under-prepared for the social and economic challenges presented by an ageing society,…

Belgium becomes world leader in organ removal
According to a recent report Belgium is now the ‘world leader’ in organ removal after euthanasia.
The…

Christians: inherently generous?
New research shows that Christians are more generous than the general population when it comes to donation,…

‘Life is but a breath’ – medical mission in Ecuador
As physicians in the UK we see tragedies and heartbreak; the stillborn baby, the young father who dies…

Speaking out for truth and justice – a Christian responsibility
Speaking out for truth and justice is just one of many responsibilities we have as Christians. But I…

Woman refuses $10,000 to abort surrogate baby with special needs
This is a bizarre story from the US state of Connecticut which appeared on CNN today but deserves far…

Fresh warning sounded to UK as euthanasia deaths increase by 25% in Belgium in just one year
Things are moving at a frightening pace in Belgium.
Further to my recent ten year review in December…

The duties of a physician – a Puritan’s prescription
Richard Baxter (1615-1691), author of The Saint's Everlasting Rest and The Reformed Pastor, was known…

‘Amour’ is a dangerously seductive piece of pro-euthanasia propaganda
Margaret Morganroth Gullette is Resident Scholar of the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University…

Landmark Irish ‘right to die’ case is based on flawed assumption
Marie Fleming (pictured) is a 59 year old former Irish lecturer who has multiple sclerosis and wants…

Another unworkable proposal from NHS ‘experts’ on morning-after pill
An influential group of NHS experts is urging the Scottish Government to allow the morning-after pill…
Stunning 4,620% increase in Belgian euthanasia cases in ten years since legalisation
I have previously highlighted the rapid escalation of euthanasia and assisted suicide cases in the Netherlands, Oregon and Switzerland in recent years but Belgium is eclipsing all of these countries in the race to become the ‘world leader’. In 2012, the number of euthanasia cases in Belgium increased by 25%, from 2011 reaching a record level of 1,432 since the practice was […]
Engineering our way to a Eugenic Future
You may consider the following headline from a leading US newspaper blog last week to be rather extreme: ‘The British Embryo Authority and the Chamber of Eugenics’ But when it is followed a week later by a news report in a British newspaper saying: ‘Lord Robert Winston warning over child ‘eugenics’’ should we then take more notice? The spur […]
The NHS, culture change, and Christ
Jeremy Hunt does not have an enviable job. Not only is he charged with putting into practice the radical NHS reforms that his predecessor steered tempestuously through Parliament (with scant support from the health professions), but now he has to respond to the fourth report into the horrific collapse of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust […]
The GMC’s new guidance on ‘Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice’ – how effectively does it address our concerns?
The General Medical Council published its new guidance on‘Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice’ (PBMP) earlier this week. This was one of ten supplementary documents accompanying its core Guidance ‘Good Medical Practice’ – all of which were released on the same day. Last year I outlined a number of issues of concern in the PBMP consultation […]
New GMC Guidance on ‘Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice’ still gives scope for sensitive faith discussions within the consultation
Are doctors allowed to discuss their personal beliefs with patients or enquire about their patients’ beliefs? If so, in what circumstances? The General Medical Council’s long-awaited revised guidance on‘Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice’, published yesterday, attempts to answer these questions. It shows there is still scope for doctors to share their personal beliefs within the […]
Doctors should identify themselves online and respect colleagues and professional boundaries, says GMC
The General Medical Council (GMC), the regulatory body for doctors, has today published advice on doctors’ use of social media for the very first time. The news comes as the Medical Defence Union, which provides legal advice and protection for doctorsreveals that more doctors than ever have been asking for advice on use of social media. The GMC’s […]
World TB Day
One hundred and thirty one years ago today, Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. As a result, for the last thirty one years, 24 March has been observed as World TB Day, highlighting that nearly a century and a half on from Koch’s discovery, we are still facing a global […]
Do you have just one minute spare to help defend the human embryo?
Thanks to a European Citizens Initiative (ECI) there is a new campaign across Europe which seeks to defend the right to life of the human embryo. Called ‘One of Us’, the campaign aims to gather one million signatures from citizens from at least 7 out of the 27 member states in the European Union (with minimum […]
Psychiatrist supplies report to man with dementia so he can kill himself at Dignitas
The Sunday Times (£) reports this morning that an 83 year old British man with dementia is to travel to Switzerland for an assisted suicide. If he does so he will become the first known Briton suffering from the condition to die at Dignitas, the Swiss suicide organisation. The professional man, whose dementia is at […]
Britain’s growing elderly population – a massive challenge
The UK is ‘woefully under-prepared for the social and economic challenges presented by an ageing society, a House of Lords committee has warned this week. The committee predicts ‘a series of crises’ in public service provision and says that big changes in pensions, health care and employment practices are needed to help people ‘sustain a […]
Belgium becomes world leader in organ removal
According to a recent report Belgium is now the ‘world leader’ in organ removal after euthanasia. The practice of transplanting organs from voluntary euthanasia patients in this small European country has become increasingly common since it was first reported that it had become an established procedure in June 2011. The recent report mentions at least […]
Christians: inherently generous?
New research shows that Christians are more generous than the general population when it comes to donation, but not just of money and time. Christians, especially evangelicals, are also more generous when it comes to donation of their blood and organs. Previous research has shown that religious people donate more money to charity then those […]