
blogs


British Medical Journal publishes my reply to its article on CMF and faith discussions with patients
A couple of weeks ago the British Medical Journal published an article in its Lobby Watch column about…

New pre-natal screening test makes eliminating all people with genetic disease an achievable reality
‘Fetal DNA tests: Are we finally entering an era of eugenics?’ This was the question raised by Nancy…

Christian pharmacists under threat from new guidelines on morning-after pill provision
Christian pharmacists who object to dispensing the morning-after pill are facing pressure from their…

London hospital backs down from forcing Christian nurses to participate in abortion after receiving lawyer’s letter
A London hospital which tried to force two Christian nurses to participate in abortion has backed down…

Commercials of convenience – plans to advertise abortion on TV and radio contested
HG Wells once said that 'advertising is legalised lying'. He would not have been thinking of TV adverts…

China vows crackdown on sex-selective abortion to close gender gap
You are unlikely to read this from any British media outlet in the midst of the London riots and falling…

Thriving 5-year old born at 23 weeks fuels calls for lowering of upper abortion limit
The mother of a boy, now five years old, who was born prematurely at 23 weeks gestation, has again ignited…

Dignity in Dying blog opts for assisted death after suffering unbearably
The Dignity in Dying blog has opted for assisted suicide after apparently suffering unbearably from a…

Matt Hampson – awe-inspiring article in Sunday Times on coping with tetraplegia
'Engage!' was the last word Matt Hampson heard before dislocating his neck while in rugby training with…

A politically incorrect final solution for Britain’s growing elderly population
The BBC has reminded us this week that today's 20-year-olds are three times more likely to live to…

Marketing tactics used by BPAS and MSI to increase abortion pressure
My attention has just been drawn to a new report by Right to Know (RTK) which reveals the pressure that…
Leading medical experts say direct abortion is not medically necessary to save the life of a mother
Leading medical experts speaking at a major International Symposium on Excellence in Maternal Healthcare held in Dublin have concluded that ‘direct abortion is not medically necessary to save the life of a mother’. About 140 Irish medical professionals participated in the symposium which featured a panel of world-renowned experts in the fields of mental health, […]
Patients, families and organ donation: who should decide?
If you live in Wales, or plan to live – or study – there for longer than six months, by 2015 you are likely to find yourself automatically registered as an organ donor, whether you are fully aware of it or not. You will have to register specifically to opt out of this if you […]
BMA Council elects strong advocate of euthanasia as new deputy chair
The British Medical Association Council, the governing body of the UK doctors’ trade union, has just elected a new deputy chairman. Retired Cheshire GP Kailash Chand (pictured) was chosen by the council following a three-way contest between him, London specialty trainee in anaesthesia Tom Dolphin and Birmingham GP Fay Wilson. The BMA reports Dr Chand […]
New suicide strategy is welcome but needs to address more effectively the phenomenon of media-induced suicide contagion
The Government has promised to pump £1.5 million into research exploring how to prevent suicides among those most at risk of taking their own lives. The pledge comes as ministers unveiled a new suicide prevention strategy (more detail including full report here) launched to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day that is aiming to cut […]
Norman Lamb: stop using the media to promote assisted suicide
John Humphrys, presenter for the Radio Four Today Programme, is a well-known advocate for the legalisation of assisted suicide. It was therefore not surprising that he took the opportunity this morning, in an interview on suicide prevention with new junior health minister Norman Lamb (pictured), to ask him whether he thought assisted suicide should be […]
National Secular Society gets its knickers in a twist over male circumcision
The National Secular Society (NSS) is currently waging a campaign against male circumcision which plumbed astonishing depths in July when they made the following outrageous claim on their website. ‘Why MGM and FGM are not considered equally reprehensible defies compassionate reason’. This is a truly outrageous statement. FGM (female genital mutilation) is a barbaric act […]
Life with locked-in syndrome – two more good news stories
The media has a tendency to focus on the negatives of profound disability by giving a hugely disproportionate level of coverage to disabled people who wish to end their lives and very little to the majority who actually value their lives. I try to highlight these good news stories on my blog and have previously […]
What economics can tell us about teen pregnancy rates
In the past forty years over £250 million has been spent by policy makers on numerous initiatives aimed at cutting teenage pregnancy rates in the UK, yet with almost negligible effect. Some would no doubt argue that this money is well spent, in preventing the rates from worsening. However Britain still has the highest rate […]
Major Danish study – significantly higher maternal death rates following abortion
Hot on the heels of two major reports in the last week from Finland and Scotland confirming the link between abortion and preterm delivery, a major new Danish study this week has raised concerns about death following abortion. It is commonly believed that abortion is safer for women than a normal delivery but this […]
Abortion and premature birth – new Finnish study raises serious questions for UK
The link between abortion and premature birth is already well established but largely denied by authorities in Britain. However a new landmark study from Finland published last week in the journal ‘Human Reproduction’ has gained the attention of the British media with the Guardian, Daily Mail and even the BBC running the story. The matter […]
Pleas to change law in locked-in syndrome cases rejected: ‘dispassionate court’ gets it right- compassionately
The two cases of men with conditions resembling locked-in syndrome have been concluded. Heard before three judges in the High Court from 19-22 June, judgment was handed down at 2pm on Thursday 16 August. Tony Nicklinson, 59 and paralysed from the neck down after a stroke in 2005, was actually arguing for permission that a […]
Families of children with significant disabilities indicate that their lives are enriched
Alex Schadenberg has this last week reported on a new study on children with trisomy 13 and 18 (Patau’s and Edwards’ syndrome respectively) which is well worth reading. I have reproduced it here. I have myself previously blogged about trisomy conditions including a wonderful testimony. A research study that was published in the current edition of […]