
blogs


Scientists make nerve cells directly from human skin bypassing stem cells altogether
Researchers have come up with a recipe for making functional neurons directly from human skin cells,…

Another poll from the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (aka DID) to grab headlines
The Voluntary Euthanasia Society, which renamed itself ‘Dignity in Dying’ in 2006 to disguise its…

Nitschke announces his latest scheme to help more Australians kill themselves
I previously commented on a You Tube video of the assisted suicide of a British couple in their 80s who…

Surrogacy raises complex ethical issues
A recent BBC News report, ‘Womb for rent: A tale of two mothers’, highlights the fact that the high…

Medical Defence Union finally publishes full version of new guidance on praying for patients
I recently blogged about new guidance from the Medical Defence Union which endorses tactful prayer with…

£200k of lottery money spent on Reiki like therapy in West Midlands Hospital a waste of time and money
Back in February I reported on a BBC story claiming that ‘a third of NHS trusts still offer homeopathy…

Three exciting news stories about ethical stem cell treatments this month
Three exciting news stories about stem cell therapies – none of which involves the destruction of human…

Two women in their 50s with serious brain damage whose relatives want them dead. One judge has said ‘yes’ but the other is still thinking. Why?
Two cases of women in their 50s with serious brain damage went before the courts this week.
Neither…

Animal-human hybrid embryos – now the government doesn’t even know how many there are
A fascinating article by Philippa Taylor on the official CMF Blog highlights an apparently straightforward…

One baby adoption in the UK for every 2,235 abortions – seven times worse than the US
Bill Reichart is a pastor and area director with CMDA, CMF’s US sister organization. He writes a blog…

What is the true cost of IVF?
For most people thinking about having IVF, the answer will be thousands of pounds. Some may also…
TV advertising for abortion is unnecessary, discriminatory and an abuse of taxpayers’ money
Private clinics that undertake abortions for profit will be allowed to advertise their services on television and radio for the first time, watchdogs ruled yesterday. Until now, only not-for-profit organisations have been permitted to use television and radio to advertise advice on unplanned pregnancies, although none have so far been able to afford the huge […]
More hype about ‘three-parent embryos’ – but huge ethical and safety issues
Two consultations have been launched this week into what has been called the ‘three parent embryo’ technique for eradicating diseases caused by genetic mutations in the mitochondria of cells. Both the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics will be carrying out enquiries into whether it would be appropriate and […]
MPs debate Care for the Dying
David Burrowes headed up a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday among around 20 MPs in a positive reflection about how we should care best for the elderly in our society. The importance of palliative care, not the legalisation of assisted suicide should be the central issue when talking about the dying, Burrowes argued. During the […]
Welsh plans to increase organ donation: costly waste of time and money
Not only are radical plans to introduce new legislations to increase organ donation on death in Wales going to cost millions of pounds, and be highly complicated to administer, they are also ‘ethically tricky,’ new research published in the journal Transplantation this month confirms. The publication of two new journal articles on organ donation after […]
Marriage – let’s be clear on the biblical and legal definitions – and fight to retain them
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is quoted in the Telegraph today as saying that marriage is still the bedrock of society which promotes love, care and forgiveness in relationships. Last week, the same paper reported that a senior High Court judge, Sir Paul Coleridge, had launched a campaign to promote marriage and fight […]
REVIEW: John Stott – Serving Christ in Medicine
When I was student secretary of ICMDA I looked back to the life-changing days I spent at the ICMDA World Congress in Durban, South Africa in 1998 as a 4th year medical student. Combining excellent international Bible teaching and medical seminars with a mix of nationalities from dozens of nations, it was electrifying and had […]
Lessons from Stephen Hawking and Kathryn Higham about assisted suicide
Congratulations to Stephen Hawking (pictured), internationally renowned Cambridge physicist, who turned 70 this week. Hawking is probably the world’s most famous sufferer of motor neurone disease (MND) and apart from his contributions to science has also taught us two very important things relevant to the euthanasia debate. First is the unreliability of doctors’ prognostic forecasts. […]
‘Selective reduction’ – a euphemism for deliberately killing one or more babies in an IVF pregnancy
Last week’s Life Site News ran a story titled ‘Five best and worst biotechnology developments of 2011 from a pro-life perspective’ which is well worth a read in its own right. The third worst development it mentions is that of ‘selective reduction’: ‘This year we were introduced to the ugly practice of selective reduction, a […]
Five quick videos on the Falconer Commission on ‘Assisted Dying’ – What is it all about?
5 January 2012 marked the launch of the findings of the Commission on Assisted Dying, proposed by Dignity in Dying, funded by Sir Terry Pratchett and chaired by Lord Falconer (pictured). The Commission has called for a change in the law in England and Wales, to allow assisted suicide for adults who are terminally ill […]
The Winner of the 2011 ICMDA Dignity and Right to Health Award
It is our great privilege and pleasure to announce that Dr. Olive Frost is the most worthy winner of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) HIV Initiative Dignity and Right to Health Award for 2011. The “Dignity and Right to Health Award” is an activity of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association HIV […]
Nursing Initiative: More tinkering at the edges?
In the face of a growing and alarming number of reports on poor standards of care for vulnerable patients in the NHS and the community, the Prime Minister today has launched an initiative to try and tackle the problem in hospital nursing. This is after yesterday also announcing a move back to integration of health […]
Lord Falconer’s commission – help in reading what lies between the lines in their press release
Lord Falconer’s Commission on Assisted Dying is reporting today. I have reproduced below their press release which needs to be taken with a large helping of salt. I have added my own comments marked in italics in order to help people read ‘between the lines’ Expert panel proposes framework to underpin any future change in […]