
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…
The false prophets of the population control lobby and their appalling track record
On 31 October when the world’s population reaches seven billion we will be subjected to a whole host of alarmist reports about impending disaster – through overcrowding, disease and environmental destruction – and the population control lobby, led by prominent journalists and media celebrities, will try to persuade us that our salvation lies in making […]
Three horrific stories of abuse of women and children abroad raise a disturbing question
Three horrific stories involving the abuse of women and children abroad have featured in our newspapers in the last couple of weeks. First was the report that witch doctors are abducting children in Uganda for the purpose of child sacrifice. The ritual, which some believe brings wealth and good health, was almost unheard of in […]
Royal College of Nursing finally issues guidance on dealing with assisted suicide requests from patients
In July 2009, the Royal College of Nursing announced that, after consultation with their membership, they were withdrawing their historic opposition to assisted suicide, and were moving to a ‘neutral’ position. At the time this was heavily criticised as sending out a message of tacit support for assisted suicide. Furthermore it was based on a […]
‘In praise of stem cell simplicity’ – brilliant New Scientist editorial
The New Scientist editorial this week, ‘In praise of stem-cell simplicity’, gives a fantastic overview of exciting new avenues in ethical stem cell research which are opening up. It should be required reading for all UK science journalists who sadly use press releases from the biotechnology industry or briefings from the Science Media Centre as […]
GMC: recognising importance of spiritual care but struggling to define it
The General Medical Council is about to review ‘Good Medical Practice’, its general guidance to doctors, and new draft guidance is due to be issued later this month. Early indications are that the revised guidance will give more latitude to doctors attempting to provide whole-person healthcare (including spiritual care) but will take a harder line […]
Stem cell patent ruling is a triumph of ethics over commercial expedience
British scientists are kicking up an enormous stink about yesterday’s court ruling that scientists can’t patent stem cells if they are obtained by destroying human embryos. Europe’s highest human rights court, the EU Court of Justice, said the use of human embryos ‘for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes which are applied to the human embryo and […]
Changing attitudes, changing hearts – reflections on the Care Quality Commission report
I know what it is to not to give elderly patients the time and care they deserve. On the ward round at the beginning of a busy day, isn’t it easier to stand at the end of the bed of the elderly patient who’s ‘waiting for social’ and wave rather than stop and talk to […]
Gamete donors: compensation or payment?
Over the past few days there has been a spate of articles in the media informing us that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) intends to increase the rates of payments – sorry, ‘compensation’ – given to egg and sperm donors. Despite claims from the Chair of the HFEA today, Lisa Jardine, that no […]
Falconer Commission on ‘assisted dying’ gets ready to report
Even before it was launched in November 2010, commentators were asking serious questions about the status and independence of Lord Falconer’s so-called ‘independent commission on assisted dying’. These concerns intensified when it emerged that the privately organised enquiry was the idea of campaign group ‘Dignity in Dying’ (formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society) and was being […]
Times newspaper launches its (largely good) ‘silver manifesto’ for elderly people
With all the bad news about elder abuse and neglect in the news lately it was (largely) refreshing to see the Times newspaper this morning launching its ‘Silver manifesto’ – 50 ways to improve age (£) The Times sets the context as follows: Barely a day passes without a story of maltreatment and neglect of […]
Cliff Richard and euthanasia – what did he really say and does it matter?
I’ve just done an interview on BBC Radio Humberside off the back of Sir Cliff Richard’s alleged support for euthanasia in this morning’s papers. The headlines do certainly seem to indicate that the 71 year old entertainer wants a change in the law. The Daily Telegraph leads with ‘Cliff Richard: Why I would consider euthanasia’; the Daily […]
Managing time – lessons from the grand master
Do you wake up in the morning and ask the Lord: ‘What is it that you have prepared in advance for me to do today?’Or, like me, do you often wonder how you will complete all the tasks that lie before you? Competing time demands are an inevitable part of life, and to some extent, […]