
blogs


Do Christians divorce at lower or higher rates than others?
It is widely assumed that Christians divorce at roughly the same rate as non-Christians. This ‘fact’…

Trickle of British suicide cases to Dignitas continues as Swiss vote for status quo
Switzerland's parliament voted against a bid to toughen controls on assisted suicide this week, rejecting…

Why does God allow suffering?
What causes suffering? Is just fate? Retribution? All in the mind? Random molecules?
These are some…

Patients with dementia and psychiatric illnesses included as Dutch euthanasia cases rise steeply
According to Dutch media reports today, euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands in 2011 increased by 18%…

What do Ludwig van Beethoven, Justin Bieber and Tim Tebow have in common?
A professor in a college ethics class presented his students with a problem. He said, ‘A man has…

Warning to UK – Oregon Health Plan steers patients towards suicide
Members of the pro-euthanasia movement frequently point to the US state of Oregon, which legalised assisted…

BBC article on ‘gay therapies’ is simplistic, misleading and ignores much of the available evidence
Should people with unwanted feelings of same-sex attraction seek professional help? And if so what kind…

Major split in LibCon Coalition over assisted suicide
The Liberal Democrat conference voted yesterday to back the legalisation of ‘medically assisted dying’,…

Liberal Democrats back Dutch style legislation which would lead to 13,000 British euthanasia deaths annually
On Sunday 23 September the Liberal Democrat conference debated and passed a motion on ‘medically assisted…

Abortion after rape – the issues and emotions involved are not as straightforward as most people presume
I was interested to see published this week a statement from the ‘Ad Hoc Committee of Women Pregnant…

Current law supports eugenic abortion for disabled people – our letter in today’s Daily Telegraph
I am one of nine joint signatories to a letter in the Daily Telegraph today arguing that the success…
General Medical Council confirms the appropriateness of sensitive faith discussions with patients
Last Thursday I took part in a discussion on the BBC Radio 4 PM programme about whether or not faith discussions were ever appropriate in the context of a doctor-patient consultation. The journalist introducing the programme made reference to the case of Richard Scott, the subject of a complaint to the GMC for discussing his faith with […]
At a Given Moment – recognising worldview as part of a healthy diagnosis
CMF member Dr Graham McAll has worked as a general surgeon and inner city GP. In a timely new book, At A Given Moment, he uses personal anecdotes and reflections from around the world to show the value of understanding the patient’s worldview and spiritual background. Dr McAll wants doctors to feel free to address […]
A surprisingly upbeat end to the UN high level meeting on AIDS promises renewed global action
UN meetings and political declarations are often perceived as wordy and irrelevant. But every now and again these high level meetings do come up with statements that shape the actions of governments and aid agencies for years to come. The Millennium Summit of 2000 was one of these occasions, when the Millennium Development Goals were […]
Twenty facts we did not learn from Terry Pratchett’s BBC ‘documentary’ on assisted suicide in Europe
The Sunday Times, in line with its new editorial policy, ran a typically effusive article last weekend about Monday night’s ‘documentary’ in which we saw a British man, Peter Smedley, kill himself on screen by drinking poison at the Dignitas suicide facility near Zurich. Earlier this year I suggested that the BBC was acting in the role of […]
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (15 June) – A reminder to treasure, honour and protect the older members of our community
You are unlikely to read about it in the British press, but today, 15 June, is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. While most people today are aware of child abuse, it was not always so. Indeed, the concept was only developed in the 1960s. But that development has proven enormously important, as it has allowed […]
NHS reforms expose the British idolatry of our healthcare system
Nigel Lawson once famously said that the NHS is the nearest thing that the British have to a national religion. It is certainly been the case that any politician who seeks to tamper with it has done so at his or her peril. After facing a barrage of criticism from nursing and medical professional bodies, […]
New BBC Radio Four programme – Are we in for more bludgeoning of disabled people?
I’ve just been alerted to the fact that BBC Radio 4 is running another forty-minute ‘documentary’ on an end-of-life theme next Tuesday 21 June at 2000. ‘A Living Death’, is a review into the care of patients in vegetative or low awareness states’, which has been launched by the Royal College of Physicians. The programme […]
The collapse of Southern Cross – is capitalism crushing care and compassion?
As the country’s biggest independent provider of care homes for the elderly sinks deeper into a financial collapse, the 31,000 residents of its homes, their families and carers face a hugely uncertain future. Southern Cross plans to sell off or hand back to landlord control of some 35 of its homes immediately, and another 85 […]
Vaccines and politics – is it worth investing in global vaccination programmes?
Today in London the UK is hosting an international conference that aims to raise £2.3 billion ($3.7 billion) for vaccination programmes worldwide through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI). David Cameron is co-chairing the event with Bill Gates, and has spoken passionately about Britain’s global and moral responsibility to address the millions of […]
Presumed consent, abortion and Falconer Commission on menu at BMA annual meeting
The British Medical Association’s Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) takes place at the end of this month on 27 to 30 June 2011 at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. It brings together doctors from all parts of the profession to debate motions on various aspects of their working lives and professional practice.As expected the NHS reforms will feature […]
Using organs from euthanasia victims now an established procedure in ‘brave new Belgium’
Recently I blogged about Jack Kevorkian, the American pathologist known by many as ‘Dr Death’ for his role in helping people commit suicide. He died on Friday 3 June in Detroit, USA. Kevorkian killed 130 people through assisted suicide and was eventually jailed for giving a patient a lethal injection on television.Despite claims that his murders were […]
Papageno and Werther effects – public policy lessons for the prevention of suicide
I recently blogged about the new German film ‘Goethe’, a study of the early life of the celebrated German poet of the same name. It retells the quasi-autobiographical love story ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ which made Goethe famous. Werther commits suicide after his lover marries another man. The book, when initially published in 1774, […]