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Overwhelming defeat for Margo Macdonald’s End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill
Tonight, the Scottish Parliament has voted overwhelmingly by 85 to 16 to reject Margo Macdonald's End…

The vast majority of the members of Lord Falconer’s new commission on assisted dying are well-known names in the pro-legalisation lobby
Today I went by invitation to the launch of Lord Falconer’s Commission on ‘Assisted Dying’ at…

Further disclosures about Lord Falconer’s Commission on Assisted Dying raise more questions about transparency and independence
The Commission on 'Assisted Dying', due to be launched on Tuesday 30 November, has attracted some more…

By focusing exclusively on HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB, Western governments and NGOs have neglected other easily treatable and curable diseases
Micah Challenge is a global coalition of Christians holding governments to account for their promise…

Serious questions raised about status and independence of new Commission on ‘Assisted Dying’
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) last week ran a story about a new Commission on ‘Assisted Dying’…

17th Century lesson for medical students today
Thomas Sydenham, a man of deep Christian faith who many regard as the father of English medicine, said…

Death of a tea lady – the unforeseen effects of a bad management decision
When I was a general surgical registrar in Auckland, New Zealand the 'management era' was just beginning.…

Scottish GPs add their voices to those calling for final burial of Scottish ‘End of Life Assistance Bill’. Read final committee conclusions here.
A GROUP of 47 GPs have united in opposition to moves at the Scottish Parliament to legalise assisted…

The Committee scrutinizing Margo MacDonald’s Bill have recommended that it be rejected – now it is time for MSPs finally to bury it
I have previously blogged about Margo MacDonald's End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill which seeks…

‘We have a charge from Christ to care for the weakest in society’ – Dr Trevor Stammers speaks on Channel 4 about abortion
Channel Four are showing a series of short films this week about different people’s views on abortion.…

Don’t believe everything you read in the Washington Post – a compendium of the most recent medical evidence linking abortion and mental health
I recently blogged about an adjournment debate in the House of Commons in which Nadine Dorries MP spoke…
NICE and GP consortia. What criteria should we use in deciding how to distribute scarce medical resources? Some help from St Paul.
The government’s drug rationing body, NICE, is to lose its power to turn down new medicines for use in the NHS, but will continue to write guidelines for doctors on the best treatments for their patients. In addition, the current limit on the cost of new drugs – around £30,000 per quality adjusted life year […]
UK retailers are not being honest about the mode of action of new morning-after-pill ellaOne (ulipristal acetate)
Earlier this week the news broke that a new ‘morning-after pill’ was being sold online in Britain by a London-based company called HealthExpress. In fact ellaOne (Ulipristal acetate) has been available on prescription in the UK since May 2009. It was granted marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in March 2009 and the […]
Powerful arguments advanced in UK parliament for a change in the law to ensure properly informed consent for abortion
Last night Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, spoke in an adjournment debate on the subject of informed consent for termination of pregnancy. Adjournment debates allow the House of Commons to hold a general open-ended debate on a subject or a government policy without reaching a formal decision about it. This is often a […]
David Nutt’s report on the harmful effects of alcohol should prompt the government to adopt evidence-based protection strategies
Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study published in medical journal the Lancet. The report, which is co-authored by former UK chief drugs adviser Professor David Nutt, ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society. Each drug was scored for harms including mental and […]
Are British Christians too fat? Almost certainly! But what should we be doing about it?
New research this week has shown that two-thirds of Britons are overweight or obese – making us the fattest country in Europe. We are also the fourth fattest nation in the world behind only Australia (71.1 per cent), the US (69.9 per cent) and the United Arab Emirates (68.4 per cent). According to research company […]
The real answer to reducing maternal mortality is not ‘safe’ abortion but better education, obstetric and midwifery care, CMF tells DFID
The Christian Medical Fellowship has now published its submission to the Department for International Development (DFID) Consultation on Maternal Health Strategy: ‘Choice for women: wanted pregnancies, safe births’ The Government proposals have been criticised for appearing to link the provision of abortion services with international development aid as DFID says one of its key proposals […]
New survey reveals widespread ignorance about the level of abortion in Britain
Today, on the 43rd anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Act, Christian Concern has launched a new campaign urging politicians and members of the public to ‘stop and think’ about abortion. The event was marked with a silent vigil outside the Houses of Parliament followed by a national service of lament in Westminster addressed […]
Jesus’ Nazareth Manifesto as a basis for healthcare mission
Jesus Christ’s dynamic entry into first century Palestine was marked by miraculous healing of many illnesses for which even today there are no known treatments. But along with his compassion to restore health he brought the gospel message of healing of broken relationships – between human beings, between human beings and the planet and most […]
The new healthcare professionals’ group seeking to legalise assisted suicide includes a number of well known campaigners
A new group of ‘health professionals’ has this week joined the growing number of ‘societies’ and ‘forums’ seeking legal permission for doctors to assist with suicide. ‘Healthcare Professionals for Change’ follows on the heels of Libby Wilson’s FATE (Friends at the End), Michael Iriwin’s SOARS (Society for Old Age Rational Suicide), Philip Nitschke’s EXIT International […]
If you want to know about advances in the treatment of spinal cord injury don’t read any British newspaper or ask the BBC
Reading the reports about the new embryonic stem cell trial for spinal cord injury that have been all over the BBC and the British papers today I am struggling to know what all the fuss is about and why in fact it is even news at all. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is […]
Christine MCafferty hoist on her own petard – full text of amended resolution on right to conscientious objection in lawful medical care
I recently blogged on the Council of Europe’s 7 October decision to throw out a resolution (see original wording) seeking to force health professionals across Europe to be involved in abortion. As a result of the humiliating defeat of pro-abortion activists the resolution actually passed was ironically one of strongest defences of conscientious objection in European […]
Sir Michael Caine’s report of his father’s death is an opportunity to educate the public about what good palliative care can achieve
Sir Michael Caine (pictured) has revealed how he asked a doctor to help his terminally ill father to die. Maurice Micklewhite, a Billingsgate fish market porter, apparently died in hospital at the age of 56 in 1955 after suffering from liver cancer. Sir Michael told Classic FM: ‘My father had cancer of the liver and […]