
blogs


Abortion and conscientious objection – My letter to the General Medical Council and their reply
On 21 June this year I wrote to Mr Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, to…

The violations of medical ethics at Guantanamo Bay are not dissimilar to those that led ultimately to Nuremberg
Bioedge has this week drawn attention to an independent report which has highlighted ongoing…

What does the Bible actually say about life before birth?
The Bible does not support the view that some human lives are worth less than others. All are made in…

New report shows close links between public health and private relationships
What do the following have to do with relationships?
Cardiovascular disease, child poverty, alcohol/substance…

Jesus Christ was unashamedly speciesist
In 2011 British farmers slaughtered 26,000 cattle and introduced emergency measures to curb the spread…

Euthanasia – what does the Bible say?
There are two instances of euthanasia in the Bible. In the first, Abimelech, believing himself to…

Lord Falconer’s ‘assisted dying’ bill is ‘asking Parliament to sign a blank cheque’ say Peers
In a report published today by think-tank Living and Dying Well three Peers with distinguished legal…

Cheap grace – a false gospel and a deadly enemy of the church
Many evangelicals are suspicious of ethics. They think it undermines grace and distracts from…

Lord Falconer’s ‘assisted dying’ bill is ‘asking Parliament to sign a blank cheque’ say Peers
In a report published today by think-tank Living and Dying Well three Peers with distinguished legal…

British government hesitates on three parent embryos as international opposition mounts
The legalisation of three parent embryos for mitochondrial disease in Britain has been facing massive…

Lord Falconer reveals that his ‘Assisted Dying Bill’ effectively places doctors above the law
Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill (details here), which aims to legalise assisted suicide for…
Margo MacDonald MSP is seriously misleading the Scottish People and Parliament
Margo MacDonald claims that about 50 Scots a year would die if her ‘end of life assistance’ bill were to be enacted. She makes this remarkable claim on the basis that experience in the few countries where assisted death has been legalised shows that it accounts for only one in every 2,000’ deaths – though, […]
The government needs to invest more in cord blood
More than two years ago CMF welcomed a new bill which encouraged the donation at childbirth of umbilical cord blood and its storage for public use. It also called on the government to invest more actively in developing the NHS cord stem cell bank. MP David Burrowes’ Umbilical Cord Blood (Donation) Bill aimed to increase […]
Helping Haiti
Following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday 12 January, causing tragic loss of life and massive destruction, CMF members have been asking how they should respond to this disaster. The UK Department of Health reports that the initial acute medical response is now well underway with 14 field hospitals, one US hospital ship […]
The brain is like a muscle – use it or lose it
Some years ago on a trip to India I shared a room with a doctor at a Christian Medical Conference in New Delhi where we were both speaking. He was a travelling evangelist and Bible teacher from Kerala who had put many long train trips to good use by memorising Scripture and could tell you […]
DPP guidance on prosecutions for assisted suicide comes in for serious criticism
On 30 July the Law Lords, ruling on the Debbie Purdy case, required the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keir Starmer (pictured) to publish the facts and circumstances he would take into account in deciding whether to bring a prosecution under the Suicide Act. Under the Suicide Act 1961 assisting with suicide carries a sentence […]
Global warming is much more about per capita consumption than population
In February Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Commission, said that curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of efforts to combat global warming, and that couples who had more than two children were irresponsible. This idea – that our planet is heating up as a result […]
Goats and kitchen sinks for Christmas
Some friends told me this week that they had given each of their children a £50 allowance this year to buy Christmas gifts for people living in developing countries. Their kids had grasped the opportunity with both hands, putting careful thought into their purchases, and even adding some of their own savings in an effort […]
Climate Change, Population and Health
At the time of writing, the Copenhagen Climate Change Talks are about to happen, and much comment in the media suggests that the chances of a meaningful agreement on curbing emissions rests on whether the West can persuade India, China, Brazil and much of the developing world to sign up. At the same time, reports […]