News,

Top story:

Northern Ireland pro-lifers ready to respond to abortion guidelines

SPUC, which twice forced the Northern Ireland Department of Health to withdraw misleading guidelines on the Province’s abortion law, has said it will not hesitate to go back to court if that is the only way it can ensure that unborn children receive the full protection provided under Northern Ireland law. SPUC was responding to the news that Edwin Poots, the health minister, has circulated draft guidelines to the Northern Ireland Executive. They are expected to be published by the end of March. The guidelines will then be the subject of a 16-week public consultation. [SPUC, 8 March]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Comic Relief misleads the Catholic Church about abortion support [John Smeaton, 15 March]
• Abortion figures in Sweden have increased since introduction of morning-after pill [The Local, 15 March]

Euthanasia

• Scottish pro-euthanasia doctor reveals how he gave sleeping pills to elderly couple [Mail, 13 March]
• Paralysed man joins Nicklinson euthanasia appeal case [Scotsman, 15 March]

Sexual ethics

• Bishop says Catholic charities 'dangerously imperiled' by Colorado civil unions bill [LifeSiteNews.com, 14 March]
• Group marriage is next, admits Dutch ‘father’ of gay ‘marriage’ [LifeSiteNews.com, 12 March]
• Russian Orthodox Church issues powerful statement against same-sex marriage move in UK [John Smeaton, 8 March]

General:

• Welcome Pope Francis, defender of parents, children and marriage [John Smeaton, 14 March]
• New video! SPUC International Youth Conference 2013 [SPUC youth blog, 13 March]
• Leading experts will address SPUC's int'l youth conference, 22-24 March [John Smeaton, 11 March]

To subscribe to SPUC's email information services, please visit www.spuc.org.uk/em-signup. The reliability of the news herein is dependent on that of the cited sources, which are paraphrased rather than quoted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. © Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, 2018