News,

Job vacancy for Despatch Officer at SPUC

SPUC wishes to recruit a full-time Despatch Officer (37½ hours p.w.), whose role will be to open daily post and prepare all outgoing post. The duties include:

• photocopying and collating campaign material to be packed with the help of volunteers.
• keeping records of all outgoing mailings, filing of sample copies
• merchandise stock-keeping, store room organisation

The position, to commence in January 2015 and be based at SPUC’s Kennington HQ, would suit someone with good IT skills, organisational skills and manual lifting ability. The closing date is 12 December 2014. Salary according to age and experience. To request an application pack please contact Patrick Kingman, SPUC, Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, London SE11 4AB Email: patkingman@spuc.org.uk tel. 020 7820 3121.

Court of Appeal considers rights of unborn children
The Court of Appeal is currently discussing a test case of a mother who drank to excess during pregnancy, causing her daughter to be born with disabilities. The case was brought by a local authority on behalf of the now six-year-old girl. The local authority wish to win compensation on behalf of the young girl on the basis that she was a victim of a violent crime (that is, poisoning).  [Catholic Herald, 11 November]

Glasgow midwives hearing takes place in London

The case of the Glasgow midwives has been heard in the Supreme Court in London. Lawyers for Mary Doogan and Connie Wood defended the midwives' right to continue to work as Labour Ward Co-ordinators without being complicit in abortion. Mary and Connie have been midwives for over 25 years and helped deliver around 10,000 babies. It will be several months before the judgement is issued. SPUC has funded Connie and Mary’s legal representation throughout the case, with the kind donations of its supporters. [SPUC, 10 November]

Kenyan doctors discover tetanus vaccine laced with sterilising antigen
Vaccines used in Kenya have been laced with an antigen which can cause miscarriage and sterilisation, it is alleged. The vaccine has been administered to 2.3 million women and girls by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF. A spokesman for the Kenyan Catholic Doctors Association said: "[T]his WHO campaign is not about eradicating neonatal tetanus but a well-coordinated forceful population control mass sterilization exercise using a proven fertility regulating vaccine." [Acton Institute, 7 November]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Petition against rental space for abortion centre in London [Change.org, 17 November]
• 4D scan images reveal unborn children grinning in womb [Express, 15 November]

Disability

• Teacher with dwarfism to adopt child also with dwarfism [Cambridge News, 16 November]

Embryology

• The three-parent baby trap - is new IVF technique safe? [Independent, 16 November]

Euthanasia

• Assisted suicide groups to be allowed into Swiss nursing homes [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, 16 November]
• German Parliament debate euthanasia [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, 14 November]
• Inquiry on end-of-life care launched by Commons’ health select committee [Nursing Times, 7 November]

Marriage and family

• MPs launch petition in support of Ashers Bakery [Christian Institute, 14 November]

Pregnancy

• Mechanic invents device to save mothers and children in developing world dying in labour [LifeNews.com, 15 November]

Sexual ethics

• Women say popular birth control has ruined their lives [KDVR, 14 November]

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