SPUC has compared Marie Stopes, the British birth control promoter (1880-1958), to Adolf Hitler, after she was commemorated on a postage stamp. Anthony Ozimic, political secretary, said: "Praising Marie Stopes as a woman of distinction should be as unacceptable as praising Adolf Hitler as a great leader. Both promoted compulsory sterilisation and thereby the eventual elimination of society's most vulnerable members to achieve what they called racial progress." Rev Dr Peter Mullen, rector of St Michael's Anglican church, Cornhill, London, is quoted as saying Ms Stopes was a Nazi sympathiser. St Mary Magdalene's Catholic church, Sussex, will return any letters bearing the stamp, which will be released next month. [Daily Mail, 12 September]
American Catholic bishops have said that life issues are a top priority for voters. Most Rev Joseph Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, and Rt Rev Robert Finn, Bishop of Kansas City - St Joseph, write: "A properly formed conscience must give such issues [as abortion, euthanasia and human embryo research] priority even over other matters with important moral dimensions. To vote for a candidate who supports these intrinsic evils because he or she supports these evils is to participate in a grave moral evil. It can never be justified." They cannot see why a pro-life Catholic voter would support a pro-abortion candidate. [LifeNews, 11 September] A Catholic organisation has started a website to inform US voters on life issues. Fidelis has launched CatholicVote which includes official statements and articles on election issues. [LifeNews, 11 September] Americans will choose a president in November.
More than nine million infants die every year, according to the United Nations. The UN's children's fund reports that deaths among under-fives have fallen from 12·7 million in 1990 to 9·2 million last year. More than half the 2007 total occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. [Irish Times, 12 September]
There was a pro-life demonstration in Belfast, Northern Ireland, yesterday after a campaign had been launched to extend Britain's liberal abortion law to the province. Ms Bernadette Smith of Precious Life said the rest of the UK should actually change its law so it matched Northern Ireland's. [BBC, 12 September]
The Australian state of Victoria could liberalise abortion after its legislature's lower house passed a bill. Parties were split during a long debate on the measure which would allow abortion after 24 weeks' gestation. The upper house debates it next month. [Canberra Times, 12 September]
The Archbishop of Montreal is to return his Order of Canada after it was also awarded to an abortionist. Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte is protesting at the honouring of Dr Henry Morgentaler and says he must demonstrate his belief in the respect for all human life. [Daily Express, 12 September]