On this day 52 years ago SPUC was founded
Today, , is 52 years since the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), was formally established at a meeting at the Wig and Pen Club, Strand, in London.
Two of the founding members are still stalwarts of the pro-life movement- Alan Smith, who continues to be a member of SPUC's Executive Committee, and Elspeth Chowdharay-Best (née Rhys-Williams), who is the honorary secretary of ALERT, a body which campaigns against euthanasia.
Distinguished founders
Amongst those elected to serve on the Society's first executive committee were Professor Ian Donald, who pioneered the use of diagnostic ultrasound in medicine, and Dr Aleck Bourne. Dr Bourne was involved in a landmark court case after performing an illegal abortion on a 14-year-old girl. However, he regretted his actions and became a founding member of the Society.
The battle in 2019
John Smeaton, SPUC's chief executive, said today: "Over 9.1 million children are missing from Britain since the passing of the Abortion Act. As we enter 2019, Britain's unborn children face the biggest threat since 1967 - decriminalisation. The abortion industry and pro-abortion MPs are pushing to remove criminal sanctions that currently provide some limited protections for unborn babies. Thanks to the incredible support of SPUC members, however, we are well placed to meet this threat. We will build on the remarkable campaigning achievements of the last few months to continue to fight decriminalisation and stop the abortion lobby in its tracks."
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