News,

Pope makes strong pro-life statements during visit to Spain

Pope Benedict XVI, visiting Spain this past weekend, made a series of strong statements on pro-life issues. His statements were aimed at the Spanish government and parliament, which have recently years passed legislation extending access to abortion. The pope told the congregation at the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona that "the [Catholic] Church advocates adequate economic and social means so...that the life of children may be defended as sacred and inviolable from the moment of their conception". [John Smeaton, 8 November] http://bit.ly/9etu1D

Hundreds of foetuses, newborns dumped in South Africa

The remains of hundreds of both unborn and new-born children are being dumped in South Africa every year, according to a report. The South African Medical Research Council and the University of South Africa has said that at least 446 bodies of foetuses and babies under one years of age were found in drains, gutters and rubbish bins in the area of Johannesburg and Pretoria. [Irish Sun, 5 November] http://bit.ly/cP1HTY Anthony Ozimic of SPUC commented: "South Africa has one of the most permissive abortion laws in the world, yet also seems to have an acute problem with illegal abortions and infanticide. This would seem to be yet more evidence that, contrary to pro-abortion propaganda, the legalisation of abortion does not lead to the end of illegal abortion."

Assisted suicide ad preys on fearful and abandoned, opponent says

Pro-life groups have condemned the planned broadcast in New Zealand of a television advertisement promoting assisted suicide. Dr Philip Nitschke, the pro-euthanasia campaigner, is behind the advertisement. Right To Life New Zealand said that it would be contradictory for the Television New Zealand to broadcast the video whilst also spending millions of dollars on suicide prevention programmes. [CNA, 10 November] http://bit.ly/a49of7

Other stories:

Abortion

• Mother had four abortions in three years [Scottish Sun, 10 November] http://bit.ly/cPl47w
• Allegation that Marie Stopes arranges illegal abortions in Kenya [Catholic Voice (Ireland), 10 October] http://bit.ly/dklwzG
• US ex-president George W. Bush says seeing remains of miscarried sibling was origin of his pro-life views [LifeSiteNews.com, 8 November] http://bit.ly/bwbtzk
• Irish women speak of choosing adoption over abortion [Irish Times, 8 November] http://bit.ly/dzO9re
• Durham debate exposes stale pro-abortion lobby [John Smeaton, 5 November] http://bit.ly/cFLEka
• Doctors call for information for women considering abortion [Telegraph, 3 November] http://bit.ly/a9JWRW

Embryology

• Pro-life scientist says cult of celebrity marginalises ethical researchers [LifeSiteNews.com, 9 November] http://bit.ly/a6rkRZ
• Multiple births rise as women seek IVF abroad [Telegraph, 9 November] http://bit.ly/dobxRP
• Cancer patients to get blood made from their own skin [Irish Independent, 8 November] http://bit.ly/9pVuAV
• Man sells sex to women wanting babies [Scottish Sun, 8 November 2010] http://bit.ly/dyAAoM
• First children born after the freezing of oocytes in France [Genethique, 5 November] http://bit.ly/9cd0Lp

Euthanasia

• Euthanasia advocates don't look past the suffering to see the person, says disabled leader [John Smeaton, 9 November] http://bit.ly/9dfR4b

Population

• Philippines cardinal predicts conflict between church and government over reproductive health bill [LifeSiteNews.com, 8 November] http://bit.ly/dlGUjy

Sexual ethics

• Welsh government sets out to teenage pregnancy strategy [Top News, 8 November] http://bit.ly/ax0dt3
• Catholic bishop condemns anti-life sex ed text books by Argentine government [CNA, 8 November] http://bit.ly/akxMi9
• Young Scottish prisoners to be given sex and relationships education [Edinburgh Evening News, 6 November] http://bit.ly/bGxpo2
• New study on sex education calls for peer-led lessons [TES Connect, 5 November] http://bit.ly/d35xIh

General

• Canadian Catholic bishops to develop “concrete plan” for promoting culture of life [LifeSiteNews.com, 9 November] http://bit.ly/bTNv37
• Report on pro-life conference in Dublin [Pat Buckley, 9 November] http://bit.ly/cy0sKu

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