News,
Top stories:
Women who have an abortion may run an increased risk of subsequently giving birth to premature or low-weight babies, according to a study. Researchers from Toronto, Canada, reviewed evidence from 37 studies from around the world between 1965 and 2001. The study's author, and the UK's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists insisted that the study should not be used to argue against abortion. [Guardian, 16 September] http://is.gd/3kwJI Anthony Ozimic of SPUC commented: "The more evidence which emerges about the harm abortion causes, the more the supporters of abortion insist that abortion not be restricted. We will be exposing the contradictions in their responses to the study's findings."
The Law Reform Commission of Ireland is recommending legislation to enshrine advance directives, or so-called living wills, in statute law. [Irish News, 16 September] http://is.gd/3kwnM The Commission's proposals [press release, 15 September] http://is.gd/3lftm mirror almost exactly the British government's Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Blair government's claims about that Act. The Act enshrined and expanded euthanasia by neglect in English law. [SPUC] http://is.gd/3lfyh
L'Osservatore Romano, the semi-official Vatican newspaper, has published a favourable interview with Tony Blair, the former British prime minister. The interview, in which Mr Blair is portrayed in glowing terms, has been condemned by John Smeaton, SPUC director [http://is.gd/3lgMJ], Fr Timothy Finigan of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life [http://is.gd/3lh5K] and by LifeSiteNews.com [http://is.gd/3lhiO], the international pro-life/pro-family news-agency. Mr Smeaton commented: "Are there subversive elements at work within the Vatican who are intent on appeasing Barack Obama and Tony Blair and their anti-life policies? Imagine if Obama and Blair were committed racists rather than being committed to their anti-life and anti-family policies. Would L'Osservatore Romano afford them such a generous platform? I hope not. But surely this same standard should apply to attacks on the sanctity of human life." [15 September]
Other stories:
Abortion
- Family claims man who killed pro-lifer was suffering from depression [Daily Mail, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kx0i
- Pat Buckley - European Life Network debunks misleading article on effects of the Lisbon treaty [Pat Buckley - European Life Network, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kJBT
- Another former employee comes forward to allege illegal acts by late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart [LifeSiteNews.com, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kLga
- "Poll: majority of Americans oppose abortion funding in health care reform" [LifeSiteNews.com, 10 September] http://is.gd/3kPhO
- "Dr. Esteban Rodriguez, spokesman for the organization Derecho a Vivir (Right to Life) recently said Spanish doctors are willing to face jail rather than kill unborn children under a new law" [LifeSiteNews.com, 11 September] http://is.gd/3kQG0
- "Spanish cardinal warns against new abortion bill" [Catholic News Agency, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kKEx
- "Colombians using Facebook to marshal opposition to abortion clinic" [Catholic News Agency, 14 September] http://is.gd/3kMvf
- "Bishop presents 33,000 signatures against abortion to Peruvian Congress" [Catholic News Agency, 24 September] http://is.gd/3kP7Q
- Cardinal-archbishop of Lima, Peru says "A society that openly kills the unborn is a sick society." [Fides, 24 September] http://is.gd/3kPJR
- "Indian abortion proponents 'stumped' by growing dearth of girls due to sex-selection" [LifeSiteNews.com, 14 September] http://is.gd/3kQbZ
- "Rape victim says God granted a "rush of love" for her unborn child moments before abortion" [LifeSiteNews.com, 11 September] http://is.gd/3kNOf
Embryology; stem cells
Population
Sexual health; teenage pregnancies
Euthanasia and assisted suicide; disability
- Former hostage Terry Waite says why he cannot support a change in the law on assisted suicide [Mature Times, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kxeX
- New poll shows support in the UK for assisted suicide not as strong as claimed [Scotsman, 16 September] http://is.gd/3kNfa
- Philip Nitschke, the euthanasia advocate, is promoting assisted suicide via Chinese TV [Bloomberg, 16 September] http://is.gd/3kKkr
- Florida man charged with assisting suicide [My Fox Orlando, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kNsA
- "Parents of children with disabilities tell Congress: "No Rationing for our kids"" [Jill Stanek, 15 September] http://is.gd/3kLDb
- Anglican clergyman says top judge "deserves no sympathy for assisted suicide" [Telegraph, 11 September] http://is.gd/3kQxZ
- Concern that pro-euthanasia group is the "gatekeeper" for assisted suicide law in Washington state, America [LifeSiteNews.com, 11 September] http://is.gd/3kSDb
- Two percent of all deaths in the region of Flanders, Belgium are from euthanasia [Secondhand Smoke, 11 September] http://is.gd/3kRLZ
Marriage and family; sexual ethics
General and miscellaneous
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