News,
Scotland's cardinal has said that the government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, approved last week by the House of Commons, will further devalue human life in the United Kingdom. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, told SPUC's Scottish conference on Saturday that politicians reflected society. Underlying values had to change and laws would follow. Proof of the good in society included the Cardinal Winning Pro Life Initiative in Glasgow which had helped many women turn away from abortion. The church was a signpost for conscience, including for those outside Catholicism. [Independent Catholic News, 27 October] SPUC's national director expressed his organisation's appreciation for the cardinal's pro-life stand. [John Smeaton, 25 October] An MP who opposed the bill has expressed disappointment that it passed. Ms Ruth Kelly, Labour member for Bolton West, said it was not the way forward but added: "Everyone is entitled to come to their own view and vote accordingly." Ms Kelly, a Catholic, denied that her leaving the government and standing down from parliament because of the bill. [Bolton News, 25 October] Labour required its MPs to support the bill but some did not.
One quarter of US Catholic bishops have reportedly said that abortion is the principal issue in next week's election. A British religious periodical surveyed episcopal articles and statements. By contrast, Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis, Tennessee, wrote: "We cannot be a one-issue people." [Tablet, 25 October]
Bioethicists at Oxford University, England, want easier harvesting of organs by removing the requirement for brain death. Professor Julian Savulescu and Mr Dominic Wilkinson suggest that organs might be taken from the long-term unconscious who could then be allowed to die. They cite Mrs Terri Schiavo who was dehydrated and starved to death after being unconscious for 15 years. [Practical Ethics, 24 October]
A new private facility in Scotland will specialise in abortions after after 14 weeks' gestation. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service will open the country's first such establishment to avoid sending women to England. SPUC is quoted as saying: "Instead of such clinics being opened, would it not be preferable to concentrate on helping women in crisis pregnancies address their fears in a way that allows their child to be born?" The Catholic church said all abortion was wrong and that the prospect of the new facility was alarming. [Scotland on Sunday, 26 October] Our source describes the gestational limit on abortion as being 24 weeks, but this does not apply to babies suspected of disability.
A quarter of births in Britain are by Caesarean, three times more than in 1980. The Royal College of Midwives suggest women are afraid of birthing pains. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said that very few Caesarians were for non-medical reasons and that they could save lives. The World Health Organisation says the proportion should be 15%. [Mail, 27 October]
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