The society's achievements

Recognition

SPUC is recognised in parliament, in the media, and, increasingly, internationally, as a highly respected lobby. SPUC's presence has helped save the lives of many babies, and has served as a constant witness to the victims of abortion.

Political and legislative successes

SPUC has been described by The Times (5 January 1987) as "consummate lobbyists". The society's campaigns have brought about an increase in strength of the pro-life lobby in parliament, the enactment of pro-life legislation and the defeat of proposed legislation promoting abortion and euthanasia.

Pro-life strength in Parliament

At its first vote in 1966, the Abortion Act was opposed by only 31 members of parliament. There are now upwards of five times that number of MPs who will vote with the pro-life lobby. In 1984 the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group was formed as the principal forum for pro-life action by MPs and peers.

Amendment to the Abortion Act

During the passage of the Abortion Act, MPs supporting the pro-life lobby secured the rejection of the "future good of the child" as grounds for abortion--wording which could in another context have been used to enshrine the principle of euthanasia in law.

Rejection of easier abortion on demand

Repeated attempts to make the law more permissive by making abortion more easily available, and creating a legal right to abortion, have been rejected by a majority of MPs.

Rejection of the Abortion Act in Northern Ireland

The strength of SPUC's lobby in Northern Ireland has been instrumental in the long preservation of Northern Ireland's laws which provide most unborn children with a substantial measure of protection. Despite persistent pressure from the international pro-abortion lobby and its allies at Westminster, opposition to liberalising abortion legislation unites Northern Ireland's religious groupings and political parties represented at Westminster. Mr John Major, the then prime minister, gave an undertaking in 1995 that his government would impose no change on Northern Ireland's abortion laws without a radical change in public opinion.

Rejection of euthanasia

The presence of the pro-life lobby in parliament has helped ensure the opposition of a majority of MPs to the legalisation of euthanasia. In 1993, evidence submitted by SPUC and the SPUC handicap division contributed to the enquiry of a House of Lords select committee which, while some of its members had shown themselves disposed to favour euthanasia, unanimously rejected its legalisation. In 1996 the government of the day rejected a law commission Bill which could have led to doctors being forced to comply with intentional killing by omission (including the withholding of tube-feeding) through making advance directives legally binding.

Welfare of expectant mothers

SPUC lobbied successfully for an amendment to the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 to secure the priority entitlement of an expectant mother to housing.

Pro-life legislation on the use of foetal eggs

SPUC's lobby in 1994 resulted in the enactment of a pro-life amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act to ban the use of eggs from aborted baby girls in fertility treatments. The amendment received overwhelming public support.

Influence on public opinion

Parliamentary campaigns seeking protection for unborn children bring that goal a step closer because of the greater number of people who hear the case for the right to life of the unborn. Increasing support for pro-life legislation, reflected in the growth of the pro-life movement and more equitable (and sympathetic) treatment of the movement's concerns in the media, may be accounted for by a combination of factors. These include more widespread use of technology to visualise the child in the womb as well as SPUC's unremitting educational and campaigning work.

Opinion polls

Opinion polls which ask respondents the grounds on which they believe abortion should be allowed have always shown a majority opposed to abortion on demand or for social reasons. Despite over three decades in which much of the political, legal and medical establishments have been dominated by a pro-abortion mentality, a majority of public opinion is still demonstrably against abortion on demand. Surveys promoted by pro-abortion advocates typically ask whether a woman should have the right to choose abortion in consultation with a doctor, which suggests a medical reason, which is rarely the case.

The increase in opposition, particularly among young people, to abortion on grounds of disability in the child, is attributable to the educational work of SPUC specifically on that issue.

Press and media releases

SPUC has published media releases which have made a large public aware of the humanity of the child in the womb. The Foetal Sentience document, published by the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group in 1996, made the capacity of the unborn child to experience pain a major press item and provoked highly publicised revelations in the media about abortion practice in Britain.

Schools activities

The widely welcomed gift of foetal model sets to every state secondary school in the country by the SPUC Educational Research Trust has made a major contribution to education on the development of the unborn child. SPUC has also established programmes of speaking engagements in many schools nationwide as a contribution to discussion on abortion and related ethical issues in accordance with the curriculum.

Pro-life witness in social, political and religious sectors

SPUC's support for professionals and others seeking to defend their right to protect unborn children (including successful legal actions by healthcare professionals, and pro-life initiatives by political activists, trade unionists and students) has helped ensure a continuing voice for the unborn in these sectors. SPUC is also continually seeing the fruits of its work in religious groupings as more and more Christians and Muslims become involved in pro-life campaigns. Of major significance in this respect has been the society's promotion of Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, which is addressed to all people of goodwill and has been described as a "magna carta for the pro-life movement."

Promotion of pro-life concerns internationally

SPUC has assisted pro-life initiatives overseas, including the successful campaign for the 1983 amendment to the Republic of Ireland's constitution guaranteeing protection for the right to life of the unborn. The group called SPUC in the Republic is a separate organisation. SPUC's international achievements have taken place in a number of contexts.

International Right to Life Federation

SPUC's involvement in the foundation and development of the federation has helped ensure the presence of an effective international forum for leading pro-life organisations.

Upholding pro-life laws at the UN

Developing countries have been strengthened by pro-life groups attending United Nations conferences to secure the inclusion of language in conference reports safeguarding their national laws which protect the right to life of unborn children.

Lives saved

Through educational and welfare activities, SPUC has saved many babies. The fact that one child is alive and his or her mother spared the suffering of abortion would itself be a reward for our work, the value of which cannot be measured.

"Whoever saves a single life--it is as though he has saved the life of all mankind." (The Jewish Talmud and the Muslim Qu'ran)

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