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Campaigns archive

SPUC archive of recent campaigns

Up to 21 May 2013: Commons 3rd reading of Marriage (Same Sex Marriage) Bill

Same-sex marriage bill - what you can do to protect marriage, families and children

The government's bill to legalise so-called “same-sex marriage” is still under consideration by Parliament. It passed its Second Reading in February by a large majority, but with more conservative MPs voting against it than in favour.

If finally passed the bill could result in a legal redefinition of marriage, setting English law at odds with the timeless and universal social and religious conception of marriage. For the sake of tomorrow’s children, we must continue the fight to persuade as many MPs as possible to vote against it at its Third Reading. This is likely to be in late May, possibly around 20^th May.

Please write, phone or email your MP and ask him/her to oppose the marriage bill at its Third Reading (see how to contact MPs at bottom of this page).
Ask your friends and relatives and pro-life contacts to do the same.
Join our leafleting campaign to support marriage: call campaign coordinator Paul Smeaton (020 7820 3126) or email paulsmeaton@spuc.org.uk to volunteer.

Key arguments against the Bill:

1) This Bill will damage marriage – leading to fewer people committing to the lifelong exclusive union that is best for building families and protecting children. (For evidence, see SPUC’s submission to the House of Commons bill committee.)

2) The government has no mandate to redefine marriage. Marriage is not a “state-owned” institution – it is part of everyone’s cultural heritage.

3) The government has no mandate to change the law relating to marriage. This was not in the manifesto. It is David Cameron’s pet project – and yet just 3 days before the 2010 general election he personally denied that he planned to do this.

4) The bill will cause discrimination against people who support authentic, man-woman marriage – such as Registrars, who will be forced to conduct “same-sex marriages” or resign.

5) By denying that having children is a key reason for marriage, the bill discourages young couples hoping to start a family from marrying (again, see SPUC’s evidence). The bill will jeopardise the lives, health and happiness of many, many children.

There are more details of these, and many other arguments for real marriage in the following documents:

SPUC’s briefing notes for lobbying and writing to your MP,

SPUC Scotland’s briefing notes for lobbying and writing to your MSP, for those in Scotland.

SPUC’s position paper on same-sex marriage – explaining why SPUC campaigns for real marriage, and a background paper to be read in conjunction with the position paper and which provides some additional references and reflections.

April 2013: Glasgow Midwives Appeal - We need your help!

Two Glasgow midwives who were told in February that they had to supervise abortions, regardless of their conscientious objection, have launched an appeal against the decision. The judge in the Scottish Court of Session told the midwives, Mary Doogan and Connie Wood, both labour ward sisters, that the conscience clause in the Abortion Act would exempt them from hands-on involvement in abortions, but as senior midwives they had to accept management instructions to oversee abortions performed by other midwives on the labour ward.

A small but increasing number of abortions are being transferred to labour wards in line with national policies against disability. Screening and offering abortion for disabled babies is regarded as a cost-effective measure, and hospitals are encouraged to offer tests for disability.

The costs of Glasgow midwives' legal action are being underwritten by SPUC. People wishing to make donations towards the midwives' legal costs should telephone SPUC on +44 (0)20 7091 7091.

17 December 2012: Welsh Organ donation consultation must be extended

The Welsh government has announced plans to introduce presumed consent for organ donation. They are calling it "deemed consent", whereby people living in Wales for a period of six months or more will be opted-in automatically as organ donors. This will include prisoners, tourists, and students. SPUC Wales region has run an effective campaign opposing this, including making a significant impact on the first consultation.

The consultation process has now entered the next stage – a six week public consultation on the draft Bill and review by the Welsh Assembly Health and Social Committee. The public gets 6 weeks to make comments and submit evidence. Invited organizations are asked to do the same. This consultation period currently closes on 18th January.

However, SPUC is urging all pro-life supporters to write to the review committee chairman:

Mark Drakeford
Health and Social Committee
National Assembly
Cardiff Bay
CF99 1NA
Email: HSCCommittee@wales.gov.uk

to complain about the shortage of time and the unsuitable seasonal period over Christmas for the public to submit evidence. We are asking for the consultation to be extended until March 2013.

This public stage concerns everyone, not just those living in Wales. Please write to Mark Drakeford, even if you are not Welsh or living in Wales. This Bill could affect you if you, or your loved ones, ever visit Wales. This will affect you, because legislation in Wales will be used to blaze a trail in other parts of Britain and elsewhere. This involves you because anyone anywhere is permitted to make submissions to the consultation.

Mark Drakeford has been widely reported in the press as saying that this is the last time that people will be able to contribute on this issue and that it is a chance “to look at it again with fresh eyes”
(South Wales Argus, Caerphilly Observer). To do this, a proper amount of time after Christmas is needed as a minimum.

The Government’s Code of Practice on Consultation principle 2.2 states:

“If a consultation exercise is to take place over a period when consultees are less able to respond, e.g. over the summer or Christmas break, or if the policy under consideration is a particularly complex, consideration should be given to the feasibility of allowing a longer period for the consultation.”

The current consultation runs during the Christmas period, which includes three bank holidays and is a time when people go away on holiday and take time off from work and correspondence. There is no way any meaningful consultation can be concluded in anything less than 3 months which is the standard time length anyway.

Please write today to chairman Mark Drakeford, citing the points above, asking that the consultation period be extended to March 2013.

SPUC, in common with Anglican Mainstream, Catholic Church leaders in England and Wales, Family and Youth Concern, and other bodies, is working with the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) to oppose the British government’s plans to legalise same-sex marriage. The C4M has launched a petition which may have already been promoted in your local area, probably through local churches. It’s vital that the petition is a huge success. Please contact SPUC HQ if you would further copies of the C4M petition or a poster.

3 August 2012: Lobby your MP to defend real marriage

It is critical that we act now to bring pressure to bear on our politicians to defend marriage. Continuing to promote the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) petition is of great importance, and we also need to begin lobbying individual MPs in earnest.

To help do this, please read two new documents:

Please consider whether you can undertake one or more of these actions:

visit your MP – either on your own or with a few like-minded friends - and ask him/her to support real marriage;
ask clergy from your church or your local deanery meeting to visit and speak to the MP about this;
urge groups like parents with school-age children, members of prayer groups, etc. to visit the local MP and lobby him in support of real marriage.

We have also produced a revised version of our "Real Marriage" leaflet – and we invite you to order copies to help raise awareness and concerns as widely as possible in your community. You can order a supply of the leaflets by contacting SPUC HQ:

by email to orders@spuc.org.uk
by telephone 020 7091 7091

20 March 2012: international one day conference "Abortion or maternal health"

An international one day conference will be held on 20 March 2012 in London. Evey year an estimated 350,000 mothers die from pregnancy related causes. This is an international disgrace. The deadline for millenium development goal 5 (maternal health) is fast approaching, yet mothers are still dying. What can you and I do to bring this to an end? Join us to hear world experts on the subject as we propose strategies that will saves the lives of mothers and babies. For a briefing on Abortion and Maternal Health in Developing Countries, please see here > Abortion and maternal health briefing

10 March 2012 Northern Ireland Conference: Defending the rights of parents - protecting children

niconf Publicly funded agencies, such as Brook Advisory Centres, facilitate underage sex by supplying children with birth control while their parents are legally powerless to prevent it. The efforts of parents to protect their children from exploitation and sexually transmitted diseases are continually being undermined by government policy.

Come along on Saturday 10th March to Belfast Castle to learn what can be done to help parents safeguard their families and why the promotion of birth control to underage children has got to stop. Speakers on the day include: Pat Ramsey MLA, Jim Wells MLA, Professor David Paton, Dr. Patrick Fagan, and Mrs. Antonia Tully.

Cost is £15, includes buffet lunch. Concessionary rates for senior citizens and the unwaged is £8.
To book, you may use our website shop, or download the booking form and return to us by post: SPUC Northern Ireland, 2 Veryan Gardens, Newtonabbey, BT36 7HG. Payment can be made by cheque, credit or debit card.
The day starts at 10am. registration, tea and coffee from 9.30am.
for further information contact SPUC N.Ireland belfast@spuc.org.uk or call 028-9077-8018

2-4 March 2012: 5th International Youth Conference

youthconf2012 The theme of this year's conference is 'Human Dignity'. As is always the case with the International Youth Pro-Life Conference, we have a fantastic line-up of speakers who will address a wide variety of pro-life issues. (Please note line-up is subject to change).

Fr Andrew Pinsent: Pro-Life Philosophy - Lynette Burrows: Sex Education in Schools - Professor David Paton: Teenage Pregnancy and Abstinence strategies - Dr Anne Carus: Family Planning and IVF - Sr Andrea Fraile: Abortion Counselling - Fiorella Nash: Pro-life Feminism - Fr John Fleming: Marriage and pro-life -
Dr Philip Howard: End of Life Care - Dr. Jacqueline Laing: Euthanasia and assisted suicide

Confirmed workshops. Anthony Ozimic: the effect of performing abortion on the abortionist - Joe Lee: How the law treats human life during its earliest stages

Participation at the conference is heavily subsidised by SPUC. Sponsorship places may also be available. Previous conferences, including photos, can be viewed here

25 November 2011: Urge MEPs to vote against motion on abortion and HIV/AIDS

On Thursday 1 December, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will vote on a motion which links abortion, contraception and HIV/AIDS. The motion is riddled with anti-life and anti-family content. Please contact the MEPs for your region immediately to urge them to vote against the motion. > More

20 October 2011: Support big day of pro-life outreach in east London this Saturday

This Saturday SPUC together with 40 Days for Life, and various local churches and mosques, will gather in Stratford, east London for what 40 Days for Life are calling “the biggest day of pro-life outreach in decades.”> More

28 September 2011: Contact Council of Europe urgently to protect unborn children from discrimination

Next week the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE, not to be confused with the European Parliament of the European Union (EU)) will consider a report which includes serious attacks on unborn children with sex-linked genetic disorders. Please contact your country’s delegates at PACE. > More

The Motherhood Campaign: better worldwide maternal health

Please see our motherhood campaign section on this website for an introduction. We held a public street exhibition and education drive from 27 June - 10th July, in central London, 1pm-5pm everyday.

University of Bristol students host SPUC talk

Mary Brennan, a SPUC member in Bristol, recently gave a presentation on abortion and disability, and raising her child who has Down's syndrome. This event was organised by Students for Life, a society of the University of Bristol Union. SPUC have been supportive of this group in several ways and will continue to do so. One fo the founding members, Anne Howard, was also an intern with SPUC last summer, and also represnted SPUC in its lobbying work at the United Nations. Read More

SPUC Young Adults at Lewisham People's Day

On Saturday 9th July a group of 11 Young Adults from the Lewisham borough area spent the day at Lewisham People's Day. They had 2 large stalls, pro-lfie displays, an abundance of materials to give away, along with free face painting for children. you can read a report with photos at our RSVP Pro-Life blog. Read More. Paul Smeaton, an employee of SPUC who was also part of the team, has written a good report of the day, which you can read on our blog. Read more

New SRE campaign bulletin 'fighting sex DVDs in schools'

SPUC have published their latest SRE campaign bulletin, focused on fighting the explicit and harmful sex DVDs being shown in schools. The new bulletin contains information on our petition, 'Living and Growing', informing parents, MPs, and the wider community about the harm being done to children, expert medical and legal facts, and the real life reactions of parents. Read the bulletin here

5 October 2011: Please respond to government sex ed consultation

The Department for Education is inviting people to participate in a consultation about sex and relationships education (SRE) in England – and I hope you will do so. (Those living outside England can also participate, but the consultation relates specifically to the National Curriculum for England.) The government have said that they are not going to make classroom SRE compulsory within the scope of this consultation. However, they do regard classroom SRE as a benefit. Therefore we need to express our objections to the kind of SRE that is widespread in schools today, and refer to evidence that it doesn’t have the beneficial impact that politicians often claim. Please read SPUC's briefing which includes all you need to know to make a submission. The deadline is 30 November. Please do act on this. Please also read our latest campaign bulletin on sex education with other action points. You may recently have signed or collected signatures for our national petition against explicit sex education lessons. I’m very grateful to all who have done this. Please do return any outstanding forms to SPUC HQ by 16 October, so we can present them to the Secretary of State.

28 September 2011: Contact Council of Europe urgently to protect unborn children from discrimination

SPUC submission to BCAP over commercial abortion advertising

Read SPUC's submission to BCAP. Allowing commercial, abortion-providing/referring Post Conception Advisory Services (PCAS) to advertise on television immediately treats abortion „services‟ as if they were like any other service. Allowing advertisements for organisations whose aim and primary function is providing abortions is equivalent to allowing advertising for abortion itself. SPUC strongly opposes such moves.

Scouts sexual health programme

For an introdution to this campaign, please see National Director John Smeaton's blog post, with an analysis by SPUC's Educati on and Publications manager Anthony McCarthy. Details about this campaign have been sent to all our SPUC members via SPUC News, including action points.

24 February 2011: Order SPUC's new sex ed campaign bulletin today

We need to act now because anti-life sex education in our schools is priming young children for premature sexual activity, which leads to teenage pregnancies and abortions. Please read and order our new campaign bulletin. More

11 February 2011: Chris Bryant MP SRE Bill

Chris Bryant MP's bill to force schools to teach sex and relationships education (SRE)was not given parliamentary time today for a second reading in the House of Commons. The bill has been re-listed for Commons business in April. SPUC thanks its supporters for lobbying their MPs.

Update: The Bill did not receive it's second reading in April. The second reading has now been set of 21 October 2011. The monitoring of this bill and SPUC's lobbying of MPs on this matter forms part of SPUC's larger concern over the issue of SRE.

26 November 2010: Government white paper approach to sex and relationships education (SRE)

The government's approach to sex and relationships education included in the White Paper on Schools issued yesterday is deeply concerning (see media release). Email political@spuc.org.uk for more information and action points.

Help us protect children against TV condom adverts

SPUC is taking up the fight against TV condom adverts targeted at children, to protect all children and promote a culture of life. See our alert here.alert 7 October 2010

Abortion advertising

Channel 4 broadcasted an advertisement by Marie Stopes International, the abortion promoter and provider, on Monday evening at 10.10pm. Please act immediately to help stop these advertisements being aired again. Please read our alert. alert 21 May 2010 You can watch a short CBN News clip of SPUC communications manager Anthony Ozimic here