February 2006 ceremony

At the foot of this page are links to two high-resolution photographs of the ceremony.

Westminster, 6 February 2006 - Mr Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, today presented the awards to the three winners of the annual Robin McNair Prize, an essay competition for young people aged 14 to 18. All the successful entries were by pupils of Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire. The winning students, all now aged 16, wrote essays entitled: "Euthanasia is forbidden in most ethical, legal and religious traditions. Why is this?"

The prize commemorates one of Britain's leading fighter pilots in the second world war. After the war, Squadron Leader McNair fought for the rights of the unborn through his membership of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). This competition is jointly sponsored by the SPUC Educational Research Trust and the McNair family.

Mr Leigh was one of the judges, along with Mr Jim Kelly, grand president of the Catenian Association, an international Catholic men's fellowship, and Mr J Alan Smith, vice-chairman of SPUC. The award ceremony was in the Attlee Suite of Portcullis House, part of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

William Birch Reynardson of Berkshire won the first prize of £250. He hopes to study history and Spanish at Oxford or Cambridge university, and then to work as a lawyer. Matthew Wills of Hampshire came second and won £150. He plans to read politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford and to work in advertising or marketing. Alexander Owen from London won the third prize of £100, which he plans to spend on sports shoes. He hopes to apply to study at Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard, Massachusetts.

Mr Leigh told the awards ceremony that the subject of the contestants' essays was highly relevant to the current political situation. Although parliament was less in favour of euthanasia than it was of abortion, there were currently attempts to legalise euthanasia by the back door. Widespread euthanasia would make elderly and seriously ill people worry that they were being a burden on society, and it would undermine the integrity of the medical profession.

Duncan McNair, Squadron Leader McNair's youngest son, pointed out that this was the fifth annual prize awarded in the name of his father, who died in 1996. He described how his father's pro-life views had caused problems for him during his civilian career. Although a brave warrior, Squadron Leader McNair had worked for displaced persons after the war, as well as doing his work for SPUC. Mr McNair, a lawyer, described how minor legislation which undermined the sanctity of life could form the thin end of the wedge. There was a slippery slope towards complete disregard for humanity.

John Smeaton, SPUC's national director, said that it was now approaching 40 years since his organisation had been founded. Despite SPUC's efforts, more than six million unborn children had lost their lives during that period. As well as working on the political front, SPUC carried out research and promoted educational initiatives such as the McNair prize. Like the other speakers, John Smeaton commended the three winners on the high quality of their entries.

None of the winning contestants needed more than five hours in which to research and write their entries. They all completed the assignment in under two weeks. Eton College will receive £500 as a prize for its part in the boys' success. It is the first time that pupils from the school have entered the competition. Rev Dr Nicholas Heap, Catholic chaplain to the college, accompanied the pupils to the ceremony.

Photographs

Click on the captions to download large, high-resolution picture files.

Mr Edward Leigh MP, centre, gives the Robin McNair Prize awards to pupils from Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on 6 February 2006. Also pictured (from left) are Rev Dr Nicholas Heap, Catholic chaplain to the college, Alexander Owen, winner of the third prize, William Birch Reynardson, winner of the first prize, and Matthew Wills, winner of the second prize.

Mr Edward Leigh MP (third from the left) gives the Robin McNair Prize awards to pupils from Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on 6 February 2006. Also pictured (from left) are Mr Duncan McNair, son of Squadron Leader Robin McNair, Alexander Owen, winner of the third prize, William Birch Reynardson, winner of the first prize, Matthew Wills, winner of the second prize, John Smeaton, national director of SPUC, and J Alan Smith, vice-chairman of SPUC.