29 October 2009

Top stories

SPUC is calling upon supporters to lobby a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in order to stop two radical pro-abortion reports. The reports, authored by Christine McCafferty, the veteran anti-life British MP, will be debated by the assembly's Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee in Paris on 13 November. SPUC has issued a campaign alert with full information. [SPUC campaign alert, 27 October] http://is.gd/4EwEu

SPUC has dismissed a claimed breakthrough towards the creation of artificial sperm as unethical and spurious. According to results published in Nature magazine online, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have turned embryonic stem cells, taken from surplus IVF embryos, into human germ cells, which are the precursors of sperm and ova. [Daily Mail, 29 October] http://is.gd/4H3Y2 Anthony Ozimic of SPUC commented: "This research is unethical, because human embryos - innocent, equal members of the human family - were killed to extract the embryonic stem cells used in the research. Even if the research hadn't involved embryo-killing, the creation of artificial gametes would enable even more human embryos to be created outside the human body, to be killed and abused. [SPUC, 28 October] http://is.gd/4G8JN

The Belfast high court has concluded two days of hearings in the judicial review of government abortion guidance, brought by SPUC. Mr James Dingemans, SPUC's barrister, outlined to Lord Justice Girvan why the government's guidance was inadequate and needs to be withdrawn and re-examined so that it deals more adequately with the issues. He reiterated that Northern Ireland law protected the unborn. Judgement in the case has been reserved. [SPUC, 27 and 28 October] http://is.gd/4F0aw and http://is.gd/4GbVf

SPUC has responded to the news [Telegraph, 26 October] http://is.gd/4H4U9 that three Down's syndrome babies are aborted every day by proposing research on abortion for disability. John Smeaton, SPUC's national director, said: "We must find out whether pre-abortion counselling includes a warning that women are more likely to suffer psychologically if they abort a child because of his or her disability. We shall also carry out research among politicians. [John Smeaton, 27 October] http://is.gd/4Ef5R

SPUC Pro-Life has welcomed the withdrawal of Lord Alderdice's amendment to the Coroners and Justice bill. The amendment, which would have allowed assisted suicide, was opposed by a majority of those Lords who spoke in the debate. Anthony Ozimic of SPUC Pro-Life commented: "The idea of allowing assisted suicide was condemned as discriminatory, highly dangerous and threatening. Lords were offended by Lord Alderdice's suggestion that coroners should decide who may live or die under his amendment. His amendment was described as 'dismal', a 'travesty' and surrounded by 'weasal words'. We congratulate those Lords who so firmly opposed the amendment, and the many members of the public who lobbied Lords prior to the debate. The director of public prosecutions should read tonight's debate closely as he drafts his policy on prosecuting assisted suicide." [SPUC, 26 October] http://is.gd/4H4dp

Other stories

Abortion

Population

Euthanasia and assisted suicide; disability

Marriage and family; sexual ethics


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