The Parapet

 
 
 
 
“to be brave enough to state an opinion that might upset someone”
 
(Definition of put your head over/above the parapet from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
 
Keep an eye on this page to find opportunities to ‘stick your head above the parapet’ and make known to those in power or authority, your personal feelings or objections to current issues which may undermine not only ethics and human rights, but Christian held beliefs, values and morals.

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May 2012

NEWS FROM SPUC: Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
Stop Eugenics Now, a new European initiative, has launched an international online petition
calling on the European Court of Human Rights to “reaffirm the principle of the prohibition of eugenics,
and the obligation of the Member States to protect the life of every person, including of the disabled before their birth.”
The web site for the petition is:http://www.stopeugenicsnow.org/
 
 
On March 21 2012 we celebrated the first International World Down’s Syndrome Day. In the UK 92% of babies prenatally diagnosed with Down's syndrome are killed by abortion. This has remained consist since 1989 when the National Down's Syndrome Cytogenetic Register began. Under the UK Abortion Act, a child with Down's syndrome can be aborted up to birth. These are sad and utterly unacceptable facts. We continue to live in a society that has waged a eugenic genocide against unborn disabled babies. Please sign the petition, encourage others to do so, and think about supporting SPUC’s No Less Human division and our wider work of campaigning on behalf of people with disabilities and illness born and unborn, their parents, and carers.

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29 February 2012:  Some sad news reported on the SPUC website today:

 Midwives must take charge of abortion says court
Judgment was handed down today in the case of two senior midwives from Glasgow who have a conscientious objection to abortion. The midwives have been told that they must accept the decision of their hospital management that they must oversee other midwives performing abortions on the labour  ward.


Lady Smith, sitting in the Court of Session in Edinburgh, ruled that the senior midwives’ role is not covered by the conscience clause in the Abortion Act.


Commenting on the judgment, Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said: “We are very disappointed by the judgment. SPUC has supported the midwives in bringing their case, and will now be considering their further legal options with them."


The senior midwives argued that their legal right included not directing or assisting other midwives performing abortions.
Statement by Glasgow midwives after abortion judgment
The two Glasgow midwives at the centre of today's court judgment on conscientious objection to abortion have made the following statement:
Miss Mary Doogan said: "Connie [Wood] and I are both very disappointed and greatly saddened by today's verdict.

For most of our 20-plus years of employment as midwifery sisters at the Southern General Hospital we have been proud to be associated with a maternity unit in which the right of all midwifery staff to freedom of conscience has been acknowledged, protected and upheld with no detrimental outcome to any mother whatsoever.

Neither Connie nor I stand in judgement of any woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy for whatever reasons. We are more than aware of the difficult choices that some expectant mothers may be faced with in a crisis pregnancy.

However, in holding to the view that life should be protected from conception to natural death, neither do we wish to be judged for exercising what is our legal right to refuse to participate in the process of medical termination of pregnancy.

We wish now to take some time to consider all options that are available to us (including appeal) before making any further comment."
Since both women remain employees of the health board they are not in a position to make further comment or give interviews.

SPUC has supported the midwives in bringing their case, underwriting their legal costs, and will now be considering their further legal options with them.

Lifting of the ban on civil partnership ceremonies being performed in churches

Quotes from The Daily Telegraph- Wednesday 2nd November:

“The Telegraph reports today that the government has approved the proposal to allow civil partnership ceremonies to be conducted at places of worship. Readers will recall that civil partnerships in English law are legally exclusive to same-sex couples and in practice are used only by homosexual* couples; and have already been given many of the "rights belonging to marriage" in English law.”

“Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister, will say that the ban on the ceremonies in religious surroundings will be lifted on Dec 5. The move has been championed by David Cameron but is likely to be opposed by some church groups.”

“The scheme will be “voluntary” with no church compelled to offer same-sex services. However, it is likely that some campaigners will seek to push the matter further if churches refuse to open their doors to gay couples.”

“Today’s move comes ahead of plans to give same-sex couples the right to marry, ending the legal definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman.”

If you wish to contact the Government over this issue, please click here.

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