life news autumn 2013

www.lifecharity.org.uk lifenews 1

www.lifecharity.org.uk

Autumn 2013 Issue 66 FREE

Registered Charity No. 1128355 (England & Wales) and SCO41329 (Scotland)

lifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewslifenewsJoin us – fi nd out more on p4

Thousands of people are seeing another way forward.

Join our campaign

and show you’re proud to be prolife!

18802 Life News 66 Stg 4.indd 1 03/10/2013 16:58

2 lifenews www.lifecharity.org.uk

A lot has been happening recently: new LIFE charity shops (with Care Centres) opened or are in the pipeline (p14); the Education team launching eagerly into the new school year (two of them just back from a highly successful national pro-life conference, sponsored by LIFE, in Uganda. see p12); LIFE Housing acquiring new properties and thus enlarging its stock (p8); exciting new plans for LIFE in London (p13) – and then all the furore about ‘gender selection’ abortion and the scandal of routine pre-signing of abortion forms by doctors. The Secretary of State for Health has denounced ‘wrong sex’ abortion. The Prime Minister has spoken out, too. The police have been hard at work investigating all this – plus LIFE’s complaint that, in view of what the top doctors say

about the psychological damage which abortion can do to women, abortion can no longer be lawfully carried out to protect mental health – but this is the ground on which 98 per cent of abortions are performed!

Our opponents are on the defensive and in disarray as they have never been before. We pro-lifers must seize the moment. LIFE is doing so vigorously -see p4 for news of our new campaign – #notblinkered. These are exciting times.

Prof Jack Scarisbrick

Chairman’s message

Editor Mary LubranoCopyright © LIFE, 2013Design & Print www.yeomansmarketing.co.uk

Further copies available from:[email protected] or phone 01926 312272

In this issue

page 4 LIFE launches its fi rst ever cross-media campaign.

page 6 Fundraising: walk, run and text – ways to support LIFE.

page 8 Housing: Renovations, Open Days and inspiring individuals.

The Republic of Ireland Legalises Abortion.

page 11

page 12 Education: Uganda prolife conference.Uganda prolife

LIFE in the capitalpage 13

page 14 Shops: Shops’ Conference 2013. New shops and how you can help.

Get control of this runaway bus, LIFE tells Minister.

page 16

News Round-Uppage 18

lifenews

lifenews



What some charity bosses earnCharity Post Salary

British Red Cross Chief Executive £184kSave The Children Chief Executive £163k Chief Operating Offi cer £168kChristian Aid Chief Executive £126kAction Aid Director £ 89kCafod Director £ 87kCharity Commission Chairman £ 50k*LIFE Chairman £ 0k*for two days a week = £125k full-time equivalent

With Christmas just around the corner and online shopping being the ideal way to avoid the cold – don’t forget to sign up to Give as you Live before you make those important purchases! It is completely free and easy to use and with so many big companies on board, you’ll be able to directly support LIFE simply by doing your Christmas shopping online. Sign up now at www.giveasyoulive.com and support LIFE!

Don’t forget to sign up to the Unity Lottery at www.unitylottery.co.uk/life to be in with a chance of winning £25,000. It’s only £1 per week to play and for every £1 played 50 pence comes directly to LIFE. Why not support LIFE and play today?

Later in the year we will be presenting Our LIFE Time - stories from LIFE groups, staff and volunteers. The story of our work is the story of pro-life people in the UK. We have a lot to say after more than 40 years! We have already received some fascinating material, but we’re sure there is plenty more to come so please send your achievements, history or experiences – anything from a few lines to stories or photos – to [email protected] We look forward to celebrating our LIFE time together!”



LIFE has launched its first ever cross-media campaign, #notblinkered. Designed to challenge the stereotypes associated with prolifers, the campaign encourages people from all walks of life to open their minds to being prolife – to take off their blinkers!

#notblinkered challenges stereotypical images of prolifers as intolerant, religious extremists, old-fashioned and anti-women, and shows that being prolife is all about compassion, justice, equality and human rights for all.

Everybody, from all walks of life, from all faiths and none, and all political persuasions, can hold the same prolife beliefs, standing together, united and proud.

#notblinkered presents real people* who happen to be prolife. They believe in the rights of women and unborn children and are striving to make their voices heard. Feminists, atheists and socialists are proud to be #notblinkered, alongside Catholics, progressives and those with more traditional views.

Since the introduction of the Abortion Act over 40 years ago, the pro-abortion industry has done a great job of keeping our blinkers on; abortion is all about forward-thinking, freedom and choice, right? Wrong! The years have revealed the damage abortion has done to women, children, families and society as a whole. More and more people are seeing the truth and want change.

How you can get involved#notblinkered is being run online from a dedicated website (www.notblinkered.org.uk) where you’ll find a short video of six pro-lifers explaining why they’re #notblinkered. The campaign runs for six weeks from 30 September and at the beginning of each week an image and blog will be released of each character in the video explaining their personal journey to being prolife. Scan here to visit the site now:

Plus win a £50 Love to Shop voucher, or even a Retro Radio!

* The #notblinkered campaign features actors but their words are based on interviews with a range of prolifers who ‘break the mould’.



Join us, get your friends and family to join us too and be proud to say We’re prolife. We’re not blinkered.

* The #notblinkered campaign features actors but their words are based on interviews with a range of prolifers who ‘break the mould’.

“I believe compassion, justice and equality are important values for people of any faith or none.”

That’s why I’m #notblinkered.

I support Life.

Discover his story at notblinkered.org.ukGet involved: fb.com/lifecharity | @lifecharity | notblinkered.org.ukLIFE is a registered charity (no. 1128355) in England and Wales and (SC041329) in Scotland.

Poster 1.indd 1

24/09/2013 11:45

Campaign poster

Show your support of the campaign by signing up on the #notblinkered site and you could be the lucky winner of a £50 Love to Shop voucher, or even a Roberts Revival Radio!

When you sign up you’ll receive a #notblinkered wristband which you can proudly sport to encourage your friends and family to get involved too. Simply take a photo of yourself wearing the band and upload it to the site to be in with a chance of winning! It’s really that easy. We look forward to seeing your creative photos!

One of the photos uploaded to the #notblinkered competition entry page.



fundraising74 Miles around the Isle of Wight!Congratulations to Father Mark Hogan who successfully completed Isle of Wight’s Big Biathlon event on 8 June. Starting at 6am Fr Mark had fi ve and a half hours to cycle 47 miles around the island before donning his walking boots and strolling the 27 mile distance from the east coast to the west, in the remaining light hours of the day! Sponsorship is still fl owing in and the current total is just under £300. Thank you to everyone for your support!

Walking through the beautiful countryside

Wild Thing X Runner RacePete Gilmore took part in a gruelling 10k obstacle mud run on 8 September to raise funds for local families in need in Derby. The Wild Thing X Runner race is well known for being extremely challenging and Pete’s lack of training prior to the event defi nitely added to the test! Pete was looking forward to watching his friend Jackie Moore compete, until she pulled a tendon and he gallantly took her place. The sponsorship money is still pouring in but the target of £500 has already been exceeded with safety equipment purchased and distributed. And Pete is fi nally getting rid of the mud!

Mother and daughter Margaret O’Brien (right) and

Jackie Moore with Pete at the start

A very muddy fi nish!



Ladies’ Night BasingstokeBasingstoke LIFE group held a wonderful pampering evening on 12 October for local residents. The evening was a great success and one that the group is already looking forward to repeating. There was a great atmosphere and the pampering was enjoyed by all. Raising funds for LIFE was also an important part of the night and they’re still adding up the total raised!

A team of seven walkers, including LIFE’s Shop Finance Administrator Thomas Gower, took part in the gruelling 40-mile Keswick to Barrow walk on 11 May to raise money for LIFE. The “LIFE Savers” team set off at 5.30am and completed the punishing 40-mile route in 14 hours 48 minutes.

Thomas said: “It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, especially the last 10 miles. The rain was pouring and it was freezing cold, but thinking of the excellent work the charity does transforming the lives of vulnerable young people really spurred me on.”

“I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me and say a big well done to everyone who took part. Would I do it again? Of course, and I hope to run it next time”.

£600 for Text to TalkThe Derby LIFE group and shop raised a fabulous £600 for LIFE’s Text to Talk service in June. A local group, the Ladies Rolls Royce Choir, put on a concert in aid of LIFE and proceeds from ticket sales have gone to directly help the women accessing our care service via text. The concert was a great success, the choir are exceptionally talented and a great night was had by all, even more so knowing that proceeds were going to help such a great cause.

LIFE’s Thomas Gower centre left in navy jacket

Keswick to Barrow Walk

Around 500 people dropped out of the walk, suff ering from hypothermia, exhaustion and horrifi c blisters. One member of LIFE Savers had to be picked up by St John Ambulance at 35 miles, highlighting why this route is well-known to be one of the UK’s toughest endurance challenges!

The team raised a total of £764.20 for LIFE – congratulations!



housingSt Albans great garden project

Onwards and Upwards for BracknellAfter recently upsizing to a purpose-built seven-bedroom property, the new Bracknell LIFE House welcomed visitors through its doors on 18 September for their Open Day and Coffee Morning. Elaine Hall, Regional Manager for Bracknell, said: “Everyone had great things to say about the new house, especially those who had visited the old property and could see the improvement. The tenants were thrilled to show the visitors around and made cupcakes for the occasion.”

The inspiring fundraising efforts of the St. Alban’s LIFE group have been showcased once again with the latest monies raised being used to renovate the garden at the St. Alban’s House. The renovations were completed in time for the beautiful summer weather and all the tenants and children were able to enjoy the sunshine in the new garden.

The £1,000 raised by the LIFE group, a £1,000 award from the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Albans, donations of AstroTurf from the St. Alban’s Lions and contributions from a coffee morning held at the House, all went towards the project.

LIFE Regional Manager, Sue Beades, said: “The garden has made such a difference. The tenants can now hang out their washing, play with their children and relax in the garden.”

The renovated garden

We’re very grateful to all involved for their support and

kind donations

Look how we are growing!

We’ve already acquired bigger and better premises in Belfast, Bournemouth and Bracknell. We are buying a flat adjacent to our existing house in Dartford and a fine, brand-new property in Walsall. A stalwart LIFE supporter is also donating us a house in Northampton. Plus, we’ve started negotiations for our first venture in East London. It’s great, isn’t it?



Chertsey 2 LIFE House held their annual Open Day on 17 July. The weather was beautiful and everyone enjoyed sitting out in the sun after their tour of the house. Local Support Workers from nearby Houses, Health Visitors, Community Nurses and local volunteering organisations with whom the House works closely, attended. There were also representatives from the local branch of Enterprise Car Rental who give fi nancial support to the house – giving the tenants Christmas presents and making a substantial donation of £1,500 last year.

Support Worker, Philomena Ryan, said “It was lovely to see such a great turn-out and show off the House. A lot of time and money has gone into updating it and it was a good opportunity to show how we support

Chertsey 2 Open Day

our tenants and help to prepare them for independent living.”

Tina Millhouse, Support Worker from the nearby Chertsey 1 LIFE House, took her tenants and babies along too and said: “The tenants enjoyed socialising with one another and the young children had a whale of a time playing in the garden! These Open Days are a chance for us to show what a diff erence LIFE Houses make to the local community.”

Attendees enjoying the sunshine

Marriott Hotel workers get stuck into Slough’s gardenSlough 1’s garden has recently had a makeover, thanks to six Marriott Hotel workers. The employees were taking part in a volunteering scheme which involved the renovation of local projects. All the tenants are very grateful and were able to enjoy the summer in their back garden.

Annual Performance DayLIFE Housing held their Annual Performance Day on 28 August to look back over the achievements of the year and to identify areas for future improvement. LIFE’s National Chairman, Jack Scarisbrick, attended and said: “LIFE Houses continue to bridge a gap in society and it is heart-warming to hear how their value is being recognised. Congratulations to all involved on another successful year.”

LIFE’s Emma Turner addresses the delegates

£200 award to WorthingWorthing House were awarded £200 from a local police scheme back in May. The funds from selling unclaimed stolen goods are given to charity and thanks go to the kind policeman who nominated the Worthing LIFE House.



New mum Tabatha puts her talents to good use

Oxford LIFE House tenant Tabatha Welham is one busy mum! As well as looking after her one-year-old daughter, Robyn, she has completed a Health & Social Care course at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College and is hoping to start a part-time degree in Youth & Community. But that’s not all – Tabatha has recently taken up the role of Youth Leader at Kennington Youth Club, where not so long ago she was one of the young people who hung out there.

“I always had a lot of fun at the club as a child and when the post came up I jumped at the chance. It fi ts in neatly with my studying and parenting and is great work experience,” says Tabatha.

“I’ve got lots of ideas, from football to shadow painting, but I’m most excited about the internet café there, helping the youngsters to get the most out of the resource and advising them about staying safe online.”

Tabatha’s success is particularly impressive as her path has not always been an easy one. “When I became pregnant with Robyn I had

nowhere to live. I have no idea what I would have done if I hadn’t had the LIFE House.

“We get the most amazing support in the house, with everything from budgeting to parenting skills. The Support Workers and the other three girls in the house are so supportive about my career and studies. We all help each other – you never get lonely.

“I love the cookery & nutrition Life Skills sessions; we have an apple tree in our garden and we’re looking forward to making an apple crumble soon!”

Maria AwardsFunded by a generous donation from the North East region, the Maria Awards are named after two prominent women from the area who worked tirelessly for the prolife cause – Maria Glavina and Marie Hogg. LIFE tenants are rewarded in the form of a gift voucher and certifi cate if they maintain a clear rent account and stick to their tenancy conditions. The awarding system is still in its fi rst year but has been met with enthusiasm by the tenants.

Tabatha and Robyn



Propelled by the misrepresentation of the tragic case of Savita Halappanavar, the Irish government signed “The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013” into law on 30 July. The bill, which allows terminations where the mother’s life is at risk, may be seen as restrictive by many but pro-abortionists know only too well that the inclusion of the clause “risk to life from self-destruction” is the loophole needed to pave the way for abortion on demand in Ireland. As the bill states that “it is not necessary for the medical practitioner to be of the opinion that the risk is inevitable or immediate” there is plenty of room for interpretation of the law as we have seen in the UK. Even more worrying is the fact that they have placed no time-limit on abortion.

In the run-up to the bill I met with a number of Irish politicians who were all opposed to the suicide clause. Many voiced their

The Republic of Ireland Legalises Abortion

by Anne Scanlan, LIFE Education Offi cer

concerns at the hearings but the lack of a free vote meant that they were forced to support the bill. The few brave politicians who insisted that they would not vote against their conscience paid for it with their jobs. The Irish government may believe that they have put adequate safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of the bill, but sadly the British experience has shown that once you legalise abortion for any reason, it is virtually impossible to stop it happening for every reason.

Ireland has a maternal and neo-natal death-rate to be proud of, thanks largely to the fact that Irish medical professionals recognise that life is precious and should always be protected. Only time will tell what impact this bill has on the Irish medical profession and whether or not it leads to abortion on demand in Ireland.

The Irish government may believe that they have put adequate safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of the bill, but sadly the British experience has shown that once you legalise abortion for any reason, it is virtually impossible to stop it happening for every reason.



educationThe pro-life cause in Uganda took a big step forward in late August when a meeting of over forty pro-lifers from around the country, including the director of the fl edgling LIFE Uganda, agreed to set up a national umbrella body, Pro-life Uganda Network, to coordinate and promote their work.

Sponsored by LIFE (UK) and attended by two of LIFE’s Education team, Elly Petrucci and Elizabeth Parsons, the conference consisted of lectures and workshops on how to get the pro-life message across to young people, how to warn of the damage that abortion can do to minds and bodies, how to build up an eff ective Care service and how to work for the cause politically.

Abortion is nominally unlawful in Uganda, but thanks not least to the breakdown of traditional African values and untiring eff orts of Marie Stopes International, which is hugely subsidised by the British taxpayer. It is widely available.There were harrowing stories of pregnant girls being expelled from school, thrown out of their homes and disowned by their families. The shocking stories of girls who

Uganda Prolife Conferencetried to self-abort show how women can feel they have no choice and no hope for the future. The Ugandan Department of Health estimates that 26% of all maternal mortality in Uganda is abortion related.

LIFE’s purpose was to demonstrate how we educate our students in the UK and to equip the delegates with similar resources and knowledge. “It was an inspiring event,” says Elizabeth Parsons. “One delegate said we had changed their perspective of women facing crisis pregnancies , to seeing them as deserving nothing but compassion.”

Existing prolife groups in Uganda have set up an umbrella “Pro-Life Network Uganda” so they can share resources and services to improve and expand their work. Sister Venny Tugumisirize, a local Head Teacher, has also promised to build a house on the school land to specifi cally help pregnant girls who have nowhere else to turn. “We couldn’t have asked for better outcomes!” says Elizabeth.

LIFE is deeply grateful for the anonymous gift which covered the costs of the two LIFE delegates and to two other donors who generously topped up LIFE’s subsidy for the conference.

The Delegates Elly with Sister Venny

Agnes Musuhuke, Director of LIFE Uganda,

faces the media



LIFE in the capital

LIFE warmly welcomes Catherine Anderson into her new role as Regional Development Offi cer for London.

“I am thrilled to have joined LIFE as the new London Regional Development Offi cer and wanted to share with you something of my pro-life journey, as well as the new vision for LIFE in London.

Before joining LIFE, I worked in fundraising and marketing with IT but for the past few years I have had an increasing desire to work within the prolife area. I spent three months independently meeting with the 16 UK prolife groups – yes, there are that many! I learnt that all of these groups are important because they are all addressing diff erent needs.

I was most attracted to LIFE because not only does the charity talk about being prolife and advocate for the unborn child, it also proactively cares for women and future families. LIFE helps others in every way. Of all the prolife organisations in the UK, it is clear that LIFE covers the widest area and has the most ambition.

I was fortunate to discover LIFE’s vacancy and am now thrilled to be part of such an inspiring team. To start with, I held a LIFE social drinks evening which was attended by 25 young professionals – a great opportunity to relax and discuss prolife issues.

I’m currently setting up a Central London LIFE group, organising Sunday Speaker Talk Training and Appeals, and meeting with grant-making trusts.

We also have exciting and ambitious new London projects in the pipeline; to establish charity shops with attached care centres in East and South London and to provide housing support to vulnerable pregnant women and young mothers in the very heart of the city.

London is a great challenge and I’m really looking forward to it.” Catherine

“I am thrilled to have joined LIFE as the

Wine and Ethics4th September saw the launch of a new initative in London – Wine & Ethics. Held at LIFE’s London offi ce in the heart of the capital, these evenings comprise a pro-life talk followed by discussion over a glass of wine. London LIFE’s Research Offi cer, Niall Gooch, said: “It is a small-scale event at the moment but will hopefully grow. The fi rst evening – where we considered ‘Is it important to be wanted?’ - was a great success.

LIFE social drinks evening



This year the Rugby LIFE Group and Shop hosted the annual Shops’ Conference on May 31st and June 1st. The conference was very well attended and was a great opportunity for the shops to share ideas and discuss pitfalls and successes with one another. Bill Smith, a retail consultant who specialises in helping charity shops to succeed, gave tips on how to optimise the shops’ displays and

generate more income on the Friday, whilst the Saturday was dedicated to workshops delivered by LIFE departments.

Eireann Janssens, LIFE’s Retail Development Manager, said “it was a great day and brilliant to see so many of the shops represented over the two days – everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and took some very positive thoughts back to their shops.”

shops

The Shops’ Conference in full swing

Watch this space…More and more groups are seeing the rewards to be reaped from opening a LIFE shop, and jumping on the bandwagon. Winchester, Wolverhampton and Doncaster have all secured properties and will be ready for business before Christmas. The existence of these shops would not have been possible if it were not for such dedicated and committed groups putting so much hard work into the

Shops’ Conference 2013

projects – thank you for your continued determination and we look forward to visiting the shops shortly!



LIFE’s retail sector has been extremely busy, recently adding a further two shops to its repertoire. The shops, in Kingstanding (North Birmingham) and Belfast, have both been open for just over two months and are proving an asset to LIFE and their local communities. Eireann Janssens, LIFE’s Retail Development Manager, couldn’t be prouder: “The new shops are thriving – in the fi rst three weeks Kingstanding took a staggering £3,000 and the skilful work behind the displays in the Belfast shop is clear to see! Huge congratulations to all who were involved in making these shops a reality.”

New Shops: Kingstanding and Belfast

One of the beautiful window

displays in Belfast

Sarah Platts (left) with her mother in the new Kingstanding shop

Scottish VisitEireann Janssens donned her tartan and visited the three oldest LIFE charity shops, all based in Scotland, in July this year. The three shops, in Helensburgh, Dumbarton and Glasgow, all welcomed Eireann and were keen to show off their wares! Eireann said, “It was great to see the diversity within such a small area; the Dumbarton shop concentrates solely on selling children’s clothes for example! The community spirit within all three shops is clear to see and a pleasure to be around, I look forward to my next visit there!”

Stock Donations AppealOur LIFE Shops couldn’t exist if it weren’t for the invaluable stock donations they receive every single day. All items which are in a good condition will be very welcome at your local shop, so next time you’re having a clear-out please pop your unwanted clothes, equipment and electrical items down to a LIFE shop – and encourage your friends to do the same!

New member of the teamA big welcome to the new Manchester Shop Manager, Sol Connor, who joined us in September. Sol is looking forward to building upon the success of the Manchester shop and is thrilled to have received such a warm welcome from volunteers and customers alike.

Sol with her cheeky son Sunny



Following all the recent scandalous revelations about sex-selective abortion and the of pre-signing of abortion forms by doctors, LIFE has written to Health Minister Jeremy Hunt calling for immediate action to bring the abortion ‘industry’ under control. It has clearly become a runaway bus.

We have also raised with the minister a much larger issue, namely, that since a very high-powered body – the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges, on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists – has produced an apparently definitive report which concludes that aborting an ‘unwanted’ pregnancy does not improve a woman’s mental health and can often damage it, how can 98 per cent of all abortions be done on mental health grounds? What is happening is outrageous.

Meanwhile the GMC has assured us that the two doctors caught by undercover Daily Telegraph reporters offering to abort female unborn children have been banned from doing any abortions pending investigation and that they will be struck off if found guilty of acting unlawfully.

Get control of this runaway bus, LIFE tells Health Ministerby LIFE’s National Chairman, Jack Scarisbrick

LIFE has also written to the Attorney General to protest at the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to proceed against those doctors – even though it conceded that they had committed serious offences – on the curious ground that it was ‘not in the public interest’ to do so. We ask that the CPS decision be overturned – and await a response.

What is this ‘public interest’, one asks? The answer is simple. The only reason for objecting to the killing of unborn girls is ultimately that they are human beings. But if unborn girls are this, so are unborn boys. And if that is so, abortionism is in big trouble!

The CPS is acting disgracefully in trying to protect it from the law.

It is imperative that the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group (APPLG) takes vigorous action on all these fronts. We are in a new, if not unparalleled, situation – with widespread public anxiety about what is happening, even the prime minister voicing concern, feminists shamed by their silence and agencies like Bpas boasting that their clients can have abortions without even being seen by the two doctors whom the law requires to give their consent ‘in good faith’ (i.e. in accordance with the highest professional standards). The abortion lobby is on the defensive, if not in disarray.

Together with the Christrian Medical Fellowship and the large pro-life Evangelical movement CARE, LIFE is meeting the leaders of APPLG to plan pro-life action at the highest level.

This will be fully reported to LIFE supporters.

The minister, we argue,simply must face up to the powerful evidence that abortion is a major cause of mental (and physical) illness. It is not we who are saying this. It’s the experts.



The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MPDepartment of HealthLondon SW1A 2NS

19 September 2013

Dear Minister,I write on behalf of this national charity’s supporters to urge that a rigorous review of how the Abortion Act 1967 is being abused by many be undertaken without delay.We have recently, of course, heard that sex-selection abortion is acceptable to the largest abortion-providers such as Bpas, and is probably widely practised. More shocking, perhaps, is the evidence that doctors routinely pre-sign the abortion consent forms and that some women are undergoing the operations without having been seen by any doctor. It is surely impossible to claim that these doctors are acting ‘in good faith’, as the Act requires, or are discharging their duty of care towards their patients.

This becomes yet more serious in view of what was set out in INDUCED ABORTION AND MENTAL HEALTH. A systematic review of the mental health outcomes of induced abortion including their prevalence and associated factors (December 2011) , a major study developed for the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and paid for by your Department.This defi nitive meta-analysis concluded that the mental health outcomes for women with an unwanted pregnancy ‘were the same whether they had an abortion or gave birth’. But if the woman had a history of mental health problems, or had been under pressure from others to have the abortion or had ‘negative attitudes towards abortion’ (i.e. had moral qualms about aborting her child) abortion was more dangerous. In other words abortion is never the better option and can often be the worse.

But 98 per cent of abortions are done on mental health grounds, that is, on the ground that abortion is the better option. Hence one must conclude that these abortions are not protected by the Abortion Act 1967 and are off ences against the Off ences against the Person Act 1861.It is surely now clear that the abortion ‘industry’ is out of control and playing fast and loose with the law. It is also clear that regulatory bodies like the Care Quality Commission have simply failed to regulate it.Intervention – we believe by you – is urgently required. We would hope that sex-selection abortion would be banned (if necessary, by statute) and pre-signing of abortion consent forms forbidden by your Department. The two doctors who approve an abortion must be required to examine the woman in person; and since the experts now warn of the damage that can be done to women’s mental health, we suggest that one of the two doctors should be a specialist in mental health care. This has been proposed more than once in the past, but shouted down by the pro-abortion lobby. We believe that, in view of what the experts in mental health now say, that lobby must be ignored.The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and the incidence of breast cancer rises steadily. There may be multiple causes for these phenomena. But there is a major one staring us in the face.

Yours sincerely,

(Prof ) Jack ScarisbrickNational Chairman

This has been proposed more than once in the past, but shouted down by the pro-abortion lobby. We believe that, in view of what the experts in mental health now say, that lobby must be ignored.The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and the incidence of breast cancer rises steadily. There may be multiple causes for these phenomena. But there is a major one staring us in the face.

We believe that, in view of what the experts in mental health now say, that lobby must be ignored.between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and the incidence of breast cancer rises steadily. There may be multiple causes for these phenomena. But

This has been proposed more than once in the past, but shouted down by the pro-abortion lobby. We believe that, in view of what the experts in mental health now say, that lobby must be ignored.The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and the incidence of breast cancer rises steadily. There may be multiple causes for these phenomena. But

between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and the incidence of breast cancer rises steadily. There may be multiple causes for these phenomena. But

mental health, we suggest that one of the two doctors should be a specialist in mental health care. This has been proposed more than once in the past, but shouted down by the pro-abortion lobby. We believe that, in view of what the experts in mental health now say, that lobby must be ignored.The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your

The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your

The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and

woman in person; and since the experts now warn of the damage that can be done to women’s mental health, we suggest that one of the two doctors should be a specialist in mental health care. This has been proposed more than once in the past, but shouted down by the pro-abortion lobby. We believe that, in view of what the experts in mental health now say, that lobby must be ignored.The evidence for post-abortion syndrome is now overwhelming. So is the evidence for the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. All this really should not be ignored any longer by your Department. As you know, the consumption of anti-depressants by women has risen steadily and



The pan-European One Of Us campaign, a European Citizens’ Initiative seeking to prevent the EU from funding the destruction of early human life, has reached its target of one million signatures. But the job isn’t done. All signatures on the petition have to be checked, and some will be rejected on various grounds. This means that to be on the safe side people need to keep signing, to keep the pressure on and ensure that there are one million+ signatures. To get your voice heard visit www.oneofus.eu to make sure you’re One Of Us.

news round-upby Niall Gooch, LIFE Research & Education Offi cer, London

Repeat abortions still on the riseLatest statistics reveal that repeat abortions now stand at 37% of the total, which means that more than one third of women having abortions in England and Wales have had at least one previous termination.

Make sure you’re One Of Us

Abortion and disabilityThe parliamentary Inquiry into disability fi nally reported in July and made numerous recommendations. These included much better support and information for parents who have just been given a diagnosis of their unborn child’s disability, improved training for

health professionals and reforms to the law – either a total ban on abortion for disability or an equalisation of the time limit for eugenic abortion to 24 weeks. The 2013 abortion statistics, released in July, showed a 17% increase in abortion for disability.

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Farewell Thank you to John Fannon, Weymouth, and Christine Wall, Reading, for their many years of loyal service.

In Loving Memory We are sorry to report the deaths of the following loyal LIFE supporters: Frank O’Brien (Sutton), Mrs G E Lidzy (Stratford-upon-Avon), Sylvia Tyrer (Yorkshire), Mrs Pat Vitali (Plymouth) RIP



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