A letter to the Princess Royal

Princess Anne is patron of many charities and organisations. One of her charities, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), has recently changed direction in one of its policies. The chief executive of the organisation, Prof. Cathy Warwick, has stated that the RCM now supports the British Pregnancy Advisory Service’s (BPAS) campaign to change the law and allow abortion, up to birth, for any reason. It should be noted that Prof. Warwick is also a trustee of the BPAS.

Many Midwives are rightly upset by this decision because they were not consulted about the change in policy and feel that their job is to support mothers before, during and after pregnancy. Indeed, many who are pro-abortion have criticised Prof. Warwick’s stance. Dr Pemberton is an NHS psychiatrist and a columnist for the Mail, he himself has assisted in abortions and has said he couldn’t understand “how anyone who knows the full facts about abortion could countenance such a grotesque idea” He went even further saying, that he “unreservedly” supports a woman’s right to choose, but added “many doctors are uncomfortable about the current cut-off”. “In the same hospital where we are trying to save a premature baby born at 23 weeks, a woman down the corridor is legally allowed to undergo a late-stage abortion on a foetus of the same gestation.”

Dr Pemberton warned that it is “so chillingly easy to treat abortions as being like any other operation”, adding: “Cathy Warwick’s proposals chill my blood. If I were a midwife, she would be the last woman on earth I’d want to speak in my name.”

The Catholic Church is quite clear that all life is of supreme value and should be nurtured from conception to natural death. Therefore, please add your name to the petition which is trying to reverse the RCMs new stance: Follow this link

In wanting to highlight these issues, Fr Liam has sent a letter to Princess Anne, one of the Royal Patrons of the RCM. To read the letter click the image below.

Letter

 

 

‘Phone fault

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Please be aware that the parish telephone number has now been out of action for over a week. The fault has been reported to BT who had an engineer scheduled to visit the property today. Alas, owing to a lack of staff, there was no engineer available. A further appointment has now been made for Monday 9th May.

Both Fr Owen and Fr Liam are exceptionally dissipated with the service offered by BT and have made complaints. Please do continue to be patient.

Year of Mercy – Rome Pilgrimage

The 21 travellers are back from Rome having had a most enjoyable and spiritually uplifting pilgrimage to celebrate the Holy Year of Mercy. Having walked through the Holy Door on the first day, the trip opened out to be a spiritual, cultural, gastronomic, shopaholic and friendship building experience. Fr Liam and the group had a wonderful time and are thankful that all have returned safe and well. For more pictures take a look in the gallery or on the parish Facebook page.

Organ Donation

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Before the presumed consent of organ donation became law in Wales there was much discussion on how the law would work. I remember having conversations with people, and reading on official websites that, while the law would allow for doctors to take organs from those who had not opted out, they would still consult with the family.

I had many misgivings at the time because this familial conversation had no legal protection to it. I was worried that at some future date the authorities could say “well, we’re not going to ask you if your happy for us to take x’s organs – we’re going to take them anyway because we have presumed consent from the law.”

On this matter, the website for Organ Donation Wales said that families could stop a donation if the deceased had not wanted to give his or her organs, but had not yet found time to opt out. This is taken from the Organ Donation Wales website:

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However, this morning the BBC News has published an article which says this polite (but not legally protected conversation) will now be abandoned. The BBC quotes the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) head Sally Johnson as saying that the NHSBT will no longer seek the consent of families formally, to make such “overrides” more exceptional. She’s quoted  as saying “We are taking a tougher approach – but also a more honest approach. My nurses are speaking for the person who has died.” You can read the article here.

I hate to say it… but I told you so.

Faith in the Public Square

Our MP has given an address at the annual Conservative Christian Fellowship Lecture. Irrespective of our own personal, political affiliations, it is good to hear that our MP is willing to address these matters in public. I shall write to him to thank him for contributing to public life while being informed by his faith. A fuller article may be read here.

 

My letter to Stephen Crabb is re-produced below.

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