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September 2005
Contents: Poll shows massive support for abortion law reform; Another abortion rate rise under Labour; Activity in Parliament; Explaining SLN; Alive + Kicking: A dynamic and upbeat abortion campaign; Govt launches consultation on assisted reproduction; A great big thank you.
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here for our press contact details To download a hard copy of this newsletter click on the below links - feel free to distribute this newsletter at your university or school: Front Page (PDF - 615KB) Back Page (PDF - 604KB) Printing Instructions - VERY IMPORTANT POLL SHOWS MASSIVE SUPPORT FOR ABORTION LAW REFORM Student LifeNet's campaign against abortion received a massive boost after a recent survey said a majority of the population want abortion time limits to be lowered. The results of the YouGov survey for the Daily Telegraph will hopefully encourage MPs to finally revisit and debate UK abortion laws in the new parliament which resumes at the start of October. According to the poll, 64 per cent said abortions should not be carried out after 20 weeks, whilst only 25 per cent of those questioned wanted to retain the current abortion limit. Interestingly, women (76%) were more likely than men to agree with stricter laws. One in three women wanted a limit of 12 weeks or under. The survey also found people are concerned that scientists are rushing ahead to develop unethical research and practices without considering moral implications. 60 per cent were opposed to human cloning but 30 per cent would allow it to help infertile couples have children, for instance. However, the results indicated strong support amongst the public for the legalisation of assisted suicide. An alarming 87 per cent agreed that terminally ill patients "should have the right to decide when they want to die and to ask for medical assistance to help them". This is particularly concerning as Lord Joffe is expected to reintroduce his Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill in the new academic year. ANOTHER ABORTION RATE RISE UNDER LABOUR SLN has expressed "astonishment" at the rise in numbers of abortions, particularly among girls under 14. Official Department of Health figures published recently show there were 185,400 abortions in 2004, a 2.1% rise on the previous year. Although the under-18 rate has dropped slightly, a large 6% rise in terminations carried out on under-14s is concerning. 'It is now clear that the UK effectively has abortion-on-demand. The government must take immediate steps to reduce this horrific number of abortions by at least half through cutting the abortion time limit. 'The abortion statistics also indicate that now 60% of abortions take place between 4-9 weeks gestation. This is, no doubt, a result of the government relentlessly cutting abortion waiting times to increase the numbers of abortions. 'We are also concerned that officials have excluded a 'cleft palate' category yet again - a clear indication of their concern relating to the cleft palate legal case. 'With images of foetuses walking in the womb, it is unacceptable that our abortion rate remains so high. The government must act now.' Student LifeNet was quoted on the BBC, as well as in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph EXPLAINING STUDENT LIFENET Richard Marsden explains the role of Student LifeNet to new students Student LifeNet was set up in 1999 having been inspired by an American group called Feminists for Life. SLN's main goal is to make the pro-life philosophy the dominant viewpoint and to unite all students to oppose destruction of vulnerable human life. It is also committed to helping publicise solutions to unplanned pregnancies. SLN therefore campaigns against aboriton, human cloning, embryo research, and, to a lesser extent, euthanasia, as well as all other attacks on innocent human life. We aim to establish a pro-life group at every university and to run effective campaigns. ALIVE + KICKING: A DYNAMIC AND UPBEAT ABORTION CAMPAIGN Student LifeNet is proud to support a dynamic new abortion campaign, backed by a broad coalition of human rights groups, aimed at cutting the 185,000 abortions a year through a reduction in the upper time limit. The campaign coalition was launched on Monday 26 September at a fringe event of the Labour Party Conference. Hosted by backbench Labour MP Jim Dobbin, the event featured a presentation of Stuart Campbell's 4D ultrasound images, a speech by a disability-rights activist, and a presentation of a poll indicating that a huge majorty of MPs back a lower time limit. The poll comes just weeks after a YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph illustrated that 76% of women back a reduction of the upper limit to 20 weeks or less. The Alive + Kicking campaign also aims to abolish all eugenic abortions for disability. There will also be campaign 'offshoots' which will include campaigns against easier access to abortion, as well as Student LifeNet's own offshoot: a campaign for a parental notification law for teenagers under the age of 18. We encourage all students to sign up to the campaign's mailing list and to organise debates on abortion law reform at your university, college or school. Student LifeNet is more than happy to recommend speakers or debate title suggestions. GOVT LAUNCHES CONSULTATION ON ASSISTED REPRODUCTION The government has launched a public consultation on the way embryo research should be regulated. Public Health Minister, Caroline Flint, announced a consultation on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in August. The Act, which was passed in 1990, has been closely reviewed by the government over the past year following a commitment to update it. "The HFE Act was a landmark piece of legislation which has stood the test of time well," Caroline Flint said. "However, we never expected that the Act would remain forever unchanged in the face of major developments in science and medicine." It is the first time the government has publicly consulted on these types of issues and gives a great opportunity for pro-lifers to criticise regulations and call for more stringent controls. SLN is urging ALL students to submit their own responses to the consultation - the deadline for which is November 25th. You can read the consultation on the Department of Health website www.dh.gov.uk A GREAT BIG THANK YOU It's that time of year again when we pay tribute to key pro-life activists who have now left uni to enter the real world SHEFFIELD A big word of thanks goes to Cecilia Edwards, who was President of the Pro-Life Society for two years at Sheffield. Cecilia often confronted union women's officers by e-mail and face-to-face. One of the most memorable occasions was when she laced into a speaker from the National Abortion Campaign (now called Abortion Rights). She will be sorely missed at the Sheffield group. Cecilia has recently moved to Austria to do further studies and make preparations for her marriage to Kurt. OXFORD We would also like to thank Lucy Underwood for her invaluable role in the pro-life society at Oxford University. Despite strong opposition Lucy was very high-profile at Oxford by, amongst many other things, standing for VP-Women's Officer and opposing Oxford's pro-choice policies at OUSU council. We wish her every success for the future. We would also like to thank anyone else, who has sice moved on, who has helped to keep the pro-life movement active at their university. Best of luck to you all! |
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