LIFE Lines

They say a picture paints a thousand words, but sometimes words do a pretty good job on their own. Take, for example, the understandable devastation of the couple involved in the IVF mix-up in December 2007.

Imagine playing a game where your opponent constantly changes the rules, or simply invents new ones, every time you are close to winning. Frustrating and demoralising? Almost certainly. But that is what it can be like for pro-lifers who want to discuss abortion.

It goes without saying that the murder of Dr George Tiller, the late-term abortion specialist from Kansas, is entirely wrong and unjustifiable. Violence against abortion clinics, or attempts to justify and encourage such violence, are always and everywhere wrong.

But there are a couple of points that need adding to the debate, because many critics of the pro-life movement are now using this crime as a very large stick with which to beat pro-lifers. The attack is two-pronged.

(Part 1 of this Lifeline can be found here)

The PDF of Dr John Ling's book on the Morning After Pill is now available here

April 23rd 2009 saw more than just the chinking of glasses toasting England’s national patron, it saw the first TV screening of the so-called emergency contraceptive, Levonelle one step advert.

The purple-hued animation (1) depicts a couple in bed who have just had a bit of a mishap - ‘no way to explain it’ though, according to the lyrics of the jaunty tune. So, off she goes on a traumatic bus journey, plagued by the wailing cries of a young baby, to the local pharmacist to pick up a pack containing one round white tablet.

Across the European Union, pro-lifers in member countries are collecting signatures for this petition in defence of the right to life of the human embryo, to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. It is vital that the United Kingdom supports this initiative.
The European Union is the only vehicle for receiving such a petition from European citizens and this is primarily addressed to the President of the EU, but it is intended to send copies to the Council and Commission as well.

How to participate:

A few weeks ago we drew attention to plans to liberalise the law on advertising abortion and contraception on prime-time TV. Please get in touch to give your opinions on this matter.

The following information from the Code Policy Team at the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee on Advertising Practice (BCAP) may be useful:

Camilla Cavendish, writing in today's Times,reminds us of the problems associated with broken families. LIFE believes that encouraging strong families is integral to creating a real culture of life, and this blog has explored the subject on more than one occasion.

An earlier LifeLine drew attention to the proposal to liberalise the law to allow abortion agencies to be allowed to advertise on television. Why, we might ask, is this objectionable? A devil’s advocate might point out that abortion agencies offer a legal service which is accessed by many people each year. Why should they not be allowed to advertise, just like car companies or detergent manufacturers?

It would appear that sexual health and abortion services may soon be advertised on TV and radio, with ads potentially targeted at children as young as eleven years old.