Useful Links:
(Please note that RCDHN can accept no responsibility for external websites)
All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group
The Guild of Catholic Doctors, England
An association for Catholic doctors in the U.K
P4L states it exists to raise awareness of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill currently going through Parliament.
Pontifical Academy for Life Academy established by Pope John Paul II to study issues related to the promotion and defence of human life (click on the English options)
Helpers of God’s Precious Infants
Website with information about the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, an international pro-life group who states their main apostolate is prayer vigils at abortion clinics.
Centre for Bioethics and Public Policy dedicated to promoting clear ethical thinking based on Judeo-Christian values, for the latest technological developments in medicine, science and technology.
Life Issues - News/Events
Life Day 2008
Day for Life 2008 - 6 July 2008
‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit’ is the theme for this year’s Day for Life – the day dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition.
Day for Life 2008 will focus on Mental Health. It will help raise awareness of the needs of those affected by mental ill-health, their friends, their families and their carers and the support that the parish community can bring. Mental ill-health can happen to anyone - 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some stage in their life. Millions of people across Britain and Ireland are either living with or know someone close to them who has been affected by depression, schizophrenia, suicide, self-harm, bereavement, substance misuse or mental health difficulties at some stage in their lives.
Monsignor Elio Sgreccia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has sent the following message of encouragement to the organisers and to all involved in the celebration of Day for Life 2008:
“The Pontifical Academy for Life welcomes the theme chosen by the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales for Day for Life this year.
Mental health problems touch the lives of so many people – those who suffer need our understanding and our acceptance. Day for Life 2008 will help raise awareness of the needs of those affected, their friends, family and carers and offer the support that the parish community can bring.”
With every blessing,
S.E. Mons. E. Sgreccia,
(President of the Pontifical Academy for Life)
Day for Life was initiated by the late Pope John Paul II, to encourage the Catholic Church worldwide to celebrate the sanctity of life. In Ireland, Scotland and England & Wales, the Bishops' Conferences work closely together each year. For 2008, they have chosen ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit’ as the theme.
www.dayforlife.org
Download Poster (pdf 100k opens in new window)
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill - Information from the Catholic Church Website
“Therapeutic cloning creates a human life in exactly the same way as 'reproductive' cloning does. The only difference is that the embryo is intended not for birth but for laboratory destruction..."
"Christians recognize the embryo to be sacred precisely because it is inseparable from the mystery of the creation of the human person by God"
On the place of the Human Embryo within the Christian Tradition.."
Submission to the House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research - Linacre Centre
Linacre Centre
The Linacre Centre is the premier Bioethics Catholic Institute in the UK and has many informed and interesting articles and papers on issues such as stem cell research and cloning.
Catholic Guide to Mental Capacity Act published
The Mental Capacity Act affects the care of anyone who is unable to make decisions for themselves. These may be financial decisions, choices about where to live, or how someone is to be cared for. Healthcare decisions made when the end of life is approaching are the main focus of the "Mental Capacity Act & Living Wills - A Practical Guide for Catholics", produced by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales to provide a Catholic perspective on the new law.
“Human rights are intrinsic to the human being: they do not depend on age, size or level of development. Human life should be welcomed and cherished - not manufactured and exploited..."
"Essential to the proper understanding of the human embryo is that it is not just human life, but a human individual... "
On the place of the Human Embryo within the Christian Tradition.."
Submission to the House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research - Linacre Centre